Secret Stages 2012

“Strings Night”

All strings students at Scrollworks

Scrollworks String Orchestra

Chamber Strings

Metropolitan Youth Orchestra of Central Alabama

Scrollworks’ mission, as a non-profit organization, is to offer quality music education for children in the local community regardless of their ability to pay, with a focus on minorities and the under-served areas of Greater Birmingham. We fulfill this mission by providing a truly unique learning environment wherein the student guides the teacher to their greatest area of interest and in turn the teacher adapts to each individual child’s learning style.

Modeling itself after Venezuela’s El Sistema, Scrollworks is an atypical community music school. Our aim is to provide intensive music instruction to disadvantaged children in their neighborhood, children who otherwise would not have access to quality instruction. Our purpose is to awaken, nurture and develop a passion for music in everyone, creating opportunities to explore and cultivate their talents in order that they become active contributors to Birmingham’s rich and diverse culture.

Staffed by accomplished musicians with real-world experience, our comprehensive and progressive music education program encompasses all genres of music from classical to present day musical styles, including jazz, rock, hip-hop, country, world music and more.

Instruction will be offered for any instrument, as well as voice, music theory, history, composition, songwriting, technology, recording and production. Lessons will be provided in both group and one-on-one settings, with ensembles ranging from small to large, traditional to experimental, demonstrating our belief that the person who plays in an ensemble begins to live the experience of community.

Our goal is to see that certain look in each student’s eye that can’t be described or measured: a spark of insight, a twinkle of engagement, pure joy.

Born amongst wolves: forged in smoke and fire; Invisible Hand plays baroque acid-rock with power-pop guitar theatrics. From and inspired by the ever pastoral central Virginian landscape, with two members having served time as actors (including bit parts as Bat Boys and Charles Darwins), a full time food enthusiast and a visual artist with a knack for the french chanteuses of bygone eras; a live showing may included wild gesticulations, cunning two-steps, razor sharp wit and spaced-out maneuvers. For fans of the Kinks, Wire, Buzzcocks, Sparks and snacks of all kinds

The Urns demos started floating around Birmingham well before they had even played their first show last year. Recorded in a dingy Southside basement, the tracks that eventually became their debut “We're Just Trying to Live” are raw pop goodness with a thick layer of distortion. Drawing on a pedigree of current and ex-members of Birmingham's best pop bands including P.S. Eliot, Spells, and Younger Siblings, The Urns have quickly become a local favorite. Their big, fuzzed-out sound translates well for a rockin live show, but there is a casualness about them. They carry themselves as if to say 'this could have been the prettiest pop song if I had wanted it to be.' They care just enough to make one of the more compelling local debuts in recent memory.

Paul is a young man who began wailing straight out of the womb, and most folks would agree that he hasn’t stopped since. “Oh what a set of lungs that child has,” they’d say, “he must be destined for something special.” Not wishing to disappoint, and being a good young southern boy, Paul began singing in church, stretching those vocal cords with an eye toward becoming a man of the cloth. As it turns out, however, the cloth didn’t appreciate young Paul’s affinity for dirty jokes, Prince, and Tom Waits, and he was inclined to search elsewhere for co-conspirators. He began plying his trade with whomever would have him, and happily, folks were mostly impressed by his efforts. With a wholly re-imagined take on the sounds he’d grown up singing and seeking, Paul recruited a rag-tag band of loveable weirdoes, visionaries, and hacks to help him harness the power he now knew he possessed. Under the nom du guerre St. Paul and the Broken Bones, the motley crew roams the countryside looking to get cabooses shakin’, faces meltin’, and brothers and sisters everywhere testifyin’.

Drawing comparisons from Townes Van Zandt to Tim Buckley to Otis Redding, Arkansas born and bred Adam Faucett is most known for his powerful, almost operatic voice and intricate finger-picking. The Arkansas native’s sound has been described by The Arkansas Times as “somewhere between Otis Redding’s soul shout and Cat Power’s swampy poeticism”.

A true road runner, Adam has been criss-crossing the country for four years in support of his two prior releases 2007′s The Great Basking Shark and 2008′s Show Me Magic, Show Me Out, sharing the stage with Lucero, Calexico, The Legendary Shack Shakers, Vetiver, Chuck Ragan of Hot Water Music, Damien Jurado and Elf Power.

Faucett’s newest release More Like A Temple pushes out in all directions, simultaneously more folk, more rock, more melodic, more soul, and more sinister than all of his previous work. The Arkansas Times has raved “More Like A Temple is far beyond good. It may just be one of the most vital documents from a young musician to come out of town in years”.

Originally from Benton, AR, now residing in Little Rock, Adam previously released two albums as a solo artist and one with now disbanded Russellville, AR local heroes, Taught The Rabbits, which Adam has called “A Lush, Pink Floyd and Sonic Youth-inspired group; kids who grew up in a gravel pit tipping their hats to their psychedelic heroes from so far away.” Taught The Rabbits’ One But Just Another and Mallet and Watch were released in 2001 and 2006 and the band established a strong local following, touring regionally and sharing the stage with Calexico and Lucero. 

In 2006 Adam relocated to Chicago where he wrote the material that would become his first solo album and began playing solo shows around town. In 2007, he moved back to Arkansas to record “The Great Basking Shark” with longtime friend and producer Darian Stribling (Bob Goblin). The record displayed a focus on storytelling and roots arrangements, showcasing Faucett’s strong vocals, unique finger-picking, and banjo playing. Adam toured extensively throughout the US in support of the album, playing over 100 shows from coast to coast.

In 2008, Adam returned to Blue Chair Studio to record “Show Me Magic, Show Me Out” (Blue Tint) with Stribling, and newly assembled live band “The Tall Grass” , comprised of Little Rock musicians Chad Conder (drums)  and Jonny D. (bass). “Show Me Magic, Show Me Out” demonstrated the electric folk soul sound that the band had been honing in live shows and marked further evolution in Faucett’s songwriting. The Arkansas Times raved “Even the greatest American folk singers would be hard-pressed to leave such a vivid account…”.  Faucett continued his rigorous touring schedule, opening for bands including The Legendary Shack Shakers, Vetiver, Chuck Ragan of Hot Water Music, Damien Jurado and Elf Power.

Faucett’s newest release “More Like  A Temple” marks a further evolution of Adam’s “southern soul swamp opera” sound. Love and Sweet Maureen come on like Otis Redding sitting in on a Pavement single. Morphine is a haunted morning-after reflection with a guitar hook that stays with you until the next morning. The swamp rock foreshadowing of Gator, the space folk of Saturday,  and the Zeppelin vs. White Stripes riffs of Do What I Say present Faucett as part folk crooner, part celestial traveler, part Arkie rock hero – all parts in sharp control of their faculties as writer, storyteller, singer, composer, and guitarist.

Intently bent on blasting through a set list like no body’s business, Mobile Alabama’s FARGO remain one of the most destructively original bands I’ve heard in quite some time. A three piece troop of perfectly matched raspy harmonies accompanied with a driving musical force that blends perfectly to make this band something truly new and original.

Birmingham, Alabama is known for many things, unfortunately, Hip Hop isn’t one of them. Shockingly, to be the largest city in Alabama, it’s the only one without a breakout rap star or “movement.” But that is sure to change with the emergence of B-ham based supergroup K.L.U.B. Monsta.

Made up of childhood friends turned rhyme partners Kel Ricks, Joshua, Air Talley and J. Dotta, K.L.U.B. Monsta is poised to not only put their city on the rap radar, but also carry on in the tradition of classic Southern Hip Hop and re-introduce listeners to the art of making rap music with substance.

“We rap about what we learned living here and we even rap about the history of the city,” says founding member Kel Ricks, mentioning that the K.L.U.B. part of their name is an acronym for Knowledge. Learned. Under. Birmingham. “Then with the ‘Monsta’ part you can say that the knowledge we’ve learned has created a monster.”

Originally known as Monsters, Inc the group was started in the early 2000’s by Kel Ricks and Air Talley who had just returned to Birmingham after moving to Denver to explore a solo opportunity. In 2007 they released their first project Perfect Procrastination with features from future full time member Joshua.

Seeing the potential roadblocks of having the same name as a Disney movie, the group decided to rebrand themselves as K.L.U.B. Monsta. Then, in 2009 they officially added Joshua and a new member, J. Dotta.

The new line-up dropped their first official offering, Southern Theory, on Thanksgiving Day 2010. Southern Theory gave listeners a glimpse into the mind of a monster as the group tapped into the struggle of the everyday man dealing with everything from relationships to local politics simply trying to make it.

“We’re really just young, regular guys that stumbled across music and want to make something a little different from what we hear every day,” says Joshua.

“We just wanted to get our name out there and give people a different outlook on Alabama rappers,” says Kel Ricks. “People think they know what they’re going to get. Even our name, they think we make club music. That’s why we wanted to show our depth and talent.”

As seen in their much publicized video single, “Waiting” each member has a unique style that still manages to speak on one accord. Kel Ricks is known as the “lyrical” member of the group citing everyone from Ma$e to Jay-Z as his influences. Considered the most “conscious” of the four, Joshua describes himself as the “Bill Cartwright” of the group, likening himself to the veteran center who acted as an anchor for the championship Chicago Bulls teams of the early 90’s. J. Dotta acts as the always improving catalyst that makes the rest of the group stay on point at all times. While Air Talley is referred to as the “laid back one” or “technician” of the group, often times creating the hooks for the songs.

After enjoying mild success and blog attention on the heels of Southern Theory, K.L.U.B. Monsta is hoping to capitalize with their upcoming project DJ Burn One-hosted Separate But Sequel. The title, partially inspired by the Jim Crow-era laws that helped define their Birmingham stomping grounds generations ago, also acts as a continuation of what they started with Southern Theory.

“We wanted to improve in the raps and showcase production of the core producers we’ve been working with locally,” offers Joshua.

“The first mixtape was an easy listen,” says Kel Ricks. “But with Separate But Sequel I think with more casual listeners will get a grasp of what we are about. Hardcore Hip Hop people will like it as well.”

With Alabama surging as a new force in Hip Hop and quality music never going out of style, it’s inevitable for K.L.U.B. Monsta to not only become a group to watch for, but become one of your favorites as well.

TIDWELL comes from a country music background: her mother, Connie Eaton, had a brief brush with fame in the 1970s, and her father, like TIDWELL’s husband (and co-producer) Todd, works in one of Nashville’s prestigious Music Row establishments. Growing up in the heart of Music City she spent her childhood years in her bedroom, avoiding the painful breakup of her parents’ marriage by listening to a wide variety of music, headphones clamped to her ears. Swearing she would never follow the footsteps of her mother, whose brief taste of success also unleashed a series of psychological problems, she eventually succumbed to music’s lure, beginning by booking bands for a local pizza restaurant. She briefly formed a punk rock act with another girlfriend and she eventually fell to making music alone, combining the various country influences around which she’d grown up with the music she’d discovered for herself.

This is a young comedian that will literally have you (ROTFL) rolling on the floor laughing. He has performed for comedy clubs & colleges all over the southeast. This comedian is slowly making a name for himself as one of the most funny up & coming comedians around.

Members of Jack Palance Band, ADD/C, Big Kitty, and Sexy; Future Virgins formed in 2004. They have released a trilogy of self-recorded 7 inches, a split with the Onion Flavored Rings on 1234-go records, and the LP “Western Problems” on Starcleaner/ Plan it X south Records. Their new LP will be recorded in Chattanooga by Mike Pack at TINY BUZZ recording.

After conquering the world of competitive break dancing, Scott Eason wanted a challenge. He turned to stand-up comedy. Bringing his no nonsense attitude and red-hot passion to the stage, he exploded onto the scene. Word traveled fast and his success soon led to appearances on The Arsenio Hall Show, The Chevy Chase Show, The Magic Hour with Magic Johnson, Iron Chef (The original in Japan, not that sissy American version) and who could forget that unfortunate incident on The Geraldo Rivera Show. However, the brightest stars burn out the quickest and Scott had to step out of the spotlight to focus on his health. Stints in rehab for glue sniffing and hacking paint (Gold is the best flavor) helped bring him out of the darkness and after many years of self examination and fine tuning, he’s ready to come back to the stage and give you the what for. Prepare to have your face melted off with comedy. No more break dancing though. Unless you have some cocaine.

Sam McLeroy was born in Huntsville, Alabama and raised in Arab, Alabama. Her comedy is like a quality IPA–bitter, yet refreshing. From her personal stories about trailer life to her random tangents about everything in particular, she is as delightful as drinking a good beer. So, come, and drink good beer.

An American Music Band from Black Mountain,NC. No hot girl. Respected for their originality, production, songwriting, sympathetic musicianship. Becoming known for being underrated and creatively pure, they have struggled to find mainstream success. Notable fans include My Morning Jacket, Band of Horses, Dr.Dog, The Black Keys, Jonah Hill.

They have released three LPs on Park the Van Records; Research(2008), Self-Titled(2009), Desert Etiquette(2011).

As Brainworlds, Atlanta based guitarist Mason Brown works to envelop the listener in sheets of meditative sound and delve deep into the subconscious to explore the hidden relationships between the micro and the macro. Devoid of the constraints of time and gravity, the music of Brainworlds floats in the metaphysical realm where mind and universe coalesce.

You won’t find many comedians that can claim to be a lifetime class clown, witty, handsome, a dual-degree college graduate, savvy in graphic design, and on top of that, just be funny as hell!

Well, Jermaine “FunnyMaine” Johnson is definately the exception! This talented young man from Birmingham, Alabama has been entertaining audiences across the southeast for several years now, and many seem to agree that he has the potential to etch his name in the comedy history books with the greats.

From his early days as a youngster in Opelika, Alabama, Jermaine has always had the ability to make any room (or classroom) his personal stage. At home, at Daniel Payne Middle School, at Jackson-Olin High School, and at Stillman College (Tuscaloosa), Jermaine entertained his family and peers leaving behind his personal “Trail of Tears” by making people explode with laughter and often times crying.

In 2001, he started hosting shows at Stillman College and eventually other universities in the southeast. In early 2005, he took the advice of his life-long friend and Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity brother, comedian Tre Williamson and decided to move past the master of ceremonies act to doing full stand-up.

In his first ever full show at the University of Alabama-Birmingham, he exited to a standing ovation!

Jermaine almost never shies away from an opportunity to make an audience laugh. He can oftentimes be found travelling with his mentor comedian Steve Brown giving hilarious performances at colleges and comedy clubs around the southeast.

In October of 2010, Jermaine won the “Evening On the Moon” Comedy Search in Birmingham, AL!

