Following closely in the footsteps of The Twilight Sad and Frightened Rabbit, We Were Promised Jetpacks are yet another hugely talented young Scottish band added to the FatCat roster. The 4-piece came to our attention when listening to some of the friends on the Frightened Rabbit Myspace page. Though recent months has seen the band tour the UK with their aforementioned friends, the four preceding years have consisted of local gigs in and around Glasgow and Edinburgh, allowing WWPJ to find their sound and hone their live performance

In 2008, after two EPs, a demo album, and an album released on Michigan’s Quack! label, a band comprised of five friends– Rob Cantor, Ross Federman, Joe Hawley, Andrew Horowitz, and Zubin Sedghi– released their debut album on Atlantic Records: Marvin’s Marvelous Mechanical Museum. Wonkiness and alliteration aside, the real Marvin’s Marvelous Mechanical Museum (in swinging Farmington Hills, Michigan) was a childhood mecca for the members of Tally Hall and myself. It was an electric dreamworld made of beat-up carousels, ominous robot fortune tellers, cotton candy, and model airplanes that flew around when the lights were off and the kids went home. Loose baby teeth. Hide-and-seek. Tickets for prizes. It was part “Being For the Benefit of Mr. Kite!”, part forgotten Ray Bradbury novel, and like every dream I could not remember upon waking up. MMMM is Tally Hall’s teenage canticle to our shadows– may we never forget them. They worked with music producer Chris Shaw (Bob Dylan, Weezer, Lou Reed) to make the album, and they even wrote and produced a psychedelic internet tv show to accompany their waggish work.

New Skybox Video - In A Dream:

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Moved from Schubas!

Hockey are individually from all over the United States, via band stints in Los Angeles, Spokane and Portland – To quote a line from I Wanna Be Black – all the band’s witty, biting lyrics are written by Ben – “everyone’s making dance music now true, but we started in 2002”.

‘When we started making music’ says Ben, ‘we wanted to make music that people could have fun to at the parties we played.’

‘We wanted to make dance music that was infectious,’ says Jerm. ‘Almost like: this is a band but it might as well be a DJ.’

‘We didn’t want to just get up and do our thing,’ says Ben.

‘We want people to react. That was our deal.’

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Music from the West of Ireland with passionate vocals and dazzling instrumentals.

The Sligo Borough Council’s decision to award Dervish the Freedom of the Borough of Sligo cemented the group’s position as preeminent band in Ireland’s wild west. It raised them into the exalted company of poet W.B. Yeats, who was the first person to be awarded the freedom of Sligo.

Built upon two sturdy pillars — the hauntingly charismatic vocals of Cathy Jordan and the dazzling virtuosity of award-winning instrumentalists like Tom Morrow on fiddle, Liam Kelly on flute, and Shane Mitchell on accordion, Dervish is a solid structure of a band, its foundation in legendary pub sessions, its shape the result of years of international touring. In the most recent of many honors, Dervish was recently chosen to represent Ireland in the Eurovision Song Contest. In 2005, just after the group toured China in the company of the Prime Minister, Ireland’s premier music magazine Hot Press voted the band Best Traditional / Folk Group.

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The fourth full length by Woods, Songs of Shame, rips deeper with both 90-second and 10-minute forays into skeletal psychedelia. This is not to say the idiosyncratic songwriting style and vocalizing of Jeremy Earl is not present in spades but expanded, colored, and twisted into a tie-dye of soundscapes. Having toured incessantly over the last 12 months as a four piece (Jarvis Taveniere, G. Lucas Crane and Kevin Morby round out the band), many of the songs on Shame benefit from having been road worn, windblown, and deeply grooved. Released on Earl's own Woodsist label (Wavves, Vivian Girls, Crystal Stilts) and on digital formats by the cassette culture poineers, Shrimper Records.

Real Estate waft in on vibes of hazy summers past. The New Jersey quartet of Martin Courtney IV, Matthew Mondanile III, Etienne Pierre Duguay and Alex Bleeker cut the sleeves short and the pop smooth to shade you from the midday heat. Every song works its way to that part of your consciousness that reveled in the fleeting waves of freedom that eked in once classes broke and the sun lingered a little longer over suburban roofs. And with three quarters of the band holding down Garden State roots its no surprise that a bit of Jersey indie-pop heritage sneaks its way into their sound, lifting the most sun streaked moments from The Feelies and Yo La Tengo and filtering them through the kaleidoscope of memories aimless drives through parched neighborhood streets.

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Doug Hall and DJ YT spin old school soul, R n' B, Funk, Hip-Hop, Rock and anything else they may feel like playing at any given moment. Add some killer drink specials and you've got yourself a pretty clear picture of what happens at The Front Bar Series- something we like to call "fun." See you at the bar!

