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All Hailing from Vancouver, BC, Chains Of Love had serendipitous beginnings. The members of Chains of Love were actually all close friends before forming in December of 2010 but all belonging to different projects varied within the garage rock scene. Despite the variation of sound between projects, there was always a common factor, "Little Red Sounds Studios."

Felix Fung being the owner/operator of the studio is usually behind recording most if not all garage/punk bands in Vancouver, Little Red Sounds became somewhat of a haven for young musicians in the city and Clint Lofkrantz being one of them. After many years of working simultaneously with each other, guitarist Clint Lofkrantz brought up the idea of starting a "Girl Group", that radiated Spector sounds, featured motown basslines, and was heavy in percussion. He presented this to Felix and together they sorted the players as such: Steve Ferrrera, who is hands down the busiest drummer on the west coast tapping out at 5 bands; Henry Beckwith on piano reminding us of how beautiful a piano should sound; Rebecca Marie Law Gray who's harmonies and guitar complete almost every song; and lastly Nathalia Pizarro to front what would become Chains Of Love with her unique sense in style and eccentric voice.

With the talent in place, Chains started by referencing certain artists such as Gail Harris, Ike & Tina, The Ronnettes, and The Shangri-la's by using their lo-fi recording styles as a blueprint for what they wanted to hear in music today. Chains of love has effectively bridged the gap between the nostalgic pop sounds of the 60's with a modern and elegant twist.

Baba Yaga, the second full-length album by Athens, GA’s Futurebirds, marks a milestone in the continuous evolution of the eclectic ensemble. The 13-song album finds Futurebirds – Thomas Johnson, Carter King, Dennis Love, Brannen Miles, Daniel Womack, and Payton Bradford (who has since left the lineup to pursue a non-musical career path) – delivering an expansive yet intimate set that takes the band’s trademark mix of earthily accessible songcraft and free-spirited experimentation into inspired new territory.

Like the band that made it, Baba Yaga defies easy categorization, boasting a beguiling blend of warmly catchy tunes, stirringly evocative lyrics, distinctive sonic textures and unexpected melodic twists. The music is both intense and uplifting, capturing a good deal of the soaring, primal, sweat-soaked spirit of Futurebirds’ live shows, which have already won the group a rabidly devoted fan base and a reputation as a singularly inspired, bravely unpredictable performing unit.

Throughout Baba Yaga, Futurebirds’ inventiveness and energy are suffused by a bittersweet, introspective melancholy that lends added emotional resonance to such compelling tunes as “Virginia Slims,” “Serial Bowls,” “Death Awaits” and “St. Summercamp,” which showcase the band’s indelible melodies, vivid lyrics and vibrant instrumental rapport.

“This album definitely feels like a big milestone for us, no question,” King says. “Just the fact that it’s finally coming out feels like a milestone in itself,” adds Johnson. Indeed, Baba Yaga’s long journey to the public’s ears is a story in itself, but the music more than justifies the album’s long and often frustrating birth cycle.

Early in their existence, Futurebirds’ balance of homespun roots and forward-thinking exploration made the band a favorite in and around their bohemian hometown. The 2009 release of their self-titled debut EP was followed the next year by their first full-length debut album, Hampton’s Lullaby. It was followed by the self-released EP Via Flamina, and the limited-edition 2011 Record Store Day release Live at Seney-Stovall Chapel, which sold out on the day of its release.

Futurebirds continued to build its fan base by touring relentlessly, sharing bills with the likes of Drive-By Truckers, Widespread Panic, Heartless Bastards and Alabama Shakes and performing at such prestigious festivals as Austin City Limits, Outside Lands, Hangout, Wakarusa, Forecastle and Bonnaroo. Futurebirds was also featured on 2011′s Bonnaroo Buzz tour, playing between Gary Clark Jr. and headliner Grace Potter & The Nocturnals.

Futurebirds’ combustible musical chemistry reaches inspired new heights on Baba Yaga. “In some ways we’re like one organism with six brains, but at the same time everyone in the band is vastly different,” King observes. “We had five different songwriters in the band on this record, with very different influences and inspirations. We get into the studio and people bring in their songs, and by the time we get done with a song, there’s a piece of everybody in it.”

“We all come from different backgrounds and chase different sounds, but when we play together there’s this weird dark chemistry amongst us,” Johnson notes, adding, “I can hear a song that someone else wrote and know exactly what I can bring to it, and the same goes for the others when they hear my songs.”