The competition placed over 20 Birmingham-Area comedians against one another for 3 rounds, with the winner being afforded the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to open for one of the Original Kings of Comedy, Mr. Steve Harvey.

With his glowing personality, southern charm, youthful spirit, and endless talent, Jermaine “FunnyMaine” Johnson is destined for comedy greatness!

A “Tribe like” group with a southern slang and underground sound, LAF (Lost And Found) is a Hip Hop Group, founded in 2008 (Birmingham, Alabama). The trio consists of emcees: Artistik (Huey FREE), K-Ro (Kid IRIE), and producer/emcee ProducerDRU (Right On). The crew linked up together while pursuing college degrees at Miles College (Alabama), which could be considered the birthplace of the group. The group came in accordance in order to provide positive and lyrical music and capture the ears of real HIP-HOP fans. Influences include 1990′s hip-hop movement, ATCQ, Slum Village, De La, Wu-Tang, Outkast, Miles Davis, Thelonius Monk, Billie Holiday, Pete Rock, Gang Starr and the lost goes on.

Martin Morrow is originally from Birmingham, AL currently living in Chicago, IL and got his start apart of an award winning stand-up/sketch hybrid “Tubbi and Martin”. Morrow has performed in New York, Las Vegas, Austin, Atlanta and many other places that don’t sound as cool and has hosted and opened for the likes of Eric Andre, Steve Brown, Hannibal Buress, Kyle Cease, Tim Meadows, Sean Patton, Tom Segura, Iliza Shlesinger, and Baron Vaughn. He is the regular co-host of Comedy Sportz Theatre’s Chaser Open Mic, co-stars in the web series The Alumni, is heard on the radio as several characters for the Roy Wood Jr. Morning Show on 95.7 Jamz, and is probably best known from the 1953 Walt Disney classic Peter Pan as Peter Pan’s shadow.

Driven by strong vocal harmonies and adventurous compositions, The Lackadaisies’ roots lie in the popular music of the 60′s (The Beatles, old Stax recordings), yet their pedals grow in all directions. For new fans of the old school (and vice-versa).

For all its youthful fuss and frenzy, this high-fructose Charlotte quintet plays like a band almost twice its age. Experienced but not yet jaded, well-rehearsed but never, ever choreographed, its raucous live shows are akin to hearing Ted Leo being played by lads years younger than The Black Lips. Down from I-77 for its second Columbia appearance in as many weeks, if you haven’t yet explored Junior Astronomers’ shambolic, hook-laden universe, now’s the perfect time. The pains of being pure at heart are nothing next to the joy this truly young-at-heart group offers. Take Sinatra’s cue: Come out and be among them.

Those Appalachian Mountains are old old old, and they reach so high up that they don’t only catch clouds. Way up high in the atmosphere there is music riding on the trade winds; music from all over the world. It pours down the slopes of those mountains with their streams and rivers and straight into the water supply of the people living in the foot hills. The members of Marina Orchestra are drunk on it. Poly-rhythms galore sweat from their pores. Melody is their language and soul. An entire night out dancing with the moonlight and laughing until day break is their job. And those songs from way high up in the sky return to find the next city of people who love to live.

Jason Roche is a comedian and actor based out of Birmingham, AL. He has worked with comedians Joe DeRosa, Brent Weinbach, Jarrod Harris, and Matt Davis. Roche recently starred in the short film Annie and Her Anger which won the Audience Choice Award at the 2011 Sidewalk Film Festival. Roche is a cool guy and you will probably, like, really really enjoy watching him.

Mike Kaiser is an Atlanta-based comedian whose intelligent writing and slender-build not only sets him apart from dumber, fatter comics, but also earned him the distinction of being named a “Comedic Talent on the Rise” by Atlanta Magazine in 2011. His thought-provoking comedy makes him an audience favorite at clubs, colleges, and alt-rooms across the country.

MackONE is Anthony Mack, a beat maker from Southside Birmingham. His newest album Headnod Injuries has colorful beats, hard hitting breaks and funky rhythms. MackONE’s angular style and unique sampling is a fresh take an old school sound.

Alvin Fielder is a pioneering jazz drummer, an important educator, and one of the founding members of the enormously influential Association for the
Advancement of Creative Musicians cooperative. Born in Meridian, MS in 1935, Fielder studied pharmacology at Texas Southern University from 1953 to 1956. During his years in Houston, he worked with various jazz and R&B groups including the Pluma-Davis Sextet, the house band at the legendary Eldorado Ballroom. He then moved on to Chicago, where he joined an early version of the Sun Ra Arkestra and played with musicians like Roscoe Mitchell, Fred Anderson and Muhal Richard Abrams, with whom he organized the AACM in 1965 and appeared on its debut LP, Roscoe Mitchell’s “Sound” in 1967. Fielder returned home to Mississippi in 1969, where he ran the family pharmacy, worked to desegregate the schools, and developed the Black Arts Music Society. BAMS brought countless jazz improvisers to Jackson and inspired a new generation of the city’s musicians (including a young Cassandra Wilson). In 1975, Fielder began working regularly with New Orleans saxophonist Edward “Kidd” Jordan. The association breathed new life into his career, and since then he’s appeared on a handful of potent and critically acclaimed releases.

In the 2000’s Fielder started reconnecting with Houston through projects with David Dove and Nameless Sound. The “Houston Quartet” with Dove, Jackson, and Smith was formed to play an afternoon potluck on Christmas Eve Day, 2010. The location was The 3rd Ward Art Space LaBotanica, just downstairs from the ElDorado Ballroom where Fielder cut his teeth as a young drummer while a pharmacy student at Texas Southern.

What does the south have to offer the modern jazz scene? Kenosha Kid is here to answer that question with its own unique fermented blend of NYC hipster jazz soaked in the humid college rock town of Athens, Georgia. The melodies are haunting, the grooves are devastating, and the focus is always on instrumentation, song arrangement, and band sound instead of long-winded soloing.

Kenosha Kid has performed in New York, Montreal, Vancouver, the states of Montana, Washington, Oregon, repeatedly throughout the southeastern US, and four tours of Germany. Their performances are often multimedia events, featuring silent films and original scores performed simultaneously.

Wes Van Horn is a stand-up comedian and writer from Birmingham, Alabama currently based out of Kansas City, Missouri. He was a finalist in the Kansas City Improv’s 2012 “Clash of The Comics” competition as well as a finalist in the 2011 “Best Comic in Kansas City” competition at Stanford and Son’s Comedy Club. He has performed in various cities across the United States including Los Angeles, Atlanta, St. Louis, and performed at the 2010 Cannes International Film Festival in France. He has worked with numerous headlining comedians including Dan Cummins, Auggie Smith, Mike Baldwin, A.J. Finney, Artie Fletcher, Nick Vatterot, Brian Dunkleman, Brett Riley, Matt Davis, and Comedian Longhorn. You can also hear him live every Friday from 9am-1pm on The Morning Deuce with Wes and Doug, a radio program he co-hosts with comedian Doug Cheatham on Black Sky Radio. His blog, which he writes with friend and musician Douglas Robertson, entitled “Lou Bega Called He Wants His Fedora Back” averages more hits a day than an adolescent pothead and makes for wonderful airport bathroom material if you have to catch an early flight after eating an entire late-night Red Baron frozen pizza.

Zano — The MC: My visual artwork and sound experiments are one and the same along with my strange vocal stylings. Ii try to walk a line between art rock, free jazz, experimental composition and abstract hiphop. My cartoons are influenced by modern art and comic books, as well as advertising and graphic design. On the whole, I hopefully am creating a dialogue on the contemporary black experience thru the medium of dada/ punk expressionism. And i like candy.

Chris Devoe — Producer / Beatsmith: Inspired by childhood memories of soul 45’s, Chris Devoe creates moods which are both dreamlike and abstract. As a solo artist, he has performed in many of Atlanta’s most popular venues, including The Earl, The Eyedrum, and The Echo Lounge. As a self-taught musician, Chris Devoe’s music reflects a life-long interest in diverse genres of music and art as well as a dedication to designing melodies that honor the contributions of every instrument. His creative process is unmistakably informed by his knowledge of acoustic instrumentation and sampling- bringing the warm textures of analog sound to his distinct electronic style. As a solo artist, Chris has opened for various performers, including RJD2, Funkstorung, Richard Devine Machine Drum, Lyrics Born, Platinum Pied Pipers, The Perceptionists, and many others. DON’t SLEEP Upcoming Arepaz albums include from Atlanta’s, Chris Devoe’s debut, in early March entitled, “The Perception of Obstacles”, aswell as Arepaz Immigrante Orchestra Greatest Hits part 2, LeBlaze and Epstein. Plus various special limited vinyl so stay tuned.

It’s been nearly two decades since Lambchop released its first album, at the time pronouncing itself “Nashville’s most fucked-up country band.” Provocative it may have been, but the description made sense: at the heart of all that ruckus was a band at once defying and embracing the musical legacy of its hometown. Since then, Lambchop has evolved into an accomplished ensemble, adding palpable depth and substance to singer-songwriter-guitarist Kurt Wagner’s songs—and the band sounds as commanding as ever on its 11th album, Mr. M, a collection of meditations on love and loss and the detritus of everyday existence.

Recorded at Mark Nevers’s Nashville Beech House studio cum bungalow and dedicated to Vic Chesnutt, Mr. M includes the usual core of musicians- Scott Martin (drums), Matt Swanson (bass), Ryan Norris (guitar, organ), Tony Crow (piano), William Tyler (guitar) and guests include original co-founder Jonathan Marx, delightful Cortney Tidwell (who shared vocals on 2010’s KORT project) and fiddler Billy Contreras (who has worked with all from Charlie Louvin to Laura Cantrell) – and with spectacular string arrangements shared between Peter Stopschinski and Mason Neely, it stretches out sonically as promised. (Incidentally the paintings, thickly layered black and white portraits forming a series called Beautillion Millitaire 2000, feature on the album sleeve and throughout the full artwork).

The core of the music remains the cyclical picking of Wagner’s guitar and the soft, warm croaking of his voice. The songs are spacious, even dreamy, as on the Countrypolitan instrumental “Gar,” while the lyrics and titles are rich with allusions, some of them obvious, others seemingly unknowable.

Rivers Langley is a writer, filmmaker and stand-up comedian from Auburn, Alabama. He is also a former substitute teacher, man about town, armchair psychologist, Monday morning quarterback, advocacy advocate. Rivers likes to spend his days on Facebook berating people about their spelling and grammar.

The River City Tanlines (the name being a play on the concept of a “farmer tan”) is a three-piece rock band from Memphis, TN.
Alicja Trout, the principle songwriter, is a veteran of countless noteworthy punk/indie bands over the years, including The Clears (Smells Like Records), The Lost Sounds (In the Red Records, Fat Possum) and her other current projects, Alicja-pop, MouseRocket and Black Sunday. Likewise, the powerful rhythm section of Terrence Bishop and John Bonds are no strangers to success, having played together behind such names as Jack Oblivian, R.L. Burnside, Jim Dandy & Black Oak Arkansas, and Monsieur Jeffrey Evans.

In 2009 the Tanlines appeared in Craig Brewer’s (Hustle and Flow, Black Snake Moan) web-series (and soundtrack) for MTV, Five Dollar Cover, and performed “I’m Your Negative” in a rollerderby fight scene. They also have a song (“Black Knight,” a crowd favorite at live shows) featured in the EA Sports video game Skate.

Together since late 2004, the band has toured extensively in North America and Europe playing clubs and festivals, and has ten releases on various record labels around the world. Their album I’m Your Negative was released in 2006 by Dirtnap Records out of Portland, OR.
A new album is due this July on Big Legal Mess. The band has been recording at Bruce Watson’s Dial Back Sound Studios in Water Valley, MS with engineer Lynn Bridges. They will tour Europe again this October, 2012.

“…YEAH, WELL, NOW THEY SOUND LIKE BOB DYLAN, THE STONES, STOOGES, NEIL YOUNG, WAYLON JENNINGS… WELL, EVEN WILLIE. I GUESS THEY’VE BEEN AT IT FOR A COUPLE YEARS NOW. BACK IN SUMMER OF ’09, BACK WHEN I MET EM, WEZ AND ZACK WERE EATIN WEED BROWNIES AND THEY REALIZED THEY NEEDED SETH IN THE BAND.
WELL, THEY DECIDED THEREFORE AND THEN TO START THE GREATEST ROCK N’ ROLL BAND IN THE WORLD–NATURAL CHILD. PROBABLY KNOWN AS MUCH FOR WHAT THEY SAY AS WHAT THEY DO, THEY’VE EARNED A REPUTATION OF GIVING AUDIENCES THE STRAIGHT DEAL. WORLDWIDE. THEY ARE CURRENTLY IN THE PROCESS OF BUYING BILL WYMAN’S BASS AMP FROM 1970. GOD BLESS EM.” -Leon Russell

Hailing from the always fertile Athens, GA scene, Twin Tigers are ready to unleash their dynamic sound unto the universe. Along with other elements of the past five decades of rock music, Twin Tigers blend noise textures with pop structure and shoegaze overtones shaping a sound that’s all new.

Formed by co-workers at the Michael Stipe-owned Grit restaurant, guitarist/vocalist Matthew Rain and bassist Aimee Morris began Twin Tigers as their previous bands dissolved. In February 2008,Curious Faces / Violet Future EP was released to great reviews. The band quickly started building a solid fan base throughout the southeast and played shows with Deerhunter, Dead Confederate, Jay Reatard, Black Lips, Dungen, Woods, Snowden and A Place to Bury Strangers.

After a slew of revolving guitarists and drummers the band debuted its current lineup with guitarist Forrest Hall, opening for Les Savy Fav at the Earl in Atlanta only a few weeks before their first trip to SXSW 2009. Upon returning from SXSW, the band began recording an album with Joel Hatstat in Athens, GA.

Following the wrap up of their full length, the band was chosen for a nation wide tour with Minus the Bear and the Antlers in the fall of 2009, toured with the Hold Steady in the spring of 2010 and is hitting the road all summer with Interpol. Twin Tigers’ debut album Gray Waves is out now via Brooklyn based Old Flame Records.

Tanner Inman is a fearless and unique performer who will dominate any stage he may find. He is deliberately the artistic genius and village idiot all at once. An experimental comic’s comic who still possesses the ability to appeal to the rest of the world. Tanner is not one to be missed.