The Clientele formed a long time ago in the backwoods of suburban Hampshire, playing together as kids at school, rehearsing in a thatched cottage remote from any kind of music scene, but hypnotized by the magical strangeness of Galaxie 500 and Felt and the psych pop of Love and the Zombies. Singer Alasdair MacLean still recalls a pub conversation where the band collectively voted that it was OK to be influenced by Surrealist poetry but not OK to have any shouting or blues guitar solos. From that moment on, they put their stamp on a kind of eerie, distanced pure pop, stripped to its essentials and recorded quickly to 4-track analogue tape.

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The members of Company of Thieves are collectively grounded, and well-versed in the challenges the world faces today. "This is a scary time for a lot of people, government-wise, art-wise, and especially business-wise," says singer Genevieve Schatz. "People seem to be very held back in what they're willing to invest in – personally, emotionally, and financially. But at the same time, there's a new, gutsy energy coming out right now, almost a generational thing. Today's youth, and to some extent their parents, are really wanting a change, and there's a feeling that we're at the edge of big change right now. Great art always rises up when change is going on."

These exciting – if uncertain – times are reflected in the eclectic sound of Ordinary Riches, an album that moves effortlessly from the seemingly jaunty, piano-led "In Passing" and the catchy pop tones of "Pressure" to the arena-ready sing-along chorus of "New Letters" and the Jonny Greenwood-ish guitar figures on "Old Letters." They are erudite without being pretentious, hooky without being saccharine, and plainly dedicated to its ideals, Company of Thieves' stunning debut album Ordinary Riches reveals a band very much of its time.

Home is the feeling that bubbles up irrepressibly inside of you when you arrive exactly where you belong. Coincidentally, the feeling that you get when you listen to The Right Now is awfully similar.

The Right Now plays soul music, and soul music is all about feeling; not style, not fashion, but emotion. The band’s new album Carry Me Home, set to be released on March 3, 2010, lives within the four walls erected by the arresting lead vocalist Stefanie Berecz, the stellar songcraft of Brendan O’Connell, the spot-on horns and layers of back-up vocals, and a solid bedrock of rhythm.

Stefanie Berecz’s voice is what takes the songs on Carry Me Home from infectious to revelatory. Nowhere is that more evident than on the album’s title track. Begun in a hushed, delicate tone, Berecz weaves a tender lullaby, gradually building in intensity but never mindlessly belting. The band matches her every step of the way. The Right Now is tighter than tight, at times functioning almost as a single instrument rather than a collection of players; never overplaying, always exerting effortless control over its dynamics.

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A limited amount of tickets will be available at the door 9:00 PM night-of-show.

Born in Seattle and raised in North Carolina Tyler Imbrey, the lead singer of the group, has crafted a style which fuses elements of blues, funk, grunge, rock, and reggae. As a songwriter, singer, and guitarist he has been developing his sound through performance and recordings since the ripe age of sixteen.

Lead guitarist Luke Gale, a southern man at heart, has a unique playing style which incorporates simultaneous lead and rhythm parts. Hendrix, Vaughan, Reggie Wooten and Freddie King (Texas bluesman), are among his musical influences. He plays a custom, handmade Brian Moore IM9 guitar through a home built, one-of-a-kind Madison 2X12 Freedom 35 Cabinet powered by a VOX adh 100 all tube head giving him an array of effects.

Born and raised in the Chicagoland area Mike Romanzow, the bass man, always knew he wanted to be in a band. His musical styles include funk and punk rock. With skills at both the guitar and bass Mike brings that much desired backbone to the group.

Drummer Tim Williams, born and raised in Chicago, attributes his initial introduction to the drums to his father, accomplished reggae drummer Tim Williams, Sr. Tim's major influences include the legendary Gene Krupa, DMB's Carter Beauford, Incubus' Jose Padilla, Quest Love of the Roots, and accomplished soloists Stanton Moore and John Blackwell.

These five different musicians come together to create one big happy family, meshing in a fantastic way!

Songs from "Long Live Père Ubu!" in a concert setting and the entirety of "The Modern Dance"

Critical Reaction to The Modern Dance upon its 1978 release:

Jon Savage, Sounds, 2/11/78
Uh-oh, this is getting frustrating, trying to tell you how good this is - black and white is an inadequate substitute for the impact heard... This is a brilliant debut. Granted it lacks the superficial accessibility of lesser works, but this time around the aroma lingers. This is built to last! Ubu's world is rarely comfortable, full of the space beyond the electric light and what it does to people, but always direct and unwavering. And courageous.

Ian Birch, Melody Maker, 3/18/78
It's a devastating debut...this album has struck me with a vengeance. Because it delivers such a powerful, complex and open-ended punch, it's almost impossible at such an early stage to explain why or how in full detail.

