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Mr. Blotto was born in Chicago as an off-night vehicle for musicians who loved each others playing but were in different bands at the time. The only rule was that they would only play what they loved. That philosophy continues today and has led Mr. Blotto into unique musical situations.Mr. Blotto takes the Jam band asthetic into areas unfamiliar to the standard Jam Scene. They have been known to cover entire albums by Led Zeppelin and the Who as well as perform entire shows of Country and Reggae. Artists as diverse as the Grateful Dead, the Flaming Lips, Willie Nelson and The Velvet Underground have seen their material interpreted by Mr. Blotto in the 2000+ shows the band has performed in the last 15 years, yet covers only pepper the bands hefty catalog of original material stemming from five studio albums and other unreleased crowd favorites.

Get your tickets now for Lanyard Skynerd the greatest southern rock-parody-corporate entertainment band in the world!Lanyard Skynerd is written by T.J. Shanoff & Ed Furman - the creators of the box-office hits Rod Blagojevich Superstar! and Rush Limbaugh: The Musical - directed by Jeff Award winner Mick Napier, founder of The Annoyance Theatre, and stars Tributosaurus' lead singer Matt Spiegel. This new musical promises a nostalgic, possibly offensive, and absolutely f**king weird evening of your favorite southern rock classics performed like you’ve never heard them before.

LAST TUESDAY OF EVERY MONTH - TIX AVAILABLE AT DOOR, NIGHT OF ONLY The Moth StorySLAMs are open to anyone with a five-minute story to tell on the night's theme. Half an hour before the show, we put the names of all the folks who want to tell a story in a hat. At the start of the show, we start picking names. The 10 featured stories are scored by teams of judges selected from the audience. Each Storyslam generates a Storyslam winner. After ten slams, the winners face off in our Grandslam Championships. Come sign up to tell a story, or just to enjoy the show! Chicago Moth StorySLAMs now join weekly StorySLAM events in New York and twice a month StorySLAMs in Los Angeles. THE MOTH-- hailed as "New York's hottest and hippest literary ticket" by The Wall Street Journal -- is an acclaimed non-profit organization dedicated to the art of oral storytelling. It was founded in 1997 by poet and novelist George Dawes Green, who wanted to recreate in New York the feeling of sultry summer evenings on his native St. Simon's Island, Georgia, when moths would attract to the light on the porch where he and his small circle of friends would gather to spin spellbinding tales. The first Moth event was held in George's East Village living room and the story events quickly spread to larger venues throughout Manhattan. At The Moth, people from all walks tell real stories from their lives with no notes, and every show in The Moth's history has sold out - most within 48 hours. In 2006-2007, The Moth produced a successful 10 city national tour. In 2008, The Moth podcast was launched and spent one month at number one on all of iTunes. Today, The Moth conducts six ongoing programs - The Moth Mainstage, The Moth StorySLAMs, The MothSHOP Community Program (which brings storytelling workshops free of charge to underserved populations), The Moth on the Road, MothSHOP Corporate, and the annual Moth Ball - and has brought more than 3,000 stories told by people from all walks of life - from Moby, Sam Shepard, Ethan Hawke, and Lili Taylor to a firefighter, pickpocket, and a hot dog-eating champion to millions of listeners the world over. A series of five Moth Radio Hours can now be heard on WBEZ, Chicago Public Radio.

