Three bands playing tuneful, energetic and fun rock and roll. The most snap, crackle and pop you’ll see this side of Battle Creek, Michigan.
Annie and the Bang Bang are up to their elbows mixing their double album RADIO BABY, to be released late summer/early fall of 2023. Inspired by songs from the 1970s and filtered through their alt-rock sensibilities - think Fleetwood Mac meets Nirvana or REM meets Boston - the band continues its quest to create meaning and connection.
A bit about Ben Cook-Feltz by Ben~ I put a band together, the gist of which has stayed the same for roughly 15 years now (Cole Mickelson on guitar, Andy Schuster on bass, Jim Crimmings on drums). Over the years, we've developed a solid ethos: We do things other bands only joke about. We want to play great music - but just as importantly, we want you to have fun. If you walk away with a smile on your face, and a couple of my tunes stuck in your head, well sir we've done our job right.
I also do a lot of work as a side player. I am a full-fledged member of the Mother Banjo Band, Art Vandalay, and Benjamin Miller's band. Additionally, I have been known to sit in with Jon Rodine, Matt French, Haley Rydell, Sarah Morris, Dan Gaarder, Vicky Emerson and more. To me, balancing my time as a band leader and side guy are two sides of an incredibly gratifying coin. I get to work with a lot of wonderful musicians, and I get to play a lot of wonderful songs. Winner winner, lemon somethingorother.
What it all comes down to is, I love making music. It makes me feel alive, and it gives me so much joy. I am thrilled by any chance I get to share that.
“Leslie Rich plays fun, super dance-able rock music.” - Mostly Minnesota
“Minnesota’s answer to the sultry alt Americana rock sounds of Chris Isaak.” - Rift Magazine
Leslie Rich & the Rocket Soul Choir release The Butcher Boy, the long-awaited follow-up to their lauded EP Kidder’s Son. Drawing comparisons to America’s most revered rock songwriters like Tom Petty and John Mellencamp, Belfast-born Leslie Rich writes songs that are immediate and timeless, whether singing about unrequited love, hitting rock bottom or just finding the will to keep going in the face of extreme hardship. Together with his Minnesota-based trio, he makes perfectly crafted pop songs that showcase the band’s tight groove and Americana-inspired harmonies, delivering joy and optimism at a time when we need it most.
The group spent nine days in the winter of ‘19/’20 in northern Minnesota, holing up at Sparta Sound Studios with renowned engineer and producer Rich Mattson (Trampled By Turtles, Ol’ Yeller, Dan Israel) and recorded all the tracks together. This time allowed the band to collaborate in a deeper way than on Leslie Rich’s previous projects. “Pete is a fantastic arranger, Atom is a historian, and both are way more musical than myself,” Leslie says. “We got to really focus on writing and arranging together, and the songs are better for it.”
IF WEATHER GOES TURNS TO SHIT THE SHOW MOVES INDOORS.
