April Band of The Month---The Semester Review

The Semester Review is a pop punk band from Chandler, Arizona formed in August 2011. The current lineup consists of Josh Rockett (lead vocals/lead guitar), Gabe Hernandez (guitar/backing vocals), Cole Stevens (bass/backing vocals), and Austin Cooper (drums). All of the guys come from previous bands that are now defunct. While many of the bands in Arizona focus on the punk aspect of pop punk, the Semester Review's sound is very reminiscent of the early 2000s era, with catchy guitar riffs and vocals focusing on girls, friends, and hanging loose. Even though the music sounds very early 2000s-like, the Semester Review's use of breakdowns evens out the new age of pop punk that many bands toy with today. Although none of the four members are even in their twenties yet, they have shared the stage with bands such as the Story So Far and Man Overboard. Their most recent EP, How to Get to Third Base was released on December 23, 2012 and is available for free at

Our March Band of The Month--- The Wiley One

The Wiley One



Emerging onto the Southwest music scene arrives an acoustic hip hop groove band with music as original as the band members themselves, THE WILEY ONE , blend of Acoustic, Hip Hop, Reggae, Blues and many other styles that fill the soul with a fun and relaxed vibe. Established in 2007 and rooted in Arizona, The Wiley One has evolved into one of the most impressive bands in the Southwest. Their unique bouncy-bluesy string style riffs combined with creative lyrical poetry have attracted audiences far and wide from Los Angles to New York - Seattle to Miami.



The Wiley One have been featured in many ad campaigns, TV shows, theme music for featured projects, as well as several local and national publications including Billboard Magazine's Green Issue in 2010. The band is well known for taking a powerful stance on spreading environmental awareness, working with many prestigious environmental companies and organizations such as Zero Hero, ACE Alliance for Climate Education and Disney's Planet Challenge. Their music can be heard through numerous platforms around the world including a variety of College and West Coast radio broadcasts, television networks and Web Sites. The Wiley One's first album "No 7 Kid" and their new single "Never Bored on a Board" have recently attracted the world of entertainment and many of their songs have been featured on Television channels such as Fuel TV and ESPN.



The Wiley One has shared the stage with many artists from around the World. Over the last two years they have toured around the United States performing on Main Stages for Major Music festivals as well intimate venues for select groups and parties. Whether they are performing on top of a Bio Diesel Bus, playing acoustically at local bars, small music venues, big theaters or Major Festivals, The Wiley One performances are exciting, fun and interactive.



"The Wiley One is a great band with real talent and something to say. They give me hope and faith in the new generation of Ecologically responsible bands." - Gardner Cole - Multi Platinum Producer (Madonna, Glee, Brittany Spears,)



"Wiley's guitar-playing harks back to the hard pick-and-pluck style of players like Nick Drake (minus the morose vibes), but all the songs here are driven by springy reggae beats and positive panache" -Niki D'Andrea - Phoenix Newtimes



Check out a some of their key performances over the last few years:-



* NFL Network Super Bowl Party - 2008 - Scottsdale, AZ (Main Stage Hotel Valley Ho)
* Winter X Games - 2008 - Aspen, Colorado (Main Stage X Fest)
* Summer X Games - 2008 - Los Angeles, CA (Kroq Stage Home Depot Center)
* Jocks That Rock Super Bowl Party - 2009 - Tampa Bay, Florida
* New York Songwriters Circle 2009 - New York, NY (Bitter End)
* House of Blues 2009 - Las Vegas, NV (Mandalay Bay Hotel)
* Hempfest - 2009 - Seattle, WA (Headliner, Main Stage) - 80,000 people in attendance
* Roger Clyne and The Peacemakers - Circus Mexicus - 2009, The Marquee Theater Spring 2010 St Patties day 2012
* The Dirty Heads - Spring and Summer 2010 - Tempe, AZ (The Marquee Theater)
* Surf Roots Tour 2010 with Anuhea, The Green, Tamarama, Stranger (The Roxy)
* Connect The DOT's Bio bus Tour 2010 - California Coast performing on a Bio Fueled Bus with Solar Powered Performances
* Summer X Games 2010 - Kids Day Co- Host - Los Angeles, CA (Coliseum) *Guinness Book of World Records - Largest Field Trip
* Authority Zero - Fall 2010 - Tempe, AZ (The Marquee Theater)
* Flogging Molly - St Patties Day - 2012 Tempe Beach Park (15,000 in attendance)
* Coast To Coast Tour Presented by Guinness Black Lager California Coast to New York and Connecticut Feb-March 2012
* Phochella Music Festival - Sail Inn With TMI on KWSS 106.7FM April 2012
* KJACK DAY Music Festival - Heritage Square April 2012 Flagstaff, AZ
* The Growlers - June 2012 The Orpheum Theater - Flagstaff, AZ
* Oak Creek Music Festival - Sedona, AZ July 2012
* Apache Lake Music Festival 2012 - Tortilla Flats, AZ October 2012



