Rick Donner (Bicentennial Drug Lord) // Jay Matthes // Elephonic

224 West Bruce Street,Milwaukee WI 53204

23 April, 2022

Description

An evening of symphonic pop meets alt-country with Rick Donner (Bicentennial Drug Lord), Jay Matthes and Elephonic. $12 adv/ $15 at the door (advance sales until 3pm day of show, then available at the door). Doors at 7pm, showtime 8pm Rick Donner (Bicentennial Drug Lord) Milwaukee’s Bicentennial Drug Lord have announced the forthcoming release of their new EP. Entitled BDL, it will drop on August 27. The band has shared the first single, “Confessed The Sheets,” a mix of 1970’s The Who (complete with Townshend keyboards in the chorus), 1980’s Simple Minds, and 1990’s indie rock. They note the track “describes the day after an endless summer night and the resulting damage assessment.” The single is the first bit of new music Bicentennial Drug Lord have released since their debut album The First Hit Is Free in 1997. The band formed when longtime friends John Daniels (Soda, Maki),Rick Donner (Punchdrunk) and Alan Weatherhead (Soda, Maki, Sparklehorse, Hotel Lights) needed a side project where, as Weatherhead puts it, “we could play and record the sad-sack country songs we wrote and couldn’t play in our main bands” (sample lyric: “Are you alone enough to miss me, are you drunk enough to kiss me”). Recorded by MikeWisti with original Hold Steady drummer (and Punchdrunk member) Judd Counsell, the Gear Daddies’ Randy Broughten on pedal steel, and Son Volt’s Dave Boquist on fiddle, BDL’s debut record The First Hit Is Free crystallized a Minneapolis winter with music that could thaw even the iciest heart. For the forthcoming BDL, Bicentennial Drug Lord reunited in a cottage outside of Richmond, VA. The new songs reflect a fresh collaborative approach to songwriting and a shift away from the country focus of their debut. The songs are more reflective of “Confessed the Sheets.” with big choruses, subtle songwriting, and indie pop sprinkled with a dose of 70’s rock. Bicentennial Drug Lord is: John Daniels (vocals, bass), Rick Donner (vocals, guitar, harmonica) and Alan Weatherhead (vocals, guitar, keyboards, pedal steel, drums). // "Top-tier local talent." - Tyler Maas, Milwaukee Record Jay Matthes is an award-winning singer/songwriter from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. His original music has been featured on local, regional and national radio and television, including daily rotation for 'The Light' music video on The Country Network. Jay 's music has been placed in advertisements for Brady Street Festival in Milwaukee and Blue Falcon Whiskey, and he was the singer for Wisconsin State Fair's WonderFair TV and radio commercials in 2018. Jay plays over 100 shows a year, and has shared the stage with national acts Old Dominion, Judah & the Lion, Charlie Worsham, Josh Thompson and many more. He's earned "must-see" reviews from Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Milwaukee Record and 88Nine Radio Milwaukee, and The Rave/Eagles Club called his live show "Entertaining as hell!" "I've played all over the Midwest, from Milwaukee down to Nashville, but Milwaukee is home. I love the city, the venues, the musicians, the people. I'm forever grateful for the support and love this city has shown me." Jay was nominated for Singer/Songwriter of the Year by Wisconsin Area Music Industry in 2015, 2016 and 2017, Country Artist of the Year in 2019 and recently won Best Male Vocalist in Shepherd Express' Best of Milwaukee. His 2017 album 'Dancing After Dark' was a finalist for 'Independent Release of the Year' at the 88Nine Radio Milwaukee Music Awards. "He gets by on raw talent alone. A breath of fresh air for listeners of any type of music." - Allen Halas, Breaking & Entering "Go ahead and add this to music you should've heard yesterday. There is no doubt that Milwaukee crowds have had a talent on their hands on the verge of something great." - Midwestern Gentleman "Well-crafted, heartfelt tunes that truly connect with the listener." - The Daily Country "You'll be surprised by Matthes' songwriting skills, evident by the assured originals off this spring's "Dancing After Dark" album." - Piet Levy, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel "This dude might be one of the elite songwriters in the Midwest." - Pat Watters Band "If he's not in your playlist, he definitely should be." - Lora Kaelber, OnMilwaukee.com // Elephonic is a band of musical peers (whose names are very familiar to the Milwaukee music scene) that play Mike Jarvis’ songs along with a handful of beautiful covers. In Elephonic, singer/guitarist Mike Jarvis has remained true to his power pop roots, but has added a small orchestra to water them. The band’s songs are melodic, layered and instantly memorable. Above all, they stand out from everything you hear on Spotify or Pandora. Elephonic is: MIKE JARVIS - vocals, songs, guitars - Six critically acclaimed original albums, 2 WAMI awards and 3 European tours with respected pop bands The Lackloves & The Blow Pops. THEA VORASS - cello: Thea also performs with Keith Pulvermacher, SACRED, The Belle Weather. She was awarded 2017 WAMI String Player of the Year and has shared the stage with The Prince Experience, Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Weezer and more. STEVE VORASS - Drums: Very active on the local music scene, Steve has played with Mixtape, SACRED, I'm Not A Pilot, Zach Petrini, Trapper Schoepp JASON KLAGSTAD - Guitarist/vocals - Played with Tom Petty bassist Howie Epstein, Jerry Harrison, Peter Buffett, Arroyo and Semi-Twang. He currently performs with Bill Camplin, Plumb Loco, Bristlehead, Sawyer Road AARON HEFFERNAN - Keys/vocals - Aaron fronts the Rolling Stones tribute band, Shattered. Early on, he played the Great Highland Bagpipe with the Milwaukee Police and Fire Pipe and Drum before forming the Appalachian folk duo, The Kitchen Boys. DAVE VEGAFRIA - Bassist/vocals - David has been playing bass and guitar since 1980 playing local bands such as NOD, Compound Red, Bondo Camaro, Tikibong, Drop Forge, the Glad Rags, Spikebottsford, Atomic #9, Koala, Nerve Twins and Shattered (since 2006). $12 adv/ $15 at the door (advance sales until 3pm day of show, then available at the door). Doors at 7pm, showtime 8pm