February 2019

Arguably, the Foo Fighters are the best band in the world. A live performance by the Foo Fighters is life changing. Too Fighters are Chicago's answer making that experience available to everyone. It is our missision to pack twenty years worth of Foo into one set, the best songs, moments, antics, history, stories and fun as only the Foos can deliver. The Too Fighters are not five guys playing Foo Fighters songs, but five students of the Foos serious about delivering the most faithful, honest recreation of the Foo Fighters experience, down to the last detail--sights, sound, energy and integrity. Like the Foo Fighters, we believe in being faithful to the art and our craft. We don't rely on tricks, shortcuts, gimmicks, computers or recordings--no samples, backing tracks or other crutches. Just five guys with guitars and drums playing the way it was meant to be played.

Why do we do it?

We are five seasoned musicians, veterans of the local music scene, who were becoming increasingly unfulfilled and dissatisfied with local bands and music. Music was becoming heavy, dark, scerious and empty. So we set out to find and bring back what was missing: FUN!!! After searched inside out out for the missing ingredient we found it in The Foo Fighters.

The Foos embodied everything we were starving for. They are unique, unconventional, uncompromising and have a blast doing it. Their fans are a direct reflection of those values and attitues. We wanted to get in front of the best crowds, the best fans in the world. Those are Foo Fighters fans.

It has taken us over five years of hard work to deliver a show that is pure, raw, honest and one hundred percent Foo. When you see a Too Fighters show you will leave equal parts exhilerated and exhausted.

Singer/ Songwriter Ronnie Nyles has long been revered as one of the premier women entertainers of the Midwest. Her career has taken her on many musical journeys throughout the United States, Canada, Australia and Europe. These tours have Ronnie headlining concerts and festival engagements as well as opening for national and international recording artists. With a wide dynamic and expressive range, Ronnie can belt out a raspy Rod Stewart roots rock sound or slip into a smoky, torrid blues with her voice. Ronnie's distinctive voice blends a variety of songs and styles that include rock, country and acoustic folk, leaning on the musical influences of Bonnie Raitt, Melissa Etheridge, Heart, Joni Mitchel, John Mellenamp, and Janis Joplin.

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That's What She Said is a small collection of four Milwaukee-based, seasoned women songwriters whose intention is to take Milwaukee by storm with their honest, hard-edged writing. Separately they front cover bands, lead numerous open jams, are multi-instrumentalists, make music videos, record albums, and can jellies and dilly beans. Collectively they are forces to be reckoned with.

Michael McDermott burst onto the scene in his early 20s with his exceptional debut, 620 W. Surf and subsequently found himself touted as Rock's 'Next Big Thing'. MTV, Rolling Stone, The New York Times and even author, Stephen King added their appreciative nods and having the backing of Giant Records and prestigious producers like, Brian Koppelman and Don Gehman, seemed to go a long way towards assuring his success - overnight success.

The missteps and failures that followed, the collapse of an industry that once embraced him as its next sensation, are troubles and travails that either ruin a person completely, or they force a change of attitude and staunch determination to gather one's resolve to not only survive, but overcome. McDermott vowed to do both. Ten albums in, it's resulted in Willow Springs (Pauper Sky, June 17, 2016), one of the most honest, daring and defiant recordings of McDermott's career. Named for the small town where he now resides with his wife and young daughter, it reflects a certain circumspect about his life, the situations he's encountered, while realizing that ultimately, his fate resided in his own hands.

"This is an album of reckoning I suppose," McDermott reflects. "There was a real cacophony of change going on in my life at the time... being a new father, losing my own father, leaving the city for the country, dealing with sobriety, grief, death, mortality, shame and forgiveness. It was a veritable emotional tsunami and yet somehow I had to navigate through it all. That journey is reflected in these songs. Willow Springs is the name of the place where I took refuge and had to confront a lot of things".

Recorded at his home in the country and fan-funded, Willow Springs finds McDermott behind the boards as producer for the first time with longtime producer and collaborator, Lex Price doing the mix. Having enlisted a stellar support group of musicians -- including multi-instrumentalist, Price; guitarist, Will Kimbrough; keyboard player, John Deaderick ; sax player Rich Parenteau; and McDermott's wife, Heather Horton on backing vocals - McDermott found himself able to craft the unassuming yet cutting sound he envisioned.