Mike Dillon (b. 1965, American) is one of the most dynamic and multifaceted percussionists in the country, best known for his unforgettable live performances, unorthodox percussion rig and distinct original sound. After emerging in late 1980’s as the first to lead a rock/funk band as a vocalist and vibraphone player, contributing to its evolution by his use of effects, Dillon has become well-known for producing genre-bending music that transcends categorization. Over the last 27 years, his creative song-writing and the repertoire of artists he has worked with - - on tour, stage or in the studio - - reveal his eclectic musical inspiration and skillful versatility. Artists such as: Les Claypool, Ani DiFranco, Polyphonic Spree, Brave Combo, Sex Mob, Galactic, Secret Chief’s 3, Karl Denson, Steven Bernstein, Charlie Hunter, James Singleton, George Porter Jr., Johnny Vidocavich and Bob Schneider. His individual projects include: Critter’s Buggin’, Garage A Trois, Billy Goat, Mike Dillon’s Go-Go Jungle, Hairy Apes BMX, Malachy Papers, the Dead Kenny G’s, who regularly open for Primus, and his latest, The Mike Dillon Band.As a touring musician and prolific song-writer, Mike Dillon has continuously pushed his distinct sound in new and inventive directions. On stage, Dillon is a powerful force, with boundless energy that hails a punk rock/hardcore edge and the seamless ability to play multiple percussive instruments at once. For nearly three decades, fans have been draw to Dillon’s organic style, creative musicianship and the way his music never fails to stir the crowd into a big dance party from start to finish. After taking a brief hiatus from solo projects, Dillon is back at the helm with his latest quartet, The Mike Dillon Band, which delivers a cache of his new songs, infuses fresh life into his classics, and features Mike Dillon (vibraphone, percussion, lead vocals), Adam Gertner (drums), Cliff Hines (guitar, bass and keyboards) and Carly Meyers (trombone, vocals), whose raw talent, enthusiasm and infectious dance moves have created quite a stir among music goers in the past year. Yojimbo is fun! Their sound is pure punk rock energy with poppy driven melodies. You’ll be powerless to do anything except dance uncontrollably with a full-on smile. Carly Meyers leads the pack down a musical rabbit hole, welding her trombone like “a mystical samurai sword”. While Doc Sharp hammers the keyboards in cataclysmic pleasure, Patrick McDevitt slays his bass and Adam Gertner beats his drums to a bloody pulp with a widespread grin. Swept away by their infectious music, you’re so happy you joined the party!As one reviewer declared, “Yojimbo’s… the perfect blend of aggressive passion, punk rock chaos, and technical expertise.” Organ Yank formed in 2007 at Oberlin Conservatory, one of the premier music schools in the world, with the goal of bringing jazz to the people. Organ Yank melds infectious grooves, catchy melodies, and intricate textures into the unique entertainment experience of the century.Currently based out of Chicago, Organ Yank has been hard at work on their follow up to 2010's "We Are Organ Yank." Set to drop Summer 2013, Organ Yank "Hard" will lift spirits and melt faces with its unbridled energy and unparalleled beauty. In short, you will like the way you feel. We guarantee it.Songs flowed from a controlled chaos to a smooth and melodious tone with incredible ease." --The Oberlin Review"Great energy! I loved every minute of it!"--Pat Martino, guitar legend"Organ Yank is awesome!"--Ruth Underwood, former percussionist of Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention"If there ever was a band to embody the term 'auditory orgasm,' Organ Yank would be it."- fearlessandloathing.comIn 2011 Organ Yank burst onto the music scene with an ambitious national tour, playing clubs and colleges in cities as diverse as Cleveland, Chicago, Pittsburgh, Houston, Austin, New Orleans, Philadelphia, and New York. Since then, Organ Yank has moved to Chicago and is currently taking the Windy City by storm. Since moving, the band has maintained a steady gigging schedule and has played with some of the finest groups in town, including 4 Star Brass Band, Fuzzz, Vincent Davis Percussion Plus, the J. Davis trio, Todd Clouser's A Love Electric and Conflux. The band has played at many diverse places in Chicago including Double Door, Daley Plaza, Martyrs, Elbo Room, Reggie's Music Joint, Uncommon Ground, Red Line Tap and The Tonic Room. The 4 Star Brass Band sound can be categorized as Heavy Funk, and is the best thing you’ve ever heard! They get this captivating sound by using all brass instruments. They remain true to the tradition of brass band while also incorporating modern sound into it. Dave and Jay started the band a few years ago looking to start a brass band in Chicago. They started playing bars/ clubs in the city, bringing the party wherever they went. The band slowly grew, and now Four Star features a rotating cast of 6 musicians who all share a love for New Orleans music. Come fuel the excitement as FOUR STAR BRASS BAND becomes the Hottest and Hardest Hitting Brass Band of this Generation!

