Del Castillo

The music of this Austin, Texas band has an electrifying live show, sizzling with tight musicianship, passionate showmanship from lead singer Alex Ruiz, and an electrifying combination of flamenco, Latin, rock, blues and world music. Del Castillo has become a symbol of the cross-cultural power of music. They have won many Austin music awards including Best Live Act, Band of the Year, Album of the Year and Best Traditional Latin Band.

"This Austin, TX-based band has developed a huge regional following through their unique merger of flamenco music and rock. Since forming in 2001, the sextet has won a total of 10 Austin Music Awards, while also touring with Los Lobos, Los Lonely Boys and Ozomatli. Their MUSEXPO performance was absolutely MINDBLOWING, even for the most jaded, too-cool-for-the-room industry executive. Rolling Stone says the band '...conjures images of Eddie Van Halen front early Santana (with an assist from the Gipsy Kings)' and that description pretty much nails it."
- A&R Worldwide MUSEXPO

Website

Sonny Landreth

Raised in Lafayette, Louisiana, Landreth played in local bands before accepting an invitation to join Clifton Chenier's Red Hot Louisiana Band. Learning from the "king of Zydeco," Landreth developed a virtuosity in a range of blues settings, which surfaced on his debut album, Blues Attack.

In the years that followed, Landreth continued to sharpen his extraordinary playing chops while also building a reputation as a singer and songwriter of exceptional sensitivity to his geographical and artistic roots. Word spread throughout the music world, and Landreth began getting pulled into a busy schedule of sessions. His catalog now includes work with rock guitar giant Leslie West, harmonica legend Junior Wells, Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits fame, country superstar Dolly Parton, the great Cajun band Beausoleil, British blues pioneer John Mayall, and singer/songwriters John Hiatt, Kenny Loggins, Marshall Crenshaw to name a few.

On his own he has developed a reputation a guitarist with amazing textures and finger dexterity. On the slide guitar, nobody makes sounds like Sonny Landreth. Audiences watch him with their mouths open, unable to comprehend his prowess and the effects he achieves. His blues prowess was recognized with a Grammy nomination for best blues release and the 2005 Americana Award for Instrumentalist of the Year.

Website

Mighty Lester

Jumpin', jivin', houserockin' hipshakin' blues - North Carolina-based Mighty Lester can get a crowd on their feet within seconds of hitting the stage.

Take a little West Coast Jump, some Kansas City Swing, Texas and Chicago blues, and add a dash of Memphis Stax Soul, and that's the sound of Mighty Lester . Since starting in late 2000, they have gradually added musicians and instruments to become in 2008 a rocking and roaring eight-piece combo, one of the most exciting and dynamic blues bands playing today. They are a band with a big sound, a slam in your chest wall of sound that you can only get with a tight horn section. With soul -sanctified former gospel singer Todd Dewberry on lead vocals, the blues doesn't get any better than this. We booked Mighty Lester for Heatwave after their triumphant set at the Sarasota Blues Festival.

Website

Atlas Soul

"What hits hardest about Atlas Soul's sound is the natural funk of North African music and also powerful vocals, which span fluid, passionate Gnawa melodies and husky Raï hooks. There is great wisdom in a world-music outfit that embraces divergent genres (but not so many that the sound loses its identity)" -World music journalist Banning Eyre.

Atlas Soul's live performances are hypnotique and get their audience in a dancing trance! They have played venues such as The Montreal Jazz Festival, The Kennedy Center, The Louisiana International Music Festival, The Houston International Festival, The Musikfest, The FNX/Boston Phoenix Jazz Series at the Hatch Shell, The Festival international Nuits d'Afrique (Montreal) The Boston Globe Jazz Festival, The Steppin'Out Festival, MASS MoCA , Les Francofolies de Montreal, and many more.

Atlas Soul incorporates many genres: Raï, Funk, Shaabi, Jazz, Afrobeat, Jungle, Socca, Reggae, Gnawa & Samba. "It might sound a bit ambitious but it comes to us very naturally," Jacques Pardo, the band leader explains. Atlas Soul sings in Spanish, French, Italian, Arabic, Hebrew and English, a true World Music band. .The lyrics speak of love, natural wonders, oppression, poverty, and of the melancholy of immigrants longing for their homelands. Their motto is world-music-for-world-peace. Philosophically and politically, Atlas Soul hopes to inspire world peace through a fusion of music and culture that gets people to the dance floor.