Indeed, the results bear out the fact that Willow Springs is the most honest and expressive album of McDermott's extraordinary 25 year career. Songs such as, 'These Last Few Days', 'Getaway Car', 'Half Empty Kinda Guy', 'One Minus One' and the title track, convey all at once, a sound that's both reflective and confessional - borne by stark emotion and a tattered, battered delivery that's both sobering and sublime. McDermott remains more determined than ever, and Willow Springs is the result. "My enthusiasm is only matched by my desire to continue to evolve as an artist" he insists.

Accolades and kudos can be accumulated one minute and quickly dissipate the next. After all, the music biz is a fickle beast and it doesn't matter how much you pleased the masses last year, last month or even last week, but rather, about what you offer today.

Today, McDermott has offered his best.

Kudos to Michael McDermott - overnight success.

The boys from Signalfire are back again to answer the call for rock and roll. Now performing as a two piece rock band, the fire burns brighter than ever. With the release of their new three song EP, Deuces Wild, you might think the latest incarnation of Signalfire has adopted a 'less is more' approach. Shame on you. Less isn't more. More is more. It takes exactly one spin of Deuces Wild to realize the jams within pack more riffs, more melodies, more grooves, more swagger...just plain MORE. The new songs are straight gasoline. The live shows are a lit match. Light it up!

2014 was a banner year for the rock and roll torchbearers. April saw them release their whiskey-fueled magnum opus, 'Mrs. Saturday Night'. It's the audio equivalent of your fifth shot and suddenly everyone at the bar is looking real good. They're jams that get under your fingernails and just won't wash out. Each song is packed with melody and rhythm that transcends reductive labels like 'rock music'.

Receiving attention from the press for their standout single 'Let It Out', Signalfire were honored with a featured artist spot on Reverbnation for a week. Their new rock jams led them to a prime slot at the world's largest music festival, Summerfest, in their hometown of Milwaukee. Not to deny other cities a taste of Mrs. Saturday Night live and in person, Signalfire then hit the road and shared the love with fans all over the Midwest before taking a victory lap around Milwaukee, culminating in a main stage opening slot for national touring act Tantric. They've also had their music featured on numerous tv shows, including UFC Presents, NBC Sports, Fox Sports, and Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.

Now entering their second decade as a rock band, it's clear Signalfire won't be burning out any time soon.

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Grace Under Water is a alternative rock band from Milwaukee WI.

Forming in the summer of 2017 by Kanoa Azinger and Tim McClure ( both formally of the retro rock outfit Passing Sirens).

Grace Under Water initially started out as a duo/recording only project. Upon recording multiple songs and spending long hours in the studio; the pair once again had the itch to form a new band and reached out to bassist Tom McCartan (Wicked Realm) and Geoff Slater (Lost in a Name).

With an introspective and melody based approach Grace Under Water is truly a one of a kind band. With influences such as Stone Temple Pilot-Jeff Buckley-Stereophonics-Tears for Fears- Silver Chair-Red Hot Chili Pepper-Nine Inch Nails-Sevendust to name a few. Grace Under Water truly is the cats pajamas. The band is scheduled to release their first official single "Worth Breaking" Feb 2 followed by a special performance at Shank Hall Feb 9th 2019 @ 8pm along side fellow Milwaukee rockers SIGNALFIRE and A LEGEND ALONE.

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A Legend Alone is an American Alternative Rock band from Milwaukee, WI. The band formed in the winter of 2014 after the dissolution of our previous project Vincent. David, Corbin, and JJ decided it was time for a new musical direction and, after adding Tony, formed A Legend Alone. They are currently writing music for their first release.

MARTY FRIEDMAN released his first solo album, Dragon's Kiss, on the influential Shrapnel Records. His tenure with Cacophony and Megadeth have created some of the most memorable music and jaw dropping guitar solos ever heard. He's received gold and platinum awards from throughout the globe and continually pushes the boundaries of music. Fluent in Japanese, Friedman currently resides in Japan where he is a fixture on Japanese television and was recently appointed a Japanese Heritage Ambassador to promote the countries upcoming Olympic games.

