Nekromantix are a psychobilly band that formed in Copenhagen, Denmark in 1989. After spending eight years as a submarine operator in the Royal Danish Navy, lead vocalist/stand-up bassist Kim Gaarde first attempted to drum in a rockabilly band, before becoming interested in psychobilly. He adopted the stage name “Kim Nekroman,” built his signature coffin-shaped stand-up bass (aptly referred to as the coffinbass), and started Nekromantix. The band lineup is currently rounded out by Franc (guitar) and Lux (drums).

The band played two local shows in Copenhagen before appearing in a large psychobilly festival in Hamburg, Germany only six months after Read the full story

Morrissey recently exclaimed this with a fervor that somehow made his chronologically impossible claims seem plausible. Watching footage of the New York Dolls onstage two years ago at the behest of one of their biggest fans (who was curating the prestigious Meltdown Festival in London) one realized just how vast – and heretofore unsung – their influence truly was. Everyone knows the famous logo: chrome lipstick, scrawling that name across an unseen mirror, but it’s more than the great brand. It’s not about the androgyny either. Skinny boys were wearing make up long before them. Little Richard. Elvis. It’s not even about the music, as the Dolls themselves were always quick to credit 50’s R&B numbers or early 60’s girl group productions as their own influences. Really, what makes the Dolls so eternal is the attitude – it got into rock’s water supply and never left. Kiss, Aerosmith, The Ramones, Blondie, The Sex Pistols, The Damned, Motley Crue, Guns N’ Roses, Hanoi Rocks, The Strokes, The Libertines and just about any gang of strutting rockers who are convinced that their band could take your Read the full story

Zoos of Berlin is a quintet hailing from Detroit, MI. Their music is quirky, danceable, melded from Can, Bowie, Ennio Morricone with a dash of Afrobeat. Future Islands is a synthpop band based in Baltimore, Maryland. They are often associated with (and tour with) bands affiliated with Wham City. These include Videohippos, Santa Dads, Blood Baby, OCDJ, Adventure, Dan Deacon, Weekends (band) as well and others.

With over 20 releases on some of electronic music’s most celebrated and innovative labels such as Bpitch, Ghostly International and Shitkatapult and most recently Touchin’ Bass as well as his own critically acclaimed Detroit Underground Records, Kero (nee Sohail Azad) has established a reputation for his unrepentantly brash, yet cultivated compositions and unforgettable live performances, most recently, alongside notables such as Speedy J, Ken Ishii and Funkstorung. Furthermore, he has established himself as a leader within the growing pack of electronic music producers successfully infiltrating contemporary art circles world wide. His innovative approach to music, graphic design and video production feeds on the Read the full story

Create the Canvas Productions presents the Seven Deadly Sins of Art.  Artists display one painting for each deadly sin. Live performances by: Midnite Knife Fight, Mobil, Jessica Hernandez, The Sheenymen and Dj 2041. Contributing artists: Chris Kime, John Madigan, Zach Hewitt, Alphonso Cox, Rebecca Byington, Aaron Miller, Leslie Olaja, Liz Kennington and Chris Kennington. Live painting will be done during the  show and raffled off at the end of the night. All proceeds from raffle will be donated to a selected charity.

If there were a punk band in the swing era of American music The Sundresses would be that band. In some ways. Formed in 2002 in Cincinnati as a joke, sort of, the band had its first show booked before its first practice, and The Sundresses have been freaking out people ever since. In 2003 the band self-produced a full-length album, The Only Tourist In Town, for their friends in the Ohio River Valley. To their surprise, not only did people at home want to hear, but lots of other people wanted a listen as well. In fact, this bands ninth out of town show was Read the full story

Concrete Blonde grew out of the Los Angeles post-punk club circuit that produced bands like X, Wall of Voodoo, and the Go-Go’s, but it wasn’t until 1987 that the band even recorded its first album. The group was founded by singer/songwriter/bassist Johnette Napolitano and guitarist Jim Mankey, who initially called themselves Dream 6 and released an EP. Their insistence on complete artistic control was off-putting to the major labels who took notice, however, and it wasn’t until 1987 that the group signed to I.R.S. and changed its name to Concrete Blonde at the suggestion of labelmate Michael Stipe. Concrete Blonde’s self-titled debut album betrayed the influence of the Pretenders, while 1989’s Free was a tighter showcase for Napolitano’s developing songwriting and produced a college radio hit with “God Is a Bullet.” The morose, textured Bloodletting, a more accomplished record than both of its predecessors, broke the band to a wider audience with the left-field Top 20 hit “Joey,” the tale of a love affair ended by alcoholism. Mexican Moon reflected Napolitano’s interest in Read the full story

Kurt Vile :: Invisibility: Nonexistent
Real Estate :: Beach Comber

There’s a bunch of clowns all over the USA, all around around the world, cluttering up the rock n’ roll stage with studied talent and recycled tunes. Hobbyists and hacks with guitars, eager to churn out a limp performance to kill a night and earn a couple free drinks. And then there’s Kurt Vile (the handle his mother gave him) out of Philadelphia. A wild-eyed, baby-faced long-hair who’s spent the last 12 years climbing up the stage or setting up in the back of a bookstore to stand, hunched over and giving breathless crowds from 5 to 500+ a string of bona-fide HITS that transcend genre or some passing aesthetic ghetto. He’s remained a step outside any scene that’s tried to claim him. Whether performing solo or backed by a first class American rock band called the Violators, he’s dextrous and confident on the neck of an acoustic or electric, both relaxed and full of life at the Read the full story

Amy Cook :: Hotel Lights

Amy Cook weaves the sounds of alt folk, pop, Americana, and rock and roll into a “moody and kick-ass” (Velvet Park) canopy of sound. With more than 20 song placements in TV and film (from Dawson’s Creek, Felicity, Party of Five, Veronica Mars, MTV’s Laguna Beach, to the thoughtful, Emmy-winning full-length documentary Amargosa, directed by Todd Robinson) Amy has cultivated a solid reputation as a talented songwriter. Her latest releas “Let the Light In” was produced by Alejandro Escovedo.

Friendo :: Counter Time

Friendo is a three-piece, guitar-driven band largely inspired by ‘90s experimental rock, ‘70s punk and ‘60s pop. Their songs range anywhere from breezy, effortless jams, to pulse-pounding post-punk gems. The multi-instrumentalist members love to mix harmony with noise, creating their own seasonal landscape.

Michael (Women, Azeda Booth, Monkey) has been drumming since he was a child, playing in bands, and eventually wanted to explore the melodic side of music and songwriting on the guitar. Nicole (Puberty, Hunter-Gatherer, Topless Mongos), an avid music lover and collector, began to teach herself various instruments after being inspired by other musicians in her Read the full story