Afrobeat cannot stand still. As the genre’s tempting sounds continue a resurgence across the globe, Chicago Afrobeat Project (CAbP) remains true to its original vision of breathing the intensity of Chicago’s rich music scene into the infectious sounds of afrobeat. Rather than become caricatures of the genre, CAbP slips a reverent nod to the tradition while delivering an energized originality different from any other band on the afrobeat scene today. At each of its 100+ live performances a year, the group’s frenzied songs hit audiences with a big enough one-two punch to tirelessly knock them onto the dance floor time and time again.Afrobeat’s range of influences — funk, rock, jazz, afro-cuban, high life and juju music – settle into a hypnotic, dance-compelling pulse at the core of CAbP. The group layers a fiery originality around this core through high-energy rock and experimental jazz. The trance-like grooves that hold the floor in the tradition are pushed to new borders in CAbP’s second and self-produced album, (A) Move to Silent Unrest. In it, the group keeps true to the mix of respect to the tradition and forward-thinking experimentation that shine through in their live performances.The individual players, coming from diverse backgrounds, each hold their own as soloists that ultimately characterize the live shows. Melodic and hard-hitting horn lines create a lyrical flow to the music, delivered by a cutting, driven rhythm section dynamic. Complex call-and-response percussion songs are dispersed throughout the performances. At select shows, African dancers from Chicago’s Muntu Dance Theatre accompany the band. Added up, the music is packaged with original songwriting that explores the stylistic reaches of afrobeat and a few classic covers delivered true to form.The group currently performs across the country from coast to coast with notable festival dates including Bele Chere Music Festvial (2005, 2006) Wakarusa Music Festival (2006), Chicago World Music Festival (2003, 2006), Vassar College Jazz Festival (2005, 2006), Summer Camp (2005, 2007), Chicago’s Summer Dance Series (2005, 2007), and High Sierra Music Festival (2007).CAbP was nominated as Best African Artist in the Chicago Music Awards (CMA) in 2004 and 2005, and was nominated for the CMA’s “Award of Honor for Contribution to World Beat Music” in 2006. As a natural extension of the group’s ability to connect diverse musical styles through afrobeat, CAbP has featured many notable Chicago guest musicians such as Howard Levy of Bela Fleck fame, Fareed Haque of Garaj Mahal, seven-time Grammy-winner Paul Wertico, Bobby Broom, Jeff Parker of Tortoise, Kalyan Pathak, Diverse, Ugochi, Morikeba Kouyate and many other Chicago greats. EMEFE was created in December 2009 by Miles Arntzen, drummer with Antibalas and Superhuman Happiness, after he discovered the amazing power of Fela's music. In the same way that Fela used this music as an escape from and confrontation against the Nigerian authorities, EMEFE uses its music to fight the inner authorities that we put on ourselves, each for our own specific reasons. With the EMEFE sound, which consists of a drummer, a bassist, two guitarists, two percussionists, a keyboardist, and a four-piece horn section, the band hopes to spread awareness of the healing power of music, dancing, and smiling. Members of EMEFE have played with artists such as Antibalas, Charles Bradley & Menahan Street Band, Budos Band, Lenny Pickett, TV on the Radio, Medeski Martin and Wood, Superhuman Happiness, Michael Leonhart & the Avramina 7, and many more. Their new album, "Good Future," which features 9 original and hardhitting tracks, will be released July 6th, 2012.

Once again Jon Spiegel reluctantly acknowledgesthe addition of another year to his resume; this one gets him yet deeper into a half-century. Mr. Spiegel has written a special, tasteless,hilarious new song that addresses just this matter for debut a this show that even the most gentle of critics has called “The greatmusical monument to self-indulgence ever mounted on a Chicago stage.” This year Tremolux, and winning combination of Dan Leali, Vijay Tellis-Nayak, Brian Wilkie, John Abbey and Jon Spiegel will headline and debut many new songs by Mr. Spiegel, “some of which rhyme.” In addition, visitors may also expect some fine new tunes of Americana from the Pete Special Band; Some fine guitar work from Sonic Voodoo alumnus Tom Sanchez; some fine performances from Jimmy Tomasello and other colleagues from the Old Town School of Folk Music; a performance by the very funny and height-filled Dennis Debondt; the dulcet tones of Tributosaurus's Matt Spiegel; and the magic of TWO klezmer groups: The Chickenfat Klezmer Orchestra and Mr. Spiegel's own caprice “the Klezticles”. Many other guests will include Stuart Rosenberg. Joel Frankel and his Family Band, Members of Midnight Moxie, Brother Brother,The Otters, and the Schticklers. Expect also Evan Skopp, and Timothy “You got Clown problems” Johnston as well as other Musical guests, some raffles, toys, on-stage seating, and general frivolity. Jon again dedicates this show to the memory of extraordinary wife, Kelly Anne McMartin. See you there!

After eight years of hard work and a relentless tour schedule, Chicago’s Henhouse Prowlers have gained a reputation for their highly original, tradition-inspired bluegrass built on a strong foundation of intricate harmonies and electrifying stage energy.The Henhouse Prowlers use traditional bluegrass as a base, and make it their own by providing a show that’s danceable throughout with uptempo drive and bouncing mid-tempo grooves, all while covering contemporary topics in a largely original repertoire. Their reverence for the forefathers of bluegrass is palpable as they push the music forward on their own path.The Prowlers wear the Bill Monroe mantle with spit and polish. They perform — and conduct media interviews — in suit-and-tie and work in a tightly choreographed, one-mic stage setting, which adds a dynamic dimension to their shows. Combining passion, confidence, and flair with instrumental and vocal prowess, the Prowlers deliver bluegrass with an edge.With a PBS series soundtrack already to its credit and a critically acclaimed recording produced by Grammy winner, Sally Van Meter, and a new recording in production with Grammy Nominee Greg Cahill, Henhouse Prowlers have been barnstorming on to the red hot bluegrass scene. Not just another bluegrass band, Henhouse Prowlers are adeptly positioning themselves for nothing less than success.

