{"key":"11649","name":"Dropkick Murphys","bio":"Dropkick Murphys are a punk rock band formed in Quincy, Massachusetts, United States in 1996. First playing together in the basement of a friend's barbershop, the band made a name for itself because of its relentless touring and for its annual St. Patrick's Day weekend shows in Boston. The band's songs often deal with Celtic influences, and the working-class environment in which the band members grew up.The band put out a series of EPs and was signed by Rancid frontman Tim Armstrong's label Hellcat Records. In 1998, the Dropkick Murphys released their first full-length album, Do Or Die. Lead singer Mike McColgan, who left the band later that year, was replaced by The Bruisers lead singer Al Barr. In 1999, they released their followup album, The Gang's All Here. In 2001, they released their third album, Sing Loud, Sing Proud. The album showcased the group\u2019s developing sound and included collaborations with The Pogues' frontman Shane MacGowan and Cock Sparrer's Colin McFaull. It also marked a significant lineup change for the band. Original guitarist Rick Barton was replaced by former The Ducky Boys' guitarists James Lynch and Marc Orrell; instruments were added and played by new members Ryan Foltz and Spicy McHaggis.The Dropkick Murphys' next album, Blackout, was released in 2003. The new album included the radio hit \"Walk Away,\" as well as the songs \"Fields of Athenry\" and \"The Dirty Glass.\" The latter features female vocals by Stephanie Dougherty (Deadly Sins). Around the same time, the band released a re-working of the Boston Red Sox anthem \"Tessie,\" which then became the official song of the team's 2004 World Series run. \"Tessie\" was also used throughout the major motion picture Fever Pitch and was included on the EA Sports MVP Baseball 2005 soundtrack. In 2005, the Dropkick Murphys released Singles Collection Volume 2, featuring covers, B-sides, and other material that didn't make it onto previous albums, and the band contributed a recording of \"We Got the Power\" to Rock Against Bush, Volume 2.The Dropkick Murphys' fifth studio album, The Warrior's Code, was released on June 21, 2005. It features the singles \"Sunshine Highway,\" \"The Walking Dead,\" \"The Warrior's Code,\" as well as the bonus track \"Tessie.\" It also includes a song that was inspired by a Woody Guthrie poem, which the group named \"I'm Shipping Up to Boston.\" The song was featured in Martin Scorsese's 2006 film The Departed. Scorsese mentioned the band in an interview after winning his first Oscar.The Dropkick Murphys released their sixth studio album, The Meanest of Times, on September 18, 2007. It was their first release not on the Hellcat Records label but instead on the label Born & Bred.In early 2008, Marc Orrell left the band. Thereupon Tim Brennan, who had been playing mandolin, accordion, banjo, tin whistle, and guitar for the band since 2004, replaced Orrell on lead guitar. Tim's previous musical duties were taken over by Jeff DaRosa, former member of The Vigilante and Pinkerton Thugs.","featuredImage":"https:\/\/assets.allamericanmusic.com\/images\/11649_h_0.jpg","feeRange":"40,000 - 75,000"}

{"key":"11643","name":"Against Me!","bio":"Against Me! is a punk rock band originally from Naples, Florida, and later relocated to Gainesville, Florida. They are known for their heavily folk-influenced sound and energetic live shows (Spin named them one of the 25 greatest live bands in 2006). Their first full-length album, released on No Idea Records in 2002, was the highly-acclaimed Reinventing Axl Rose. In December 2005, they signed to Sire Records, and released their major label debut, New Wave, on July 10, 2007. June 4, 2010 saw the release of their fifth studio album, White Crosses.Laura Jane Grace started Against Me! in 1997 as a solo act at the age of 17. She would only occasionally perform with support from drummers and\/or bassists. This period in the band was marked by playing guerrilla shows in a college apartment complex laundromat, emphasizing the D.I.Y. sentiments of their work. Laura self-released one demo tape, officially entitled Against Me!, but more commonly known as Tom's Demo. While copies of the cassette itself are extremely rare, internet file-sharing programs have helped to circulate the songs amongst fans.Another demo cassette was released the following year on Misanthrope Records, with a slightly more complete band, titled Vivida Vis. Only five hundred copies of this album were made, but file-sharing once again popularized it. Perhaps the most well-known song on the record, \"Shit Stroll\" is still routinely requested by the audience at Against Me! shows. The band rarely, if ever, obliges these requests.In 2001, Against Me! celebrated their first widely successful release in Crime as Forgiven By. The four-song 7\" and six-song CD-EP was joint-released on Plan It X Records and Sabot Productions. The 7\" came first; the CD that followed included two bonus tracks: Impact, which remains a staple of live shows, and Burn.After Crime, a four-song acoustic 7\" was released. While technically untitled, the album is most commonly referred to as The Acoustic EP. It has since been re-released as a CD-EP with two extra songs. It contains no electric guitar or drums; only Larua's acoustic guitar and bass by Dustin Fridkin. It is widely considered one of the band's definitive releases.Shortly after the release of the EP, Against Me!'s lineup shifted when Kevin Mahon officially left the band. Warren Oakes took Mahon's place, and James Bowman joined as a second guitarist.Released in 2002, Reinventing Axl Rose was the band's first full-length album. It featured five new tracks (the other six were re-recorded from their original appearances on Crime and The Acoustic EP). This album was considered a shift because of the addition of electric guitars, as well as the fact that it was their first release a full band. The title track and Baby, I'm an Anarchist! earned significant notoriety in punk rock circles and began to spread the band to a larger fan base.Later in 2002, a three-song EP entitled The Disco Before the Breakdown was released. The title track is a marked departure from the earlier sound, incorporating friends and musicians from their label, No Idea Records, as a horn section for the first time. Songs such as Tonight We're Gonna Give it 35% showed the band's greatest transition toward a more mainstream rock sound.Shortly before recording Disco, Against Me!'s lineup changed once again. Fridkin left the band, and was replaced on bass guitar by Andrew Seward. This lineup of Laura, Oakes, Bowman, and Seward has remained constant since. Interestingly, the common set-up of the band at live shows features Laura (the chief vocalist) stage right, while Seward takes center stage.Their second full length album, As the Eternal Cowboy, was released on popular punk label Fat Wreck Chords. Though many fans welcomed the opportunity of increased exposure for the band, some older fans and those with anarchist sensibilities themselves were less pleased. Some even considered the band sell-outs, claiming that the band had gone against ideals formerly expressed in their music, such as a DIY ethics and a anti-capitalist stance. Ironically, Laura describes the album as sounding \"more punk.