BrandsForBands

Comprised of members Madwreck and Matt Cagle's complementary production skills, Dirty Art Club channels psychedelic electronica layered with thoughtful nods to hip hop, dreamy beats and dark, melancholy undertones. Hailing from North Carolina, Dirty Art Club debuted their first album "Heavy Starch" in 2011. Serving seamless sonic collages replete with digital instrumentation and analog synths, their EP "Hexes" is released on Phonosaurus Records.

"It's somewhere between cliché and painfully appropriate to call Cardboard Lamb's debut their Singles Going Steady, but like the Buzzcocks collection, Don't Forget to Die never lets up with pop hooks and infectious riffs, almost taunting us with its effortless charm and refusal to let us take a seat. The LA-based quartet makes it sound so easy. Their debt to post-punk foundation stones like Wire, Mission of Burma, and The Sound are obvious seconds into opening track "Bedside Manner" but unlike their influences, they've hit us with a debut that comes on like slapstick black comedy, almost asking us to grin through a series of misfortunes and heartbreaking tales. The man most obviously responsible for this quality, guitarist, vocalist, lyricist, and masochist Colin Ambulance, pens lyrics that betray the tears of a clown or maybe a court jester who realizes the punch line of his next joke is his head in a guillotine basket. So how does a man with such biting wit find his perfect foil in a band that sounds so refreshingly upbeat? Cardboard Lamb rarely lose a sense of optimism, whether subtle or overblown, but always facilitating an undercurrent of simplicity, like listlessly kicking rocks while discovering the silver lining in a horizon out of Something Wicked This Way Comes. It saturates "Bedside Manner", soaking into the space between the erratic melodies criss-crossing and weaving though each other. The messy charm permeates the album and oddly runs on a faithful sense of organization within the design of Cardboard Lamb. The members of Cardboard Lamb strongly adhere to their predestined roles from song to song, never straying far from their purpose, but when it works this well, why would they ever need to? "German Judge", sounding like Joy Division on uppers, features all of the hallmarks of the band's high energy post-punk. The schizophrenic frenzy of Ambulance's serrated guitars swing between controlled tantrums of shredding and unpredictable projectile riffing while Jared Keller's bass lines anchor with a tight rhythm and guttural tone. Of course, this wouldn't be a Colin Ambulance production if the anchor provided much restraint, so Don't Forget to Die often finds Keller bouncing along beside Ambulance, like two hummingbirds on tethers, moving faster than we can process, touching down but never landing. Michelle Reeves is heavily relied on to blanket the jittery melodies in swathes of synth, never compromising the energy, rather defining the soul at the theme of the song while Tom Ackerman's instinctual beats frantically drive the song further beyond its own limit than the song itself realizes, though Cardboard Lamb doesn't keep us around for the inevitable collapse. We only get the energy. Meanwhile, Ambulance narrates the whole affair like a cartoon aghast at his own soul and even more aghast at the lack of soul in those surrounding him. Everyone is sure to have their favorite moment on Cardboard Lamb's debut, with the others not far behind. Of course, this leaves this brilliantly energetic group the unenviable task of creating a follow-up so incredible as to not immortalize Don't Forget to Die as their greatest hits." -Seth Styles

In the grandest tradition of pop, Paper Pilots' sound is intently familiar. Sitting somewhere between the worlds of contemporary indie pop and 60's British rock music, Los Angeles arrival Justin David Bocchieri sets forth to revive classic songwriting by way of lush, grandiose arrangements and illustrated by lyrical waxing worthy of dialogue banter between Ringo & Marc Bolan during Born To Boogie. Aiming for the pristine melodic heights of The Zombies' Odyssey & Oracle, or Bacharach with a sense of psychedalia ala Revolver, with the lead off track Lacksadaisical, their EP quickly moves into noisier territory through the kind of orchestrated rock inspired by early Scott Walker or Bowie and honed by The Last Shadow Puppets. The short journey touches down gently in the modern folk territory of Sondre Lerche, The Shins or even Belle & Sebastian, with the frail, but joyous crescendo of My Home. Paper Pilots debut EP features contributions from drummer Stephen Edelstein (Caught A Ghost), bassist Ryan Hailey (Orlando Napier Band), lead guitar Evan Winsor (Bluegrass band, The Get Down Boys), and a first time behind the producer's desk for John Girgus (Ex-Sarah Records Aberdeen). It was recorded and mixed with Ülysses Nöriega who has worked recently with The Wedding Present, The Mars Volta amongst many others. Musicianship shines with a production aesthetic somewhere between the golden age of the 1970s and all mod cons. '...their first single "Lacksadaiscal" (that's on purpose, that title) and the B-side "Catch the Lamplight Low" give you an idea of where they're are headed. It's someplace good.' -Buzzbands.la

Big Tree is an indie pop quintet, conjuring up "the kind of twee-rock that follows in the footsteps of The New Seekers and The Free Design with their sweetly enchanting sound which rings both lushly produced and delightfully rag-tag DIY at the same time. A much smaller, earthier Polyphonic Spree, if you will." Born in the Big Apple, the five-piece recently relocated to sunny California, where they've quickly become a thriving element of the Bay Area music scene. The band's past three years have seen 4 cross-country tours, two full length albums, two Daytrotter Sessions, the NYC Deli Magazine Band of the Month title, and over 250 incredible shows. This environmentally-minded group gets from show to show in a tour van that runs on recycled vegetable oil, bought with the help and support of their fans.

