lollapalooza 2009 | Musicosity

lollapalooza 2009

The Knux

Composed of brothers Krispy Kream and Rah Al Millio, the Knux are an alternative rap duo who are musicians as well as singer/rappers. Born in New Orleans yet displaced by Hurricane Katrina, the musically schooled brothers began creating a stir nationally in late 2007 when they were the opening act for Common on his Finding Forever tour. Dressed in throwback Adidas zip-ups, fat gold chains, and altogether atypical contemporary rap attire, the Knux performed with a live band (the Symetrics) and DJ (DJ Cobra) and frequently left crowds puzzled and occasionally booing.

Artist Type: 

Sam Roberts

Sam Roberts is a Canadian singer-songwriter, based in Montreal, Quebec. His 2001 debut release, The Inhuman Condition became one of the bestselling independent releases in Quebec and Canadian music history. Born in Pointe-Claire, Quebec, he attended Loyola High School and McGill University. Roberts formed the band William in 1993. The band's name was changed to Northstar in 1996. Although the band gained some notice in independent rock circles, they couldn't break through to a national audience, and broke up in the late 1990s.

Artist Type: 

Heartless Bastards

The Heartless Bastards' story starts in Dayton, Ohio, where Wennerstrom found the name on a multiple choice video trivia game at a bar. As a songwriting teenager during a time when Guided by Voices and Brainiac were packing local bars and three of The Breeders were still in town, Wennerstrom used to sneak into clubs to check out the scene. "I would just see those people—my music heroes—hanging out at the bar like everyone else," she remembers. "I could see myself in them. It gave me inspiration to do my own thing."

Artist Type: