The Appleseed Cast at Cactus Club

The Appleseed Cast is an American emo band from Lawrence, Kansas. It was founded in the early days of emo by singer-guitarist Christopher Crisci and drummer Louie Ruiz. The band has steadily evolved over the release of eight full-length albums, with Crisci serving as the main songwriter. It has a frequently rotating lineup, with Crisci being the only consistent member since the band's conception. Currently, the lineup includes Christopher Crisci, Ben Kimball, Nick Fredrickson and Sean Bergman.

The Casket Lottery are a midwest emo band from Kansas City, USA. Coalesce's Nathan Ellis (guitar/vocals) and Stacy Hilt (bass) founded the Casket Lottery in the year 1997 and composed a sound around crashing emo-tailored lyrics and heavy guitar work. They picked up drummer Nathan Richardson just in time for tours with Rainer Maria, Small Brown Bike, Sweep the Leg Johnny, and Waxwing. Several EPs and homemade releases were issued prior to the band's proper debut, Choose Bronze, on Second Nature Recordings in 1999. A year later, Moving Mountains was released, showcasing the Casket Lottery's growing sound. A third record, Survival Is for Cowards, coincided with a Coalesce reunion in spring 2002. A year later, the band collected a handful of oddities and rarities for Possiblies and Maybes, beginning a long hiatus. The reactivated band released a new EP, a new split with hardcore band Touché Amoré in October 2012, and a new album entitled Real Fear on the No Sleep label in November 2012.