Website

The Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band

With ordained minister, Kentucky Colonel, and wildman virtuoso The Rev. Peyton up front on the national guitar, his wife the lovely and equally insane Washboard Breezy, and little brother Jayne Peyton keeping time on the kick and the snare, this isa band that somehow crosses the barriers between indie rock/punk rock kids, jam banders, scenesters, and traditional blues fans. The live show, according to the Colorado Springs Independent, "caused a woman who was wheelchair bound for 20 years to climb out of her wheel chair and dance." Cincinaati's City beat described them as "a rousing hyper and authentic brand of blues that sounds like it might have come out of that secret meth lab nestled deep in the backwaters of the Mississippi Delta." . Here's a video from their set at the High Sierra Festival to show you what to expect!

Website

Groovesect

A brand new band who have rocketed to the top of New Orleans jazz and funk scene. Inspired by the syncopated beats and jazz rhythms of New Orleans and beyond, the guys pay homage to the greats while forging their own sound. They blend jazz, soul, and fusion music, but what they do best is get down on that nasty funk. Since New Orleans music legend Alfred "Uganda" Roberts joined the band in the Spring of 2007, Groovesect has been voted the #1 Funk Band and #2 Contemporary Jazz Band in the 2007 Best of the Big Easy Awards (Where Y'at Magazine). Your first chance to see New Orleans' hottest new band in Florida will be at Tropical Heatwave.

Listen to their groove in this video of a New Orleans street party during Jazzfest.

Website

Amanda Shaw and the Cute Guys

Seventeen year-old New Orleans-based fiddler and singer Amanda Shaw brings exciting new energy to roots-based Louisiana music. For several years as a fiddle playing prodigy she has been drawing record crowds and been among the top sellers at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. Now with her new CD Pretty Runs Out on Rounder Records, Shaw is poised take her dazzling showmanship to the national stage. We have wanted to bring her here for several years; this is her first time in Tampa Bay.

Website

Peter Mulvey

Mulvey, who paid his dues busking in streets and subways, excels as a live performer. He’s a terrific guitarist who writes great songs and also does amazing covers. Immersed in language, art, and poetry, his playing styles range from tender acoustic picking to rootsy blues & jazz. One man and a guitar: view and listen to the magic of Peter Mulvey playing an instrumental, "Black Rabbit".

Website

Hoots & Hellmouth

Philadelphia-based Hoots & Hellmouth embodies a feisty, independent spirit churning out new music for old souls. Their shows are like traveling tent revivals; their audiences are like congregations.

The band has concocted a musical blend of roots/revival sensibility with a healthy dose of rock n’ roll energy that is all their own. Since their inception, Hoots & Hellmouth have been on a mighty roll. Their travels have taken them all over the Northeastern region as well as down South for several runs. Their 2006 Philadelphia Folk Fest appearance was a watershed moment for the group, exposing them to thousands of enthusiastic folk aficionados, lifting onlookers to a frenzy and earning them a standing ovation. During an appearance at WXPN’s “All About the Music Festival", a dozen audience members jumped the stage to join the band, stomping, singing and clapping.

In the words of Hoots, "it is at once a celebration and mourning...championing the human potential to feel deeply and come together as a unified whole, while bemoaning the fact that much in modern life seems to work against that sense of community and bonding. It's a catharsis for 21st Century humans...it’s new music for old souls."

Hoots an Hellmouth is another band who has never played Tampa so we are giving you an opportunity to preview them with a video.

Website

The Zydepunks

"World music never sounded like so much frantic, frenetic and sweat-soaked fun." Hal Horowitz, Creative Loafing Atlanta

"The Zydepunks are one of New Orleans' most rousing live performers... they surprise with sublime accordion-fiddle fueled playing." Offbeat Magazine

Innovators, renegades, survivors - within a few years, the Zydepunks have grown from underground heroes into one of New Orleans' most talked about bands. Yiddish riddles, Irish ballads, Cajun punk, and original songs in Spanish and German are a small demonstration of why they astound audiences. Wild folk dances fronted by accordion and fiddle and backed by relentless drums and bass are a testament to the high-energy folk-punk dance craze that is a Zydepunks show.