"Long Live Père Ubu!" - The Spectacle is the concert version of Pere Ubu's theatrical production, Bring Me The Head Of Ubu Roi, an adaptation of Alfred Jarry's Ubu Roi. As should be expected from Pere Ubu it is a production without precedent. The boundary between musical and dramatic performance is obliterated. The very notion of what a rock band can and should achieve on stage is turned on its head. David Thomas plays the parts of both Père and Mère Ubu. Members of the band perform the music, choreography, as well as all dramatic roles. The instrumental line-up is augmented with electronica artist Gagarin. As with the full theatrical production, the staging is framed by large screen projections of bespoke animations from legendary film-makers The Brothers Quay.

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From the moment she first appeared in front of us on Saturday Night Live in 1979, Rickie Lee Jones has challenged her listeners and the establishment with an absorbing musical vision that defies border and classification. She rocked the culture of singer-song writerdom with her refusal to conform to the stayed and careful eloquence of the folk rock generation that came before her. Neither punk nor pop, she tottered on a thread of her own devise, jazz - the old musical kind, and R&B - the Motown thread that permeates her work. Her sense of humor, musical dexterity and song craft is all evident on her exquisite new album Balm in Gilead.

"The Assembly are some of the most talented local musicians I've heard in a while, sounding confident and convincing throughout 'The Tide Has Turned.'" -Chicago Examiner review of The Tide Has Turned

"The self-described electro-rockers hum with energy that at times is moody and atmospheric and at other times forges straightahead with guitar-driven alternative rock, tied together with a polished David Bowie-like vocal delivery" -Illinois Entertainer review of The Tide Has Turned

"Viewed panoramically, the album makes total sense, and carries us on a journey from our inward selves into the outer world." -Chicagoist review of The Tide Has Turned

"...a direct example of the select few good independent bands coming out with superb music from Chicago." -One Kind Radio review of The Tide Has Turned

"I bet it’d even get a smile out of the goths dancing at Neo." -Chicago Reader review of The Tide Has Turned

"The vocal delivery, haunting and echoed, matched with the hook-heavy songwriting, makes the band instantly accessible without sounding derivative (The Smiths are there, sure, but so is some heroin-chic). This is a band to watch." -New City Chicago

"Check out what industry insiders already know. This ain't your little brother's Warped Tour pop. This is the real shit, and it just might give you a toothache it's so sweet..." -Q101's Local 101

Chicago’s Down The Line continues to demonstrate that you don’t need electricity to generate real power. Their music delivers mighty hooks and harmonies within smart songcraft and truly shining vocals. It’s an acoustic mix—guitar, mandolin, violin, harmonica and djembe, driven by a lone-electric bass—that the Chicago Sun-Times praised as “an organic blend of rollicking pop.” The group prefers to describe their sound more simply: acoustic pop. (Although when pressed, they explain, “If The Cars had kids with Fleetwood Mac, well, they’d probably sound like us.”) However you label them, Down The Line creates music that’s pure, unique and unforgettable. Down The Line has earned a reputation for intense, energetic performances that feature unparalleled live vocals—a reputation that has secured them a place on tour with legendary acts including Peter Frampton, America, Ben Folds, Pat Benatar, Colin Hay, Marshall Crenshaw and others. Richard Milne of Chicago’s WXRT Radio exclaimed, “These guys can sing, they can play, and they can light up a stage!” In 2008 Down The Line released the much-anticipated Home Alive, a live album culled from their stint as “artists in residence” on the renowned hometown stage at Schubas. The residency was reviewed in UR Chicago Magazine as “a meticulous yet carefree performance...one of the most exuberant I have seen.”(Cory Robertson)

"There’s nothing better than listening to an artist / designer talk about their creative process—the inspiration, the tears, the glory. But when you add in some random crazy-ass comedy, ‘80s jams, and deliciously crafted cocktails, the result is a brilliant alternative to an uptight theory lecture—The Show ‘n Tell Show." - Jen Hazen,Chicagoist

"The Show 'n Tell Show, Chicago's first and only Live Talk Show centered around design, is a late night-style show where the guests are the city's most dynamic designers, photographers, illustrators and poster-makers. They each present a single project in a lively evening full of drinks, laughs, and design.

The Show 'n Tell Show is hosted by designers Michael Renaud and Zach Dodson. But they would never show without SpokesMom, the spokesmodel that is also your mom. She provides clueless commentary and blind encouragement to the guests, as well as comic relief from design that takes itself too seriously." - Kal Knega, AIGA Chicago

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"The meeting of two personalities is like the contact of two chemical substances; if there is any reaction, both are transformed." – Carl Jung

Assuming Jung is right, the same logic would dictate that the meeting of five personalities would create an equal reaction, five-fold in its power to change.

Such a meeting has taken place. Despite the remote Texas setting, five boys found each other. Accident, inevitability, chance, fate…no one will ever be able to explain whatever it is that draws the colors of the spectrum together into one stream of pure white light.

Green River Ordinance was born from this light. Brothers Geoff and Jamey Ice, Josh Jenkins, Joshua Wilkerson and Denton Hunker transformed their lives into one singular dream. The dream of creating music. While most kids their age were worrying about high school, they were writing and performing their own music.