Live the Music
FREE ADMISSION 3-11PM
Authentic New Orleans Music featuring: The Lee Boys, Parker Urban Band, and Bobby Lee Rodgers Trio
Hundreds or pounds of Crawfish and Oysters!
Family Friendly, All Ages Welcome
BEADS, BEADS AND BEADS COSTUME CONTEST
Crawfish Boil by Shuck and Dive
Street Performers
EUROPE — A legendary name for a legendary band. Over three decades after they came together and dozens of millions albums sold, Joey Tempest (vocals), John Norum (guitars), Mic Michaeli (keyboards), John Leven (bass) and Ian Haugland (drums) are set to release their TENTH Studio album in March 2015.
WAR OF KINGS is released World wide on German based label UDR, with JVC Victor handling release in Japan. Produced by Dave Cobb, War of Kings has the sound and deep expression that only great musicians with experience can produce.
As Joey puts it “War Of Kings is the album we always wanted to make, ever since we were kids listening to bands like Zeppelin, Purple and Sabbath.”
A brief history that brings us to now:
It all started in a small suburb outside of Stockholm, Sweden. Joey and John met and formed the band Force. They both were into British rock bands like Thin Lizzy and UFO.
Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple also made an immense impact on these teenagers. They recorded their first demos when they were only 16 and 17 years old. Record companies turned them down, saying it was ′too much guitars and their hair was too long′. But with the new name Europe they proved everybody wrong. They won a rock band competition and the first prize was a recording contract. When “Europe” was released in 1983, kids in Sweden and Japan really identified with their music. The second album ′Wings of Tomorrow′ already gained attention from all over the world. Soon Epic Records, New York (now Sony Music) got interested and signed a million dollar contract. When it was time to release their third album ′The Final Countdown′, they had Journey—producer Kevin Elson onboard and a major American label behind them. Touring the UK, US and the rest of the world had always been the boys dream. They had put in the dog years and it was time for the big success. ′The Final Countdown′ sold 7 million records worldwide and the single was number one in over 25 countries and still is a big anthem all over the world until today. The album spent 70 weeks on the Billboard Charts and had four Top 40 singles. Europe made it. They were constantly on the road all over the world but eventually found time to hook up with producer Ron Nevison (UFO, Led Zeppelin) to record their 4th album ′Out Of This World′. With the new hit ′Superstitious′ on the airwaves, they embarked on another 2—year—long world tour. In 1990 they relocated to Los Angeles to record their 5th album, ′Prisoners In Paradise′, followed by yet another extensive world tour. By then the band had constantly been recording and touring for 10 years and it was time for a break.
2004 the band returned with the powerful ′Start From The Dark′. The plan was to slowly build up a relationship with fans and the music world again. The album caused controversy with its raw, heavy detuned sound, but was a great platform to build on. 2006 they recorded ′Secret Society′ — another heavy rocking album. With this album, the British rock press started to take the band serious. The band continued to tour worldwide but now started to get invited to play the UK on a regular basis, with steadily increasing concert attendees. One of their most successful record since returning to the scene was released in 2009: ′Last Look At Eden′. With the bombastic title track and the ballad ′New Love In Town′, Europe broadened their fan base even more to become one of the most successful bands in their genre and returned to the pole position of the official album charts in their home country. At the end of April 2012, the 9th Europe—album, ′Bag Of Bones′, recorded at Atlantis Studios in Stockholm, was released worldwide. Spawning the singles/videos ′Not Supposed To Sing The Blues′ and ′Firebox′, The Kevin Shirley produced record did such a great job capturing the spirit of this band. With continued touring and an ever growing fan base, Europe entered the brand new PanGaia Studios in Stockholm (the first band to ever to record there) to record ′War of Kings′. In keeping with the vibe of the previous two releases and in hopes to take their newfound creativity to even higher levels, the band chose producer american producer Dave Cobb who had done such an amazing job on recent releases by Rival Sons. Joey adds “And after hearing Dave Cobb amazing production for Rival Sons we simply had to work with him!”
And the result is an immense album that corners everything this band is about in 2015 — a huge ′classic′ sound that encompasses the bands talent and draws from all the classic bands and influences from the 70′s, with a vital current sound!
