The Silent Years - Indie Rock

Underground Band of the Year 2007 – Spin Magazine
“One of the 10 bands out of 1,000 you should see at CMJ this year.” -The New York Times
“This band was one of my favorite finds from SXSW this year. I spent the rest of my time in Austin telling as many people as possible about The Silent Years.”
-Matt DuFour Tripwire
"Intertwining inspirations from Wilco, Radiohead and Elliott Smith, the band crafts a sound that is scientific, yet artful." -Detroit Free Press
"The music that emerged straddles the line between indie rock and pop, with soaring melodies, precise guitar work and Josh Epstein's vocals folded into distinctly modern arrangements" -L . A . Times
“Let's hear more." -The Village Voice

Forty-Watt Bulb - New Grass

Mix Tom Waits, Van Morrison and some old-tyme country standards with a hoedown and you’ll get a rip snorting feel-good understanding of Forty Watt Bulb. Their music has been used on compilations for Shut-Eye Records and Bacardi and the current line-up includes Andy Dee from the notorious Chipotle commercials.
“Best Artist” MOME Awards
“Sonically, this album is flawless.” – Rift Magazine
“A great piece of work.” – Kyle Hollingsworth - String Cheese Incident

The Gaskets - Synth Pop

A knowing but not overtly self-conscious return to the days of the synth duo, the Gaskets include echoes of everything from Suicide’s punky drones to the pure pop wit of Sparks circa Angst In My Pants. You’ve heard them on Snakes in a Plane and you’ll recognize at least one song.. The Gaskets are currently touring in support of the latest release produced by David Lowery (Cracker, Camper Van Beethoven, and the Counting Crows).
“…made me grin like the cat who has just realized he has woken up with opposable thumbs.” - Scenestars.net
“An effortlessly catchy slice of pop genius…” - Richmond (VA) Times Dispatch
“It’s as if you just stepped on a house party landmine that unleashed a chaos of funk.” – The Freelance Star (Fredericksburg, VA)
“…simple without being repetitive or boring and funky without posturing or showing off…” –Retriever Weekly (Baltimore, MD)
-Finalists in the 2006 Zig Zag Live CMJ contest.
-Best pop album of the year and best new band at the VMA’s.

Culture Killers (formerly MOANING LISA) - L.A. Rock

Gritty, strong, and provocative, the Culture Killers reek of unapologetic rock and roll attitude. Skilled masters in their weapons of rock, they are currently on tour supporting their latest release, Anachronimatic (production credits include Scott Reeder of Metallica, Tool, Unida, and Butcher as well as Bruce Witkin whose background extends from Johnny Depp, Gibby Haines, Adam Ant, the Foofighters, and LA Guns).
“…they show that they surely love what they do and their performance radiates that. - Fernando Pichardo The Rockit, LA
-The band's 2000 debut, Wonderful was voted by Playboy Magazine as having one of the sexiest album covers of all time.
-2007 Playboy Magazine’s - Band of the Year

James Apollo - James Dean meets Samuel Clemens with a Spanish twist…

Born in Libertyville, Arkansas and raised in the American Middle West, James Apollo first hit the road at the tender age of 16. Criss-crossing the continent from New York to Los Angeles to Iceland to England, James and his young band mates soon learned to live within the deep underbelly of rocknroll.
“It makes the hairs on my arms stand up and tango.” – JasonMraz
“The album conjures up a set of haunted, western-rich folk with hints of Latin rhythms and Tom Waits-style cabaret.” - The Onion
“gritty, rootsy, adventurous” – Minneapolis Star Tribune
“James Apollo's songs are Americana in the truest sense: drenched in Civil War ghosts, "Steinbeckian landscapes" and the kind of loneliness known only to someone who grew up in Libertyville, Arkansas.” -The Sunday Times, London UK

Kill the Complex (formerly Butane) - Punk Rock

Hailing from Hollywood California, Kill the Complex has accomplished more than the average unsigned band – the title track to the National Lampoon’s 2007 film ‘Cattle Call’, credits on many MTV and VH1 shows (Meet The Barkers, NEXT, Pimp My Ride, Date My Mom, Trippin, Bands Reunited, From Flab To Fab) and the co-founders of the charity performance series “Unity Shows” in Los Angeles, of which, with vocalist Danny Saxton as the President.
“upbeat music, great energy...keep your eyes on this band, good things are gonna happen.” – Killthenoise.net

Storytyme - Zapa Meets Jim Morrison

Raw grooves, fearless musical experimentation, sheer energy, and unparalleled stage presence. With every performance Storytyme attempts to free the soul through positive, high-energy sets that inspire the audience to lose their inhibitions and dance like there’s no tomorrow
“They practice hard, they tour hard, and when they’re on stage they play as hard as anybody in rock. That’s right, they did it by sweating it out, spitting on the microphone, and removing solos from the souls of sold-out show-goers like that voodoo guy from Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.” -Boulder Weekly
“There is an element that has remained undeniably true - the element of showmanship. Storytyme always has and always will put on a on a hell of a good show.” -Colorado Daily

Ian Hilmer - The Folk Song Writer

Hilmer has over a decade of wandering the country and performing under his belt and this experience is reflected in his songwriting. Ian offers audiences quality original music similar stylistically to Greg Brown, Tom Waits, Wilco, and the Tragically Hip.
“Hilmer delivers 100 percent, singing with a voice custom-made for the theme he’s chosen of solitary souls whose salvation is just a turn of the ignition away.” –Joe Tougas, The Free Press
"From his days on the carnival circuit to sweating for hours under factory conditions in 102-degree heat, his music is the journal of his life adventures, his advice for the world, and an account of his carpe diem customs."
-Cathy Tatge, STATIC Magazine

The New Audrey - The Songwriter Meets HipHopTechnoIndieRock

The soul behind the New Audrey, Alex Clark, has commitment issues and can't decide exactly how to pidgeon hole his music yet. In the mean time he continues to toy with the musical influences of gangstas, emos, rockers and ravers. Alex brings a spontaneous comedic edge to the stage that makes people either laugh out loud, or sit and think about what they just heard…
“They were tight.” – The Sheboygan Press

White Iron Band

A Good-Timin’, Foot-Stompin’, Honky-Tonkin’, Good Ole Americian Music
Their music has a unique flavor, but a familiar groove that keeps a crowd on their feet all night long.
"'Take it off the Top', arguably the best studio album ever issued by a Minnesota jam band" -Minneapolis Star Tribune

Brother Big Bad - Funk Rock

Defined by searing guitar licks, witty lyrics and memorable pop hooks, the Brother Big Bad sound is at once unique and interesting. Their influences are as far reaching as their ambition.Winner of the 2006 CMEAS, which launched a successful British tour. The band will be hitting the same tour again this spring."From a programming standpoint, the term “rocks” ‘applies to Brother Big Bad’, but they're an even better band to hear perform."
-Jim Brockpahler
Communication Design & Event Coordinator
University of Wisconsin- Eau Claire