Fanfare Ciocarlia are one of the world's greatest live bands, their energy and ingenuity having won them fans from Melbourne to Memphis, Tokyo to Toulouse. Having learnt their craft at the feet of their fathers and grandfathers Fanfare's members proudly approach every concert as a challenge to both entertain audiences and keep the true spirit of Gypsy music alive.When Fanfare Ciocarlia - the brass orchestra from the "hidden" village of Zece Prajini in north-eastern Romania - take the stage the crowd receive 100% Gypsy music. Zece Prajini's isolation - situated in a misty valley, the valley's dirt roads are occupied by flocks of geese and horse and carts; here live eighty Gypsy farming families who live a traditional rural lifestyle dictated by nature's seasons - meant that under communism the village remained hidden from the outside world. Somehow the ancient Ottoman tradition of brass bands accompanying armies, weddings and funerals continued to exist here when it had long died out in the rest of Romania. And when Henry Ernst, a young German music fan, wandered into the village in 1996 he found a living tradition that he knew the world would embrace.

Drummer Ted Sirota is a founding member of the Last Kwartet with Jeff Parker on guitar, has worked withLin Halliday, Von Freeman, Jodie Christian, Rob Mazurek, Bobby Broom, Fred Hopkins, Patricia Barber, Dave Spector, Little Smokey Smothers, Pinetop Perkins, New Orleans vocalist Johnny Adams, and Eddie Kirkland.In late 1994, Sirota joined the jazz band Sabertooth, which performed every Saturday night from midnight-5:00am at Chicago's most legendary Jazz club, the Green Mill. Sirota continues to hold down the drum chair with Sabertooth every Saturday at the Green Mill and is now in his nineteenth year (!) with the band. It is his presence with Sabertooth that Sirota might be most recognized by fellow Chicagoans.Sirota’s tenure as a bandleader began in 1996 when he formed his own group, Ted Sirota's Rebel Souls, which continued to feature Jeff Parker on guitar. The band appeared at the Chicago Jazz Festival in 2004 and once again in 2010, and toured in the U.S. and Europe.In January 2013, Sirota returned to his first musical love, Reggae music and formed Ted Sirota's Heavyweight Dub. As the name suggests, the band concentrates on the instrumental and Dub Reggae pioneered by artists such as King Tubby, Scientist, Lee Perry, Roots Radics, The Revolutionaries, Tommy McCook, Johnny Osbourne, Hugh Mundell, and others, while continuing to showcase Sirota’s talents as a composer. The band features fellow Green Mill employee/ soundman K-rAd (AKA Chris Grabowski) working the mixing board and dubbing out in the tradition of the Jamaican masters mentioned above.Other members include:Matthew Lux - Bass (Iron & Wine, Isotope 217 etc)Dan Bitney - Percussion (Tortoise)Tom Vaitsas - KeysSergio Pires - GuitarAdam Thornburg - TromboneCameron Pfiffner - Saxophone (Sabertooth)Yanira Marin - VocalsTed Sirota’s Heavyweight Dub looks forward to playing, recording, touring, and building their fan base in 2013. Overton Brown, Jamaica, West Indies Scientist burst onto the reggae scene in the early 70's with a reckless mixing style that seemed to outdo even King Tubby's wildest extravaganzas. He began his career as an engineer at King Tubby's in 1978. Shortly afterwards he became a protege of King Tubby, and swiftly gained a reputation with his unique mixing style. In 1980, the UK-based record company Greensleeves began to release the productions of top Jamaican producer Henry 'Junjo' Lawes Lawes, finding success with new singing sensation Barrington Levy, used Tubby's studio for his voicing and final mix-downs and offered Greensleeves a couple of dub albums mixed by Tubby's sensational young engineer, The Scientist, VS Prince Jammy (1980), mostly consisting of dub mixes of Barrington Levy tracks. This album was presented as The "Big Showdown" between the two dubmasters. The combination of heavyweight Roots Radics rhythms pitted against one another Greensleeves followed this album with another proclaiming The Scientist to be the Heavyweight Dub Champion. The Scientist soon became Jamaica's top recordimg engineer This led to a surge of albums mixed by The Scientsit from various sources. Greensleeves, in particular, continued to issue album after album. From the Muddy Banks of the Wabash River comes the Soul Sonic, Blues Drenched, Sounds of Reggae and Ska that is the Green Room Rockers. Tuff concrete for your dancing feet thats served hot by the slice, for the Right Price.Honest, raw sounds in an age of plastic and bling.This is the Hoosier Homegrown.It all began in the (219) around 2001 with a few bedroom sessions (which happened to be painted green) between a few friends. After years of neglect and what could only be explained as providence, GRR became a reality in 2006.Including members of Indiana Finest bands (Counteractive, the management, the Jims Jims, the Modern Kicks, and Recticide), GRR has come to bring Music with Soul back to the fore front, one basement at a time.So tell your friends, there something new growing amongst the corn... King Tony from The Drastics will be entertaining with live analog dub. Also known as Anthony Abbinanti aka Nantee, the drummer from the Drastics.

