Mames Babegenush, from Denmark, bring their Balkan-klezmer jazz to the USA for eight shows. The dates begin August 25 and are listed below.

The band creates a unique fusion of styles from their Scandanavian roots to dance music to klezmer and jazz. There is a mix of exuberance and melancholy in the work. Every few years bands try to ressurect Klezmer music with varying levels of success. This band is perhaps, musically, the most successful of them all. They've even played at Carnegie Hall.

And well all know what it takes to get there.

A new LP is in the offing. Listen to some music below and keep up to date at  www.mames.dk.

Nobody's Girl, out of Austin, touring to support Waterline EP in November 2018. Current dates below (you can also check for updates at www.nobodysgirlmusic.com).

The trio is made up of songwriters: Rebecca Loebe, Grace Pettis and BettySoo. Each is a songwriter and performer in their own right.

The three met at the Kerrville Folk Festival in 2008 and remained friends. Each of them wound up becoming a "New Folk Competition" winner over the next three years. Joining together as Nobody's Girl, was a logical next step. They signed to Lucky Hound Records in January of 2018 and released the EP in September, 2018.

A European tour in 2019 is in the offing so be sure to keep an eye open across the Atlantic.

Black Tape For A Blue Girl have a new Kickstarter for their upcoming release, To Touch The Milky. Like many underground artists the group is funding the
release (as they've funded other recent releases) via crowdfunding. Some bemoan the new state of the music industry and its finances but btfbg's Sam Rosenthal sees an upside.

"I did a radio interview at Portland’s Xray.fm on Monday; I haven’t done an in-the-studio interview in a while. DJ Bob Ham asked about getting to know so many of the backers over the course of my nine crowdfunding campaigns. In the 90s, when Black Tape For A Blue Girl’s Remnants of a deeper purity was the most successful release on Projekt, the CDs shipped out to Projekt’s distributor, out into the void," he says. "I felt disconnected from the people who loved what I create. Now I know their names, and answer their questions. It was great selling 16,000 CDs back in the day, but it’s also great being directly in touch with people who value the art at $50 or even $500. That’s pretty great, too."

Like many btfbg records this one is a first person narrative of an individual in conflict.

"I see the characters in the seven songs as being at a point where something has to give, something has to change, they are sort of hitting a wall in life and they need to try to get beyond that. There’s also this other thematic idea: one of the song’s is Samsara, which is a Buddhist idea that life is a cycle where you come back again and again to live this existence and maybe you understand a little bit better how to get through life, or how to get out of the sorrow of life. I picture the photos I’m shooting with Mercy for the cover and art cards as displaying this characters coming back again and again."

The title, to Rosenthal, reflects a feeling of longing and hopefulness balanced agains the recognition of the absurdity of actually "touching the Milky Way."

You can help out with the Kickstarter HERE.

  by Sharon Gissy

Jonathan Jackson + Enation are slated to release their fourth studio album, Anthems For The Apocalypse, co-produced by Greg Archilla (Matchbox 20, Collective Soul) July 14th on their own label, Hilasterion Records (distributed by Sony). Beginning today at 4:30 p.m. PST and 7:30 EST, the album will be available from Amazon for only $4.00 in celebration of Amazon Prime Day.

In addition to Jonathan Jackson's many acting roles, which include regular appearances on Nashville and General Hospital, the band has gained influence as a creative and dynamic force in the Nashville music industry and beyond. Their recent video for "Revolution of the Heart" appeared on CMT and ended up on MTV Hits; watch it here. Says Jackson of the song, "It's the most anti-political, political song I've ever written...The deeper longing that I'm 'marching for' personally is a revolution of the heart. It's an inner revolution. We need to first love each other and remember our common humanity. Then we can approach politics and work towards important solutions."

Rolling Stone praised the group's 2014 album Radio Cinematic, saying it was "filled with electric guitars, chest-beating vocals and swirling synths..." while Billboard Magazine called it "contemporary, anthemic rock---Jackson proudly wears the influence of U2, Peter Gabriel and Coldplay on his sleeve as influences---is certainly something different..." 

