The New Mastersounds
Sideways Media
The New Mastersounds

The New Mastersounds are a four-piece band based in Leeds, England, whose modern take on vintage soul-jazz, funk and rock draws influences from Jimmies McGriff, Smith, and Hendrix, as well as their most closely-associated mentors, The Meters. Try to imagine Grant Green and Lou Donaldson having a fight in a Hammond Organ shop while James Brown holds the coats, and you have some idea of what to expect from this band.

Their first single, One Note Brown, was released on Blow It Hard Records in 2000 and was passionately championed by acclaimed Northern Soul and funk DJ Keb Darge. To date, the band has released four studio records: 102%, This Is What We Do, Be Yourself, Keb Darge Presents... as well as The New Mastersounds Re::Mixed, and Live At La Cova. Also of note: their single, "Your Love Is Mine" featuring Corinne Bailey Rae, was used in the 2007 Warner Brothers movie Feast of Love.

Having toured throughout Europe, Japan and the USA, the NMS have earned global recognition as a key band in the 'New Funk' scene. But purists beware: their unique blend of funk, rock, soul and dance music is hard to sum up and doesn't fit neatly into any one genre.

Headed soon to a city near you, The New Mastersounds deliver gritty grooves and deep rhythms in clubs, theater venues and festivals alike. Their live shows will get you up dancing and hold you there intoxicated by the funk until last call- when you'll stagger home, sweaty and exhausted, on a wave of euphoria.

Led by guitarist and producer Eddie Roberts, The New Mastersounds feature Joe Tatton on Hammond, Pete Shand on bass and Simon Allen on drums.

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The Orange Peels
Minty Fresh
The Orange Peels

Glitter Rock. Opulent '80s Pop. Glammy Prog. Bearded, backwoods Elk Rock. Who gives a rat's ass if there's no melody at the heart of it; no soul.

Not that The Orange Peels don't dabble in these styles. They just don't have the time to waste on cute, genre-based music that cuddles up to a pre-existing audience. Defiant, dramatic and probably a little bit of a showboat, bandleader Allen Clapp tells it like it is on "Shining Like Stars," a glammed-up rocker from the band's album, 2020: "If making melodies is a crime, I'm guilty as charged." 

As the album's title suggests, 2020 deals with perceptions. Released on the precipice of a new decade, it is as much about looking back on 10 years gone awry as it is about looking forward to the promises of the future. Sometimes life comes at us in crystal clear geometry and hard numbers, and sometimes details reveal themselves only in the soft-focus of memory.

Moving in and out of focus through these 10 songs, the band has achieved its own vision on its own terms. Recording the album at its modernistic Eichler headquarters in Sunnyvale, California, the band took its time to decorate each track (or in some cases, de-decorate) for maximum emotional impact.

Featuring Clapp on vocals, piano guitar and drums, Oed Ronne (The Ocean Blue) on lead guitars, electric sitar and vibes, Jill Pries on bass guitars, Bob Vickers (The Incredible Vickers Bros.) on drums and guitars, John Moremen (Jad Fair, the Roy Loney Band) on guitars, all the itinerant members of the band are represented. Even original lead guitarist Larry Winther took off his reunion-era Mummies bandages for a few minutes to grace the album's lead track with a chickeny guitar solo.

For Clapp, the subtitle of the album may as well be "What I did on My Recession." Out of work for 10 months in the worst economy of his lifetime, Clapp poured his anxiety, neuroses and plethora of available time into pushing the album to completion. Hibernating in the studio with the heartbreak and uncertainty of the times, the band uses words and melodies to make sense of it all. 2020 is their answer.

Keep your eyes Peeled for a tour this spring.

"The Orange Peels stand tall against the tide of musical darkness, raging against the dying of the light with a nice line in clever pop hookery, wielding warm summery harmonies with the most delicate of touches."

--POPMATTERS 

"The sweet secret of The Orange Peels is that this guitar-bass-drums and occasional-keyboard combo has somehow created sublime Orch-Pop with out any actual orchestra."

--TIME OUT NEW YORK

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The People's Temple
Ghost Town, Inc.
The People's Temple

This Lansing, Michigan gang of renegade upstarts has been extremely prolific over the last couple of years, and as the time quickly passes by, even better songs have evolved, as this debut LP will undoubtedly prove. Formed from two sets of brothers, The People's Temple have a certain cohesion that's hard to pin down, yet impossible to resist. Taking the listener even further down the darkened path, they straddle the line between simple garage intentions and certain lysergic after effects, causing these songs to take on a 13th Floor Elevators/Troggs/Black Diamonds vibe that's basically supposed to be impossible to pull off without sounding corny. The dirgey yet sparkling production that rears its head on their debut album here may seem like quite a leap forward (a la the Smith Westerns on their debut LP) to listeners already hooked on their string of 7" singles, but the songwriting shines through remarkably well, and quickly separates them from the pack. With hazy nods to both shoe-gaze and 60s pop/psych interspersed with their own signature sound, they burst through the thickening fog with anthemic precision and unshakable pleasure, as each track revs up and blasts off through the stratosphere, sending waves of chills and reverberation in every direction. Its always exciting when a band creates such a break-though like this, and we're beyond ecstatic to help it take off and rip through the sky.

