All his songs are constructed with the usual folk sounds of acoustic guitars and banjos, but his vocals are plucked straight from the alternative rock airwaves. It makes for a combination similar to The Avett Brothers. American Opera’s intensity, though, comes from diction and tone as opposed to the Avett’s energy driven sound. I was lucky enough to see him perform a few weeks ago and he is every bit as impressive live as he is recorded. Pure talent, just his voice and a guitar, silenced a talkative venue. He was also incredibly personable, willing to talk with anyone that approached him, and grateful to the countless that gave him kind words. American Opera currently has two recordings, Demo/Listen and Live! @ GBS Detroit, both of which are available as pay-what-you-want downloads. They are well worth your time and bandwidth.

Originally a handmade CD-R release a couple years back, “The Doldrums” by Ariel Pink’s Haunted Grafitti was discovered by the Animal Collective during one of their west coast tours and became an immediate favorite.

Recording at home with only a guitar, keyboard, and 8-track (the drum sounds are all unbelievably created with his vocals), Ariel Pink blends Lite FM and warped lo-fi pop into something beautiful and confusing, yet highly addictive.

A split release first appeared in 2001, followed the next year by Faster Crashes Harder on Sinister. Their debut five-song EP, The Cloak and Dagger Club, came out in October 2002 to rave reviews from Punk Planet, and the band soon signed to their hometown’s powerhouse label, Victory. Their label debut, Remember Right Now, was issued in June 2003 and highlighted the band’s trademark straightforward melodic nature. Touring with bands like Sugarcult, Thursday, the Early November, and Piebald further spread Spitalfield’s name to a widening pop-punk audience. Their 2005 follow-up album, Stop Doing Bad Things, was a hard-driving collection of harmony-laden pop that brought to mind bands like the Foo Fighters and Jimmy Eat World. Bassist T.J. Minich left the group in the second half of the year; the remaining members — vocalist/guitarist Mark Rose, drummer J.D. Romero, and guitarist Dan Lowder — were completed again in the beginning of 2006 with the addition of similarly named bassist, T.J. Milici. Spitalfield hit the Warped Tour for the summer, but were forced to drop off near its end when Lowder suddenly announced he’d be leaving the band. The remaining three returned home to find and ready a replacement guitarist in time for the release of their third album, Better Than Knowing Where You Are, that October.

From Atlanta, GA, the WILD are a bunch of friends who love playing music and sharing in the DIY philosophy of music, art, and politics. This is what The WILD has to say about themselves…

‘We are five friends having a great time playing music together… We all feel the best when we are traveling together and getting to see old friends, making new ones, jumping off of high things into water, and playing music every night. right now everybody lives all over the country…. We’re from Atlanta, Lexington, Denver, Brooklyn, and Massachusetts… We write songs that are political and personal.’

Initially calling the band Uncle Duke, they added lead guitarist Peter Klett and bassist Bardi Martin (no relation to Kevin) and changed the group’s name to Candlebox, after a line in a Midnight Oil song. Their demo tape found its way to Madonna’s Maverick label, which quickly resulted in a record deal in 1992. Candlebox’s self-titled debut was released in 1993, and while the first single, “Change,” began to build them a following, it wasn’t until 1994, when the follow-up, “You,” appeared, that Candlebox really started to take off. “You” gave them a breakthrough hit on mainstream rock radio, which set the stage for the success of “Far Behind,” essentially a power ballad for the grunge era. “Far Behind” was a major hit on both mainstream and alternative radio, and also made the pop Top 20; its exposure helped Candlebox climb into the Top Ten on the LP chart and eventually sell over three million copies.

The same qualities that originally won Ivan & Alyosha media attention and a devoted grass-roots audience are apparent on All the Times We Had, which the band co-produced in collaboration with keyboardist/engineer Chad Copelin, and mixed by Jesse Lauter (The Low Anthem). The 11-song album effortlessly captures the warmth and immediacy of Ivan & Alyosha’s live performances, lending added resonance to such lyrically compelling, melodically arresting tunes as “Be Your Man,” “Running for Cover,” “Don’t Wanna Die Anymore,” “The Fold” and the album’s’ bittersweetly reflective title track, which features guest vocals by the band’s frequent touring partner and longstanding admirer Aimee Mann.