The Zydepunks began in 2004 and quickly took the New Orleans music scene by storm with their speedy and amped-up versions of European and Louisiana folk music. Vocal stylings in six languages (German, French, Spanish, Yiddish, English, Portuguese) immediately set the band apart. Their own original work has given the band a more cohesive feel while staying true to their sound. They tore it up at WMNF's 2007 Birthday Bash and we were quick to invite them back for Heatwave.

The Oaks

A unique alt/folk/indie rock band from Orlando, created by singer/songwriter/guitarist Ryan Costello and drummer/percussionist Matthew Antolick.

The Oaks have gained international attention through their original fusion of music performance and humanitarian aid. Costello spent two years in Afghanistan, living among recently-returned refugees, teaching agricultural techniques and directly participating in food distributions. When he returned to the United States, he vowed to get the word out about the need of the Afghan people. The Oaks is the result of these aspirations.

All of the members of The Oaks are multi-instrumentalists. During a typical Oaks show you are likely to see the band members trading off percussion, keyboards; accordion, trumpet, trombone, saxophone, percussion, bass and acoustic and electric guitars.

With their upcoming national release, The Oaks are primed for national attention. They have already been selected for the CMJ 2007 marathon, SXSW 2008, a major Paste magazine feature, and as a CMJ-Sonic Bids spotlight artist.

Website

Soulphonics & Ruby Velle

Soulphonics aren't trying to re-invent soul music, but keep the torch going from the originators; James Brown, Wilson Pickett, Dyke & The Blazers and '60s Motown. The nine-piece troupe keeps it old-school, with horns, an organ, and dapper suits, while the two lead singers (male and female) take turns belting out the soul. The band isn't just striking a nostalgic pose. It offers an authentic tribute to the roots of R&B and Soul.

Website

Before Dawn

Before Dawn is an Austin, TX. based, crowd pleasing, fun having, wall of sound, alt.rock duet with electro backing tracks. Before Dawn makes danceable guitar driven electronic music that is sure to satisfy indie rockers and beat hungry club goers simultaneously.

Rob Houle, Before Dawn's front man, a talented musician and prolific song writer, was urged by his close friend and fellow guitar player, Perry Bamonte of The Cure, to make meaningful music. Perry remains one of Houle's closest friends, biggest inspirations and harshest critics. Houle admits his first bands were an attempt to recreate The Cure's sound, but he found his own musical voice. Rob Houle and Kate Arpke met while in college at The University of Central Florida. The band Before Dawn was conceived in March of 2004, originally as a 3 piece, temporarily as a 4 piece and in 2006 became the two piece that they were meant to be. Kate writes the lyrics and plays the bass and Rob writes the music and plays guitar and synthesizers.

Rob and Kate love music that encourages the body to move. They always have a great time when they go see bands with danceable beats and screaming guitar licks and felt the urge to provide that kind of entertainment for their audiences. Before Dawn shows are about fun and musical expression, crowd interaction, drama, theatrics, dancing, singing, sweating and the liberation of inhibitions.

Website

The Actomatics

The Four Shames were rapidly building a buzz in Central Florida as the garage band to see, but then sadly disbanded. The Four Shames keyboardist and vocalist, Shadow Pearson is not one to let things die. The Actomatics are Shadow’s other band! They play original music, a blend of rock, roots, indie movie soundtrack and Americana music; one description they like is "Sounds like Fleetwood Mac with more soul and voodoo."

Website

Julie Black

Julie Black a.k.a. "Angel for Blues" is one of the most exciting new singer/ songwriters in the Blues & Jazz genres, who has taken off from her New Port Richey base to get airplay and positive reviews from all over the world with her debut CD. Julie’s rich and soulful voice conjures up raw emotions, commanding your attention with deep and powerful tones one minute, then seduces you with velvety steam-soaked sounds the next. She’s also a prolific songwriter, who finds inspiration everywhere.

