Local Loft

Local Loft Episode 123

Go ahead,breathe it in( as long as you're not near any contaminated air) The local hard rock,metal,punk,alt,and progressive Chicagoland and Illinois music scene lives and breathes once again on the cyber airwaves.
Metal is exploited and showcased to the full with Kankakee's Ephinepic. The four man band featuring the intense vocal roar of Cody Zupan (who also belts out the lead vocals for Extraction Point) and the earth crumbling drumming of his brother Travis, returns with Exploit This. It took nearly five years for their follow up EP to their debut,Ignite to be released. They rock in your face with a tune about the horrors of detergent substance abuse amongst other subjects.
Veteran rockers M & R Rush sought out FM radio again,21 years after the legendary Loop FM 98 brought them fan attention. We rock back to May of 2011 when I had the honor of giving them radio exposure one more time.
Four years ago this month, it was the buckshot heard around the city of Chicago. Ghetto Rap Hard rockers Blackmarket Democracy invaded Nite Cap. in May 2016. They rock on, Nite Cap has closed tight, never to have another band tear up the stage again.
Programmable Animal spaced themselves out amongst a crowd of mostly local Joliet Metal bands and a huge legion of fans. I reintroduce you to them when they brought their futuristic industrial sound to The Kat 105.5's Homegrown Tones
Along with these, you're social distancing your slam dance and crowd surfing moves to:
Ephinepic-Tide Pod Suicide
Ephinepic-Mr. Sinator
Extraction Point-Skanakgoat
M & R Rush (5/5/11-Interview With John McFaland and Jeff Luif in The Kat 105.5 studios)
M & R Rush- He's A Different Breed of Kat
M & R Rush-Million Seller
M & R Rush-Rock and Roll Chicago(2004 remake)
Blackmarket Democracy(Local Loft Episode 25-5i/18/16-interview from Nite Cap)
Blackmarket Democracy-Buckshot Republic
Blackmarket Democracy-Fragile
Programmable Animal (Interview form Kat 105.5 studio 5/8/14)
Programmable Animal-Dark
Programmable Animal-Brown In Elation
Programmable Animal-Fate's Surprise  
 

Local Loft Episode 122

Home is where the tunes are. And you don't need to put one toe nail outside your house to discover the wide landscape of local hard rock,metal,punk,alt rock and prog.
Five years ago on the first of may, you most likely left your home to rock with Hot Dang, when they had a release show for their self titled debut CD. You don't have to leave the friendly confines of your humble ebobe to hear their brand new follow up, Achieving Commercial Success. It's available for digital download on Spotify,You Tube,and many other digital platforms. Check out two tracks of it right here.
It will be a good long while before we can venture out to our favorite venue, to be an eye and ear witness to live music. I give you an in depth flashback (ok three) into local bands on the verge of working their magic in front of small and massive crowds. Relieve the awesome rock power of Veilside, Beneath The Stares and Catapult the Propaganda all over again. I present the first radio and podcast interviews of all three.
 
Along with these, you will be home schooled into local music discovery with:
Hot Dang-Pacific Coast Highway
Hot Dang-Give Me Whiskey or Give Me Death
Veilside(In studio interview on Kat 1055's Homegrown Tones-4/28/11)
Veilside-Along The Way
Veilside-My Turn
Veilside-Hypocrisy
Beneath The Stares(In Studio Interview on The Kat 1055's Homegrown Tones-4/12/12)
Beneath The Stares-Citadel
Beneath The Stares-Beneath The Stares
Beneath The Stares-Tropic of Cancer
Catapault The Propaganda (Interview before gig at EXIT Chicago-4/30/16)
Catapault The Propaganda-Sorrows Of Empire
Catapault The Propaganda-Hollowed

Local Loft Episode 121

Healthily spreading rapidly across cyberspace, a severe local music epidemic from Chicagoland and Illinois to your isolated home or computer infested territory. 
Real Bad Real Fast practices Safety First in delivering the follow up to their debut 2016 EP. Nothing safe about the music here. Blistering, angry ultra fast Punk with the right touch of Thrash Metal. I talk to all three of them before they deliver the goods onstage at a Punk Pop vs. Hardcore Punk battle of local bands at Outtaspsce in Berwyn,
So many local and national bands have had to reschedule more than just a handful of live dates due to the poisonous coronavirius outbreak. Not to say they aren't staying active on the scene. Veteran rockers M & R Rush and dark rock 4 piece Black Road make the  best of a serious situation, M & R by streaming a house rocking gig from 5 years ago in South Suburban Beverly online, and Black Road by revealing a great and powerful immortal new music video.
Along with these, you're rocking out the government ordered quarantine period with:
Real Bad Real fast-Comin In Hot
Real Bad Real Fast-Ronan Farrow
Having Kittens-Flu/Google My Name
Rachel's Bully-Whiskey
Pipe-Burn The Weed
Modern Day Rippers-Boredom Is A Killer
Brickwall Vultures-One City,One Pride(from 7' vinyl EP, Vultures Rule OK)
M & R Rush-You're The Only Woman(1981 original Reach For The Stars vinyl EP)
Crusadist-The Unholy Grail
Marks Of Gray- Visions of Eminence
Black Road-End Of Man (music video version) 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Local Loft Episode 120