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The Shh
Minty Fresh
The Shh

The Shh’s music emerges, in secret, from a place in between the city of Paris & the Island of Malta. Their debut EP, The Burning Love, evokes surf-rock sounds with warm ‘Summer of Love’ vocal melodies. This 2-piece’s influences range from The Jesus & Mary Chain to The Modern Lovers to PJ Harvey to Slow Club.

The Sights
Riptide Music Group
The Sights

Detroit's masters of heavy soul, The Sights, are a five-piece rock 'n' roll band renowned for both their incendiary live shows and acclaimed song-writing. Think Big Star & Badfinger fronted by Steve Marriott and you'll get a pretty good idea of what makes these guys tick. Hailed by critics and fans alike, they continue to build on an incredible 14-year legacy of uncanny blues-rock meets power pop.

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The Socks
Small Stone Records
The Socks

Some dudes just sound like they were born to do it, and listening to the classic heavy rock groove of The Socks, there can be no doubt it’s what they’re made for. They’re naturals. The double-guitar French foursome formed in Lyon in 2009 and started surprising audiences almost immediately, eventually settling down to pump out their debut EP the following year.

2010’s Side A was five songs well concentrated from a band still feeling out where they wanted to go. You had your Sabbath, your Zeppelin, and The Socks supported the release by playing with an array of national and international acts, busting out energetic, intense gigs while continuing to develop their style. The next two years drove the band to write darker songs, hit harder, become thicker, more powerful, more calculating and less frenetic.

The resulting 2012 EP, Bedrock, soon caught Small Stone Records’ eye, with strong instrumental performances from Jess (drums), Vincent (bass), Nico (guitar/keys/vocals) and Julien (vocals/guitar), the latter also serving as the frontman and delivering a guttural but memorable vocal performance throughout the tracks, psychedelic in some places and elsewhere delving into a neo-grunge moodiness that was a change from the first release. During Fall 2012, The Socks completed their first European tour, drawing on experience garnered from festivals and gigs alongside Karma to Burn, Red Fang, Truckfighters, Horisont, Mars Red Sky, Black Rainbows and many others with whom they share some elements while still maintaining a personality of their own.

Simply put, they were a hit. Small Stone picked up the band and is set to issue their first full-length in 2014, as the band continue to thrust themselves into Europe’s next generation of heavy rock and roll alongside acts like Abrahma, Deville, Asteroid, Isaak, Black Rainbows and Mother of God. Look for The Socks to continue their momentum into 2014 and beyond, in the studio and on the road, and expect nothing less than some of the finest riffs the continent has to offer. That’s how it goes when you deal with naturals.

The Socks are:
Julien: Lead Guitar & Vocals
Jess: Drums & Percussions
Nico: Guitar, Keyboards & Vocals
Vincent: Bass

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The Stone Foxes
Sideways Media
The Stone Foxes

It's not just great song writing, warm guitars, a nut-tight rhythm section, and the occasional blues harp riffs that make The Stone Foxes' second album, Bears and Bulls, so good; the Bay Area four-piece consisting of brothers Shannon and Spence Koehler, Aaron Mort, and Avi Vincour have captured something else on this recording that makes the whole thing huge, and very, very cool.

Listeners sense it right away. There's a genuineness here that's rare and refreshing, and it's something that can't be achieved simply by grabbing a couple of vintage axes and plugging into a stack of tube amps. Because while The Stone Foxes may be influenced by the greats of the late 60s and early 70s like The Band, Bob Dylan, and Led Zeppelin, they never sound like they're trying to be anything but exactly who they are. But then they don't need to: their style of blues-rock stands on its own.

Still though, there's something about Bulls and Bears that sets it well apart from other records. And to understand what it is, what makes this record so unique, so good, you need to know how The Stone Foxes approach their music.

"We'll never be a traditional studio band," says Aaron.

"Yeah, our music was written to play live," adds Avi.

That makes perfect sense to anyone that's been to one of their shows: it's clear the Foxes care far more about performing their music for living, breathing human beings than an empty room filled with microphones.