Winner of 2011 Creative Loafing’s Best Comedian in Atlanta

2009 Atlanta Stands Up Andy Kaufman award.

Androcles and the Lion formed in August 2010, after songwriters, McKendrick Bearden and Austin Harris, moved to Athens. The pair met while studying music at LaGrange College. To pass the time while working on composition projects the two began writing songs together. Upon graduating from LaGrange and moving to Athens, they were introduced to percussionist, Paul Stevens. In August 2011, the group released their debut EP, “As Far As Blindness Could
See.” The album was recorded at Chase Park Transduction in Athens with engineer and producer, Drew Vandenberg. Androcles and the Lion is McKendrick Bearden, Austin Harris, and Paul Stevens.

Somewhere between the brain of a book cooking accountant, and the eyes of a crazy homeless man who lives down the street. I was born on October 6th, 1984 in Richmond, Virginia, while the Grateful Dead were playing “Going to Hell in a Bucket” two miles away at the Richmond Colosseum. I was raised on pee-wee herman. In 2002, on a rainy morning in July, the pull-string voice-box on my Pee-Wee doll was no longer sounding human. I left Richmond, and in just four years, made it to Nashville. I work as a Chinese Translator. Now I play music to keep from getting carpel tunnel.

It’s difficult to imagine Frank Fairfield living in an apartment, let alone using e-mail or a cell phone. It’s much easier to picture him supine in the back of a boxcar, plucking his battered banjo while shuttling across a black Southern sky. Or camped by the bank of some slow-moving tributary, fiddling forgotten Appalachian murder ballads, surrounded by hobos chomping cold beans. Or stepping out of a Faulkner novel, all gun smoke, ancestral ghosts and gee-tar.

This much we know about Fairfield: He was born 23 years ago in the San Joaquin Valley, where his grandfather, an itinerant musician/fruit picker settled down and found that old-time religion. During the ensuing two decades, he bounced back and forth across the state of California, occasionally attending high school, and toiling at odd jobs, including dish washing and factory work. Rumor has it that somewhere along the way there were stints in Texas and Guatemala, but no one will go on the record to admit it, and frankly, it doesn’t matter to me. Or to Fairfield.

(bio excerpted from LA Weekly)

SKIP is an Orlando-based artist whose unique musical stylings infuse elements of hip-hop, early 70’s-era rock n’ roll, and soul music. His latest release, Until the Very End, was recently picked as one of the ‘Best Albums of 2010’ by Orlando Weekly. “Until the Very End is a smile inducing venture, a top-to-bottom feel good album… Conjuring sensibilities and sounds from genres such as ragtime, blues, acid jazz and dusty soul, it’s an endlessly danceable soundtrack for the world’s farewell party. Raise a toast to going out in style.” — Justin Strout, OW Music Editor

Born amongst wolves: forged in smoke and fire; Invisible Hand plays baroque acid-rock with power-pop guitar theatrics. From and inspired by the ever pastoral central Virginian landscape, with two members having served time as actors (including bit parts as Bat Boys and Charles Darwins), a full time food enthusiast and a visual artist with a knack for the french chanteuses of bygone eras; a live showing may included wild gesticulations, cunning two-steps, razor sharp wit and spaced-out maneuvers. For fans of the Kinks, Wire, Buzzcocks, Sparks and snacks of all kinds

Drawing comparisons from Townes Van Zandt to Tim Buckley to Otis Redding, Arkansas born and bred Adam Faucett is most known for his powerful, almost operatic voice and intricate finger-picking. The Arkansas native’s sound has been described by The Arkansas Times as “somewhere between Otis Redding’s soul shout and Cat Power’s swampy poeticism”.

A true road runner, Adam has been criss-crossing the country for four years in support of his two prior releases 2007′s The Great Basking Shark and 2008′s Show Me Magic, Show Me Out, sharing the stage with Lucero, Calexico, The Legendary Shack Shakers, Vetiver, Chuck Ragan of Hot Water Music, Damien Jurado and Elf Power.

Faucett’s newest release More Like A Temple pushes out in all directions, simultaneously more folk, more rock, more melodic, more soul, and more sinister than all of his previous work. The Arkansas Times has raved “More Like A Temple is far beyond good. It may just be one of the most vital documents from a young musician to come out of town in years”.

Originally from Benton, AR, now residing in Little Rock, Adam previously released two albums as a solo artist and one with now disbanded Russellville, AR local heroes, Taught The Rabbits, which Adam has called “A Lush, Pink Floyd and Sonic Youth-inspired group; kids who grew up in a gravel pit tipping their hats to their psychedelic heroes from so far away.” Taught The Rabbits’ One But Just Another and Mallet and Watch were released in 2001 and 2006 and the band established a strong local following, touring regionally and sharing the stage with Calexico and Lucero. 

In 2006 Adam relocated to Chicago where he wrote the material that would become his first solo album and began playing solo shows around town. In 2007, he moved back to Arkansas to record “The Great Basking Shark” with longtime friend and producer Darian Stribling (Bob Goblin). The record displayed a focus on storytelling and roots arrangements, showcasing Faucett’s strong vocals, unique finger-picking, and banjo playing. Adam toured extensively throughout the US in support of the album, playing over 100 shows from coast to coast.

In 2008, Adam returned to Blue Chair Studio to record “Show Me Magic, Show Me Out” (Blue Tint) with Stribling, and newly assembled live band “The Tall Grass” , comprised of Little Rock musicians Chad Conder (drums)  and Jonny D. (bass). “Show Me Magic, Show Me Out” demonstrated the electric folk soul sound that the band had been honing in live shows and marked further evolution in Faucett’s songwriting. The Arkansas Times raved “Even the greatest American folk singers would be hard-pressed to leave such a vivid account…”.  Faucett continued his rigorous touring schedule, opening for bands including The Legendary Shack Shakers, Vetiver, Chuck Ragan of Hot Water Music, Damien Jurado and Elf Power.

Faucett’s newest release “More Like  A Temple” marks a further evolution of Adam’s “southern soul swamp opera” sound. Love and Sweet Maureen come on like Otis Redding sitting in on a Pavement single. Morphine is a haunted morning-after reflection with a guitar hook that stays with you until the next morning. The swamp rock foreshadowing of Gator, the space folk of Saturday,  and the Zeppelin vs. White Stripes riffs of Do What I Say present Faucett as part folk crooner, part celestial traveler, part Arkie rock hero – all parts in sharp control of their faculties as writer, storyteller, singer, composer, and guitarist.

The title of LEE BAINS III AND THE GLORY FIRES’ debut album comes from Bains mishearing an old hymn as a child. In the soft accents of his elders around Birmingham, Alabama, “There is a balm in Gilead” sounded a lot like “There is a bomb.” It fits, really. The Glory Fires learned to construct music in the churches of their childhoods, and learned to destroy it in the punk clubs of their youths.

As much Wilson Pickett as Fugazi, as much the Stooges as the Allman Brothers, Birmingham, Alabama’s Lee Bains III & The Glory Fires have brought radical rock’n'roll to bear on their own experience and their own place. On ‘THERE IS A BOMB IN GILEAD,’ they deconstruct the music of the Deep South, strip it down and reassemble it, to make a righteous ruckus that sits at the vanguard of the vernacular.

In 2008, shortly after returning to Birmingham from college in New York, Lee Bains fell in with the Dexateens, a Tuscaloosa institution whose raggedy union of cock-eyed rebel pride and forward-thinking fury proved to be the perfect apprenticeship for a confused Southern boy, raised on Skynyrd and schooled in Faulkner. After Bains had played with the band for a couple or three years, a couple or three hundred shows, the Dexateens came to a reluctant end. Bains found himself off the road, back in Birmingham, without a band. He also found himself with a passel of powerful songs sitting somewhere between buzzsaw garage, classic power-pop and sweating country-soul. Casting his nets in central Alabama’s rock’n'roll clubs, Bains assembled the Glory Fires: drummer Blake Williamson (Black Willis, Taylor Hollingsworth, Dan Sartain), bass player Justin Colburn (Model Citizen, Arkadelphia), and guitar player Matt Wurtele. Chugging along with a fierce Muscle Shoals vibe, the Glory Fires brought a sense of urgency to Bains’s drawling, howling voice.

After tracking some demos under the powerful guidance of Texas punk pioneer Tim Kerr (Big Boys, Poison 13, Now Time Delegation) and a few months of shows, the Glory Fires traveled to Water Valley, Mississippi to record the tracks for their debut LP ‘There Is a Bomb in Gilead’ at Dial Back Sound with engineer Lynn Bridges (Quadrajets, Jack Oblivian, Thomas Function). The songs were mixed in Detroit, at Ghetto Recorders by Jim Diamond (The Dirtbombs, The New Bomb Turks, Outrageous Cherry). It is there — in that Mississippi grease and Detroit grit — that ‘There Is a Bomb in Gilead’ sits, fuse lit, ready to go.

An indie / psychedelic / electronic pop duo hailing from Jacksonville, FL. Not unlike Wayne Coyne’s Flaming Lips, their live show is not to be missed. Interactive visuals and lighting astound the eyes and ears. Since forming in 2008, the band has released a handful of EP’s and a vinyl single. In May 2010, they were selected as one of the best unsigned bands by Alternative Press, and, as a result, tapped to record a song for the hit children\’s television show, Yo Gabba Gabba, as well performing several dates on the southeast tour of YGG’s “Super Music Friends Show”. Their song/video “Imagination Adventure” aired on YGG in Spring 2011. In March 2011, SUNBEARS! officially showcased at SXSW 2011 to a captive Austin audience playing showcases with Joan of Arc and several other pioneers of the indie rock movement.

Coming from the ashes of 3 great Jackson Bands (Goodman County, Jonezetta, and Circus of the Seed),
Furrows makes rock ‘n’ roll. Its genuine. Its heartfelt. It is what it is.

Lucy Dreams is a five-piece band from Atlanta, Georgia that combines sounds from shoegaze to post punk to noise. The band originally formed in August 2011 with four members, Lloyd Wingaurd (guitar & vocals), Jacob Armando (drums), Dani Lyman (synth & vocals), and Graham Tavel (bass). A few months later Nick Lynds (guitar) joined the band.

New Jersey native Floco Torres is a 24-year-old emcee who parlayed an early bad break with the music industry into an award-winning extended stay down South. After learning—on the tail end of his 15-hour drive—that a record label internship had evaporated, he couch surfed with family in Macon, Georgia, once the home of music legends like Otis Redding, Little Richard, James Brown and the Allman Brothers. No stranger to tough luck, he immediately went to work and earned his first award for Best Local Hip-Hop less than a year later. This past summer, he came out on top of the Gateway Project music competition, taking home a grand prize package worth $50,000 and later releasing a new EP, “10,000 Hours,” to celebrate his victory.

The EP came on the heels of “Floco’s Modern Life,” a full-length album on indie label Random Family Records, which was recorded with a live band and funded by his fans through Kickstarter. His music videos—both self-made and the professionally produced “Cherry Street”—have garnered tens of thousands of views and gotten his work noticed in several magazines, blogs and websites. His most recent mixtape, “Ralph BIGhead,” was presented by B.o.B’s concert DJ, Shawty Slim.

A smart, provocative and playful lyricist, Floco Torres slings references as divergent as the movie “Catch Me If You Can,” highlight reels from ESPN’s Sportscenter, the books of Malcolm Gladwell, Nickelodeon cartoons and Petula Clark’s greatest hits. And he hammers it home with a flow that glides over any beat thrown his way. As good as his studio work is, it is his stage show that has endeared him to a growing number of fans because he never holds back. He leaves it all on the field when he’s done. The fact is, whether you’re listening at home or at a concert, no one will work harder to make you feel the music than Floco Torres.

Surviving a tragic childhood, Tess Brunet found an escape through her adopted father’s record collection. She’d often play them on a Fisher Price record player she got as a Christmas gift at the age of 4.

Tess left her childhood home in New Orleans at the age of 17. She landed in New York and also a position at S.I.R. Studios. This opportunity allowed Tess to teach herself how to play drums during breaks.

Three months later, Tess found herself back in Louisiana in a band with Dax Riggs (formerly of Acid Bath). Only 6 months after she began playing, Brunet and Riggs went on to sign with Fat Possum Records as deadboy & the Elephantmen. They played music festivals (Austin City Limits, Sasquatch, Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza, and others) and toured across the country. Deadboy was great, but Tess ached for more artistic freedom. What was intended to be a 4 month road trip to visit close friends turned into living in Austin, Texas, Los Angeles, California, and Athens, Georgia for a span of 2 years. This period of time provided many great opportunities; like backing legendary Lady Bo and Twin Tigers. Most recently, she was the drummer for Generationals and collaborated on the Trust EP.

Throughout all of this Tess wrote and recorded as much as possible, also taking the opportunity to teach herself to play other instruments, guitar being her latest quest. She released an EP under the name Animal Electric that only began to hint at what was to come.

For some time now living on the road, and in her van, Tess has been compiling material for a solo debut while in other bands. Fat Possum Records veteran Bruce Watson produced the Au Ras Au Ras self-titled debut album; it was recorded at Dial Black Sound in Water Valley, MS February and April of 2011. Tess’s voice appeals to the aesthetic sense and her songs are strengthened by good friends and fellow musicians Seth Kauffman and Michael Libramento of Floating Action. Currently Au Ras Au Ras plays live shows as a two-piece, with Patrick Hodgkins on bass, they play to backing tracks. Tess and Patrick are slated to record the follow up record in April at Dial Black.

This full length record is a collection of some of Tess’s most poignant songs of longing, time wasted, and redemption.

After recording a series of stunning, stellar dates for Silkheart, Koch,  Konnex, Gowi, Music and Arts, and daagnimRecords in the 80′s and early 90′s – with leaders and sidemen including Charles Brackeen, Andrew Cyrille, Fred Hopkins, Malachi Favors, Carlos Ward, Louis Moholo, Keith Tippett (of King Crimson), Elton Dean (of Soft Machine), Nels Cline, Olu Dara, Nils Petter Molvaer, Roy Hargrove, and Douglas Ewart, avant jazz legend Dennis González left  the world of music for 5 long years.

He returned in 1999 with a new resolve and a new trio, Yells At Eels.  The trio was made up of González on trumpets, keyboards, and samples; his bass-playing son, Aaron; and his younger son, Stefan, on drums.  Aaron and Stefan had worked together in their own duo, Akkolyte, and proposed the trio to their dad.  The eight months that followed were a rehearsal for things to come, playing with special guests poet-laureate Yusef Komunyakaa, New Orleans saxist Tim Green, and Dallas-based pianist Scott Bucklin.  In January of 2000, they began the recording of their first CD, Home, which was released in June of that same year.