"Call Me Angel for Blues…announces a major singing and songwriting talent in Florida's Julie Black….The players and arrangements are excellent, and Black is a confident, expressive singer. Angel is beautiful." -Blues Revue Magazine

Website

POETRY Showcase

WMNF programmer Lizz Straight, a nationally acclaimed poet, gathers local and national talent for a Heatwave showcase of slam poetry and spoken word. Slam poetry is a popular trend among poets. It enables the artist to deliver his or her poetry in a dramatic and forceful way. The special guest is Miami poet Asia, who has performed on HBO's "Death Poetry Jam," where he received a standing ovation for his deeply honest poems which include his feelings about learning that he has testicular cancer. Asia is a traveling poet, and his poetry can be heard at MySpace.com/ibeasia.

Website

King of Spain

One-man-band Matt Slate (aka King of Spain) has accumulated nearly 15 years of history as a guitarist and songwriter in Tampa bands (Pohgoh, Chester, The Maccabees, etc) but his newest project is creating music in his home studio. His debut release Entropy is ambitious and textured and reveals influences from Brian Wilson, Brian Eno and Mark Kozelek, with atmospheric majesty, space and subtlety. His live show is a multi-media experience.

Website

Rocket 88

Our favorite rockabilly band, fresh from backing Wanda Jackson at the Rockabilly Ruckus, will have the Ballroom packed with happy dancers. They are known for their outrageous stage show featuring upright bass, fiery piano, blazing guitar, pounding drums and charismatic frontman - everything you want from a first class rockabilly band. .

Website

A New Personality

They played Heatwave #1 and #2 and now Tampa’s original new wave band has reformed to play Heatwave #27. What are the essential things that make this band so great? Well, take one part David Sylvain, two parts Echo and the Bunnymen and throw in a little west coast rock and there you have the ingredients for one of the most important Tampa alternative acts of the 80s. A New Personality makes it's triumphant return to WMNF's Tropical Heatwave after almost 20 years away from this historical event (in addition to Heatwaves 1 and 2 they played the 93' Heatwave as Further).The Reunion brings the Brothers Rademaker, Darren (The Tyde) and Brent (Beachwwod Sparks, Frausdots) back together with drummer Steve "Fish" Fisher as they lie down their raincoats and groove for this one special night of music, fun and great memories of Tampa's early new music scene.

Acho Brother

ACHO BROTHER blends a type of Electro-Folk sound, peppered with acoustic guitars, electronic beats, and bi-lingual vocals. "Now on their third album, Acho Brother --singer/guitarist Hector Mayoral and drummer Zak Byrd prove as adventurous as ever, blending Mayoral's breathy, impassioned vocals and aggressive acoustic six-string work with myriad found sounds and ambient washes. The Puerto Rico-born, Florida-raised Mayoral alternate between singing in English and Spanish; there are melodic ballads and experimental noise excursions. Few other Tampa Bay acts are making music this challenging, varied and rewarding. - Creative Loafing

Website

Have Gun Will Travel

After several years with Florida indie-rock trio The Chase Theory, M. Burke now works under the assumed moniker Have Gun, Will Travel, Burke combines elements of folk, rock, bluegrass, and traditional country music with an indie sensibility. What began as a solo, mostly acoustic project has since evolved into a full-band effort. HGWT has begun building a grassroots network of friends and fans, young and old, with their energetic live performances.

"These are songs that come from some place honest. The poetry is in the details...The melodies are soothing like strong medicine. Burke's vocals are subtle yet somehow manage to grab you by the throat at the same time...Have Gun, Will Travel is highly recommended for fans of Hank Williams and Gram Parsons; Neil Young and Jay Farrar." Wade Tatangelo - The Bradenton Herald.

