Tickets- Official Box Office

 The OFFICAL BLUESTONE TICKET BOX OFFICE

Get Tickets to The Bluestone and never miss your favorite artist again. Tickets From country and electronic to Indie Rock.  THE Bluestone brings quality entertainment to the stage every time. We’re working hard to bring you the best  concerts and special events in Columbus, Ohio. Keep an eye on our tickets and events calendar and check back often for concert updates. Just click on an event to purchase tickets

https://www.ticketmaster.com/the-bluestone-tickets-columbus/venue/41852

 

Apr
24
Wed
Craig Morgan
Apr 24 @ 4:14 pm

C_Morgan_web (1)

Hit country artist Craig Morgan returns to The Bluestone for his Journey: Livin’ Hits tour on March 20th, 2014. Special guests Chad Warrix and Clark Manson will open the show.

TICKET AVAILABILITY

VIP Admission

*Note* VIP Tables are now SOLD OUT

General Admission

  • $20 advance
  • Standing room only

This event is open to all ages

Thursday, March 20th | Doors 7PM

BUY TICKETS

WCOL Miller Lite Series Presents: WILL HOGE
Apr 24 @ 4:14 pm

Will Hoge will be performing live at The Bluestone on Thursday, September 18th.  Doors will open at 7pm.

Opening Artist include: Clare Dunn

 

 

VIP Admission: VIP Tables do NOT include admission into the show.  Admission tickets must be purchased separately.

  • Loft Lower Tier: $250 (seats four people-no exceptions)
  • Prime view of stage
  • Includes six bottles of Miller or Coors Light
  • VIP waitress
  • Exclusive Private Bar access
  • Buckets (six bottles) available for purchase all night for $24
  • Loft Upper Tier: $200 (seats four people-no exceptions)
  • Includes six bottles of Miller or Coors Light
  • VIP waitress
  • Private Bar Access
  • Buckets (six bottles) available for purchase all night for $24

*All VIP tables located in the loft area

*Table purchases do NOT include admission into venue

 

BUY TICKETS

Nov
17
Thu
SOLD OUT! Old Dominion at The Bluestone @ The Bluestone
Nov 17 @ 7:00 pm
VIP packages and admission tickets are sold out.
We’ve added a limited amount of VIP Packages that include admission to the SOLD OUT Old Dominion Show at The Bluestone! 
Each Package INCLUDES one admission ticket to the show! Package also includes an exclusive soundcheck experience, a Meet & Greet / photo opportunity with Old Dominion, a limited edition poster designed by Old Dominion, a commemorative laminate, crowd-free merchandise shopping time, and an on-site concert host. 

Old Dominion will be performing LIVE at The Bluestone on Thursday, November 17th

Doors for the show will open at 7pm

Opening Artists: Steve Moakler and Clayton Anderson

This is an all ages show

This show is SOLD OUT 

PURCHASE TICKETS 

Old dominion rs

TABLE SEATING

VIP TABLE PURCHASE DOES NOT INCLUDE ADMISSION TICKETS TO THE SHOW.  

Admission tickets must be purchased separately.

  • Loft Lower Tier: $250 (seats four people-no exceptions)
  • Prime view of stage!
  • Includes first bucket of Miller or Coors Light
  • VIP Server
  • Exclusive Private Bar access
  • Loft Upper Tier: $200 (seats four people-no exceptions)
  • Includes first bucket of Miller or Coors Light
  • VIP Server
  • Private Bar Access
  • May be Obstruction in View

*All VIP tables located in the loft area

Jan
12
Thu
Craig Morgan at The Bluestone @ The Bluestone
Jan 12 @ 7:00 pm

Craig Morgan will be performing live at The Bluestone on Thursday, January 12, 2017

Opening Artist: Drew Baldridge
Doors for the show will open at 7pm
Tickets: $25 in advance (day of show price will increase to $30)

Tickets go on-sale Friday, October 14th at 10am

PURCHASE HERE

_20A7183 copy


VIP OPPORTUNITY AVAILABLE

VIP TABLE PURCHASE DOES NOT INCLUDE ADMISSION TICKETS TO THE SHOW.  

