Aaron Williams and The Hoodoo

Decades ago, before the first rock and roll idols turned music into a product, musicians played music the way cobblers mended shoes and carpenters built homes. It was a trade-like any other job, and men did it for work, for wage. Young men packed their station wagons with gear and traveled from city to city to play their songs. For these musicians, it was not only all they wanted to do but all they could do. They were not in search of fame or fortune; it was simply a life in music. Welcome to the world of Aaron Williams and the Hoodoo.

The band is playing in excess of 200 shows a year and headlines the vast majority of those shows. They have served as direct support for Davy Knowles and Back Door Slam, The Black Keys, Bernard Allison, Shemekia Copeland, and Taj Mahal, to name a few. Aaron Williams and the Hoodoo are rapidly expanding their fan base with regular travel throughout the Midwest and the South, and the band has recently secured endorsement deals with Republic Guitars, Fulltone, and Riejunio Premium Apparel. The band has appeared on KARE 11 TV, Minneapolis, MN; Fox 4 Mornings, Kansas City, MO; WDCB 90.9, Glen Ellyn, IL; y106.9, Madisonville, KY; WGN 9, Chicago, IL; and WRFG 89.3, Atlanta, GA. The band's CD has been added to numerous blues shows across the country and is growing in number, as well as radio in Poland, Macedonia, and The Netherlands.

On their new album, "It Ain't Easy," Aaron Williams and the Hoodoo follow in the footsteps of musical archetypes like Ronnie Earl, Buddy Guy, John Lee Hooker, The Black Keys, Kenny Brown, and R.L Burnside. "It Ain't Easy" is a tour de force of authenticity, covering sounds from blues to rock and roots. It is music the way music was meant to be played, with a music-is-my-life, let's-hit- the-road attitude. Aaron Williams and the Hoodoo's unwavering music filters blues, soul, roots, and rock through a prism of emotional authenticity. What emerges isn't a reinvention of the wheel, rather something undeniable and the very definition of a force of nature. It's real American music at its core and at its best.

» aaronwilliamsandthehoodoo.com

Riejunio Premium Apparel

Riejunio Premium Apparel is the brainchild of former Blue Chip All American athlete Harie Robinson. Harie attended Georgia Tech on a full athletic scholarship and graduated from Piedmont College with a degree in business administration. That knowledge and nine years of experience gained from Macy's South, at both the store and corporate levels, allowed Harie to understand the business, fashion, and trends that drive the market.

Riejunio seeks to buck those trends by providing consumers with classic, upscale denim and tees that are timeless in style and quality. Supporting the company's mantra "The Renaissance of Art and Fashion," Riejunio partners with various artists, including three-time Grammy nominated producer Drumma Boy and R&B stars Dru Hill. Dru Hill rocked Riejunio Premium Apparel Signature Tees on Keith Sweat's Platinum House, which premiered on Peachtree TV on February 23. The company also now carries a custom line that is worn by both Drumma Boy and Jazz of Dru Hill, and the company's denim and select tees will be carried by Bill Hallman Boutiques in Atlanta. Riejunio also partners with Eye de ology Optical, 2 Live Stews, and Automotive Rhythms. Riejunio displayed its line in the Style Suite at the BET Hip Hop Awards and designs custom boxing gear for newly crowned IBF North American Heavyweight Champion, Cedric "the Boz" Boswell. Launching its line of Barackaware, Riejunio was one of the few selected as official vendors at the Democratic National Convention in Denver.

» riejunio.com

Mike Droho

Mike Droho employs pop songwriting with an urban feel that is rooted in acoustic instrumentation. An ambitious collection of songs, blurring the borders between, hip-hop, folk, orchestral, a cappella, and rock & roll.

Mike Droho was born and brought up in the small town of Baraboo, WI. He studied at both The University of Wisconsin Madison, and N.Y.U. in New York City before realizing his path as a songwriter and touring musician. In 2004, at the University of Wisconsin, Mike formed an acoustic pop group called The Profits that saw immediate success throughout the Midwest and East Coast college circuit. After releasing two full-length records with the Profits and touring the eastern half of the United States, Mike released his first solo record in 2006. A year later he formed The Compass Rose. Since forming the group, Mike has released two more records and has continued to tour the East Coast and South. Mike has performed more than 1,000 shows in 15 different states, amassing a grass-roots following that has purchased more than 11,000 records and witnessed him perform with such major label artists as The Roots, The Black Keys, Ben Kweller, Brett Dennen, Lifehouse, Ben Taylor, The Violent Femmes, Josh Radin, Stephen Kellogg, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Matt White, and NeedToBreathe.

» myspace.com/mikedroho

Josh Hill Band

In 2007 Josh Hill began work on his debut solo album Come Closer recorded at PowerBase Studio in the small town of Wisner, Nebraska. Engineered and produced by Dan Kain. On the record, Hill played all of the instruments, recorded all of the vocals and wrote all of the songs. Blues/Pop is what critics are calling the newly formed Josh Hill Band based out of Lincoln, NE. "The band finds the border, which I didn't know existed, between pop music and the blues." Neil Sandhoefne - Omaha Weekly Reader.

