Nick Wesson: Vocals
Carl Nottingham: Guitar
Andy Dinsdale: Keyboards/Backing Vocals
Bazza: Bass
Ian Lowes: Drums

The Che Men are from the North East of England and were formed in March 2003 by the ex-Afterglow bassist Bazza. He was quickly joined by David Abrahams-Edley (guitar / backing vocals)from the Mod band Yellowcayke, ex-Thee Strawberry Mynde & Afterglow drummer Ian Lowes and Nick Wesson from the punk band Billy Got Fired. Andy Dinsdale from the Ska band The G Men was the final member to join the band.

So far the band have released one track - a cover of the Redskins song "Kick Over The Statues" which was recorded at Mirage Studio in Marske on 13th April 2003. The cover was released on The Redskins tribute EP "A Flame That Can't Be Dimmed" in October 2003 on the Middlesbrough based record label Red Star Recordings.

Carl Nottingham from Bazza's old band Afterglow replaced David Abrahams-Edley in December 2003. The new line up recorded cover of the Redskins song "Keep On Keepin' On" with Norman Strike for the Redskins tribute album "Reds Strike The Blue". The band also recorded a cover of "Take A Look" by the Mod band Squire which is due to be released on a Squire tribute album "The Young Idea" due out later this year on Twist Records.

The Che Men website: www.chemen.co.uk

Conceived in 2001 and born approximately 9 months later in the winter of 2002, Maninblack (that’s one word!) was originally a twinkle in the eye of André Schlesinger as a dead horse beating follow up to his previous post as frontman and songwriter of The Press who enjoyed minor notoriety as New York’s (and the USA's?) first authentic Oi music outfit from 1984-1994.

Originally conducted as a clandestine activity of "Reverend" Schlesinger's Maninblack Grotto of the Church Of Satan in New York City Maninblack is an experimental project influenced by early British Oi and Punk Rock, even earlier Jamaican Reggae, and their urban surroundings with an underlying hint of dark intent. And then there's that urban legend thing...

There is nothing pretentious and very few frills with Maninblack with the exception of Schlesinger’s trademark headless Steinberger guitar synthesizer which, along with his penetrating vocals, is an uncommon compliment to Maninblack's raw power riddim unit. Maninblack’s sound is a dense and uniquely layered wall of sonic bricks striking an angry medium between abrasive Rock’n Roll and infectious pop tunes and lyrics.

Maninblack will get you if you don't watch out...

Maninblack website: www.maninblack.org

The Yell Leaders are Milwaukee's premier pop/soul combo. Since their first singles garnered rave reviews from Billboard and the BBC's John Peel (RIP), among others, The Yell Leaders have toured regularly throughout the upper Midwest, where they have shared the stage with the likes of Semisonic, K's Choice, Del Amitri, Evan Dando, The Gufs, Citizen King, The Verve Pipe, The Why Store, Cheap Trick, and others.

The Yell Leaders' newest CD, Noxajoy, is chock full of soul stirring, quirky, melodious pop/rock craftsmanship, in the vein of Del Amitri, XTC, Elvis Costello, Rolling Stones, and even Fleetwood Mac. Comparisons to other artists, however, are not entirely fair. All of the "tonal" instrumentation on "Noxajoy" was carefully played and edited, to accentuate the songs themselves. For the song is God, according to the gospel of the Yell Leaders.

Noxajoy also marks The Yell Leaders' debut at the helm, as they co-produced the disc with Milwaukee legend Bill Stace, at his Walls Have Ears Studio. All of the raw energy of a live show is detectable, but Noxajoy is a studio album in the grand tradition. Noxajoy also marks the Yell Leaders' debut at the helm, as they co-produced the disc with Milwaukee legend Bill Stace, at his Walls Have Ears Studio. All of the raw energy of a live show is detectable, but Noxajoy is a studio album in the grand tradition.

The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour.

The Yell Leaders website: www.theyellleaders.com/

Singer, guitarist, dj, songwriter, and svengali, Eric Blowtorch has been involved in the Milwaukee music scene for two decades, going back to his days as drummer for the heavily Clash-influenced punks The Laytons. He has been one of the most tireless proponents of Jamaican music in the city and his honest approach has counteracted the trend of performing only static covers of popular reggae tunes.

Describing his career, Eric says: "I've played in Milwaukee, Madison, Chicago, Minneapolis, New York, San Francisco, and London. Leading various bands I've opened for Billy Bragg, Paul Cebar and the Milwaukeeans, del amitri, Diblo Dibala and Matchatcha, Dr. Madd Vibe, and The Skatalites.

Solo I've opened for Alternative TV, Dan Hicks, the Jazz Butcher, the U.K. Subs, among others.