Admission tickets must be purchased separately.

  • Loft Lower Tier: $250 (seats four people-no exceptions)
  • Prime view of the stage!
  • Includes first bucket of Miller or Coors Light
  • VIP Server
  • Exclusive Private Bar access
  • Loft Upper Tier: $200 (seats four people-no exceptions)
  • Includes first bucket of Miller or Coors Light
  • VIP Server
  • Private Bar Access
  • May have an obstructed view

*All VIP tables located in the loft area

*all sales are final

“I’ve got a renewed energy with this record,” he says emphatically. “In fact, I’m at the pinnacle of my career — producing, singing and touring. And this song epitomizes that. It’s about living to the fullest, and when people hear it, I know they’ll relate it to their own lives.”His newest single, “I’ll Be Home Soon,” is an epic love song and one of many radio-ready hits on Morgan’s highly anticipated project. He’s written nearly half of the album’s dozen tracks, and makes all of them his own. “I’m That Country” exudes Southern charm; “Remind Me Why I’m Crazy” showcases Morgan the crooner; “I Can’t Wait to Stay” exults the joys of a small-town life; and “A Whole Lot More to Me” is a musical autobiography. The collection’s “When I’m Gone,” has already met critical acclaim with Music Row calling it a “powerhouse performance of a pile-driving song.” Each highlights his artistic renaissance.Morgan laughs at that word, however: “artistic.

“I have friends who are very artistic people, sometimes oddly so, and I never wanted to be that guy, to be so artistic that I’m odd,” he says smiling. “But it’s good to know that I’ve evolved musically and, with this new record, I’ve created something with longevity.

Indeed, Morgan’s A Whole Lot More To Me, co-produced with Byron Gallimore (Tim McGraw, Sugarland, Faith Hill) and released via Black River Entertainment, is a timeless recording.As was their goal, Morgan and Gallimore, with whom he worked for the first time, succeeded in making music that will sound fresh a decade or more from now. These are songs that define a man.

Morgan uses the honesty of the concert stage as an analogy for how he assembled what will be his seventh studio album. “It would look funny if you went to one of my concerts and I stood out there in skinny jeans. I’m not 21 years old, and I shouldn’t pretend to be,” he says. “But I also know this music will fit right in on country radio today. I’m singing music that is real and believable and at the same time relatable to all types of fans. That’s hard to do, but you can do it if you stay true to who you are.”

And Craig Morgan knows exactly who he is, a man with many sides. Along with being an entertainer, he’s an adventure junkie and hosts the popular Outdoor Channel series Craig Morgan: All Access Outdoors, entering its seventh season this summer. He’s also a 17-year Army and Army Reserves veteran, a passionatechampion of the military, a philanthropist and a celebratedmotivational speaker.

He’s a busy man with a knack for attention to detail. Carefully choosing each lyric on this album is no exception. There is not a single wasted verse — let alone word — on the follow-up to 2012’s This Ole Boy. “Every word is valid and relevant on this album,” he says. “It’s a quality continuation of what I’ve done in the past.”

The most obvious bridge to Morgan’s back catalog is the spiritually minded “Country Side of Heaven.” The song is inspirational country at its finest, with a soaring chorus that at once elevates both listener and artist.

“It has a very charismatic, inspirational vibe about it — but not preachy,” Morgan says. “The energy feels spiritual by the time you get to the end and there is an emotional attachment within you that makes you want to hear it again and again.”

Morgan says the song, as well as album tracks like the emotionally charged “I’ll Be Home Soon” and the empowered-woman tale “All Cried Out,” act as a through-line, a path for fans to connect the dots of his career: “You develop a fan base and they get acquainted with a certain thing from you, and they want that. This album is full of those.”

Another standout on the project is “Hearts I Leave Behind,” which features Morgan’s gritty and poignant vocals with the soulful Christian rock band Third Day’s lead singer, Mac Powell.