′War of Kings′ the album, featuring the title track as first single (released February 2nd) is unleashed on the public the day the WOK World tour starts — March 2nd 2015, with the band playing Dublin Ireland for the first time in 25 years. What a great way to kick it all off.
Joey Tempest: “Hey! We took the long road! But we wanted to re—establish Europe the proper way. It′s taken 10 years and countless tours since the reunion, but we′re finally getting there and we′ve done it our way!
Mesmerizing, spellbinding and genre-defying: With their fourth full-length studio release Extras In A Movie, Papadosio reveals a striking cinematic cornucopia of sounds: orchestral, electronic, organic, acoustic, psychedelic and celestial. The 16 selections that comprise the song cycle are concise and structured – launch pads for the improvisational excursions that are a hallmark of the band’s celebrated concert performances. “The writing process was a challenge for us, to see if we could integrate some songs that were shorter than five minutes,” notes the band. They envisioned the title Extras In A Movie as a concept connected to themes of interpersonal interactions and relationships. Hitting virtually all major and secondary U.S. music locales and select festivals across North America, Papadosio tours on a massive scale but maintains a close intimacy with their fans. With the new project they are expanding their collective stylistic palette. “We like to have a lot of colors,” they explain. “We’re starting to push that envelope in the way we want to go – to give the people who are at the shows more of a variety of emotions. We don’t have filters. We record what’s happening.” Originally from the creative collegiate hotbed of Athens, Ohio, the band is now centered in Asheville, North Carolina. Not that they are homebodies as they clarify. “For the past five or six years we’ve done maybe 150 dates a year and have been gone for 200 days. We were cutting back a little, but now with the new project the number of shows is about to go way back up.” Extras In A Movie balances Papadosio’s celestial sonic ambience with an organic edge and multiple guitars, both electric and acoustic. “A lot more guitar in general,” they say. “ That’s something new with this record.” What also distinguishes the new music is the prominence of their vocals. Extras In A Movie opens with a dense, harmonic introduction titled “The Last Leaf” and across the span of songs emerges subliminal echoes of prog-rock forefathers like Jethro Tull, Yes and Genesis. Trippy titles abound: “Gazing the Great Oscillator,” “Moon Entendre,” Anima Mundi.” Noting that these designations often come late in the creative process, if the band can’t find a suitable name, they might invent a word. “Obove” is such a creation. In the lexicon of Papadosio it is a term that references “an over arcing emotion.” While the band gleefully dismisses observations on their collective intellect, an exegesis of their themes indicates complex underpinnings. A new song, “Therian” was inspired by archeological cave paintings depicting creatures that are half-beast and half human. “Bypass Default” is a treatise on being nagged by all of the earth’s problems, and is appropriately discordant. “The Wrong Nostalgia” includes a take on modern radio with the line “Who sold these assholes on the airwaves?” — lyrics with an edge and a bite. It is the band’s wish that Extras In A Movie will enchant loyal fans and introduce new audiences to the Papadosio universe. “Our intention is to give people music that can be themes in their lives so they can connect to the music. To provide them with a place to hang out so they don’t feel weird in what they are thinking — to give their brains and their hearts a home.”
