-- For those of you who haven't seen or heard from us for a while, we have made some changes to The Nastys lineup. We would like welcome rhythm guitarist Dave Jade and lead guitarist Wurm to the band. We would also like to give a cordial goodbye to co founder Mick Nasty who retired from The Nastys in November, we wish him the best of luck in his ventures.

19 Wheels is a Midwest rock band. Period.

Their self-released 2001 debut (don't be fooled by the Standard Records imprint) sold over 13,000 copies. They shared stages with bands who had wads blown on them way larger, with less fortunate results. But enough of that talk.

After taking the majority of 2003 to record the follow up CD, the band is set to hit 2004 on the ground and running. The new CD, Jawbreaker, is a knockout. While People Magazine said Sugareen had "more hooks than a tackle box", Jawbreaker is filled with enough uppercuts, right crosses and donkey punches to more than get the job done.

19 Wheels is four guys who have not forgotten the knack of songwriting in this day when more emphasis is placed on hot chicks in videos than songs in videos. 19 Wheels assures their fans that when their video is made it will have just the right combination of song, style, and scantily-clad hot chicks.

A celebrated American tradition and enthusiasm for music inspires the joyful sound of Greensky Bluegrass.  Their music is influenced by the traditional styles of Bill Monroe and Flat & Scruggs while incorporating themes from the roots of Jazz and Reggae.  The result is acoustic quintet that continues to entertain audiences with modern compositions and witty commentary.   The band has appeared with Ralph Stanley, The Special Consensus, Rhonda Vincent and the Rage, Mountain Heart, Frank Wakefield, The Waybacks and Open Road. They are also active participants in community fundraising for The People’s Food Co-op, Kalamazoo River , and Cancer Awareness.  In the winter of 2004 they collaborated on the album Less Than Supper for release on May 29^th.  Greensky Bluegrass is also a featured performer in the 31^st Annual Telluride Bluegrass Festival Band Competition  The musicians featured in Greensky Bluegrass are Al Bates slidin’ on the Dobro, Mike Bont pickin’ the banjo, Dave Bruzza singing and strummin’ the guitar, Chris Carr thumpin’ bass, and Paul Hoffman signing and playin’ the mandolin.  The band is comfortable playing behind one microphone, with amplifiers, or any combination there of.  They are versatile performers for any stage and the music is appropriate for a wide range of listeners and many environments. 

You walk down the steps to The Funky Basement, say hello to Turk, get a cold beer and the band kicks into high gear.  The horn and Hammond B-3 driven groove immediately captivates you, and the party is on!  

Suddenly your are ready for another cold one, and that bottle of whiskey on the shelf starts calling.  It's the blues baby, and sometimes that's all you need!

Chicago Afrobeat Project is a dynamic 10-piece collective rooted in '70s funk- and jazz-infused afrobeat. As the Midwest's afrobeat messengers, CAbP continues the legacy of Fela Anikulapo-Kuti -- the political activist, outspoken radical and creator of afrobeat -- in its own urban, contemporary style. Upon his death in 1997, Fela left behind him an incomparable realm of music that connects jazz, American funk, African highlife and traditional African rhythms.

Improvisation, a core component of Fela's music, is a cornerstone of CAbP, reflected most particularly in its nimble horn section. Add the horns' sultry lines to a thumping rhythm section that includes Sly O'Jama and T.J. Okunola, who respectively played bass for Fela and performed as one of King Sunny Ade's talking drum players, and CAbP's funkified mixture -- plain and simple -- hits where it counts.

The group began in late 2002 in a third-story loft on Lake Street in downtown Chicago. What began as a simple experiment turned into the sifting through of unique and colorful musicians from around the world. One by one, at a series of loft rehearsals, musicians joined the CAbP lineup, until members of the current band felt an undeniable chemistry. Today, CAbP consists of a full percussion section, a full horn section, keys, guitar and bass -- and is still growing.

The music of CAbP comes together like water running downhill. Often started with a single drop, it builds slowly, note-by-note, until the momentum sweeps listeners away into gushing frenzy. The band's live set consists of originals as well as carefully chosen classic and obscure afrobeat covers -- each embedded with the unique CAbP footprint.

In CAbP, each member is a leader, an ensemble player, a percussionist and a soloist. During extended songs, a member of CAbP steps to the forefront, speaks his musical mind, and then slowly recesses back to the groove. Following this musical burst, another musician will rise and return. And then another. From performance to performance, these musical conversations vary the texture of each song, though one constant remains: The rhythm section pumps an addicting pulse.