The hard-touring artist has already been testing out the songs on the road, to stellar results. “When I’m Gone” becomes a call to action; “Country Side of Heaven” is an audience sing-along; and “Nowhere Without You,” written by Michael McDonald, stands as an epic power ballad.

“It’s such an emotional song, one that I can see being played at weddings for a long time,” he says. “I feel something in my chest when I hear it. It moves me — and that’s what music is supposed to do.”

Especially in the hands of an artist as gifted as Morgan, who can effortlessly toggle between the breezy fun of radio staple “Redneck Yacht Club” and the poignancy of “That’s What I Love About Sunday.” He mixes both approaches in the album’s standout track, “A Whole Lot More to Me.” A smoldering, jazz-influenced love song with an everyman attitude, it shines a light on a different side of the artist, and country fans in general — one that likes a fine Cabernet as much as a cold beer, and indulges in sushi by candlelight as regularly as barbecue by the bonfire.

“As a country singer, we sometimes get stereotyped as nothing but trucks and tailgates, but that doesn’t mean that’s all there is to us,” he says, summing up the album. “I want people to hear this record and go, ‘Wow, there is a whole lot more to these country folks.'”

And in Morgan, those folks have no better messenger.

Dec
9
Thu
Steel Panther Live December 9, 2021 @ The Bluestone
Dec 9 @ 7:00 pm – 10:45 pm

Steel Panther Live December 9th, 2021 7 PM

The Bluestone
Columbus, Ohio

https://www.ticketmaster.com/event/05005B59EDEA422F

Steel Panther is headed to Columbus, OH to The Bluestone December 9, 2021.

Tickets on sale Friday, October 29 at 10 AM!

  • Website: http://www.steelpantherrocks.com/
  • Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/steelpanther
  • Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/Steel_Panther
  • Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/SteelPanther
  • YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/SteelPantherVEVO

About Steel Panther

For the uninitiated, Steel Panther was formed in 2000. Hailing from Los Angeles, the epicenter for rock n’ roll in all its debauchery and glamour, Steel Panther has established themselves as the world’s premier party band, melding hard rock virtuosity with parody and criminally good looks. Steel Panther is a global phenomenon with four full-length albums, touring across the world, platinum-level You Tube status and high-profile television appearances such as Jimmy Kimmel Live, Larry King Now, and FOX NFL Sunday.

Rolling Stone avowed, “There’s a reason Steel Panther have transcended their origins as a cover band playing the Sunset Strip,” while Metal Sucks declared, Steel Panther’s concept is genius…their songwriting is…preposterously snappy –and relatable.

Mar
18
Fri
Mammoth WVH & Dirty Honey Live March, 18 2022 @ The Bluestone
Mar 18 @ 6:30 pm – 11:45 pm

Mammoth WVH & Dirty Honey Live March 18th, 2022 6:30 PM

The Bluestone
Columbus, Ohio

https://www.ticketmaster.com/event/05005B5B9DE84DB9

WRKZ presents Mammoth WVH & Dirty Honey in Columbus, OH at The Bluestone March 18th, 2022.

Tickets on sale Friday, November 5th at 10 AM!

About Mammoth WVH

Official Website: www.mammothwvh.com

Official Facebook Page:www.facebook.com/MammothWVH

Official Twitter: www.twitter.com/MammothWVH @MammothWVH

Official Instagram: www.instagram.com/mammothwvh @mammothwvh

Official YouTube Channel:www.youtube.com/MammothWVH

First impressions last a lifetime. Wolfgang Van Halen has prepared a lifetime to make his first impression. The songwriter, vocalist, and multi-instrumentalist worked tirelessly towards the introduction of MAMMOTH [Explorer1], his self-titled 2021 debut album. Playing every instrument and singing each and every note, his music presents a personal and powerful perspective, balancing memorable hooks and tight technicality. As many times as audiences have experienced his talent alongside the likes of Tremonti,Clint Lowery, and of course, Van Halen, they meet Wolf as an individual for the very first time now.

“You only have one chance to make a first impression, and I wanted to do so to the best of my abilities,” he affirms. “Throughout the whole process, I was finding who I am musically and by the end, I got a pretty good handle on a sound I can claim for myself.”