\" This album also marked the release of their first single, Sink, Florida, Sink. The divisive effect this record had on their fan base became the topic of their next release, a DVD called We're Never Going Home, a title derived from the song Slurring the Rythyms.The band's second Fat release, Searching For A Former Clarity, was released on September 6, 2005. It broke them into the mainstream, debuting at #114 on the Billboard charts. The band released a music video for the album's first single, Don't Lose Touch, originally specifically for MySpace. The band performed the song on an episode of Late Night With Conan O'Brien, which aired on September 30, 2005.On December 21, 2005, it was announced that the band had signed a deal with Sire Records. This decision alienated some of Against Me!'s longtime fans, who felt that the band finally signing to a major label betrayed their anarchistic ethics and longtime beliefs; however the majority of fans remain supportive of the band's decision. Against Me! has stated that a large factor in the decision to switch to Sire was the opportunity to work with Butch Vig, producer for Nirvana's Nevermind.Against Me! released their first live album (and final Fat release), titled Americans Abroad!!! Against Me!!! Live In London!!!, on August 22, 2006. The album was recorded at the Mean Fiddler in London, England. It features a live version of a previously unreleased song named Americans Abroad (the studio version was later recorded for New Wave). The album was released solely to fill a contractual obligation to Fat Wreck Chords.On December 29, 2006, Against Me! announced their debut album on Sire, titled New Wave. The album contains ten songs, stretching just over 30 minutes, and was released on July 10, 2007. It debuted at #57 on the Billboard 200 the week of its release. Spin named it the best album of 2007 in their annual top 40 list. It is the first Against Me! album that does not feature at least one acoustic song. Singles include White People For Peace and Thrash Unreal. The latter song reached #11 on the U.S. Modern Rock Chart, becoming the band's first chart single. The album also features Tegan Quin (Tegan and Sara) on the song Borne on the FM Waves of the Heart.On June 8, 2009, drummer Warren Oakes announced that he would be leaving Against Me! after eight years with the band. His statement indicated the split was amicable, as he left the band to focus his efforts on his new Mexican restaurant, Boca Fiesta. He was replaced by Hot Water Music drummer George Rebelo.On July 7, 2009, Fat Wreck Chords released The Original Cowboy, an album consisting of unreleased demos recorded prior to the As the Eternal Cowboy session. The demos were recorded by Rob McGregor in Gainesville on July 15, 2003.On June 7, 2010, Against Me! released their second record with Sire, White Crosses. Fan reception has been mixed. Also in 2010, George Rebelo was replaced as drummer by Jay Weinberg, initially on a temporary basis, but eventually became the permanent drummer. In May 2012 Laura publicly came out as transgender, having dealt with gender dysphoria since childhood. Laura Jane Grace has begun taking hormones and has underwent electrolysis treatments.In 2013, where Weinberg was replaced by Atom Willard as the fulltime drummer for the band.","featuredImage":"https:\/\/assets.allamericanmusic.com\/images\/11643_h_0.jpg","feeRange":"50,000 - 100,000"}

{"key":"111288","name":"Larry and His Flask","bio":"\"Larry & His Flask are like no band I\u2019ve ever seen (which seems to be the general consensus). As soon as Jamin says \u201cHello everybody we\u2019re Larry & His Flask!\u201d and the first song begins people are glued to the stage. Everyone is watching with smiles and wide eyes. People are looking at their friends shaking their heads with looks on their faces that say: \u201cWhat the hell is this?!\u201c When all 6 members are on stage they are truly a sight to behold. They play their instruments fast and they play them good. It\u2019s difficult to describe the kind of music they play; they don\u2019t fit into any of the genres found in your neighborhood music shop. Their music sounds like rowdy bluegrass\/folk with heavy punk rock roots and a splash of gypsy soul.\" Larry & His Flask are out of Redmond, Oregon and are more than local heroes with tons of local fans!","featuredImage":"https:\/\/assets.allamericanmusic.com\/images\/111288_h_0.jpg","feeRange":"please contact"}

{"key":"11682","name":"Billy Bragg","bio":"Billy Bragg (Stephen William Bragg, Barking, Essex, England, 20 December, 1957) is an English singer, songwriter and left-wing activist. His music blends elements of folk music, punk rock and protest songs, and his lyrics mostly deal with political or romantic themes.In 1977, Bragg formed the punk rock\/pub rock band Riff Raff, and toured London's pubs and clubs. The band released a series of singles, which did not receive wide exposure. He also worked in Guy Norris Records in Barking. Bragg became disillusioned with his music career, and in May 1981 joined the British Army as a recruit destined for the Queen's Royal Irish Hussars of the Royal Armoured Corps. After three months, he bought his way out of the army for \u00a3175 and returned home, having attended basic training but having never served in a regiment as a soldier.Bragg began performing frequent concerts and busking around London, playing solo with an electric guitar. His roadie at the time was Andy Kershaw, who became a BBC DJ (Bragg and Kershaw later, in 1989, appeared in an episode of the BBC TV programme, Great Journeys, in which they