The band's cutting blues style comes from the band's leader and singer-songwriter Josh Hill. Hill's love for both blues and pop is very apparent in his recent independent release entitled Come Closer. Hill is known for his rhythmic finger picking, soulful voice, and passionate stage performance. The Josh Hill Band has hit the ground running playing over 40 shows throughout the Lincoln/Omaha area in just six Months. They have opened for national acts such as Robert Bradley's Blackwater Surprise, and Devon Allman's Honeytribe. And have shared the stage with Kris Lager (Indigenous). The newly formed Josh Hill Band is comprised of Josh Hill on guitar/vocals, Andy Essink on bass, Daniel Christian on keys/guitar, and Jake Neeman on drums.

» joshhillband.com

Cornerstone

Austria may be known as the classical music capital of the world, but make no mistake, Cornerstone is here to rock. Patricia Hillinger (Vocals, Guitar), Michael Wachelhofer (Bass, Keyboards, Vocals), Steve Wachelhofer (Guitar, Vocals) and Wolfgang Baumeister (Drums, Percussion) signed a record deal with US-label ATOM Records and released their debut "Head Over Heels" in the same year. Following the release, the band was introduced to more than one hundred magazines and radio stations worldwide. Beautiful melodies, big guitars, a melodic bass, and sad-aggressive lyrics about the small and big topics of this world quickly inspired the public, particularly in the U.S.A. and the United Kingdom.

Some of the songs from the new CD are included in the motion-picture soundtrack for the film "Little Alien," which was shown in all Austrian cinemas and on television in spring 2009. The band's focus is nevertheless on the Anglo-American market. Cornerstone has won the "Next Big Thing Contest," sponsored by Alternative Addiction, in March 2008 and had a No. 1 hit on Chungardio Statesides. In the United Kingdom the band had a very successful tour in the fall of 2008, followed by reviews and interviews in the most important rock'zines (Powerplay, Fireworks, Classic Rock, etc.) and appearances on UK-Radio (f.e. in the Steve Price show/Radio ARFM). Cornerstone recently completed a follow-up tour through the UK, including a stop at the Z Rock Festival in Dudley, together with Ted Poley and John Waite, and a longer series of concerts stateside will begin on July 11, 2009, in the metro Atlanta area and will travel up the East Coast.

» cornerstone.co.at

Robert J

An anchor to the Madison music scene for 25 years, Robert J., as he is known to his friends, has recently released two new projects. "The Revenge Of The Rowdy Prairie Dogs" is a slice of Americana with a flavor of country-rock guiding the way. Robert J.'s second disc, "A Beautiful Blur," is a collection of beautiful, personal selections that tell the story of Robert J.'s life in song and will appeal to lovers of both Americana and Adult Contemporary music.

In addition to making his own music, Robert J. is a co-founder of PopBomb Records. No stranger to accolades and awards for music, Robert J. sang two songs for the upcoming indy film "Madison," which is set to hit the film festival circuit this fall and winter. Robert J's "Rewind" from "A Beautiful Blur" is also in the film. This past September, Robert J. won first place in the Berghoff & Blues Talent Search and played an opening slot at the Berghoff & Blues festival with Sonny Landreth, James Cotton, and other great blues bands. He is also a past Billboard Song Contest winner. Robert J.'s career was recently sidetracked by a heart attack, but Robert J. is a survivor. He continues to make his mark on the Madison music community.

» robertj.com

Hot Lava Monster

In the biblical story of Jonah, the reluctant prophet had to spend some time inside a whale in order to direct his full attention to warning the people of Nineveh of their impending doom lest they change their sinful ways. Columbia band Hot Lava Monster, likewise, have spent several years between albums rethinking the way they present themselves, both on stage and on their new disc, appropriately titled The Belly of a Whale. The message they're delivering might not have the life-or-death consequences of Jonah's, but lead singer Patrick Baxley says they are definitely a more focused band than they were last time out. In addition to Patrick Baxley on lead vocals, Hot Lava Monster includes Mike Schaming on lead guitar, Wes Pellerin on bass guitar, and Andy Dumiak on drums.

Hot Lava Monster draws rave reviews from fans and music critics alike. Tug Baker of the Free Times has some strong feelings about this band: "I've seen lots of bands play St. Patrick's Day, but none of them rock as hard as Hot Lava Monster. The Monster is one of the few bands that can draw an energetic reaction from a bleary-eyed crowd at noon on a Saturday." Kevin Langston of the same periodical shares, "It's almost petrifying to think that Hot Lava Monster could improve upon its incendiary rock 'n' roll recipe, but The Belly of a Whale finds this group at its thunderous best. Frontman Patrick Baxley is proving he can be just as charismatic in the studio as he is on stage, and guitarist Mike Schaming is pulling away as Columbia's best rock guitarist." Finally, Five Points After Five states: "Hot Lava Monster's enjoyable live shows and professional stage presence have earned this band an intense following around the southeast. Hot Lava Monster has paid their dues and this is why they have been asked to play with such national acts as Shinedown, Three Days Grace, and Cracker." Hot Lava Monster is an amazingly entertaining and talented band that is well on its way to the top.

» hotlavarock.com