Rock and Roll Royalty, worthy of a Hall of Fame induction,and their presence is gracing the cyber airwaves.
Kevin Lee's music journey once took him to Nashville in the early 90s. But he has called Chicago home for much of a career that has produced a melodic hard rock sound with the Kings. As they get ready to release Wind It Up,their first new single in 3 years, I talk to  Kevin and the band,on thier new honor of being in the soon to be opened Illinois Rock Hall of Fame and Museum in Joliet, before they headline at Brauerhouse in Lombard.
Frontline returns with the long awaited follow up to their 2016 debut,Cold World. And Peoria veteran metal act,War Hammer hook up with a local Chicago Southlands based producer for their new full length record,which sounds dangerously close to old school Judas Priest.
 
Along with them, you'll have an intense pogo spring in your step as you rock out to:
Kevin Lee and The Kings-How It Feels
Kevin Lee and the Kings-On Top Of The World
Kevin Lee-Trying To Find My Way Back Home(Live in the Kat 105.5 studio 11/18/10)
3 Days From Dying-Winter Tears
Those Dirty Thieves-No Sleep
The Run Around-Bombs Away
Prison City Brigade-Failure By Design
Of Wolves-Clear Cutting/Bloodshedding/Heart To Hand
War Hammer-Morbid Thoughts
Frontline-Live It Up

Local Loft Episode 119

February makes us shiver, but with every new tune from local metal,punk,alt-rock, and prog rock band Local Loft delivers, more than just faces will melt. New awesome music talent is springing forward to induce major headbanging,pogoing and moshing and many more chances to check out the scene live without mother nature interfering.
Burned in Effigy from Elmhurst  started out as a totally instrumental 4 piece band blending elements of classical,jazz and soul into their very aggressive metal attack, With the addition of singer Mark (Smedy) Smedbron, they have greatly expanded their sound. I talk to them before they headline a Sunday night gig at Wire in Berwyn.
Still shocking,still soaking in promiscuity,Sinister Fate returns with a slightly different band lineup,on their first new EP in almost 4 years. The world is not safe from the vocal wrath of shock frontman David Bates again,
Kankakee's Carrying Torches ignite your pc's motherboard with a new song about being inside the mind of a CPU.
Along with them,your mind and ears are processing beats and grooves, so your body can move to:
Burned In Effigy-Jupiter
Burned In Effigy-Hades
Architects Of Ruin-By The Pound
Havens-No Control
Fool's Brew-Exit Through The Gift Shop
The Green Leaves-Orpidian II
Orinoco-Weak
Carrying Torches-Computer
Sinister Fate-World In Ruins
Veilside-Left Town

Local Loft Episode 118

Five years...what a surprise. Well the podcast that extensively covers the Chicagoland area and Illinois hard rock,metal,punk al-rock and prog rock scene, isn't yet there,but close. How long I have been covering the scene doesn't matter,it's the bands and solo acts that make it happen. And I've got a couple of promising ones to kick off another active year of opportunities to throw your support behind completely. 
 
As we say hello, we must also bid farewell to one of the most active supporters of local hard rock and metal. Randy Hellson ( The Cutioner) lived and breathed the scene like no other. He was one third of Chicago Metal Alliance,who helped bands with everything from getting a gig to promotion of new song or album. Randy partied like a rock star,and it caught up with him. One of his partners in the CMA, Holly Smith , not only said goodbye to him at a special tribute show in Franklin Park, but to her own band, Hot Dang. You can bet that Holly will rock on with another band,soon.
We introduce you to Skylight Cinema, a melodic 4 piece Punk Pop,Melodic hard rock band with perfect in sync vocal harmonies and a hard driving rhythmic sound, and Background Character, who mixes hardcore screaming Metal singing with off the wall,bizarre lyrical images.
 