His father often played guitar against his mother’s pregnant belly, and Wolf absorbed those vibrations from the womb. At the age of 10, his Pop gave him a drum kit for his birthday. To this day, Wolf considers himself “a drummer before anything else.” As he developed as a musician, he learned how to play guitar in order to perform “316” —which his father penned for him —at a 6th-grade talent show.

It may come as a surprise, but outside of his father teaching him one drumbeat from an AC/DC song, Wolfgang taught himself every instrument. “My dad wasn’t the best teacher,” he laughs. “I would ask him to play something, and then he would just proceed to be Eddie Van Halen. He would look at me and say, ‘Do that.’ to which I would laugh and sarcastically reply, ‘Sure thing, no problem.’”

In the summer of 2006 when he was 15 years old, Wolf grabbed a bass and began noodling. While at the legendary 5150 Studios, his impromptu woodshedding inspired Eddie and Uncle Alex. Endless family jam sessions followed. By summer’s end, Wolfgang phoned David Lee Roth’s manager and by winter Roth showed up for rehearsal. They rocked “On Fire,” and “That’s how the 2007 tour began,” says Wolf.

Not only did Wolf canvas the world with Van Halen while in high school, but he also held down the low end on 2012’s A Different Kind of Truth—which debuted at #2 on the Billboard Top 200. When not on tour with Van Halen, he cut bass for Tremonti’s critically acclaimed Cauterize [2015] and Dust [2016] in addition to joining the band on the road. In 2019, Wolf handled drums and also played bass on half of the 10 songs for Clint Lowery’s solo debut, God Bless The Renegades.

In the midst of all this, at the beginning of 2015, Wolf broke ground on what would become MAMMOTH with producer Michael “Elvis” Baskette [Alter Bridge, Slash] behind the board. Wolf began to embrace his voice, inspired by everyone from his father, to bands like AC/DC,Foo Fighters, Nine Inch Nails, TOOL, and Jimmy Eat World. “I’ve been singing my whole life, but it wasn’t until MAMMOTH that I really found my voice. Elvis was great, and he helped me gain the confidence to become a lead vocalist.”

“The name Mammoth is really special to me.” says Wolf. “Not only was it the name of Van Halen before it became Van Halen, but my father was also the lead singer. Ever since my dad told me this, I always thought that when I grew up, I’d call my own band Mammoth, because I loved the name so much. I’m so thankful that my father was able to listen to, and enjoy the music I made. I’m really proud of the work I’ve done and nothing made me happier than seeing how proud he was that I was continuing the family legacy.”

About Dirty Honey

Official Website: https://www.dirtyhoney.com/

Official Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/DirtyHoneyMusic/

Official Twitter:  https://twitter.com/dirtyhoneyband @DirtyHoneyBand

Official Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dirtyhoneyband/@dirtyhoneyband

Official YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsxtEOcwpVO9Rnw93Fuv2pQ

Some musicians take a while to build an audience and connect with fans. For the Los Angeles-based quartet Dirty Honey, success came right out of the gate. Released in March 2019, the band’s debut single, “When I’m Gone,” became the first song by an unsigned artist to reach No. 1 on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock chart. Their second single, “Rolling 7s,” went into the Top 5 and was still headed up when COVID changed everything. That same year, Dirty Honey opened for The Who, Guns ’N Roses, Slash, and Alter Bridge and was the “do-not-miss-band” at major rock festivals such as Welcome to Rockville, Rocklahoma, Louder Than Life, Heavy MTL, and Epicenter. On its first U.S. headline tour in January and February 2020, the band sold out every date.
When it came time to record its self-titled full-length debut album, the band—vocalist Marc LaBelle, guitarist John Notto, bassist Justin Smolian, and drummer Corey Coverstone—wasn’t about to mess with what was already working. Teaming up with producer Nick DiDia (Rage Against the Machine, Pearl Jam), who also produced the band’s 2019 self-titled EP, Dirty Honey again captured the lightning-in-a-bottle dynamics and energy of their live sound.
“As a guitarist, I’m always inspired by the everlasting pursuit of the perfect riff,” says Notto. “I also wanted to extend the artistic statement that we had already made. We weren’t looking to sound different, or prove our growth, necessarily. It was more about, ‘Oh, you thought that was good? Hold my beer.'”
“Because of the pandemic,” added drummer Coverstone, “we had a lot more time to write and prepare, which was great. It meant that we were able to workshop the songs a lot more, and I thinkit really made a difference.”
Dirty Honey’s album indeed builds on the band’s output to date, with airtight song writing that plays up their strengths: sexy, bluesy, nasty rock’n’roll, melodic hard rock, and soulful 70s blues-rock. On “The Wire,”LaBelle reaffirms his status as one of contemporary rock’s best vocalists, while “Another Last Time” is a raunchy, timeless ballad about a toxic relationship that you just can’t stop saying goodbye to. “Tied Up” and the album’s lead single “California Dreamin,’’ both feature smoking guitar solos bookended by massive riffs and hooks.
“‘California Dreaming’ was the last song we wrote,” said bassist Justin Smolian. “We finished it about two weeks before we recorded it, so the song was still so new, and we were trying out different things,so every take was a little different. But there was that one where we just captured it, and it was magic.”
Although each band member started playing music as kids—at the age of eight, Notto’s parents even bought him a red-and-white Stratocaster—each one brings eclectic influences to Dirty Honey’s sound. For example, drummer Coverstone has studied with jazz and L.A. session drummers but loves heavy metal; Notto grew up listening to ’70s funk and R&B as well as rock ‘n’ roll,and bassist Smolian has a bachelor of music in classical guitar and loves Tom Petty and The Beach Boys.
LaBelle meanwhile,takes cues from hissongwriting idols (to name a few, Robert Plant, Steven Tyler, Mick Jagger, Chris Robinson, and the late Chris Cornell) when coming up with lyrics. As a result, the songs on the Dirty Honey albumhint at life’s ebbs and flows—shattering heartbreak, romantic connection, intense soul-searching—while giving listeners space to draw their own conclusions.
“Sometimes,if you just let lyrics pass behind your ears, they sound like cool shit is being said,” LaBelle says. “And then once you dive in, you realize, ‘Oh, that’s really thoughtful.’ But it still doesn’t have a meaning that’s easy to pinpoint. There’s an overarching idea that is really cool, but it’s not necessarily on-the-nose.”
Although the Dirty Honey album may sound effortless, its genesis had a bumpy start. The day before the band members were due to fly to Australia to track the album, Los Angeles entered lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and traveling was off the table. However, Dirty Honey was still eager to work with DiDia, so they devised a Plan B: recording the full-length in a Los Angeles studio with one of DiDia’s long-time engineers, and the producer beamed into the proceedings via the magic of modern technology.
“He was able to listen to what we were laying down in real-time, through this app,” says LaBelle. It was like he was in the room with us. It was surprisingly seamless the way it all went down.”
Having to switch gears delayed the start of recording slightly, although this extra time ended up being a boon. Dirty Honey rented a rehearsal space and demoed the album’s songs in advance, meaning the tracks were in good shape when DiDia came onboard. Notto mixed and recorded these workshopped tracks himself, which helped him rediscover one of Dirty Honey’s biggest strengths: being well-rehearsed while not overpolishing their work.
“I’ve learned just a little bit more about what people might mean when they say, magic—you know, ‘This one has the magic,'” he says. “We would do two and three different demos of a song, so there would be a few versions. On a few occasions, the version that people kept going back to was the sloppiest, if you look at it from a performance standpoint.”
LaBelle agrees. “It’s just about getting the performance right and not thinking about it too much. I never like to be perfect in the studio. None of the stuff that I really liked as a kid was. I don’t really see myself getting away from that too much in the future just because I think you lose the soul if you do it too many times, if it’s too perfect.”
Notto also admits that the creative process isn’t necessarily always all fun and games. But for him and the rest of Dirty Honey, pushing through those tough times and coming out stronger on the other side is worth it. “When you finally come through on those moments, that’s where the real magiccomes in,” he says. “What makes all of our songs fun to play and listen to is we don’t allow ourselves to stop short of getting the best possible results out of each one of them.”

