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"The minute you hear Katherine Smith’s voice, you just can’t move away. It’s one of those rare voices that sounds like singing comes as naturally to her as breathing, and that casual power is what makes Lewis’ track “Hunter” so immediately enrapturing." - The Wild Honey Pie

"From the very first syllable she sings, you know Katherine Smith has something special. Her voice is smokey and powerful – reminiscent of other great songstresses such as Lana del Rey, Adele, Amy Winehouse – but with a sense that it all comes oh so naturally for her, that she’s not even trying to reach those notes or make your heart melt with every word she sings." -hillydilly

Self-proclaimed darlings of magic hour, C T Z N S H P are a mystical power-trio that are as mesmerizing as they are intense. While it’s only three tracks long, their EP “Swan Dive” will take you on a ride you’ll never forget.

With a fresh perspective on indie dreampop, Caveboy roots themselves in the primal and builds to multilayered experiences. Influenced by similar childhood identities, Caveboy is the culmination of the shared life experiences of its three members Michelle Bensimon (Lead Vocals, Guitar, Synth), Isabelle Banos (Synth, Bass, Backing Vocals) and Lana Cooney (Drums, Backing Vocals). They revel in ideas of fearlessness, self­-sufficiency, the extraordinary, and that which is feral and cannot be tamed.

Connecting through the pop music from their parents’ generation, the band works hard at developing their sound to utilize these respected musical elements while at the same time always trying to create new worlds of sound with their synthesizers, driving percussion, and symbolic lyricism inter­weaved with their Guitar/Bass/Drums core.

Their debut EP, released in October 2015, immediately began charting on Canadian college radio and broke the top National 25 on Earshot. Their music has been featured in Syfy’s “Killjoys”, MTV’s “Awkward” and Netflix’s “Orange is the New Black”.

The band continued to turn heads on a supporting tour with Dear Rouge and Rah Rah, and electrified audiences with showcases at Pop Montreal, CMJ, SXSW and CMW. Caveboy continues to make waves into the summer and fall festivals with performances at Glowfair, Sound of Music, Hillside, Pride Toronto, Osheaga, and Rifflandia.

With a powerful live set not to be missed, Caveboy are the band you'll be talking about the next day.

Formed in 2009 when two college dropouts turned roommates started writing pop songs together in their sweltering Chicago apartment, Stepdad has moved far from those roots, but the basic formula still hasn’t changed. Songwriters ultramark and Ryan McCarthy possess an ability to write high-energy pop songs laden with hooks that rival artists who happen to be filling stadiums - they’re a songwriting team with a great ear for melody, harmony, and song structure. Because of this, buzz quickly followed the release of their self-produced debut EP, Ordinaire (Quite Scientific, 2011).

Now hailing from Michigan’s west coast, they've had the amazing fortune of being able to work with producer Chris Zane (The Walkmen, Holy Ghost!, Friendly Fires, Passion Pit) on their debut album Wildlife Pop (Black Bell, 2012), toured with Fitz & The Tantrums, Reptar, Passion Pit, Vans Warped Tour, and have had songs featured in countless TV shows, commercials, and video games.

Recently the band expanded their line-up by adding longtime friend and guitarist Nathan K. (a well known Michigan songwriter and solo artist in his own right) and drummer Ben Weissenborn, replacing Jeremy Malvin (who has gone on to his own career as Chrome Sparks). Long time bassist Alexander Fives parted ways with the group in 2014.

Stepdad is ultramark, Ryan McCarthy, Nathan K., Ben Weissenborn

So many pieces of Savannah, GA three-piece The Casket Girls seemed to happen by accident. From their beginning - when electronic sound-shaper Ryan Graveface (Graveface Records, Dreamend, Black Moth Super Rainbow) found sisters Phaedra and Elsa Greene under a tree in one of Savannah's many squares, playing Autoharp and singing bizarre songs - to the night they composed their sophomore album, True Love Kills the Fairy Tale, under circumstances that fall somewhere between séance and dream state, nearly everything about The Casket Girls seems to have been inspired by some kind of spooky happenstance. But then again, the Greene sisters don't believe in accidents.