travelled the Silver Road from Potos\u00ed, Bolivia, to the Pacific coast at Arica, Chile). Bragg performing at South by Southwest in 2008.Bragg's demo tape initially got no response from the record industry, but by pretending to be a television repair man, he got into the office of Charisma Records' A&R man Peter Jenner. Jenner liked the tape, but the company was near bankruptcy and had no budget to sign new artists. Bragg got an offer to record more demos for a music publisher, so Jenner agreed to release them as a record. Life's a Riot with Spy Vs. Spy was released in July 1983 by Charisma's new imprint, Utility. Hearing DJ John Peel mention on-air that he was hungry, Bragg rushed to the BBC with a mushroom biryani, so Peel played a song from Life's a Riot with Spy Vs. Spy although at the wrong speed (since the 12\" LP was, unconventionally, cut to play at 45rpm). Peel insisted he would have played the song even without the biryani and later played it at the correct speed.Within months, Charisma had been taken over by Virgin Records and Jenner, who had been laid off, became Bragg's manager. Stiff Records' press officer Andy Macdonald \u2013 who was setting up his own record label, Go! Discs \u2013 received a copy of Life's a Riot with Spy Vs. Spy. He made Virgin an offer and the album was re-released on Go! Discs in November 1983. In 1984, he released Brewing Up with Billy Bragg, a mixture of political songs (e.g., \"It Says Here\") and songs of unrequited love (e.g., \"The Saturday Boy\"). The following year he released Between the Wars, an EP of political songs that included a cover version of Leon Rosselson's \"The World Turned Upside Down\" \u2013 the EP made the top 20 of the UK Singles Chart and earned Bragg an appearance on Top of the Pops. Bragg later collaborated with Rosselson on the song, \"Ballad of the Spycatcher\". In 1985, his song \"A New England\", with an additional verse, became a Top 10 hit in the UK for Kirsty MacColl. After MacColl's early death, Bragg always sang the extra verse in her honour. In 1984\u20131985 he toured North America.In 1986, Bragg released Talking with the Taxman about Poetry, which became his first Top 10 album. Its title is taken from a poem by Vladimir Mayakovsky and a translated version of the poem was printed on the record's inner sleeve. Back to Basics is a 1987 collection of his first three releases: Life's A Riot With Spy Vs. Spy, Brewing Up with Billy Bragg, and the Between The Wars EP. Bragg released his fourth album, Workers Playtime, in September 1988. With this album, Bragg added a backing band and accompaniment.In May 1990, Bragg released the political mini-LP, The Internationale. The songs were, in part, a return to his solo guitar style, but some songs featured more complicated arrangements and included a brass band. The album paid tribute to one of Bragg's influences with the song, \"I Dreamed I Saw Phil Ochs Last Night\", which is an adapted version of Earl Robinson's song, \"I Dreamed I Saw Joe Hill Last Night\", itself an adaptation of a poem by Alfred Hayes.The album Don't Try This at Home was released in September 1991, and included the song, \"Sexuality\", which reached the UK Singles Chart. Bragg had been persuaded by Go! Discs' Andy and Juliet Macdonald to sign a four-album deal with a million pound advance, and a promise to promote the album with singles and videos. This gamble was not rewarded with extra sales, and the situation put the company in financial difficulty. In exchange for ending the contract early and repaying a large amount of the advance, Bragg regained all rights to his back catalogue. Bragg continued to promote the album with his backing band, The Red Stars, which included his Riff Raff colleague and long-time roadie, Wiggy.Bragg released the album William Bloke in 1996 after taking time off to help raise his son. Around that time, Nora Guthrie (daughter of American folk artist Woody Guthrie) asked Bragg to set some of her father's unrecorded lyrics to music. The result was a collaboration with the band Wilco and Natalie Merchant (with whom Bragg had worked previously). They released the album Mermaid Avenue in 1998, and Mermaid Avenue Vol. II in 2000. A rift with Wilco over mixing and sequencing the album led to Bragg recruiting his own band, The Blokes, to promote the album. The Blokes included keyboardist Ian McLagan, who had been a member of Bragg's boyhood heroes The Faces. The documentary film Man in the Sand depicts the roles of Nora Guthrie, Bragg, and Wilco in the creation of the Mermaid Avenue albums.In 2004, Bragg joined Florida ska-punk band Less Than Jake to perform a version of 'The Brightest Bulb Has Burned Out' for the Rock Against Bush compilation.At the 2005 Beautiful Days Festival in Devon, Bragg teamed up with the Levellers to perform a short set of songs by or associated with The Clash in celebration of Joe Strummer's birthday. Bragg performed guitar and lead vocals on \"Police and Thieves\", and performed guitar and backing vocals on \"English Civil War\", and \"Police on my Back\".In 2007, Bragg moved closer to his English folk music roots by joining the WOMAD-inspired collective The Imagined Village, who recorded an album of updated versions of traditional English songs and dances and toured through that autumn. Bragg released his album Mr. Love & Justice in March 2008. This was the second Bragg album to be named after a book by Colin MacInnes. In 2008, during the NME Awards ceremony, Bragg sang a duet with British solo act Kate Nash. They mixed up their two greatest hits, Nash playing \"Foundations\", and Bragg redoing his \"A New England\". Bragg also collaborated with the poet and playwright, Patrick Jones, who supported Bragg's Tour.In 2008, Bragg played a small role in Stuart Bamforth's film \"A13: Road Movie\". Bragg is featured alongside union reps, vicars, burger van chefs and Members of Parliament in a film that explored \"the overlooked, the hidden and the disregarded.\"He was involved in the play Pressure Drop at the Wellcome Collection in London in April and May 2010. The production, written by Mick Gorden, and billed as \"part play, part gig, part installation\", featured new songs by Bragg. He performed during the play with his band, and acted as compere.Bragg curated the Leftfield stage at Glastonbury Festival 2010.He took part in the Bush Theatre's 2011 project Sixty Six where he has written a piece based upon a chapter of the King James Bible.Bragg performed a set of the Guthrie songs that he had set to music for Mermaid Avenue during the Hay Literary Festival in June 2012. Mermaid Avenue Vol. III and Mermaid Avenue: The Complete Sessions were also released in early 2012.On 18 March 2013, Bragg released his latest studio album, five years since Mr. Love & Justice, titled Tooth And Nail. It featured 11 original songs, including one written for the Bush Theatre, and a Woody Guthrie cover. Stylistically, it continues to explore genres of Americana (music) and Alternative country, both of which he has said he has been playing and writing regularly since Mermaid Avenue (1998).","featuredImage":"https:\/\/assets.allamericanmusic.com\/images\/11682_h_0.jpg","feeRange":"30,000 - 50,000"}

