Contranistas are an instrumental duo hailing from the notorious music city of Bakersfield CA. Using live looping and an array of effects, devices and found objects, theirs is a sound rooted in a sometimes post-rock, sometimes post-punkish energy and inspired by all things loud, noisy, ambient, gloomy, heavy and low.

Future Kings of Denmark began as a studio project but has grown into a full-fledged band built on grit, hooks, and heart. At the center is songwriter, vocalist, and guitarist Steven Guiles, who cut his teeth on rock and roll in college with The Vegas Nerve and later as the lead singer of Pushstart Wagon. In the years since, Guiles has built a wide-ranging career in music, with songs placed in television and film including Reacher, Blue Bloods, 13 Reasons Why, The Babysitters Club, and the Olympics. Originally an outlet for songs that were louder and more guitar-driven than his acoustic work, Future Kings of Denmark began as a recording collaboration with Irish songwriter Amanda West, who co-wrote half of the project’s debut album Fiery Ends (2018). In 2025, with a new batch of songs ready to go and a desire to bring the music fully to life on stage, Guiles posted a Craigslist ad looking for bandmates. The response brought together guitarist John, bassist Marc, and drummer Bryan. What began as an international recording project quickly became a tight local band. Now operating as a true four-piece, Future Kings of Denmark thrives on strong songcraft, tight musicianship, and the kind of chemistry that comes from players who know when to leave space — and when to hit hard. Their sound sits comfortably on the same dial as The Replacements, The White Stripes, The Strokes, Hüsker Dü, and The Black Keys — melodic but gritty, lived-in yet urgent, driven by hooks and the raw energy of a band that means it.

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Stedman Sykes (singer/songwriter) accompanied by his backing band, The Madness. The Madness currently consists of Bryan Santizo and Servio Maldonado.