Apr
24
Sun
Dorothy April 24, 2022 @ The Bluestone
Apr 24 @ 6:00 pm – 9:45 pm

Dorothy

ft. Joyous Wolf & Classless Act

April 24, 2022 6 PM

at The Bluestone

Columbus, Ohio

DOROTHY

Gifts From The Holy Ghost 

Roc Nation

Dorothy Martin’s life changed forever when she was forced to face death on her tour bus some three years ago. After her guitar technician had taken an overdose, and the light began to lift up and out from his body, Dorothy instinctively began praying for his survival. While he may have temporarily died, the technician was astonishingly, miraculously restored back to life as Dorothy and her crew formed a prayer circle near his body. It was this moment that seemed to bring Dorothy to life too. She was gifted a rebirth with a divine intervention that caused a radical and spiritual awakening in the singer, the result of which can be heard on Gifts From The Holy Ghost, Dorothy’s third studio album as front woman for the pseudonymous, blues-rock band Dorothy

Gifts From The Holy Ghost is the album she’s always wanted, and has perhaps been destined to make. Born from a sense of divine urgency, it is Dorothy’s most bombastic and gloriously, victorious rock and roll work yet. Each song built on triumph—the unshackling of chains, the slaying of demons with a sword of light—the album is a healing and remedial experience, made to unify listeners and point them towards a life full of purpose. It is Dorothy’s greatest gift yet.  “This album had to get made, I felt like I had a mission,” she said. 

While the band’s first, irreverently named album ROCKISDEAD, was made on a combination of whiskey and heartbreak—inspiring Rolling Stone to name them one of rock’s most exciting new acts, and Jay-Z to sign them to his label Roc Nation—Gifts was built on recovery, health, and holiness, in a way that reverses the clichéd ‘good girl gone bad narrative’. 

With the combined powers of Keith Wallen, Jason Hook, Scott Stevens, Phil X, Trevor Lukather, Joel Hamilton and the legendary ear of Chris Lord Alge, Gifts From The Holy Ghost is made from a musical palette which seems to encompass each of the musician’s influences, as well as many of the essential sounds of rock music’s history—from swampy blues to ‘90s alternative —in a way that makes the case for rock and roll itself. Not only is the genre alive, but it’s more invigorated than ever.

“I think this album is going to speak to a lot of people, it’s meant to be healing, unifying, eye-opening, ear-opening, heart-opening and celebratory,” Dorothy said, adding: “I wanted to make the realest album I could make, and I went in with the question does this make me feel alive? Does it make me feel free? If a song didn’t give me chills or make my heart soar, then it didn’t make the cut.”

Born in Budapest, Hungary, Dorothy has always been an instinctual writer and artist. Throughout her life, she’s been asking the big questions, both in and outside her art: ‘What’s the meaning of life? Why are we here? How are we here?’ When she couldn’t find the answers to those questions, she’d numb out the empty uncertainty with drugs and alcohol. She was eventually admitted to rehab and a new chapter was opened in her spiritual journey. Now, with angels whispering in her ear and the spirit moving her steps, she’s found her answers. “I’m just here to impart inspiring messages to people while having fun and rocking out!”

You can hear Dorothy’s powerful resilience across the album, particularly on “Big Guns”, which finds the singer at her boldest; sauntering over slide guitars as she steps into combat. Anthems like “Rest In Peace” bring a sweeping cinematic scope to the album, whereas “Black Sheep”, a rallying cry for unity, explodes with layered gang vocals: “we are blood, we are family,” Dorothy breaks curses, going toe-to-toe with the blistering guitar riffs. 

The album’s lyrics are a perfect balance of specificity and generality, so that the listener can attach their own darknesses and triumphs to the songs, while still getting a sense of Dorothy’s own. “We are all one human family.” she declares. 