So rather than holing up in a studio, writing songs in a void, then cutting an album and touring it, The Stone Foxes work their new material out on stage over a period of months, playing it for their fans. And that's part of what makes their shows, and this new record, so special. Each song in their arsenal has evolved organically over time, taking on a unique personality while retaining the core DNA that makes it a Stone Foxes original. Every song, every lick, every fill on Bears and Bulls has had its own unique path to maturity, taking the energy and feedback from the live experience and making it a critical part of the music.

When it was time to cut the record, the band knew that in order to capture the real soul of the music it would be critical to maintain that energy, those unique aspects of each song. So Bears and Bulls was recorded with virtually no overdubs, at a studio they built themselves.

"Recording in our own studio really allows us to connect directly to the listener," says Vincour. "It comes right from us to the fans."

As a result, Bears and Bulls is an audio snapshot of exactly who and where The Stone Foxes were musically when they recorded it. It's a reflection of their live show and a tribute to the interplay between musicians and fans. It's a moment in time captured digitally, then mixed by Alex Newport and mastered by John Cuniberti in beautiful, warm, old-school analog. Just like it should be.

Spence Koehler, who along with brother Shannon grew up in the Sierra Foothills before moving to the Bay Area a few years ago, points out another thing about the new record that makes it unique. "You know," he says, "all the instrumentation on the recording is the same as it is live."

Right, the instrumentation thing: The Stone Foxes don't have a set lineup on instruments. Since each song is unique, who plays what changes depending on the song's personality. Shannon may come out from behind the drums to sing and play harmonica while Avi replaces him. Aaron, Spence and Avi regularly swap rhythm, lead, and bass duties, and every member sings lead on at least a few songs. But it's no gimmick: like everything The Stone Foxes do, the instrument and vocal changes are a function of the natural evolution of their music and what works best on each song.

"It doesn't matter who writes the lyrics," says Shannon, "if someone else has a better voice for the song, they sing it."

And the way they play it live is the way it's laid to tape.

So you've got this band of players that can actually play, writers that can actually write, none of whom seem to have much ego: it's about the music and the band over all – not the individual. You turn them loose to create songs that evolve and mature over time, then you drop them in a studio to track a record on their own terms. As it turns out, what you end up getting is something way deeper and more heartfelt than most bands ever deliver.

You also get a hint of what they'll become. Because this collection of songs, from the raucous fun of "Stomp" to the slow grind of "Through the Fire" from the bad ass lick that opens "Patience" to the down and dirty blues of "Mr. Hangman" could only have been created by a band that's fearless about following their music where it leads, and has the skills to share what they learn on the trip. And it's a trip they're still taking: The Stone Foxes and their music continue to evolve, and continue to deliver live shows that blow the doors off of venues along the way.

When asked if there's one thing that they want their fans to know, there's no hesitation: they say they have a huge amount of fun playing live, loved capturing their work on the record, and that they wouldn't be doing any of this if they didn't.

Really though, that's completely unnecessary to mention: one listen to the record, one visit to a gig, and all that is clear from note one.

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The man they call "Sureshot" is mostly well known for his groundbreaking and critically acclaimed hip hop meets jazz project "The Sharpshooters". This highly innovative sound garnered him global recognition and led to numerous releases on the Ubiquity, Om, Light In The Attic, Shadow, Conception, Hed Kandi and Sony labels. His music productions have been featured on MTV, “The Wire”, “Kevin Hill”. “Sopranos”, “OZ”, ESPN and various TV commercials.

In certain circles, Sureshot's insane record collection AKA ‘Million Dollar Crates’ is often the topic of discussion. He is after all, responsible for 4 of the worlds rarest funk albums: ‘Betty Padgett’, ‘Turner Bros. Act 1’, ‘Lialeh’ and ‘ Wayne McGhie & The Sounds Of Joy’ getting proper legal reissues. Rumor has is that the heavily sampled and even bootlegged ‘Status Breaks And Beats’ and ‘Soundbwoy Reggae Breaks And Beats’ 5 LP series was also his crafty work.