In my recordings I've collaborated with Jamaican musicians like Duckie Simpson (Black Uhuru), Bagga Walker (Studio 1, Sound Dimension), Marcus 'Rangatan' Smith (Black Uhuru) Keith Sterling (everybody), Clement 'Sir Coxsone' Dodd (Studio 1), and the late Roland Alphonso (Skatalites), and Milwaukee musicians including Shahanna McKinney (Highball Holiday), the Blue Tips, Dan Hanrahan, Paul Cebar, Paul Finger (Wild Kingdom), Danny Dan Fernandez (International Jet Set), the Thousandaires, Recycled Future, and others."

Contact:
Email Eric at: e_beaumont@yahoo.com
Website: http://www.themodernword.com/pynchon/pynchon_music_blowtorch.html

Peasant Army formed in 2004. It was started by Ben Mancell (lead guitar), and A.D. (vocals & guitar) after a few drunk conversations @ their favorite bar "Magnetic Fields". Ben and A.D. had previously played in other Oi!/Punk bands and wanted to do something a little more to their tastes. With the addition of Mike Jacobson on Bass, and Dodgy Tom on Drums the line up was complete. Peasant Army currently have a song coming out on "Backstreets of American Oi!" as well as the Redskins tribute. A.D. is also currently playing guitar for ManinBlack. Ben is about to do a Pist n' Broke reunion.

Peasant Army website: www.myspace.com/peasantarmy

Ron Lopez-Guitar/vox
Alex Lopez-Bass
Andy Castaneda-Drums
The Arc Welders Horns:
Aaron Martineau-Trumpet
Michael Flores-Saxes

The Arc Welders Began playing first gigs in July '04 and play regularly throughout each month. They added the horns for the recording of the Redskins Tribute song and have kept them for the live sets, which have been receiving overwhelming response. The Arc Welders are hoping to play bigger and better shows in the future and let the music speak for itself. The addition of Kick Over The Statues to the live set has really become a show-stopping center piece and is shifting the bands sound considerably. The Arc Welders really just love playing to audiences who can appreciate this Redskins/Jam/ Billy Bragg approach to Pop music and hope more people can learn about this forgotten or unheard brilliance, which was the Redskins.

The Arc Welders website www.myspace/arcwelders.com

The Smashcasters are a Richmond/Charlottesville, Virginia-based band whose style encompasses genres such as street punk, oi!, mod, power pop, soul and rock 'n' roll.

The earliest incarnanation of the band first came together in 2001. The latest line-up features former members of groups such as 1990s punk rock 'n' roll stalwarts The Halfways and the manical old-school punk outfit The Counselors.

The band has recorded a well-received 4-song EP and are currently recording a full-length album. They're also looking to book shows, deal with new record labels, be interviewed/reviewed for print, etc. You know the deal.

The Smashcasters are:
Ryan Nowlan - vocals
Angelo DeFranzo - bass
Rob Charles - guitar
Shawn Stagner - drums

The Smashcasters website: www.myspace.com/thesmashcasters

Negu Gorriak (which means red winter), a great band likened to the Clash for its ferociously energetic music and radical political stance, would merit attention strictly for the quality of music on the half-dozen CDs the Basque group released between 1990 and 1996. But Negu Gorriak went several steps beyond, adopting the punk D.I.Y. aesthetic with a vengeance and forming the Esan Ozenki label as an independent alternative to the mainstream music industry. The label became the center for releases by radical Basque rock bands and eventually the distributor for a few like-minded rockers and rappers from outside Spain. One thing though: don't call Negu Gorriak rock en español. Fervent Basque nationalism is an integral part of their political stance and Spanish culture and language is viewed as an imperialist imposition on Basque autonomy. Communication is highly valued, though, so the lyrics and websites connected to the band usually come in Castilian Spanish, French, and English, as well as Basque.

Negu Gorriak is a band that knows how to craft music, especially the magnetic guitar hooks created by Iñigo Muguruza and Kaki Arkarazo to frame those hard-edged sentiments and have an appeal purely for their sonic force. Negu Gorriak emerged from the ashes of Kortatu, a punk-ska-reggae trio centered around Fermín Muguruza and Iñigo Muguruza that became the creative standard bearer for Basque rock during the mid-'80s. At the height of Kortatu's popularity in 1988, the Muguruza brothers saw a Public Enemy concert in Paris in 1988. They immediately recruited Kaki Arkarazo, a sound engineering whiz who played second guitar on Kortatu's last tour, to embark on a project blending hip-hop and hardcore.