After a show, a kid in torn jeans and a Pantera shirt, sporting ridiculous facial hair, will find one of the Streetlighters outside of the club and say hello, followed by \”Man, I don\’t listen to this kind of music, in fact I hate most ska bands, but you guys are something else.\” Or it will be a jazz fan, sitting in the back of the venue during the set, bobbing his head, eyes closed while the band does their thing on stage. Or one of the club\’s stagehands will comment, while helping break down the lighting rig, that he actually enjoyed a band he was working for for once, despite having heard thousands of bands on the job over the years. And therein lies Streetlight Manifesto\’s appeal.

Seven guys, seven different musical backgrounds, seven different personalities, one band, one unique and unmistakable voice. Formed four years ago in New Jersey as an ad hoc group intended to put out one album and disappear, one thing led to another and within a few months of their debut release, Everything Goes Numb, Streetlight Manifesto was officially a full time touring band, traveling the world, spreading their infectious and energetic tunes to all who would listen. One part rock, one part ska, with influences from latin, klezmer, folk, world, funk, jazz and classical thrown in, the band redefined what most people expected from a \”ska\” band. Three albums later, and after countless worldwide tours, the guys are still at it, still performing live to sold out shows filled with sweat drenched fans, all dancing and singing along at the top of their lungs. And the Streetlight boys wouldn\’t have it any other way.

Aaron Weiss’ manic, unorthodox hollering was nowhere to be found, deliberately giving way to a more conventional melodic vocal approach. The explosive, schizophrenic drumming and swarthy, tempestuous low end (Rickie Mazzotta and Greg Jehanian, respectively) were accordingly subdued, relegated largely to keeping basic time. Chris Kleinberg had jumped ship for med school, leaving Mike Weiss reluctantly alone on electric guitar, feeling like a session player embellishing his little brother’s folk songs, no longer part of a coherent unit.

and the first song begins people are glued to the stage. Everyone is watching with smiles and wide eyes. People are looking at their friends shaking their heads with looks on their faces that say: “What the hell is this?!“ When all 6 members are on stage they are truly a sight to behold. They play their instruments fast and they play them good. It’s difficult to describe the kind of music they play; they don’t fit into any of the genres found in your neighborhood music shop. Their music sounds like rowdy bluegrass/folk with heavy punk rock roots and a splash of gypsy soul.” Larry & His Flask are out of Redmond, Oregon and are more than local heroes with tons of local fans!

Originally a musical and visual solo project by lead singer and Michigan native-turned-Angeleno Ben Schneider, collaborators now include Mark Barry (percussion, vocals), Miguel Briseno (bass, percussion), and Tom Renaud (guitar, vocals). Schneider started playing music as a child—most often on summer nights around the campfire on Lake Huron. He went on to study art in college and lived in France and New York before moving to Los Angeles in 2005 to pursue a career in the visual arts. Schneider’s passion for art and music are often intertwined, and he has composed music for various visual art projects over the years. His work is continually inspired by his outdoor explorations, landscape and water in particular. In 2010, Schneider self-released his first EP, Into the Sun, online, complete with original artwork. The songs gained traction and Schneider set to work recruiting musicians to help him translate the recordings into a live performance..

The band’s predominantly guitar-based music has evolved from intense, heavy emo indebted to such acts as Mineral and Sunny Day Real Estate to a unique “post-rock” sound hinging on inventive, intricate drumming, subtle guitar arpeggios, and a vast range of effects.

“It’s hard to find the words to express how excited we are to announce this tour,” explained guitar player Pete Adams. “Seven months ago, who knew when it would be or even if we could get back on the road. But here we are, picking right back up where we left off. A heartfelt thanks to everyone’s unconditional love and support for us through, let’s hope, the hardest time this band will ever see. We told you we’d be back so let’s do this thing!”

The band’s predominantly guitar-based music has evolved from intense, heavy emo indebted to such acts as Mineral and Sunny Day Real Estate to a unique “post-rock” sound hinging on inventive, intricate drumming, subtle guitar arpeggios, and a vast range of effects.

The band’s predominantly guitar-based music has evolved from intense, heavy emo indebted to such acts as Mineral and Sunny Day Real Estate to a unique “post-rock” sound hinging on inventive, intricate drumming, subtle guitar arpeggios, and a vast range of effects.