{"key":"12228","name":"New Model Army","bio":"New Model Army are an English post-punk\/alternative rock band formed in Bradford, West Yorkshire in 1980 by its lead singer and main composer Justin Sullivan. Their name was taken form Oliver Cromwell's anti-royalist military force.New Model Army played their first gig in Bradford on October 23rd 1980. Its founding members were Justin Sullivan, Stuart Morrow and Phil Tompkins. The threesome had already been together for a couple of years in a number of Bradford bands with other musicians and singers but in the Autumn of 1980, they decided to form a stripped-down three-piece, their music drawing on a wide collection of influences and fuelled by their passions for Punk Rock and Northern Soul. Within a few months drummer Phil Tomkins had left to be replaced by Rob Waddington. The band slowly built up a local following and created a unique style based on Justin's song-writing and Stuart's virtuosity on lead-bass. In Summer 1982, whispers about this band reached London and they were invited to perform at a couple of showcases. But in a scene hungry for \"the next big thing\" (the coming \"New Romantics\"), NMA's fearsome music and northern style did not win over the Major Record Companies and they returned to Bradford empty-handed. Rob Waddington left to be replaced by Robert Heaton, who had been working as a drum tech and occasional drummer for the band \u2018Hawkwind\u2018. Undeterred by the indifference of the Music Business, NMA began to perform more and more around the country and frequently featured as opening act on a series of all-day concerts at the London Lyceum which heralded many of the \"Post-Punk\" bands. Although this meant traveling for several hours to play a twenty-five minute set for no money, the band embraced the opportunity and their reputation as a live act grew. A first small-label independent single \"Bittersweet\" was released in the summer of 1983, followed by \"Great Expectations\" on Abstract Records that autumn, both played frequently on late night radio by John Peel. Suddenly the band had a \"Following\", people who would travel to every concert around the country to see them. Early in 1984, the producer of \"The Tube\", the most important live music show on TV, had seen NMA in concert and invited them to fill the \u2018unknown' slot on the programme. Having originally asked the band to perform their provocative anti-anthem, \"Vengeance\", the TV Company suddenly got cold feet about the song's lyrics minutes before broadcast and asked the band to change songs. It made no difference. Somehow twenty to thirty followers had managed to get into the TV studio and when NMA began with \"Christian Militia\" the crowd went wild and an electric atmosphere was transmitted around the country. Suddenly NMA were underground news. Their first mini-album, \"Vengeance\" knocked \"The Smiths\" from the top of the Independent Charts and the major record companies, who had rejected them less than two years earlier, were now begging to sign the band. The autumn of 1984 was a time of political turmoil in Britain. After five years of Mrs Thatcher's right-wing government, which had already fuelled so much of NMA's early fury, a final showdown with the National Union of Mineworkers (the strike that had begun in March and had split the country), entered a critical phase and much of Northern England began to resemble a Police State. NMA's last Independent EP \"The Price\" also featured \"1984\" a song written directly about the strike and, with their declared left-wing views, NMA's concerts became increasingly intense. At the end of the year, NMA signed a contract of \"complete artist control\" with EMI (which included EMI giving a donation to a miners fund). The move surprised many people but the band were already looking beyond the confines of Britain and considered the deal to be the right one. In the Spring of 1985 the album \"No Rest For The Wicked\" and the single \"No Rest\" both reached the national top 40, but this success and now relative financial security had done little to soften NMA's confrontational attitude. They appeared on Top Of The Pops wearing T-shirts with a motif reading \"Only Stupid Bastards Use Heroin\" (a reaction against the fashionable drug of the time). Then, halfway through the \"No Rest\" tour, the day after their hometown gig, Stuart Morrow decided to leave the band for personal reasons. Frantic negotiations were made (by a strange unhappy co-incidence, on the very same day as the Bradford City fire disaster killed 56 people at a football match), but to no avail. As a result, Justin and Robert decided to follow up the success of \"No Rest\" with an acoustic song from the album \"Better Than Them\" which had not involved Stuart and accompanied it with three specially recorded acoustic tracks, a move of principle which dumbfounded EMI. By the summer, Stuart had been replaced by 17 year-old Jason 'Moose' Harris, whose first gig was at a benefit for the families of the fire tragedy, and the \"No Rest\" tour continued. Thatcher's victory over the miners, and by extension over all organised opposition, marked a new political reality. This, coupled with the shock of Stuarts's departure and increasing media hostility, resulted in the band taking an ever more defiant posture, exemplified by a typically fiery performance at the Glastonbury Festival. Then, despite being signed to Capitol Records in North America, all attempts to tour there were prevented when the band were refused visas. Many people, on both sides of the Atlantic, believed that this was for political reasons although this was never possible to prove. Instead, that autumn NMA set out on their first long tour of the