The next 10 years, the trio would travel all over the United States, Canada, and Europe playing their new sounds for large and small audiences alike.  Their special guests were truly special:  Oliver Lake, Douglas Ewart, The Micro-East Collective, George Cartwright, Clyde Kerr, Jr., Tim Green, Bill Pohl, James Harvey, Mike Khoury, Travis Laplante, Andrew Lamb, Assif Tsahar, Alvin Fielder, Rodrigo Amado, Sabir Mateen, Mark Taylor, Matt Lavelle, Patrick Holmes, Carl Smith, Ken Filiano, Famoudou Don Moye,  and David Boykin.

Their second CD, a double issue, was recorded live in Minneapolis (Home Away from Home with Douglas Ewart and George Cartwright) and in the studio in Dallas and New Orleans (Pictogram with Tim Green, Scott Bucklin, and Bill Pohl).  International coverage of this trio poured in from Citizen Jazz in Brussels, Echoes in London, Signal to Noise in Vermont, One Final Note in Minneapolis, The Dallas Morning News, Zeitgeist in New Orleans, Paris Transatlantic in Paris, and many other sources.

In 2005, they played three nights in Vancouver, British Columbia, at the Vancouver Jazz Festival and undertook an East Coast tour, during which they played the prestigious Vision Festival in New York and then took off for their grand European summer tour.  Their third CD was released in May of 2006, and was titled Geografía, and the trio played a great part in the success of the internationally acclaimed CD, A Measure of Vision, by Mississippi jazz drumming legend Alvin Fielder, released on the Portuguese jazz label Clean Feed in 2006.

An augmented line-up including Alvin Fielder, Chris Parker, and Leena Conquest, released a new CD, entitled The Gift of Discernment, in spring of 2008 on the renowned Polish record label, Not Two Records. In conjunction with this, Yells At Eels did a tour of Poland with Portugese saxophonist Rodrigo Amado.  And in 2011 they toured Poland once again with the renowned Polish bass player Wojtek Mazolewski.  A new 7” release has emerged from this tour, Wind Streaks in Syrtis Major.  Ayler Records in France has also released two other Yells At Eels CD’s, Cape of Storms with the legendary South African drummer Louis Moholo-Moholo, and Resurrection and Life, also with drummer Alvin Fielder.  They also released a CD in 2010 called The Hymn Project with Norwegian contrabassist Ingebrigt Håker Flaten.

Dennis González has played in the church and on the international jazz stage for many years and is a published poet, language and music teacher, musician – composer, visual artist, and was a well-known on-air personality for KERA Channel 13 and KERA 90.1 FM for 21 years.  Aaron and Stefan continue making music as a duo and in their own groups, as well as being the rhythm section for the Portuguese group. Humanization 4tet.<

Yells At Eels (who Ariel Pink chooses to call “Added Pizzazz” when they record with him) has collaborated on 3 projects with Ariel over the past 2 years.

The Secret Stages appearance marks the beginning of their 14th year as a group.

Buffalo Killers are an American rock band comprising brothers Zachary and Andrew Gabbard with Joseph Sebaali. Quickly signed to Alive Records after sending a burnt CD with just their telephone number and name on it, their self-titled debut album was released in October of 2006.

Buffalo Killers drew the attention of Chris Robinson, who invited the band to open a string of dates for The Black Crowes. That road trip spawned the songs for the band’s second long player, Let It Ride, produced by The Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach.

Most recently, the Buffalo Killers collaborated with Kelley Deal on the just released Sing For Your Meat: A Tribute to Guided By Voices, and on August 2nd the Cincinnati-based trio will be releasing their new self-produced album “3″ on Alive Records (available on CD, Digital and Colored Vinyl in both blue and purple – limited to just 500 copies each color).

Terry Ohms and Them hail from Birmingham, AL. Drummer and lead singer Wes McDonald formed this band in early 2011, after releasing two Terry Ohms albums when he wasn’t busy fronting rock band, Vulture Whale.

Taking the recordings live, McDonald enlisted Les Nuby (also of Vulture Whale) on guitar, James Brangle (Through the Sparks) on guitar and keys, and Drew Davis (Shattered Images) on bass, to form Terry Ohms and Them.

Originally formed as a 3-piece bar-room rock and roll band, Lauderdale has evolved into a 5-piece outfit with the ability to make full, lush-sounding records. Niles Lee provides the songs for the band, but this is more of a “band record” than the self-titled release from 2007. Along with Lee and drummer Patrick McDonald,  the addition of Ben Tanner on keys and Daniel Stoddard on pedal steel and lead guitar gave the band the ability to build upon the sound that was envisioned for the first album, but they were not able to achieve Lee’s songs about relationships, both romantic and paternal, provide the backbone of the record. On the surface, the opening song Moving On starts the album off with a song that is seemingly about love lost, a lost family member, and learning how to cope when in all actuality it’s about dealing with the demons staring back at you in the mirror. “The Grant” and “Big Fish” explore the relationship of a father and son and the stories that the dad passed down to him. “At Night” is the bands first real push into odd soundscapes and chaos, a departure from the norm for them. Just a glimpse into the communal nature of the Shoals area music will reveal that Lauderdale members also perform with Dylan LeBlanc, The Alabama Shakes, Doc Dailey and Magnolia Devil, The Bear, Belle Adair, and The Pollies. This explains why Lauderdale has kept low key for the last year. That downtime gave Lauderdale the time to make the best record they could.

An American Music Band from Black Mountain,NC. No hot girl. Respected for their originality, production, songwriting, sympathetic musicianship. Becoming known for being underrated and creatively pure, they have struggled to find mainstream success. Notable fans include My Morning Jacket, Band of Horses, Dr.Dog, The Black Keys, Jonah Hill.

They have released three LPs on Park the Van Records; Research(2008), Self-Titled(2009), Desert Etiquette(2011).

Cities Aviv is the sole project of Gavin M with a variant of collaborators. Nostalgic off-raps fused with hyper modern realism, the Memphis rapper’s live performances pan out like a hazed medley of breathy verses and sample deconstruction. Having released several internet singles as well as the free album “Digital Lows” and a 7″ single “Coastin” last year, 2012 will see the release of the next full length album amongst other works.

Preston Lovinggood was the driving force behind Wild Sweet Orange – a powerful and profoundly literate indie-rock combo from Birmingham, AL who is sorely missed by still-growing cult of fans. Despite releasing a sole, beloved full-length and a few EPs, label politics found Wild Sweet Orange dropped. In the time that followed, Lovinggood retreated from music and the rest of the band, led by guitarist Taylor Shaw, carried on in the form of The Great Book of John.

Fortunately, Preston found music once more… Or did it find him? Regardless, Lovinggood is in the process of recording a new album of original material with Darrell Thorp (The Great Book of John, Radiohead, Beck) in sunny Los Angeles, California. In the meantime we have this long-awaited piece of vinyl featuring Lovinggood backed by his compatriots in Wild Sweet Orange before they called it a day… So don’t call it a comeback.

FisherGreen is the new band from Birmingham, Alabama featuring musicians Chad Fisher and Heath Green. The band plays original soul, country, funk, folk, and rock & roll, as well as choice covers from The Band, Otis Redding, Neil Young, Sly and The Family Stone, and many others. Full on Memphis style horns, deep grooves, and soulful country vocals are the band’s specialty.

Percussion Ensemble

Jazz Ensemble

Rhythm Circle

Children’s Choir

Scrollworks’ mission, as a non-profit organization, is to offer quality music education for children in the local community regardless of their ability to pay, with a focus on minorities and the under-served areas of Greater Birmingham. We fulfill this mission by providing a truly unique learning environment wherein the student guides the teacher to their greatest area of interest and in turn the teacher adapts to each individual child’s learning style.

Modeling itself after Venezuela’s El Sistema, Scrollworks is an atypical community music school. Our aim is to provide intensive music instruction to disadvantaged children in their neighborhood, children who otherwise would not have access to quality instruction. Our purpose is to awaken, nurture and develop a passion for music in everyone, creating opportunities to explore and cultivate their talents in order that they become active contributors to Birmingham’s rich and diverse culture.

Staffed by accomplished musicians with real-world experience, our comprehensive and progressive music education program encompasses all genres of music from classical to present day musical styles, including jazz, rock, hip-hop, country, world music and more.

Instruction will be offered for any instrument, as well as voice, music theory, history, composition, songwriting, technology, recording and production. Lessons will be provided in both group and one-on-one settings, with ensembles ranging from small to large, traditional to experimental, demonstrating our belief that the person who plays in an ensemble begins to live the experience of community.

Our goal is to see that certain look in each student’s eye that can’t be described or measured: a spark of insight, a twinkle of engagement, pure joy.

This is a young comedian that will literally have you (ROTFL) rolling on the floor laughing. He has performed for comedy clubs & colleges all over the southeast. This comedian is slowly making a name for himself as one of the most funny up & coming comedians around.

Sam McLeroy was born in Huntsville, Alabama and raised in Arab, Alabama. Her comedy is like a quality IPA–bitter, yet refreshing. From her personal stories about trailer life to her random tangents about everything in particular, she is as delightful as drinking a good beer. So, come, and drink good beer.

“Tollie Jones is a comedian, actor, director based out of Birmingham, AL. Tollie garnered critical acclaim by bringing his unique, cerebral approach to open-mic and showcase stages all over Birmingham, as well as for his alter egos, Horny Harry (the self-proclaimed Horniest Man in America) and “Good Times” Fellatio McNarrin (a manic-depressive lounge singer whose only flaw is an addiction to “good times.” And opium). His stand-up covers from John Malkovich to anti-depressants. Also, punctuation marks. Sometimes, professional wrestling.”

We are an emo/pop punk band started in Birmingham in October 2011. We played our first show January 8 2012 with Daniel Ryan on bass and vocals, Zane Lake on guitar and vocals and Dan Walker on drums. We recorded our first album with that lineup over the course of that winter. Since then we’ve changed our drummer to Jake Lovett. We’ve played shows with bands like Dowsing, Empire! Empire! (I Was a Lonely Estate), Bomb the Music Industry!, Light Years, The Clippers, Literature and Rodeo Ruby Love

After conquering the world of competitive break dancing, Scott Eason wanted a challenge. He turned to stand-up comedy. Bringing his no nonsense attitude and red-hot passion to the stage, he exploded onto the scene. Word traveled fast and his success soon led to appearances on The Arsenio Hall Show, The Chevy Chase Show, The Magic Hour with Magic Johnson, Iron Chef (The original in Japan, not that sissy American version) and who could forget that unfortunate incident on The Geraldo Rivera Show. However, the brightest stars burn out the quickest and Scott had to step out of the spotlight to focus on his health. Stints in rehab for glue sniffing and hacking paint (Gold is the best flavor) helped bring him out of the darkness and after many years of self examination and fine tuning, he’s ready to come back to the stage and give you the what for. Prepare to have your face melted off with comedy. No more break dancing though. Unless you have some cocaine.

Birmingham, Alabama is known for many things, unfortunately, Hip Hop isn’t one of them. Shockingly, to be the largest city in Alabama, it’s the only one without a breakout rap star or “movement.” But that is sure to change with the emergence of B-ham based supergroup K.L.U.B. Monsta.

Made up of childhood friends turned rhyme partners Kel Ricks, Joshua, Air Talley and J. Dotta, K.L.U.B. Monsta is poised to not only put their city on the rap radar, but also carry on in the tradition of classic Southern Hip Hop and re-introduce listeners to the art of making rap music with substance.

“We rap about what we learned living here and we even rap about the history of the city,” says founding member Kel Ricks, mentioning that the K.L.U.B. part of their name is an acronym for Knowledge. Learned. Under. Birmingham. “Then with the ‘Monsta’ part you can say that the knowledge we’ve learned has created a monster.”

Originally known as Monsters, Inc the group was started in the early 2000’s by Kel Ricks and Air Talley who had just returned to Birmingham after moving to Denver to explore a solo opportunity. In 2007 they released their first project Perfect Procrastination with features from future full time member Joshua.

Seeing the potential roadblocks of having the same name as a Disney movie, the group decided to rebrand themselves as K.L.U.B. Monsta. Then, in 2009 they officially added Joshua and a new member, J. Dotta.

The new line-up dropped their first official offering, Southern Theory, on Thanksgiving Day 2010. Southern Theory gave listeners a glimpse into the mind of a monster as the group tapped into the struggle of the everyday man dealing with everything from relationships to local politics simply trying to make it.

“We’re really just young, regular guys that stumbled across music and want to make something a little different from what we hear every day,” says Joshua.

“We just wanted to get our name out there and give people a different outlook on Alabama rappers,” says Kel Ricks. “People think they know what they’re going to get. Even our name, they think we make club music. That’s why we wanted to show our depth and talent.”

As seen in their much publicized video single, “Waiting” each member has a unique style that still manages to speak on one accord. Kel Ricks is known as the “lyrical” member of the group citing everyone from Ma$e to Jay-Z as his influences. Considered the most “conscious” of the four, Joshua describes himself as the “Bill Cartwright” of the group, likening himself to the veteran center who acted as an anchor for the championship Chicago Bulls teams of the early 90’s. J. Dotta acts as the always improving catalyst that makes the rest of the group stay on point at all times. While Air Talley is referred to as the “laid back one” or “technician” of the group, often times creating the hooks for the songs.

After enjoying mild success and blog attention on the heels of Southern Theory, K.L.U.B. Monsta is hoping to capitalize with their upcoming project DJ Burn One-hosted Separate But Sequel. The title, partially inspired by the Jim Crow-era laws that helped define their Birmingham stomping grounds generations ago, also acts as a continuation of what they started with Southern Theory.

“We wanted to improve in the raps and showcase production of the core producers we’ve been working with locally,” offers Joshua.

“The first mixtape was an easy listen,” says Kel Ricks. “But with Separate But Sequel I think with more casual listeners will get a grasp of what we are about. Hardcore Hip Hop people will like it as well.”

With Alabama surging as a new force in Hip Hop and quality music never going out of style, it’s inevitable for K.L.U.B. Monsta to not only become a group to watch for, but become one of your favorites as well.

Jackson, MS based, Wooden Finger began as a collaboration between Matthew Magee and Allison Jenkins. Their diverse musical backgrounds resulted in 2006 debut LP All This Time…Still We’re Lost, which was a haunting blend of atmospheric folk rock and cinematic baroque pop. They are now releasing their much anticipated sophomore recording, Take and See and Do What You Want, which has a distinctly more rhythmic direction. Magee and Jenkins are now joined by Ryan Baucum (bass), Chip Burr (drums) and Jason Daniel (guitar) which has resulted in a much more driving, uplifting, and energetic pop feel. They plan to tour extensively in support of this new recording.

