Califone is a critically-acclaimed experimental folk band from Chicago. The band is named after Califone International, a long-standing manufacturer of audio equipment commonly found in schools, libraries and businesses. Califone is the musical project of former Red Red Meat frontman Tim Rutili. Its regular and rotating contributors include many former members of Red Red Meat and some members of other Chicago bands, such as Tortoise.
With a "Bible in one hand, broken bottle in the other" (Spin June '09) Ha Ha Tonka return with their sophomore effort on Bloodshot Records, Novel Sounds of the Nouveau South. The album takes listeners on a complex tour of the South—through lynchings and mob violence, sacrifice and reconciliation. It’s dense subject matter for any artist, but delivered beautifully on this record by these native sons of the Ozarks from Springfield, Missouri.
Grupo Fantasma is an eleven-piece latin funk orchestra from Austin, Texas. Formed in 2000 from the merger of two austin acts, The Blue Noise Band and The Blimp, the band emerged with a sold out show at the former Empanada Parlour in Austin. The band is best known for their exuberant live shows and their recent association with Prince and his 3121 Club in Las Vegas. The band has backed Prince on numerous occasions, including his performance on the ALMA Awards in 2007, and often perform at his afterparty jam sessions. The ensemble has sold more than 20,000 albums independently.
Relient K is an American rock band formed in 1998 in Canton, Ohio by Matt Thiessen (lead vocals, guitar, piano), Brian Pittman (bass), and Matt Hoopes (guitar, backing vocals), during the band's junior year in high school and their time at Malone College. The band is named after guitarist Hoopes' automobile, a Plymouth Reliant K car, with the spelling intentionally altered to avoid trademark infringement over the Reliant name.
Ecstatic Sunshine is an ongoing musical project that began in 2005 as a guitar duo comprised of Matthew Papich and Dustin Wong (who has since left the project to pursue Ponytail and his own solo guitar musics). Ecstatics has released 3 LPs and 2 EPs since that time and has performed hundreds of shows in the United States and Europe with a revolving group of players. Currently, Ecstatics live performances are solo endeavors by Papich.
Violens are a New York-via-Miami four-piece formed in the fall of 2007 featuring members Iddo Arad (synths/vocals), Ben Brantley (bass), Jorge Elbrecht (lead vocals/guitar) and Kris King (drums). Their music imagines a place where The Zombies & The Byrds meet Wire & The Violent Femmes, and Crass meets Angelo Badalamenti & Prefab Sprout. Violens songs conjure descriptions of nightmares, the passing of time, speculations on spiritual messages, and accounts of psychedelic hallucinations.
Bassnectar on his history, posted via bassnectar.net A quick run down of my musical life:
When I was in junior high I began discovering music that struck me, as opposed to music that felt familiar (like my parent’s music). This was mostly Metallica (the first song I heard of theirs was “Enter Sandman”, so this was after they had already become “mainstream” and blown up), NWA (which I memorized completely verbatim)...
Juliana Hatfield (born July 27, 1967 in Wiscasset, Maine, United States), is an American guitarist/singer-songwriter from the Boston area, formerly of the indie rock band Blake Babies. The daughter of Philip M. Hatfield (a radiologist) and The Boston Globe fashion critic Julie Hatfield, Juliana was born in Maine and grew up in the Boston suburb of Duxbury. She acquired a love of rock music during the 1970s, having been introduced by a babysitter to the music of the seminal Los Angeles punk rock band X, which proved a life-changing experience.
Ben Gibbard (born August 11, 1976 in Bremerton, Washington) is an American musician and songwriter who has formed several indie bands. He is most notable as the lead singer of Death Cab for Cutie; his other projects include The Postal Service and All-Time Quarterback. He has also created music under his name and under the band Pinwheel. Gibbard appeared as a guest on Jimmy Tamborello's (his Postal Service collaborator) Dntel album entitled Life is Full of Possibilities (2001) - Specifically, he contributed vocals to the song "(This Is) The Dream of Evan and Chan.
Cadence Weapon continues to firmly establish his legacy as a sonic pioneer while constantly pushing the rap and electronic music envelope. Following his critically-acclaimed, Polaris Music Prize nominated albums Breaking Kayfabe and Afterparty Babies and a two year term as Edmonton’s Poet Laureate, he returns with his new album Hope In Dirt City this Spring. A clearly defined and emotionally mature statement of intent, Hope In Dirt City represents the culmination of these experiences.