Baba Yaga was recorded in 45 studio days over the course of seven months, with the band touring between sessions in order to pay the recording bills. The musicians originally demoed about 30 songs for the project, 25 of which they recorded during the sessions, before paring that batch down to the 13 that appear on the finished album

“The songs on this album seem to all come from a similar place,” adds Johnson. “They don’t all sound the same or have the same vibe, but we’ve shared so many experiences that there’s an unspoken understanding amongst us as to where a song is coming from and where it wants to go.”

The bumpy road to the album’s release – which resulted in a near two-year gap between Futurebirds releases—included making difficult decisions in finding the proper home for the album, but helped to inspire the band to name it Baba Yaga, after a forest-dwelling, child-eating witch from Slavic folklore.

“It was a long and painstaking process trying to get this album out,” King explains. “We got pretty discouraged, feeling like maybe it would never see the light of day, and one day I was talking to Thomas and started saying, ‘God, is this record some mythical creature out in the woods that only exists in our imaginations?’ Then we read about Baba Yaga, and that perfectly described how we were feeling about this record.”

Fortunately, Futurebirds has emerged from its business travails a more confident and determined creative unit – a fact that the band plans on demonstrating by touring as much as humanly possible.

“The songs can take different lives from night to night,” King says, “because you feed off the energy of the crowd, and that energy can be really different from night to night. The most important thing is to keep things fresh and not be up there going through the motions.”

“Musically, we’re a lot sharper now than we’ve ever been, and that’s a product of playing so many shows,” Johnson concludes. “Going into the recording of the record, we were much better musicians, songwriters and collaborators than we’d ever been, and we feel like the end result reflects our maturity and development.”

With Baba Yaga finally a musical reality rather than an elusive myth, Futurebirds are more than ready to show the world how they’ve grown.

All the Times We Had, Ivan & Alyosha’s first full-length album, encapsulates the personalized blend of rousing songcraft, infectious melodic hooks and thoughtful lyrical introspection that’s already endeared the band to just about anyone who’s witnessed one of their effortlessly uplifting live shows, or who’s heard either of their two prior indie EP releases.

The Seattle combo—which borrows its name from a pair of characters from Dostoevsky’s The Brothers Karamazov—delivers its songs of struggle, perseverance and spirituality with a resilient, upbeat attitude that’s reflected in their bubbly brew of stirringly strummed folk-rock guitars, surging instrumental interaction and a bright, buoyant blend of voices that reflects the band members’ family-style camaraderie, evoking a timeless pop ideal that’s as affecting emotionally as it is pleasing to the ear.

The intrepid ensemble—comprised of core members Tim Wilson (lead vocals and acoustic guitar), Ryan Carbary (guitars, piano and vocals), Tim Kim (electric guitar and vocals) and Tim’s brother Pete Wilson (bass and vocals), plus a revolving assortment of friends and collaborators on keyboards, drums and other instruments—has spent much of the past two years on the road, traveling the highways and back roads of America, often with wives and children in tow, building a loyal fan base with their joyous, high-energy live performances.

Ivan & Alyosha’s prior releases and live shows have won the band copious critical acclaim. They’ve also done successful stints opening for the likes of Aimee Mann, Brandi Carlile, the Low Anthem, Rosie Thomas and John Vanderslice. Since early in its existence, the group has been embraced enthusiastically by alternative radio, performing multiple on-air sessions for NPR as well as receiving notable support from such key stations as KCRW, KEXP, WFUV and WNYC.

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.

“We didn’t get it perfect, but I definitely think we got it right,” Tim Wilson says of the new album. “We really worked hard to get a live vibe, and to capture that inspiration that we get when we’re on the road, when everybody’s together and feeding off of each other. You can nit-pick and edit everything until it sounds perfect, but we were more concerned with just getting the best performances we could. I think that it’s more mature and more focused, and closer to what we do live, than the records that we’d done before. We definitely had moments in the studio where it like, ‘Oh, wow, this is special.’”

Ivan & Alyosha formed in 2007, when Tim Wilson met Ryan Carbary. Both had been in various Seattle-area combos, but the songs that Wilson was writing at the time seemed to call out for a new musical approach. The pair spent nearly a year writing material for their debut EP, The Verse, The Chorus. Released in March 2009, the EP generated an unexpected level of national exposure, with the charming tune “Easy to Love” (reprised on All the Times We Had) receiving considerable airplay. The debut EP won the band an interview on NPR’s All Things Considered and coverage in NPR’s All Songs Considered SXSW 2010 preview. A subsequent appearance at the SXSW festival generated considerable music-industry word-of-mouth.

