The 1970’s were an immensely important decade to American rock and roll music. The bands that existed then set a lasting impression on all rock music that would follow in its place. Among such monumental musical luminaries are Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, and Black Sabbath. According to a well respected rock scholar, one Homer J. Simpson, “Rock and roll achieved perfection in 1974. It’s a scientific fact.”
Few bands in the Northwestern Indiana area come as unique as Mystic Fire. Their standout blend of Latin, R&B, soul and rock is exactly what sets them apart from the crowd. That, and their multi-faceted lineup, allows them to capture the original feel of each song they choose to cover. Over the course of the last four years Mystic Fire has continued to improve their sound and expand their ensemble. In the coming months, they will be looking to begin recording some original material as well as bring their music to even more people. With the demand they already have for both, I don’t think they’ll have much trouble meeting those goals.
Crafting your own music is always a tricky business. Crafting your own music and becoming successful at it can be even trickier (much like rocking a rhyme, or so I’ve been told). One area band currently doing both is the local band The Crawpuppies. Together now for over 14 years, they have been steadily making a name for themselves in Northwestern Indiana. With the release of their brand new CD just last month World’s Much Bigger, The Crawpuppies are already well on their way on the road to success. If the past is any indication, this new CD will only bring them further along down that road.
Put together longtime friends with a love for music, a posting on Craigslist to find the right musicians and a mixture of music from the 60’s through today and you’ll find Short Changed, a region band striving to be “one of Northwest Indiana’s biggest party bands.”
Lil’ Betty Ford may be new to the Northwest Indiana music scene, but its line-up consists of local musicians who have all played on the region music scene.
The group – which covers a genre of music from the 70’s and 80’s to the present –made its stage debut at Buddy & Pal’s in Schererville in April. The self-proclaimed “fun party rock cover band” plays anything from Joan Jett, Bon Jovi, Poison, Def Leppard, Lita Ford, and Journey.
The electronic music scene, like most underground musical movements, is a scene crowded with charlatans and imitators; from laptop mixers who’ve never even seen a turntable, to iPod DJ’s who wouldn’t know a cross fader if one bit them in the butt. If you don’t know the tools of the trade, there’s no way you can be accepted into the culture. Thankfully there are members of the new generation who are ready to carry the torch. Enter East Chicago’s own, DJ Marc Adams. A lifelong fan of electronic music, Adams has been spinning vinyl now for a number of years and is looking forward to continuing to do so well into the future. Any fan of the genre should definitely check him out.
Having the ability to play a wide variety of music is an essential element of a live show, and having the ability to play it extremely well doesn’t hurt your reputation. With all things considered, playing in a four piece band requires everyone to be on point and when you’re dealing with decades of different genres of music, it takes a special unit it to make it all work. Plus, when you add some powerful female vocals into the mix, you have a formula for a unique sound. Nawty, a band who has played in every corner of the Region, has a seemingly endless library of songs they play and often encourage the crowd to stump them with a song they don’t know.
We are in the midst of the one of the worst financial disasters in modern history. Countless capitalist pigs, greedy and unsatisfied from feasting on the naiveté of the common consumer, are now passing along a bowel movement that could be considered the little brother of the Great Depression, and might still end up as the greatest dump in economic history. Who knows where we’ll end up with this debacle: a fantastically developed third-world nation, or perhaps the beginning of the end of modern civilization? Are we strong enough to survive our own greed and lust for ass-loads of useless crap that litter our homes and businesses? Are we strong enough to keep the rich from getting richer, while the poor get smut-f*cked, basement floor style?
DJ Boogieman is one of the hottest DJ/VJs acting in the Chicago area today. A product of the windy city’s own underground music scene, he has spent over a quarter of a century making his name. From starting out simply as a lighting technician, to having his own music placed in a feature film, Boogieman really has gone step by step from the ground up. Since his humble beginnings in the early 80’s he has accomplished more than what most DJs would dare to dream. Now the owner of his own DJ/VJ company, he has solidified his place in the local and national music scene. And this is how it all began.
Late last month I had the opportunity to interview one of Northern Indiana’s preeminent songwriters Jimmy Sarr. Already an accomplished musician, Sarr has been navigating the local, regional, and national scene via his various musical projects for the past several years. While he has played in various groups in the past, he is currently active in Stoic Faces, an acoustic duo with Rick Murawski, as well as busy with his debut solo CD. In the future, Sarr has some big plans, and in the following conversation, he outlines a little bit about his past and how he plans to go about fulfilling his future.