European mainland, which unlike many UK acts, they found much to their liking, and later a trip to Japan. The year ended with yet another UK tour in support of a newly recorded EP: \"Brave New World\", a savage portrait of the Thatcher's Britain and \"RIP\", an equally furious study of the band's history thus far. If 1985 had been a traumatic year, then 1986 saw one of the band's many resurrections, with the legendary Glyn Johns agreeing to produce their third album. Though relations between band and producer were often difficult, Justin recalls the sessions as \"the biggest musical learning curve of my life\". \"The Ghost Of Cain\" was well received by the critics and audience and many people began to see a band that were capable of developing and changing and adjusting to new realities while still staying true to their own principles; this was a band that were now pursuing their own musical agenda, completely unmoved by the whims of the music industry or the expectations of fans. Outside Britain, their name was slowly becoming known and in December of 1986, they finally made a first short tour of America. 1987 was a year of full bloom. In January, Justin and Robert recorded an album with the poet Joolz Denby. Joolz had been the band's first manager and has remained as a driving force and responsible for all of the band's artwork from the beginning to the present day. She had previously made spoken word albums and a series of EPs with Jah Wobble but it was inevitable that she would collaborate with NMA. The album \"Hex\" was recorded at the very special Sawmills Studio, a unique place in Cornwall, only reachable at high tide by boat. Although the studio is now well known, at that time it was infrequently used and accommodation was in primitive cabins deep in the woods. From this new setting, and freed from the pressures of \"being New Model Army\", Justin and Robert were able to explore all kinds of ideas and musical avenues that their experience with Glyn Johns had opened up. Later, they both considered \"Hex\" to have been one of the creative highlights of their musical partnership, with its strong, romantic soundscapes acting as the perfect accompaniment to Joolz' poetry. Much of the writing of \"Hex\" had been done using samplers and the use of this new tool continued to take the band in unexpected directions. That summer they recorded the \"Whitecoats\" EP with its ecological lyric and mystical atmosphere. An interest in mysticism and spirituality had been becoming more and more apparent in Justin's lyrics (though this was no surprise to those who knew of his family's Quaker roots). The same summer, Red Sky Coven was born out of a group of friends who shared these interests and ideas. It included Justin, Joolz, singer-songwriter and storyteller Rev Hammer and musician Brett Selby. Together, the foursome decided to create a performance based on this friendship, a unique show which continues to tour on an occasional basis. 1987 also saw plenty more NMA concerts, including Reading Festival, a gig with David Bowie in front of the Reichstag in Berlin and a show-stopping performance at the Bizarre Festival at Lorelei in Germany. From time to time, the band added their friend Ricky Warwick as a second guitarist and also enlisted Mark Feltham, the legendary harmonica player who had graced \"The Ghost Of Cain\" and \"Hex\" to join them. At the very end of the year and the beginning of 1988, they returned to the Sawmills for two more inspired writing sessions, which laid the foundations for \"Thunder and Consolation\". The following months, though, were far more difficult, while NMA chose a producer, another music legend - Tom Dowd - and set about recording the album. It was a long drawn-out process and relationships between band members became increasingly strained, only really maintained by the knowledge that they were making something truly special. \"Thunder and Consolation\" was finally released early in 1989, striking a perfect balance between the band's fascinations with rock, folk and soul music and Justin's lyrical interest in spirituality, politics and family relationships. The album brought critical praise and new levels of commercial success and the band toured Europe and North America, joined by Ed Alleyne Johnson playing electric violin and keyboards and Chris Mclaughlin on guitar. However, despite the success, relationships at the heart of the band had not really mended and even after Jason Harris left that summer, stresses remained. By autumn Justin and Robert were back in the Sawmills working towards another album and, in the new year, they were joined by a new (and still current) bass player, Nelson, previously of a number of East Anglian cult bands, and a new second guitarist, Adrian Portas from Sheffield. The new musicians brought a stronger atmosphere to the touring band while, in the studio, Justin and Robert continued to explore different musical ideas. Partly self-produced, \"Impurity\" was finally finished and mixed by Pat Collier in the summer of 1990. Still featuring Ed Alleyne Johnson' violin, the album was more eclectic than \"Thunder\" but continued to win new fans and the world-wide tour that followed its release lasted the best part of a year, culminating in a rolling Festival in Germany involving David Bowie, Midnight Oil, The Pixies and NMA. In mid-1991, \"Raw Melody Men\", a live album from the tour, was put together and released. It was to be NMA's last album for EMI. Unusually, given the history of the music business, the relationship between band and record company had always remained cordial but had now simply grown stale. There were minor dissatisfactions on both sides and, after lengthy negotiations, it was agreed to simply terminate the contract. NMA's own Management Company also imploded at this time and new management was drawn up. The band was not short of new record company offers and eventually chose Epic, for reasons to do with support in the US. Although Mrs Thatcher had been ousted by her own Party in 1990 (a memorable night coinciding with NMA's first visit to Rome), the Conservative monolith that had ruled the country for so long remained in power and, against all expectations, won a further election in 1992. Outside Britain though, much was changed: there was recession and instability and a so-called \"New World Order\" in the wake of the collapse of Soviet Communism and the 1st Gulf War. Already the band was embarked upon a very