The Sunshine Factory exists on a foundation of juxtapositions. Here are a group of kids from the Gulf Coast channeling the spirits of late '80s/early '90s Thames Valley subversion - two decidedly disparate environments. Band founder Ian Taylor, assembling the lineup in 2008 with drummer Mathew Hendrich and vocalist/bassist Sally Robertson, sought inspiration from highly un-punk sources - namely the engrossing chant music Taylor enjoyed with his Eastern Orthodox upbringing. Cutting his teeth and immersing himself in the punk and metal scene, as teenage boys are wont do to, Taylor discovered My Bloody Valentine and Swans - and the rest is history.While true to the canon of shoegaze and dream pop, The Sunshine Factor...
There is something inherently calming about large bodies of water. In times of emotional duress, standing at the edge of an ocean watching the waves roll in and out, centers the spirit in a way that standing on terra firma cannot. Kevin Murphy (lead vocals, guitar) chose to title the Moondoggies' new album Tidelands in part because of a remote area outside his old stomping grounds of Ketchikan, Alaska where he used to go to escape from civilization. More importantly, as the sly recurring themes of water throughout the Seattle quartet's second full-length underscore, these are songs crafted to provide solace, sense, and cause for celebration in a world fraught with turmoil."What the water represents can be t...
Chasing the Sky is a pop-rock band from Grand Rapids, Michigan. Less than a year in age, they're already making waves – two songs, “A Certain Degree” and “Satellites”, from their debut EP 'The Empty Chair,' can be heard in several upcoming independent films. The band draws influences from the high energy of modern pop-punk such as Amber Pacific or Jimmy Eat World, the raw sensibilities of '90s rock acts like Third Eye Blind, and the devotion to human spirit of indie artists like Brand New. Chasing the Sky aim not to reinvent the genre but simply to write fun, catchy songs that can easily double as the soundtrack to some of the most intimate moments of your life....
Not to be confused with the Los Angeles band of the same name who formed later on. The Wallflowers are now issuing their unreleased material in CD format....
In the last three years Nika Roza Danilova has gone from being an outsider experimental teenage noise-maker to a full fledged internationally celebrated electronic pop musician. It was a huge feat to accomplish, and despite her age (young), her geography (mid-western, desolate), her accelerated scholastic requirements (high school and college were completed in three years each) and her diminutive physical size (4”11, 90 lbs) she has triumphed. She has emerged as a figurehead—a self-produced, self-designed, self-taught independent woman.Zola Jesus is not a singer; she is a musician. Zola Jesus is not a band; it is a solo project. That is not to say the people who have helped her along the way were...
Weekend are:Shaun Durkan - Vocals/Bass/Baritone GuitarKevin Johnson - GuitarAbe Pedroza - DrumsWithin a grainy film-still between a summer sunset and the end of times lies the post-punk squall of Weekend. Weekend filter the aggression, tempo and sneer of punk through a wall of reverb, haunting melody, feedback and primitive garage guitar. Formed in San Francisco in late 2009 by three childhood friends, the band have quickly developed a totally distinctive take on the history of post-punk noise rock. Durkan and Johnson first began experimenting on music together when they were just 12 years old, as bassists in the middle school band. "He had no clue how t...
Wings and teeth. No two symbols could've been better chosen to represent Minneapolis rap stalwartsDoomtree. The endlessly innovative crew/label has defied categorization from the start, leaving behind convention for what's best described as aggressive transcendence. Like most families, as well as the imagery this one employs, Doomtree is as defined by its internal differences as its similarities: Seven artists whose diversity of tastes and consistency of character combine to make the team an unstoppable, honest, creatively vicious whole. Their next crew release, No Kings, is set for a November 22nd rele...
One gray morning on the banks of the Buffalo River Summer of 1980....Abram Morphew set out for the wilderness of the Birkhead Mountains. Morphew survived months in a dense forest battling heavy rain and unruly winds, in search of seclusion, and a place to let his thoughts wonder in peace. This peace was soon interrupted when forest fires forced him to dig deep into the ground to find safety from the exploding pine trees. He was delighted to discover tunnels, previously only known to the elders of Birkhead, leading to a magical city where he would happen upon a fellow survivor of the elements... Bethany Carder, awaking from a hypnotic state induced by a small band of mystics, experienced violent ...
