J. Schilling makes music inspired by Footwork with a nod to Chicago House and Detroit Techno. Love to all who've been supporting and enjoying the music! Contact me through the soundcloud message box for info/bookings/colabs. 

One of the most prominent national acts to come out of the Binghamton, New York music scene, Driftwood, is at heart a Rock band. Carving out a name for themselves with electrifying live performances, they bring one of the most unique, raw sounds to 
the Americana/Roots scene. Incorporating upright bass, banjo, acoustic guitar and violin, the ghost of traditional American folk music lives in their palette. But the melodies, the harmonies and the lyrics are something else entirely. “We started off playing Rock in high school. Then Jazz and Classical music in college. Then we dove head first into Folk and Bluegrass. At some point I guess we kind of met in the middle”, says guitarist/songwriter Dan Forsyth. Drawing on aspects of everything from Old-time to 1960’s R&B, the music is crafted to serve the songs. With fast growing audiences singing along at live shows, it’s easy to tell the primary focus is on song. “We recognized early on that one of our strongest points was songwriting. The greatest songs transcend genre and time and this was one of the motivating ideas behind the band at the start”, says banjo player/songwriter Joe Kollar. Trading lead vocals between Forsyth, Kollar and violinist/songwriter Claire Byrne, the group’s stage dynamics are as captivating as the songs. “I give so much of myself when I play because I deem it necessary in order to do the music justice”, says Byrne, who’s violin shredding performances are legendary among fans. Songs or shredding, “There’s a reason people won’t let them off the stage”, says Jess Novak from The Syracuse New Times. 

Formed in 2005, the band spent four years playing just about anywhere they could. “We just wanted to be able to play for any crowd and turn heads”, says banjo player Joe Kollar. “We played everywhere. Coffee houses, bars, churches, rock clubs, Bluegrass festivals and the streets…a lot on the streets. We didn’t make any money but what we learned was invaluable”. After the release of their Debut CD “Rally Day” in 2009, the band has spent most of the last 3 years on the road. With club and festival appearances alongside of artists such as Bela Fleck, Rusted Root, Del McCoury, Brett Dennen, The Wailers, Railroad Earth, Rubblebucket and Donna the Buffalo, Driftwood is making serious waves on the East Coast scene. In the last year they played over 170 shows. With the release of their newest CD “A Rock & Roll Heart” in 2011, the band landed spins on a slew of great radio shows and stations such as WFUV’s Sunday Breakfast with John Platt; KZSU, Stanford, CA; WCBE, Columbus, OH; and WDVX, Knoxville, TN. In the summer of 2012, the band was afforded their own summer tour blog on the website of the local Binghamton paper, The Press and Sun Bulletin.

Fabulous Decline is a four-piece indie rock band from Southern Illinois, whose sound can be described as passionate, catchy, and powerful. Comparisons have been made to other rock bands, both past and present, but similarities rarely subsist through the next song played. Clearly, there is an entire universe of influences being explored here, with seemingly none taking precedence over any other.

Though it doesn't sound confused. There's a element of emotion - sometimes jubilant, but often melancholy - that ties it all together. And if it isn't always apparent through the lyrical content, it's certainly there in another form: a vocal sweep that causes your hair to stand on end, or a chord progression that knocks the wind out of you.

That kind of genuine fervor requires talent to convey, and Fabulous Decline have it in spades. The backbone is the rhythm section, from which drummer Alan Mabee and bassist Jimmy Thorne II deliver a driving and frequently intricate foundation for each song to be built upon. Adam Morton and Jon Teutrine then contribute an interweaved layer of jangle and dirt via overdriven acoustic and electric guitar.

With this tightly bound instrumentation, the proverbial icing on the cake is their vocals. Mort's unmistakably distinctive voice administers a powerful melody, and his bandmates provide brilliant harmonies at exactly the right moments. Follow that up with one of their chorus hooks, which have been described as "anthemic," and you'll agree - it really is fabulous.

Cabinet is a band with roots firmly planted in the Appalachian tradition. They wear their influences like badges, honoring the canon of roots, bluegrass, country, and folk, weaving these sounds into a patchwork Americana quilt. But this music isn’t romanticizing or rehashing the past. Cabinet makes it mark on today. The steady aim of their harmonies soar straight onto target each time, the soaring vocals giving voice to the story of each song. Their music takes the long way home, treating its listeners like passengers on a ride through scenic back roads. Their live shows are inclusive, celebratory, and community-building. Everyone will want to get on the wagon with Cabinet. Members Pappy Biondo (banjo, vocals), J.P. Biondo (mandolin, vocals), Mickey Coviello (acoustic guitar, vocals), Dylan Skursky (electric bass, double bass), Todd Kopec (fiddle, vocals), and Jami Novak (drums, percussion), all live and love music, and their polished sound belies their young age.

The band‘s latest offering, THIS IS CABINET - SET II, a seven song effort – six originals and a cover of The Byrds’ “Mr. Spaceman” – was recorded in March of 2013 at Stage One in Fairfield, Connecticut, and Club Metronome in Burlington, Vermont. The set is diverse yet cohesive, ranging from the melancholy of “Caroline,” which unfolds into a purposeful jam, to the modern Americana rock of “Heavy Rain,” which closes the album. Along the way, we have the ambling “Doors,” the upbeat and fun “Poor Man’s Blues” -- which would not sound out of place at an Old And In The Way show -- the snaky, reggae-tinged “The Dove” and the instrumental “Susquehanna Breakdown,” another Cabinet contribution to the tried-and-true bluegrass tradition. The group’s take on “Mr. Spaceman” is relatively faithful, but with some Cabinet flair, and offers a glimpse into the band’s myriad influences.

By now, Cabinet’s ability to get a festival crowd dancing and rip tasty instrumental breakdowns is a given. With “Set II,” the band displays its continuing development not only as players, but as songwriters who know how to get to the point – and have some fun going down that road. 

Cabinet formed in 2006, bringing together players from various musical and personal backgrounds. Some of the members were barely old enough to drink legally, but their thirst for older music was unquenchable. Whether its rustic "American Beauty"-era Grateful Dead or old-timey bluegrass, Cabinet has digested it all. But that is not to say that Cabinet recreates older styles. No, this is music that might have its roots in the past, but it is current and vibrant, with a sense of celebrating the now.

The Rhythm Devils began as the duo of Grateful Dead drummer Bill Kreutzmann and his percussionist partner Mickey Hart. Over the years, they transcended rock and roll drum stereotypes with polyrhythmic explorations of the world of percussion, using an extraordinary variety of instruments and approaches. The aftermath of this collaboration was the larger Rhythm Devils, which have made periodic reappearances over the years.The 2010 version includes Bill Kreutzmann and Mickey Hart, Keller Williams (guitar, vocals), Davy Knowles (guitar, vocals), Sikiru Adepoju (talking drum), and Andy Hess (bass). Together, they will take music beyond the horizon to a universe where rhythm is in constant flux and sound has infinite potential. They’ll rock.

Jeffery Hoad is following