Eclectic Vibes
by Andrew Frey
Juicehead - Devil Made Me Do It
JuiceheadDevil Made Me Do It
Label: Misfits Records
Old school thought provoking punk rock from Chicago with raw raspy guitars, tinny drums, sing along vocals and thrashy hooks that pummel and cajole the listener into a good feelin’ frenzy.
Kick To Tha Head - As We Think So We Are
Kick To Tha HeadAs We Think So We Are
Label: Turkey Vulture Records
Spurting raw punk rhythms coalesced by hardcore attitude, these short yet intense and guttural emanations examine pain and aggression via a curmudgeonous introversion of fantastic frivolity.
Funkadesi - Yo Baba
FunkadesiYo Baba
Label: Funkadesi Records
Multi award winning Indian-Afrian-Caribbean ensemble from Chicago proves why they have earned such accolades by flooding the listeners ears with an excellent and energetic selection of popular world beat rhythms ranging from Bollywood, bhangra, reggae, funk, hip-hop, electronica and folk, blended and mixed into an infectious and danceable platter of tunes.
• Funkadesi WebsitePelican - City of Echoes
PelicanCity of Echoes
Label: Hydra Head
Chicago born, hard hitting massive expansive rhythm-scapes filled with anxious doom and a crusty chagrin. Not all is lost though, as the musical twists and turns afford some blissful vistas via dynamic plateaus and sonic soliloquies.
• Pelican WikiMerlot - Insipid Emaciation
MerlotInsipid Emaciation
Label: Barbarian Records
With drum beats so fast I had to laugh, this bleak black metal vision, spewn from some undisclosed Illinois location, buzzes and hums with discordant maneuvers of rhythm, tension and noise. The vocals are choked, scraped and scourged against the manic noise-scape tundra and left to fend for themselves. Wow.
Paul Gilbert & Freddie Nelson - United States
Paul Gilbert & Freddie NelsonUnited States
Label: Mascot Records
Teaming up two friends, one a guitar virtuoso and one a rock vocalist produces pleasantly entertaining results. This very contemporary rock is not filled with bells and whistles, just really well written straight forward rock n roll.
• Paul Gilbert & Freddie Nelson Website • Paul Gilbert & Freddie Nelson WikiPrizzy Prizzy Please - Chroma Cannon
Prizzy Prizzy PleaseChroma Cannon
Label: Joyful Noise Recordings
Edgy caterwauling punk n roll concoctions from Chicago enhanced with saxophone, grit, humor, and consternation. The raucous and raspy vocals fuel the brimstone and forthright intensity blasted through their song melodies and overall presentation.
• Prizzy Prizzy Please FacebookFormosa Triangle - Formosa Triangle
Formosa TriangleFormosa Triangle
Label:
They may have taken their name from an area located about 100 miles south of Tokyo, Japan, which has had mysterious ship losses, but the tight and heavy groove-metal that flourishes in the continuum established between the two lone members of this Chicago powerhouse may propel them further than the Pacific Ocean.
• Formosa Triangle WebsiteBuddy Guy - Living Proof
Buddy GuyLiving Proof
Label: Jive
Buddy Guy is a living legend that continues to create legends; both at his ‘Legends’ nightclub in Chicago and on each of his solo releases. Even though he is 74 years young, he can still spin a high octane blues riff or stomp on a sorrowful chord with enough of a flourish to win a Grammy nomination for “Living Proof.”
• Buddy Guy Website • Buddy Guy Facebook • Buddy Guy WikiBones Jugs - Don’t Waste A Drop
Bones JugsDon’t Waste A Drop
Label: Bones Jugs
BONES JUGS
Don’t Waste a Drop
(Bones Jugs)
I didn’t know this was an option! Is this Looney Tunes on acid or a 21st century jug band? Horns, honkers, kazoos, banjos, and incredible xylophone are paired with stand up bass, fiddle, guitar, and drums to create an awesome, quirky and unsuspectingly unique combination of dixieland, jugband, ragtime and farcical imagination.
Mass Relay - Star Born
Mass RelayStar Born
Label: Daly City Records
Futuristic electronic soundscapes snap and sparkle with funky punches, glitch hop gurgles and bubbling rhythms when this duo flexes their festival ready improvisational IDM skills on this 7 track release. Protruding soni-scapes are fed compelling guitar lines and thick beats that in turn shiver the rhythms with funky blues and rockin interlludes.
• Mass Relay Website