Jason Roche is a comedian and actor based out of Birmingham, AL. He has worked with comedians Joe DeRosa, Brent Weinbach, Jarrod Harris, and Matt Davis. Roche recently starred in the short film Annie and Her Anger which won the Audience Choice Award at the 2011 Sidewalk Film Festival. Roche is a cool guy and you will probably, like, really really enjoy watching him.

My ridiculous musical life has gone from piano to guitar to cheesy teenage cover bands to punk to hardcore to metal to prog to noise to experimentalism . . . the winding thread connecting them all being a deep love of improvisation & subversion of musical forms. I’m a multi-instrumentalist & goofy sort of musical experimentalist. I always adhere to a DIY ethic, no matter what type of music I’m focusing my attention on.

On a more blah-blah level, I’ve released recordings on loads of different independent labels, recorded albums with reluctant indie guru Steve Albini, played live with Wisconsin’s electronic music pioneers Oneiroid Psychosis, sang, played & toured with Southern noise rockers bert for years, collaborated & performed with countless other artists all over the world & founded The Subversive Workshop Newsletter magazine/home recording label & the Alabama Improv Co-op. All this just barely scratches the surface. I get tired of trying to keep up with it all. My website is a rough attempt at organizing it all . . . & even that gets annoying. I’d much rather be making music than dabbling with this big mess.

My current projects are, as usual, all over the place. I’m currently working with the incredible Moog guitar in a variety of improvised music formats, and playing regular guitar and singing with my noisy weirdo punk trio called No. If you’re interested in further music, I’d encourage you to hit the Works section of jeffmcleod.net (currently being updated & migrated over from a less user-friendly online discography), & just file back through all the years of music.

I hope you find something in my music that makes your ears stand up.

Wes Van Horn is a stand-up comedian and writer from Birmingham, Alabama currently based out of Kansas City, Missouri. He was a finalist in the Kansas City Improv’s 2012 “Clash of The Comics” competition as well as a finalist in the 2011 “Best Comic in Kansas City” competition at Stanford and Son’s Comedy Club. He has performed in various cities across the United States including Los Angeles, Atlanta, St. Louis, and performed at the 2010 Cannes International Film Festival in France. He has worked with numerous headlining comedians including Dan Cummins, Auggie Smith, Mike Baldwin, A.J. Finney, Artie Fletcher, Nick Vatterot, Brian Dunkleman, Brett Riley, Matt Davis, and Comedian Longhorn. You can also hear him live every Friday from 9am-1pm on The Morning Deuce with Wes and Doug, a radio program he co-hosts with comedian Doug Cheatham on Black Sky Radio. His blog, which he writes with friend and musician Douglas Robertson, entitled “Lou Bega Called He Wants His Fedora Back” averages more hits a day than an adolescent pothead and makes for wonderful airport bathroom material if you have to catch an early flight after eating an entire late-night Red Baron frozen pizza.

Steeped in cassette culture, Japanese Women has traded tapes with people all over the world. However, they can’t get a show in their own town. It’s no big deal to them as the band is made up of a bunch of anti-social dudes who would rather eat junk food and talk about whatever their most recent music or movie discovery was. The goal was to be a fast paced mysterious hardcore band, but no one was on the same page so it just became punked out artsy noise rock. It’s not the kind of hardcore made by people that can beat you up, but by man children with Criterion collections and pay-per-view subscriptions to wrestling. They think they’re making genre defying loud music, but in reality its crummy disposable noise that’s probably best for soon to be forgotten house shows. They probably won’t win you over but at least they won’t look like they tried too hard.

Tanner Inman is a fearless and unique performer who will dominate any stage he may find. He is deliberately the artistic genius and village idiot all at once. An experimental comic’s comic who still possesses the ability to appeal to the rest of the world. Tanner is not one to be missed.

Winner of 2011 Creative Loafing’s Best Comedian in Atlanta

2009 Atlanta Stands Up Andy Kaufman award.

Rivers Langley is a writer, filmmaker and stand-up comedian from Auburn, Alabama. He is also a former substitute teacher, man about town, armchair psychologist, Monday morning quarterback, advocacy advocate. Rivers likes to spend his days on Facebook berating people about their spelling and grammar.

The New York Times recently proclaimed that Houston, Texas native Robert Ellis sounds “equally inspired by Jackson Browne and George Jones.” Not a bad reference point for an artist only twenty-two years old. Ellis cut his teeth performing the songs of similar luminaries around town, most notably at the neighborhood beacon, Fitzgerald’s. His “Whiskey Wednesdays” at that club are regularly packed with punkish newcomers and graying locals sharing a mutual interest in artists ranging from Ray Price to Buck Owens to the Rolling Stones. Ellis has songwriting ability equal to his encyclopedic knowledge of these greats and it shines on his upcoming New West Records debut, Photographs, due this July. The young songwriter’s second release is an impressive and diverse concept album split between five breathtaking folk songs and five soon-to-be country standards. Listening to Photographs, one finds it difficult to pigeonhole Robert Ellis. It’s even harder to remember that he’s barely just begun.

Imago Dei and Anderson Scott have released “Bare Essentials”, to rave reviews. As the title implies, the project offers a refreshing return to the fundamentals- beats, rhymes, and concepts. From the introductory “The Numbers” (which finds the two lyricists seamlessly weaving between one another’s verses), to the album’s swan song- “Back To Africa”, “Bare Essentials” boasts a surplus of verbal excellence. Fueled by Imago Dei’s soulful production, the album evokes the essence of a classic from the 70’s, with the social awareness of a Hip Hop joint from the 90’s. The album’s first single, “Africa” is a certified banger- fusing thought provoking lyrics and a party vibe- and has been garnering buzz in and around the Atlanta music scene.

Both MC’s are seasoned in their own right. Imago Dei is an emcee, producer, writer, community activist, husband and father. Imago released two albums prior to the Bare Essentials project and has been performing for over 15 years. He has graced the stage with KRS-1 and numerous other great artist.

In addition to his artistic endeavors, Imago Dei is an investigator at the Southern Center for Human Rights where he works to change and improve the criminal justice system.

Anderson Scott is an “entertainer” in every sense. As a musician, he is an accomplished lyricist and performer- having shared the stage with numerous Hip Hop legends. His 12 years worth of experiences as an artist are now chronicled in his novel,”Underground Sun” (set for a fall 2012 release).

As an actor, he is currently using his theatrical skill as the lead instructor for THE GREEN ROOM ACTOR’S LOUNGE’s “Actors for Autism” program- in which he teaches drama to children who suffer from varying levels of Autism.

With live performances, public appearances, and grass roots street promotion- “Bare Essentials” is poised to reinvent the way listeners listen, by re-establishing the way artists create art.

Martin Morrow is originally from Birmingham, AL currently living in Chicago, IL and got his start apart of an award winning stand-up/sketch hybrid “Tubbi and Martin”. Morrow has performed in New York, Las Vegas, Austin, Atlanta and many other places that don’t sound as cool and has hosted and opened for the likes of Eric Andre, Steve Brown, Hannibal Buress, Kyle Cease, Tim Meadows, Sean Patton, Tom Segura, Iliza Shlesinger, and Baron Vaughn. He is the regular co-host of Comedy Sportz Theatre’s Chaser Open Mic, co-stars in the web series The Alumni, is heard on the radio as several characters for the Roy Wood Jr. Morning Show on 95.7 Jamz, and is probably best known from the 1953 Walt Disney classic Peter Pan as Peter Pan’s shadow.

Quit hatin. These dudes are fun. Raucous party tunes. Sometimes feete shufflink , sometimes a touch of metaltastic. These guys like hard work and ball sweat. If you haven’t started moving yet, then you are really really running out of excuses at this point. Save your excuses for when you need them, like the next day when you were supposed to meet this cute girl for coffee at eleven AM, which you make but then have to explain your godawful smell because you met her at bible study and want her to think you are something that you are not. They have an album. That they recorded. Do that.

Justin Peake has produced original music since 2007 in a variety of styles. Primarily a drummer, he works with equal strength as a producer and sound designer, releasing beats and performing under the name Beautiful Bells and producing more ambient work known as The Moon in Gemini. As a drummer, he has released music for solo percussion, 7 piece chamber ensemble, trio, and quartet. In 2011, he started the Merged Music Series in New Orleans, LA which showcases new, independent, electronic music. at the Dragon’s Den.

Mike Kaiser is an Atlanta-based comedian whose intelligent writing and slender-build not only sets him apart from dumber, fatter comics, but also earned him the distinction of being named a “Comedic Talent on the Rise” by Atlanta Magazine in 2011. His thought-provoking comedy makes him an audience favorite at clubs, colleges, and alt-rooms across the country.

While their claims of being resurrected shine runners from late 50’s Alabama is a subject best left for debate among fans, what cannot be disputed is that when Kill, Baby…Kill! first unleashed their reverb‐drenched madness to modern audiences in late 2010, the rock scene was never to be the same.
Combining equal parts love for the instrumental rock of the early 1960’s and the drive‐in horror culture of the 1950’s, Kill, Baby…Kill! deliver a brand of instrumental mayhem that is unmatched in the current music environment. Their live show is an audio and video assault that blurs the line between live performance and Hollywood horror.

2011 saw Kill, Baby…Kill! bring their music to the masses in full force. In one year they toured a total of 10,000 miles, amassing over 40 performances throughout the Southeast. May also saw the release of their first EP, entitled Sometimes They Come Back, with legendary Punk Rock front man Joe Queer handling production duties. In May of 2011 Kill, Baby…Kill! headlined the closing night of America’s largest Instrumental Music Festival, Instro Summit 2011 in Chapel Hill, NC. They also took part in the 4th annual Clarkston Surf Fest in Atlanta, GA.

2012 looks to be an even bigger year for the band. Taking January to break in a new lineup, Kill, Baby…Kill! will soon be hitting the road once again. Scheduling is already underway for an extended East Coast tour in May that will take the band to the Northeast, including DC, Boston and New York City.
They have a new 7” EP scheduled for a March release on the Knowhere Records label. Kill, Baby…Kill! will be featured on two instrumental compilation albums this year, for both Deep Eddy Records and Double Crown Records. Plans are also in the works for a new full‐length album by the end of 2012, to be released on Deep Eddy Records out of Austin, TX. Negotiations are also in place for a European record deal with details to be released soon. Even more, Kill, Baby…Kill! will be returning to Instro Summit 2012 in May and headlining the opening night festivities.

Kill, Baby…Kill! is a busy band with a very strong work ethic. With roots firmly planted in the DIY culture, this band has never waited for things to happen for them. They make them happen.

Removador Recordings and Solutions, the record label co-founded by My Morning Jacket frontman Yim Yames and former MMJ guitarist Johnny Quaid, released “Lydia Burrell”, the debut effort from producer Alexander Smith under the moniker Lydia Burrell. The album is a juxtaposition of richly detailed electronic production and his earnest voice. Aside from recording and production assistance from Yames and another friend, Ben Mundane, the collection of songs is a DIY affair, entirely the product of Smith’s creation.

Smith has been writing and performing music since high school. His interests led him eventually to pursue a masters degree in music theory and composition from University of Louisville. Taking the name from a character in an abandoned screen play, Smith eventually chose “Lydia Burrell” as his musical persona when he began experimenting with electronic music. The unique influences of Smith’s life are felt in the music. He has spent the last eight years building, tuning, and maintaining church pipe organs. “It’s stimulating to work with your hands and satisfying to play a part in how an enormous and complex instrument sounds,” says Smith. “I think it’s helped me to understand and appreciate the craftsmanship and process of building things.”

“Lydia Burrell” reflects the complexity of the organs Smith tunes. He calls the recording process a “trial and error” affair, the creation of an amalgam of sounds that eventually carves itself into song. Tracks such as “Lostma” and “Space (Never Enough Time)” build layer upon layer of industrial electronica, only to reveal a haunting melody hidden underneath. “Ring” showcases a songwriter using a gift for pop to establish that this is ultimately a record of loss and heartbreak. Smith notes, “it’s a product of that weird feeling of limbo when one thing that you were consumed with ends, and then you find you’re waiting for something else, even though you’re just back where you were.” It’s a great metaphor for the record… Finish the album at “Everything” then begin again with “Noiseamber,” discovering more in each song upon every listen.

Scott Burland (Theremin) and Frank Schultz (Lap Steel) are mutually preoccupied with the “traditionally unconventional” sounds of Theremin and Lap Steel guitar. Scott and Frank have been long time friends, but have only recently come together to combine the sounds of these two non-fixed pitch instruments. Their name describes the instrumentation, but does not give you the full spectrum of what sonic sundries they impart; open with rich textures, swooning collages, and hypnotic pulses, like a warm bath in the aural abyss. The result is at once familiar and alien: wildly, inarguably unique and yet commonly understood for its strangeness and beauty.

Frank Schultz and Scott Burland have long been involved in the Atlanta music scene, playing together and with others at the Destroy All Music Festivals, Mattress Factory Shows, eyedrum Improvisational Series, Public Domain, as well as appearing on WREK 91.1FM, WRAS 88.5 FM, at the Annual Improv Festival in Athens, GA and with the Center for Puppetry Arts.

Memphis soul/jazz organ trio The City Champs return to Memphis’ Electraphonic Recording studio for the follow up to their acclaimed debut album, The Safecracker. The Set-Up finds the group stretching out, adding Latin jazz, psychedelia and 60’s film score influences to their established Booker T. and the MGs meets Blue Note/Prestige Records sound.

The City Champs are comprised of three of Memphis’ top musicians: Guitarist Joe Restivo, organist Al Gamble and drummer George Sluppick. Their resumes include studio recordings and live dates with artists such as Rufus Thomas, Alex Chilton, JJ Grey and MOFRO, William Bell, Syl Johnson and the Memphis Horns.

Augmenting the City Champs trio sound on The Set-Up is renowned Motown Funk Brother Jack Ashford on tambourine (who was featured in the award winning documentary, Standing in the Shadows of Motown), The Bo-Keys horn men (Marc Franklin, Jim Spake and Kirk Smothers), Latin percussionist Felix Hernandez and Bo-Keys bassist and The Set-Up’s producer, Scott Bomar, who most recently produced Cyndi Laupers’ “Memphis Blues.”

Since the release of their first album, the group has toured the US with The North Mississippi Allstars and performed shows with bassist Robert Mecurio from Galactic. The group has also had their music prominently featured in the Emmy Award winning documentary, I Am a Man: From Memphis a Lesson in Life and the MTV series, $5 Cover

Younger Siblings is an indie-pop/art-punk project from Birmingham, AL. Featuring members of P.S. Eliot, Dolarhyde, The Recluse (and countless other B’ham bands), Younger Siblings is “a farce of pop punk, drenching a penchant for immensely clever song writing in a hail of singalongs and distorted guitars and ukuleles”. Influences include the 80′s post-punk/twee movement, They Might Be Giants, Adam Green, and Atom and His Package-esque pop-punk. Live performances are a burst of energy with an electro-autoharp, organ solos, and a pretty punk rock ukulele. Younger Siblings like to have a good time.