I grew up in a small town in Colorado called Minturn. Born 1967 in Glenwood Springs. I got into playing the guitar at age 13, and use to play a acoustic guitar with songs on the radio. I graduated High school in 1985 at Bellflower High. I then went on to Cerritos College and then finally went on to the Urban League and started a computer course in 1987. I got my first electric Strat and that was the beginning. I moved back home to Colorado in 1993 and then a friend of mine sold me a Les Paul and I bought a 4 track and a drum machine and started to make demos. I sent the tape around to people I worked with and then gave me the criticism I needed to make the tape sound good. I found a note in Musician Magazine for Statue Records in California...
Fetish 37 is a dedicated rock band with a violin....a unique contemporary sound that draws inspiration mainly from classic hard rock metal and classical music. Band members include singer/songwriter/founder China aka Velvet Chainsaw guitarist/founder Christian aka The Axe Man bassist Manny aka The Behemoth drummer Don JR. aka The Dominator and violinist Lincoln aka The Lincolnator. The name Fetish 37 was chosen when the band discovered that according to an encyclopedia there were only 36 different fetishes and music wasnt one of them. Hence it was decided that music should be the 37th fetish.Fetish 37 is the lifelong dream of lead singer/songwriter China the Velvet Chainsaw who has overcome more than his fair share of hards...
Within the butterfly-breaking cogs of the music industry, big numbers can bring big problems. And The Wombats’ numbers got big, fast. A platinum album with their 2007 debut ‘Guide To Love, Loss And Desperation’. Over 300,000 combined sales of their indie dancefloor smashes ‘Kill The Director’, ‘Let’s Dance To Joy Division’ (winner of the 2008 NME Award for Best Dancefloor Filler), ‘Backfire At The Disco’ and ‘Moving To New York’. A two year tour during which Liverpool’s biggest exports in a decade played to well over a million people, culminating in a massive homecoming Liverpool Arena show for 10,000 ecstatic local fans of their dark yet exuberant and in...
The World's Grievance Man- Mike Stout is a socially conscious singer song-writer and community leader. He leads crusades against economic injustice, rallying people with his music. His sound and lyrics are influenced by Woody Guthrie, Bob Dylan, & Springsteen.John Hayes of the Pittsburgh Post Gazette wrote "In the Woody Guthrie tradition, his songs reflect contemporary issues without resorting to journalism. They're more like partisan op-ed columns that grab political opponents by the throat and don't let go."Scott Mervis, of the Pittsburgh Gazette, wrote "There are a lot of guys out there who pass themselves off as blue-collar rockers, but Mike Stout is unquestionably the real thing" Born in K...
We Are The Tide, the sophomore album from Portland-based band Blind Pilot, will be released September 13. The album follows the band’s grassroots debut, 3 Rounds and a Sound, which has garnered them critical attention on NPR, which included them in their “Best Music of 2008” roundup, stating, “a roots-pop duo which bathes its terrific songs in ingratiating harmonies and understated instrumentation. The result…is endlessly engaging: There’s not a dud on 3 Rounds and a Sound, and a ludicrous abundance of replay-worthy ringers.” Moreover, the album also received praise from USA Today, the Boston Globe, the New York Post and the Philadelphia Inquirer, which call...
The Rapture are an American rock band formed in San Francisco. The band mixes influences of post-punk, dance-punk, acid house, disco, electronica, and more.The Rapture formed in 1998 by drummer Vito Roccoforte and guitarist/vocalist Luke Jenner. After relocating to New York, the original bassist left and was replaced by Matt Safer. The band toured extensively and in 2001 released the six-song EP Out of the Races and Onto the Tracks on Sub Pop Records. The Rapture were forerunners of the post-punk revival that was taking place in the early 2000s. Multi-instrumentalist Gabriel Andruzzi joined the band in 2002. Their first full-length record, Echoes, was released to critical acclaim in 2003.In January 2004, the Rapture ...
Light and airy, filmic but intimate, carefully arranged but deceptively power-ful, “Suck It and See” is Arctic Monkeys’ fourth album. Recorded at Sound City Studios in Los Angeles with long-time producer/ collaborator James Ford, it has a summery pop feel: with the bulk of work completed on the West Coast during January, it’s got the feel-good sound of stealing some winter sun, some out of season. ‘Everyone was in a really good mood when we were there,’ says Al...