Not only is Marianas Trench the deepest known spot in any ocean (located in the floor of the North Pacific Ocean), it’s also a Vancouver-based rock band that is the brainchild of vocalist/guitarist Josh Ramsay. Ramsay — whose dad once owned the Little Mountain Sound studio that recorded bands like Aerosmith and AC/DC in the ’80s, and whose vocal teacher mom recorded and toured with Leonard Cohen for two years — had been writing and recording since his teen years. He unsurprisingly learned to track his own songs early on, crafting music under the influence of rock and pop-punk bands as well as vocal groups with an ear for bright harmonies. Still a teenager, he began shopping his solo stuff around and took plenty of advice for improvement over the next several years. The rotating cast of musicians in the band that eventually appeared around Ramsay settled down by the early 2000s with people from the local scene: guitarist Steve Marshall, keyboardist Matt Webb, bassist Morgan Hempsted, and drummer Ian Casselman. Initially, they were called Ramsay Fiction, and the frontman’s persistence paid off when the band finally scored a deal with 604 Records (co-founded by Nickelback’s Chad Kroeger) in early 2003. By the 2006 release of their debut, however, the group — by then called Marianas Trench — comprised Ramsay alongside Casselman, guitarist/vocalist Matt Webb, and bassist/vocalist Michael Ayley. Their label debut, Fix Me, surfaced in the fall of 2006, and the single “Say Anything” soon broke into the Top Three on the Canadian singles chart; “Decided to Break It” also did well on radio and MuchMusic. Marianas Trench then contributed a song (“Alibis”) to the spring 2007 soundtrack for ABC Family’s popular teen sci-fi show Kyle XY. Their sophomore effort, Masterpiece Theatre, was released in 2009 and quickly became both a critical and commercial success after going platinum in their native Canada. Feeling ambitious, Marianas Trench decided to try their hand at a concept record, in 2011 releasing the more narrative Ever After, which was reissued with bonus material in the U.S. in 2014. A pair of singles, “Pop 101” and “Here’s to the Zeroes,” were released that same year, both were later included on the four-song EP Something Old/Something New, which showed up in early 2015. In keeping with their conceptual themes, the Marianas Trench’s fourth LP, the Goonies-referencing Astoria, arrived later that year and was inspired by fantasy and adventure movies of the ’80s.
It’s been more than 20 years since Ben Ellman, Robert Mercurio, Stanton Moore, Jeff Raines and Rich Vogel began exploring the seemingly limitless musical possibilities born out of their work together as Galactic. Since then, the seminal New Orleans band has consistently pushed artistic boundaries on the road and in the studio, approaching their music with open ears and drawing inspiration as much from the sounds bubbling up from their city’s streets as they do from each other.
A key part of that creative spark comes from the teamwork of Mercurio and Ellman, whose ever-evolving production and arranging skills helped usher the band into a new phase of studio work beginning with the loop-centric “Ruckus” in 2007. A series of albums focused around specific concepts like Carnival followed, as did collaborations with guests hailing from worlds outside the one Galactic calls its own.
On “Into the Deep,” the band members look within themselves instead, drawing inspiration from people and ideas that have long been close to their hearts – and, in turn, close to the development of their unique sound. Shot through with soul, funk, blues and rock, the result is an organic riff on elements of Galactic’s past, filtered through the lens of where they’re headed in 2015.
“I see this album as a kind of culmination of all of our collaborations or experiences, from [trombonist] Corey Henry to the people we met on the road, touring,” says Mercurio, referencing Ellman’s first full-time gig in New Orleans, which kicked off when Henry hired him into the Little Rascals Brass Band in 1989.
“The previous albums took us in the opposite direction,” Mercurio says. “We collaborated with rappers that we had never dealt with and even on the New Orleans tracks, we didn’t have working experience with most of those artists before the recordings.”
In contrast, “Into the Deep” contributors like JJ Grey, David Shaw and Maggie Koerner spent significant time touring with Galactic. A few years ago, Mavis Staples sat in with the band, all of whom are longtime fans of the legendary singer’s R&B-meets-gospel soul style. They caught up with Macy Gray when she performed a memorable concert at Tipitina’s where Ellman says he could see from the outset “how much she cares about the music.” And each of the players had also developed a deep appreciation for the Honorable South’s Charm Taylor, whose contribution, “Right On” was written specifically to suit her vibe.
“Quint Davis [the producer of] Jazz Fest always has a couple people he books at the festival that aren’t big names but that Quint knows are going to be super cool,” says Ellman. “That’s how we met Brushy One-String. We originally wanted to bring him in to do anything, just to see what would happen. But when we heard his song ‘Chicken in the Corn,’ we really wanted to do our version of it.”
In the end, he joined them on the road for over a month, collaborating with the band onstage at each show.
For the instrumental tracks, Galactic mined the interests and tastes they’ve cultivated together for years in New Orleans. “Buck 77” was written via improvisation, a long-standing cornerstone of their live shows. The funky bass line and tumbling guitar part on “Long Live the Borgne,” meanwhile, represents an updated, more composed take on some of the concepts that made early albums like “Coolin’ Off” so strong.
