On July 6th, Madina Lake bassist Matthew Leone came to the aid of a woman being physically assaulted by her husband on the 1300 block of West Ohio Street. After intervening and calling Chicago police, Leone was beaten by the man and left unconscious in the street. Matthew’s brain injuries were so severe that multiple surgeries have been required to remove portions of his skull. Matthew does not have medical insurance and is currently recovering at home.

Through the Pain is a non-profit benefit alliance created by Matthew’s friends in support of his yet untold medical, legal and rehabilitation costs. Partnering with Sweet Relief, a non-profit charity that maintains a financial fund from which professional musicians can draw from when in need of medical care or financial assistance, we are holding a series of benefit concerts, auctions and special events.

The first concert features an acoustic set from Nathan and Mateo of Madina Lake and performances by AM Taxi, The Fold, The Lifeline and David Costa takes place at Double Door (21+) on Saturday, August 21st.

The second show will be held at Hard Rock Hotel Chicago (21+) on Sunday, August 22nd. The lineup includes The Lovehammers, Kill Hannah, Scott Lucas of Local H, Makeshift Prodigy and The Frantic. In addition to hosting the concert, Hard Rock Hotel Chicago has created an exclusive room offer whereby the hotel will donate $15 for every room booked during the entire month of August.

Tickets for the Double Door show are on-sale now. Ticket sales for the Hard Rock Hotel Chicago show will be on-sale beginning Monday, July 26th. Ticket sales are available for sale directly at www.throughthepain.org – prices for each show are $20 in advance, $25 at the door.

A silent auction will be held at both shows, with items and services donated by a wide range of local businesses. A big-ticket, International auction is currently being held through eBay and can be directly accessed via www.throughthepain.org. Notable auction items include: a one-of-a-kind Lego sculpture commissioned by Pete Wentz for his Clandestine Industries clothing line, a prototype Washburn guitar built exclusively for Dan Donegan of Chicago-based band Disturbed – signed and donated by Dan himself and a signed platinum record from the band A Perfect Circle’s debut, platinum record Mer De Noms.

Direct cash donations can also be made to Matthew Leone’s Sweet Relief fund through www.throughthepain.org.

With a blend of old-school punk, world beat and modern pop influences, Chicago-based AM Taxi combines experience with exuberance on their Virgin Records debut, We Don’t Stand A Chance. The band was formed almost two years ago—with the encouragement of Sublime producer Miguel Happoldt—by longtime Windy City bandmates and pals, singer/songwriter Adam Krier, drummer Chris Smith and bassist Jason Schultejann. The trio began writing and recording and produced their first EP, Runaway Songs. Shortly after, they were joined by brothers John and Luke Schmitt on guitar and keyboards. AM Taxi began establishing a rep as a dynamic live outfit with headlining performances at local clubs like the Metro and soon after recorded their second EP, The Good, The Bad and The Fed Up. .

Entering an Austin studio with producer Mike McCarthy (Spoon, Patty Griffin, And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead), AM Taxi proceeded to record a major-label debut that reflects the group’s diverse influences. From the Springsteen-by-way-of-The Hold Steady, “Fed Up,” and the heart-on-the-sleeve Replacements-like confessional, “The Mistake” to the Police-inspired world beat of “Dead Street” and the Clash-esque reggae pulse of “Charissa,” the group has one foot firmly planted in the classics and one right here, right now in the present.

Pointing to personal favorites like Pacific Northwest Nuggets-style garage bands like the Wailers, the Sonics and Paul Revere and the Raiders, the British Invasion bands, soul greats Sam Cooke and Otis Redding, Two-Tone bands The Specials and the Selecter or Alt-Country acts Wilco and Ryan Adams, AM Taxi were not afraid to experiment with their sound.

That ability to tell it like it is comes through in Krier’s writing and in AM Taxi’s musicality. Taking their inspiration from his touring around the U.S. with several of his previous bands, songs like “Dead Street” and “Shake, Rattle and Stall” explore the restlessness he encountered along the way or, as Krier puts it, “Wherever I went, people were trying to get out of where they were.”

There are also songs about things everyone can identify with, like a couple in which no matter how much he messes up, she takes him back (“Charissa”) or New Year’s resolutions gone bad (“Champagne Toast”).