Does that mean Dorothy has overcome all of her own adversities? “It’s a journey and it’s about progress not perfection,” she responds. “I’ve had a lot of deep revelations about my life, stuff I hadn’t been able to cope with until now. Now I’m learning new tools.” With Gifts From The Holy Ghost, Dorothy identifies her purpose as an artist. She conquers darkness with light, numbness with feeling, disharmony with unity—all while delivering one of this year’s most fun rock & roll records.

Joyous Wolf Bio

A gritty howl opens Joyous Wolf’s upcoming debut LP, Enigma, and it’s the perfect introduction since the band plays rock & roll at its most primal and passionate. Guitarist Blake Allard’s bluesy riffs harken back to the classic hard rock of AC/DC, Cream and Deep Purple while still packing a thoroughly modern wallop, while frontman Nick Reese’s voice seems to come from deep in his gut as he sings about everything from warring kingdoms to a tribute to a fallen friend. Together, with bassist Greg Braccio and drummer Robert Sodaro, Joyous Wolf’s members work together to create some of the most exciting, promising and unwieldy back-to-basics rock to come out of Southern California in recent years.

Whether nimbly navigating the swaggering, powerful groove of their go-to concert opener, “Mountain Man,” or digging into their instruments for a jammy, funky guitar solo “Major Headthrob,” the group has an unpredictable quality – a sort of unique freedom within rock & roll – that makes Enigma compelling. Part of the credit for this goes to producer Val Garay (Santana, Neil Diamond, Reel Big Fish) who came aboard at the last minute to help them achieve the record’s raw sound, which captures how Joyous Wolf sound live. But mostly, the electric feeling that defines Enigma is just something in the band’s DNA.

“When I’m playing rock & roll, it’s the only time where I feel indestructible,” Reese says. “When I heard Elvis sing ‘Heartbreak Hotel’ for the first time, I knew exactly what my heart wanted and what I wanted.”

“I think people are starting to realize the overproduction and fakeness of pop music, which is why rock is coming back,” Allard says. “We love being a rock band.” Joyous Wolf formed in November 2014, but their roots stretch back to sixth grade when Reese first crossed paths with Sodaro by fate – they had to assemble next to each other because their names were alphabetically side-by-side. Reese recalls a middle-school battle of the bands where neither he nor Sodaro was playing, but Reese declared that one day he was going to be “the best singer ever” and that Sodaro would play drums. It would take a few years, but after stints where both musicians duked it out playing in punk and alternative bands (“all of that crap,” Reese adds) they fulfilled Reese’s prophecy. The singer drafted Allard, whom he’d met randomly in the acoustic room at a Guitar Center when the two jammed on CCR’s “Born on the Bayou,” and Sodaro brought in his high-school friend Braccio to play bass. 

Before long, the quartet was jamming in Sodaro’s folks’ garage, annoying the neighbors and entertaining the local authorities. “Once on Halloween, we were rehearsing at 11 p.m. writing songs, and we faced Nick’s monitors out the window toward a canyon full of houses,” Allard recalls. “Then we saw this car at the front gate, and it’s the sheriff. He comes into the practice room and goes, ‘Hey guys, I hate to shut you down because it sounds really good, but we got a complaint from across the canyon that it was too loud.’ We still practice but not like that anymore.”

One of the first songs they played together was “Sleep Weep Stomp,” Enigma’s slow-burning, sludgy blues burner. It’s the style of music that Reese feels closest to. “I’m a blues singer, 100 percent,” he says. “That’s my everything.” The singer grew up on blues, jazz, and Fifties rock & roll. “When my dad showed me, Elvis, that was the end of it,” he says. “I needed to hear every artist that inspired Elvis and then the people who inspired them. Suddenly I had a record collection. It all felt natural: B.B. King made me want to scream my pain away. You hear all these people and you want to express all the things you love. I don’t care if people think it’s old or not current. It doesn’t matter to me.” By his own estimation, he didn’t hear anything “current” until he was 13 and borrowed his sister’s Discman only to hear the Strokes’ “Is This It”. Similarly, Allard was raised on classic rock. “My dad taught me my first song ever, ‘Sunshine of Your Love,’ by Cream,” he says. “I always went back to that kind of old blues-rock music. Even if I was into metal or hard rock, I always went back to the classics like B.B. King, Jimi Hendrix, Black Sabbath, and Led Zeppelin.”