After eight years of hard work and a relentless tour schedule, Chicago’s Henhouse Prowlers have gained a reputation for their highly original, tradition-inspired bluegrass built on a strong foundation of intricate harmonies and electrifying stage energy.The Henhouse Prowlers use traditional bluegrass as a base, and make it their own by providing a show that’s danceable throughout with uptempo drive and bouncing mid-tempo grooves, all while covering contemporary topics in a largely original repertoire. Their reverence for the forefathers of bluegrass is palpable as they push the music forward on their own path.The Prowlers wear the Bill Monroe mantle with spit and polish. They perform — and conduct media interviews — in suit-and-tie and work in a tightly choreographed, one-mic stage setting, which adds a dynamic dimension to their shows. Combining passion, confidence, and flair with instrumental and vocal prowess, the Prowlers deliver bluegrass with an edge.With a PBS series soundtrack already to its credit and a critically acclaimed recording produced by Grammy winner, Sally Van Meter, and a new recording in production with Grammy Nominee Greg Cahill, Henhouse Prowlers have been barnstorming on to the red hot bluegrass scene. Not just another bluegrass band, Henhouse Prowlers are adeptly positioning themselves for nothing less than success. The Hillbenders • www.facebook.com/hillbenders • "The sound they produce is unique and captivating. The HillBenders combine the traditions of bluegrass with a diversity of influences creating a sound unlike any you've heard before" • 2010 National SingleMic Champions, 2009 Telluride Bluegrass Festival Band Contest Winners, and 2009 Rockygrass Finalists.

Jet Edison has emerged from the rich music scene of Colorado as a top rock/fusion band on the road today. In only a few years, the band has honed their unique sound into something entirely their own, with each member contributing a wealth of influences from modern rock, '70s prog, old school funk, and '80s dance music. Borrowing from so many styles, their original songs are technically crafted with thoughtful lyrics and talented improvisation, and together they create a sound as interesting and imaginative as it is solid and danceable. Formed during the early summer of 2011, Catfish & the Dogstars has quickly garnered a solid fan base and earned a great deal of acclaim gigging throughout the city of Chicago. Playing everything from funk to jazz standards, one never knows what to expect when the quintet takes the stage. Catfish & the Dogstars is sure to bring together an assortment of unique sounds, palatable to fans from all walks of life.

Alaina Stacey started her career singing background vocals with the country band, Janesville, sharing the stage with Trace Adkins, Sarah Evans and LeAnn Rimes. She debuted her first solo song at the Bluebird Café, in Nashville, Tennessee in 2009 and has performed in songwriter showcases at the Listening Room and Tin Roof in Nashville. Locally, she has performed solo and with other artists including The Blisters and Sima Cunningham. In 2010, she placed third in the Teen category in the International Songwriting Contest, and has composed songs for theatre, writing the music for lyrics written by the House Theatre’s Jeff Nominated playwright, Shawn Pfautsch. The play was performed at Whitney Young High School in Chicago, where she is a senior. Tatterdemalion - Someone who wears ragged or worn clothing, a bum.Yep. Created 2012Members JT O'Toole - Bass/VocalsEvan Reifman - Guitar/VocalsJoe Paukstys - GuitarIan Rumsey - Drums

Dale Watson is a country music maverick, a true outlaw carrying on where Waylon Jennings left off. A member of the Austin Music Hall of Fame, he stands alongside Waylon, Willie Nelson, and George Strait as one of the finest country singers and songwriters from the Lone Star State.Although Dale has made his name as a Texas artist, he actually was born in Alabama. Moving to Houston as a teenager, his musical journey began right out of high school as he started playing clubs and local honky-tonks. In 1988, it led him to move to Los Angeles on the advice of rockabilly singer-guitarist Rosie Flores. He played in the house band at the legendary Palomino Club in Hollywood for a couple years and recorded a few singles before moving to Nashville to write songs for a publishing company run by Gary Morris (writer of such country/pop hits as “The Wind Beneath My Wings”). Commercial country did not fit the fiercely independent songwriter so Dale relocated to Austin, Texas where he got a record deal and wrote several songs poking fun at the industry side of Nashville, including “Nashville Rash” from his Hightone debut Cheatin’ Heart Attack and “A Real Country Song” from his 1996 follow-up Blessed or Damned.After making three albums with Hightone, Dale released The Trucking Sessions on Koch Records in 1998. Including 14 original driving songs, the album received high praise and caused critics to compare him to chart-topping writer Red Simpson, who was responsible for some of the most iconic trucking tunes in country music.Just two years after this success, Dale’s fiancee died in a car accident. As chronicled in the Zalman King documentary Crazy Again (2006), he turned to drugs and alcohol to cope with her loss and nearly died of an overdose. Dale then checked himself into a mental institution and left a year later, releasing his tribute album to her called Every Song I Write Is For You (2001). After recording a few more albums, he decided to take a break from touring and moved to Maryland to be closer to his daughters.Back in Texas and on the road in 2006, Dale has been trucking ever since and is now releasing his 20th album. His debut on indie label Red House Records, The Sun Sessions was recorded at Memphis’ legendary Sun Studios with The Texas Two (bassist Chris Crepps and drummer Mike Bernal) in the stripped-down style of Johnny Cash’s earliest recordings.Like the early country legends of the 1950’s and 1960’s, Dale has a style and sound all his own. Tattooed and always dressed to the nines, he is a true entertainer, mixing humor and pathos into his lively shows. Whether playing with his Texas Two or with his rocking band the Lone Stars, Dale is sure to take us on one hell of a musical ride. Falldown is a band of Chicago musicians from a wide range of backgrounds who have performed together for years in many different groups. Individually, these band members have performed on major stages all across the country with a variety of musical acts. A mutual interest in alt/country and rock'n'roll has now brought this unique crew together to write and perform original music. The Falldown EP, the band's first studio record, was released in November 2012 and has been featured on college radio and WXRT Chicago's Local Anesthetic. The band continues to play to a diverse range of audiences in 2013 and has plans to record new music before the year is over.

