SXSW 2012

MonstrO will take you on a trip.

When it comes to ripping young metal bands, few—perhaps none—rip harder than HOLY GRAIL. Formed in Southern California in 2008 when vocalist James Paul Luna and drummer Tyler Meahl escaped from Pasadena metal squadron White Wizzard and teamed up with San Diegan guitar hero Eli Santana, the band was called Sorcerer until it became clear that the moniker didn’t quite capture the rarefied nature of the members’ collective talents. So Sorcerer became HOLY GRAIL. And HOLY GRAIL became so unstoppable that California just couldn’t contain them. And now, like their spiritual forefathers in Iron Maiden, Judas Priest and Dio, HOLY GRAIL are poised to bring their hook-laden shred anthems to an arena near you.

Few bands today embrace their own individualism to ultimately craft something truly unique and genre defying regardless of its sales potential. Enter the Chicago-based NACHTMYSTIUM who embrace the true spirit of individuality and intolerance forming solely as an outlet to express the dark musical visions and summonings of those involved.
Originally formed in 1999 by Judd, NACHTMYSTIUM started off as a raw, primitive black metal band with a very derivative Norsk black metal influence. They released a number of records on underground labels such as Regimental Records and Autopsy Kitchen Records, etc. before delivering Eulogy IV in 2004, ushering in a new musical direction and 'psychedelic'-era.
In 2006, the group released Instinct: Decay, which drew massive amounts of press compared to previous efforts, landing in numerous top-ten lists in such major publications as Metal Maniacs, Unrestrained, etc. The album also scored the #4 slot on Decibel Magazine’s “album-of-the-year” poll.
In 2008, they released the first of their Black Meddle series. Assassins: Black Meddle PT I was named metal album of the year by everyone from the New York Times to Pitchfork to Metal Sucks. 2010 saw Addicts: Black Metal PT II released, which received very similar results as its predecessor. The whole idea of the Black Meddle series was to experiment and push the boundaries of what black metal is.
Early 2012 will see the band enter the studio to begin work on a new album. The band has stated the record will return a bit to their primitive sound but even so, Nachtmystium will continue to exist in a genre all of its own and deliver an album that continues to push the boundaries of conventionality to new levels.

Some metal bands barely last 10 years, much less 15 years. If a band does get to the decade-and-a-half mark, they're usually sputtering out or are teetering on their last, diseased and ready-to-give out legs. Rare is the case where an aggressive band mutates, growing stronger, more unstoppable and more menacing with every passing riff, scream and album. Darkest Hour are such a case.

With a heavy-handed approach and a sound that crashes like thunder, HIGH ON FIRE has put the power back in 'power-trio'. Less a band than a supersonic exercise in conquest by volume and sheer heaviness, the band has burned the metal rulebook and forged a new archetype.

"Primitive Weapons, a N.Y. quintet featuring Long Island hardcore scene vets who like plowing Deadguy and AmRep into dark sludge and doom, follow a self-titled 2011 7" with a frantic, but spacious debut LP, The Shadow Gallery, out March 13 on Prosthetic." - Brandon Stosuy

Boasting scene veterans from bands such as Garrison, Thursday, Texas Is The Reason, and Milhouse, I Hate Our Freedom blare through ten songs in less than 20 minutes. Stripped of its niceties, Seriously immediately grabs the listener with the vicious album opener “Top 8,” and dizzies them with a barrage of post-hardcore influenced, no-frills rock and roll. Lead by the vocal assault of vocalist/guitarist Joseph Grillo, album standout and first single “Batting Practice” is “a tongue in cheek reference to us writing (or NOT writing) a hit single and the foolishness in that sort of belief process,” says Grillo. “I’m more interested in Art than Marketing,” he adds.With over four decades of experience in the music industry combined between the members of I Hate Our Freedom, from playing in bands, booking shows and being through almost every situation imaginable, Grillo says “the music scene is far less than 6 degrees of separation and everyone knows everyone else, so it would make sense that similar musicians would gravitate together over time.” When it came time for the band to record Seriously nearly two years ago, Grillo and company decided to enter New Alliance Studios with ex-Garrison bassist Ethan Dussault (On The Might Of Princes). “Ethan is a good friend and former bandmate of mine,” says Grillo. “It was a blast working with him on a project because he and I had worked so well previously.” Beginning as a side project, I Hate Our Freedom recorded Seriously with no expectations of releasing it, so they decided to write another record. Bunkering down with Kurt Ballou (Converge) before even releasing their first EP, I Hate Our Freedom recorded their second album in October and will announce plans for the as-yet-untitled album shortly. Despite conflicts between the member’s schedules, I Hate Our Freedom has full intentions of touring the US this year, with plans to perform at SXSW in March with Rival Schools. I Hate Our Freedom have already toured the UK, sharing the stage with Gallows, and will continue to play local New York City gigs, including an upcoming show on March 9th with Samiam at Santos Party House. As Grillo sums it up, “the live performance is what it is all about!”I Hate Our Freedom is Joseph Grill (vocals/guitar), Justin Scurti (guitar/backing vocals), Scott Winegard (bass/backing vocals), and Tucker Rule (drums).