These influences shine through on Enigma. “Killing the Messenger” begins with some crushing classic heavy-metal riffs before giving way to a boogieing verse riff where Sodaro and Braccio can bash out their rhythms freely while Reese yowls a tale about two warring kingdoms, and how an evil monarch tricks one of his most popular subjects into delivering a nasty message to the other kingdom only so he would be executed. Reese says the moral Is “life isn’t fair and it isn’t always a happy ending.” The beat-heavy “Mountain Man,” whose lyrics lambaste one of Reese’s former less-than-refined coworkers at a coffee shop, whom the singer says claimed he could “carve a knife out of the tree,” began with a guitar riff that was so forceful that the band couldn’t deny its power. “He had this little riff and we were laughing because it was so stupid-simple,” Reese says. “And it is. It’s our quote-unquote ‘dumbest song,’ but when we used it to open at the Viper Room, the audience response became one of our staple songs.”

The band is also able to channel more somber tones. The acoustic “Remember By” showcases thoughtful performances by both Allard and Reese, who wrote the song in tribute to a friend of his who had taken his own life. It came from a moment of pure inspiration. “I recorded us when we were fooling around, and it was perfect,” Reese says. “I pushed for us to record that song so hard. I said, ‘Please do it exactly like you did it. Please.’ That was me saying goodbye.”After they put out their Daisy EP in late 2015, it took the band about two years total to fine-tune and perfect Enigma. And while songwriting was a big chunk of that (the ominous riff for “Turning Blue” took them six months to perfect), they went through several passes of mixing and mastering it to get it to sound like it does. When Garay finally came aboard, they were able to establish the right mixture of nuance and directness. “It’s so much more animal,” Reese says, using the perfect adjective, to describe the way Enigma turned out. That “animal” sound has earned Joyous Wolf some notable gigs, including performances at L.A.’s famed Whisky a Go-Go, the Viper Room and the Regent Theater, where they recently opened for Eagles of Death Metal. Now they’re ready to move on to even bigger stages. “When we play a show, we go out and we kick ass,” Reese says, sounding confident. “We’re headhunters”. Headhunting on the road will now be even easier, with their upcoming record Enigma, an album that demonstrates what Reese calls Joyous Wolf’s “mojo.” – Kory Grow Rolling Stone Magazine 2017

Classless Act Bio

When they released their debut single “Give It To Me” in the summer of 2021, Classless Act were immediately praised for their ability to sound both fresh and timeless. Loudwire instantly added the song to their “Weekly Wire” Spotify playlist, identifying it as one of the top new releases of the summer. And other iconic outlets, like SPIN Magazine, were early to show support. It was a fitting public introduction to a band who embody what it means to be modern rock stars.

The band – consisting of members Derek Day (Vocals), Dane Pieper (Guitar), Griffin Tucker (Guitar), Franco Gravante (Bass), and Chuck McKissock (Drums) – initially formed in 2018 after connecting and bonding virtually by their love and passion of music. Now in Los Angeles, they’ve united on a mission to be the next great generation-defining act, drawing inspiration from classic rock acts of the 70’s and alt-rock groups from the 90’s. Their music echoes the hallmarks of previous generations – anthemic rhythms, shreddy guitars, soaring vocals – but punches its way into the future with clever arrangements, sharp musicianship, and proficient songwriting.

Already making noise in the industry, the band has been in the studio with world-class producers like Bob Rock, Michael Beinhorn and Joe Chiccarrelli, who have helped craft hits for the likes of The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Metallica, Soundgarden, and The White Stripes. The band recently landed a deal with Better Noise Music, Mediabase and Billboard’s #1 rock label for 2020. Their debut album is expected in 2022, when the band will be hitting the road with Mötley Crüe, Def Leppard, and more, on their Summer Stadium Tour.