Marty Friedman began his career as a Shrapnel solo recording artist and later joined forces with Jason Becker to form the unrivaled dual guitar unit, "Cacophony", who have a strong influence on today's top guitarists. Amassing worldwide acclaim as a guitar superstar, he came to the attention of Megadeth. Racking up sales of over 10 million records with Megadeth, Friedman continued to record solo records, often embarking on adventurous musical forays far removed from his work with Megadeth, including an album with Golden Globe winner Kitaro.

In a bold move, he left the legendary Megadeth to pursue new musical goals and has succeeded tremendously. Friedman's many accomplishments make him currently the only musician to be a fixture in the top class of the Japanese domestic as well as international music scene.

His music performance (songs from "LOUDSPEAKER") on national TV with the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra, and charting high with his own music and with Japan's top artists, has spurred Friedman into new celebrity territory.

Now residing in Tokyo, Friedman has become a television celebrity appearing as a regular on 5 major networks, he can be seen on mainstream hit TV programs almost every day in Japan.

His latest offering, "LOUDSPEAKER" is exactly the kind of record that Friedman fans have been waiting for. While aggressively breaking through cutting edge uncharted musical territory still in spots it is reminiscent in style of his first solo record "Dragon's Kiss."

Before joining Megadeth in Feb.1990, Marty was in a band called Cacophony, which released 2 albums (among their indie label's highest selling) and toured the U.S. and Japan. This band highlighted the potent guitar playing of Marty and fellow guitarist Jason Becker (who was to join David Lee Roth's band and record an album with him in 1990). Marty has received extremely high acclaim and many awards around the world for his unmistakably 'Marty-esque' way of playing the guitar.

Marty is from Washington D.C. originally but has lived in many places including Hawaii, Germany and California, giving him an odd and interesting approach to making his music. He currently resides in Tokyo.

Pioneering post-punk band, the Gang of Four were formed in the bricolage punk rock fallout culture of late seventies Leeds -- a place where art was a mirror and guitars were machine guns. Gang of Four tore up the template and made sense of the question marks thrown up by year zero.

They redesigned rock in the punk aftermath, taking the incendiary energy of the form and criss- crossing it with funk, stripping away the baggage of rock excess and creating a new stripped-down music that was full of agit energy, heavy grooves, shrapnel guitars and politically charged lyrics matching the fervour of the times. Swerving trad rock rhythms, the beats were invented from scratch and every instrument played a pivotal role in the sound in a non-hierarchical structure.

In short, they came up with post punk.

The band then bounced around the music business releasing a series of albums that have been a direct inspiration to a diverse selection of bands who wanted to deconstruct rock music without losing its sense of excitement, from the surrounding post-punk generation to the big bands that followed. The Red Hot Chili Peppers, INXS, R.E.M., U2, Rage Against the Machine, Nirvana and Massive Attack have all spoken of their debt to Gang of Four.

More recently, the band's influence has become almost universal--now everybody talks about Gang of Four. From Franz Ferdinand to St Vincent, from Sleater Kinny and James Murphy of LCD Soundsystem to Nine Inch Nails: today's creators of angular rock music have GO4's influence and imprint all over them. The band is reaching an urban audience with Frank Ocean sampling them on his latest album and Pharrell name-checking the band in his interviews.

Inevitably GO4 disbanded in 1984 but reformed later that decade, since then releasing a series of albums that emphatically demonstrate their capacity for invention and twisting energy. The line-up now includes Thomas McNeice--the bass player joined in 2008--and John 'Gaoler' Sterry, who has supplied vocals since 2011.

Urgent, dangerous and intense and a bass sound you would kill for, the Gang of Four are, somehow, one of the best young bands in Britain. Full of energy and intensity and zig-zag darting runs across the stage, they explode with the vim and vigour of ideas, like all great bands in their early days.