The 1970’s were an immensely important decade to American rock and roll music. The bands that existed then set a lasting impression on all rock music that would follow in its place. Among such monumental musical luminaries are Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, and Black Sabbath. According to a well respected rock scholar, one Homer J. Simpson, “Rock and roll achieved perfection in 1974. It’s a scientific fact.” 
Few bands in the Northwestern Indiana area come as unique as Mystic Fire. Their standout blend of Latin, R&B, soul and rock is exactly what sets them apart from the crowd. That, and their multi-faceted lineup, allows them to capture the original feel of each song they choose to cover. Over the course of the last four years Mystic Fire has continued to improve their sound and expand their ensemble. In the coming months, they will be looking to begin recording some original material as well as bring their music to even more people. With the demand they already have for both, I don’t think they’ll have much trouble meeting those goals. 
Crafting your own music is always a tricky business. Crafting your own music and becoming successful at it can be even trickier (much like rocking a rhyme, or so I’ve been told). One area band currently doing both is the local band The Crawpuppies. Together now for over 14 years, they have been steadily making a name for themselves in Northwestern Indiana. With the release of their brand new CD just last month World’s Much Bigger, The Crawpuppies are already well on their way on the road to success. If the past is any indication, this new CD will only bring them further along down that road. 
Put together longtime friends with a love for music, a posting on Craigslist to find the right musicians and a mixture of music from the 60’s through today and you’ll find Short Changed, a region band striving to be “one of Northwest Indiana’s biggest party bands.” 
Lil’ Betty Ford may be new to the Northwest Indiana music scene, but its line-up consists of local musicians who have all played on the region music scene. 
The electronic music scene, like most underground musical movements, is a scene crowded with charlatans and imitators; from laptop mixers who’ve never even seen a turntable, to iPod DJ’s who wouldn’t know a cross fader if one bit them in the butt. If you don’t know the tools of the trade, there’s no way you can be accepted into the culture. Thankfully there are members of the new generation who are ready to carry the torch. Enter East Chicago’s own, DJ Marc Adams. A lifelong fan of electronic music, Adams has been spinning vinyl now for a number of years and is looking forward to continuing to do so well into the future. Any fan of the genre should definitely check him out. 
Having the ability to play a wide variety of music is an essential element of a live show, and having the ability to play it extremely well doesn’t hurt your reputation. With all things considered, playing in a four piece band requires everyone to be on point and when you’re dealing with decades of different genres of music, it takes a special unit it to make it all work. Plus, when you add some powerful female vocals into the mix, you have a formula for a unique sound. Nawty, a band who has played in every corner of the Region, has a seemingly endless library of songs they play and often encourage the crowd to stump them with a song they don’t know. 
We are in the midst of the one of the worst financial disasters in modern history. Countless capitalist pigs, greedy and unsatisfied from feasting on the naiveté of the common consumer, are now passing along a bowel movement that could be considered the little brother of the Great Depression, and might still end up as the greatest dump in economic history. Who knows where we’ll end up with this debacle: a fantastically developed third-world nation, or perhaps the beginning of the end of modern civilization? Are we strong enough to survive our own greed and lust for ass-loads of useless crap that litter our homes and businesses? Are we strong enough to keep the rich from getting richer, while the poor get smut-f*cked, basement floor style? 
DJ Boogieman is one of the hottest DJ/VJs acting in the Chicago area today. A product of the windy city’s own underground music scene, he has spent over a quarter of a century making his name. From starting out simply as a lighting technician, to having his own music placed in a feature film, Boogieman really has gone step by step from the ground up. Since his humble beginnings in the early 80’s he has accomplished more than what most DJs would dare to dream. Now the owner of his own DJ/VJ company, he has solidified his place in the local and national music scene. And this is how it all began. 
Late last month I had the opportunity to interview one of Northern Indiana’s preeminent songwriters Jimmy Sarr. Already an accomplished musician, Sarr has been navigating the local, regional, and national scene via his various musical projects for the past several years. While he has played in various groups in the past, he is currently active in Stoic Faces, an acoustic duo with Rick Murawski, as well as busy with his debut solo CD. In the future, Sarr has some big plans, and in the following conversation, he outlines a little bit about his past and how he plans to go about fulfilling his future. 