Born outside of DC, raised in MD, college in Baltimore, made a record there, moved to TN, wrote a record there, moved back to MD recorded 2nd record, went on tour with J Roddy Walston & The Business, met future wife in NC, moved to RI for two weeks, went back to DC to meet up with future wife, moved to NC, married wife, had 3 kids, just finished his 4th solo album called Mike & Eileen Chapter One.

Richmond, Virginia based The Trillions siphon sounds from their favorite high-intensity bands: some pop wizardry from The Strokes, big-and-loud drums from Led Zeppelin and The Who, a dose of bombastic shred and guitar feedback from Pinkerton-era Weezer, smears of vocal attitude from The Buzzcocks, all drizzled with some topical lyrics and harmonies à la The Beatles, The Zombies, or Dr. Dog. In 2013, they were named as one of Virginia's top 12 bands you should listen to now by Paste magazine. The band recently toured with J Roddy Walston and the Business. That tour included a sold out show at New York’s famous Bowery Ballroom, as well as, sold out shows in Boston and Richmond. Since 2010, the band has also opened up for national touring acts such as The Head and The Heart, Girl Talk, Best Coast, Motion City Soundtrack, Thao & The Get Down Stay Down, Jukebox the Ghost, and many others. The Trillions feature Charlie Glenn (guitar, vocals), Chris Smith (guitar, vocals), Robbie King (bass) and Jacob Shank (drummer).

People’s Blues of Richmond brings a carnival-like mayhem to their dark, blues-infused psychedelia. The power trio’s new album "Quit or Die" is their third studio release and was recorded in Richmond, Va at The Ward Recording Studio with Ricky Olson. Within the past 24 months they have signed with Madison House Booking, toured full time, put out a full length album released June 10th, 2016 and recorded a 7-inch LP produced & engineered by the highly sought-after Mark Neill, the man behind The Black Key’s platinum-selling, Grammy-winning Brothers record.
“The reason we pursued Mark—we already had a pretty firm grasp on our frenetic live sound but making a song sound beautiful in the studio is a whole other animal,” says singer-guitarist Tim Beavers II. “Mark’s sound doesn’t come from a million digital studio tricks on his computer, but from a diligent set up, an intimate understanding of sound, and a belief in himself, his gear and in the bands he’s recording. Working with him, we learned how to push ourselves harder than ever before.”
With the anticipated new album on the way, word is starting to spread about the manic intensity of PBR’s live performances as they burn up the road, sharing bills with an impressive collection of artists from Tom Petty, ZZ Top, and The Allman Brothers to J Roddy Walston & the Business and festival favorites Modest Mouse & Gogol Bordello.
People’s Blues of Richmond co-founders and lifelong friends Beavers and Matt Volkes (bass, backing vox) began playing music together in college as a way to grieve the loss of a mutual friend. Those bleak, drug-fueled days pushed the two into an artistic bender of rock and blues that led to their 2011 debut LP, Hard-On Blues. They followed with the self-released Good Time Suicide in 2013, the album recorded on the exact same handmade ’68 Flickinger board used to record T. Rex’s Futuristic Dragon. Immediately following this album, People’s Blues of Richmond’s lineup finally solidified with the addition of friend and powerhouse drummer Neko Williams (son of Drummie Zeb of legendary reggae band The Wailers).
After years together, on the road and off, the three are more than just bandmates, they’re brothers. It’s a camaraderie that show in their music and beyond. “No matter what, we look out for each other,” Volkes says. “If I have a sandwich, Tim and Neko get a bite, too. We’re all in this together.”
“The whole concept behind People’s Blues of Richmond,” Beavers says, “is that we all struggle, we all experience pain. Life is full of highs and lows, and we all work hard to survive. So we do the only thing we know how—we get out on the road, and we keep moving forward. We become a part of something bigger than ourselves.”