dark album, driven equally by personal traumas, including Justin's near-death electrocution on stage in Switzerland and the changes in the world around them. Produced by Niko Bolas and mixed by Bob Clearmountain, \"The Love Of Hopeless Causes\" was not what anyone was expecting. Just as folk-rock, pioneered and inspired in part by NMA, became a fashionable and commercial sound, the band made a deliberate move away from it and straight and into guitar-driven rock music. Replacing Adrian with Dave Blomberg on guitar, they embarked on the album tour and the European section featured their most successful concerts yet. However NMA's relationship with their new record company quickly deteriorated. Worse still, they found themselves caught in corporate dispute between London and New York, which was in no way related to them. By June, the band found themselves on an exhaustive US tour, in which they had invested much of their own money, with no support of any kind from Epic or any other source. The tour featured many outstanding concerts but it was a bittersweet experience. By the end of the summer, it had been agreed that there should be a year off for everyone to rest and consider the future, while the contract with Epic was quickly terminated. Justin used 1993-4 to produce other artists (a second collaboration with Joolz entitled \"Weird Sister\", Rev Hammer's \"Bishop Of Buffalo\" album and also the unusual Berlin combo, The Inchtabokatables), tour with Red Sky Coven and create another way of performing NMA songs - in a duo with new guitarist Dave Blomberg. Together they went back to Justin's first love - small club touring - and eventually released an album of the live show entitled \"Big Guitars in Little Europe\", an album, which has proved enduringly popular. Robert's main wish was to spend more time at home with his family, which he was now able to do and Nelson formed a new band \"Nelson's Column\" which toured England. Ed Alleyne Johnson followed up his first solo album \"The Purple Electric Violin Concerto\" which had been so successful with a second entitled \"Ultraviolet\". After the year was up, Justin and Robert tentatively began work on a new project and in December 1994, the band (with Dean White on keyboards replacing Ed Alleyne Johnson) reassembled to play a short series of concerts. However, the next two years were lost while Justin and Robert, plagued by ill health and personal-life distractions tried unsuccessfully to pin down hundreds of new musical ideas into an album. It became increasingly obvious to both of them (and everyone else in and around the band) that they were now on very different musical paths. In 1997, Tommy Tee who had been the band's Tour Manager in the 1980s returned to take control of the band's drifting affairs. He enlisted producer Simon Dawson to help finish the project and by the autumn \"Strange Brotherhood\" was completed. Unsurprisingly, it's an album full to the brim with different and contrasting musical ideas while the lyrics range from the politics of the British Road Protest movement (in which Sullivan had been actively involved during 1996) to the deeply personal and sometimes unusually obscure. During the mixing, it was agreed that Justin and Robert would go their separate ways after the tour. Then, suddenly Robert was diagnosed as having a brain tumour, and though the operation to remove it was successful, any prospect of touring was impossible. So he suggested that his place be taken by Michael Dean, a young drummer who had been working as his technician since 1993. Having watched Robert for some years, Michael was immediately comfortable with the role of drummer and with all other aspects of the band. The \"Strange Brotherhood\" tour began in the spring of 1998 and, happy to be back on the road at last, for the first couple of months, the band embarked on an ambitious programme of doing two sets each night, a 50 minute acoustic set followed by a full 90 minute rock. The tour continued on and off through to the end of the year. By now Justin and Tommy Tee had restructured New Model Army's set-up to take account of the changes that the Internet was bringing to the whole music industry. This included making sure that the band owned every aspect of their work, and included their own record label (Attack Attack) to be distributed by different companies in different territories. 1999 began with a review of live shows recorded the previous year and their amalgamation into a live double album entitled \"New Model Army and Nobody Else\". After this Justin (assisted by Michael) began to write new songs for the next album. This was done quickly and easily for the first time since \"Thunder\", with Justin claiming to be \"reborn as a song-writer.\" To keep up the momentum, it was decided to self-produce and to record the album in the band's own studio. Again this was done quickly with mostly Justin, Michael and Dean at the controls. (Living 250 and 300 miles from Bradford meant that Nelson and Dave were more occasional contributors for purely geographical reasons). The whole process was very much a reaction to the slow progress of \"Strange Brotherhood\", with the album given the simple name \"Eight\" to go with its whole stripped-down approach. It was released in the Spring of 2000 and was followed by more touring. On October 23rd 2000, the band celebrated their 20th anniversary by playing another two set marathon at Rock City in Nottingham and then three months later, further special concerts in London and Koln which featured four completely different sets spread over two nights - a 57 song marathon in each city attended by over 7000 people. One of the legacies of the lost years of the mid 1990s was a lot of unfinished material and next, Justin, Michael and Dean worked to finish and assemble this into accessible form, a double album \"Lost Songs\" released in 2002. Another \u2018unfinished' project was Justin's long promised solo album and it was at this moment that he decided to pursue it. Meant to take just a few weeks to record and tour, \"Navigating By The Stars\" became another marathon. Hooking up with film and TV music producer, Ty Unwin, the first week of working coincided with \u20189\/11'. Rather than making a political or angry response to unfolding events, the album's purpose was to \u2018make something beautiful in an increasingly ugly World'. The album came out in 2003 to surprised and favourable reaction. At first touring