Fort Wayne native and current Nashville, Tennessee, resident, singer Nic Roulette, has something new up his sleeve that many of you are going to dig. 

Roulette, who forged through our local scene with the rockabilly powerhouse The Blue Moon Boys back in the day, and current frontman for Nashville’s Hillbilly Casino, has embarked on another project: The Beat Creeps. 

This garage rock band brings a raw, unapologetic approach to rock, shoving it in your face, proving it is not a phase but a way of life. The band’s sound and look gives a hard nod to bands like The Cramps, The Sonics, and The New York Dolls. Toss in Roulette’s wildman theatrics, and this should go over like gangbusters. 

“Playing with Nic is always unpredictable, you never know what’s going to be said or what he’s gonna do on stage but I can guarantee it will always be genuine, spontaneous, and a hell of a lot of fun,” said bassist Ariel Dornbush. 

So far, the rock quartet have only a couple shows under their belts and three original tunes that can be found on major streaming platforms. However, that is just the beginning as the crew is about to hit the road for a string of dates, one of which is right here in The Fort. 

Your chance to see The Beat Creeps and welcome Roulette back to town takes place at the Brass Rail on Sunday, Nov. 21, at 8 p.m. The night will include performances by local favs Uncle Muscle and Tri-State Killing Spree. 

“I’m looking forward to the show and coming to Nic’s old stomping grounds,” Dornbush said. 

We are looking forward to it as well!  

Uncle Muscle heads to Illinois

Speaking of Uncle Muscle, they too will be getting out of town this month with a few dates in Illinois. 

“This is the first time we’ve played out of state and we are pretty hyped about it,” said bassist Colin Taylor. 

The journey begins on Friday, Nov. 12, when the trio heads to Berwyn, Ilinois, to open for the Penthouse Playboys. They return to The Prairie State on Nov. 19 and 20 for a pair of dates with The Beat Creeps in Springfield and Decatur, Iliinois, before returning back home for the Brass Rail show. 

New single from Casket Sharp

The alternative, R&B, and soul act Casket Sharp have just released a new single titled “Shadow and Glare.” The song was actually written a few years ago by guitarists Eric Smith and Gordon Groat. 

“We got together one night and wrote three or four complete songs with ‘Shadow and Glare’ being one of them,” Groat said. “Dave (Daub) wrote the lyrics for the song which are roughly about Salem witch trials with his poetic justice.” 

This gem was recorded/produced by Jason Davis at Off the Cuff sound and mastered by Collin Jordan at The Boiler Room in Chicago. Accompanying the song is a pretty nifty music video that can be viewed on YouTube. 

If you admire what you hear, there is good news since Casket Sharp plans on releasing two more singles by the end of the year: “Inviting In” in November and “Four Centered Pine” in December. 

The new release and future ones can be heard on Spotify, Apple Music, iTunes, BandCamp, and Casket Sharp’s YouTube channel. 

When asked when we can expect to see the band live again, they say there is a good chance of them playing sometime soon but no plans at the moment.  

Dormant releases EP

The progressive rock band Dormant have released a new EP titled Sensory Genesis. According to the band, it is a concept piece that they have been working on over the last two years, which tells a story of a failed Artificial Intelligence (AI) gaining sentience and seeking revenge over those who created it and inevitably all of humanity. 

The opening track, “Synthetic,” is an instrumental electronic number that sets the science fiction mood, followed by “Aestivation” and the title track which tells the story from the scientist’s and the AI’s perspective. The final track, “Neoplasm” is an instrumental climax and ending to the story. 

It was recorded and mixed by Charlie Sandberg of 07 Studios and mastered by John Douglass of Vorticist Studious. 

You can experience Sensory Genesis for yourself on all the major streaming platforms. 

Dormant have no shows booked, but they look forward to playing more shows in Fort Wayne and central Indiana next year. 

The Essentials now, but next year?

The Essentials have been jamming as of late and have just released a new song titled “Lost.”

For those that do not know, The Essentials are a collaboration of Adam Baker (Adam Baker & The Heartache) and Topher Beyer (The Paper Heart) that started at the beginning of the pandemic when the majority of us were cooped up inside. 

“Adam shared some song ideas with me through email and I added to the songs,” Beyer said. “We would take turns writing lines and messaging back and forth and we then reached out to a few other musicians that joined in.” 

During 2020, they were able to record and release four songs without ever having been in the same room. Then as the country began to open back up, the two shifted focus back to their respective projects with the exception of getting together one time to record a Death Cab for Cutie cover. 

“Lost” is one of the first tracks that Beyer and Baker worked on that inspired the collaborative project. It can be heard on all streaming platforms. 

During their existence, The Essentials have had contributions by local musicians Ryne Wemhoff, Mike Shorter, Matt Cashdollar, Michael Newsome, Eric Lanning, Patrick Winn, and Victor Zapari. 

When asked what the future holds for The Essentials, Beyer said, “We actually just discussed laying The Essentials moniker to rest at the end of 2021 since the whole project was made to reflect the isolation of the start of the pandemic. In 2022, any music we create will come as a new name that will better reflect us as a songwriting team”