Events

A sleeping giant of the electronic music world, Douglas Appling -more commonly known as Emancipator -has quietly established himself as a mainstay in the electronic music scene since the release of his debut album,Soon It Will Be Cold Enough in 2006. Classically-trained as a violinist from an early age, Appling's organic approach to electronic music production draws inspiration from a wide range of international cultures and musical genres, culminating in a refreshingly authentic brandof electronic music that has infiltrated global consciousness. 2017 was a busy year of touring & music writing for Emancipator.

Doug's live band, Emancipator Ensemble, headlined Red Rocks Amphitheater for the first time and made appearances at many music festivals across the globe. November 2017also marked the release of the much-anticipated new Emancipator album, Baralku, via his own label, Loci Records.Inspired by the astral "island" some aboriginal societies believe to be our spiritual home after death, Baralku synthesizes downtempo hip-hop beats, world music elements, and field recordings, as well as jazz, folk, and classical influences into a transcendent hybrid of lush, nuanced, and ethereal compositions.

"Music takes me to places, and each song is a spirit island on which its soul lives infinitely," says Emancipator of the album's title and his inspiration. "To release a song is both a death and a birth at the same time," he adds. "The sounds contained in each song have reached the end of their life process. The once shapeshifting collage of expression has been crystallized into a final form, no longer kinetic. Yet it exists in a state of permanent potential energy, waiting to be accessed in the form of music, just as the memory of a departed soul will always have the power to move us. "Following the release of Baralku, the Emancipator Ensemble will embark on a 25-date North American tourin early 2018.

CONNECT WITH EMANCIPATOR:http://emancipatormusic.comhttps://www.facebook.com/emancipatormusic/https://soundcloud.com/emancipatorhttps://twitter.com/emanchttps://www.instagram.com/emanc         

Hailing from Portland OR, The Wilder is a high energy rock' n roll firecracker. Performing up and down the NW for the last three years. The Wilder delivers sounds from a past era, infused with present day pop/garage amalgamations.

The Wilder has been described by fans as "The Black Keys on speed".         

Texas rapper and scene icon Bun B (born Bernard Freeman) rose to fame as part of the duo UGK, issuing a string of U.S. Top 20 hits, including 1996's gold-certified Ridin' Dirty and the 2007 chart-topping Underground Kingz, home to their smash hit with OutKast, "International Players Anthem (I Choose You)." Bun B made his solo debut in 2005 with Trill, extending his presence into the 2010s with Trill O.G.: The Epilogue and Return of the Trill, just as a generation of younger MCs looked up at the influential veteran for inspiration.

Together with partner Pimp C, Bun B formed UGK in the late '80s when their former crew, Four Black Ministers, fell apart. Based in Port Arthur, Texas, UGK signed with Jive, and with 1992's Too Hard to Swallow began a series of Southern gangsta rap albums that were successful sellers. Bun B formed the side project Mddl Fngz in 2000, but his main concern was still UGK. Things came to halt in 2003 when Pimp C was sentenced to eight years in prison on an aggravated gun assault charge. Bun B carried on solo, making numerous appearances on other artists' tracks and then in 2005 releasing both the mixtape Legends and his debut album, the Rap-a-Lot release Trill, a Top Ten hit that was later certified gold. With Pimp C seeing early release in late 2005, Bun B returned to UGK. In 2007, the pair released their chart-topping Underground Kingz, which included the hit single "International Players Anthem (I Choose You)" with OutKast. Tragedy struck in early 2008 when Pimp C died suddenly, leaving Bun B to return to a solo career.

His second solo album, II Trill, arrived months after Pimp C's passing. It became his highest-charting effort to date, rising to number two on the Billboard 200 and topping the R&B/rap/independent charts. His follow-up, 2010's Trill O.G., fared almost as well, peaking at number four. A fourth installment of the Trill series, Trill O.G.: The Epilogue, arrived in 2013 and featured guests Big K.R.I.T., Rick Ross, 2 Chainz, Raekwon, and more, as well as Pimp C on a pair of posthumous tracks, "Cake" and "Don't Play with Me." After a five-year silence, Bun B released Return of the Trill. Featuring production assistance by Big K.R.I.T. and El-P (whose Run the Jewels appeared on "Myself"), Return also included appearances by T.I., Slim Thug, Yo Gotti, Lil Wayne, Leon Bridges, Gary Clark, Jr., and more.         

Based out of Fort Worth, Texas, The Unlikely Candidates are an indie rock band initially formed as an acoustic duo by childhood friends Kyle Morris and Cole Male in 2008. Eventually expanding the lineup to include guitarist Brenton Carney, bassist Jared Hornbeek, and drummer Kevin Goddard, the band was also able to expand its sound in bigger, more sweeping directions. In 2013, the band signed on with major-label Atlantic and released their debut EP, Follow My Feet. In early 2016, the Unlikely Candidates returned with a hooky new single in “You Love Could Start a War,” which made a strong showing on Billboard’s Alternative Songs chart.