Bending Brains

Martin Clive Atkins is an English drummer, best known for his work in post-punk and industrial groups including Public Image Ltd, Ministry, Nine Inch Nails, Pigface, and Killing Joke. He also works as a consultant, has written multiple books on the music industry, and is the music industry studies coordinator at Millikin University in Decatur, IL. Atkins is the owner and operator of the Museum of Post Punk and Industrial Music in Chicago, is an honorary board member of the Chicago-based nonprofit organization Rock For Kids, and is a fellow of In Place of War. https://martinatkins.com/

Chicago-based, Tanner Dane (of Hollyy), places his voice front and center, to explore the depths of identity and intimacy through his debut EP, Cut Me Loose (Easy Does It Records). Blending the rawest of human emotion with reflective storytelling, Cut Me Loose creates a journey that feels both deeply personal and universal in just 5 tracks. Lauded as “the future of retro rock” (CLASH Mag), Dane masterfully imparts a sound both grounded in youth and transcendent.

Leah Morris is a forester drone pilot, artist, reiki healer, permaculture gardener, and dear friend. A lifelong traveler, Leah weaves together her passions for adventure, art, health, innovation, and environmental restoration into a life of purpose and beauty. Her mission to plant one million trees is well underway, with over 1,000 trees and 100,000 native plants already planted. None of it would be possible without collaboration, determination, and the loving support of her husband, family, and friends.  Find her art on instagram @leahpersona.art or reach out to ReachingSeedlings@gmail.com

Mike Altergott is a multi-instrumentalist, audio engineer, mechanical engineer, and math/science educator. You can catch him playing shows around town with Chicago bands Space Gators, Middle Sister, Doc, Obliger, and Pub League. His new solo musical project called Winter Mako just did a DZ Session with Ben, word on the street is that some videos are coming soon! If you need a live sound engineer, planning an event with music, help with touring needs, or want to make a studio record together, reach out and say to him on Instagram as Malt Audio or send an email to maltergott@gmail.com Otherwise, he is likely to be found curled up on the couch enjoying the company of his dog Strawberry and partner Maddie, or out and about playing soccer.

Shlomo Franklin is an American singer/songwriter born on a small cow farm in upstate New York. Raised off the cultural grid, without music, television, or radio, his songs are strongly influenced by his cult-like religious upbringing. Shlomo released his debut album in 2019 which was produced by Grammy Award winner C Lanzbom and was followed by a double album from his now Nashville, TN home. Franklin has opened up for Jakob Dylan and The Wallflowers and shared festivals with The Nude Party and The Bones of JR Jones. His songs seem just as comfortable in front of a crowd of two thousand as they are in a living room house concert. Shlomo sees himself as a bare bones troubadour and is stubbornly trendless.

Dr. Shannon Switzer is the Director of the Sensaphonics Musicians' Hearing Clinic in Chicago and is a featured audiologist in the MusiCares x Tuned partnership. A native Vermonter, she completed her Bachelor of Science at the University of Vermont and then moved to Chicagoland to earn her Doctorate of Audiology from Northwestern University. She provides hearing healthcare for the music industry through a variety of channels; the Sensaphonics clinic, concierge visits at music venues, hearing clinic residencies with orchestras around the country, and telehealth visits with musicians around the world. Dr. Switzer is passionate about promoting hearing health through public education and advocating for a collective effort to prevent sound-induced hearing injuries. She is a committee member of the WHO's Make Listening Safe Initiative. As a lifelong clarinetist and avid concert-goer, she continues to be fascinated by the intersection of hearing and music for both work and play.    NIOSH Sound Level Meter app: https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/noise/about/app.html MindEar app: https://www.mindear.com/ hearWHO app: https://www.who.int/teams/noncommunicable-diseases/sensory-functions-disability-and-rehabilitation/hearwho Can loud music damage your hearing? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-R307w05iJc    

Matt Muffin is the lead singer and guitarist for Chicago Thrashers Lollygagger as well as being a professional amp tech with 10 years experience.

Otruta is a Ukrainian musician from Kyiv, Ukraine. He is a student at Columbia College Chicago studying audio production and music. Otruta produces music and performs as a DJ all over the world. He has put on a music festival in Kyiv, Ukraine and hopes to do more with music and education in Ukraine.

Beverly Rage (she/her in drag, he/him out of drag) is the singer, guitarist, and songwriter in Chicago's all-original drag fronted punk rock band Bev Rage & the Drinks. Bev has been a musician for over two decades, nearly half of that fronting BR&TD, and a drag artist for 15 years. As a lifelong queer activist, Bev uses music as a way to empower folks to work outside of the expected to get their message out. When not playing music, she enjoys gardening, DIY projects at home, and going to the gay beach.

Mary Rose Gonzales, known as "Beef," is a Filipino American drummer from Chicago, making waves in the punk and garage rock scenes for over a decade. She currently plays with Bev Rage & The Drinks and will be reuniting with Mystery Actions for a special show at Punk Rock Bowling in Las Vegas in May 2025. When she's not behind the drums, she works a 9 to 5 at a merchandising photo studio. Outside of music, she enjoys pickleball, playing pool, and fingerboarding.

Stephanie Robertson is a comedian from Chicago. You can find her producing and hosting a weekly showcase at The Vixen in McHenry, IL or at Zanies Comedy Club producing and hosting Roast Battle Chicago. Her most recent credits include opening for Rosebud Baker, Liz Koplitz, and Taylor Williamson.

Lillian Wong is a local Chicago musician who started her bass journey during the pandemic in 2020. She has a musical background from playing violin and oboe as a child, and always had dreams of playing music.  She began learning bass by watching videos on Youtube, and soon began posting her own covers online. In September of 2021, Lillian answered a Craigslist ad and officially joined her first band, Gnarly Gap, an indie punk band. Since then, she has joined two other bands: Wratheon (melodic death metal) and Hoverboard (aggressively dreamy alt-rock). She hopes to continue to grow in her music career, and to help inspire others in their own pursuits, no matter the age or dream.   gnarlygap.bandcamp.com  wratheon.bandcamp.com overboardmp3.bandcamp.com  youtube.com/@arugula666/videos

Katherrin is a first-generation American, multimedia visual artist from Chicago. Through paintings, sculptures, photographs, murals, and linocuts, she explores her Mexican-Argentine roots, colorful facets of everyday life, and philosophical concepts. She is motivated to create in hopes of portraying underrepresented perspectives, inspiring empathy, and establishing meaningful relationships. At age 16, she founded the 501(c)(3) nonprofit Visionary Art Gallery. Seeking to provide more exhibition and networking opportunities for young visual artists, she independently organized four annual pop-up youth art galleries and hopes to expand them across the East Coast. https://katherrinbillordo.com/

Emma Kleidon is a piano technician who services instruments all around the Chicagoland area. On top of acoustic piano work, she also runs her own repair shop focusing on vintage electro-mechanical keyboards. You may have seen her online documenting rare and unusual instruments, along with the repair guides she posts on YouTube under Analog Emma. While most of her day is spent in front of keys, her primary instrument is the guitar, where you might have heard her in Crash Birmingham; a father-daughter garage rock duo from Plainfield, IL.

Alex Santilli is a drummer-percussionist/composer/producer who is Thee Sacred Souls touring percussionist and Drummer/Member of local Chicago group Late Nite Laundry. He also plays with countless artists here in Chicago in a wide variety of styles and genres. He is also a composer and producer of his own solo music under the name “the adventures of anacleto”, where he explores all instrumentation and composition. He is also a self working ethnomusicologist, studies the origins of music, its core pillars, and similarities throughout all cultures. https://linktr.ee/Anacleto44?lt_utm_source=lt_share_link#429471729

“We're Matt and Jess and we're the co-founders and primary runners of Brain Graffiti, an independent DIY music zine that covers the current state of independent music across the country.”