“A maelstrom of songwriting.” – Guitar World
“Brings to mind two recent rock LPs in particular, both by the same artist: the Black Keys. The first is 2014’s Turn Blue; the psychedelic washes of “Outta My Mind” align quite closely with the ’60s psych mood of that album. Most of all, however, it brings to mind the megahit record Brothers, with its retro-minded production and songwriting.” – PopMatters
“Blues-meets-Modest-Mouse-inspired crunch.” – Relix 
"...the groups execution of their own sound, as well as the ease in which they seem to have defined it, is so fluid that their stylistic convolution feels new, if not entirely uncharted until now." -Baeble Music
"Quit or Die will be released on June 10th, and the title track comes across like a warning shot: Take this band seriously, or miss hearing what vital guitar rock sounds like in 2016." -Consequence of Sound

Pastor of UMatter Empowerment Ministries Inc

Grounded in blues and jazz yet pushing the boundaries of rock, the Claudettes are writing the most riveting chapter of their story now. With six albums on Forty Below Records and Yellow Dog Records, the Claudettes have earned international acclaim for their piano-powered "garage cabaret" sound featuring Rachel Williams (vocals), Johnny Iguana (piano, vocals, songwriting), Zach Verdoorn (bass, guitar, vocals) and Michael Caskey (drums). Outside the Claudettes, Iguana has earned Blues Music Award and Living Blues Award nominations, toured with Junior Wells and Otis Rush, played on three Grammy-nominated releases and recorded with Buddy Guy, Junior Wells, Derek Trucks, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and more. Johnny is also composer of the score for the Emmy-winning, smash-hit FX/Hulu series "The Bear."

With four songwriters, four singers, and 11 tracks of guitar-saturated rock & roll, Avers' second album, Omega/Whatever, is proof that there's strength in numbers. 

The record shines new light on a band that made its first splash with 2014's Empty Light. Avers supported that debut release by leaving their hometown of Richmond, VA, and crisscrossing the country on tour, opening for bands like Foo Fighters and J. Roddy Walston along the way. They made a national splash during the 2015 SXSW Festival, too, with everyone from Esquire Maga-zine to The Daily Beast listing them as one of the week's breakout bands. 

Two years after Empty Light's release, Omega/Whatever finds them returning to their unofficial headquarters — Montrose Recording, a modern studio located on a historic Richmond plantation and operated by bandmate Adrian Olsen — and creating another self-produced album of rumbling rock, shot through with pop hooks, layers of percussion, and coed melodies from four different vocalists. It's a mix of old and new, much like the studio that birthed it. 

It's an album about balance, too, centered around the struggles of living in the modern world. There are songs about divorce, technology, late nights, corrupt politicians, and societal norms, all delivered by a group of songwriters who share their creative duties equally. Olsen, Alexandra Spalding, James Mason, and JL Hodges trade off vocal duties, too, with multi-instrumentalist Charlie Glenn pitching in on keyboards, harmonies, and swells of electric guitar. There's no consistent frontman, no singular leader, no main guitarist. Those roles are fluid, which makes Omega/Whatever very much the product of a band, not just one bandmate's vanity project. 

Like the album that came before it, Avers' second release came together during a series of in-spired sessions at Montrose, with each song beginning as a fledgling idea brought to the table by one of the band's four writers. The entire group would then pitch in, turning that idea into something nuanced and layered. Avers would ultimately finish each song as a collective unit, recording the track the same day it was written. The result is an "infectious" and "ebullient" (The AV Club) sound that not only reintroduces the band, but not also offers an insider's look at their creative process. 

Mixed by Peter Kadis (The National, Kurt Vile) and mastered with Greg Calbi, Omega/Whatever is a battle cry from a band that's fighting the good fight. 

It's not everyday you see a musical act who is also a multi-award winning journalist, but that's what Bryan Russo is, and he's not your average songwriter.

His big bluesy voice wallops audiences with soulful lyrics that bite, and he’s an old soul with a sound to match and he writes like he overheard Tom Waits and Randy Newman talking about life in a diner.

He's got a whole lot to say, and he'll make you want to shake your fist and your tailfeather.


“Bloody Brilliant”-John Mayall (the godfather of british blues)

–he has shared the stage (either solo or with his band The Tragic Figures) with:

John Mayall, The Black Keys, Arctic Monkeys, G Love and Special Sauce, Donavon Frankenreiter, Rusted Root, Shooter Jennings, Lukas Nelson and POTR, J Roddy Walston and the Business, Corb Lund, and Ari Hest and many more

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