Along with them, you're waving devils horn hand signs in perfect harmony to:
Skylight Cinema-Don't Faze Me
Skylight Cinema-Turn Me Golden
Background Character-Minor League Alcoholics
Background Character-Lightning McQueen Moon
Phosphene-Anti-Hero
Prison City Brigade-Failure By Design
Reckless Redemption-815 Homicide
Ditchwater-Enemy Of The People
Hot Dang-Stay Golden,Pony Boy

Local Loft Episode 117

The Best of the Best. Year in review lists are strictly opinionated. And I admit, I need to be more active in getting out to more local shows. But i have witnessed enough of a very active hard rock,metal,punk,alt and prog rock scene around Chicagoland area and Illinois that I can provide a complete rundown of the past 12 months. 
I won't give away all the winners, listen to the podcast as we rock out the old and plunge devils horn hand sign first into a new decade.
Extraction Point-Purification Through Hatred
Extraction Point- Mindsnap
Macabre-Bella The Butcher ( I forget to name  their annual Holiday of Horror at Reggies as best local show of 2019)
Dave Bellah-Pictures of the Past
Racing The Sun-Slippin Jimmy
Carrying Torches-Anymore
Evil Engine-Upstanding Citizen
Beneath The Stares-Beneath The Stares
Off Broadway-Bully Bully
Black Road-End Of Man
 
 

Local Loft Episode 116

There's no holiday,for listening and discovering new,fresh and unique original local Chicago area and Illinois hard rock,punk,metal,alt-rock and prog. It's as much as an important part of your life as getting up in the morning. So rise up,and tap in to the ever changing and active scene.
The Off Days are a 4 man alt rock band from Chicago's North side with a blend of angst ridden 90's style grunge and 60's era British invasion power pop,with a sight new wave 80's twist. I found out about their catchy guitar driven music before they rock a Sunday night crowd at Wire in Berwyn.
Veilside says goodbye,to longtime co founder,Bob Hilton,and to a extensive,loyal fan base,with one last show. It's going to be a nice,memorable gift of music to the man who mostly put it all together.
Black Road substitutes Halloween for Christmas with a fiery witch hunt, in another groovin offering from their new full length album.
Along with these, you're rockin around the xmas tree,while air guitar shredding the trimmings to:
The Off Days-Junkie Baby
The Off Days-Kiss Of Death
Lever-Story Untold
Crusadist-Blood And Conquest
Old Whiskey Funeral-Pitch Black
Mine Collapse-Cowards
Black Road-Torches
Prison City Brigade-Shitty Presents
Veilside-To The End
 

Local Loft Episode 115

Stuffing your ears,and filling your senses up with the newest,heaviest and most upbeat original hard rock,metal,punk,alt-rock and prog rock from the Chicagoland area and Illinois. Help yourself to seconds,thirds and fourths. You'll be thankful for the full plate of music helpings.
Voice of Addiction is a veteran Chicago Punk band who has gone on over 1,300 tours since they began in 2004. I talk to singer/bassist Ian "Johnny X" Tomele and the other two members before they get a pogoing crowd in a state of slam dance from Brauerhouse in Lombard.
Black Road's long awaited full length album,Witch Of The Future has finally been released,in many different multicolored formats. I provide a rundown of the many you can pick up as Black Friday Record Store Day approaches.
Veilside loses another long time member, who put the melodic hard rockers together from the beginning. More about the sad passing of Bassist Bob Cabo Hilton.
Along with these, your ear lobes gobble down the rockin ear candy of:
Voice Of Addiction-Eraser
Voice Of Addiction-Rustbelt
Prison City Brigade-Time & Fear
Remnants Of A Rebellion-Ghost
A Treachery Untold-Laceration Of Memory
Without Light-Facing The Monlith
Black Road-Radiation
Fool's Brew-The Faceless
Racing The Sun-Stranger Danger
Veilside-Along The Way

Local Loft Episode 114

Haunting and headbanging.Morbid and mosh-inducing. Whether you dance on a grave, or pogo on porcealin floors,this soundtrack of original Chicagoland area and Illinois hard rock,metal,punk,alt-rock and prog is the perfect ear candy to clean out all sinus cavities.
Extraction Point is a hardcore metal supergroup. Founding member Robb Serrano played drums for Odonrot,guitarist Rick Lancaster was in Joliet's Whut, Singer Cody Zupan was in Kankakee's Ephinepic,but also got his start in cult Chicago metal bands Regin Inferno and God Dementia. The five man band tears it up at the annual Prison City Halloween Massacre. I talk to them from The Forge in Joliet about their debut CD,Purification Through Hatred.
Black Road makes Halloween the day of deliverance,for their brand new full length album, Witch of the Future.And trick or treat day is a real treat for fans of Tides Cult,a new five piece Chicago hardcore metal band, to get rocked to the extreme with their debut release.
Along with these,you're slam dancing like a possessed zombie to:
Extraction Point-Skankgoat
Extraction Point-Best Served Cold (with Holly Smith of Hot Dang)
Ephinepic-Hot Monster
God Dementia-King Of Nothing
Dead Where I Stand-Take Me Out
Big Blood-Sweet Little Woman
Highball-It's Time
Two Ton Anvil-Chaos
Tides Cult-Savannah
Black Road-Blood On The Blade/Lament (7' single version)
Prison City Brigade-Haunted