2022 ARTIST INFO
Quiet Hollers formed in Louisville around singer-songwriter Shadwick Wilde. Their alt. country-styled debut, I Am the Morning, came in 2013, spawning a cult following via some critical praise, allowing the band to tour heavily, where changes in personnel and musical direction saw the band exploring territory beyond their beginnings.
In 2015, a birthday-cake adorned self-titled sophomore album introduced the band to a broader audience, drawing praise both for the breadth of its various influences and for Wilde’s songwriting. The album and it's breakout single, "Mont Blanc" brought the band to Europe for the first time.
In 2017, Quiet Hollers signed with indie label Sonablast for their third LP, helmed by producer/drummer Dave Chale (Low Cut Connie, Wax Fang). Drawing sonic and thematic parallels between the modern day and the 1970s– exploring spirituality, agnosticism, toxic masculinity, and mental illness in another decade marred by division, corruption, and violence.
Quiet Hollers fourth LP, Forever Chemicals, was released in January 2022, featuring Dave Chale on drums, with Shadwick Wilde handling most other instruments. This is the band’s first full length in over four years; a culmination of years of touring and therapy.
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, HERE IS THE STORY OF STRUNG LIKE A HORSE. SOMETIME IN 1983 A JUNKYARD ROCKET SHAPED SPERM CRASH-LANDED INTO A 1965 CADILLAC ELDORADO SHAPED EGG (CONVERTIBLE OF COURSE) AND NINE MONTHS LATER, GIVE OR TAKE, CLAY MASELLE HORSE-KICKED HIS WAY INTO A WORLD TO WHICH HE WOULD NEVER BELONG. IN TIME HE DISCOVERED HE WAS NOT ALONE. THERE WERE OTHER HILLBILLY MISFITS LIVING UNDERCOVER ALL AROUND HIM. A BORN LEADER, HE GOT FOUR OF THEM ARRESTED FOR STEALING YET ANOTHER CADILLAC--A HEARSE THIS TIME--AND THEY BECAME AN INSEPARABLE UNIT. SEEING AS HOW THEY WEREN'T EMPLOYABLE THEY TURNED TO THE ONLY THING ALL OF THEM WERE ACTUALLY GOOD AT... PICKIN'SEVERAL YEARS AND MANY THOUSANDS OF MILES LATER THE STRUNG LIKE A HORSE OUTFIT, NOW A WELL-OILED MACHINE, GALLOPS ALL AROUND THIS GREAT COUNTRY. DON'T MISS THEIR SIGNATURE AMERICANA SOUND AND FIERY HOT HIGH-ENERGY STAGE SHOW. MOONSHINE IS OPTIONAL BUT RECOMMENDED. THESE JUNKYARD DOGS BRING “HONEST, PLAYFUL, HEADBANGINGLY INTERACTIVE FUN” TO ANY VENUE THEIR ROCKET CRASHES.
Good Morning Bedlam has become an innovative force in the midwest folk scene. Their shows are known for their contagious energy, with members careening about the stage. With tight soaring three part harmonies, and thumping kick-drum, they captivate their audience night after night. Every song is a unique twist on what is generally dubbed as folk music. “We want to surprise our audience from song to song. Rather than creating our music to fit a genre, we allow it to be an outpouring of our own stories and unique sound,” says Isaak, frontman of GMB. You will be treated to a haunting waltz, whistling, jazz scatting, and the euphoria of the violin melodies. When it comes to their lyrical storytelling, Isaak says, “We’re desperate to connect to people through the common human experiences that we write about and the exuberance of our live show. People have a lot of choices of how they’ll kick-back, so we intend to deliver a show where they can be free--to share in whatever they need to--joy, grief, anger, gratefulness, or bedlam!”
Louisville, Kentucky based outkasts, The Jesse Lees are a group of guys that provide a timeless and powerful energy with elements of psychedelic rock, soul, and hip-hop. It is just when you think that you have figured out their style that they show a new side of themselves, and scratch an itch you never knew you had. Led by the unique and powerfully soulful vocals of Otis Junior, this rock outfit is undeniable and unforgettable.
Mama Said String Band is an instant classic, since 2017 they’ve been bringing their own brand of the grassroots music you’re so used to hearing to stages everywhere. Based out of Louisville, KY, Mama Said String Band brings a refreshing reinvention to Bluegrass, Folk and Americana while focusing on vocal harmonies and contemporary instrumentation. Having won several notable regional awards including album of the year in the Lexington Music Awards for "Carry The Water", Best Bluegrass Band in the Appalachian Arts and Entertainment Awards and with three nominations under their belt, they have made a notable imprint in the Kentucky Music Scene. They bring big, relatable emotions and honest songwriting to every show, leaving fans always wanting more.
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Lung has a sound that is dark and commanding, evoking the driving sludge of early grunge with layered sinister undertones. The band is Kate Wakefield, a classically trained opera singer, and Daisy Caplan, formerly of Foxy Shazam, Babe Rage, and Ayin. Playing shows from Nelsonville Music Festival to famed DIY venues like 924 Gilman Street, Lung have made their presence known and developed the reputation as a “must see” band. Since their first performance in April 2016, the pair have played over 500 shows across North America and Europe.
