West Fest Chicago

The Chicago house community has brought greater attention to all the city’'s great djs, including the genre busting DJ Heather. Widely regarded as one of the premier selectors in the nation, this Chicagoan demonstrates her skills and sharp deck acumen for the masses throughout the Windy City and the world at large with verve and undeniable talent. Her interest in music was sparked early on by her parents’ eclectic music collection. A full spectrum of jazz, blues, rock, soul and folk was part of the Robinson household. With a foundation set, she began to discover her own tastes ranging from the Jackson 5, Chic, Blondie and Kiss. The British New Wave, Ska, Punk the burgeoning Hip Hop and Industrial movements further sparked her enthusiasm for music. “ "I felt as if I was on a mission of discovery. Vintage Vinyl and Big Daddy’s in Evanston became my haunts. I loved finding new bands and sounds such as Depeche Mode, The Specials, Black Flag, Treacherous Three and Ministry making them my own. I would then share them with friends by making tapes. “Medusa’s presented a true club experience to underage kids. I think the teens of Chi-town felt that they weren’t really missing out on what the adults were doing. That was undoubtedly our own world. If we were lucky enough to sneak into clubs like La Ray’s, Warehouse and The Music box that made our dance music experiences all the more meaningful”." Primarily known in the Chicago dance community as a “hip hop” dj, she began a shift in the material she played. “It was never a intentional choice to spin house music instead of hip hop. The demand simply seemed to intensify after each gig. Over time she moved on to specialize in house and maintains a soulful head-bobbing approach. Heather'’s track selection sends a nod of respect to the forbearers of Chicago’s signature sound. “Many things influence me, more than one sound” She fuses disco, classic house and techno. She drops tracks by producers who understand the forward curve of the electronic music scene. Commanding the crowd’s attention and keeping their feet moving. Soon her presence within the Windy City scene began to solidify and her reputation nationally began to grow. “Getting a chance to play outside Chicago definitely has been a combination of luck and timing. Friends, acquaintances and follow djs have looked out by suggesting me for gigs. Promoters, thankfully, trusted their opinions.” That kind of luck would play a big part in her first gig in Europe. By chance a tape was passed on to a promoter and lead to a trip to Paris. In 1998 she was asked by San Francisco transplant and fellow Chicagoan Mark Farina to support his Mushroom Jazz 2 cd tour. Truly the ultimate compliment.” She would later join him on the road in support of the third and fourth installments of the Mushroom Jazz series. As well as the house release San Francisco Sessions for Om Records in 1999. The cd also featured “Something Else” her first of three collaborations with 2nd Shift (JT Donaldson and Tim Shumaker) originally available on Seasons Recordings. A year later Heather released her own officially licensed mix “Tangerine” for the Chicago based Afterhours label. "“With my debut compilation I hoped to simply illustrate that I could program and mix. I think I achieved that”." With stand out reviews she hit the road on her own. That same year she returned to Chicago club staple Smartbar to begin her second residency at the venue. 2002 marked her inaugural trip to South Africa. That year Heather also began her relationship with the London club Fabric. Named after her favorite soy yogurt, Blackcherry Recordings, made its debut with the buzz worthy single “Picture of You” featuring Heather along with D.C.’s own Eastcoast Boogiemen. “ 2005 also marked Heather’s installment to the much heralded Fabric CD series, for the club of the same name. With 15 years of experienced behind her Dj Heather has grown to become one of the Windy City’s main Dj exports. She is an artist who defies conformity, defines quality and continues to nurture her solid skills for soul music of the technological generation.

Merrick Brown has been called many things in his life but boring is not one of them. By day he is a self-taught graphic designer and by night, a bit of a music aficionado. Almost 15 years ago, Merrick stumbled into a rave and was instantly hooked on the loud frenetic beats. His first forays into DJ'ing began in 1994 with techno, jungle and all things rave. Soon after moving to Austin in 1996, he began recording and later releasing records on his own Tektite Recordings and Chalant Music. Both labels have featured an impressive roster of international artists and helped put Texas on the map with a string of timeless underground classics. Merrick was also behind a series of legendary Austin club events, featuring such acts as Jazzanova, King Britt, Charles Webster, DJ Heather, Mark Farina, and more, exposing Texas to some fresh sounds and giving Merrick the opportunity to further refine his DJ skills. Merrick played an integral role in the Texas electronic music scene, staying on the cutting edge while remaining rooted in all types of obscure, left-field and influential music of the past. He is known for DJ sets that are energetic and spontaneous, with a freeform style guided by constant crowd interaction. He shuns the purist mindset, choosing instead to weave through genres, playing from his wide-range of musical influences to create something entirely new. His excitement for music comes across when he plays along with a sense of humor that frequently wins over even the most challenging audiences. Merrick continued making his mark on Austin with Get Broke!, the weekly club night at Plush, where he (along with residents Tyler and Wilb) created musical masterpieces out of chaos for almost 5 years. Summer 2007 saw the end of Get Broke! and the start of a new chapter for Merrick and wife Toyacoyah, as they moved to Chicago. At age 30, with over 12 years in the industry, Merrick has no intention of slowing down. With an album in the works and plans to re-launch Tektite, he is poised to capture new audiences and satisfy dancefloors worldwide with a sound that is truly unique.