New Jersey outfit Real Estate recently announced North American tour dates in support of their second album and Domino debut, Days, on October 18th (17th in UK). The tour starts in Chicago on Halloween, heads west, then turns to the south and wraps up with a homecoming show at NYC's-famed Bowery Ballroom.Recorded in Upstate New York through the late winter/spring of 2011, over the course of five patient months, with the help of Kevin McMahon (Titus Andronicus, The Walkmen), is a coming of age moment for childhood friends Martin Courtney (Guitar and Vocals), Matt Mondanile (Guitar) and Alex Bleeker (Bass): a gorgeous suite of guitar-pop songs. Days is a testament to the fact that the sonic...
Elk is Thomas Conolly, who plays guitar and sings. It's Ritchie Hopkins, who plays drums and sings. And it's Glenn Fisher, who plays bass and sings.All three members of Elk used to be in a band called Winston. After that, Glenn and Ritch were in The Green Acre and later, they were the Glenn and Ritch in Andy, Glenn and Ritch.For a few years they all stopped playing. But eventually, they started to miss playing, so got Elk together.You can download Elk's first release - the three song Reading Habits EP - for just £1 by visiting their website at ...
With their emo-punk songwriting, theatrical vocals, and neo-goth appearance, My Chemical Romance rose from the East coast underground to the forefront of modern rock during the early 2000s. In keeping with the tragic element of the group's best-known singles -- including "Helena," "I'm Not OK (I Promise)," and "Welcome to the Black Parade" -- My Chemical Romance has roots in catastrophe, as frontman Gerard Way decided to form the band after watching the World Trade Center collapse on September 11, 2001. Drummer Matt Pelissier joined one week later, guitarist Ray Toro climbed aboard soon after, and the quintet's ranks solidified with the addition of bassist Mikey Way (Gerard's younger brother) and guitarist Fran...
The new-school punk trio blink-182 were formed in the suburbs of San Diego, California around guitarist/vocalist Tom DeLonge, bassist/vocalist Mark Hoppus, and drummer Scott Raynor. Originally known as simply Blink, the band debuted in 1993 with a self-released EP, Fly Swatter. After releasing the album Buddha in 1994, the trio signed to Grilled Cheese/Cargo and released Cheshire Cat the following year. The threat of a lawsuit from a similarly named Irish band forced them to change their name to blink-182, but the group earned a higher profile touring the world with Pennywise and NOFX on the 1996-1997 Warped Tour, plus appearing on innumerable skate/surf/snowboarding videos.The third blink-182 LP, Dude Ranch, was jointly release...
Once you find out that Astronautalis was born to a Texas train man with a nose crooked from bar fights and a pretty Kentucky girl who ran away from home at 17 to become a photographer, it becomes clear that he didn’t stumble into the life of a drifter, he was born into it. With a poet uncle who lived off horse betting and hitchhiking, grandfathers who were spies, sailors, and test pilots, and over 500,000 miles of touring under his own belt, you have to wonder where the tales in Astronautalis’ music end and the life of Andy Bothwell begins. Currently settled (for now) in Minneapolis, by way of Seattle, by way of Dallas by way of Jacksonville Beach, FL; Bothwell has spent almost every ...
"As soon as I got a microphone in my hand, when I was about 14, I realised I wanted to do this," she says. "Most people don't like the way their voice sounds when it's recorded. I was just so excited by the whole thing that I wasn't bothered what it sounded like." A fan of such diverse artists as Jill Scott, Etta James, Billy Bragg, Peggy Lee, Jeff Buckley and The Cure, Adele's soul-tinged songs of love's lost and memories made are set to resonate with all who hear them....
California Wives are Jayson Kramer (vocals, keys, guitar), Dan Zima (vocals, bass, guitar), Joe O'Connor (drums) and Hans Michel (guitar, keys). Formed in 2009, the Chicago-born synth pop quartet has already drawn comparisons to the likes of Joy DIvision, New Order, and The Police.Loud Loop Press says of "Blood Red Youth" that the "Phoenix-inspired track opens with some tight hi-hat work as well as a deep, throbbing bassline before shifting to some much more melodic synth action countered by dancey guitars," and the Chicago Reader said the Affair EP has, "simple, clever arrangements thoroughly blend the scrappy feel of indie pop with the propulsive rhythms and glossy flash of disco....som...