Crack rock steady with less crust and a little pop punk. We are When Flying Feels Like Falling from Chicago, Illinois! Rocking the Windy City since 2010. Saffron Panda on guitar and vocals, Violet Staley on guitar and vocals, Andrew DeFrank on bass and back-up vocals, and Nick Moses on drums. Foreign Policy is jazz fusion technical blackened death metal funk-punk. Founded in a basement of our drummer's house is where Jose, Julian, and Victor would meet to form music that wouldn't be commercial radio bullshit or something you could easily write on an acoustic guitar but to be something that would inspire those to hear their songs to be inspired and forever changed by every single aspect that would go into the song. They wanted a band that made music not for the money but for the beauty it gave them and the beauty it gives back to the world. Listen to them live!! Post Glam Speed Folk / Powerfunk / Death Jazz. We're not really sure how any of this started or how we got here.Take a seat and listen!

After eight years of hard work and a relentless tour schedule, Chicago’s Henhouse Prowlers have gained a reputation for their highly original, tradition-inspired bluegrass built on a strong foundation of intricate harmonies and electrifying stage energy.The Henhouse Prowlers use traditional bluegrass as a base, and make it their own by providing a show that’s danceable throughout with uptempo drive and bouncing mid-tempo grooves, all while covering contemporary topics in a largely original repertoire. Their reverence for the forefathers of bluegrass is palpable as they push the music forward on their own path.The Prowlers wear the Bill Monroe mantle with spit and polish. They perform — and conduct media interviews — in suit-and-tie and work in a tightly choreographed, one-mic stage setting, which adds a dynamic dimension to their shows. Combining passion, confidence, and flair with instrumental and vocal prowess, the Prowlers deliver bluegrass with an edge.With a PBS series soundtrack already to its credit and a critically acclaimed recording produced by Grammy winner, Sally Van Meter, and a new recording in production with Grammy Nominee Greg Cahill, Henhouse Prowlers have been barnstorming on to the red hot bluegrass scene. Not just another bluegrass band, Henhouse Prowlers are adeptly positioning themselves for nothing less than success. The Steel Wheels have captured audiences across the country with their heady brew of original soulful mountain music and their deep commitment to roots and community. Based in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, this dynamic four-piece string band marries old-time musical traditions with their own innovative sound and lifestyle, generating a truly magnetic revival.

Beginning in the summer of 2010 in the great city of Chicago, whysowhite boasts a sound that fuses funk, soul, and hip-hop into a genre of its own. Their fresh new sound delivers a surplus of energy to anyone lucky enough to be in the audience. From the first down beat of any show you cannot help yourself but to start “movin’ to the beat”. After the first song of any set, the versatility of the group shines with not one, not two, but three lead men who all have individual qualities that whysowhite beautify molds together. whysowhite has a bottomless bag of tricks up their sleeves to surpass any listener’s expectations. It all started with lighting water on fire. The band met in 2011 at a revolutionary show they played powered by bicycles or Natural Ass in Union Square. On Jan 3, 2012, Vanessa Bley released her solo EP which the band performed till Oct 3, 2012 when they released their first EP "Fierce & Grateful" under the name Beast Patrol. The song "Plaster" was carried over from VB's solo album to the band's EP and picked up by various national radio stations. Now it's 2013, Beast is writing a new record which they will promote on a mini tour out to play the BMI stage at Lollapalooza August 3rd.