As for the opener “Soogar Doosie,” Ellman points out Galactic tends to record at least one track on each album that speaks to the band’s collective love of brass band music.
“We write [those songs] with the idea of how awesome it would be to hear the Rebirth going down doing the street in a second line playing one of our songs. We try to think of a real second line song that would get people slapping stop signs and dancing on cars,” he says.
The album, Ellman says “is all about people. It’s these connections we’ve made over 20 years. They’re people in our orbit that have come into our little world and affected us in some way.”
It’s also about how the individual musicians within Galactic have grown over time. When it comes to trying new approaches as players, producers, songwriters and arrangers, Ellman muses, “it’s an evolution.”
Self-described “psychedelic hip-hop punk rock” outfit the Kottonmouth Kings emerged from Orange County, California, in 1994. Comprised of former Humble Gods frontman Brad Daddy X, rappers Saint Vicious and D-Loc, DJ Bobby B, and “visual assassin” Pakelika, the group first attracted attention with the track “Suburban Life,” which appeared on the soundtrack to the film Scream 2 and became a modern rock radio hit. After issuing an EP, Stoners Reeking Havoc, on their own Suburban Noize label in early 1998, the Kottonmouth Kings released the full-length Royal Highness on Capitol that summer. Hidden Stash followed a year later, and their third album, High Society, pushed them into the mainstream. Gigs with D12 and Bionic Jive followed in fall 2001, just prior to the release of Hidden Stash, Vol. 2 : Kream of the Krop. A fifth studio album, Rollin’ Stoned, which was produced by Brad X, appeared in October 2002.
The self-explanatory Classic Hits Live hit the streets in 2003 while the band continued its expansion of the Suburban Noize empire, putting out DVDs and CDs by rappers and punk bands. Their 2004 release, Fire It Up, came out on the stoner’s holiday, 4/20. The Kings returned in 2005 with their seventh album, a self-titled effort that featured guest shots from like-minded pals like Cypress Hill and Tech Nine. Unfortunately, the combo was forced to postpone its summer tour when D-Loc sustained a foot injury. Koast II Koast became the band’s eighth studio full-length in June of 2006. The compilation Hidden Stash III appeared at the end of the year, with a new album, Cloud Nine, arriving in 2007. Like the Kings’ 2004 album Fire It Up, 2010 album Long Live the Kings was also released on the stoner’s holiday of 4/20. Sunrise Sessions would follow a year later, featuring more of a reggae and jam band vibe, while 2012’s Mile High returned to the world of rap-rock, while reuniting the group with founding member Saint Dog. In 2015, the Kings climbed into the Top Ten of Billboard’s Rap Albums chart with Krown Power, an album that featured the Insane Clown Posse along with reggae legend Marlon Asher.
“I want to speak for people who don’t have microphones,” Jacob Hemphill says. “Our goal as a band is to stick up for the human race. We see the world and we try to make it better in the limited time we have here.”
This is the philosophy behind SOJA’s music, a simple statement that has driven the Grammy Nominated D.C. area band, who blend reggae, go-go, D.C. hardcore, Latin, rock and hip-hop. Originally formed by a group of friends while still in middle school and has built a massive, dedicated fanbase around the world since. In the years following, SOJA has sold more than
200,000 albums, headlined shows in over 20 countries around the world, generated over 4 million Facebook fans, and over 120 million YouTube views. The band has toured with Dave Matthews Band, Incubus, 311 and appeared at major festivals including Bonnaroo where they attract an almost Grateful Dead-like international fan base along the way, with caravans of diehards following them from city to city. After the release of their 2012 album Strength To Survive, the musicians started writing material for what would become their fifth full-length album, “Amid the Noise and Haste.”
For Hemphill, who pens the lyrics, chords and melody, each song starts with an experience: meeting someone, reading something, experiencing something that seems pertinent to the human condition. On this album, the songwriter is suggesting that “all of life’s problems, and all
of life’s answers are within us. We’ve been conditioned to accumulate, compete and break others down around ourselves — not inherent to the human condition, but rather taught. Those things can be untaught. The real us is in there, somewhere.” All of this is translated into short, sweet packages of music.