Deejay “Sureshot” has been into music ever since he can remember. Buying records with his lunch money as a kid, he recalls purchasing a “Le Freak” by Chic 45 when he was in 5th grade. In his teen years he was turned on to 60’s Soul and Jamaican Ska through the Mod revival scene in the early 80’s. Years later he purchased the “Paid In Full” LP by Eric B. & Rakim and it truly changed his life forever. Hearing old funk given new life through hip hop, he started his quest for diggin’ up the originals that were being sampled by producers and cut up by disc jockeys. With over two decades of Djing and collecting under his belt, not a lot has changed. Sureshot remains loyal to quality music and keeps a “True School” attitude. His deejay sets are a perfect marriage of Funk, Soul, Hip Hop, Disco and Reggae and incorporate underground classics and future classics in these genres. Sureshot likes to mix it up in order to keep it fresh and knows how to rock a crowd. His skills and deep crates keep him in-demand and have led to performances alongside: Cut Chemist, Thievery Corporation, DJ Spinna, Music Man Miles, Peanut Butter Wolf, Max Glazer, Apollo, DJ Honda, DJ What, Pazant Brothers, J-Rocc, Shortkut, Andy Smith (Portishead), Greyboy, Ol’ Dirty Bastard, Egon, Cherry Wine, The JB’s: Fred Wesley / Sweet Charles / Maceo Parker, Arrested Development, Grandmaster Caz, Busy B, Mark Rae, Aim, Ice T and Kool Keith. Sureshot has djed across the US and in London, Japan, Canada, France, Poland, Germany and Spain and has toured with Ben Harper, Prince Paul and Big Daddy Kane.

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The Swayback
VQ Creative
The Swayback

The Swayback's sound is a mix of blues swagger and early punk bite that's cut with art-school gloom. Their revved-up live performances have led them to share the stage with such diverse bands as: Gang of Four, Girls, The Raveonettes, Dead Meadow, Dum Dum Girls, Portugal. The Man, Akron/Family, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Swervedriver, Hold Steady, Cage The Elephant, and Place to Bury Strangers. Swayback's album Double Four Time was recorded with legendary British producer Andy Johns (Television, Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin) and released on LGL Records.

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The Virginmarys
Wind-up Records
The Virginmarys

Satellite towns tend to breed big ambitions. Perched on the hills above Manchester, Macclesfield's principle claim to fame comes in the cult of Ian Curtis. That classic example of the 'just out of the city' boy reinforces how big horizons tend to breed big ambitions. The Virginmarys are not part of the Curtis club. Their music blends the dynamics of platinum class 'grunge' (basically Nirvana, Mudhoney and Screaming Trees) with the spikiness of punk and the attention to detail and honesty of prime British rock of the early 1970's, before the wizards and capes overcame the attack and dynamic.

Their belief system begins with a devotion to the idea of playing. Live or in rehearsals, the three are at their most comfortable instruments in hand. Whether this is cool or not in a world where we sometimes seem to want our bands to devote themselves to studiously not playing is of no consequence to them. So, the debut album, 'King Of Conflict', was recorded live in the studio with Toby Jepson producing and Chris Sheldon (Pixies, Foo Fighters, Biffy Clyro, etc) at the mixing controls to capture the band at their thrilling best. But this is not 'muso' territory. Whilst Ally may have learnt his playing via a local blues maestro and lived in a house sound tracked by the likes of Fleetwood Mac, Free and The Allman Bros courtesy of his dad, the revelation of Nirvana and the digging backwards to punk and forwards to the diverse likes of Elbow and Arcade Fire meant that when Ally, Matt and Danny set out to write rock songs, those were never likely to be dumb, despite being a hell of a lot of fun. Further, Ally's nature and his position as lyricist pretty much guaranteed that The Virginmarys would share much in common with those bands who eschewed the brainless cartoons of metal to create a rock music that used its words to deal with real life, real feelings and serious subjects. So a typical song from the trio rocks as hard as anything you are likely to hear but can talk about making the wrong calls despite yourself ('Dead Man's Shoes), domestic violence from the less thought out position of male as victim ('Portrait Of Red') and anti-capitalism ('You've Got Your Money').

It's that blend of rock schooling and intelligence that makes The Virginmarys such a thrilling proposition. Unlike so many contemporaries, the three are unlikely to fall into any of the obvious traps that bedevil young bands in their world. Having spent three years touring and playing alongside a series of self-released EP's the band have built a fan base that encompasses the likes of Slash (a regular VM's T shirt wearer), We Are Scientists, Eagles Of Death Metal and Ash, all of whom have invited the band to support them and thousands of devoted fans across the globe. In the process they have featured on BBC Breakfast, scored an iTunes single of the week both in the UK and US, had a track featured on Rockband 3 and sold out London's Garage at a canter as part of HMV's Next Big Thing series of shows at the close of 2011. Those beginnings have fostered a band that are ambitious without being arrogant, Ally claims that honesty is at the heart of everything he does, Danny wants The Virginmarys to be a catalyst for new bands to form and create great new music and Matt sees success as blowing away the dross that currently populates daytime radio and creating a world in which their music, and that like it, makes the music world an exciting place to be once more. In a world crying out for a band with substance, The Virginmarys could well prove to be the answer to all out prayers.

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