Many duos throughout hip-hop’s history have possessed the level of chemistry and raw talent to captivate the masses over the years. However, there is not a match in recent history like the one between femcees Money Stax and Neeky Devero as VICIOUS CYCLE! These two exceptionally ill MCs join forces in a combination destined to go down as the illest pair of females on a mic since Salt-N-Pepa. Take one part of Jersey native Money Stax’s precise, relentless flow; add one part Germany representative Neeky Devero’s unpredictable, word-bending delivery and you get the formula for a classic. The Vagina Chronologue is the debut album from these incredible wordsmiths, coupling some of the most merciless verses in years with innovative production from DFW heavyweights like Rob Viktum, M_Slago, and DVM. The buzz from their mixtape collab, “HNIC” has built steadily on Dallas’ underground scene, while the follow-up singles “Too Hard” and “Phone Call” get heavy rotation on KNON-89.3’s “Knowledge Dropped, Lessons Taught”, hosted by legendary local DJ EZ Eddie D. With countless sets rocked in the Metroplex, these two are widely regarded as the hottest female spitters in Dallas, and soon to be the WORLD. Vicious Cycle…”Dope beats. Dope Rhymes. Chicks who look dope”. Really, what more could you ask for?

David Dove:

A trombone player, composer, improviser, and educator, David Dove has given performances and workshops across North America (US, Mexico, and Canada), in Europe (Germany, Scotland), and in Vietnam. He has collaborated with some of the top national and international artists in contemporary music. As the Founder of Nameless Sound (a non-profit organization in Houston, Texas), he has presented important concerts of world-class contemporary music and has pioneered an innovative approach to creative music education based on creativity, diversity, and improvisation. In 2003, the critics of the Houston Press named Dove “Best Jazz Artist”. In 2004, he received an artist fellowship from The Cultural Arts Council of Houston and Harris County. In 2011, he and Nameless Sound were presented with The Houston Press’ “Mastermind Award”. Teaching and performing residencies have included events with: NoEstacionarte (Merida, Yucatan, Mexico, 2011), UNAM (Mexico City, 2010), The Exploratoium (Berlin, Germany in 2009), Ch’ak’ab Paaxil Festival (Merida, Mexico in 2008), The National Children’s Theater (Hanoi, Vietnam in 2007) and The Greater Easterhouse Arts Company (Glasgow, Scotland in 2006).

Damon Smith:

Damon Smith studied double bass with Lisle Ellis and had lessons with Bertram Turezky, Joëlle Leandré, John Lindberg, Mark Dresser and others. He has also done considerable research of the ´sonic palette´ of the double bass. This has resulted in a personal, flexible improvisational language based in the American jazz avant garde movement and European non-idiomatic free improvisation. He is also very influenced by visual art, flim and dance. Work with director Werner Herzog (soundtracks for “Grizzly Man” & “Encounters at the end of the World” and an early perfomance with the Merce Cunningham dance company reflect this. He has collaboratted with a wide range of musicians including Cecil taylor, Marshall Allen (of Sun Ra´s Arkestra), Henry Kaiser, Birgit Ulher,Fred Frith, Wadada Leo Smith, Marco Eneidi, Wolfgang Fuchs, Peter Brötzmann and Peter Kowald. He worked often in the San Francisco Bay Area Creative Music Community and is now based in Houston, Texas.

Fronted by Joe Nettles’ rich baritone and powered by anthemic songwriting and catchy guitar work, Shooting Out the Lights has been kicking out their brand of luxury rock since October 2009.  The result is a penetrating mix of sounds: think Echo and the Bunnymen, Sonic Youth, The Smiths, and My Bloody Valentine with a bit of Joy Division on top and Crazy Horse blowing out the cellar doors.

The band, former members of Goodmorning Powerheart and Kill the Ego, met during the mid 2000s, enjoying live music and sharing bills in Oxford, Mississippi’s tight-knit independent music scene.

While Nettles has lived in Nashville for five years, drummer Cecil Thompson recently moved from Mississippi to Chicago.  Max Hipp and Beau Bourgeois live in Oxford while Zach Thompson, guitar, is with his family in Raymond, Mississippi.  But the difficult geography of the band hasn’t stalled the creativity. Shooting Out the Lights recorded their self-titled debut last spring and put it out in the fall.  You can listen to a few songs off the album on the group’s bandcamp page or find them on iTunes or Spotify.

One time Chris was like hey lets start a band, and Justin started shredding all over everyone, and Mike fell asleep in a cornfield.

Blessed with a commanding, blast-it-to-the-back-of-the-room voice, the 21 year-old Lydia Loveless was raised on a family farm in Coshocton, Ohio – a small weird town with nothing to do but make music. With a dad who owned a country music bar, Loveless often woke up with a house full of touring musicians scattered on couches and floors. In the time-honored traditions of teenage rebellion, she turned her back on these roots, moved to Columbus and immersed herself in the punk scene, soaking up the musical and attitudinal influences of everyone from Bukowski to Richard Hell to Hank III.

Indestructible Machine, her Bloodshot debut, combines heady doses of punk rock energy and candor with the country classicism she was raised on and just can’t shake. From foggy mountain throwdowns where she sounds like a tuff Neko Case, to muscular power pop driven by choppy, tense guitar tonalities recalling Television’s Richard Lloyd to the take no shit spirit of Loretta Lynn and displaying country soul well beyond her years, Loveless true-to-life testimonials hit and hit hard. Be it whiskey, men, god or alienation, Lydia takes them all on; they may kick, but she kicks back and, even though she stands 5′ tall, when the barstools start flying, we want her on our side.

If Interpol & Razorlight had an affair with the Animals & the Zombies, Hartle Road would be their genre jumping, time machine lovechild and Brian Wilson would be their baptismal godfather. Serious ear candy.

Hartle Road has decided to stop the confusion and gear up for a rock n’roll ride under the lead singer and drummer’s last name, Hartleroad. This six piece band has been playing shows throughout the southeast and they have earned a good following, but they continued to be confused with several other acts using the Motions name.

To avoid any further confusion Toby Hartleroad, the lead singer and founder of the band, has changed the bands name to HARTLE ROAD. “It’s our name!” Mr. Hartleroad continued to explain the change saying, “We’ve been playing together for 4 years and we were tired of the confusion our old name got us and this is our last name, so it just makes sense.”

Hartle Road is:
Toby Hartleroad – lead singer, guitar
Max Hartleroad – drums, backing vocals
Miles Jordan – bass
Harrison Bennett – keyboards
Miles Smith – rhythm guitar, backing vocals Tyler Carter – lead guitar, backing vocals

Banjos and fiddles, boards and bones in hand, the Black Twig Pickers dove into a living tradition of old-time music that surrounds their homes in Southwest Virginia and never looked back. Both scholars of the regional sounds and advocates of an ecstatic and highly personal approach to the music, the Twigs hold down local dance and bar gigs, play all manner of celebrations and every so often, hit the road. Along the way, Isak Howell, Nathan Bowles and Mike Gangloff kept company with some of underground America’s heavyweights and haunted the doorsteps of Appalachian fiddle and banjo masters. They’ve played for the National Council for the Traditional Arts and for audiences overseas. And they’ve put out a string of acclaimed albums, including 2008′s Hobo Handshake and last year’s Jack Rose & the Black Twig Pickers.

Ironto Special is an album of traditional Appalachian old-time tunes (and two originals) that they’ve learned through study of both local old-time musicians and old-time records and field recordings. The instrumentation is all-acoustic and features some of the old-time usuals – fiddle, banjo, guitar – and some less-routinely-heard-in-today’s-old-time-scene implements like washboard, bones, fiddlesticks, mouth harp and jaw harp. Plus (on one song) a one-of-a-kind baritone resonator 12-string guitar. Old-time music served, and continues to serve, a variety of functions in Appalachian life – from dance music to somber solo performance to raggier blues and everything in between. Ironto Special is an attempt to celebrate this variety in the old-time tradition through the band’s process of learning and growth as they explore the music’s many facets.

As a result, the band is in a constant state of evolution as they gleefully tackle this music that fascinates and enraptures them. Mike Gangloff’s fiddle playing is driven by often-frenzied bow rhythms and a steadily improving technique, which combine with his near-religious fervor of gathering tune variations, giving him a large range of expression on the instrument. Isak’s guitar is as chugging and powerful as ever, but this record is really his standout harmonica showcase. Perhaps the biggest change from Hobo Handshake to Ironto Special is Nathan’s move to the clawhammer banjo. The washboard attack of Hobo Handshake is still present on a few tracks (and bones and fiddlesticks make welcome appearances), but the majority of the cuts are a snapshot of Nathan’s growth on clawhammer banjo, further allowing Mike (previously the band’s primary banjoist) to soar above it all with his idiosyncratic fiddle style.

Recorded throughout 2009 in the Shred Shed in Ironto, Virginia, Ironto Special is entirely recorded in single takes. There are no overdubs on the record in any form. Although Ironto Special is their Thrill Jockey debut, the Black Twig Pickers have recorded several releases for VHF, The Great Pop Supplement, and Klang. Mike continues to play in Pelt and the Spiral Joy Band with Nathan. Isak has also recorded and played with both bands. At some point, these three musicians realized that old-time music is a living, breathing art form, not just music that was recorded in the 1920s or 30s, and it managed to bring them all together. Old-time music is not something that needs to be re-enacted or revived – it’s doing just fine and all they did was to step in and take part. They are not pretending to have grown up in the music or in the part of Virginia they now call home, but like the many who have come before them and passed on their knowledge, they consider themselves to be a part of the music as much as anyone else, and Ironto Special is their contribution to the continuously flowing tradition that will eventually be passed on to the next generation of players.

Though born in Memphis, Tennessee, Reverend John Wilkins is a child of the North Mississippi Hill Country. His mother was born in Holly Springs and his father was from Hernando. While Wilkins grew up in the city, family parties and neighborhood picnics featuring country blues and fife and drum bands were never farther than a short drive over the Mississippi state line.

John Wilkins’ father, the venerated blues and gospel singer Robert Wilkins, was the principal influence on his young son’s development as a musician. Wilkins’ father had made a series of recordings in the 1930s that included the original “Prodigal Son” (initially recorded as a secular song called “That’s No Way To Get Along”), which was later recorded by the Rolling Stones. The elder Wilkins developed a gospel style that was based on his earlier country blues style – a style that developed into the rock ‘n’ roll sound that Memphis, and then the world, would later claim as it’s own.
When the young John Wilkins was learning to play guitar, he picked up his father’s gospel and country blues styles. He also absorbed the citified soulful sounds that were being pioneered by local musicians and recorded by legendary Memphis labels like Sun, Stax and Hi.

As he approached adulthood in the 1960s, John Wilkins could be found playing in church, at parties, and at clubs. Like his father before him, Wilkins walked a similar musical line between the sacred and secular. He played guitar on O.V. Wright’s famous 1965 single “You’re Gonna Make Me Cry” and later in the early 1970s recorded as a member of the M & N Gospel Singers for Style Wooten’s Designer Records.

In the early 1980′s, Wilkins life came full circle when he followed his father’s call to ministry. He became pastor of Hunter’s Chapel Church and ever since, Wilkins has led a congregation that includes generations of Tate county locals, as well as the late fife players Othar Turner and Napolian Strickland and their families, and numerous other regional parishioners and North Mississippi musicians.

In earlier times, legendary Hill Country bluesman Fred McDowell and his wife Annie Mae were members of Hunter’s Chapel congregation. It was they who, in the mid 1960s first introduced the Hunter’s Chapel Singers to the world on the outstanding album called Amazing Grace for Testament Records.

“You Can’t Hurry God” is Reverend John Wilkins’ debut full-length album. In it he showcases an individual sound that is regional and universal. This recording is a culmination of a lifetime spent learning from, and ministering to some of the luminaries of North Mississippi and Memphis. And, this sound can have only been made by a child of the North Mississippi Hill Country.

Davey Williams:

Summary of Musical Activities: In various types of ensembles, has performed at most of the leading venues for and festivals of new composed and improvised music in North America and Europe (well over 1500 concerts since 1974); has appeared on over 40 published recordings, many under own name

Musical Activities Prior to 1996: Began playing guitar (1964, age twelve), high school rock bands (1968-70), studied with and played in the band of Delta blues musician Johnny Shines (1971, with occasional performances through the late 80s), Salt & Pepper Soul Band and Show (1971-74), University of Alabama ‘B’ Jazz Ensemble (big band Tuscaloosa 1975),
First concert with LaDonna Smith & founding of TransMuseq duo and improvisational music studio (1974) with first LP recordings released on TransMuseq (1778) and first CDs (early 70s), Rev. Fred Lane (1975-), first US tour 1978, first European tour 1979, avant-blues band Trains In Trouble (mid-1980s), joined Curlew with George Cartwright, Tom Cora, Wayne Horvitz, Ann Rupel and others (1986-currently), Col. Bruce Hampton (mid-80s), band leader and composer for OK, Nurse (1987-90), Say What! improvisational trio (1991-), experimental punk band Fuzzy Suns (1992-93), solo guitar concerts (1980-), various ensembles with Jim Staley and Ikue Mori (1987-)

Recent Musical Activities (1996-99): Performances with LaDonna Smith (New York City, Atlanta, Miami, Chicago, Milwaukee & Birmingham),composers Anne Lebaron (Merkin Concert Hall, New York City & Univ. of Pittsburg) and Gustavo Matamoros (Merkin Concert Hall, NYC & Florida, the Brazil Festival, Miami), Curlew (New York, Boston, Washington & Pittsburg), Jim Staley & Ikue Mori (New York, London, Amsterdam & Switzerland), Phoebe Legere (New York), Phil Gelb & Joe McPhee, and Luc Houtkamp (the Salvador Dali Museum, St. Petersburg, the SubTropics Festival, Miami and other cities in Florida), the Say What! trio (Water Rats Club, London), with Marcus Eichenberger (Switzerland), numerous ad hoc improvisational performances including duos and various larger ensembles with Eugene Chadbourne, Ned Mudd (Birmingham/Chattanooga), with Toshi Makihari at the High Wire Gallery (Philadelphia), with Ikue Mori at CBGBs (New York), with Wally Shoup (Seattle/Olympia), solo concerts (Memphis, St. Louis, Birmingham, New Orleans, Seattle). Recordings and concert tour with Curlew, recordings with Oteil Burbrage, Jim Staley/Ikue Mori, Michael Zerang/LaDonna Smith/Fred Lonberg-Holm, Ned Mudd; solo guitar CD, Eugene Chadbourne.