​Tour Dates:
August 11, 2017 @ Furniture Factory Bar and Grill – Huntsville, AL
August 12, 2017 @ Diamond Pub Concert Hall – Louisville, KY
August 13, 2017 @ Lincoln Hall – Chicago, IL
August 18, 2017 @ Knuckleheads - Kansas City, MO
August 20, 2017 @ The Hi-Fi - Indianapolis, IN
September 30, 2017 @ Mercy Lounge - Nashville, TN

by Sharon Gissy

Fort Worth, TX alternative rock band The Unlikely Candidates recently released the new video for their politically charged single "Violence." You can watch it here. "Violence" is the second single off their Bed Of Liars EP, and was written by singer Kyle Morris in response to police brutality. Morris said about the song, "...The song echoes the bleak outlook of police brutality in America by personifying it as an abusive relationship between a couple. The person in the song is trapped in an abusive relationship with a paranoid, controlling, and ruthless lover. No matter what the abused does they cannot seem to satisfy or escape the love of their abuser. The pressure and passion lead to an endless cycle of punishment."

With their songs garnering over 10 million listeners on Spotify, The Unlikely Candidates have been on the road all year playing headline dates, festivals, and radio shows. When the band played Philadelphia's 104.5's Birthday Bash show recently, the station's Jammmin' Jessie remarked, "WOWOWWOWW....Kyle Morris their frontman was an absolute animal on that stage. He was sliding around, rolling in the water, just totally captivating the audience and giving the most stand out performance of the entire day."

The Unlikely Candidates Tour Dates (More TBA):
July 7 @ Levitt Pavilion – Arlington, TX
July 20 @ The Peabody Memphis Rooftop – Memphis, TN
July 21 @ WBRU's Free Waterfront Park Concert - PROVIDENCE, RI

 by Sharon Gissy

The First Time was just named "Best Lit Event" in the Best of 2017 poll by the Chicago Reader. The quarterly series which benefits the independent CHIRP Radio features six curated Chicagoans telling a thematic personal story and pairing it to be performed by series band The First Time Four. The First Time Four includes musicians Gerald Dowd, Steve Frisbie, Liam Davis, and Scott Stevenson. In addition to making their own music, the band has played with Mavis Staples, Eddie Vedder, and Robbie Fulks, among others, and earned a couple of Grammy nominations.

First Time features a diverse array of readers such as lawyers, sausage makers, broadcasters, chefs, non-profit leaders, and artists, but always at least one musician. Past readers have included Bill Ayers, Tony Fitzpatrick, Mindy Segal, Ben Jovarsky, and Len Kasper. The lineup for the July 12th show at Matrys' boasts a bill of actor Wes Needham, musician Natalie Grace Alford, musician/historian Steve Krakow aka Plastic Crimewave, creative director and editor Micki LeSueur, writer/comedian Dan Shapiro, and CHIRP's very own Marites Velasquez (also of local band Ovef Ow) reading stories of their "First Catch." The July 12th show will also include a raffle for a pair of "Hamilton" tickets for the August 22nd show. The show will run from 8:00 to 10:30 p.m. and tickets are $10.

For more details visit here. 

  by Sharon Gissy

This summer Los Angeles alternative rock band The Wrecks will begin their "The Young Renegades" tour in support of their We Are The Wrecks EP. Performing with All Time Low, SWMRS, Night Riots, and Waterparks, the tour will kick off June 30th in Houston, TX, and will include a stop in Chicago at the Aragon Ballroom on July 21st. The band says "We're gonna bring it 110 percent every night and we're confident the crowds will, too."

Heavily influenced by groups such as The Pixies, The Strokes, Weezer, and Vampire Weekend, The Wrecks' sound features catchy choruses accompanied by quirky lyrics and vocals with an underlying substance. The five-piece of Nick Anderson (vocals), Aaron Kelley (bass), Nick Schmidt (guitar), Westen Weiss (guitar), and and Billy Nally (drums) recently recorded their three-song LP We Are The Wrecks in three days with less than a week as a band. The EP took off, featuring one of their best songs "Favorite Liar" which became a top 40 hit at Alternative Radio and garnered almost 5.5 million streams on Spotify. You can watch the live video, which has racked up 400,000 views on YouTube, here. The official music video, which was shot before they got signed on very little money and with only a few hours to spare while on tour, is available here through Alternative Press.

