Shot To Hell

It is not everyday that you see a band fly out of the starting blocks like Shot To Hell.  Their enthralling version of Psychobilly has been burning the boards throughout the Midwest, uniting fans of multiply genres and age groups.

After a trying year that included three different drummers and a van fire, Shot To Hell has finally (hopefully) put their bad luck behind them with the addition of permanent drummer by the name of Daphna Ron, who also contributes backing vocals.

Shot To Hell has two full albums worth of songs to release, which they will record at their own Psyclops studio in La Crosse. Next month they are going to have a remix version of their song (If you) Think I’m Dumb on the Georgia based Illbilly Records compilation “Dropped On The Head - Vol. 2”

Read More...

Ed Thompson

He’s staking his position as Pied Piper of the Proletariat. Ed Thompson, Libertarian candidate for governor, added politics to his lengthy and colorful resume of working-man jobs - from boxer to gambler to prison guard to bar owner. He easily won election as mayor of Tomah. So is the Ed Thompson mystique genuine, or is the reality best reflected in the Libertarian party line?

The truth is that Thompson has the ability to sound convincing in both contexts. Thompson is a “people person,” as reflected by long-standing friendships and warm interaction with strangers. His former boxing coach (and current driver), Jim Meckstroth, has been through many of Thompson ‘s previous battles. “He fought as a heavyweight professionally until he was 40,” Meckstroth said. “He won his last fight, but when I asked ‘how many fingers,’ he said he couldn’t even see my hand.” Thompson translated that scrappiness to his bar business. “Anyone who got out of hand, he’d literally pick ‘em up and throw ‘em out,” Meckstroth said. Thompson has also been winning another well-publicized battle. “He’s been sober for eight years now.” But perhaps Meckstroth’s most telling observation of Thompson was from the boxing ring. “Ed was the kind of boxer who would take three punches to land one good one.”

Read More...

Ari Herstand

A Madison native that’s now based in Minneapolis, musician and songwriter, ARI HERSTAND, has been making his musical name touring on a remarkable solo live show that mixes the classic singer-songwriter elements of guitar and voice, that is infused with trumpets, live looping, and orchestration. His latest project is not only performing, but also conducting seminars in high schools where he discusses musical careers with students. To him, music education in school was key in creating his artistic identity and he wants to get that message across to the next generation.

He picked up the guitar for the same reason most guys do. “I’ve been playing the piano for as long as I can remember and I picked up the trumpet in the 5th grade for band class.”, Ari says. “The summer before my freshman year of college I was sitting around a living room with a few friends and my friend Danny came into the room with his guitar and played the room a song. When he finished, he set the guitar down and left the room. Two girls looked at each other - one of them my girlfriend at the time - and they said ‘guys who play guitar are so hot.’ And here we are.”

Read More...

The Songs For

With their first full-length CD, On The Fence, La Crosse, Wiscosnin’s THE SONGS FOR have created a catchy indie pop record earnest and simple in its themes of affection and redemption. At its core, the group consists of Ross Lueckar and David Bashaw who share guitar and vocal duties while bringing in guest performers to fill out the band’s sound.

As Lueckar puts it, he and Bashaw share a love of “90’s modern rock which is our common ground.” Lueckar describes his first and greatest influences as Weezer and Ash, which inspired him to first pick up a guitar, while Bashaw “went through a music program in college so he has a lot more of the traditional framing and background, where I just have the desire to make noise.” As for the name, Lueckar straightforwardly says, “The band name comes from the fact that I like incomplete sentences. Travis had an album called The Man Who and that was an incomplete sentence. I just thought it was a cool idea for a band name. The first time I tried the name I ended up doing something else because the drummer thought that it made us sound like a bunch of sissies. So it got shelved for awhile.”

Read More...