The writing and recording process for Amid the Noise and Haste stretched out over a year and a half, mostly because the musicians kept finding new collaborators and new ideas along the way. The aim was to engage as many guest artists as possible, with each working on a song that had a legitimate connection to them. The album was produced by Supa Dups (Bruno Mars, Eminem, Rihanna, John Legend) and recorded at Circle House Studios in Miami and Lion & Fox Studios in Washington D.C. throughout 2013. Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley appears on “Your Song,” a buoyant, hopeful number that asks fans to remind the band why they got into music by singing along, while
“I Believe” brings Michael Franti and Nahko together to offer thoughts on how to control your own destiny. Collie Buddz, J Boog and Anuhea are also featured on various tracks. “We wanted to bring together people who would help demonstrate each song,” Jacob says. “We wanted people who could either relate to or convey the message. The whole album is about the human race relating to itself and connecting with itself.”
For SOJA, whose live show is an explosion of energy and positivity, music is a means of helping people relate in a more affirmative way. It also asks people to look inside themselves and really ask what it is they want to do with their life and how they can be happy. SOJA’s music is about finding that happiness and peace we all deserve and helping others do the same, something Amid the Noise and Haste aptly conveys in its songs.
“I put words in my songs that I believe to be true,” Jacob says. “The point of the album is reconnecting people to the power inside themselves, getting them to fall back in love with life again. Look around, take a deep breath. All the answers are there.”
Crazy Fingers performed their first official show at a private party at Ultimate Farms in Delray Beach FL on Halloween, 10/31/90. A splendid time was had by all. The original lineup was Bubba Newton on bass, Pete Lavezzoli on drums (both still in the band today), Mike Greene on rhythm guitar, and Al Zilinsky on lead guitar. Mike and Pete both shared lead and harmony vocals. The band went through a series of brief changes in the lineup, including Dave Harris on guitar and vocals; Craig Woloshin, also on guitar and vocals; and vocalist Lisa Johnston.
Crazy Fingers finally settled on its longest lasting lineup in 1993, when Corey Dwyer and Rich Friedman joined, with Corey originally on keyboards, and Rich on lead guitar. Both Rich and Corey also sang, joining Pete to give Crazy Fingers a three-part vocal sound. The band continued to build its fan base by playing weekly shows and expanding their repertoire–including many rarely performed GD songs that other tribute bands had never touched. Within a year of Rich and Corey’s arrival, the band began touring the state of Florida, opening for national acts, and writing original music which has been recorded on two CDs to date.
By the mid 90’s, keyboardist Josh Foster began joining the band for special events and statewide shows, eventually relocating from Tampa to become a full member in 1998. In 2001-02, Alan Martinke of Aquaphonics joined the band on keyboards while Josh was on hiatus for school. In 2007, Rich took a leave of absence for family time, and longtime friend and colleague Billy Gilmore joined on guitar and vocals, having already formed the Grass Is Dead with Bubba and Corey. Rich returned to the band in 2011. Each bandmember has explored other projects, as seen in their individual bios by clicking on their photo above. At present, the current lineup of Crazy Fingers is once again its longest running lineup of Bubba, Corey, Josh, Rich, and Pete.
The band has played over 2500 live shows, allowing Crazy Fingers to sustain a devoted following and a nationwide reputation as one of the premiere Grateful Dead tribute bands.
Crazy Fingers has had the honor of sharing the stage with such acts as the Band, Ziggy Marley, the Neville Brothers, Warren Haynes and Gov’t Mule, Little Feat, the Radiators, Merl Saunders, Zero and Steve Kimock, Melvin Seals and JGB, Buddy Miles, Country Joe McDonald, Jefferson Starship, Dark Star Orchestra, and Donna the Buffalo. Crazy Fingers has also hosted prestigious guest musicians who have played with the band onstage, such as Vince Welnick of the Grateful Dead, Melvin Seals, Steve Kimock, Buddy Cage, Buddy Miles, David Gans, Ed Volker of the Radiators, and Stu Allen of JGB, to name a few. Crazy Fingers has also appeared at many prestigious festivals including Langerado, Sun Fest, Magnolia Fest, Harvest Fest, and others.