Except this band is built around a near-60-year-old guitar player, GO4 founder Andy Gill, whose pursuit of perfection has left him as the gang of one. Gill is as vital as ever at the heart of the project. This is no smash-and-grab raid on past reputation. Gang of Four are at the top of their game.

Their upcoming album Happy Now is the perfect synthesis between a modern take on the classic sound--a pop touch with those timeless angular guitar lines and fractured rhythms--with a fast forward vision. It's this combination of electronics and the jagged guitar lines pursuing 21st century grooves that achieves a striking balance between the band's fundamental sound and its restless embrace of the now and the new. Overlaid with Gaoler's melodic vocals, the result is a body of anthemic songs of modern confusion, in the band's best and most consistent work since their post- punk years.

The album also captures the energy of their live show which is seriously good. McNeice's bass is fierce, sharp, full of post-punk grind. He looks sharp and lean, dangerous as well, with his suicide runs across the stage, all the while locking in tight with the pounding rhythm section. Meanwhile Gaoler is delivering his impassioned vocals, flailing away lost in the dark energy groove provided by Jonny Finnigan and Tobias Humble. All of this complements and highlights Gill's steel-eyed resolve and six- string invention.

The Gang of Four was always more than 'just a band'. It's an idea. A quicksilver place that is there to be grabbed by those that dare. Gill has drilled the band super-tight and infused them with that spartan, post-punk, spare aesthetic that sets them up perfectly for this modern dance.

The 2018 Gang of Four are glorious. They sound enormous. They are exciting and have more than a whiff of danger and revolution about them. Gill radiates intensity and still plays the guitar like it's sparking with Hendrix electricity or an AK47 Wilko scratch clatter, and his band of young droogs add a youthful exuberance and energy that electrifies the songs and makes Gang of Four a thrilling exercise in reinvention.

BIG BANG BABY is the ultimate Stone Temple Pilots experience, built to perform the most captivating, accurate live show since the real thing. The BBB stage show embodies the spirit, charisma and musicianship of one of the last true American rock & roll acts, and one of the most iconic front men of our time. If you never saw the Scott Weiland-led STP, or simply miss them, you must experience BIG BANG BABY!

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In 2015, renowned Chicagoland 90s band Mallrats was asked to do a series of all Pearl Jam shows. More and more people caught wind of these dedicated shows and in 2017 the demand became so apparent that TEN was born. If you are truly into Pearl Jam like the band is, come out and help us celebrate the last remaining kings of the grunge era!

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Chicago's premiere tribute to Soundgarden, Audioslave, & Temple Of The Dog, honoring the legacy of the incomparable Chris Cornell.

Launched in late 1977, Yipes crisscrossed the Midwest playing hundreds of shows and logging thousands of miles playing 4 sets a night often 6 nights a week, nearly 300 times a year. The hard work paid off and earned Yipes a record contract with RCA/Millennium Records.

Yipes released 2 albums on RCA/Millennium. The first, the self-titled Yipes! was released in 1979 and charted in Billboard's Top 200. The second, "A Bit Irrational," yielded a Top 60 single on the Billboard charts.

In 2013, Yipes was inducted into the WAMI Hall of Fame and performed for the first time since its farewell concert in 1981. They enjoyed it so much that they decided to have a reunion show and Summerfest quickly obliged.

Yipes is singer/composer Pat McCurdy; guitarists Andy Bartel and Mike Hoffmann; Pete Strand, bass; and Teddy Freese on drums.

With deep feeling and top-shelf talent, houserocking blues masters The Cash Box Kings play tough, real deal classic Chicago blues with boundless energy. They also deliver raw, passionate Delta blues, jumping proto-rock 'n' roll, and steamrolling "bluesabilly," their original mix of Chicago blues and Memphis rockabilly. As anyone who has ever been to one of the band's raucous performances will testify, The Cash Box Kings know how to throw a party. They're fueled by the powerhouse harmonica work of Madison, Wisconsin-based songwriter Joe Nosek and the huge, gritty vocals of Chicago bluesman Oscar Wilson. Their original songs range from humorous stories of Internet love to harrowing tales of Chicago's violent gun epidemic. Every song they perform--be it a striking original or a scorching Chess, Sun or Vee-Jay cover--explodes with contemporary authority and radiates old-school authenticity. According to Grammy Award-winning blues legend Charlie Musselwhite, "The Cash Box Kings play with real taste and feel. Not only is it good blues but it's a jumping good time, too! I ain't lyin'!"

