17 tracks, 12 artists, very low price! Transfer to Red, Endsmet, By Any Means, Lucid Fire Volition, The Columbine Kids, Save Me Walter, Shalloways, raincloud zero, Adam Henrichs, The Yellow Day Brigade, Plaudit, The Invincible Speed Holes ..... You're sure to find a new artist that you like!

PhoenixHeart Records’ Illinois Independents Compilation is an album by a diverse collection of artists hailing from within the borders of Illinois. Artists from the genres of Hardcore Punk, Heavy Hardcore, Techno, Surf, Post-Pop, Screamo, Emo-Pop, Pop-Punk, CoffeeShop, and Acoustic/Voice Singer-Songwriter are featured on this 17-song disc. The artists on this disc do not necessarily agree with views promoted through PhoenixHeart’s various media channels. They were chosen because their music is worthy of distribution and promotion. We hope to expand their audiences by increasing exposure and providing them contacts. Their contact information is given below, along with a brief description of each band’s contribution(s).

Transfer to Red: transfer_to_red@hotmail.com Transfer to Red is a melodic rock band with a wide-screen “emo” sound. They have actually been compared to U2, largely due to their guitar tones and song construction. Transfer to Red contributes 2 songs to this album, including “If These Walls Could Talk” and “Even The Weather”. These cuts are both from their 2004 ep.

Endsmet: http://www.endsmet.com/ Endsmet is a heavy hardcore band in the musical vein of Earth Crisis, and they cite influences of metalcore and even hip-hop percussion. They are the heaviest of West-Central Illinois’ most popular bands. The original lineup is featured here, prior to a change of vocalists and the addition of synth/keyboards. This cut is from their first album, ‘Someday Mourning’.

By Any Means: www.anymeans.cjb.net By Any Means is a Pop-Punk band with emo and hardcore influences out of Downer’s Grove, IL. “Interview With The Suspect” is a turn toward hardcore-inspired background vocals and drawn-out emo riffage from their decidedly Pop-Punk past. “Interview With The Suspect” is from their 2004 ep.

Lucid Fire Volition: phoenixheart2002@yahoo.com Lucid Fire Volition, the project that inspired the creation of the original PhoenixHeart Records, has generally been considered “Guitar-Based Post-Pop”. However, its 2004 ep release ‘Not Another Lie’ saw LFV take a step further into the synth realm with the addition of drum/bass machine backup and the almost exclusive use of effects-laden electric guitars. “Ice Sport” and “Scratch” are both from this ep. PhoenixHeart Records has recently released ‘First Three Years’, a collection of the 21 best Lucid Fire Volition songs 2001-2004.

The Columbine Kids: http://www.thecolumbinekids.com/ The Columbine Kids are an offensive (hardcore) punk band out of Carbondale, IL. Pissed off to the extreme, they’d fight you for your beer just to see you spill it. Previously featured a trumpet for a grand chorus effect. The Columbine Kids contribute “Kill The Icon” and “Columbine Kids Anthem”.

Save Me Walter: www.savemewalter.net http://www.savemewalter.net/ Save Me Walter is a Screamo band in the vein of Thrice, out of the Chicago suburbs. Combining tasteful metal guitar with emotional-hardcore vocals, their cut “Crimson In Camouflage” should please Emo kids and Metalheads alike.

Shalloways: bnauss4@yahoo.com Shalloways is a duo from the Chicago suburbs. Their style could be described as CoffeeShop, featuring talented vocals over a very relaxed series of chord progressions and other toppings. They contribute “Robinson”, a song about a city of the same name.

raincloud zero: phoenixheart2002@yahoo.com (The lower-case!) raincloud zero is the experimental techno-dance project of a group of pals in the PhoenixHeart crew. Eschewing the popular “rave drugs” of the techno scene, raincloud zero is all about hanging out with friends around a computer while consuming a case of beer. The mission of raincloud zero is to provide interesting techno & dance music with strong guitar parts while working to change dance-club/nightclub culture for the better. “Drive” and “First New Trak2” are featured here. Dance to them with careless abandon.

Adam Henrichs: rollercoasteradam@yahoo.com Adam Henrichs (of Rollercoaster Club fame) contributes 2 sweet songs from his album “Swingsets & Cigarettes”: the popular “Let’s Ride Bikes” and “Make It Go Away”. Acoustic guitar and voice are combined with piano/keyboard tones to create heartfelt songs that have earned Adam quite a reputation as a songwriter. After Rollercoaster Club and two solo albums (totaling something in the range of 30 to 40 released songs), Adam has started a new band.

The Yellow Day Brigade: phoenixheart2002@yahoo.com The Yellow Day Brigade, now the originator of its own YDB Records (an imprint of PhoenixHeart), has come quite a long way since its beginnings as a regular punk/hardcore band in early 2003. After the bassist and drummer quit for school-related reasons, singer-guitarist CCMD recorded the newly-written songs in a percussive acoustic style with distorted vocals. Shortly thereafter, he employed a drum machine to carry on. “Into My Fire” is a recording made under the drum-machine approach before The Yellow Day Brigade settled into its characteristic style. This is a rare recording made specifically for this compilation, a halfway point between the purposefully obnoxious noise-core of the first recordings and the industrialized old-school hardcore style of the later ‘Stop Kidding Yourself’ that launched the rationalhardcore movement. You can only find it here.

Plaudit: www.plaudit.cjb.net or www.purevolume.com/plaudit Plaudit is Emo-inspired Singer-Songwriter music out of Carollton, IL. The music can be described as layered and drifting, rarely offering cheap tricks like their more blatantly Pop-oriented Emo cousins. “My Demise” is a sad song that may evoke thoughts of a young Billy Corgan writing songs in his apartment. The layered guitars roll like waves toward the coast, unsure of what will happen when they hit land.

The Invincible Speed Holes: http://www.thespeedholes.com/ The Invincible Speed Holes are the Surf-Punk kings of Misfitsville in Quincy, Illinois. Known for their frantic displays of energy and horror/sci-fi themes, this is a band we expect to hear for a long time. “Fused With An Alien” is 100% Aggressive Surf (yes, in Illinois!); an instrumental inspired by the eerie life experiences that only The Invincible Speedholes know.