Maja Solveig Kjelstrup Ratkje, composer and performer (born Dec. 29th 1973 in Trondheim, Norway), finished composition studies at the Norwegian State Academy of Music in Oslo in 2000. Her compositions have been performed by Oslo Sinfonietta, The Norwegian Radio Orchestra, Arve Tellefsen, Cikada and Vertavo string quartets, Quatuor Renoir, ticom, Crash Ensemble, Torben Snekkestad, Spunk, Frode Haltli and Poing among others.
Garbage is a Scottish-American alternative rock band formed in 1994 at Madison, Wisconsin, USA. The group members are Shirley Manson (vocals, guitars), Steve Marker (guitars, keyboards), Duke Erikson (guitars, keyboards, bass), and Butch Vig (drums, percussion). Erikson, Marker and Vig are also producers and remixers (Vig is best known for producing Nevermind by Nirvana). To date, the band sold over 17 million albums worldwide.
Miranda Lambert is a country singer-songwriter who gained fame as a finalist on the 2003 season of USA Network's talent competition Nashville Star. Biography Miranda Lambert was born on November 10, 1983 in Lindale, Texas, about 80 miles east of Dallas. Both of her parents are private investigators, but father Rick is also a country guitarist and songwriter. Lambert became seriously interested in country music after attending a Garth Brooks concert as a young girl, and soon began singing in talent contests under the tutelage of her father.
Smooth yet edgy, mellow yet powerful, sweet yet sexy … just some of the textures that color Gloria Miller’s unique vocal style as she flows seamlessly between Jazz, Soul, R&B and Blues. With over 20 years experience in the music business, you realize from the first listen that Gloria knows how to use her voice to navigate her audience through a maze of emotions. She brings a level of musicianship to her performance that sets her apart from the rest with her impressive vocal range and her heartfelt delivery of every song she sings.
Sister Sin were formed in 2002 in Gothenburg, Sweden. They are a female fronted four piece with a style reminiscent of Guns 'N Roses, L.A Guns and Hanoi Rocks. Sister Sin released various recordings via smaller indie labels. They issued their first non-indie album Switchblade Serenades via Victory Records in October 2008; it reached number 107 on Top Heatseekers in the first week of release in the US.
Bonnie Raitt, (born November 8, 1949) is an American blues and R&B singer, songwriter, and guitarist who was born in Burbank, California, the daughter of Broadway musical star John Raitt. Raitt began playing guitar at an early age, something not a lot of her high school girlfriends did. "I had played a little at school and at camp," she later recalled in a July 2002 interview. "My parents would drag me out to perform for my family, like all parents do, but it was a hobby—nothing more...I think people must wonder how a white girl like me became a blues guitarist.
Sally Seltmann is an award-winning songwriter and singer based in Melbourne, Australia. She has previously released albums and performed under the name 'New Buffalo', and is well known as the co-writer of the song '1234', performed by Feist. Sally now returns with Harmony to My Heartbeat, the first single from her new album, due for release in early 2010. Previous recordings by Sally as New Buffalo include her debut EP 'About Last Night', which was released in Australia (through Modular) and the UK (through Heavenly).
Rebecca Gates is a musician, curator and audio editor who began playing music in the Pacific NW DIY indie culture scene as a member of The Spinanes. After 5 years of recording as The Spinanes, Gates released 2001
Madredeus is a Portuguese band whose music combines fado influences with modern folk music. The band's founding members were Pedro Ayres Magalhães (Classical guitar), Rodrigo Leão (keyboard synthesizer), Francisco Ribeiro (cello) and Teresa Salgueiro (vocals). Magalhães and Leão formed the band in 1985, Ribeiro joined in 1986. They'd been searching for a female singer, and found Teresa Salgueiro in one of Lisbon's night clubs. Teresa liked their music and agreed to join, so in 1987 Madredeus recorded their first album, Os dias da Madredeus.
K's Choice is a Belgian rock band from Antwerp. The band centers on siblings Sarah Bettens (lead vocals, guitar) and Gert Bettens (guitar, keyboard, vocals). They are joined by Eric Grossman (bass), Jan van Sichem Jr. (guitar) and Koen Liekens (drums). Their music can be described as guitar-based singer-songwriter rock or folk-rock. It ranges from very delicate and intimate singer-songwriter songs to songs that are stronger, more active and louder.