Shayna A. McHayle, known professionally by her stage name Junglepussy, is an American rapper and actress from New York City. After the release of her first mixtape, Satisfaction Guaranteed (2014), she received recognition from artists such as Erykah Badu and Lil' Kim, and became a prominent figure in the 2010s Queer rap scene. As an actress, she starred in the 2018 film Support the Girls, and portrayed a character also named Junglepussy in the Paul Thomas Anderson film One Battle After Another (2025).

CRASHprez (born Michael Penn II) comes from lonely musings in a suburban basement in Prince George’s County, MD. The “CRASH” originates from a poetry event in Baltimore in the summer of 2010: he almost passed out from dehydration and the homies clowned him for it, giving him the nickname. The “prez” comes from his time at Kettering Elementary: the school nurse told him he could be president one day. CRASHprez is a hip-hop project rooted in the traditions of protest music, remix culture and digital DIY. Through an intersectional lens, he interrogates the triumphs and turmoil of modern society from the vantage of a millennial Black man in the United States. He’s shared stages with Chance the Rapper, Danny Brown, Vince Staples, Ab-Soul, and Lil B the Based God among many others.

School of Rock may refer to: 1) School of Rock (formerly known as The Paul Green School of Rock Music) is a music education program. This for-profit educational company operates and franchises after-school music instruction schools in the United States, Canada, Mexico and the Philippines, serving more than 17,000 students via 140 locations in 8 countries, becoming the largest after-school music program in the United States. Though they offer a pre-school introduction to music for children age two through six, the majority of their students are in a performance-based program where students are accepted at any skill level, with the goal getting them on stage, playing a concert before a paying audience. The most skilled students in each school form a band and play concerts in their city, and the top students from each school compete to become a member of an "All-Star" band and tour regionally. They have recently expanded to offering career development for working bands, and "Grad School" for adult amateur musicians. Successful musicians occasionally serve as "Guest Professors" and perform with the students. http://www.schoolofrock.com/ 2) School of Rock as a collaboration between Jack Black and The Mooney Suzuki for the film by the same name. Apart from the songs "School of Rock" and "It's a Long Way to the Top" this is an incorrect name for a soundtrack by various artists. If this non-artist appears in your charts, please fix your tags. In the movie, Dewey Finn (played by Jack Black) gets kicked out of his band No Vacancy prior to a "Battle of the Band" contest. In desperation he lends the identity of his roommate Ned Schneebly (Mike White) and becomes a substitute teacher at a prep school. There he learns about the musical talent of the students and forms a band with them, called "School of Rock". Together they compete in the "Battle of the Bands" and form an after-school program. The other band members are: Zack Mooneyham (Joey Gaydos Jr.) - lead guitar Freddy Jones (Kevin Clark) - drums Katie (Rebecca Brown) - bass guitar Lawrence (Robert Tsai) - keyboard Tomika (Maryam Hassan) – back-up singer, ends up having a solo in the title song Marta (Caitlin Hale) - back-up singer Alicia (Aleisha Allen) - back-up singer The other band members are: Summer Hathaway (Miranda Cosgrove) - band manager, in the movie she tries out to become a back-up singer, but fails miserably. Ironically Miranda Cosgrove later started a career as a singer. Billy (Brian Falduto) - band stylist Gordon (Zachary Infante) - roadie and respondsable for light shows Marco (James Hosey) - roadie Frankie (Angelo Massagli) - security Leonard (Cole Hawkins) - security Eleni and Michelle (Veronica Afflerbach and Jordan-Claire Green respectively) - groupies, they invent the name "School of Rock" 3) School of Rock (band) is a band in the Nickelodeon TV series School of Rock. The group consists of: Breanna Yde as Tomika, a 12-year-old schoolgirl who is best friends with classmate Summer. She plays the electric bass and is also the lead singer in the band. Ricardo Hurtado as Freddy, a 12-year-old schoolboy who is considered the most handsome guy in his class and plays the drums in the band. His best friends are classmates Zack and Lawrence. Unbeknownst to him, Summer has a huge crush on him. At the end of the second season, he begins to have feelings for her. Jade Pettyjohn as Summer, a 12-year-old schoolgirl who is best friends with Tomika and plays the tambourine in the band and also is the manager. She has a crush on Freddy. Lance Lim as Zack, a 12-year-old schoolboy who is best friends with Lawrence and Freddy. He plays the electric guitar. Aidan Miner as Lawrence, a 12-year-old schoolboy who is best friends with Zack and Freddy and is considered the smartest kid in his class. He plays the electronic keyboard.