By the time Ivan & Alyosha recorded its second EP, Fathers Be Kind, in February 2011, the group had expanded to include Tim Wilson’s bass-playing brother Pete, whose songwriting abilities contributed considerably to the band’s creative arsenal, and Tim’s high school friend Tim Kim, whose distinctive guitar work added a new dimension to their sound. Fathers Be Kind’s majestically jangly title track became a favorite of fans, critics and DJs, and reappears in a newly recorded version on All the Times We Had.

“When we recorded The Verse, the Chorus, we’d never really played live as a band,” Tim Wilson notes. “By the time we did the Fathers Be Kind EP, my brother Pete and Tim Kim had come on board, and we had done a west coast tour or two, and some dates on the east coast, but we were still figuring out how to play together. After Fathers Be Kind came out, we went out and spent year and a half touring, and became a real band. I think that’s reflected on the new album.”

Indeed, All the Times We Had demonstrates the positive effects of the band’s extensive roadwork, underlining just how far Ivan & Alyosha has progressed since its humble origins.

“I think that we all feel pretty strongly that this is what we’re supposed to be doing, playing music, trying to write good, timeless songs, and trying to connect with people,” Wilson states. “I think that we have a pretty deep sense of purpose, that this is not just some accident. I guess that the essence of faith is having felt or experienced something that maybe you can’t hold in your hand, and I think that’s how I’d describe my attitude towards music. And it’s OK if it’s hard, because anything in life that’s worth doing is hard.

“I’m guilty as guilty as anyone, of wanting certain things or wanting to be in a certain place right now,” he concludes. “But we’re building something, and building something takes time. I’m learning to enjoy the journey, and I think we all are.”

The Wandas are an American rock band based out of Boston, Massachusetts composed of Keith McEachern, Brent Battey, and Ross Lucivero. They've been compared to Wilco, Tom Petty, Elvis Costello, The Beatles, and Bruce Springsteen. Their highly anticipated self-titled album was released on August 30, 2011. It was featured in USA TODAY and was named one of the "50 best albums of the first half of 2011" by Guitar World Magazine. The band is currently finishing a new album with Producer Joel Ford of Ford & Lopatin, to be released June 2013.

Calling all Hobos, Twisters, Freaks, and Geeks: pogo the crust out yr eyes, and marvel in this blindingly bright, full color 3-D world of ours. The sunsets are getting more beautiful 'ery damn day thanks to pollution. You can order some psilocybin on the internet and watch nukes explode online all from the comfort of your own bed! Get outdoors cuz life is beautiful and everything is terrible. It's so yo gabba great that God itself is here. Why not R-O-C-K in the USA? From yr Bedrock in Cali-forn-i-a! Do the Flintstone flop and go WAY OUT! Close yr eyes and pretend yr a cave person (like you really have to pretend) and yr riding Space Mountain at Disneyland for the 1st time. Yeah friend! 2001 is here again! Welcome back to the future!

I'm a (music) nut. What kind of music am I into? Everything on the menu with extras on it. I can only choose one? I'll take ROCK 'N' ROLL, then. Rock 'n' Roll, in all it's twisted gnarly rooted glory, is what SHANNON AND THE CLAMS (da) do (ron ron) heads and tails above and more importantly, BEYOND the other troglodytes and biscuit-heads out there. Can a group be a "girl group" if there is only one girl in the group? Can a modern working band be considered "oldies"? No silly, but the rules are none, and anything goes, and this is PUNK, punk. Or is it rock ‘n’ roll, or whatever? It is SHANNON AND THE CLAMS and they do what they want. Do yrself a favor and tune in yr tinfoil hat. From pop ballads to doo woppers, bomp stompers and punk rippers, country clippers and some psych-o trippers, it's all R’n’R and it's all right there in the Clams’ hooded velvet trick bag. Ya feel lucky, punk?

SHANNON AND THE CLAMS are rumored to be from NOW in Oakland California and comprised of Shannon Shaw (vocals, bass), Cody Blanchard (vocals, guitar), and Ian Amberson (drums, vocals). What started as an open mic project for a shy, young Shannon to try out some tunes ended with the Clams meeting and forming a band. Many have said to have been possessed by thee (eerily similar at times) haunted howls and beautiful growls of their two lead vocalists, hypnotized by their heavy heartbeats, and mesmerized by their magical music. This is a ride that contains both thrills and chills so hold on tight. Your ears may become infested with a real Buddy Holly jolly kinda joy (oh boy) while you stutter along to a hiccupy song. Take a scratch and a sniff at these stickers and get bit by their bad-brained snarls. It's always Christmas (if you want it). It's your party time, and it's excellent. Cry-yi-yi if you want to, but be sure to surf a splish-splash with a laugh later.

