TWO GALLANTS :: The Hand That Held Me Down
Ever since 2002 when Adam Stephens (guitar/vocals/harmonica) and Tyson Vogel (drums/vocals) began making noise at house parties and on street corners they've slowly been carving out their own creative space. In a world where bigger is often considered better and quality is sacrificed with ease, Two Gallants have risen against the tide with their cathartic, stripped-down sound and depth of material to forge an intimate bond with a wide array of fans. They craft emotional, visceral, intelligent songs that remind us of America's folk, country, and blues traditions but are fueled with the energy of punk. Through Stephens’ first-person narratives, murder ballads, and drunken outlaw tales, Two Gallants have taped into the universal struggle of the human condition as they channel the pain of men twice their age.

LE LOUP :: We Are Gods! We Are Wolves
Le Loup creates music heavily laden with intricate patterns and swells, edging towards dramatic, sweeping movements. Everybody in the live band sings, and all instruments work together to weave an overall sonic tapestry; some voices surface and shine occasionally and briefly, but ultimately sink back into the larger schemes of the songs; thus, each voice supports the other, and each player is vital. Between the July of 2006 and the January of 2007, Sam Simkoff spent countless hours holed up in whatever house or apartment he was living in at the time, recording songs and sounds into his laptop computer. He didn't have the money for studio time, or many instruments other than a smattering of toy glockenspiels and an old banjo, or even a better microphone or recording software than that which was already in the computer.

ALOHA :: Body Buzz
The four members of Aloha are scattered across the eastern half of the country, but spend most of their time making music together. Some Echoes is the second Aloha album since T.J. Lipple joined the band, and was recorded, mixed and mastered at Silver Sonya, the studio he runs with Chad Clark (Beauty Pill) in Arlington, Va. Tony and T.J. began playing together during a lull in Aloha's schedule in late 2002, when they both lived in Pittsburgh. T.J. joined the band in May of 2003, when Cale, Tony and Matthew joined him at his grandpa's empty house in Altoona, PA. Though at the time they didn’t know it, it was there they began writing 2004’s Here Comes Everyone.

ART IN MANILA :: Set The Woods on Fire
After Azure Ray disbanded in 2004, Orenda Fink, one half of the beloved Omaha-via-Athens duo, put her energies into a solo record. In 2005, she released Invisible Ones, an under-the-radar but critically-acclaimed debut album. Through the Invisible Ones touring cycle, Orenda assembled several different touring bands with revolving members, along the way making profound musical and personal friendships with her bandmates. With a little astrological nudge and some serendipitous circumstances, Orenda decided to form a new band using the cream of the crop of her touring crew. The band they formed was called Art Belle. Fearing the wrath of paranoid radio listeners “West of the Rockies” (in addition to fearing litigation), the band shortly changed its name to Art in Manila, a nod to radio host Art Bell's exodus to the Phillipines.

THE GOOD LIFE :: Heartbroke
There’s something to be said for throwing down all the money you’ve won and laying all your cards on the table, face up. It’s a gutsy move—one that takes a bit of courage, a bit of crazy, a bit of worry and a staunch belief that the outcome will be well worth the risk. Musically, Omaha, Nebraska’s The Good Life lives in a moment of that complexity. Led by Cursive’s Tim Kasher (vocals, guitar), the band—featuring Stefanie Drootin (bass), Roger Lewis (drums), and Ryan Fox (guitar, keys)—creates bold songs that are not afraid of the mixed up emotions they describe, sometimes in vicious, heart-battering detail. Every song on the band’s fourth and finest LP, Help Wanted Nights, delivers those perspectives with sheer aplomb—sometimes a little messy, sometimes a little blurred, but never ashamed of asking for what they need.