"The Young Renegades" tour dates are as follows:
​June 30 @ House of Blues Houston, TX  
July 1 @ House of Blues Dallas, TX  
July 3 @ The Marquee Tempe, AZ  
July 5 @ House of Blues Anaheim, CA  
July 7 @ The Novo Los Angeles, CA  
July 8 @ Fox Theater Oakland, CA  
July 10 @ Roseland Theater Portland, OR  
July 11 @ Showbox Sodo Seattle, WA  
July 13 @ The Complex Salt Lake City, UT  
July 14 @ Fillmore Auditorium Denver, CO  
July 15 @ Uptown Theater Kansas City, MO  
July 16 @ Palace Theatre St. Paul, MN  
July 18 @ The Pageant Saint Louis, MO
July 20 @ Royal Oak Music Theatre Royal Oak, MI  
July 21 @ Aragon Ballroom Chicago Heights, IL
July 22 @ Eagles Ballroom Milwaukee, WI  
July 23 @ Express Live! Outdoor Amphitheatre Columbus, OH  
July 25 @ Stage AE Pittsburgh, PA  
July 26 @ Rapids Theatre Niagara Falls, NY  
July 28 @ House of Blues Boston, MA  
July 29 @ The Fillmore Philadelphia, PA  
July 30 @ The Fillmore Philadelphia, PA  
July 31 @ Central Park Summer Stage New York, NY  
August 2 @ Rams Head Live Baltimore, MD  
August 3 @ Rams Head Live Baltimore, MD  
August 4 @ The Ritz Raleigh, NC  
August 5 @ Tabernacle Atlanta, GA  
August 6 @ House Of Blues Lake Buena Vista, FL  
August 7 @ House Of Blues Lake Buena Vista, FL

by Sharon Gissy

Grammy winner Jon Cleary, who has kept alive the tradition of New Orleans-style piano and voice, will release his new album Live At Chickie Wah Wah this month and tour June and July in support of it. Known as a member of the Absolute Monster Gentlemen, this is Cleary's first solo outing and demonstrates the skill of the rhythm and blues piano player and the essence of his regular audience favorite Tuesday night shows at Chickie Wah Wah.

Jon Cleary has been influenced by the classic Crescent City keyboard canon, from Jelly Roll Morton to Fats Domino, although his own style is completely unique. His soulful vocals, piano skills, and knack for self-composed songs with strong melodies and incisive lyrics has earned him recording credits with Bonnie Raitt and Ryan Adams among others, while his respected Crescent City contemporaries include New Orleans R&B legends such as Dr. John and Allen Touissant. 

Offbeat Magazine says "His knowledge of R&B, funk, gospel, reggae, Cuban music—no one connects New Orleans to Cuba more suavely—and boogie-woogie is profound, leading to a splendid rhythmic freedom. And his fantastic voice, a more conventionally beautiful one than his idols’, is full of melismatic invention and fervor."

A full list of Jon Cleary tour dates is available below:

JUN 6 TUE Chickie Wah Wah New Orleans, LA 
JUN 8 THU d.b.a. New Orleans, LA 
JUN 13 TUE Chickie Wah Wah New Orleans, LA 
JUN 15 THU d.b.a. New Orleans, LA 
JUN 17 SAT Chickie Wah Wah New Orleans, LA 
JUN 21 WED Bar Lunatico Brooklyn, NY 
JUN 22 THU Infinity Music Hall Norfolk, CT 
JUN 23 FRI The Ardmore Music Hall Ardmore, PA 
JUN 24 SAT Bayou Boogaloo Norfolk, VA 
JUN 26 MON City Winery Nashville, TN 
JUN 27 TUE City Winery Atlanta, GA 
JUL 1 SAT JazzAscona Ascona, Switzerland 
JUL 2 SUN Montreux Jazz Festival Montreux, Switzerland 
JUL 4 TUE Villa in Blues Festival Brugnera, Italy 
JUL 6 THU Spotorno Town Square Spotorno, Italy 
JUL 8 SAT North Sea Jazz Fest Rotterdam, Netherlands 
JUL 9 SUN Copenhagen Jazz Festival Copenhagen, Denmark 
JUL 11 TUE Band on the Wall Manchester, United Kingdom 
JUL 12 WED Liverpool Music Club Liverpool, United Kingdom 
JUL 13 THU Kensington, UK Nells Jazz & Blues 
JUL 14 FRI Colston Hall Bristol, United Kingdom 
JUL 15 SAT Peer Blues Festival Peer, Belgium 
JUL 16 SUN Big River Festival Dordrecht, Netherlands 
JUL 19 WED Castle Courtyard Koniz, Switzerland 
JUL 20 THU Jazztage Lenk Lenk in Simmental, Switzerland 
JUL 21 FRI Scala Ludwigsburg Ludwigsburg, Germany 
JUL 29 SAT Cambridge Folk Festival Cambridge, UK 
JUL 30 SUN Cambridge Folk Festival Cambridge, UK 
AUG 3 THU The Livingston Hoot Livingston, MT 
AUG 6 SUN Blues on the Chippewa Maiden Rock, WI 
AUG 18 FRI SPACE Evanston, IL 
SEP 20 WED Bull Run Shirley, MA 
SEP 21 THU Ridgefield Playhouse Ridgefield, CT 
SEP 23 SAT Levon Helm Studios Woodstock, NY

by Sharon Gissy

The second wave of artists slated to play Chicago Riot Fest 2017, which takes place from September 15-17 in Douglas Park, has just been announced. The lineup includes At the Drive-In, Cap’n Jazz, Best Coast, Black Pistol Fire, The Casualties, Mad Caddies, Cockney Rejects, Radar State, RVIVR, Versus, Seaway, Like Pacific, Grayscale, Warm Brew, Culture Abuse, Potty Mouth, Skating Polly, Upset, Gin Rummy, The Voluptuous Horror of Karen Black, and Kembra Pfahler.

These artists will join an all-star lineup that includes Nine Inch Nails, Queens of the Stone Age, and the reunion of punk rock band Jawbreaker. Once again the festival will offer a full carnival with rides, games, and the Hellzapoppin' Sideshow Revue freak show, as well as 40 unique food vendors to satisfy appetites. Tickets for the festival are available here.

  by Sharon Gissy

On May 27th, Jonathan Jackson + Enation released their new video for "Revolution of the Heart," the first single off their new album Anthems for the Apocalypse, due out on their own label Hilasterion Records on July 14th. You can watch the video here through CMT.

Jonathan Jackson said of the song "it is the most anti-political, political song I've ever written" and "The deeper longing that I'm 'marching for' personally is a revolution of the heart." 

The band's 2014 release Radio Cinematic was praised by Rolling Stone, which said it is "filled with electric guitars, chest-beating vocals and swirling synths..." while Billboard said of the release "...it is contemporary, anthemic rock--Jackson proudly wears the influence of U2, Peter Gabriel, and Coldplay on his sleeve..." 

Known as one of the most creative independent bands in the music industry today, Jonathan Jackson + Enation will embark on a tour kicking off August 11th in Huntsville, AL and rolling through Chicago on August 13th at Lincoln Hall. A full list of tour dates is posted below.
​
August 11, 2017 @ Furniture Factory Bar and Grill – Huntsville, AL
August 12, 2017 @ Diamond Pub Concert Hall – Louisville, KY
August 13, 2017 @ Lincoln Hall – Chicago, IL
August 18, 2017 @ Knuckleheads - Kansas City, MO
August 20, 2017 @ The Hi-Fi - Indianapolis, IN
September 30, 2017 @ Mercy Lounge - Nashville, TN