Roy McGrath is a Chicago based tenor saxophonist and multi-woodwind instrumentalist, composer and bandleader. Born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico and educated in Boston, New Orleans and Chicago, Roy brings to bear these diverse influences in his playing and composing. In addition to leading and recording his own ensembles, he is a member of several others as an in-demand player, recording artist, and producer. He has led four international tours to Mexico, Singapore, Myanmar, South Korea and China. As a composer and arranger, Roy is firmly in the jazz tradition, but his Caribbean heritage is an ever-present mind set, leading to wholly original works that are a true expression of who he is.  Menjunje features folkloric rhythms of Puerto Rico such as Bomba (Sica, Yuba, Cuembe), Plena, Seis Araucano, as well as Cuban Guaguanco, Bolero, Chachacha, and Son. For this particular project he flew in musicians from Puerto Rico: Drummer Efrain Martinez (Viento de Agua, Cultura Profetica, La PVC, and many more) and Eduardo Zayas (Charlie Sepulveda,  Mahya Veray, Bobby Valentin). As well as musicians from the Chicago area, Constantine Alexander on trumpet, Kitt Lyles on Bass, Javier Quintana-Ocasio and Victor “Junito” Gonzalez on Percussion, and Jose Carrasquillo on Cuatro. This project is a product of working in conjunction with the Segundo Ruiz Belvis Cultural Center, the Puerto Rico Arts Alliance, the Walder Foundation, and the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events of Chicago.  In 2022 Menjunje played festivals around Chicago and surrounding areas: Chicago Jazz Festival, Chicago Latin Jazz Festival, Glenwood Arts Festival, CU Jazz Festival, Mayfest, Mole de Mayo Festival. Also in 2022 Roy plays on supporting the release of Giovany Revelle's self-titled album, which Roy co-produced, wrote horn arrangements, string arrangements, and coached the rhythm section. In 2017 Roy released his Latin Grammy nominated prior album, “Remembranzas”, a new batch of original compositions that incorporate folkloric Bomba rhythms and other Puerto Rican elements in a jazz framework. Originally, in 2015 the project was called the Julia al Son de Jazz project and was commissioned by Chicago's Segundo Ruiz Belvis Cultural Center, where he worked as director of the youth Afro-Caribbean Jazz Ensemble for five years. The project used the writings of revered Puerto Rican poet Julia de Burgos as a springboard for new compositions that included spoken word recitations of her poetry. Its debut was followed by successive performances throughout Chicago including three dates for the Chicago Park District's Night Out in the Parks summer concert series in 2016.  In 2017 Roy also led two special big band tribute projects: one honoring legendary Puerto Rican composer Rafael Hernández, with his son, Chali Hernandez singing, and a local All-Stars tribute to Dizzy Gillespie's United Nations Orchestra that played the Chicago Latin Jazz Fest. Roy sang in school choirs before picking up the saxophone at age 16. After attending the Berklee College of Music Summer Workshop, he earned a full scholarship to attend Berklee's five-week Summer Performance Program. Back in Puerto Rico, he honed his improvisational skills performing with jazz pianist and Beach Boys alumnus Carli Muñoz. Upon high school graduation, Roy was awarded a scholarship to Loyola University in New Orleans, where he studied under Tony Dagradi (saxophonist for Astral Project) and composer/arranger John Mahoney. He graduated in 2009 with BM in Jazz Performance. After graduation, Roy extended his time in New Orleans, performing in clubs, concert halls and the streets with a variety of musicians. He made three appearances at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival and one appearance at the New Orleans French Quarter Fest. The next stop on his musical journey was Northwestern University in Chicago, where he graduated with a master's degree in Music, studying under Victor Goines, saxophonist for Jazz at Lincoln Center and Director of Jazz Studies at Northwestern University. Graduating in 2014, McGrath decided to put down roots in Chicago because of both its historic role in the development of jazz and the presence of a large and vibrant Jazz & Latin music community in which he could continue to pursue his vision. He returned to Northwestern's Pick-Staiger Concert Hall in 2016 to perform with Victor Goines and Branford Marsalis in Goines' orchestral composition the “Crescent City Suite”. Roy released his debut CD as a leader, Martha, in 2014 with a quartet formed of fellow Northwestern grads Gustavo Cortiñas, Kitt Lyles and Joaquin Garcia, all bandleaders in their own right, and returned the favor by joining their ensembles: Snapshot (Cortiñas), Real Talk Collective (Lyles) and Rhythm Convergence (Garcia). The Roy McGrath Quartet was featured in the Jazz Institute of Chicago's NextGEN concert series in 2015. Later that year, the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) awarded McGrath a grant to take the quartet on a month-long tour of Mexico. Also in 2015, The Roy McGrath Latin Jazz Quintet performed at the Chicago Latin Jazz Festival. 2016 also saw McGrath joining alto saxophonist Miguel Zenón and traditional music ensemble Bomba con Buya for Folclórico: An Exploration of Jazz and Afro-Puerto Rican Music at the Segundo Ruiz Belvis Cultural Center. As an educator Roy has taught masterclasses on improvisation at Dulwich College International in Shanghai, Suzhou, and Beijing, on four different touring occasions. Roy has taught in his home of Puerto Rico at the Universidad del Turabo and in Mexico City as well.