alone with Dean (including a long awaited return to America), Justin was then joined by Michael playing percussion and the threesome bought a large mobile home and set off across Europe. The live album \"Tales of the Road\", released in 2004 captures their unique sound and stripped-down rearrangements of some of NMA's lesser known songs. In 2004, an exhibition of all Joolz' artwork for the band plus collected memorabilia was assembled for a touring exhibition. Entitled \u2018One Family, One Tribe' it has been on display in art galleries in Otley, York, Bradford and Hamm in Germany and there are plans for more future showings. Meanwhile, the band work began work on a new NMA album, at first focused around Michael's increasing creativity as a drummer. \"Carnival\" was recorded with producer Chris Tsangerides and mixed by Nat Chan. It's lyrical subjects and musical roots were as usual very eclectic but included many people's favourite NMA track, \"Fireworks Night\", Justin's emotional response to the sudden and unexpected death of Robert that Autumn. \"Carnival\" was released in September 2005, but when it came to the tour, Dave Blomberg was unable to participate for family reasons and his place was taken by Marshall Gill, a blues guitarist from Ashton Under Lyne. The Carnival Tour marked another dynamic new beginning for the band, with Nelson sometimes playing as a second drummer, Dean sometimes as third guitarist and Michael and Marshall's energy much in evidence. Such was the sense of momentum and togetherness that for the first time in years, NMA moved quickly on to making another album with major contributions from all members. \"High\" was written and recorded in five months at the beginning of 2007, produced by old friend (and another production star, Chris Kimsey) and was \u2018angrier' than any releases for a while and lyrically very much in tune with current realities. The \"High\" tour rolled through 4 continents with the new line up now firmly in tune with itself and Marshall bringing a tougher edge to the band's sound - even managing to re-arrange the classic violin led anthem \"Vagabonds\" into a guitar led version. This and 16 other songs were released on a new live album, \"Fuck Texas, Sing For Us\", in November 2008 (the title taken from a chant at the band's New Orleans show that serves as the intro to the album). The year ended with tours in Scandinavia, Eastern Europe and the customary December run of London, Paris, Amsterdam, and Koln with the band playing a fiery set of recent material. Remarkably, the band\u2019s main 17 song set featured only two pre-2000 songs, as well as brand new material, a sure sign of the band\u2019s forward momentum - and with their ticket sales up everywhere. Then, at Christmas, manager Tommy Tee died suddenly and unexpectedly. This was a major shock to everyone in and around the band, not only because as he ran all aspects of the band's affairs but also as a major part of the NMA family and history since 1982. It took a while before the band could refocus but by Spring 2009, they were back in the studio working on their eleventh studio album, \u201cToday Is A Good Day\u201d. Mostly written in the wake of the 2008 Wall Street Collapse (an event celebrated in the white-hot opening title track), it was recorded in the band\u2019s own studio in Bradford with Chris Kimsey once more at the controls. Chris wrote \u201cthe NMA 'family business' is back in full swing. The boys sound brave & united.\u201d The album was hailed as one of their very best and the album tour began with a month in North America and went on for a further six months ending with a triumphant return to Glastonbury and other Festivals in the summer. In the Autumn of 2010, the band celebrated their 30th Anniversary with the release of boxsets, books, DVDs and a full set of retrospective material and set out on the curious and challenging schedule. Promising to play a minimum of four songs from each of their 13 albums (including the two B-sides compilations) over two nights, they performed this marathon in different cities on four continents every weekend from September until Christmas. The final weekend in London was recorded and released in full as a five hour DVD. After such a hectic year, the following months were always going to be relatively quiet, with just a few shows, rather more of the semi-acoustic Justin and Dean duo concerts and a handful of Festivals while the band began thinking about their next project. Consciously looking for something new after two convincing great rock band recorded live in a studio albums, this is a work in progress. However in recent months, the project has been much disrupted. Firstly Nelson decided to finally leave the band for personal family reasons after 22 years of service. This was entirely amicable on both sides and was only revealed some months after everyone in the band knew. Then, days after Nelson's final gig in Amsterdam, a fire started in the furniture outlet next door to the the band's Bradford base and destroyed their whole studio set-up. No one was injured and the band were even able to salvage some of their touring gear from inside charred flight-cases, but a huge amount of equipment and archive material was destroyed. Rebuilding was quick and within three months the studio was up and running with the band busy working through auditions for a new bassist. After a long process, they chose Ceri Monger, a young multi-instrumentalist from a musical family in Essex. Then, misfortune struck again after Ceri's first gig with the band, with the theft of most of the band's guitars and other items from a van. Despite this (and with generous help from friends and other bands) the band got through a busy Festival season and finally began work on the long-promised and much-awaited new album. Promising something 'very different' from the last few albums, the band have delivered \u201cBetween Dog And Wolf\u201d, a rich, musical, multi-layered work with a strong overall atmosphere. It was mixed in his Los Angeles studio by Joe Barresi, best known for work with Tool, Queens Of The Stoneage, Bad Religion and Soundgarden - another in the long list of A-listers eager to work with NMA. The album was released in September to surprised and glowing reviews and the band\u2019s highest chart positions in twenty years and the accompanying tour, already described as watching \u2018a completely reinvented and rejuvenated band\u2019, is set to last for many months. A special 106 page magazine featuring articles about the band past and present accompanied the release, with an attached flexi-disc of the \u201cMarch In September\u201d single (an echo of the flexi-disc that accompanied their first release 30 years before). Meanwhile, for the last four years, award-winning BBC\/Channel Four director, Matt Reid, has been putting together a documentary film about the group and trying to keep pace with all the events and changes that have happened during the filming process. A cinematic release is planned for 2014. http:\/\/newmodelarmy.org","featuredImage":"https:\/\/assets.allamericanmusic.com\/images\/12228_h_0.jpg","feeRange":"please contact"}

