Chris Jaiden is a Singer/Songwriter, Producer/Engineer currently residing in Los Angeles, California. His projects include his hard rock band Cloaking Skies, his rock bands, Reflektiv + Surface; his electronic rock solo venture, The Flu; his hip-hop project, The Grae: Area with Bay Area MC Sean Blak, and various hip-hop projects where he is featured for his catchy hooks. Look for his new solo album "Welcome To California” that was released August 23, 2019 featuring his work with Grammy nominated producer Jay-J.

His single "No Worries" from his album "Welcome to California" was an Official Grammy Contender for Best Rock Performance for the 2020 Grammy's. 

He was also a 5 time Grammy Contender for 2021. His solo single "Face the Music (feat Rico Laws) was up for Best Melodic Rap Performance, and his band Cloaking Skies 2 singles Ashes & Flames and Swirls in the Pearl Mist were both up separately for Record of the Year, as well as Ashes & Flames being up for Best Rock Performance, and Swirls in the Pearl Mist being up for Best Metal Performance. 

Chris is a 6x Grammy Contender at this point in his career. He has made it through all 3 rounds of Grammy voting in both 2020 & 2021, making it to the last 12 final Grammy voting members and just missing a Nomination each year. Chris is also a Breedlove Guitars sposored artist.

Illinois hails from Bucks County,Pa and is made up of Chris Archibald(banjo,guitar,keys,vocals), Martin Hoeger(bass,vocals), John Paul Kuyper(drums), Jason Buzolits (keys,guitar,vocals). The band is occasionally joined on stage by Craig Labor(percussion),Scott Labor(keys,misc) from The Orange Apples. The boys of Illinois also like to invite their favorite turntable specialist Dj Skipmode with them on stage. Whatever the lineup consists of the live show is always something to behold.

The combination of lively drum beats and melodic banjo riffs with the complementary guitar and bass lines gives Illinois a very unique sound that is difficult to describe and even more difficult to categorize. There's a very obvious indie-folk element along with some bright pop-rock sound, but the overall result is something one must hear firsthand. 

     “The lyrical depth of the Kinks sauteed with the musical overtones of the Flaming Lips and John Spencer Blues Explosion reduction" gushed one critic. Regardless of your leanings, and whether you're happy, mellow, drunk or confused, Illinois plays beautiful music that makes old loves new and the green grass grow."AMAZON

    “ Stylistic schizophrenia - which is to say, there is something there for everyone: a           manic mix of banjo-laced saloon anthems, hip hop beats, rip-roaring electric guitar riffs, and tender acoustic soul-searching - traversing fresh genre terrain seemingly with every passing track.”
SPIN

After taking some time off from a grueling road schedule the band got back to work releasing their fourth record "Lemonade Stand". It is a retrospective album of some of their 700 demos that span the years 2004-2010. They have also been hard at work in the studio since the summer of 2011 recording all new material and are hoping for a early 2012 release. 

The band released their first EP "Revenge of Some Kid" in 2006 and it caused quite buzz in the industry. After signing with Ace Fu the band released the EP "What The Hell Do I Know" to critical acclaim. Ace Fu and Illinois followed that release up with a single "We Were Wrong" in 2008. As the industry crumbles so do many label including Ace Fu. The Boys of Illinois find a home at +1 records and set to release their first LP "The Adventures of Kid Catastrophe" in 2009. It was an auspicious effort that started with digital downloads of 3 songs and a short movie for six separate "chapters". All the "chapters" came together for the full release.

These days the boys are doing it all them selves. Lemonade Stand is the first Illinois record released on homegrown "Rockhampton Records". Rockhampton Records is a partnership between Illinois and fellow Buck's County natives Eastern Conference Champions. The the industry is going through their is really no reason to give up control of our art. There is really no telling where Illinois will go next, we just know we cant stop.

Ron DiSilvestro, Producer, Engineer, Drummer, and all around Mixing Master. His discography includes hundreds of albums in every genre.  Most of his work gets played by every local radio station in the Philadelphia market.  Ron works on an API 1608 console and has access to some amazing outboard gear at Forge Recording.  For more details, contact info@forgerecording.com.  

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