Katie Todd is a wonderful artist from Chicago – but she travels all over to perform.  She recently won a songwriting contest that the band Train put on at ourstage.com.  Pretty exciting stuff!  Katie also plays the piano, and she’s got a great unique voice which compliments her writing.  There are so many places to check this girl out, but you can start by heading over to http://www.katietodd.com and signing up for her newsletter!

http://www.danielellsworthmusic.com

The Hush Now is a great rock group from Boston. The album they have out now is called “Constellations” and has a sound reminiscent of The Cure, especially on the song “Hoping and Waiting”.  We love this 5 piece – let us know if you do too!

http://thehushnow.com/

http://www.myspace.com/thehushnow

http://www.myspace.com/dearandtheheadlights

http://dearandtheheadlights.com/

Ari Hest is an amazing singer-songwriter from Brooklyn. He has a lot of great tunes, and the most amazing thing about him is the ‘52′ project that he created in which he recorded and put up a  song a week for an entire year.  We are looking out for more from this guy – check out his album ‘Twelve Mondays.”

http://www.myspace.com/arihest

http://www.arihest.com/

http://www.horsefeatherstheband.com

http://www.myspace.com/horsefeathersmusic

Winston Audio is a cool, funky, blues group with gritty vocals and a lot of soul.  Their album is called “The Red Rhythm” and is available for purchase now, which we highly recommend.  They are a 5-piece from Atlanta, Georgia.  Their sound has a lot of different influence to it, but they describe it as grunge/visual/hyphy.  Listen & judge for yourself!

http://www.winstonaudio.com

http://www.myspace.com/winstonaudio

“Thao” is a wonderful indie pop group with big beats & whimsical string arrangements. Their album is called “Know Better Learn Faster” and is available now. They are originally from Virginia but have since moved to the West Coast. Thao’s got a very organic voice – she never tries to hard, and it just sounds effortless. It is also very distinctive. Check it out:

http://www.myspace.com/thaomusic

http://www.thaomusic.com

Dress Rehearsal is the brainchild of Kevin Graham from Ontario, Canada. The album they have out now is called “Greens & Honey” and each track is fantastic!  It reminds me of Elliott Smith, or The Smashing Pumpkins if they did more acoustic stuff.  Take a listen, and you might be blown away!

http://www.myspace.com/dresssrehearsal

http://www.flyingmachinesmusic.com

http://www.myspace.com/flyingmachines

The Ruse is a great group right out of LA. They are also a foursome, and have a rockin’ edge to their stuff – much like U2 or Bon Jovi. They have had songs on numerous television shows including “The Hills” and were performers on HBO’s Entourage in an episode. Their fourth studio album is out now, “Love Sex Confusion”, and we love their sound; hopefully you will to!

http://www.rusemusic.com

http://myspace.com/theruse

http://www.stevemoakler.com

http://www.myspace.com/stevemoakler

El Pino & The Volunteers are a great indie pop outfit from Rotterdam, Netherlands. We actually found these guys on a fluke – and we are so glad we did! They are rockin’, so definitely give a listen.

http://www.elpinoandthevolunteers.com

Check them out on Myspace!

Fun. is a cool collaboration of Nate Ruess (formerly of The Format), Jack Antonoff (from Steel Train), and Andrew Dost (ex-Anathallo member).  They’ve got a 70s-esque vibe happening in their music, with a modern orchestral-pop twist. If you appreciate great musicians putting their heads together, you will love this. Truly magical!

http://www.ournameisfun.com

http://www.myspace.com/fun

The Dimes have a baroque pop sound mixed with a bit of alt country and bluegrass.  Their album out now is called “The King Can Drink the Harbour Dry” and is essentially a cliff notes on Early History set to music.  Beautiful and sweeping.

http://www.thedimes.com

http://www.myspace.com/thedimes

Loomis & the Lust is a rockin’ band from Santa Barbara, CA.  They have a cool 80s sound mixed with the modern rock of today.  It’s a perfect blend that just makes you get up and dance – which is what these people did during SXSW on the streets!

http://www.myspace.com/loomisandthelust

Today we’ve got two completely different but amazing groups. Loomis & the Lust is fun, upbeat, and poppy while the second group, Dark Captain Light Captain, is dark & brooding. There are some great, haunting harmonies from this London group. This is the perfect mood music for those times when you want to lock yourself in your room and listen to music all day.

http://www.myspace.com/darkcaptain

The first band they covered was The Little Heroes, who are blowin’ up with songs on hit shows like “The Hills”. They have a cool rockin’ sound that reminds me of a cross between Jimmy Eat World and the Fray, and their second album “Thank You” is out now!

http://www.myspace.com/thelittleheroes

http://www.wednesdayrecords.com

Allison Weiss is unique, quirky, & reminds me a lot of strong female writers who have come before her: Rachael Yamagata, Leona Naess, Cat Power, Neko Case, Joni Mitchell, Ani Difranco…I could go on and on. She has the chops, guitar-talent, and upbeat fun attitude to really take her places.

http://www.AllisonW.com

http://www.myspace.com/AllisonWeiss