Former Thieves have been a band characterized by their hard work and grueling tour regimens in their seemingly short life span. But, that's about to change with their debut full length on No Sleep Records. Coming from the barren and simple fields of Iowa, Former Thieves have created a record that personifies the feelings and emotions of coming from nothing and fighting the entire way to what they have created. "The Language That We Speak" takes the listener through a thorough commentary on the frustration of Midwestern life. Articulate, sharp, and sincerely pissed. Recorded December 2010 at The Red Room in Seattle, WA with Chris Common (Mastodon, The Sword) at the helm, No Sleep Records released "The Language That We Speak" in April 2011. The record was released on CD, vinyl, and digital formats.

Set Your Goals is an American punk rock band from Walnut Creek, CA (an affluent town in the East Bay area of the San Francisco Bay Area), formed in 2004. Their musical style typically employs a combination of pop punk and melodic hardcore. Their band name is derived from the CIV album of the same name.

Cro-Mags are a hardcore punk turned crossover thrash band from New York City. The band, which had a strong cult following, released many records, their first two considered the most influential. With a skinhead background, they were among the first bands to fuse hardcore punk with thrash metal and were associated with the birth of a tougher attitude within the hardcore scene in the late 1980s.

DJ SUN is a renowned DJ, producer and radio show host keenly focused on the aesthetics of soul, hip hop and jazz. His musical approach represents the energy and tranquility of his upbringing in Suriname and Holland. The force of DJ SUN’s influence has been the pulse of Houston, TX for the past two decades. Simultaneously awash with vitality and thriving as a triple threat, SUN can be heard at multiple residencies in Houston, as well as Washington DC's Eighteenth Street Lounge (home to Thievery Corporation) and Sycamore in Brooklyn.

Kooley High is comprised of six former N.C. State University students, who met on the campus bricks by way of hip hop. What started out as a student-run hip hop organization, known as H2O, soon turned into a fresh factory of beats, rhymes, and life.

Over the past few years, LA' s Nite Jewel has honed its pop-funk craft across releases from Italians Do It Better, Mexican Summer and LA's own Gloriette Records. In that time, Ramona Gonzalez's airy but often distant voice has found new gravitas and charisma. Meanwhile, the synth lines have gotten more agile and the bass pops tighter and tighter. The stuttered 80s synth R&B melodies unfold into one another here in ways both giddy and deceivingly nonchalant. This maturation and evolution will all come to a head in early 2012 when Secretly Canadian will release Nite Jewel's proper full-length follow up to her brilliant 2008 LP, Good Evening.

"When I think of how to write about Jonti's music, I don't feel like writing at all. I feel like drawing a picture, with watercolors and maybe crayon - colorful, abstract, youthfully curious and open to interpretation. Maybe then I'd staple, glue or nail some found objects to it, recontextualizing their intended purpose into something strange and beautiful." - Jeremy Sole (Radio Host, KCRW)

Alice Russell Biography .this application i am coming with a joint project of me and Quantic and the combo barbaro, we worked together with the quantic sould orchestra a few years back and wanted to get in the studio again ,Will ( aka Quantic) has now moved to Colombia as he fell in love the music there and the people,so i went to visit him in Cali and we got in the studio and made a record together that will be released March 2012 called'Look around the corner" it for me was revisiting my old soul and folk roots,and also for Will, we recorded with his band the combo barbaro colombian musicans so it has all our flavers on it. on tru thoughts records ,and we are looking to tour the album useing a band made up from both our projects so some from Cali Colombia and some from Brighton england,
im really looking forward to getting us all together and takeing this show out on the road.

