Amplified Heat, Smokey Mirror, Jason Kane & the Jive

Originally begun as a blues band called Blues Condition, in Houston, TX, by the Ortiz brothers, Jim (guitar, vocals), Gian (bass, backing vocals), and Chris (drums), Amplified Heat adopted their present name and classic hard rock tendencies (and, briefly, the questionable moniker of Mass Abomination) after moving to Austin, circa 1999. Once there, the group began honing their performance chops all across the famed musical mecca and its nightclubs, eventually winning over many critics and fans with their loud, raucous, but always slightly bluesy retro-rock. Two hundred copies of a self-financed, five-song EP were circulated in 2003 (later reissued by Arclight Records, with two bonus tracks) and a full-length CD called In for Sin followed in 2004, after which Amplified Heat has kept busy, touring across the U.S. and preparing their sophomore full-length. ~ Eduardo Rivadavia, Rovi