Evident in the band's personnel and appeal, the musical diversity of CAbP puts the group at home in any type of setting. Whether supporting world music acts like Steel Pulse, Burning Spear or Cyro Baptista, or acid jazz acts like Karl Denson's Tiny Universe or Garaj Mahal, CAbP finds new converts after each show.

Chicago Afrobeat Project is a project in the truest sense of the word. Musicians come in, musicians come out. But the mission goes unchanged: To push experimental afrobeat to listeners across the globe.

Pink Floyd – From their humble beginnings in 1966 - at the UFO Club of London’s cult-like underground, to their 1994 tour of  North American super-stadiums, these trailblazing psychedelic-rock pioneers have dazzled and amazed their audiences throughout the world. With their renowned light shows, grandiose brick walls built on stage, enormous stage props, cerebral lyrics, and instrumental mastery of mood setting, Pink Floyd set the standard for rock music and concerts to come.

In this absence of Pink Floyd, five Michigan musicians came together to create a fitting tribute to the gift that Pink Floyd had left them – The Music.

They would call themselves The Surrogate Band - a reference to lyrics on 1980's masterpiece, The Wall. The name is also a brilliant encapsulation of what they are aiming to achieve with their tribute. They are not Pink Floyd, but they do their best to make you think you are hearing and seeing them.

The Surrogate Band is supported by the vocal talents of Jill Messing and Jen Johnston – both experienced musicians with significant live performance experience around Michigan.

This band started around the middle of 2002-2003 and has been a band ever since. We also frecuently get in fights about our style, it's funny. Thats about all there is to know.

This 9-piece ensemble includes some of Detroit 's finest musicians.  Acclaimed pianist Alina Moor (Straight Ahead, Orquesta Fuego) joins forces with multiple Detroit Music Awards winning bassist Bill Koggenhop (Immunity, Grupo Alegre) and multi-talented sax and flautist Robert Reeves.  Vocalist Kevin Quiles comes to Atlantez via Miami and New York City and provides the sexy sound and look of Salsa music.  The percussion section includes Greco Freeman and Sandy Lovely (The Winans) along with native Puerto Rican Papo Marrero.  Rounding out the group is former Darryl Jones guitarist, Detroit 's own Oliver Nevels, and everybody's dapper G.Q. trombonist Steve Hunter.  Join Atlantez for an afternoon party of Salsa, Latin Jazz, Merengue and more!

The genesis of The Verve Pipe can be traced back to 1990, when Brian Vander Ark and his brother Brad began making names for themselves in Grand Rapids, MI, with their band Johnny With An Eye. Watching them closely was drummer Donny Brown, whose rival band, Water From The Pool, kept both ensembles in peak form. Eventually, Donny joined forces with the Vander Ark brothers and The Verve Pipe was born.

With their own indie label LMNO Pop!, The Verve Pipe released a debut album I've Suffered a Head Injury in 1992, followed in 1993 by Pop Smear. Though self-distributed, both CDs together sold more than 50,000 copies, quickly drawing major label attention. After signing with RCA, the band released their 1996 platinum-certified album Villains, which spawned the Top 10 Modern Rock hit "Photograph" and the #1 multi-format gold single "The Freshmen." The Verve Pipe opened for Kiss on a European tour and did an extensive headline U.S. tour of their own.

After over 300 dates in support of Villains, the band started writing again, with the song "1229 Sheffield" appearing on the soundtrack to the film "Clay Pigeons," and "Her Ornament" featured on the gold-selling "Great Expectations" soundtrack. Another milestone came when the song "Blow You Away" highlighted the soundtrack album for "The Avengers," a song on which Brian collaborated with one of his heroes, XTC's Andy Partridge. Brian also spent time in front of the cameras, playing a country singer in the independent film "Road Kill" and producing and acting in the independent film "Mergers and Acquisitions."

In July of 1999, The Verve Pipe released their musically adventurous self-titled second album, which led to another exhausting round of international touring. From there, several band members branched out into a variety of interesting ventures, including Doug Corella's multiple gallery exhibitions of his photography, Brian's continued forays into acting (he also appears in the films "Crossover" and "Rock Star"), Donny's writing and producing for some promising Michigan bands such as 19 Wheels, and original bassist Brad Vander Ark departing the band to pursue other artistic interests ("He's become a bit of a millennium beatnik," says Brian affectionately of his brother).

Now, Brian, Donny, Doug and A.J. have refocused their energies entirely on the task ahead: getting their new music to fans and paying them a nice long visit via an extensive national tour. "This is such a summer record," says Brian of the new album. "We're totally enjoying ourselves and not taking things so seriously. But there's a lot of depth to these songs, and we're really looking forward to pulling them off live." Adds Doug, "We're anxious to get going. Our fans have wanted some new music for a long time, and now they're gonna get it. I think they'll be pleased."