Big Tree is still growing and expanding with the release of their second full length album This New Year. This New Year finds the band expanding on a sound that is "a difficult one to classify, but an easy one to enjoy" (Fensepost). It is infectious pop music splashed with colorful harmonies, driven by pulsing rhythms, unique time signatures, group vocals, and poetic quirky imagery. Kaila McIntyre-Bader, Anna Ghezzi, Luke Bace, Dan Pirello, and Matt Schory have been called "fiercely talented" (Prarie Dog) and "remarkably captivating" (Magnet Magazine). Growing roots on the West Coast, Big Tree is ready to defy the limits of pop music and show the world a new genre that can be enjoyed by hipsters, hippies, and mainstream masses alike.

"Love Stinks... yeah, yeah"

Heartbreak is a strange and complicated enough thing to deal with on its own. There are a bevy of raw emotions it brings tumbling forth. It sends even the most level-headed among us down some strange paths - towards some odd decisions. All that happens in the aftermath seems magnified to the nth degree.

So, what to do when your ex forms a band with someone else's ex?

Naturally, you call that 'someone else' up... and form a new band of your own.

Well, that's how it started anyhow. Alicia Gbur and Christian Doble traded post-breakup wallowing for an outlet of creative productivity by joining forces with friends Matt Rickle and Mike Spence - as well as each other - in a time they usually would have reserved for sleepless nights and regrettable text messages. And thus, FAWN was born a band not necessarily defined by heartbreak, but undeniably inspired by it.

From the heart of the ever-budding Detroit Music Scene, the band's members are no strangers to rock-as-release endeavors - having had prominent roles in such diverse acts as Kiddo, The Von Bondies, Thunderbirds are Now!, Javelins, and Those Transatlantics. They come bearing gifts of day-dreams-in-ripped-jeans anthems alongside spunky, angular beats and boy/girl harmonies sung with poise and fervor. While referential lines may be drawn from FAWN to slew of 90's touchstones (The Jesus & Mary Chain, The Breeders, Juliana Hatfielt) or the modern day slacker-rock of Yuck or Surfer Blood, it is not simply an exercise in brooding nostalgia.

The quartet evokes a certain undeniable positivity even when the cadence of the melodies start to go to a more somber place. It's the kind of music to blast with your car windows open immediately after quitting your job at the mall. FAWN masters the art of mature indie-pop while still winking and letting you know everything is going to be okay; it's is an express elevator out of 'the dumps.'

Roland Pemberton was born with hip hop in his DNA. His father, Teddy Pemberton, a Brooklyn native and the muse for Cadence Weapon's acclaimed sophomore album, Afterparty Babies, was a pioneering college radio DJ and in 2010 was inducted into the Hall Of Fame during Canada's National DJ Awards, the Stylus Awards. He's credited for introducing hip-hop to Rollie's hometown of Edmonton, Alberta through his show, The Black Experience In Sound on CJSR-FM.

Following in his father's groundbreaking footsteps, Rollie discovered he wanted to rap at the tender age of 13. Pemberton first gained massive grassroots support for his mixtape "Cadence Weapon Is The Black Hand". He soon followed up with his explosive debut "Breaking Kayfabe" and the album yielded instant praise and notoriety culminating in nominations from the Polaris Music Prize, the Canadian Indie Awards and "Best Rap Album of 2006" at the Plug Independent Music Awards, and won the CBC Radio 3's Bucky Award.

Pemberton has performed with Public Enemy, De La Soul, Mos Def, Questlove, Kool Keith and Lupe Fiasco and toured extensively with acts as diverse as Jurassic 5, Final Fantasy, Islands and Buck 65. He's played internationally renowned festivals such as Glastonbury, Lollapalooza, Roskilde, Pitchfork Music Festival, Incubate and Germany's Splash! Festival. He's remixed Grimes, Roots Manuva, Chad VanGaalen, Kid Sister, Busdriver, Disco D and Stars and made acclaimed bootleg mixes of tracks by Ciara ("Oh") and Rick Ross/Simian Mobile Disco ("Hustlin' Hustler"). He inked deals with labels Epitaph and Big Dada. Most impressively, this was before he reached age of majority.