Joe Nosek founded The Cash Box Kings in Madison, Wisconsin in 2001 and, since 2007, has co-led the band with the charismatic, larger-than-life vocalist Oscar Wilson. Over 20 years apart in age and coming from vastly different backgrounds, the two form an unlikely pair, combining Wilson's indisputably authentic inner city Chicago blues vocals with Nosek's harmonica, songwriting and singing talents. The music they create is brilliantly displayed on The Cash Box Kings' Alligator Records debut, Royal Mint. According to Wilson, "The Cash Box Kings is a throwback to the golden age of blues with some kickin' fresh young blood. Joe is my best friend in the music world--the band is a marriage made in heaven for both of us." "Oscar is godfather to my oldest son," says Nosek. "We have each other's backs. We're family."

Royal Mint features 13 hard-hitting songs, including six impressive originals. From the wry, politically-charged Build That Wall to the chilling Blues For Chi-Raq to the funny and too true If You Got A Jealous Woman Facebook Ain't Your Friend to the timeless versions of songs by Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters, Junior Wells, Clifton Chenier, Amos Milburn and Jimmy Reed, Royal Mint shuffles, jumps and gets down and dirty, fueled by the band's unmatched musicianship. According Nosek, "Royal Mint is our strongest album. The band is at its absolute best."

Nosek refers to the group of top-notch traditional players who comprise The Cash Box Kings as "a blues collective." Live and on record, members of the "collective" appear in different combinations for different performances, creating an anything-can-happen experience. In addition to co-leaders Nosek and Wilson, the full ensemble includes world-class guitarists Joel Paterson and Billy Flynn, drummers Kenny "Beedy Eyes" Smith and Mark Haines, bassist Brad Ber with newest member Lee Kanehira (replacing their longtime pianist, the late Barrelhouse Chuck) rounding out the band.

In their first six years, The Cash Box Kings won a large and loyal audience across the Midwest. Wilson joined the band in 2007, bringing with him an instantly commanding stage presence and an authoritative vocal style that gives fire-breathing power to the music. A self-taught musician and singer with an encyclopedic knowledge of almost every blues song known to man, Wilson--standing 6'1" and weighing over 300 pounds--is a natural-born entertainer and a perfect foil for Nosek and the band. Born in 1953 on Chicago's 43rd Street (aka Muddy Waters Drive), Wilson grew up in the company of many famous blues artists. Junior Wells, Elmore James, Big Smokey Smothers and close family friend David "Honeyboy" Edwards were all regulars at weekly Friday night fish fries/jam sessions at the Wilson home. Throughout his adulthood, Wilson held regular jobs but was always welcome sitting in with Chicago blues mainstays Melvin Taylor and Johnny B. Moore. His vocal inspirations range from Muddy Waters, B.B. King and Albert King to Jimmy Reed, Jimmy Rogers and Little Walter but he mostly sings like Oscar Wilson. Award-winning harmonica giant and vocalist Rick Estrin (leader of Rick Estrin & The Nightcats) says, "That guy can really sing."

A self-described blues fanatic, Nosek, born in Wisconsin in 1974 and raised in Chicago, spent his youth soaking up as much blues music as he could hear, both live and on record. In his teens, he began sneaking into blues clubs to watch Junior Wells, James Cotton, Otis Rush, Jimmy Rogers, Sunnyland Slim and others. Nosek recalls, "Seeing those guys work made a huge impression on me and propelled me into wanting to learn how to play the blues." He took up harmonica, quickly cultivating his own aggressive, fluid style.

After moving to Madison in the early 1990s, he began sitting in with artists such as Clyde Stubblefield and Luther Allison. Finding like-minded musicians hell-bent on playing raw, rough-edged, hard-charging blues, Nosek formed The Cash Box Kings. They released their first album, Live! At The King Club, in 2003, instantly earning praise from critics and fans, and gaining a reputation as one of the hottest live bands on the circuit.