The first Crazy Fingers original studio CD, Come On and Dance, has sold out, and new copies have not been yet printed, because the band is considering a remix of the CD. The band’s second studio CD of original material, Strange Life, remains available on the website through Paypal, and can also be purchased at live shows. Strange Life is a blend of several different styles of music including blues, folk, country, and good old rock and roll. Crazy Fingers is currently working on a third CD of original songs, and perhaps a remixed Come On and Dance, so stay tuned and come join us at the shows!
We thank you and love you all for being a part of our family!
Pink Talking Fish is a Hybrid Tribute Fusion Act that takes the music from three of the world’s most beloved bands and creates a special treat for fans of the music.
Pink Floyd, The Talking Heads and Phish are all more than just bands… they are Phenomenons. Their creations have artistically inspired people and their mindblowing live performances have brought people together to form a special sense of community around the love for their favorite band.
Although the music from each act is different, Pink Talking Fish has discovered that fusing the material together creates an amazing story. The epic emotion of Pink Floyd…. The funky, danceable layerings of The Talking Heads…. The multitude of styles, unique compositional structures and pure fun of Phish…. to merge these three into one gives music lovers a special experience.
Pink Talking Fish features Eric Gould on bass, Richard James on keyboards, Zack Burwick on drums and Dave Brunyak on guitar. This is a band created by musicians who love the music of these acts. It’s purpose is to heighten people’s passion for this music by creating something fresh and exciting for fans.
Discovering connections is part of the fun: Pink Floyd’s “On The Run” seamlessly fitting in the middle of the composition of Phish’s “You Enjoy Myself”. Perfectly placing Phish’s “Sand” into the groove of The Talking Head’s “Slippery People”.
The story is ever evolving. The experience is always exciting. Come join Pink Talking Fish for the ultimate fusion tribute and celebrate the love of this music in unique fashion.
The Heavy Pets are an American rock band that blends rhythm & blues, jazz, funk, disco and reggae with rock & roll. Called “a living, breathing, force of nature” by Relix Magazine, the Pets are known for their soulful songcraft and powerhouse live performances. Riding high on the success of their most recent studio effort, Two Horses, look out for The Heavy Pets as they continue to hit the road hard.
“Nice big balls.” – Dennis Cook, Jambase
The group became an instant Sirius radio sensation in 2007 with the release of their double-disc debut album, Whale, driven by hit tracks “Operation of Flight” and “Sleep.” First embraced by the jam scene for their raw talent, their crossover sound that is showcased on their self-titled album, also dubbed a “Top 10 Album of 2010” by The Huffington Post, propelled them into the periphery of mainstream music. Returning to their acoustic roots on Swim Out Past the Sun (2011), THP’s guitar duo set aside their electric axes for a more organic approach. The Heavy Pets followed up those polished efforts by releasing the Everywhere Sessions: Volume 1 EP, recorded live in the studio with accompanying videos of the three songs “Chew,” “Help Me Help You” and “The Day the Sun Forgot to Rise.”
Major festival darlings, THP have taken the stage at Bonnaroo, Jam Cruise, High Sierra, Gathering of the Vibes, All Good, Wakarusa, Mountain Jam, Langerado, Bear Creek, Summer Camp, Catskill Chill, AURA and their namesake PetZoo.