Stickygreen Productions was started in 2003 by Dj Buddha and Dj Flea, two Missouri City natives. Stickygreen has since become a culture due to the music and Tshirts leading the charge. In 2008 Stickygreen acquired SouthWest Studios in SW Houston TX. Dat boi T became Stickygreens first official artist in 2011. Recently calaborations include artist such as Devin The Dude, Z-Ro, Trae, Short Dawg, Young L, Soulja Boy, Mistah Fab, Scarface, Bun B, 2 Chains, Drake etc..

Straight out of Dallas, Texas, the experimental beat scientist known as Brandon "Brain Gang" Blue started his musical voyage in 2004. Trying to follow in the footsteps of his influences: Timbaland, Missy Elliot, & The Neptunes, Blue always felt like he could be the next innovative music producer.

Above All Entertainment was formed by CEO Clinton (Checkmate) Davis Jr. in 2002. He determined to follow thru with his father's dream. That dream was making music, and forming a dominant record label. His whole life changed after the loss of his father in the W.T.C. 9-11-01 tragedy. Since this day he has put his heart and soul into making this career successful. Checkmate even dropped out of college to put more hours into promotions/marketing. In 2006 Checkmate secured a distribution deal with Bayside/Tower Records. Above All released their first worldwide album on july 25th 2006 (Impac - Almost Famous) with beats from platinum producers such as (Carnival beats, and Fantom of the beats). Linking up with Noizemob in 07 and KreamTeam management Checkmate formed one of the biggest,strongest affiliations in the indenpendent market! After Industrial Strenff was released with noizemob in 07 Gutta was quoted "The Rewind King" and in 2008 he received " The lyricist of the year " award at the 1st annual Austin Hip Hop Awards. Since 2009 there have been over 50 street cd releases. Artists checkmate, gutta, pacboi tank, gee bully, & whiteside have continued to remain consistent and building their fanbase one day at a time. In 2008 the above all radio show launched on SEA award winning online station "Dirty South Radio" with dj hella yella & dj knowledge. Checkmate hopes to meet and exceed his expectations for success. Win or lose he has enjoyed the experience of the music industry. Checkmate is also glad to see that after Impac's release... majority of those young guys are now at Langston University! Knowing that his father is proud and Above All Ent. has changed several lives around him, he can't help but to have his head to the sky. After finally getting selected to perform at SXSW in 2011, Above All looks forward to another year of consistency and fan increase.

BET'S 106 & park FREESTYLE friday champion G$Baby continues her success. from austin texas against all odds and more she continues to excel and set the bar. with affiliations with above all ent. she has dominated shows, airwaves, national tv and hosted several parties. this is what happens when talented artists invest in themselves. she sets the standard of hard work. she does everything for her friends and family that she possibly can. this is the one they call G$Baby.