"A mixture of shuffling folk and country, the album finds Burke taking a spin at honky-tonk, and coming home with a better grasp of what animated Hank Williams and the Carter Family than most groups devoted to country full-time. The songs come complete with backwoods images: the bottle, the devil and freightliners...Have Gun, Will Travel is a marvel from start to finish. 4 stars" Cooper Baker - The Weekly Planet / Creative Loafing

Website

Nervous Turkey

Raucous and rowdy 3 piece lays down some of the grittiest and dirty blues/funk around, an essential show for fans of Tom Waits, Black Keys and Mofro. Fronted by larger than life Mouth Harp Destroyer Ernie Locke, formerly of Tenderloin, Nervous Turkey brings Copious amounts of Intensity with every performance. Their set ranges from straight up blues to old school rock ‘n roll, gospel, carnival, etc...

"Nervous Turkey perform unabashedly raucous barroom blues-rock marked by the guttural vocal growls and fierce harmonica playing of bandleader Ernie Locke." -Creative Loafing

Website

Win Win Winter

These dudes (ex-DISCO NAP, MANTS, SKYLINE, etc.) are most certainly on the verge of doing BIG things.. if you haven't seen 'em yet, this is your chance to get on board.

“…for my money Win Win Winter is the best local act going right now, and they are just getting started. Last night at New World was amazing, and they were playing for a half-filled room if that in a small (albeit legendary) venue. -James Ferreira REAX MUSIC MAGAZINE

Website

Graham Parker

For more than 30 years, Graham Parker has been slinging his signature snarling sound, earning a spot in the pantheon of influential rock 'n' roll figures, with two albums among Rolling Stones Top 100 Albums of All-Time. Since his early days with The Rumour, Parker has coupled punk's energy with his deeply rooted love of American R&B, country, and soul music. In recent years some of his music has taken a political turn, as WMNF listeners know with his 88.5 hit from 2007, “Stick To the Plan”. These days he likes to perform solo with his electric guitar in a packed rock club; the Cantina will be the venue for one of highlights of this year’s Heatwave.

Website

Gandalf Murphy and the Slambovian Circus of Dreams

Fresh from their sellout WMNF show in Sarasota, these psychedelic pranksters return for the audiences who cannot get enough of the music that can 'heal what ails ya!' Formed in Sleepy Hollow, New York in the late 90's, Gandalf Murphy & the Slambovian Circus of Dreams is one of the best known and loved bands in their home state, singled out as Hudson Valley Magazine's "Band of the Year" for the past 3 years. On stage they create an enchanting atmosphere, using traditional folk instruments, tasty electric guitar and the distinctive singing and songwriting of Joziah Longo. Citing influences as diverse as Hank Williams, Dylan, Bowie, Incredible String Band and early Pink Floyd, Longo describes the band's music as "punk-classical-hillbilly-Floyd", a mental rollercoaster of whimsical, thought-provoking songs. The Circus' live shows are where the real magic comes down, earning them critical acclaim as well as a fiercely loyal following. Their last studio release, "Flapjacks From The Sky" has been hailed as a masterpiece by many and continues to make a buzz internationally as a great Americana work of art. Their new CD, "The Great Unravel" has just come out.

Website

The Blue Vipers of Brooklyn

The Blue Vipers of Brooklyn are an early jazz, swing, and blues band, composed of guitar/vocals, upright bass, washboard percussion, trumpet and saxophone. Their repertoire is full of witty songs from 1920's and 30's and original tunes with moving yet often bawdy lyrics and 4 part vocal harmony.

The band met 3 years ago whilst busking on the streets of New York City and quickly became a favorite of native New Yorkers and tourists from the world over. With a vast repertoire and an ability to draw and hold large crowds wherever they perform,. they are one of the most popular bands on NYC subways and Central Park sidewalks, as well as dance clubs throughout the mid-Atlantic They are coming to Florida for the first time to make the Heatwave swing dancers happy.

"The Blue Vipers of Brooklyn provided fantastic entertainment." Willie Nelson, June 11th 2007

Website

Baye Kouyate

A Griot or Jali is a West African Poet, praise singer, and wandering musician, considered a repository of oral tradition. Essentially, these musicians were walking history books, perserving their ancient stories and traditions through song. Baye Kouyaté is a direct descendant of that lineage. He is one of those old souls: wise and blessed with a culturally diverse perspective, bubbling over with natural enthusiasm and creative energies that strongly suggest he's been this way before; someone deeply in touch with the spiritual essences..