It didn't really stay that way, though, and each of Negu Gorriak's six albums has a distinctive flavor. Negu Gorriak is the blueprint of a project taking shape, with Fermín Muguruza's pit bull snarl placed alongside guitar riffs, programmed drum beats, and primitive sound collages. It's D.I.Y. in action, not amateurish so much as the work of musicians experimenting with new sounds and techniques for the first time. With Gure Jarrera, bassist Mikel Kazalis from Anestesia and drummer Mikel Abrego from Bap! (both Mikels used their band names as their last names on Negu Gorriak credits) came aboard in 1991 to make Negu Gorriak an arena-rocking band with a powerful line in guitar riffs. It was the first Esan Ozenki release and their biggest seller, in part because of Fermín Muguruza's outspokenness on "Ustelkeria" in linking a police unit directed against the outlawed Basque group ETA with the diversion of confiscated cocaine. It also named a Guardia Civil colonel by name and the subsequent defamation of character suit was ultimately resolved in Negu Gorriak's favor, but only after years in the courts.

The distraction didn't hurt their creative output since 1993's two-LP Borreroak Baditu Milaka Aurpegi is a masterpiece, with the band in full command of its melodic resources and piledriver chordal assault. It's merely one of the best CDs released in any language anywhere in the world during the '90s. The live album Hipokrisiari Stop! Bilbo 93-X-30 from 1994 largely drew on that material and convincingly proved Negu Gorriak could deliver its complex, powerful music in front of thousands of delirious fans in Bilbao. A new set of international flavors brought about by overseas touring came to the fore on Ideia Zabaldu, the group's only record to be released in the U.S. (in 1995 by Grita). But Fermín Muguruza felt Negu Gorriak had run its creative course and pulled the plug when the band was poised to make a quantam leap in international recognition. Ustelkeria, a limited-edition CD of rare outtakes, live tracks, and dubs (available only through Esan Ozenki and apparently tied to a free speech campaign in support of the Basque newspaper Hitz Egin) came out in March 1996. The parting blast was Salam, Agur, a collection of 15 favorite songs released in December of that year. A song list including Basque bands, Redskins, the Who, Otis Redding, Bob Marley & the Wailers, Macka-B, N.W.A., Public Enemy, Minor Threat, and the Dead Kennedys is revealing of the band's wide range of musical interests.

Negu Gorriak website: www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Venue/3094/

Ned Ludd is an Italian folk-rock group who combines acoustic instruments with an alternative rock edge and original compositions. With mandolins, bouzouki, violin, accordion, and bagpipes coupled with an aggressive mix of social commentary and acoustic punk delivery, they resemble groups like the Shanes from Germany and the Ukrainians from the U.K. Ned Ludd were originally formed as an alternative rock trio in the Clash and Redskins mold but their growth process involved the steady implementation of folk instruments.
Dave Sleger AMG EXPERT REVIEW

They have taken the Pogues basic idea of playing Irish folk music with a punk attitude and applied it to Italian folk music. The music is heavy on the accordion and mandolin with a punk rock kick up the ass from the bass and drums and especially Gianluca Spirito’s tough as nails vocals.
Shite'n'Onions dicembre /gennaio 2001

Ned Ludd website: www.nedludd.it/

No amps, no drums, just pure impact! An anonymous, autonomous, anarchist, anachronist, acoustic collective from Brooklyn, New York.

Website: www.the-old-bailey.com

With music influences as diverse as Eno to Cr@ss, Bowie to Brahms, and hailing from the home of Trip-Hop and Drum'n'Bass - Bristol, UK, REDSQUARE demand to be different!

Established in 2001 by Spike, (an experimental music producer), REDSQUARE music has spanned the world via internet music collaborations and competitions. "Our music may be very different to what people are used to listening to, but I'm a firm believer that all music is experimental to a certain degree. Growing up with the theatrics of Glam Rock, the everchanging face of Bowie, then punk and new romancism, my musical tastes are eclectic to say the least," says Spike. "I have always admired bands and artists that have a theatrical and visual presence on stage, and try to bring this to my musical compositions even though REDSQUARE are purely a production band. Spontaneity is the name of the game, and we aim to stay that way."

With an ear for sound, and an eye for graphics, REDSQUARE music goes hand-in-hand with their everchanging website, which promotes the punk philosophy - If you can't get someone else to do it, "Do-it-yourself!"

REDSQUARE are now concentrating on new material for their on-line music collaborations.

Red Square website: www.redsquare.me.uk

The Grooveblaster is living proof that the end justifies the means. Whether it's going head-to-head on the ones and twos with collaborators, riding the pause button on an old analog 4-track to create a fly loop with the human factor, or keying in the ill echo chamber chill, the Grooveblaster makes 'tricknology' work.

With the ears of a fan and the reflexes of a musician (like Norman Cook, the Grooveblaster began his musical career as a bassist), the Grooveblaster colors way outside the lines set by parochial, genre fixated, weak-minded motherfuckers, but he knows the rules so when he breaks 'em it's on. His rhythms and melodies are rooted in hard-edged reggae, so it's hard to tell where 'song' ends and 'version' begins, where message ends and music begins, where agony ends and ecstasy kicks in.

Grooveblaster website: http://ctomag.com/may16cto/grooveblaster3.html