On November 9, Capitol/EMI will release An Introduction To Syd Barrett, a brand new collection that will bring together for the first time the tracks of Pink Floyd and Syd Barrett on one compilation.David Gilmour, who originally worked on Syd Barrett's two solo albums, as co-producer of The Madcap Laughs and as producer of Barrett, is the executive producer for the album. Damon Iddins and Andy Jackson at Astoria Studios have remixed five tracks including 'Octopus,' 'She Took A Long Cool Look,' 'Dominoes,' and 'Here I Go,' with David Gilmour adding bass guitar to the last track. Pink Floyd's 'Matilda Mother' also receives a fresh 2010 Mix.Brand new artwork, including a 20-page bookl...
Dmitry Nechaev was born in Moscow, Russia in October 29, 1987. Back in 2003 at the age of 15 being totally obsessed and inspired by the gifted musician Akira Yamaoka Dmitry traces his idea of creating an absolutely different and unique style, breaking the stereotypes, bringing in the mixture of philosophy and sound psychology united under a perceptive melody to reflect the inside world of a human being.In 2008 Dmitry receives an offer from Quickstar Productions to take part in the Rock 4 Life International vol.14 copilation CD that featured “The Fall” song.&nbs...
Andrew Belle is a new artist on the pop singer/songwriter scene. Residing in both Chicago and Nashville, he is currently touring clubs and universities across the country, and is also a member of the critically acclaimed national tour Ten Out Of Tenn. Andrew released his debut EP All Those Pretty Lights in 2008, containing songs featured in hit TV shows including "90210", "The Real World", "Ghost Whisperer" and "Keeping Up With The Kardashians".His debut full-length album The Ladder was released in February 2010 on 1L Music. The Ladder reached #1 on iTunes Singer/Songwriter charts, scored a spot in the Top 100 chart on iTunes and charted in the Top 25 on the Billboard Heatse...
Over the past five years, Magdalene ( Tyler Tx ) has become one of the premier East Texas bands. The evolution of their song-writing has become more aggressive and passionate over time, and the lyrics convey intense emotions that span the spectrum. Magdalene's success has taken them straight to broadjam's top 10 nearly a dozen times in the past year for the categories rock, rock alternative, and ages 15-24. Magdalene's signature song, Look Away, was chosen for discmakers 2005 compilation CD. Magdalene also boasts over 2500 CD's sold at their local hastings and during shows in the Texas and Louisiana regions.Lead vocalist, Stevie Rene Vaughn, is a accomplished singer and song writer. She brings an exciting edge to ...
Led by Dee Dee, Dum Dum Girls churn out pop music that adheres to her self-proclaimed M.O.: "blissed-out buzz saw." Dee Dee formed DDG in late 2008 as a solo projectâ€"the name a nod to both The Vaselines' album, Dum-Dum, and the Iggy Pop song "Dum Dum Boys"-and released a home-recorded CDR on her label Zoo Music followed by a 7" on HoZac and a 12" EP on Captured Tracks.When Dee Dee needed a band to take her songs out of the bedroom, she looked to her friends: Jules (guitar and vocals), Bambi (bass), and Sandra Vu (drums and vocals). When the other three met for the first time a week before CMJ 2009, it was an instant girl gang.Dee Dee wrote and recorded the son...
Tate Recording Artist Elisabeth Ashley has once again entered the Rock/Pop world with her second offering "Escaping Vanity Fair", As Variance Magazine states this release will "...Put her in the arena with any female pop singer and her sensational voice will knock out the competition". ...
In what has been an unprecedented year for FLATFOOT 56, the Southside Chicago band's 10th year anniversary has been marked by well-deserved milestones, all resulting from the strength of their sincere live show and critically-lauded Old Shoe Records debut, BLACK THORN. Produced by Johnny Rioux (STREET DOGS) and released in March 2010, BLACK THORN debuted at #2 on Billboard's Heatseekers Chart, in addition to healthy positions on eight other charts in its first week.True to the band's hard-earned reputation of remaining devoted to the road, FLATFOOT 56 has spent the better part of 2010 on tour in support of BLACK THORN. Mainstage appearances at festivals both home and abroad, a successful run on the 2010 Vans Warpe...