Originally from Bamako, Mali, talking drum master Kouyate has performed globally. His performances are a journey through a world of highly complex polyrhythms fusing traditional sounds of Mali with influences such as jazz, reggae, and Latin grooves, all delivered by a highly spirited crew. For Heatwave he is bringing a world class eight-piece band; expect some truly exciting world music in the Ballroom around midnight. Kepler Music [- Hide] Kepler Report I "It was packed to the rafters which I found very surprising since it was pretty empty the night before. The Mali band Baye Kouyate was amazing. Most of the audience was dancing and the vibe of the place was amazing. It was a fitting ending to three nights of great music." - Kepler Report Griots in New York Global Rhythm Magazine " As the night wears on, Baye continues to play the talking drum, a 10-inch long drum that produces distinctive undulating sounds, which seems to literally communicate with him. Throwing his head back, Baye appears to enter an almost trance-like state as a wide smile swallows his face..." - Global Rhythm Magazine

Website

Tribal Style

Tribal Style is a mainstay on the Tampa music scene with their original roots reggae foundation. Tribal Style consists of five members, three of which are brothers: Muthoni[toni](keyboards/vocals) Tokunbö[tk](drums) and Mugabe[mug] Tenn(bass/vocals), Blake Yeager(guitar), and Micheal(dj blenda)Mendolusky(percussion/dj). The Tenn brothers were born in St.Andrew/Kingston, Jamaica. Jamaica School of Music and Collony House( the Hicklings) assisted in the education process in this music from an early age through roots-rockers-folk-ska-jazz-classical and Nyabinghi drum sessions with their Dad(orthodox ras)help brings the solid foundation to Tribal Style™. Their upbringing allowed them to be naturally influenced by pioneers such as the Wailing Souls, Joe Higgs, Noel Thaxter, 'Farma',the Rastafarians and Black Uhuru. Blake Yeager, his years of experience with previous group projects brings originality to this rustic type roots music. Micheal(dj blenda)Mendolusky, Boston native whose been in the Tampa arts underground scene holds it down on the percussions and turntables.

Website

Jarvik 7

"Jarvik 7 is a true "under-the-radar" act that has existed locally in the Tampa Bay area in some form or another since the mid 1990s. The band has gone through a number of manifestations before becoming what it is today: Mat Myers on vocals and guitar, Bill Bowman on guitar, and Brian Conger on drums, along with newer member Brad Richardson on guitar. "We're definitely a dark band," says Bill. "You have to be a little bit miserable to make our music." Mat jokes that their music is "emo rock for old people." I'm not sure I would agree with him, but Bill is definitely on to something. Their music is complex, layered, and so deliciously thick that it can't help but leave a lasting residue in its magical, muddy wake. Within their compositions I can easily glean influences from the Cure, My Bloody Valentine, and others, but what they are creating is original, unfettered, and superbly well-crafted. An extremely talented group of musicians, Jarvik 7 is on the verge of something marvelous. Undoubtedly, they are changing the face of the Tampa music scene with their boundary-crashing, progressive sound. " - Aubrey Bramble, ReAx Magazine

Website

Brave Combo

- Brave Combo returns for their third Heatwave (1994, 2005) because they just may be the best party band in the world. Over the last 28 years, Brave Combo has collected a dizzying array of descriptive musical pegs, boldly going where few bands have gone before, and even fewer could (or would) dare to venture. Brave Combo is America's premier contemporary polka band, and a two-time Grammy winning one at that. In the same breath, one can describe them as a groundbreaking world music act, a hot jazz quintet, a rollicking rock'n'roll bar band, a Tex-Mex conjunto, a sizzling blues band, a saucy cocktail combo, a deadly serious novelty act, a Latin orchestra, and one of America's dance bands par excellence. It's all in a night's music for Brave Combo, often in a synergistic fashion that includes everything from klezmer surf rock to rocking cha cha to what The

Website

Still Alive (Aun Viven)