The reality is, these Three Little Rascals broke free of our gang and their time, stopped thru the decades, soaked up the sounds ‘n’ spuds…. and like the lady and gentlemen they are, gifted us with the honor to hear their soundtrack of their brains – and their wonderful rock ‘n’ rule of the now and forever. SHANNON AND THE CLAMS present to all of us the greatest present: their first LP for Hardly Art, Dreams in the Rat House.

--NOBUNNY, 2013

Robin Huqueleux a.k.a Fear Club is a 23 year old musician, graphic designer and a “do-it-yourselfer” based in Paris, France. He began recording electronic music in 2012 influenced by the electronic sound of Toro y Moi and Washed Out. His sound is serving up addictive dreampop, ambient tunes that are perfect for the Spring and Summer seasons. He regularly collaborates with the melting vocals of 18-year-old Ashley Garcia living in Los Angeles. Fear Club aims to capture “our nostalgia of sunny days when summer is gone.”

New Zealand born Sasha Carlson (guitar/singer) loves to go on vacation. He basically lives for it. During one such vacation, he met Aussie born Toto Vivian (guitar/keys/BV’s), and the two bonded over a strong love of life and music. Spending the summer in the idyllic setting of Bryon Bay, the two soaked in the sun and spit it out into a bunch of well-crafted, neo-shoegaze, pop songs.

With summer coming to a close, Sasha convinced Toto to help him continue his vacation by taking a trip to London. After hanging out in the East End of London, they decided to make the vacation a permanent one. Joining up with British Thomas Beal (bass), they took up in a Hackney bedroom to self-record. Booked for their first gig, they had one problem – no drummer. Flying buddy Jacob Moore (drums) in from New Zealand a week before the gig, SPLASHH, named after a favorite childhood water park, has gotten off to a furious start and has never looked back.

Described as making happy, sun-drenched music that is inspired by the nostalgic spirit of the 90’s, Splashh’s sound is based on distorted grooves, dreamy nostalgia and melody. Filled with carefree attitude, their music transports the listener to the summers of yesteryear kicking back with good friends. It sounds of dreamy fuzz being thrust through the walls of your neighbor’s garage as the ‘slackers on summer holiday’ dream of adventure, fun and the open road. Leaving the beaches behind for a small bedroom in Hackney, the result is a myriad of floating fuzz laden grunge pop tunes with a punk twist.

Featuring singles “Vacation”, “Need It”, and “All I Wanna Do”, assembled together with unreleased material, Comfort will be released via Brooklyn indie Kanine Records this summer.

Diamond Youth is like the end of that romantic comedy where the lead actress finally realizes the guy she’s truly searching for has been by her side the entire time.” Claiming Baltimore as their home, members of Diamond Youth are spread across Richmond and Chicago as well, creating an obstacle in terms of actually practicing as a band. However, using tools of the trade such as 3-way iChat, garage band, and voice note files, Diamond Youth has released 2 EP’s in their short tenure since the summer of 2012. Despite the varying musical tastes of each member in Diamond Youth, they all share a very common back catalogue of bands who have inspired and defined their developing years as budding artists. From Weezer to Foo Fighters, Queens of the Stone Age, and all the way back to the Beach Boys, the influence these bands has had on Diamond Youth is ever-apparent in the music they write.

"Lawrence, Kansas' favorite sons (and daughter), Cowboy Indian Bear, make both a reaffirmation and a grand leap forward with their second full-length album Live Old, Die Young. It was captured alongside producer/engineer Joshua Browning and over three years that included a grueling touring regimen through multiple blizzards, blown tires, shouting matches in art galleries, travels to exotic locales and the loss of beloved family members. Trust that the joys and adversities of that period all find their way onto LO,DY in multiple ways. If their debut album Each Other All The Time was about constructing a framework, the laying of a foundation, their latest collection of ethereal indie rock is about the subtleties and embellishments that turn a house into a home. The individual memories and collective hardships of the quartet are spread throughout LO,DY like family portraits on a mantle. While all the pictures may be beautifully rendered and cleanly framed at first glance, a deeper look suggests something a little more difficult to work around. But life is not as linear as it is often idealized. Once again those challenges, both musically and narratively, are being put forth in Cowboy Indian Bear's work. LO,DY, however, is a testament to bonding, growth and family ties. If you look a bit closer the results are likely better – a lot better – than the last time you paid a visit. Maybe stay a while this time."

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.