A vibrant singer and songwriter of uplifting pop anthems, Massachusetts native Rachel Platten started piano lessons at age four and began writing songs while in college. While finishing a degree in international relations from Trinity College in 2003, she self-released an R&B album titled Trust in Me, and eventually obtained a record label internship while abroad in Trinidad in 2005. During her stay, she sang backup for a band performing before large crowds throughout the Caribbean and determined to try to make career in music, moving to New York City in 2006. Over the next few years, she worked on preparing her sophomore album, and toured at every opportunity, including support spots for the Strokes, Regina Spektor, Rusted Root, and Ziggy Marley. Along the way, she began to land licensing deals for advertising and TV series, and her song “Seven Weeks” appeared in the 2009 romantic comedy The Good Guy. Her second album, Be Here, which included collaborations with Fredrik Thomander (*NSYNC), the Wizards of Oz (Avril Lavigne), and Jerry Abbott and Grant Black (Julian Velard), was finally released by Rock Ridge Music in the spring of 2011. The single “1,000 Ships” hit number 24 on Billboard’s Adult Pop Songs chart, and she toured on and off in support of the album for the next two years. Meanwhile, the U.S. cable TV show Jane by Design (2011-2012) used her song “Work of Art” as its theme, and multiple Platten songs appeared on Pretty Little Liars, also on the ABC Family network. Her song “Smile” was co-written with Dave Bassett and Christopher Umana (aka C4) for the 2014 film Annie, and an empowering single titled “Fight Song” from her third album was released in late 2014. Early the next year, Platten announced she had signed with Columbia Records. She then opened for Andy Grammer’s tour with U.S. X Factor winners Alex & Sierra into the spring of 2015.
Tattooed with pictures of AK-47s, Miami’s six-foot, 300-pound rap figure known as Rick Ross embraced his city’s reputation for drug trafficking on his debut single, “Hustlin’,” in 2006. While Atlanta and Houston artists were establishing their cities as Southern strongholds, Ross aimed at putting Miami back in rap’s national spotlight. Ross, real name William Roberts, grew up in Carol City, Florida, an impoverished northern suburb of Miami. Influenced by artists like Luther Campbell and the Notorious B.I.G., Roberts formed local rap group the Carol City Cartel and began rapping in the mid-’90s. (He took his rap name from Los Angeles drug kingpin “Freeway” Rick Ross, who ran one of the largest crack cocaine distribution networks in the country during the ’80s and early ’90s.) Ross had a brief stint on Suave House Records, former label of Eightball & MJG, before he ended up on Miami-based Slip ‘N’ Slide Records, the label home of Trick Daddy and Trina. During the early to mid-2000s, he became popular and well-known locally through touring with Trick Daddy and appearing as a guest on a few Slip ‘N’ Slide releases, but didn’t release any solo material until 2006.
Once “Hustlin'” caught the ear of a few executives within the national industry, a bidding war ensued that included offers from Bad Boy CEO Sean “Diddy” Combs and The Inc. (formerly Murder Inc) president Irv Gotti. Nonetheless, Def Jam president and veteran rapper Jay-Z signed Ross to a multi-million-dollar deal. The Miami anthem “Hustlin'” went on to receive gold status from the RIAA in May 2006 and sold over a million ringtone units before the physical release of his debut album, Port of Miami. Released in August 2006, Ross‘ debut was Slip ‘N’ Slide’s first project under the Def Jam partnership, and it went to number one on the Billboard album chart. His follow-up, Trilla, was released the following year, prefaced with the Cool & Dre-produced title track. Early 2009 saw the release of Deeper Than Rap, an album greeted with numerous positive reviews in the hip-hop press. In early 2010 he released the Teflon Don album featuring the hit single “B.M.F. (Blowin’ Money Fast).” The star-studded God Forgives, I Don’t followed in 2012, with guest shots from Jay-Z and Mary J. Blige.
At the start of 2013, he announced details of his sixth studio album. He enlisted the help of Scott Storch and DJ Khaledas executive producers and released the pre-album single “No Games” featuring Future. The album, titled Mastermind, landed in March of 2014 with the simultaneous release of the single “War Ready” featuring Young Jeezy. Just six months later, Ross announced that he would be releasing his seventh studio album, Hood Billionaire, toward the end of 2014. The album arrived in November of that year and was preceded by the singles “Elvis Presley Blvd.” and “Keep Doin’ That (Rich Bitch).” In 2015 he dropped Black Dollar, a high-profile official mixtape that featured production from J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League and Jake One. The mixtape previewed that year’s official album, Black Market, which landed late in the year, along with the accompanying single “Sorry” featuring Chris Brown.
Glass Animals vocalist and songwriter David Bayley draws influence for both music and artwork from his involvement in the world of medicine and neuroscience (at just 22 yrs old, he has studied both) creating a sound with it’s roots spread between the electronic and live instrumentation. The result is the warm, narcotic space between a downbeat, slow-burning groove and electro-pop catchiness.