Founded by Chicago guitarist Anthony Allamandola, Vertikal is a 9-piece group bridging the gap between hip-hop and jazz, drawing influence from funk, soul, latin, rock, and blues. Their live shows are dynamic, fusing soulful female vocals and hip-hop lyricism with DJ tracks, horn hits, and a grooving rhythm section. Expect to hear anything from rocksteady reggae rhythms and soothing vocal ballads to funky deep house grooves--and everything in between. Vertikal is creating a stir in Chicago's live music scene, drawing a diverse following that grows larger by the show. VertiKal has performed for capacity crowds at the Double Door and the Metro. In 2007, they were voted audience favorite at the Emergenza national final, with Lorin Cohen and [former vocalist] Amanda Shane earning "best bass player" and "best vocalist" nods! Stay tuned for the next Vertikal gig and come see for yourself...

Jim DeRogatis, Chicago Sun-Times - "Founded by local guitarist Anthony Allamandola and featuring a DJ, a three-piece horn section and two diverse front people with the sultry-voiced Stacy Rene and the spoken-word artist Ben Butta Jones. Dedicated to bridging the gap between hip-hop and jazz but also incorporating elements of funk, neo-soul, Latin, rock and blues, the mixed-gender, multi-ethnic band nonetheless churns out some surprisingly seamless and very accomplished grooves on tracks and definitely in need of wider release." (from Demo2DeRo)