CHNNLL is a Chicago-based vocalist, multi-instrumentalist, and producer. a.k.a. Chris Davidson tempers emotional subject matter with bold melodies, coating raw truths in hummable hooks. Check out his music and up coming shows. https://www.chnnll.com/

Adalia Powell-Boehne is a singer-songwriter composer living in Cincinnati, Ohio. She is 1/4 of the band KNOTTS. When she's not performing she's driving her kids around or writing in her journal. 

I made a name for myself in Chicago media (WKQX, WGN, WLUP, WXRT) and a career for myself in the digital and marketing spaces.  On the journalism/broadcasting front, I've earned multiple Lisagor awards in Chicago, as well as a national Edward R. Murrow award. As a podcaster, my long-running "Car Con Carne" podcast was named "Best Music Podcast, 2022" and "Best Music Podcast, 2023" by the Chicago Reader.

Shelby Pollard is the founder and Black Bobbin, a company that works with and constructs guitars, amp, effects pedals, and more. Shelby is a multi-discipline artist from Chicago that specializes in product and portrait photography. www.blackbobbin.com 

“I don't think I've listened to a band that had a genre distinct unto themselves. Even crazier is that every song on Robot Heart Throb's first album is almost completely unique”- Pacific Ridge Records. Jared casts Saxophone solos with explosive ADHD, lucious flute-playing sings in midwest Emo style. Heart-on-your sleeve lyrics spin stories with hip-hop and folk-inspired lyrics. Jared's band Robot Heart Throb Jared studied Jazz at Oberlin Conservatory and improvises throughout shows, making each live performance unique.

Dan Stewart is an independent filmmaker and musician based in Chicago, IL. His directorial debut feature film 'Local Band' will begin its festival run in 2024.

Seth Engel is recording engineer, multi-instrumentalist, and music instructor living and working in Chicago. Over the last decade, he has toured nationally and internationally. He has engineered a continually-growing volume of music for both nationally recognized and local artists. In 2013, he received a BA in Music from Columbia College Chicago. He is a recording engineer at Ohmstead in Humboldt Park, which he co-runs with Adrian Kobziar, Also, he enjoyed working out of Minbal (now Jamdek), Earth Analog, Pallet Sound, and The Owlery. His solo project is called Options and he plays drums in the band Patter. www.sethengel.org

Will Stephan is a Chicago born Skateboarder and founder of Sapient Skateboards. Will builds skateboards from scratch and gives skateboarding lessons at Sapient Skateboards. Will also puts on Skateboarding events around Chicago. www.sapientskateboards.com

Introducing Friday James, a gifted songwriter originating from Nashville, Tennessee. Relocating to Chicago in November of 2021, Friday swiftly immersed herself in the local music scene, enthralling audiences with her mesmerizing performances. Her artistic essence is centered around a profound appreciation for lyricism and poetic depth, artfully weaving true events from her own life into poignant and relatable musical narratives.

Sean Neumann is a musician and sports reporter from Chicago, Illinois. He's currently on tour with his band Ratboys. As a reporter, Sean works for People Magazine, GQ, and other entertainment magazines. seanneumann.us has any info you might need!

The Eastern and Western halves of Washington can seem like two different states; one dry and pastoral, the other overcast and lush. Rob Joynes is a singer-songwriter who's music captures these two contrasting landscapes. Raised on the East side of the Cascade Mountain Range, Joynes often invokes his home town of Spokane directly in his lyrics. Pairing themes of queer identity, abjection, family and aging with piano driven melodies and sentimental guitar riffs influenced by artists like Red House Painters, Jason Molina, Carissa's Wierd and Kath Bloom. Joynes presently resides in Seattle and contributes to bands Sunnyland and Fell Off. robjoynes.bandcamp.com felloff.bandcamp.com sunnyland.bandcamp.com IG : @rob_joynes

Julien Fontaine is french-canadian percussionist, drum teacher and now certified public accountant from Montréal. Firstly a passionate music lover and compulsive record buyer, he went on completing an interpretation jazz drumming diploma in Québec before making a complete change of path into obtaining a CPA licence. Music, arts and business are now coexisting in an unorthodox amalgam the showed him that creativity and rational thinking can be express simultaneously.

Joe Gaspar is the owner and founder of 2 Bici Bicycle shop in Willow Springs, IL.

Hannah Bess Ross is a Chicago based illustrator and writer. She lives in a little house with a blue door and an orange cat, but dreams of the woods and the waves of rocky seas far, far away. She likes telling stories about everyday magical things like bugs and stars. She also loves puppets, folk art, and silly word-play. Hannah mostly makes art for a children's market. https://www.hannahbessross.com/

Karen is a multi-disciplinary artist based in Chicago. She is tirelessly curious about all forms of creative expression, and her work includes illustration, sculpting, print making, video editing, songwriting, and sewing. Her tenure in the Production Art space has also provided her with a deep appreciation for graphic design. Primarily, she works with local bands and businesses to collaborate on merch design, posters, and album art.

My first memory is of hitting everything in sight at 2 years old. From playing in the church from the age of 5 to performing with the Percussion Scholarship Group, (PSG), starting in 4th grade, I have had many valuable experiences and lessons that have brought me to where I am today. Directed by Patricia Dash, percussionist with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and her husband Douglas Waddell, percussionist with the Lyric Opera of Chicago, the Percussion Scholarship Group is where my formal training began. During my time there I was featured on radio and television with From the Top, The TODAY Show, and Chicago Tonight was awarded the Jack Kent Cooke Young Artist Award and received second place in the Chicago Symphony Youth Auditions. Thanks to them I was fortunate to be accepted to all colleges that I auditioned for in 2010 and I chose to go to DePaul School of Music to continue my training. While at DePaul I was able to develop quickly resulting in being added to orchestra sub-lists, advancing in Civic orchestra auditions, attending the National Repertory Orchestra Festival, and eventually winning the Detroit Fellowship in 2014. With the help of my mentors, the percussion section, the principal trombonist, and the remaining members of the symphony, I was able to begin advancing in major auditions as well as further my technique and knowledge of this particular business. After finishing the fellowship there, I applied for and was hired as a fellow of the Pittsburgh Symphony. This was cut very short because of my success in the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra audition, where I worked as the Principal Percussionist for 2 years and was layered tenured. I now serve as the Principal Percussionist of Grant Park Orchestra. I always hope that with each degree of progress I make in my life that I can somehow help someone else do the same. 

Molly Compton is a singer-songwriter, visual artist, amateur baker and founder & resident bleeding heart at Ur Mom Records. She thinks everyone deserves a good mom and everyone can be a good mom.

Introducing Friday James, a gifted songwriter originating from Nashville, Tennessee. Relocating to Chicago in November of 2021, Friday swiftly immersed herself in the local music scene, enthralling audiences with her mesmerizing performances. Her artistic essence is centered around a profound appreciation for lyricism and poetic depth, artfully weaving true events from her own life into poignant and relatable musical narratives.

Alec Koukol is an Omaha-born, now Nashville-native. The multi-instrumentalist and songwriter is involved in many projects within Music City, but his primary operation is Safari Room, Koukol's indie rock outfit that began in 2018. Five years into the band, Safari Room has released two eps and two full-length albums, ‘Look Me Up When You Get There' (2020) and ‘Complex House Plants' (2022). Koukol and co-producer, Cole Yepsen, are currently working on the band's third record that will be released in February 2024. Safari Room has toured extensively during the lifetime of the band and has reached great notoriety locally and regionally. The band is completely independent, Koukol wearing many hats in management, PR, tour booking and is chief songwriter/producer for Safari Room   Koukol's other projects include producing, playing bass, keys and guitar for artists on the road. As of recent Koukol has toured with Nashville locals, Wild Love and Alicia Blue.   Catch Safari Room on the road this Fall and listen for new music as the band releases singles through the rest of 2023.  

Julia Danielle is an up-and-coming vocalist, arranger, educator, and composer based in the heart of the vibrant jazz scene of Chicago. As the 2022 International Ella Fitzgerald Jazz Vocal Competition Winner, part of Julia's prize was performing alongside The Tierney Sutton Band at the renowned Blues Alley Jazz Club in Washington D.C. and since then, has lead her own band and music at the incomparable venue. Julia has also won DownBeat's 46th annual Student Music Award for “Undergraduate College Outstanding Vocal Soloist” and will be mentioned in their 2023 June edition. 