Bryan Doherty bends the bass into something rarely heard, but entirely worth the price of admission." So says All Music Guide, and they're right: Much like Doherty's brilliant bass playing, his band Hood Smoke blends soul and pop a la Rufus, David Byrne or The Band, while managing to sound unique. Hood Smoke's line-up reads like a "who's who" of Chicago music masters, including Michael Caskey on drums, Chris Siebold on guitar, Rob Clearfield on keys and singer Sarah Marie Young (Quincy Jones, Paco de Lucia.) Young's voice will no doubt turn heads with its uncanny combination of grit and precision. Her voice and her bandmates' undeniable chops make Hood Smoke's album, Laid Up In Ordinary, a must-hear release of 2013. Cole DeGenova is a pianist, vocalist, and songwriter. Coming from a family of musicians he began studying piano at age four. By 15 he was working as a professional musician around his native Chicago, performing alongside some of the city’s jazz and blues greats such as Kurt Elling, Patricia Barber, Orbert Davis, Jon Faddis, Skinny Williams, and Corey Wilkes before the age of 20. Cole has since toured all across the country, Europe, and South America as a sideman or performing his original material, a blend of neo-soul, jazz, and rock. A recent Berklee College of Music graduate, Cole was also blessed to study under the tutelage of piano greats Danilo Perez and Joanne Brackeen. He has since worked with the likes of legendary producers George Massenburg, Queen producer Dave Richards, and Michael Woodrum. He has recently performed alongside Grammy-winners Paula Cole, Meshell Ndegeocello, and opened for poet Saul Williams and rapper Gza.As lead vocalist, songwriter, and keyboardist, Cole also leads his own group, the raucous Cole DeGenova & The Peoples Republic, touring back and forth across the US. Their first album JUST PEOPLE AGAIN was released in summer 2009. It was produced by Geoffrey Nielsen with arrangement help from Meshell Ndegeocello and is a solid testament to the group’s eclectic and vibrant style. With debut album Live at Kingston Mines under their belt, Chicago Americana band NICK and the Ovorols are hosting a record release party for the sophomore forthcoming studio release Telegraph Taboo. The show will be headlined by Chicago Afrobeat at Martyrs’ Saturday Jan 26th.Bandleader Nick Peraino was a sideman in The Joanna Connor Band from 2005-2011. The band held a weekly residency at renowned Chicago blues club Kingston Mines and toured nationally opening for Taj Mahal and Buddy Guy. In 2009, Nick was invited to join Rolling Stones harmonica legend Sugar Blue on a two week European showcase tour.Peraino’s shift from sideman to frontman was realized through a shift in consciousness. A seemingly bad turn of events led to a positive shift in his outlook on life. An unfortunate visit to the emergency room in February of 2011 led to a diagnosis of Crohn’s Disease. Peraino came upon newfound confidence and a burning desire to become a band leader. Shortly after forming NICK and the Ovorols in the late summer of 2011, he held a residence of his own at Kingston Mines from December 2011 to April 2012. Kingston Mines MC Frank Pellegrino is calling Nick “one of the best young, up and coming talents.” In February, the band decided to record one of their weekly Wednesday night shows and the album Live at Kingston Mines was born.The new record Telegraph Taboo is self-produced. “I took my time with this record. Erik Sraga (co-producer/engineer) and I spent many-a Friday over a year and a half getting together at my place laying overdubs. We kept the cost down in doing so, and also feel confident that the record is our strongest yet. It’s been really challenging and super fun to attempt a recording at home that can stand on its own two feet in the real world.” Peraino says.NICK and the Ovorols will be headed south in mid-January for a Gulf Coast tour. Fresh off the road the band will be primed to perform a live set in their home town at a great venue like Martyrs’.Tickets for the Martyrs’ show on Jan 26th are $10 and can be found at martyrslive.com. Physical copies and downloads of their records Live at Kingston Mines and Telegraph Taboo can be found on the band’s website, Amazon.com, and will be on sale at the show. The records can also be streamed on Spotify and downloaded on iTunes.