Deemed by Dazed and Confused as "hip hop's saviour", Cadence Weapon is changing the game. Hope In Dirt City is a clearly defined and emotionally mature statement of intent that represents the culmination of these experiences. Pemberton applies an interesting approach to production using samples as a foundation for writing the album, then working with live instrumentalists (Jered Stuffco (DVAS) on keyboards, Ian Koiter (Shad) on bass and string arrangements, Eric Lightfoot on drums and percussion, Paul Prince (The Cansecos) on guitar and Brett Miles (Magilla Funk Conduit) on saxophone) to reconfigure his original compositions. Pemberton then turned the band-recorded tracks into samples for the album to "achieve a listenable, honest approach to integrating a live band into his setup". "I wanted to have a live feel, but I didn't want to sound like the Arsenio Hall band," Pemberton told Paste. "I wanted to make it ambiguous between where the sample ends and the live band begins." Referencing his album's first single "Conditioning" Pemberton goes on to say, "Originally it was a drum machine demo, I wanted it to be a Bo Diddley song. I basically have a band play it as a rock song, then when I took it home, I switched it into half time and turned it into a hybrid-blues track."

Composed of a unique hybrid of psychedelic soul, old school rap, IDM and mutant disco; Hope In Dirt City is a groundbreaking achievement in hip-hop. Cadence Weapon has returned to bring rap back to its essence.

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.

Ajay Bhattacharyya and Amy Kirkpatrick, both 25, first came together two years ago in their hometown of Victoria on Canada's Vancouver Island. Kirkpatrick had moved to Vancouver proper, where she started using her training to do lights for the city's biggest clubs. Bhattacharyya, meanwhile, had come to the city to study sound design for film.

From the circuit-bending tonalities mirroring Nine Inch Nails to the feminine aspect evoking the mystical eroticism of Lykke Li, The Data Romance E.P. provides the first taster of what to expect from the band's full-length album, due out in 2012.

Formed by Dedric and Delaney Moore, the brothers took their dream of Italian Cinema soundtracks, 60's Bollywood, and Pink Floyd and stirred in a mixture of space-rock, dub, electronica and psychedelica to create the sound of Monta At Odds. Previously known as Monta on the world-wide acclaimed Unsuspecting album, the name was expanded along with the band members. Next followed Gringo as their homage to western-influenced Italian Cinema. In 2009, Outono was released on limited edition clear vinyl to great acclaim. Next followed Fuoco Infernale (translation Hellfire) released world-wide on Upstairs Recordings in 2010 and then the expanded edition of Unsuspecting on Upstairs this past summer. Monta At Odds' seven-piece ensemble has shared the stage with greats like The Flaming Lips, Shiny Toy Guns, Larkin Grimm, Scout Niblett, Our Brother The Native, Cave, The Roman Numerals, and The Octopus Project. Monta At Odds have had their music in several feature films, short films and television adverts. Monta At Odds are currently working with nationally-respected visual artist Barry Anderson to compose music for his art installation project showing in Los Angeles at the end of summer.

What? As fresh and as clean as your soap dish, The Ivorys from Chicago, IL harness the love of classic rock but with a new spin. Through influences ranging from The Stooges and The Rolling Stones, to The Strokes, The White Stripes, and Arctic Monkeys; there is no doubt that this power trio has developed a retro but catchy sound that is sure to enrapture your interest in more ways than one. "Piece of Mind" is a sure standout track on the new recordings by the band with new member Neil Candelora. "Piece of Mind" showcases some of the bands best work in the raw, herky-jerky rocker. Be sure to see the band perform to get the full idea of what the band is all about- energetic, and fun rock 'n' roll that you are not afraid to sing along to.

Who? The Ivorys are longtime friends. Brendan Lazar (Drums/Percussion/Vocals) has known Sam White (Bass Guitar/Lead Vocals) since they were wee young in kindergarten. The Ivorys officially formed when Lazar met Robert Thomas in high school on Chicago's near south side in 2003. In December of 2009, Neil Candelora took over the Guitar and Vocal duties. The three grouped together in Lazar's basement to write and rehearse all of their material. Soon enough, their first self titled EP sprouted from the dust, the gigs were forming, and The Ivorys were well on their way to a fast following in Chicago through opening for bands such as The Redwalls, Mondo Diao, and Badfish to name a few. They soon fell under the wing of Chicago music producer, Ira Antelis where the band still records all of their material at his downtown recording studio.

Quick Facts • Showcased for Music Dealer's at SXSW 2009/ Hardrock Cafe Chicago 2011 • Performed at notable venues in Chicago like Metro (headlined twice), House of Blues (supporting Badfish and The Redwalls), Double Door (supporting Mondo Diao), Beat Kitchen (supporting The Hard Lessons and Monty Are I), Subterranean (supporting Locksley), and Bottom Lounge among others. •Supported National Acts such as The Redwalls, Das Racist, Locksley, Oberhofer • Have been on three self booked tours of the midwest and east coast • Showcased on FOX local news and in the Redeye • Song "Can't Stop" has appeared on WXRT's Local Anesthetic

FOR FANS OF Kings Of Leon The Black Keys The White Stripes The Strokes MUSE Arctic Monkeys The Fratellis OK GO The Raconteurs The Rolling Stones