The Cash Box Kings have earned devoted fans in both Chicago and Madison, the two cities where band members live. They regularly headline Chicago venues like Buddy Guy's Legends and Rosa's Lounge, and have played major festivals across the U.S. and Europe. They've blown away audiences at the Chicago Blues Festival, the Tampa Bay Blues Festival, the Doheny Blues Festival, the Mississippi Valley Blues Festival, the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, the Cincinnati Blues Festival, the Cambridge Folk Festival (UK), the Moulin Blues Festival (Netherlands), the Lucerne Blues Festival (Switzerland), the Baltic Blues Festival (Germany) and the Edmonton Blues Festival (Canada). They have also performed in Belgium, France, Spain and Uruguay.

With eight previous releases to their credit and hundreds of live performances under their belts, The Cash Box Kings have won widespread acclaim throughout the blues world. Their 2013 release Black Toppin' won the 2013 Blues Blast Music Award for Traditional Blues Album of the Year. It was also nominated for a 2014 Blues Music Award in the same category. Their last release, Holding Court, was nominated for two 2016 Blues Music Awards (Best Traditional Album and Album of the Year) and the band was also nominated for the Band of the Year Award. They've been featured on NPR Music as well as in the pages of No Depression, The Chicago Tribune, The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Living Blues, Vintage Guitar, Blues Blast and many other publications. Living Blues said, "This accomplished band of musicians captures the vibe of traditional blues and flawlessly spins it in innovative ways."

According to Alligator president Bruce Iglauer, The Cash Box Kings are a natural addition to the label. "I love this band because they combine the classic Chicago blues style with contemporary lyrics, true blues vocals and terrific musicianship. Oscar Wilson's voice is a soulful roar like Muddy Waters' and Joe Nosek plays powerhouse harmonica in the James Cotton tradition. Billy Flynn and Joel Paterson are world-class blues guitarists. The whole band can deliver jumping party shuffles or down-in-the-alley gritty blues. Their fresh songs bring wry humor to subjects like current politics, the pitfalls of social networking and life on the tough streets of Chicago."

Nosek agrees, saying, "We're very happy about finding a new home with Bruce Iglauer and the good folks at Alligator Records. As blues musicians who grew up in Chicago, becoming a part of the Alligator roster is a great honor for us. It's the label that has released some of our all-time favorite blues records."

With blasting harmonica, soul-deep vocals, original songs and sizzling guitars, The Cash Box Kings boast an array of talent to satisfy blues lovers of every shape and size. On Royal Mint they make old blues new as they continue to create new blues classics, with, according to Elmore magazine, "just the right amount of juke joint grit." Living Blues says The Cash Box Kings are "straight from the golden era of the blues," boasting "an impressive line-up of A-list players. Joe Nosek feels Little Walter and Slim Harpo in the essence of his soul. Singer Oscar Wilson could be right out of [Chicago's famed] Checkerboard Lounge in its glory days. The Cash Box Kings are a dancing and listening pleasure."

Based in Chicago, Without U2 recreates the sight and sound of the legendary Irish rock band U2 in an incredible fashion. Without U2 performs at all types of venues all over the country, from small Irish pubs to outdoor festival stages, in full costume and using authentic gear.

Just like a real live U2 show, we perform extended singalong versions of all the hits such as One, With or Without You, Where the Streets Have No Name, Sunday Bloody Sunday, Mysterious Ways, New Year's Day, Desire, Pride (In the Name of Love), Beautiful Day, I Will Follow, Out of Control, and Bad....You name it and we play it!

Our members are professional musicians and lifelong U2 fans. We will not settle for less than complete authenticity. While wading through the audience with his wireless mic, "Jono" Clarke (guitar/vocals/harmonica) belts out soaring vocals that rival Bono himself. Cory Sanders (guitar/vocals) recreates the tech guitar wizardry of "The Edge", and Michael Koelling (bass) supplies the melodic low end of Adam Clayton. Jeff Kropp (drums/percussion) plays the role of Larry Mullen, Jr., with the the heart, soul and attention to detail that makes Without U2 the best rock band in the world.