Ministry is an American industrial metal band founded in Chicago, Illinois, in 1981 by producer, singer, and instrumentalist Al Jourgensen. Originally a synth-pop outfit, Ministry evolved into one of the pioneers of industrial rock and industrial metal in the late 1980s. The band's lineup has changed frequently, leaving Jourgensen as the sole remaining original member. Musicians who have contributed to the band's studio or live activities include vocalists Nivek Ogre, Chris Connelly, Gibby Haynes, Burton C. Bell and Jello Biafra, guitarists Mike Scaccia, Tommy Victor and Cesar Soto, bassists Paul Barker, Paul Raven, Jason Christopher, Tony Campos and Paul D'Amour, drummers Jimmy DeGrasso, Bill Rieflin, Martin Atkins, Rey Washam, Max Brody, Joey Jordison and Roy Mayorga, keyboardist John Bechdel, and rappers and producers DJ Swamp and Arabian Prince.
Dark Horse Records is a record label founded by former Beatle George Harrison in 1974. The label's formation coincided with the winding down of the Beatles' Apple Records and allowed Harrison to continue supporting other artists' projects while maintaining his solo career. The initial signings were Indian musician Ravi Shankar and Splinter, the latter of whom provided the label with its only significant commercial success until Harrison himself signed with Dark Horse in 1976. The label was distributed internationally by A&M Records for the first two years of its operation. Following a highly publicised split with A&M, Harrison and Dark Horse formed a long-term partnership with Warner Bros. Records that lasted until the expiration of his contract in 1994.
Alain David Jourgensen is a Cuban-American singer, musician and music producer. Closely related with the independent record label Wax Trax! Records, his musical career spans four decades. He is the frontman and lyricist of the industrial metal band Ministry, which he founded in 1981 and of which he remains the only constant member. He was the primary musician of several Ministry-related projects, such as Revolting Cocks, Lard, and Buck Satan and the 666 Shooters. Jourgensen is a prominent figure in industrial music, influencing numerous other groups and musicians, both in alternative and industrial-associated acts.
Jerry Wayne Hussey is an English musician who was born in Bristol, England. He is best known as the lead singer of the Mission, and as the guitarist of the Sisters of Mercy.
Gene Loves Jezebel are a British rock band formed in the early 1980s by twin brothers Michael Aston and Jay Aston. Initially associated with gothic rock and post-punk, their 1983 debut album Promise reached no.8 on the UK Indie Chart. The band's popularity peaked a few years later with their 1986 album Discover reaching the top 40 on the UK Albums Chart and five singles entering the UK Singles Chart in 1986-1987, including "Heartache", "Desire " and "The Motion of Love", and also gaining success in the US. The Aston brothers later parted ways and formed two different band versions of Gene Loves Jezebel.
Michael Aston is a Welsh musician. He is the founder and current leader of Michael Aston's Gene Loves Jezebel.
James Stevenson is an English punk/alternative rock guitarist, at one time a member of the Alarm, Gene Loves Jezebel, Gen X, the Cult, Holy Holy, the International Swingers and Chelsea.
Human Drama is an American alternative rock band led by singer/songwriter Johnny Indovina, formed in 1985. The band released six studio albums before splitting in 2005. They reformed for concerts in 2011 and 2012, and again in 2015. In 2017 they released their 1st studio album in 15 years, Broken Songs for Broken People featuring the singles/videos "Rain On Me", "The Liar Inside" and "Like This One". Broken Songs was followed by series of singles in 2019-2020, and a full length album "Blurred Images" in April 2021 on Sunset Blvd. Records.
Mark Balderas is the keyboardist for the rock band Human Drama from 1986 to 1991 and from 1993 to 2005 and has been currently active with the band since 2012.
The Awakening is a South African gothic rock band founded in Johannesburg in 1995 by vocalist, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer Ashton Nyte. The sound has been described as a hybrid of gothic rock, darkwave, gothic metal, industrial rock, and new wave – a combination that was loosely described by Nyte in 1999 as "dark future rock." The Awakening has released eleven studio albums, several singles, EPs, and two greatest hits compilations in total. As of 2009, The Awakening has been based in the United States.
Ashton Nyte is a South African-born singer, songwriter, producer, composer, author, actor, and frontman of the band The Awakening. Nyte has released seven solo albums, in addition to eleven albums as The Awakening and several other projects and collaborations. He is considered to be a pioneer of alternative music in South Africa, and has been described as "something of a musical genius" for his typical method of composing, playing and recording each instrument himself on most of his releases. Nyte is widely known in South Africa for his chart-topping cover of Simon and Garfunkel's "The Sound of Silence" and several other top singles. His signature style combines baritone vocals, garnering comparisons to David Bowie and Johnny Cash, with instrumentation that ranges from lyric-driven acoustic folk, to alternative rock, to post-punk and electronic music, as well as a penchant for the theatrical. Nyte has been based in the US since 2009.
Promise is the debut album by British gothic rock band Gene Loves Jezebel. Released in 1983 by Situation Two, it peaked at No. 8 on the UK Indie Chart.
Drunken Songs is the thirtieth solo album by Julian Cope, released in February 2017.
AmeriKKKant is the fourteenth studio album by industrial metal band Ministry, which was released on March 9, 2018. It is their first release on Nuclear Blast, and marked the longest gap between studio albums in the group's entire career; at five years, following From Beer to Eternity (2013). AmeriKKKant is also the first Ministry album without guitarist Mike Scaccia since The Last Sucker (2007); Scaccia died in 2012 but appeared posthumously on From Beer to Eternity.
Live in Chicago, or Official Bootleg: Live in Chicago, June 28, 2017, is a live album by the English progressive rock band King Crimson, released through Discipline Global Mobile records on 14 October 2017. The album was recorded on 28 June at the Chicago Theatre in Chicago, Illinois during the band's 2017 United States tour. It is the first full-length release by the eight-piece incarnation of the band and features new songs and rearrangements of compositions mostly from the early 1970s.
"The Rarest Birds" is a song by the British singer-songwriter Alison Moyet, released in 2017 as the second single from her ninth studio album Other. It was written by Moyet, John Garden and Sean McGhee, and produced by Guy Sigsworth.
Here We Go Love is a studio album by rock and ska band the Beat credited as the Beat Starring Dave Wakeling, released in the UK on May 25, 2018 and in the US June 15, 2015. It has received positive reviews from critics.
Dance Underwater is a 2017 studio album by the Welsh gothic rock band Jay Aston's Gene Loves Jezebel. It was released on 30 June 2017 on CD and digital download, and on 29 September it was available on vinyl. It is Jay Aston's first studio album under the Gene Loves Jezebel name since The Thornfield Sessions in 2003.
Hollywood Cowboys is the fourteenth studio album by the Rock band Quiet Riot. The album was released on Frontiers Records on November 8, 2019, and was produced by drummer Frankie Banali. This is the last album to feature Banali before his death in 2020 from pancreatic cancer, and also their last to feature vocalist James Durbin and bassist Chuck Wright before their departures in 2019 and 2021 respectively.
Aaron Badgley is a Canadian music journalist, music critic, radio host, podcaster, author, and biographer. As a music critic and journalist, he has written for All-Music Guide, The Fulcrum, The Spill Magazine, Lexicon Magazine, Immersive Audio Album, WA12Radio, the Anderson Collegiate Vocational Institute student newspaper, and several Beatles fan magazines, including Strawberry Fields Forever, Beatlefan, and Good Day Sunshine Magazine.