Syd Straw is an American rock singer and songwriter. The daughter of actor Jack Straw (The Pajama Game), she began her career singing backup for Pat Benatar, then took her distinct voice to the indie/alternative scene and joined the Golden Palominos (also including Michael Stipe, Matthew Sweet, and Anton Fier). She released her first album, Surprise, in 1989; it featured contributions by Stipe, Fier, Richard Thompson, Jody Harris, Peter Blegvad, and a number of other well-known musicians. A second album, War and Peace, appeared in 1996. Recorded with a relatively obscure Midwest rock group called the Skeletons, it chronicled a brief and unhappy romance. In 2008, she released a new album, entitled Pink Velour, on her own label, Earnester Records. According to an earlier interview, the title track “is about my family moving back and forth between the east and the west, and my being kidnapped by my mother on Valentine's Day in 1969, and about not seeing my dad for almost seven years.” A gifted songwriter whose lyrics paint sometimes witty, often poignant portraits of characters often unaware of how their lives have gone wrong, Freedy Johnston seemingly appeared out of nowhere in the early '90s and quickly established himself as one of the most acclaimed new singer/songwriters of the day. Johnston was born in 1961 in Kinsley, KS, a small town with the odd distinction of being equidistant between New York City and San Francisco. Pete Donnelly is a Southern New Jersey/Philadelphia based musician. His latest record "Face the Bird" 2013, is a return to the exploratory side of "home" recording. The result is a wide ranging exposition of songs, unabashedly displaying some far reaching influences. Densely hypnotic, Mod RnB, Swinging Pop; The music is moody with it's exuberance and desolation, childish romps and descriptive lyrics. "Face the Bird" was recorded in an unused store front in Ocean City, NJ. Off season in Oct/2012. This city, a near desolate locale, offered the perfect place to retreat to and write/record. That was until Hurricane Sandy flooded the island and much of the North East. A harsh ending to a prolific month. The current band is Fred Berman(Amos Lee), James Balga(The Excerpts, Botswanas) - Drums, Tony Reyes(TLC, Cee-Lo Green)-Bass, PD-Guitar/Vocals.Going by the name The Wise Easy. Pete Donnelly, who was a member of the legendary band NRBQ, is also a founding member of The Figgs, which has a world-wide fan base, a hearty discography, and has toured and recorded several times with Graham Parker. As the ever active bass player and song writer in The Figgs, founded in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. in 1987, Donnelly has spent the better part of the past 25 years touring with the band, as well as a number of other artists such as Soul Asylum, Mike Viola & The Candy Butchers and Tommy Stinson, Living in the Philadelphia area for the past decade, when not on the road, Pete Donnelly has been performing, engineering and/or producing for a variety of artists, includingG. Love,Death Vessel, Carsie Blanton, John Legend, The Capitol Years and Amos Lee. Pete's Music is built upon sturdy pop melodies, and played with a genuine sense of care, Donnelly’s songs are testaments to his artistry.

Sam Pace is an American soul musician and rock n’ roll performer. In May of 2011, he met two young musicians in Austin, TX by the names of Jake Causey and Patrick Sanderson. With Causey on drums and Sanderson on bass, the three got down to work immediately and formed the band which would later be called: Sam Pace and the Gilded Grit.After months of rehearsals and gigs, the band released it’s first set of songs in January of 2012.With the release of their full length LP, the Feelin', in July 2012, they look to play wherever and whenever opportunity knocks.Their style dips into all types of soulful music including: Rock, Blues, Roots, Reggae and Soul.“We play Rock n’ Roll smooth and dirty, Soul music mean, and we’re not afraid to get a little weird,” says Pace. “We call it American Gypsy, because it wanders but isn’t lost. Its a tramp, you can’t get lost when you’re in love with where you are.”Formed in 2011, songwriter/director Antony Ablan began his search for a band–a group of musicians that could handle, with grace, the wildly eclectic and dynamic changes in mood of his writing. “It was several months of working with all sorts of great players before I found the right fit. When it clicked it was so obvious to me, I knew these were the right musicians, it finally worked.”The virtuosic group developed quickly. “Once it clicked, things moved fast,” says Antony. The band soon found themselves headlining Chicago’s most notable venues, from Schubas to Lincoln Hall, to The Empty Bottle. They embarked on their first national tour in the fall of 2011, earning notoriety for their explosive live shows all the down to Texas and back. Swinging from gentle sunshine ditties to wild soaring epics, to dirty garage floor american gypsy, The Tramps had come into their own.Upon returning to Chicago, full of fire, they began recording their ambitious debut album. Over 6 winter months, the band created a completely independent, full length album. Its not a studio album, and its not a live record. Making use of portable recording gear they were able to record anywhere, at any time, with unbound freedom to experiment with sound for their anticipated debut.“We had two guiding concepts for this album,” Antony says. “We wanted the texture to be ‘wooden-electric’, and we wanted the narrative and imagery to be a ‘movie for your ears’. The band brought on engineer Matt Livensparger to realize their vision. Matt recalls: “When he called me at 4 in the morning to tell me the album needed to sound wooden-electric, I knew exactly what he meant. Antony came to me with concepts, textures, feeling, scenes for this album, but he isn’t a technical person, so I stepped in to make those ideas into sound–the mic placements, the room choices, and so on. He’d direct the music and musicians with imagery and emotion, never musical or technical terms. I was there to capture these amazing musicians performing.”The band recorded the album like making a movie, choosing locations to suit the scene. Enormous recital halls, warehouse hallways, cavernous train underpasses, intimate bedrooms, tiny closets. “We weren’t stuck in the studio trying to fake it, we could choose the room like choosing an instrument, and it affected the musician, it evoked something in us that inspired the music, inspired the scene we were recording,” Antony says.The result is stunning debut for the Chicago band. A full 63 minutes of original music that takes the listeners through wide open prairie scenes, bustling big-city streets, ragged American-gypsy grooves, intimate soulful pleas, soaring climatic instrumentals, and for the final moment of the album, a heavenly a capella choir that sends the listener endlessly upwards. The album is captivating journey from start to finish.“Its been an incredible process creating it, both in its challenges and finally, its success. None of us have created anything like this before,” says Antony. Artists We Also Like:Antony & the Tramps, Sam Pace & the Gilded Grit, Reels Green, Innervisionists