Press Links:



Album Review Kill It With Love - Java Magazine
Album Review Kill It With Love - Echo Cloud TV
Album Review No 7 Kid - Phoenix Newtimes
Go Green - Phoenix Newtimes
Never Borred On A Board - ALLI Sports



You can hear The Wiley One's music on these Radio Stations:


Kwss 106.7FM
KUKQ
KJACK
Modern PRoblems Radio Show
Roots 1 Radio
Surfroots Radio
Last FM
Pandora



Sam Wiley- Lead Vocalist / Guitar / Piano
Jay Nottingham - Slap Funk Master Bass Guitar / Vocalist
Josh Montag - Drums & Percussion Specialist
Phelan Parker - DJ, Saxophone



Band Interests:

Spreading the love and having fun! Writing, recording and performing original music. Creating environmental awareness. Supporting the arts and music in schools.



Artists We Also Like

A Life of Science, MC Criterion, Identity Crisis, Katastro, Catfish Mustache, Kush County, Sublime, Rome, The Beastie Boys, The Dirty Heads, G Love and the Special Sauce, Jason Mraz, Jack Johnson, Zee Avi, Mason Jennings, Matt Jennings, Keeton Simons, Decker, Fayuca, The Veragroove, Banana Gun, What Laura Says, Mergence, Kongos.

February Band of The Month-- 8 Minutes To Burn

8 Minutes To Burn is a regional band in the Southwestern United States that has been nominated for multiple Tucson Area Music Awards (TAMMIES) in the last several years while experiencing a recent surge of popularity with a #1 ranking by ReverbNation in the Jam category. 8 Minutes To Burn is a funk based jam band with a deep love for New Orleans Funk and roots in The Grateful Dead, Blues, Rock, and Reggae. Our musical style distills those sounds into a lush original product that certainly gets people dancing. We add depth to our music with conscious and poignant lyrics and we have shared the stage with many big name acts including Junior Reid, March Fourth Marching Band, Delta Nove, The B-side Players, Josh Fischel of Bargain Music, The Super Villains, B-Foundation and many more. The Band has popularized two festivals in Arizona; The FaR OuT Band & Fan Jam and SouL'D OuT Festival both in Northern Arizona. These festival projects along with successful tour runs in California and radio appearances in LA helped the band to recently land an invite to the upcoming 7th Annual Tucson Gem & Jam Festival that features world renowned artists like Alex Grey, Random Rab, and VibeSquad. 8 Minutes To Burn is currently working on studio and live albums, which are planned for release later this month, that will include a number of collaborations with nationally known artists, as a follow up to our first 2009 album release, GIANT MASTER CONTROL KNOB. Mel Mason from the Tucson Weekly, the local arts tabloid, said "8 Minutes to Burn epitomizes a genre that is under represented here in Tucson, and they do it smashingly well. For fans of reggae with bluesy departures and bits of spaced-out rock, this is the real deal." 8M2B is Ray Clamons (Drums), Kevin Wayne (Vocals), Chucacabra (Keys), Randy Clamons (Guitar), Troy Tuggle (Guitar), LIFE (Percussion), Brian Green (Bass), and Danny V (Artist).

About Fing Time--November Band of The Month- The Distortionists

The Distortionists from Tucson AZ consist of three people (caucasian males) who play music in the vein of "garage punk". Whatever that is. These 3 caucasian males used to play in some other bands that aren't around any more and play the following instruments: 4 string electric bass guitar, 6 string electric guitar and trap set. All three members sing at various times, although they do perform instrumentals. The lyrical content is primarily light hearted parodies of real life experiences. Clever. Many who hear The Distortionists for the first time say they have enjoyed some of their material. Many comments include the following phrases: "fascinating" "... really good" and "oh wow". They play out frequently. Mostly at night. I have enjoyed them live on several occasions and have found that i like them. Some people who have seen them have said that they were just ok.