Anime Midwest Announces Special Musical Guests

ANIME MIDWEST ANNOUNCES SPECIAL MUSICAL GUESTS AT THIS YEAR'S CONVENTION INCLUDING STEAM POWERED GIRAFFE, RAJ RAMAYYA AND MORE

From Vaudeville to Punk Rock and Folk, Anime Midwest Brings Guests Variety of Music Genres

(Chicago, IL) Anime Midwest, a three-day convention celebrating Japanese animation, video games, music and more has announced the musical guests that will be performing at this year's convention, which is expecting over 8,000 attendees from July 4-6, 2014. From vaudeville to punk rock and folk, the musical lineup provides entertainment of various music genres for guests to enjoy in the Rosemont Ballroom at the Hyatt Regency O'Hare.

This year's musical lineup includes:

· Steam Powered Giraffe (9:30 p.m., Friday and 9:00 p.m., Saturday): Steam Powered Giraffe plays a collection of original vaudeville inspired tunes fused with modern flare executed in a sleek; one-of-a-kind performance. They combine a visual robot pantomime with sketches, pop culture references, improvised comedic dialogue, and their original music.

· Eyeshine (8:00 p.m., Friday): With a unique blend of pop punk and Edge Rock, Eyeshine's album “My Paper Kingdom” shot them to stardom featuring their award winning song, “ALONE” whose honest and simple lyrics made a connection to a steadily growing fan base.

· Frenchy and The Punk (7:00 p.m., Friday): A sassy French-born singer and punk rock guitarist come together to create an eclectic mix of bohemian cabaret folk, world, French chanson, and '80s punk. The unlikely paring formed Frenchy and The Punk in 2005 and have since released six CD's and have performed all across the U.S. and Europe.

· The Pillowcases (4:00 p.m., Friday): The Pillowcases are on a mission to rock out every con in the country and spread the joy of their music. Along the way, hear covers of some of nerd fandom's favorite songs.

· Raj Ramayya (8:00 p.m., Saturday): This Indo-Canadian singer is famous for his musical collaborations with the well-known Japanese composer Yoko Kanno. Ramayya sang the opening credits song "Ask DNA" and wrote the lyrics for "Cosmic Dare (Pretty with a Pistol)" from the fan favorite feature film Cowboy Bebop: The Movie, among others.

· V is for Villains (5:00 p.m., Friday): V is for Villains mixes the visual styles of Steampunk, Carnival and Noir, and the musical taste of Nine Inch Nails. V Is For Villains will lead fans on a visual journey through the imagination.

· Dr. Awkward (7:00 p.m., Saturday): Dr. Awkward is a Nerdcore rapper with several hit songs and performances from Nerdapalooza and after parties at Comic Con, Florida's Nerd Invasion, and Texas' Comicpalooza. In 2009, Dr. Awkward released his first solo project "Next Gen.”

· YTCracker (7:00 p.m., Saturday): YTCracker began producing rap music in 1998 in the genre that is known as nerdcore hip hop. YTCracker is a self-proclaimed “jack of all trades,” and has made a name for himself as a professional disc jockey, computer programmer, graphics designer and webmaster.

For a full list of guests visit: http://www.animemidwest.com/guests

Anime Midwest Anime Midwest is a three-day convention celebrating Japanese animation, video games, music and more, similar to other cons like Anime Central, aka ACEN. The convention runs from Friday morning through Sunday afternoon, and includes dozens of events such as a Cosplay costume contest (where participants wear costumes and accessories to represent a specific character or idea from a work of fiction) anime screenings, concerts and more. For more information please visit http://www.animemidwest.com/.