“I try to write songs about things people can relate to,” nods Adam. “For me, the best music, at the end of the day, is therapeutic. That’s always in the back of my mind a little when I’m sitting down to write.”

The Fold is taking the future into their own hands with their latest independent release "Dear Future, Come Get Me."

It all began with a magnet on a friend’s refrigerator in Atlanta, GA. The magnet read, “What would you do if you could not fail?” Suddenly, the concept for the band’s first independent album was born.

The album’s title track, “Dear Future,” is the cornerstone on which the album is built, according to Castady. “This album is about reconnecting with our dreams again. It’s saying, ‘Bring on the future. I’m done with the past.’”

After releasing two well-received albums on indie power label Tooth & Nail, The Fold decided it was time to go their own way. “Leaving our label could have felt like a big failure for The Fold, but it provided us the opportunity to tap into our unrealized potential,” says Castady.

The guys in The Fold are carving out a path for themselves in the competitive world of independent music. “We know our sound and we know what we can do well,” says Castady. “This doesn’t ever have to end as long as we have the passion to keep doing it.”

“Neverender” isn’t just the final track on Dear Future, Come Get Me. It describes the band’s whole outlook on their future. With their new creative independence, the Fold’s story is far from ending. In fact, it’s just beginning.

Class meets Sass”. A phrase that explains so much about The Lifeline, yet still leaves just as much to the imagination. Sophistication and beauty paired with an edginess and attitude that would make James Dean proud and Mozart blush. The Lifeline truly is a band that has poured every ounce of themselves into their music, grabbing onto the thoughts and feelings of all who are willing to lend an ear. Emotions fuel this band. They drive and dictate the direction of each powerful note and gripping melody. Their sound undoubtedly has proven that the infusion of classical and rock music can be done, not only in a tasteful manner, but also in a way that can be appealing to audiences around the world.

The Starving Artist - NOW AVAILABLE !!!
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Category: Music
Hello, My Name is David Costa...and I am The Starving Artist ! I Wrote an Autobiography and Disguised It As a Hip-Hop Concept Album :) It Describes Some of The Events in My Life Between The Years of 2002-2007 (and Also Includes a Few Predictions About The Future ;) No Exaggerations, No Bullshit...Every Word I Wrote During That Period Seemed To Be Coming From The Perspective of Someone That Had Done Everything in His Power To Achieve His Goals and Hadn't Seen ANYTHING in The Way of Results, and Then...It Happened.

In 2005 I Went Into The Studio To Record Some Demos For This New Album That I Was Writing...In All 8 Songs Were Recorded...6 of Which Ended Up Sounding Pretty Damn Awesome :) I Took a Handfull of Burned CD's To The Warped Tour in Tinley Park That Year and Handed Them Out...and Wouldn't You Just Know It...The New Jersey Based Record Label 'Skeleton Crew' Expressed an Interest in The Project.

In Preparation For This "Epic Concept Album" We Released The 'A Dream...and a Plan' EP on Skeleton Crew Records in May of 2006 w/ The Help of Frank Iero (My Chemical Romance, LeATHERMOUTH) ! The EP Introduced The Setting (Live From The Middle of Nowhere, This Town is a Death Trap) The Main Character (Starving Artist, Footprints) and The Plot (Lust at Cursed Bite, The Lost Prophecy) !

and Now Ladies and Gentlemen...After Nearly 5 Years of Work, It's Finally Time For The Full Story...

'The Starving Artist' is About a Time in My Life When I Didn't Care About Anything in This World But Music and How Music Helped Me Through Those Times When It Seemed Like I Had Made a Few Wrongs Choices in Life (Trusted The Wrong People/Broke The Wrong Persons' Heart) and a Few of Them Were The Kind That I Couldn't Fix...But I Did Learn From Them. and In The End, I Truley am Thankful Because I Was Able To Be Inspired By Those Moments...It Was Out of These Thoughts That I Created 'The Starving Artist' an Outlet For Me To Say To Anyone That Was Listening, Whatever It Is That You Have a Passion For, Whatever It Is That You Strive To Be "...All You Gotta Do is Go For It, and DON'T LOOK BACK..." ;)