Featured Artists

• Blind Adam and the Federal League

  

  “I wrote ‘If I Don’t Make It Home’ in 2017 after losing a dear friend to an overdose. He was a part of the US Army 82nd Airborne and on the front lines as infantry in Iraq. He had severe PTSD and survivors’ guilt, and would often talk to me about how it weighed on him. He came from the working-class, was a great friend, a new father, and a punk rock kid like me.

  It was one of the songs that Chris Barker had the biggest influence on in pre-production. The demo we sent him had more of an alt-country feel to it, but he took it and turned it into a punk song. It made sense to ask him to appear on this track because in the early 2000s, we all worked hard to try to stop the Iraq invasion together. Anti-Flag was practically the soundtrack for a lot of people in that movement, and If we could get Chris to appear on any song, I really wanted it to be this one — and when I asked him, he said he had already wanted to sing on this one!” – Adam Gogola”
  Their Full-length release, “An Act of Desperation “is due out on September 10th via A-F Records. Check the website link for preorder.

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• The Rip Ups

  

  Emerging from the Windy City’s alleys. The Rip Ups are a two piece out to tear down the scene with their catchy garage-a-billy tunes that you can both dance & mosh to.
  Expect to hear our upcoming full-length album, Post Apocalyptic Rock, blasting out of blown out speakers in dive bars, skate parks, & while you’re taking out the trash. You can check it out at: ripups.bandcamp.com

  They’re playing The Water Hole on 9/17, a block away from “some other fest” and with cheaper drinks & ample seating.

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• MAKS The Fox

  

  MAKS The Fox is an orchestral folk pop band from Chicago, IL. This creative collective features a unique combination of guitars, keyboard, viola, cello, bass, and drums. They break away from a more traditional setup and provide their audience with a diverse textural auditory experience. Singer songwriters Kori Simonson (vocals, guitar, keys) and Marlon Aguilar (vocals, guitar) started as a duo in 2012, and it has gradually evolved to it’s current members Rachel Schuldt (cello, bass, backup vocals) and Jarod Facknitz (drums).

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• Black Sites

  

  The progressive metal group Black Sites return October 8 with their third release “Untrue”.

  Black Sites writes from a more classic metal style, influenced by the likes of Thin Lizzy, older Judas Priest, Voivod, and Queensryche with an emphasis on solid riffs, melody and tasty harmonized guitar lines. With the lead-off track “Lost Tribes” I’m getting the sense that the band is really comfortable in it’s sound. That’s a refreshing thing to hear, to be honest as it really showcases the strength of the writing in their material.
  Looking forward to hearing more of the record.

  Black Sites will also be an upcoming guest on the Rock in Chicago Show this October.

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• Discoveries of the American Scientific

  

  Essential Nature is a new side project featuring members of Jesus Jones, and Discoveries Of The American Scientific. All material has been recorded, produced, and mixed remotely, during the pandemic lockdown in 2020.

  Discoveries of the American Scientific will be performing at Montrose Saloon, September 18.

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• Spooky Boo

  

  The Waiting Room is a mysterious and enticing song that brings you on a theatrical journey that is both refreshing and familiar. With instrumentals showcasing virtuosic electric guitar, smooth blues piano, classical orchestral strings that accompany an aggressive rhythm section and a full chorus, The Waiting Room channels a theatrical Danny Elfman film score, The Mars Volta, Murder by Death with a hint of 2000s indie that can harken back to early Arcade Fire. It works almost as a grandiose overture that introduces the story of a cult working with a marketing firm that is trying to expand its influence to the world. The song opens with an eerie piano and explodes to a full blown party. After a first listen, this leaves the listener with both excitement and curiosity that leaves you wanting to hear the rest of the story.

  Spooky Boo will also be an upcoming guest on the Rock in Chicago Show this Fall.

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  Spooky Boo · Waiting Room

• If I Were the Devil

  

  If I Were the Devil are a 5 member black metal band who play blasphemous black/death metal. Consisting of members from Chicago metal bands Boatman’s Toll, The Broken Deity, Godless America, Junkers, and Scientist, If I Were the Devil bring together different styles of black metal to create our debut self-titled album.

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• Press A

  

  Chicago-based rock band, Press A, just released their single and music video for= “Carcosa Shore”, off their upcoming debut album, titled Press A out on September 24th.

  The new album is the culmination of a collective lifetime of family bonds, creative regrets, you-should-have-been-there tales of past glory, and tributes to their musical inspirations. Best described as referential rock, their sound is a sonic smorgasbord of all their favorite movies, video games, and other pop culture items that they wasted their youth obsessing over.

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• Fierce Atmospheres

  

  Chicago progressive power metal group Fierce Atmospheres are back with their second full-length album, “The Speed of Dreams”.
  The album was mixed and mastered by Andy La Rocque (King Diamond, Death) at Sonic Train Studios in Sweden. The Speed of Dreams is a collection of songs formed around intricate guitars, relentless rhythm structures, and powerful melodies that create a dynamic and dramatic mix, reflective of the band’s American Heavy Metal and European Power Metal influences. The teamwork between La Rocque and Fierce Atmospheres in this album signifies an upward evolution in the band’s sound, making it more direct and heavy while maintaining their unique progressive touch.

  The album was released on Qumran Records.

  Fierce Atmospheres will also be an upcoming guest on the Rock in Chicago Show this Fall.

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• Nora Marks

  

  Nora Marks is a four-piece melodic rock band from Chicago that first sprung into action in early 2016. Their sound draws from the energy, style, and DIY ethos of punk music, but has evolved to incorporate a wider variety of songwriting influences. After two lo-fi EPs and a handful of self-recorded singles, the band has put together their first professionally produced full-length album Opt Out, a reaction to the increasingly digitized world being forged around us. Vocalist Michael Garrity describes the record as “a reminder that there exists a rich tapestry of humanity inside everyone that cannot be quantified or defined by an algorithm.”

  Nora Marks will also be an upcoming guest on the Rock in Chicago Show this Fall.

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• HLDAY MAGIK

  A new video collaboration between Pamela Maurer (Baby Money and the Down Payments) with producer/editor Rice Master Yen.

  A Quiet Year is the title of the newest EP and the last of a three-song series they’ve been working on remotely over the past few months that was just released.

  Purchase A Quiet Year. 

  Vocals: HLDAY MAGIK (Pamela Maurer)

  Camera: Pamela Maurer, John Sutton
  Master: John Sutton

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