Deriving his rap name from what his mother and family members called him as a child, Tum Tum aka Zillaman has hip hop embedded in his soul. A fan of Texas rap during his youth, Tum Tum would find himself in legendary Dallas area Pleasant Grove's Bruton Bazaar CD shop, T-Town, browsing new titles, talking music, and eventually freestyling with other patrons, which sparked interest from store owner George Lopez, whom was starting a group that would eventually become "Dirty South Rydas". At first, freestyling and recording it for fun, DSR eventually became serious and started to hone their craft, establishing a viable listening base throughout Dallas and Texas. As the demand started to grow, so did Zillaman's passion for the booth and the music game. No stranger to the Independent circuit, Tum Tum would hit the highway with Lopez, hand delivering mixtapes and albums as the group pressed them up and distrubted them. Following closely behind Houston's big break on the national scene, DSR soon caught national attention, which propelled Tum to the single's charts with "Caprice Muzik" that landed him on 106 & Park countdown, numerous publications and awards, and MTVJams Fab 5 Freshman for that year of 2006, which later lead to his Universal Record's debut album, EAT OR GET ATE. Always more prone to the streets, Tum Tum stayed relevant with classic mixtapes with DJ Chuck T, and DJ Smallz, whom at the time were at the top of their game. Battling label problems, Tum Tum was a victim of circumstance, and EAT OR GET ATE never saw the push it rightfully deserved. Off the heals of a successful single, a hot street campaign, label turmoil overshadowed the success and never reached its potential. Instead of letting this defeat Tum Tum, Zillaman established his own sound, his own crew, and stayed relevant with his fans with mixtapes such as TumK9: The Grassy Knoll, which garnered several awards from media publications and online outlets. Always a trendsetter, Zillaman kept people in tune via YouTube with ZillaTV, giving you a glimpse into Tum Tum's every day operatives as well as new music. A veteran, and considred a rap legend of Dallas at 27 years old, Tum Tum is far from done. In August of 2010, Tum released the classic project "PURP KOBAIN" which recieved national attention for the album cover, which depicted a baby Tum Tum swimming much like the Nirvana - Nevermind cover in which the lead singer, Kurt Cobain, was inspiration for name of the EP. The PURP KOBAIN concept album was perfectly timed, in a era in which blogs and marijuana smoking hip hop took the forefront, Tumzilla released PURP KOBAIN and the project grew its own legs and established Tum as a mainstay of "The Smoker's Club" to fans, a popular indedpendent tour consisting of artists like Curren$y and Big K.R.I.T. Since then Tum has also released the DALLAS EP in Summer of 2011, which was also a free download tape that offered up the street shaking, trunk rattling beats and hard lyrics one could expect from the Dallas native. Now prepping for his latest release in the "TumK" series, dubbed "TumK: Respect My Hustle" it is promised to be a melting pot and collection of all things Zilla. The 28 year old rapper seems to be just starting, more so than wrapping anything up, with Purp Kobain 2 and Dallas 2 already in the works, and striking a new deal with the upstart powerhouse label Hulk Entertainment, we are sure to hear from Tum Tum aka Zillaman for a long time to come.

Western Tink & Beautiful Lou of MOBBIN NO SOBBIN (CENTRAL / CENTRILL , TEXAS). Mobbin No Sobbin - keep moving foward in life, dont cry about it. 2 artist from the state where every things bigger, who truley look at music as art and not a fill in the blank form. Western tink & Beautiful lou do music from the heart expressed in the form of uncoventional hip hop (if put in a box). A melting pot of influences ranging from local Texas (southwestern) hip hop sounds to 80's new wave and 70's art punk amongst other genres. Many have said WESTERN TINK & BEAUTIFUL LOU are creating a whole new sound for Texas.

A rapper from San Antonio, Texas pushing the limits of contemporary rap/hip hop music. The latest album YMID captures the raw spirit of kids that grew up on hip hop, heavy punk rock, fun and cartoons. whizKIDZ and Ghostpizza future music.

"You know about [Fat Tony] houston's best kept secret.. tell him I told you." - Bun B

From Dan Oko, The Austin Chronicle:

Houston's Third Ward produced this Southern hip-hop original whose raps draw on punk and dadaist traditions. Over just a few short years, Fat Tony (born Anthony Obi to Nigerian parentage) has gone from underground rapper to nationally known collaborator with the likes of Das Racist. Austin audiences know him from appearances at Fun Fun Fun Fest, while a follow-up to his debut RABDARGAB should only broaden that appeal.

Who are your top 10 female rappers? If you can even name 10 you’d put in a list of favorites, then you’ve got a great ear, and a great memory. Fact is, today’s Hip Hop ‘femcee’ movement is all but lost in a world of larger than life pop imagery and cross-over hits. Some of today’s best women on the m-i-c have taken up forms of attention-getting that don’t involve the same songwriting or lyrical skills that once made their voices so powerful in Hip Hop.

There was a time when hip hop was needed, was necessary, when it was utilized as the only form of expression, the only voice, for an all too under appreciated and almost unknown culture. As the strength of its voice grew so did its impact on the rest of the world. A rise in popularity led to a rise in marketability, and once the rise in marketability positively affected the rise in profitability, mainstream Corporate America capitalized on the movement, and in turn the music, the core, the essence of the genre, declined.