Clare Bollnow is a 26 year old artist living and working in Chicago. She started painting in 2019, never having gone to art school, she began with watercolor and eventually branched out; she works with oil paint, spray paint, watercolor and pigment dye among other mediums together on large-scale material. Clare finds inspiration in the human form and its expressions, using vivid color and a unique drawing style to evoke emotional experiences for those who sit with her work. These emotions are channeled from Clare's own reactions to life and the state of the world- communicated through familiar content which allows for a commonly understood visual language between artist and viewer. She is drawn to minutiae, moments often missed, familiar sensations that go unexpressed (and often suppressed), the way things look when they are not being looked at, and where we disconnect from ourselves (in an effort to save ourselves.) Clare points the finger at the viewer and asks, where are you in this?

Iyana Brown-Bey is an alternative, neo-soulful musician, who uses her voice to shed light and to uplift. She aims to create music for those who often feel that they are only apart of the background. Iyana believes that “being human is to reflect and to feel, to express and to create with self and others.” And her goal is to build a unified community surrounding these values through music. Iyana currently implements this vision through her partnered music collectives, SolDial (An up and coming Chicago based , RnB, Soul-Pop band) and MDWST CNCT (A music-oriented collective that coordinates events for creative networking and collaboration). Under her name, “Iyana Brown-Bey”, she released her single, titled, “As I Am” on all streaming platforms and plans to release more music throughout her career. Her reminder is to stay tuned and to remember that YOU ARE ABSOLUTELY WORTH IT. …And the music continues. -Iyana Brown-Bey 

Claudio is an LA based singer-songwriter/poet whose artistry blends the acoustic storytelling style of James Taylor or Jim Croce with the soulful vocal stylings of John Legend or Eddie Kendrick. Originally from Kenosha, Wisconsin, Claudio relocated to Los Angeles in Spring 2018. Since then, he has kept busy touring the country 4 times while steadily releasing new music. Less than a year after arriving in Los Angeles, Claudio released his deeply conceptual debut album, “A Boy From Somewhere.” He also partnered with frequent collaborator Curtis Crump Jr. on a Christmas album titled, “Merry Little Christmas.” Claudio also released an EP, “Stuck In Somnia,” and nearly a dozen singles. He has headlined venues across the country including The Hotel Café, The Moroccan Lounge, The Hi-Hat, and The Duplex. Claudio is currently working on his second full length album, “Still Here,” which is set to be released in January 2023.

Dr. Marc Colomer, Ph.D. is a cognitive neuroscientist and musician. In his postdoc at the University of Chicago, he investigates children's social understanding and conceptual development in the early stages of their life. He asks questions such as how racial and other social biases emerge, with the goal of informing which solutions can reduce early signs of discrimination. As a hobby, he plays the guitar and sings with TealTrap, a Chicago-based indie band. In his time in Barcelona, he also played with The Penguins and Cybee, a Catalan band with millions of streams in Spotify.

Charles is an educator, artist, designer, musician, and podcaster. He runs his creative business: Custom Crafted Design - where he does all things creative. In 2022, he received his BA in Art Education and BFA in Studio Art & Design from Saint Xavier University. He has a podcast: Inside the Artists Studio - where he interviews artists from all backgrounds. Charles has also designed and printed the DZ Fest shirts for 10 years. Link to his website: https://charleshenry.space

Trash plays in the world's greatest and only country band of all time, Totally Cashed. When he's not saving country music, he spends all his time tending to his horses and making delicious bagels for his friends, fans, and family. He's also never told a lie. Catch Totally Cashed live at Schubas June 2nd for their release show

Mark Adkison is an Immigration Attorney and singer-songwriter in Chicago.  A graduate of UIC Law School (formerly known as John Marshall), he has been working with his family at the Adkison Law Offices since 2006. He specializes in immigration law, and works on cases that include extraordinary ability visas, citizenship applications, marriage applications, consular applications, asylum applications, and more.    Mark is also co-founder of the gypsy punk band, FUGU DUGU, where he plays guitar and sings with his violinist wife, Olya.  Fugu Dugu is finishing up their first album: “Lunatic Parade,” which is expected to be released in 2023.  Prior to Fugu Dugu, Mark played violin and guitar, and sang for Chicago-based groups such as comedy band Coco Cabana Club, the Carpathian Rock group, Pet Peeve, and country cover band, Senn Alan Band. 

Aaron Paulsen is a 20 year old content creator and musician. His content consists of comedic skits, in which he plays different characters, composes original music, as well as  incorporating his “one man band” style , in which multiple instruments are played at the same time. He first started making videos at 18 and has since then amassed over 350+ million views on all of his platforms.

Julia Hagen is a Chicago based painter with a BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She creates urban landscapes with a colorful twist, portraying the mood of the place in both a realistic and whimsical way. She often toes the line between representational and imaginative, but always prioritizes the glow that nostalgia leaves. 

Spencer McCreary is a York, Pennsylvania based singer-songwriter who has fronted and founded the bands ‘Cardinal Harbor' and ‘Public Disco Porch'. The latter being the most current project with a 2022 LP release of ‘Have A Great Life'. Check out the band's music at the link below: www.publicdiscoporch.com”

Eddie Hokinson (Manager D) and Matt Bauer (Manager Z) sit down to talk about 10 years of DZ Fest in Hickory Hills, IL. For 10 years Eddie and Matt helped to grow DZ Fest. They took on the responsibility that very few could do or even understand. They are saints amongst men.  

Richard Reed Parry is a Canadian multi-instrumentalist, composer, producer, best known as a core member of the Grammy Award-winning indie rock band Arcade Fire, where he plays a wide variety of instruments, often switching between guitar, double bass, drums, celesta, keyboards, and accordion. His new collaborative album "Heart and Breath: Rhythm and Tone Fields"  Susie Ibarra s a contemporary composer and percussionist who has worked and recorded with jazz, classical, world, and indigenous musicians. One of SPIN's "100 Greatest Drummers of Alternative Music," she is known for her work as a performer in avant-garde, jazz, world, and new music. As a composer, Ibarra incorporates diverse styles and the influences of Philippine Kulintang, jazz, classical, poetry, musical theater, opera, and electronic music. Ibarra remains active as a composer, performer, educator, and documentary filmmaker in the U.S., Philippines, and internationally.

Priya Shah is triggering social consciousness to challenge barriers and empower communities from the inside out.  As a Chicago creative and entrepreneur, she has built a network of artists and collaborators dedicated to igniting social awareness and change through art and imagination. Shah began volunteering in developing countries at a young age, which inspired her to fill the gap between business and the social sector. She went on to earn degrees in both Accounting & Finance from the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign, using her studies as an opportunity to deepen her understanding of diverse cultures and perspectives through international travel. After graduating she went on to work at Big Four Accounting firm, Ernst & Young, and finally Groupon, leading strategic planning in Operations. Shah's passion for art and travel has fueled her purpose to help better communities in Chicago and around the world. Through her experience, Shah has developed a unique perspective on humanity and believes it is her responsibility to engage communities in need. Her purpose took shape when she founded The Simple Good, a non-profit with the mission to connect the meaning of good from around the world, empowering youth to become positive activists through art and discussion.  By uniting communities under a universal truth, Shah hopes to bridge understanding across all walks of life in order to bring down obstacles separating us in working towards improving the lives of our children and in turn, our future. Outside of her work with The Simple Good, she aims to build the next generation of positive leaders as a Strategist for Obama Foundation Scholars in Chicago and continues to lead necessary global dialogue as a Legacy Fellow at the Ariane de Rothschild Foundation. Shah was nominated for Forbes 30 Under 30 and is also a speaker with the Peace is Loud Bureau who promotes female changemakers promoting peace around the world. You may spot her in a print ad or two as she spends her free time as a model, promoting inclusive and diverse representation, empowering others with each new opportunity. She is the co-author of the latest children's book focused on representative literature called, ‘Sheroes of COVID-19' and also the producer on the upcoming documentary, ‘Building Hope', documenting the journey of spreading art and resilience from Chicago to East Africa.

Megan Myrie (Domeríe) is a creative entrepreneur from Chicago. She likes to use her creative abilities to support and shine light on other people's creative abilities. This is especially true for her design company MGD LLC, in which she creates brands for creators. Her pursuit of music and modeling is more personal, however, she hopes to be a source of inspiration for people with an interest in creative careers. She believes that creators should be able to be successful doing what they love to do.