matt pond pa

song: "green shirt"

location: philadelphia, pa

press quote: "matt pond pa creates delicate, soft-spoken music that possibly can only be described as beautiful." - pop matters

official website: mattpondpa.com

hem

song: "(the angels wanna wear my) red shoes"

location: new york, ny

press quote: "one of manhattan's most promising country-rock bands, hem explores the backroads of Americana with understated grace." - new york times

website: rabbitsongs.com

fastball

song: "busy bodies"

location: austin, tx

press quote: "fastball nail the power-pop concept... whistleable riffs, mistakable-for-vintage hooks, and the wryest possible sincerity" - entertainment weekly

website: fastballmusic.com

grand champeen

song: "no action"

location: austin, tx

press quote: "absolutely one of the best young bands around. in style and passion, they are the bar-rocking post-posits of the replacements and uncle tupelo." - artvoice

website: grandchampeen.com

the damnations

song: "still too soon to know"

location: austin, tx

press quote: "the damnations mix gamy appalachian rowdiness and raw punk-rock passion... creating an imperfect sense of sorrow and bliss." - rolling stone

website: damnations.com

vic chesnutt, jack logan, and mr. and mrs. keneipp

song: "alison"

location: athens, ga

press quotes: "chesnutt is the kind of cranky individualist america and rock'n'roll just don't make enough of anymore." - montreal gazette

"there should be a grand museum committed solely to jack logan. his beautifully unspectacular voice and ease with melody invites listeners into songscapes that remain in their ears long after encountered." - pitchfork

website: backburnerrecords.com

li'l cap'n travis

song: "blue chair"

location: austin, tx

press quote: "like hallucinating in the desert while listening to faron young. it's a mesmerizing country sound, but what country? what galaxy?...stunning!" - austin american statesman

website: lilcapntravis.com

brenda kahn

song: "watch your step"

location: new york, ny

press quote: "kahn shows her true love for the dark, urban underbelly and accents it with origami-sandpaper-rose-like vocals; lilting yet scratchy, and a wonderfully tight rock band that knows how to play a folk song too." - new mass media

website: womanrock.com/brenda

the deathray davies

song: "men called uncle"

location: dallas, tx

press quote: "arguably the best band of the newly revitalized dallas rock scene... their real forte is tilt-a-whirl nuggets-inflected rock-n-roll with dizzying sing along hooks crammed into every corner, catchy keyboard riffs and plenty of art/punk." - pop culture press

website: deathraydavies.com

jon auer

song: "beyond belief"

location: seattle, wa

As a member of two of Power Pop's greatest bands, The Posies and Big Star, Jon Auer's angelic voice and gift for arrangements has made him a legend to underground pop geeks everywhere. Since the Posies sort-of break up in 1998, Auer has released two fantastic solo E.P.s and has toured and recorded with ex-Posie Ken Stringfellow. Splendid says, "Jon Auer is one of the most underrated tunesmiths of his generation."

website: pattern25.com

kev russell's junker

song: "indoor fireworks "

location: austin, tx

press quote: "acoustic textures blow a dusty film over russell's saloon croon as he delivers the texas equivalent of old-time british pub rock." - all music guide

website: thegourds.com

 

tywanna jo baskette

song: "just a memory"

location: nashville, tn

press quote: " With her little girl voice, nursery rhyme-like arrangements, baskette reminds one so much of an updated and twangy version of jonathan richman" - flagpole