Bands

Cactus Attack

One cold January night in Newport, Ryan Jackson was playing a show in the basement of a church with his now defunct acoustic band when he heard a sound he could really take to the hoop. A local folk band was there that night, with a feel that just seemed so new and different to him. That's when he decided that he wanted to take this old sound and try to make it his own. The stars aligned, the sun rose and fell, and Cactus Attack was born out of the ashes of a failed Alaskan dream. Now years later they are a 5 piece Bluegrass/Rock n' Roll/Swamp Yankee Blues powerhouse.

Justin Chadbourne

Justin Chadbourne is a blues/folk/soul musician out of Manchester N.H.

The Old Edison

" Actually, that's one reason they are a punk band (though they've long since dispensed with punk's breakneck tempos) and not a folk band (though that's how they categorize themselves) and definitely not an Americana band. Boring college kids with bright futures in upper-middle management like modern folk. And Americana bands, which are generally easy to market, didn't start getting together because of collective unemployment. The Old Edison's guttural, raspy, gang-vocal bro-downs chronicle chainsmoking, binge drinking, playing guitar with buddies, and lots of gnarly shit that happened at one time or another. In at least one instance, they sanctify Bob Dylan, Ernest Hemingway, and the Bouncing Souls in a single, haggard breath. Their frequent references to their own boozin' and jammin' convey a blatant obviousness that's endearing in its sincerity. In the most literal sense, they sing about what we hear them doing."

— Barry Thompson, The Boston Phoenix

Yankee Cockfight

Hailing from the Great White Mountains of New Hampshire, Yankee Cockfight was a concept developed in 2009 between The Mighty Junior (vocals/harmonica) and Scrimmy the Dirtbag (guitar/kick drum). Both musicians grew up in the woods and to this day a rural sentimentality permeates their work. Yankee Cockfight was originally an outlet to filter their eclectic musical influences, ranging from punk rock to blues to country. They played their first show off the cuff without even rehearsing. And they still play every show without a set list.

It’s not punk, it’s not blues, it’s not country. You can’t describe it. It’s an experience. It’s primal and it’s real. You have to see it for yourself.