Andrew Raffo Dewar:

Andrew Raffo Dewar (b. 1975 Rosario, Argentina) is a composer, improviser, woodwind instrumentalist and ethnomusicologist.

Since 1995, he has been active in the music communities of Minneapolis, New Orleans, the San Francisco Bay Area and New York City, performing his work in North America, Southeast Asia and Europe.

Dewar studied with saxophonist/composers Steve Lacy, Anthony Braxton and Phillip Greenlief, composer Alvin Lucier, trumpeter/composer Bill Dixon, and multi-instrumentalist improviser Milo Fine. He has also had a long involvement with Indonesian traditional and experimental music, particularly the Minangkabau music of West Sumatra and Central Javanese gamelan.

Dewar has been noted as “having the rare ability to translate his knowledge into something beautiful” (Matthew O’Shannessy, Foxy Digitalis). The 2008 debut recording of his music on Porter Records was described as “a garden of forking paths” (Foxy Digitalis), “absorbing” (Bill Meyer, Dusted Magazine) and “evoking something unnatural and plugged-in” (Clifford Allen, Bagatellen). San Francisco’s Aquarius Records described the album as “musical rainfall…a swirling soft cloud of free jazz flutter,” and “absolutely essential listening for the drone inclined and jazzbos with a thing for far out sounds.”

As a composer, his pieces have been performed by the Flux Quartet (NYC), Sekar Anu (Indonesia), the Koto Phase ensemble (USA/Japan) and the XYZ composer collective (NYC). He has received grants from Arts International, Meet The Composer and the Getty Foundation to support his work.

“Though he’s a noted composer of chamber music, Dewar’s flutters and wails show that he’s no slouch when it comes to heavyweight sax playing either” (Clifford Allen, Signal to Noise). As a performer, Dewar has been described as having “complete control of the instrumental nuances,” and being “inherently clever [and] intuitively rational,” with “uncommon sensitivity” (Massimo Ricci, Temporary Faults). Approaching the soprano saxophone as “a piece of metal capable of making sounds” (Richard Grooms, The Improvisor), Dewar’s conception at times “sounds almost electronic in the way it pulsates” (Bruce Lee Gallanter, Downtown Music Gallery, NYC), leading one writer to comment that “you don’t have to know what that means to appreciate that this will not be a traditional sax solo” (Flagpole Magazine, Athens, GA).

In addition to leading his own ensembles and performing in collaborative groups with musicians from around the world, he performs with and appears on recordings by the Anthony Braxton 12+1tet and the Bill Dixon Orchestra.

Andrew Raffo Dewar is Assistant Professor of Interdisciplinary Arts in New College and the School of Music at the University of Alabama.

As a performer and improviser he has worked with (among many others):

Tetuzi Akiyama, Matt Bauder, Jorge Boehringer, Anthony Braxton, Taylor Ho Bynum, Eugene Chadbourne, Jonathan Chen, Loren Kiyoshi Dempster, Bill Dixon, Michel Doneda, Bryan Eubanks, Milo Fine, Wolfgang Fuchs, Guillermo Gregorio, Andrew Lafkas, Tatsuya Nakatani, Jessica Pavone, Chad Popple, Gino Robair, Phillip Schulze, Davu Seru, John Shiurba, Aaron Siegel, Alan Silva, LaDonna Smith, Pande Made Sukerta, I. Dewa Nyoman Supenida, A.L. Suwardi, Matthew Welch, Davey Williams, and Jack Wright.

THE TERROR PIGEON DANCE REVOLT is dance party meets group therapy meets gym class: an extremely audience-engulfing spectacle complete with massive DIY light show, costumes for everyone, sing alongs, slides, and the occasional light saber battle. An opportunity to prove to people that life is wonderful. WE ARE THE WORLD’S SWEATIEST BAND!

Dream-Pop band Machines Are People Too formed in Chattanooga, TN in the sweaty summer months of ’09 when Brian began writing vocals over JJ Clark’s well-produced beats. The two began writing together and performing as Machines Are People Too at monthly dance parties with two keyboards, a laptop, and a microphone. Their self-released DIY EP consisted of 4 songs released only on cassette. Each hand-…stamped tape included custom labels and provided you with a tangible alternative to free downloads.
After a year of dancing and playing with DJs, the duo was ready to expand their band and overall sound. Longtime friend, Cain Lassiter, was asked to blow his saxophone on a few tracks and proceeded to bring his other talents to the band. Now playing keys, Cain continues to add innovation to MRP2. Keeping the beat better than any beat machine and filling the gaps with style, drummer, Ivan Garcia became the perfect addition to Machines. The band’s eclectic sound and progressive music creates a live show that leaves no toes untapped and will leave you with no other choice but to let go and dance.

Atlanta-based, central Massachusetts bred emcee Arablak is prepping to take his place atop the list of artists to look out for. A student of Hip Hop culture, Arablak stands out not only for his impressive music, but the way it takes listeners back to a time when music was a simple feel-good experience, no gimmicks required.

Not a newcomer to the music scene, Arablak has been developing his skills for years. Rhyming since his youth, he’s since fine tuned his skills and is not only a fierce lyrical emcee, but also an incredible songwriter who can paint stories, draw emotions and sketch out revolutions with his rhymes. In addition to the emceeing, Arablak has been putting in work behind the boards as a producer and has developed a sound that is just as much true school as it is innovative.

“What’s the name of that band?” was the question of the night. It was Halloween 2010, and Wes Andrews, Trey Baldwin, Josh Carples and Adam Davila had just finished their first performance of a new musical endeavor that encompassed elements of experimental, ambient, progressive noise rock.

Shortly after performing that show with no band name, the members chose “Hail the Titans” to identify themselves.

At first, some expressed surprise or even confusion that the band is instrumental, especially considering the fact that each member has been a vocalist in other bands and solo projects, but the “where’s the singer?” question generally fades after attending a live performance and experiencing the energy level of a show.

The instrumental aspect generally earns comparisons, at least to a degree, to bands such as Explosions in the Sky, Pelican or even much of Mogwai’s song catalog, but the song structures and progressive elements seem to enter the Mars Volta, sans their vocalist of course, into the comparison mix.

Since their Halloween introduction in 2010, they have performed many shows around the Southeast, including opening for Jucifer and Maserati at venues in Birmingham, performing with The Trews in Montgomery, playing an after party for a Mogwai show in Atlanta, and performing for an official Bullrun 2011 party in Montgomery that was attended by rapper and actor Ice-T and his wife, Coco.

In between the many live shows, the band has spent many hours during the first half of 2011 working on their upcoming full-length album “Hymns of Mare Nostrum” with Headless Dinosaur Recording in Montgomery, Ala. The album was mastered by Sarcophagus Studios in Opelika, Ala. and released on August 26.

There are many ways to describe Hail the Titans, and there are many music categories and subcategories in which they may fit, but a June 2011 news story that appeared in the Montgomery Advertiser seems to sum things up in the very first sentence: “Montgomery band Hail the Titans knows how to get creative.”

Like their family namesake, The Reneaus’ music spans generations. Ashley Cooper Winn’s cousins, Steven and David Page, back her on guitar and drums; her husband, Jon, plays keys; and the father-daughter duo, Warren and Layne Guyer complete the sound on violin and stand-up bass.

It’s that little crack in her voice, you first hear – It’s like a tickle to the ears. She soars above the clouds with pitch precision, and then gives it a tiny hick-up or an innocent giggle. It’s intentional, but totally sincere – and that’s what makes A.J. Haynes so accessible and enjoyable. It’s her down-to-Earth delight mixed with her strong musical ability that has kept the folks of Shreveport, Louisiana entertained for over three years.
After thickening her fingertips at local coffee shops and open mic nights, A.J. joined forces with an equally talented group of musicians under the name A.J. Haynes and the Monkey Business. With influences like Billie Holiday, Tom Waits, and Hank Williams, the band struck a chord with audiences and quickly became a rising star amongst the local music scene; becoming a staple at venues such as Minicine?, Big D’s BBQ, and various bars and pubs.

Although A.J.’s charm may seem distinctly Southern, her story began far from the birthplace of The Blues and the cradle of Country & Western, in the industrial city of Yokosuka, Japan. Her mother was a professional singer from the Philippines, so the genes were right, but it was the nurture that took her nature to new heights. The family moved to America – and to the small town of Columbia where A.J. first found a voice through music. Backwoods spirituals at church and 1950’s doo-wop at home all added notes to the symphony that would become A.J. Haynes. Always a crowd pleaser, her grandmother would pay her a dollar to sing for family and friends at parties and events.

A.J. has released two albums: Clockmaker and Live @ Minicine? A.J. Haynes and the Monkey Business, and although she and the Monkey Business are taking a break, she continues booking gigs, including the Secret Stages Festival in Birmingham, Alabama, and working ‘round the clock preparing to head into the studio to work on her next album. With her guitar and unmistakable voice, she can’t help but entertain and enthrall.

A.J. aspires to continue performing, with the hopes that she, like her voice, can soar above the clouds, taking her music to audiences around the world – bringing that tickle to the ears of people everywhere.

HGM operates under the aegis of M.C. Taylor, born in Southern California 1975. Lived in San Francisco 1998—2007, now resides in Durham, North Carolina. Favorite quotes: “This is no dress rehearsal, we are professionals, & this is the big time” and “Lot’s wife turned a pillar of salt.” Most recent release is Poor Moon, released by Paradise of Bachelors in November 2011, due for reissue on Tompkins Square in April 2012. Almost never plays in the United States, performs more frequently in the United Kingdom.

After recording a series of stunning, stellar dates for Silkheart, Koch,  Konnex, Gowi, Music and Arts, and daagnimRecords in the 80's and early 90's - with leaders and sidemen including Charles Brackeen, Andrew Cyrille, Fred Hopkins, Malachi Favors, Carlos Ward, Louis Moholo, Keith Tippett (of King Crimson), Elton Dean (of Soft Machine), Nels Cline, Olu Dara, Nils Petter Molvaer, Roy Hargrove, and Douglas Ewart, avant jazz legend Dennis González left  the world of music for 5 long years.

He returned in 1999 with a new resolve and a new trio, Yells At Eels.  The trio was made up of González on trumpets, keyboards, and samples; his bass-playing son, Aaron; and his younger son, Stefan, on drums.  Aaron and Stefan had worked together in their own duo, Akkolyte, and proposed the trio to their dad.  The eight months that followed were a rehearsal for things to come, playing with special guests poet-laureate Yusef Komunyakaa, New Orleans saxist Tim Green, and Dallas-based pianist Scott Bucklin.  In January of 2000, they began the recording of their first CD, <em>Home</em>, which was released in June of that same year.

The next 10 years, the trio would travel all over the United States, Canada, and Europe playing their new sounds for large and small audiences alike.  Their special guests were truly special:  Oliver Lake, Douglas Ewart, The Micro-East Collective, George Cartwright, Clyde Kerr, Jr., Tim Green, Bill Pohl, James Harvey, Mike Khoury, Travis Laplante, Andrew Lamb, Assif Tsahar, Alvin Fielder, Rodrigo Amado, Sabir Mateen, Mark Taylor, Matt Lavelle, Patrick Holmes, Carl Smith, Ken Filiano, Famoudou Don Moye,  and David Boykin.

Their second CD, a double issue, was recorded live in Minneapolis (<em>Home Away from Home</em> with Douglas Ewart and George Cartwright) and in the studio in Dallas and New Orleans (<em>Pictogram</em> with Tim Green, Scott Bucklin, and Bill Pohl).  International coverage of this trio poured in from <em>Citizen Jazz</em> in Brussels, <em>Echoes</em> in London, <em>Signal to Noise</em> in Vermont, <em>One Final Note</em> in Minneapolis, <em>The Dallas Morning News</em>, <em>Zeitgeist</em> in New Orleans, <em>Paris Transatlantic</em> in Paris, and many other sources.

In 2005, they played three nights in Vancouver, British Columbia, at the Vancouver Jazz Festival and undertook an East Coast tour, during which they played the prestigious Vision Festival in New York and then took off for their grand European summer tour.  Their third CD was released in May of 2006, and was titled <em>Geografía</em>, and the trio played a great part in the success of the internationally acclaimed CD, <em>A Measure of Vision</em>, by Mississippi jazz drumming legend Alvin Fielder, released on the Portuguese jazz label Clean Feed in 2006.

An augmented line-up including Alvin Fielder, Chris Parker, and Leena Conquest, released a new CD, entitled <em>The Gift of Discernment</em>, in spring of 2008 on the renowned Polish record label, Not Two Records. In conjunction with this, Yells At Eels did a tour of Poland with Portugese saxophonist Rodrigo Amado.  And in 2011 they toured Poland once again with the renowned Polish bass player Wojtek Mazolewski.  A new 7” release has emerged from this tour, <em>Wind Streaks in Syrtis Major</em>.  Ayler Records in France has also released two other Yells At Eels CD’s, <em>Cape of Storms</em> with the legendary South African drummer Louis Moholo-Moholo, and <em>Resurrection and Life</em>, also with drummer Alvin Fielder.  They also released a CD in 2010 called <em>The Hymn Project</em> with Norwegian contrabassist Ingebrigt Håker Flaten.

Dennis González has played in the church and on the international jazz stage for many years and is a published poet, language and music teacher, musician – composer, visual artist, and was a well-known on-air personality for KERA Channel 13 and KERA 90.1 FM for 21 years.  Aaron and Stefan continue making music as a duo and in their own groups, as well as being the rhythm section for the Portuguese group. Humanization 4tet.<

Yells At Eels (who Ariel Pink chooses to call "Added Pizzazz" when they record with him) has collaborated on 3 projects with Ariel over the past 2 years.

The Secret Stages appearance marks the beginning of their 14^th year as a group.

Hailing from Memphis, TN, the Dirty Streets are a throwback to the good old days of soulful, pre-punk blues and psych rock. Formed in 2006, Justin Toland, Thomas Storz, and Andrew Denham found themselves brought together by a shared love of of classic acts like MC5, Humble Pie, and Deep Purple. The other elements of soul and heavy psych are brought into the mixture to only further reveal a vast sea of influences. Together, the trio makes kind of revivalist rock that feels retro without seeming fake, adding enough of their own sweat and soul into their blues to make the music seem genuine.