Jaik Willis, acoustic solo musician from Chicago IL. Beatbox, flying V guitar, singer songsmith. jake
"Jaik is a hardcore troubador somewhere inbetween Steve Earle and Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. He has wandered around the USA like a modern minstrel, surfing sofas, car camping, and paying dues to sing the blues. It is a high energy solo show featuring Jaik's horn-like voice darting around a blistering broken-string approach to his acoustic flying V guitar, with original songs that are accessible, and message driven" - (Chicago Jams)
Creeping up behind you like a supernatural fog to your unexpectant ears, Spooky Diamonds is an independent production group that delivers dance, electronica, grunge, and hip-hop dripping in psychedelic influence. The band consists of rapper/vocalist Chris Ghoul, Bassist Conner Powell, and multi-instrumentalist Casey Powell. The band was born as the brainchild of Chris Ghoul and Conner Powell in 2017. However, one fateful night on the 14th of August 2019, the Powell brothers found themselves on a bike ride that would turn into a mind-expanding journey of epic proportions. It was that voyage that resurrected Spooky Diamonds to take their place as the earth -shattering group we know today.
Mixing elements of R&B and soul with their jazz roots, Kiana & the Sun Kings make music that is modern yet timeless, energetic yet contemplative. It is their ultimate goal to make music that dabbles equally in complexity and simplicity, crafting sounds for the jazz player and casual listener alike.
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In January 2018 a dozen or so people came together after a long night's musing...
Some of us knew each other From before, and some of us were walking into a room full of strangers...
Be here now - a rapturous soul/funk/psychedelic sound that barrages the senses. Zu Zu Ya Ya is the cult you secretly long to join!
"What an amazing band!!! Can't describe the magical trip of one of their shows!!! Must be seen to be believed!!!"
The Low Glow of Louisville, Kentucky creates an atmosphere for listeners to elevate above any of their inhibitions to dance, sing and high five with total strangers. The original sound of The Low Glow is unique and mystifying yet relatable and comforting. Since forming, The Low Glow has kept a focus on writing an extensive catalog of eclectic and diverse original songs.
King Ahmi and Kent Mellows make up Louisville hip hop duo Salem Avenue. Their thought provoking lyricism will take you back to an era when 90's rhymers ruled the airways.
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Making their way to Asheville by way of Winston-Salem, NC, Fortezza combines influences ranging from garage punk to avant-garde jazz into a sound that is as eclectic as it is loud.
Fortezza released their debut album, Fiend, in December 2018, followed by an EP, Boys, Boys, Boys, in 2019. After a brief hiatus the following year, Fortezza returned louder, faster, and angrier than ever with Windmill in 2021.
While the material on their records certainly speaks volumes for itself, Fortezza is a live band at its core - most at home on a stage, bringing their ear-splitting, bombastic shows to unsuspecting audiences everywhere.
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"HEY WHAT'S UP, I'M SHADWICK.... I WRITE SONGS AND I HAVE DEPRESSION.
Rejecting the constrictions of genre, Shadwick Wilde’s songs touch each other’s edges, but each brings its own distinct vision, strung together by the common thread of Wilde’s muscular poetry, emotive vocals, and unique style of upside-down, left-handed guitar playing.
Shadwick grew up in San Francisco, Havana, and Amsterdam astride his mother, an activist, poet, and filmmaker. At 18, Wilde left high school for an invitation to go on tour as a guitarist for D.C. hardcore band Iron Cross, of Dischord notoriety.
At age 23, Wilde entered an addiction recovery program, where he would write Unforgivable Things (2010), his first effort as a solo artist. The self-released demo would go out of print and disappear, but by this time Wilde had gone on to form Quiet Hollers as an outlet for his songwriting. Since 2013, the shapeshifting indie rock collective have released three LPs, toured Europe twice, and criss-crossed North America ad nauseam.
In 2020, Wilde wrote three albums of new material, recording one of them with producer and former Wilco drummer Ken Coomer, along with a cast of top Nashville session players. Another LP he recorded alone, on the Kentucky farm where he lives with his partner, psychologist and visual artist Sarah French-Wilde, and their young daughter. The third is a collaboration with current and former Quiet Hollers members.
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Sean Michael Jennings is a solo artist based out of Indianapolis, IN. Doing his best to carry the torch of old timey folk, country, and bluegrass, Sean can yodel, whistle, and flat-pick along with many of the late greats. His influences include, Doc Watson, Clarence White, and Old and in the Way to name a few.. Sean is a current member of Indianapolis based bluegrass group, Flatland Harmony Experiment and a former member of Louisville based country band, TLWG.
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STEVEN DEWEESE SEYMOUR, IN
Born in Seymour, Indiana in 1978 to a single, teenage mother, Steve was raised in the family home with the help of his grandparents. Thanks to his Mamaw and Papaw, classic country music was the soundtrack of his early life. In addition to classic country, Steve's mother, aunts & uncles made sure that he got a varied and well rounded array of musical influences, From singer/songwriters of the day like James Taylor and Cat Stevens and the whimsical sounds of Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show, to rock legends like ZZ Top and Fleetwood Mac, Steve was always surrounded by the music that would create his own unique style. Steve has been blessed to open shows and share a stage with various artists from legendary acts such as The Why Store and Larry Crane toup and coming singer/songwriters like Stephen Wilson Jr. and Harvey Adams.
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Scott T. Smith louisville, KY
From Louisville Ky, Scott T. Smith.
Think Everly Brothers meets Shovels and Rope.
This man will melt your soul!
Sick Ruby is a Transwoman Artist. "My art form can range from painting, digital art, photograph and modeling. My painting style is influenced by realistic trash polka.
My modeling is the way I express my beauty. I was influenced by artits, models and singers that I thought were sexy icons growing up. My soul is one with them. I wish to bring this spirit to everyone. To share the love of art and of the body. I feel everything is beautiful and all of our bodies are too.
xoxo
Sick Ruby"