{"key":"11677","name":"Chuck Ragan","bio":"Chuck Ragan (born Charles Allen Ragan on 30 October 1974 in Houston, TX) is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He continues to be the guitarist and vocalist of Hot Water Music (1993\u20131996, 1997\u20132006, 2008\u2013present), a punk rock band from Gainesville, Florida. In 2007 Ragan began releasing a variety of solo material, including a series of singles on No Idea Records, a live album (Los Feliz) and several studio albums (including Feast or Famine, Gold Country, Covering Ground). He also has an album as Chuck Ragan & Austin Lucas.","featuredImage":"https:\/\/assets.allamericanmusic.com\/images\/11677_h_0.jpg","feeRange":"10,000 - 30,000"}

{"key":"11683","name":"Paul Baribeau","bio":"Paul Baribeau's warm, witty sounds and gnarly beard bring something truly unique and interesting to the folk-punk table. The South Central Michigan native collaborates often with friends such as Matty Pop Chart and Kimya Dawson, but has two self-released (\"25\" and \"Unbearable\") and two Plan-It-X released (\"Paul Baribeau\" and \"Grand Ledge\") solo albums, plus a very interesting Bruce Springsteen covers album.http:\/\/www.myspace.com\/paulbaribeau","featuredImage":"https:\/\/assets.allamericanmusic.com\/images\/11683_h_0.jpg","feeRange":"please contact"}

{"key":"11667","name":"The World\/Inferno Friendship Society","bio":"The World\/Inferno Friendship Society is a cabaret punk band from Brooklyn, New York. Its style merges punk, klezmer, and gospel, while its collective membership features horns, piano, guitar, a number of percussionists, as well as a variety of other instruments such as accordion, xylophone and orchestra bells.This musical collective has historically had over 30 members, including former members of Dexys Midnight Runners. Usually one can expect to see about nine or ten members on-stage when they perform. The group is led by singer Jack Terricloth and guitarist Lucky Strano, who have been the most constant members throughout the group's history. Terricloth is known for his pointed commentary during shows: his monologues have touched on politics, his transformation from the \"old school,\" and baiting of bouncers which usually end up with the band buying drinks for the whole staff.Members have also played in Sticks and Stones, Guignol, The Hold Steady, Nanuchka, Kid Casanova, Anti-Social Music, Morning Glory, Planned Collapse, Star Fucking Hipsters, The Dresden Dolls, and have been guests on Mischief Brew, stellastarr*, Public Radio International and Left\u00f6ver Crack recordings, as well as having The Casualties, along with Paul Maroon of Jonathan Fire*Eater on guitar, make a guest appearance on the recording of \"Our Candidate\".Their lyrics often concern historical and\/or biographical subject matter, such as Weimar-era Germany, Peter Lorre, Jeffrey Lee Pierce of The Gun Club, Paul Robeson, Leni Riefenstahl, Dante Alighieri, Jonathan Fire*Eater and other personages deemed to be of historical significance. Other songs deal with the terrifying, exulting, magical, and awful aspects of life that \"make it more than waking up and going to work every day\". One notable composition is a three-song cycle about love and loss in a temporary autonomous zone which appears on the 2002 album Just the Best Party. The lyric pattern and subject matter of the song cycle are similar to The Wild Party.","featuredImage":"https:\/\/assets.allamericanmusic.com\/images\/11667_h_0.jpg","feeRange":"please contact"}

{"key":"11647","name":"Ghost Mice","bio":"http:\/\/chrisclavin.bandcamp.com\/Ghost Mice is a two-piece folk-punk band that hails from Bloomington, IN. Ghost Mice was created from the ashes of former pop-punk bands The Devil is Electric and Operation: Cliff Clavin. Chris Johnston (aka Chris Clavin) and Hannah who played guitar and bass respectively for OP:CC and TDIE, decided to make their act acoustic so they could tour more easily and play almost anywhere. In their own words: \"We play 100% acoustic. We never use amps or mics (except once at Plan-It-X Fest). We have been playing in bands together for about 7 years. We started Ghost Mice in 2002 because we tired of being restricted. We were tired of having to travel in big vans and depend on amps, PA systems and electricity. With Ghost Mice we can travel very light and we need nothing to play. We often play in back yards or on the street corner in front of the venue. We have toured the USA many times and we toured Europe (Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark, Austria, France, Spain, Belgium, England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland) by foot. We hitch-hiked and took trains to all of our shows. It was fun and very liberating. We sing a mix of personal and political lyrics, we are anarchist, we are dedicated to the DIY ethic and the struggle to make the world a better place. We play music and travel for fun and to meet new people. Music is our lives. We love travel. We are nice and a little shy.\" The previous quote can be found here. Hannah dropped her bass in favor of a violin. Ghost Mice's lyrics mostly involve having a positive outlook on life; riding bikes, eating healthy food, being in love, and being punk. Ghost Mice's slogan, \"Punk as Folk\", is a fantastic way to describe their music, lyrics, and just about everything that is Ghost Mice.https:\/\/myspace.com\/ghostmicehttp:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Ghost_Micehttp:\/\/www.punknews.org\/bands\/ghostmicehttp:\/\/www.discogs.com\/artist\/690166-Ghost-Micehttps:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pages\/Ghost-Mice\/213115668698813","featuredImage":"https:\/\/assets.allamericanmusic.com\/images\/11647_h_0.jpg","feeRange":"please contact"}