Mr. Invisible is a team of two MC/producers based in Charlotte, NC known for their energetic live shows infused with demonstrations of high technical proficiency. Mr. Invisible has been rocking crowds with their brand of progressive hip-hop music since 2005. Up‐tempo beats, fast raps, and B‐boy inspired breaks are the backbone of the group’s sound.
Mr. Invisible draws heavy inspiration from old school rap as a foundation, then stands on it blasting futuristic weapons in the form of live beat production and sample manipulation. These components, mixed with wide‐ranged rhymes referencing quantum mechanics, underdog determination and a love for all the elements of hip‐hop, create the music known as Mr. Invisible.

Mr. Invisible’s group members, Justin Aswell and Ill‐Use are responsible for both vocals and production. Together they demonstrate flow that’s simultaneously easy and relaxed, quick and nimble over intricate beats performed live. They are known to international audiences via their popular YouTube channel, which has over 1.5 million views. Mr. Invisible is sponsored by Native Instruments, a Berlin-based maker of hardware and software for musicians. The group starred as a centerpiece of the 2010 marketing launch for Native Instruments’ MIDI production platform, Maschine.
Widely considered a pioneer in the emerging field of playing live drum machine, Justin Aswell recently starred in an educational series, teaching live drum machine techniques for Dubspot Electronic Music Production and DJ School in New York, NY. Aswell is a classically trained musician who holds a degree in percussion performance from the University of North Carolina.

Mr. Invisible has toured with artists DJ Vadim and One Self. They have performed with Atmosphere, Astronautalis, Dead Prez, EPMD, J-Live and Little Brother, among many others. They’ve also rocked massive crowds at key electronic and hip-hop music events such as Low End Theory in Los Angeles and the A3C Hip-Hop Festival in Atlanta.

Savannah’s BLACK TUSK return with Set the Dial, the brand new, Jack Endino (SOUNDGARDEN, HIGH ON FIRE, SKELETONWITCH) produced disk of high-energy hard rock. Set the Dial’s ten tracks cook like the Savannah heat, raising up their signature brand of primal, triple-vocal, chromatic madness, and tattooing it across canyon-wide grooves.

Perhaps one of the greatest albums in Misra’s canon, Water Liars’ debut was entirely unplanned. Recorded on a whim, with one microphone, the then unnamed rock band – consisting of St. Louis, MO songwriter, vocalist, guitarist Justin Kinkel-Schuster and Oxford, MS drummer, producer, multi-instrumentalist Andrew Bryant – casually convened to play and record.

Over the course of three days, in the small milltown of Pittsboro, MS, a series of ineffable and magical recordings came together. It was one of those seemingly providential experiences – far too remarkable to be denied. Water Liars was born.

Paste, PopMatters, Daytrotter, KEXP, and more have all hailed Justin Kinkel-Schuster during his tenure fronting independent rock act Theodore. Some time back, Misra planned to work with Theodore and, assuming the songs were mere outtakes under a different moniker, the Water Liars demos initially got pushed to the back burner. Kinkel-Schuster pleasantly persisted, however, insisting the project was vastly different and must be heard.

Upon first listen, it was very clear that something truly remarkable really had occurred in the Phantom Limb sessions. Misra signed the band on the spot. Home to groundbreaking debuts by Shearwater, Great Lake Swimmers, and more, the label is excited to extend this tradition with Water Liars.

Ian Eubanks, aka ‘The Poison Kitchen,’ has created a diverse palette of heart-wrenching melodies layered upon technical, yet groove-oriented electronic drums. Influenced by post-apocalyptic rock, dubstep, progressive metal and electronica, it is truly a musical experience that transcends the borders of traditional genres. What was once strictly a solo project for making music, has now evolved into an eclectic engineering/production entity, with aspirations to constantly improve the quality, as well as push the bounds of traditional music creation. Sit back, crank the volume and sink into a world of melancholy exuberance.

Chills climb spines when sound is given room to unfurl. The Deep Dark Woods’ unflinching pursuit of steadiness between decadence and minimalism is guided at every turn by their intuitive ability to balance grit, clarity, drive and restraint with a sure focus on experimentation.

Winter Hours (2009), caught critics’ ears across the country. The album, a solemn ode to darker themes of seclusion and detachment, could yet warm even the bottomless, frozen nights of hometown Saskatoon, SK. With Winter Hours, The Deep Dark Woods won Best Roots Group at the 2009 Western Canadian Music Awards, and Ensemble of the Year at the 2009 Canadian Folk Music Awards. The band also had the runaway winner in CBC’s Great Canadian Songquest with “Charlie’s (Is Coming Down)”, a song about Good Time Charlie’s in Regina.

The Deep Dark Woods frame their music with subtle orchestration; songs are trimmed with minimal embellishments of banjo, piano, with subtle mellotron flutters. Drummer and multi-instrumentalist Lucas Goetz’s layers heartbreaking arches of pedal steel under the clarity and warmth of Ryan Boldt’s voice. Newest member, organ-player Geoff Hilhorst furnishes the songs’ edges with slurred polyphonies, while surefooted, danceable basslines and rich second vocals belong to Chris Mason. Burke Barlow’s clarion guitar tone and lead lines are focused and impeccable.

Their new album, The Place I Left Behind, finds continuity in themes of temporal and geographic alienation, neglected inward trails, and the scars of abandoned intimacies. The album opens with a song about Saskatoon’s rougher edges. “West Side Street” is a study in contrasts – finespun vocals and a gently rolling melody cushion the gloomy story. “The Place I Left Behind” is loosely based on an old folk standard. Gorgeously morose, the title track confirms that The Deep Dark Woods capture lonesome yearning at its loveliest. “Sugar Mama” is a sweet and lively invitation to tap toes and shake off the blues; a seeming coming-of-age story is treated with playful banjo and an airy gait.

A rainstorm over the desert of modern music, The Place I Left Behind offers murder ballads alongside scrappy rockers, lovesick hymnals and slow-dance waltzes. The album illuminates folk traditions without stripping the shadows of roots music history – The Deep Dark Woods wake the ghosts of Appalachia with their prairie gothic pyre-side tales. The Place I Left Behind echoes with traces of time and space that are never fully abandoned or forgotten.

One of the ongoing alternate universes of Birmingham, Alabama's, Through the Sparks, on the same book case, with Cosmo Vac and Grey of the Eighties.
Live, Dorado often includes members of Through the Sparks, but is other times a Smothers Brothers set up with Jody Nelson and bassist Jay(son) Taylor.
The songwriting is lyric-based and aims at something that might be called "new traditional folk music" but has no sonic restrictions. It's sort of like what would happen if the Traveling Wilburys had let a 1980s Bob Dylan do all the singing. The debut record "Modern Man: Second-hand Stories" is set for release in the late summer/early fall.

One of the most unique elements about THE KID DAYTONA is his combination of New York City hip-hop style with his own distinct vernacular and lingo. Daytona combines all elements of pop musical genres from hip-hop, jazz, R&B, rock to fuse a universal fun sounding vibe of music. Born in Atlanta, Ga, but from Caribbean background, this 24yr old emcee was raised in the Bronx, NYC where he discovered his love of music, and hip-hop. While attending Cardinal Hayes HS in the Bronx, THE KID DAYTONA began to pursue his dream of becoming a recording artist. It was in HS that he formed his first group, “THE ACES”, which eventually got signed to ATLANTIC RECORDS in 2002. However shortly thereafter, the group dismantled for creative differences and record company issues. However, THE KID DAYTONA had generated a strong following within the industry through mixtapes, street buzz, and local showcases. His skill and ability was recognized by the legendary rapper/emcee BUSTA RYHMES, and he was asked to join BUSTA’S “FLIP MODE SQUAD”. While working with BUSTA, THE KID DAYTONA quickly developed his true sound and approach to making records. Working with BUSTA allowed him to sharpen his skill, song structure, and further developed the young emcee. CIPHA SOUNDS (a prominent radio DJ from HOT 97.1fm and VJ on MTV) quickly noticed his ability/buzz and approached him about working together. THE KID DAYTONA quickly accepted the offer, and then later signed the production/management company, JACK MOVE INC that also managed the pop group sensation, NINA SKY. Since then, THE KID DAYTONA released albums TRIBE CALLED FRESH and COME FLY WITH ME with collaborations such artists as CNN (CAPONE-N-NOREAGA), ESTELLE, J DILLA, KARDNIAL OFFISHALL, TRAVIS McCoy (GYM CLASS HEROES), NINA SKY, JIM JONES, BUN B, TALB KWELI, KIDZ IN THE HALL, and numerous others. Also, THE KID DAYTONA has performed on same stages/venues with such greats as CHRIS BROWN, RICK ROSS, TALIB KWELI, and many others.

KID DAYONTA has received several write-ups and on-line commentary from such publications as XXL MAGAZINE “SHOW and PROVE” Segment (Oct 2010), FADER.COM, as well as feature article in FADER MAGAZINE (July 2006 issue). He was also featured in GIANT MAGAZINE (Oct 2008 issue) as one of the artists to watch in hip-hop. Recently, LRG noticed the growing buzz with KID DAYTONA, and united to release a body of work for Summer 2010.

In 2010, clothing giant, LRG, created a strategic partnership with THE KID DAYTONA, which included signing DAYTONA to LRG ENTERTAINMENT, their newly established entertainment department. This partnership included DAYOTNA being included in LRG SPRING 2011 PRINT CAMPAIGN, equipped with integrated marketing with the clothing brand, social media promotions and several music videos and shows.

The success and buzz of “LRG x THE INTERLUDE”, afforded THE KID DAYTONA the opportunity to be featured in BET’s “MUSIC MATTERS” Program, where the network highlights emerging artists and superstars of tomorrow. DAYTONA performed twice live on BET’s “106 & Park” TV with TERRENCE J and ROCSI, for 92million households worldwide.

In addition, “ON THE HILL” and “SO BUTTERY” music video is currently in rotation on MTV, where you can see DAYTONA capture millions viewers with his smooth and charismatic aura and flow.

During the winter of 2011, THE KID DAYTONA dropped his sophomore LP – The Interlude II”, which received tremendous acclaim all over, and featured contributions from MELANIE FIONA, ACTION BRONSON, KARDINALL OFFISHALL, GOAPELE and several others. This continuous buzz and quality music and creativity, was also recognized by global brand, GREY GOOSE, and he was recognized as a GREY GOOSE “RISING ICON” December 2011 (NYC).

2012, looks to be a landmark year for THE KID DAYTONA. Stay tuned and listen out for him, as his star is shimming brighter than ever.

Dope Body, Baltimore, MD’s four-headed beast, fire their second salvo, Natural History, on May 22nd. Borne in 2008 from the dance-friendly confines of the city’s Wham City scene, this unclassifiable heavy ventured out into the night to find more like-minds, but came back empty-handed – i.e., they stand alone. Evolving from blasting three-piece to blistering four-piece, they enjoy writing their own songs, touring endlessly, having fun and pummeling basement parties with a gleeful, wide-eyed fanaticism that the more reasonable among us might mistake for insanity (it ain’t entirely so). Dope Body writhe under their own influences and experiments, swinging from gutterish sludge-punk to snake charmer-on-fire within the confines of a single tune. Rather than compare their ferocity to another contender, just know that Dope Body is punk spelled other-wards and standing on its hands, with riffs descending like blood rushing from your feet to your head, then trickling down the drain.

Taylor Hollingsworth and Kate Taylor singing together is a match made in heaven, (or maybe hell, if the devil has anything to do with this, which would not be surprising). You might know Taylor from previous solo albums or bands but most likely from Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band. He was the guitar player who also wrote and sang Snake Hill and Air Mattress on the album “Outer South”. If you’ve seen Maria Taylor play then you have most likely seen Kate in her band either playing keys, drums, or bass, and most importantly, harmonizing the soft beautiful back ground melodies.

Nowadays, Kate and Taylor have joined hand in hand and formed a band. Ladies and Gentlemen, “Dead Fingers”, might just be what you’ve been waiting for! In a time when guy-girl duo’s are becoming quite popular, this one is not just some gimmick, however perfect the timing and package may be. You would almost think Kate was married to her manager, or record label exec., who was having them act like they were romantic just to sell tickets and albums. But in fact, this Alabama duo are recently married and the two just recorded their first self titled full length with Bruce Watson (RL Burnside, Junior Kimbrough, Iggy and the Stooges, AA Bondy), and is being released on Big Legal Mess/ Fat Possum Records early 2012. While showing a wide range of styles, ranging from duet styled songs like those of John Prine and Iris DeMent, X, or Lee Hazelwood and Ann Margaret, to straight up great classic rock bands like the Stones, Beatles, or even Traveling Wilburys, this band should find a nice home with fans of more current duo’s like She and Him, Jenny and Johnny, or Civil Wars.

Solid Sender is a quintet making immediate sounds inspired by late 60s/early 70s Miles and the NYC super-group Sex Mob, with directions in music by Rob Alley. And grooves. Yes, grooves. Lots of them. Deep ones.

The band consists of Alley trumpet, loops/effects, and cue cards; Matthew DeVine – vintage keyboard sounds; Pedro Mayor – vintage keyboard sounds; Aaron Goldberg – electric bass; and Kyle McCarter – drum set. If you’ve enjoyed reading this, you’re sure to love the sounds we make. (A quick Google search will yield a plethora of information as to the band member’s prior high jinx. It’d be a waste of your time here.) Hope to see you out there. We’ll be. Out there, that is.

Husband and wife duo of Cary Ann Hearst and Michael Trent playing outlaw country and avant-garde folk americana. In 2011 alone, the pair were direct support to Hayes Carll, Jason Isbell, Felice Brothers, Justin Townes Earle and Butch Walker touring all across the US doing 200+ shows.

Necessity is the mother of invention. Less is more. Make it work with what you’ve got. 2 Guitars, a junkyard drum kit harvested from an actual garbage heap and adorned with tambourines, flowers and kitchen rags. A handful of harmonicas, voices, and above all.. songs. Shovels & Rope prefer to keep it simple. They have cleverly managed to take 3 separate recording projects and combine them into 1 cohesive, folk rock, sloppy tonk, harmonized, loose but tight, streamlined audience killing machine.

Michael Trent (Texas/Colorado) has just released his second solo album entitled “The Winner”, and Cary Ann Hearst (Mississippi/Tennessee) is about to release her second record “Lions & Lambs”. Together hey have one duo release entitled “Shovels & Rope” which came out in 2008 and are currently working on the follow up “Shovels & Rope V.2″ in their house, van, and backyard. At the shows, expect to hear a little something from any or all of these releases while the duo switch instruments and share lead vocal duties. Also prepare to rethink your definition of a live rock band.