Starset is the sonic interzone where fact, science and speculation collide. Their Razor & Tie debut, Transmissions is a thought-provoking broadcast of cinematic rock full of dramatic intents and personal nuances. Like any great piece of art, Transmissions begs more questions than it actually answers: precisely the intent of vocalist and songwriter Dustin Bates. What separates Starset from being simply a great band? When Bates formed Starset in 2013, it was done in collusion with a shadowy, multi-media group called The Starset Society to expand on scientific and political themes that course throughout the albums’ lyrical zeitgeist. Figurative. Literal. Real. Imagined. A delusion. A warning. Imagine an audio-visual schema culled from the fever-dreams of Trent Reznor and Phillip K. Dick. The Starset Society is an admonishment of what mankind could become when technologies are created without implication. Songs like the active-rock hit, “My Demons” or sprawling “Halo” are the audio accompaniment to a tale set amongst humanity’s highest aspirations and utter ruin. Bates’ voice is at once plaintive and bellicose: a rage against the machine of slashing guitars and pulsing electronics where songs like “Carnivore” are slaked with heaviness and harmony while the likes of “Telescope” show a haunting, poignant side to Dustin’s dangerous visions. Bates’ credentials are wildly compelling. A PhD candidate in electrical engineering at Ohio University, he has done research for the U.S. Air Force and taught at the International Space University. He was also briefly signed to Epic Records with his prior group, Downplay: an experience that fueled the frontman’s rage against the corporate machine when his album was shelved due to record company indifference. With producer Rob Graves (Red, All That Remains), Bates forged a next-gen creative alloy that would become Transmissions. The album was subsequently mixed by Ben Grosse (30 Seconds to Mars, Fuel) and soon after, found a home with Razor & Tie Records. The themes and ideological fractals at the core of Starset are completely fact-based. They date back to 1899 when Nikola Tesla detected cosmic radio signals he believed to be communications from alien intelligences. They are also as cutting edge as the recent discovery of Planet Kepler 186, a “Twin Earth” light years away that could one day become a home for a spacefaring human race. With Bates & Crew currently on the road winning over fans: it’s very clear the Starset message has been sent.

GRABBITZ is a one-man production powerhouse and rock band with an electronic heartbeart, loyal to no genre and inspired by all. He’s lived many lives in his 24 years on this planet and each GRABBITZ song is a piece of his soul, his experiences and emotions wrung out like a wet rag. The result is stunningly authentic, the sort of music that brings universality to the individual’s experience of love and loss while miraculously managing to have a sense of humor.   The debut GRABBITZ album THINGS CHANGE is an alchemic and visceral reaction to the loss of the most important person in his life, a trip into the belly of the beast on his personal hero’s journey. He’s the sort of artist who’s creating all the time, so the temptation to stay in the woods of western New York and make music just for himself was great. GRABBITZ made the choice to “Play This Game.” You can hear his frustration in the grindy guitar riff and fat bassline that opens the track and his desperation to cling to love of any sort on the hybrid pulsating drumstep ballad “Don’t Let Me Go.” He finally loosens his grip on reality and surrenders to the certainty of a pop progression on “i think that i might be going crazy” – and those are just the first few songs of a twelve track album.   It’s a good thing music is therapy for GRABBITZ because he’s responsible for every single aspect of his songs, from writing to production to performance. Hot off the release of his track with deadmau5 “Let Go,” his live show will be debuting in his hometown Buffalo, NY with a guitarist (Sullivan King) and drummer (Morillo) in May. He’s probably the only artist to ever be compared to both Trent Reznor and Eminem in the same breath (by Billboard) so the unleashing of his highly anticipated full live performance means the pressure is on. His delivery is about to be the most rock ‘n roll electronic show you’ll see all year.

New York’s Year of the Locust is doing things the old fashioned way. Rather than relying on false accolades and manufactured hype, the band has taken their furious live show and stellar songwriting to the masses directly. Extensive touring throughout the country has endeared the band to fans and peers alike. Their new single, “Rise Up,” is a call to arms for the countless citizens of the world who are no longer willing to sit idly by and have their lives dictated for them. Since releasing the full length album, DEVOLVER, (available now on iTunes, Spotify and Google play) in July of 2016 the band has toured regionally with Saliva, Tantric, Saving Abel, Devour the Day, Sons of Texas and Puddle of Mudd among others The first single, “Rise Up,” is some of the most innovative & energy driven music the band, comprised of Scot McGiveron (Lead Vox & Guitar), Fred Serrell (Bass & Vox), Peter Hellers (Vox & Guitar), and Raeshwan Greene (Drums), has produced to date DEVOLVER, produced by Jimmy Sabella (Metal Allegiance, Marcy Playground, Nine Days) and mastered By Don Zientara (Foo Fighters, John Frusciante, Minor Threat, Fugazi)