The group called "STILL ALIVE", one of the hottest emerging artists out of South America, will be playing one of their first US shows at Tropical Heatwave. Still Alive, from Cali, Colombia, are a family band: two brothers and their two cousins. Their style of reggaeton is a mix of reggae, Latin styles, hip hop, rap and R&B – right on the cutting edge. In Colombia they are hugely popular; on Christmas Day 2007 they played before 200,000 in Cali. The debut single "LADY" has resulted in the recent signing of a national radio promotions campaign and the USA tour which will commence with shows in Florida. The video of "LADY" was remixed and edited by veteran award winner producer Mike Collado of Collado & Paniagua Entertainment. The single and video has being gaining great reviews from the industry and is charting very well on national and international radio airplay, including hit status in Spain, Germany and other parts of Europe. The worldwide appeal to the group’s hip and original sound, which consists of deep base grooves and fresh hooks, is packing dance floors in Central and South America. International media is looking them as the next big thing out of Latin America.

Website

The Shackeltons

The Shackeltons, from Chambersburg, PA, are a band that WMNF talent scouts at SXSW found wild and crazy and amazing enough that they just had to be booked for Tropical Heatwave.

Note that KEXP in Seattle was the first station to get excited about this fast-rising band and they now play to enthusiastic crowds of over 1000 in Seattle; reviewers below call their recent show in Seattle “an incredible performance” and “the performance of the year.”

Rolling Stone "...instead of pretending there are a hundred thousand good new releases, ...check out this wild-eyed fusion of Pixies and early White Stripes. The good news: the whole record is this freakish, this thrilling." (J. Edward Keyes)

SPIN Magazine "Shake up a pinch of the Pixies and a dose of Black Rebel Motorcycle club with stormy instrumentation, the Shackeltons arrives unrestrained... (Miriam Lamey)

Sentimentalist Magazine "Both the Shackeltons and their disc are worth hunting down…explosive urgency that thrives on neat, loud-soft-loud bursts of poetry and gritty chaos…The drama almost cannot be contained. Get this!"

KEXP, Seattle “...an incredible performance [that] restored my faith in the danger and redeeming quality of rock and roll. Possessed and poetic, and fully committed, at times I thought they should be committed.” (Kevin Cole)

Sound on the Sound, on the live performance at Neumo’s, Seattle "a full out rock’n'roll spectacle…one of the most manic and inspired performances…an infectious fury, with biting guitar, driving bass, taut drumming, and vicious hooks, gasps, shrieks, and impassioned cries, brooding and menacing, punchy, laser focused, on the verge of implosion and insanity…the performance of the year…leaving the crowd shrieking and breathless."

Crackers United, NYC "Their live show is a rollercoaster of urgency that quells into calmer, quieter moments… fiery assaults of the dual guitars… combining the dynamics and intensity of Slintâ€--, the angular guitar riffs of Fugazi and Jawbox, rounded out with echoing guitars reminiscent of The Chameleons and Interpol"

Mojo Gurus

The argument has been made that rock ’n’ roll is dead. Well, if it is the Mojo Gurus are refusing to attend the funeral. These four guys from the Tampa Bay area play as if the burden of saving the genre lay square upon their shoulders. It’s bourbon soaked, gut bucket, glam meets twang, the Stones pick up Hank Williams hitchhikin’ down the Lost Highway. What’s that? Do I feel a pulse?

Led by singer songwriter Kevin Steele, the Gurus come off as determined to remind us of something too many people have forgotten... the spirit in which rock ’n’ roll was originally intended. Shake ’em on down! Backed by Doc Lovett’s rhythm and booze riffs, Vinnie Granese’s thick and black as Mississippi Delta mud bass runs and Mark Busto’s cannon shot voodoo beats, the Mojo Gurus perform real deal rock ’n’ roll with enough strut and swagger to make most of today’s flavor of the month bands pale in comparison.

Defying all labels the Gurus new album combines southern rock, old school country, rhythm and blues, surf rock and even a little bit of soul. If after one listen you don’t find yourself doin’ the Twine and Ballin’ the Jack, maybe you better have your pulse checked.

Whether you have been around long enough to remember the real thing or you are young enough to wish you could, the Mojo Gurus are the long lost friend you’ve been looking for. Let’s Get Lit indeed!

Website