"I dropped off a shit ton of songs to the girls to work on one night," Graveface says of the genesis of True Love, the follow up to Casket Girls' critically acclaimed 2012 debut. "I went back to check on their progress, because they weren't answering their phones. I don't know if they dropped acid or what, but I walked in and Elsa was sobbing and reciting poetry while Phaedra was just staring straight ahead writing it all down, like catatonic. The next day they dropped off a CD and said, 'We don't even know what's on this. You can throw it in the garbage if you want.' I sat down and listened all the way through and cried.

Phaedra and Elsa had filled the disc with lilting, almost whimsical melodies about chemical hazes and love gone sour like a couple of fucked up Shangri-las, to which Graveface added a bevy of grinding, multi-dimensional psych-rock keys that will be familiar to anyone with a Graveface LP in their collection. It's this twisted and comforting charm, which set in motion the Graveface-Greene love affair in the first place, that relieves us from fear.

The Casket Girls have gained momentum and a substantial cult following due to the unflagging catchiness of their songwriting and the compelling development of their live stage show. They spent the last year and a half touring in support of BMSR and The Faint before growing into headliners in their own right. Last year, they released a self-titled EP on Record Store Day, and a "cassingle" cassette store day.

Singer and songwriter Jett Pace of Old Man Canyon has always been deeply invested in music and the artistic world. When he is not playing music his time is spent exploring photography, painting and film. Born and raised in Vancouver BC in the beautiful mountains of Lynn Valley, Jett has had a colourful history of musical endeavours including his beginnings in hip-hop and classical training on the cello.

"I've dabbled in many different genres and sounds over the years, but I really feel like exploring so many different avenues of sound has given me a very clear direction on what I am now writing for Old Man Canyon. It's basically a collaboration between all the different sounds I've loved from my past merged into one."

After High school Jett travelled for a year before coming back to Vancouver to begin playing in bands once again, but it wasn't until a previous project ended that Jett began writing songs for what would become the Phantoms & Friends EP. "This record is really about me trying to find myself and the world and my place within it, it was born from a desire find my potential and help others find theirs, I think thats really what these songs are about."

Since the release of the EP, Jett has been very busy touring and building a buzz for Old Man Canyon.

"When I haven't been touring and playing shows, I spend most of my time in my basement writing and recording demo's for what will be my next instalment of music, I am extremely excited about it, as I think it embodies more of the sound that I really want to perform and create, its a lot different then the EP, but I think it hits home for me, and you can dance to it."

The next set of recordings can be expected in 2014 along with many tours and other exciting things in the works. It is sure to be a great year for Old Man Canyon.

"Im really looking forward to this next year, with the new album and the live shows, I have a deep interest in how to bring live music in new ways that involve everyone more, I am constantly thinking how I can create a space that feels less divided between performer and audience. I think thats really the key to art is learning and then facilitating how to share it in the purest way possible to create an impact on who's there sharing that space with you"

Saddle up the horses and take your guns to town boys because the Sun Gods in Exile are back. After a three year silence Portland's God's of Southern Fried Biker Boogie Rock have cowboy-ed up and returned to shake the dried clay from your boots and put a little swagger in your step. Ten thunderous tracks titled "Thanks for the Silver" that add just a little more southern than fried this time around and take aim with their six shooters hitting the target every single time.

Formed in early 2008 by four guys that worship at the altar of vintage rock, Sun Gods In Exile is more than the sum of their respected pasts. After a brief stint in Boston's Cortez, Portland, Maine guitarist Anthony D'Agostino hooked up with old friend bassist JL, late of Ocean, to get back to basics and to play the kind of old school rock and roll that they both love. Augmented by the rock steady addition of Johnny Kennedy on drums and centered around the southern-fried vocals (and guitar) of Adam Hitchcock the boys of SGIE quickly became a club favorite all along the eastern seaboard, garnering opening slots with many including Roadsaw, Hackman, Mess With The Bull, The Brought Low and many others. Hearing what Tony & Co. had we here at Small Stone quickly signed Sun Gods In Exile and sent them into Mad Oak Studios to record their debut album “Black Light, White Lines.” 2010 saw the band making their debut at SXSW as well as trips up and down the coasts and a first foray across the pond. After three years and countless devastating live shows the band returned to Portland to re-group and write what would become "Thanks for the Silver." In the process, SGIE added a fifth full time member, Christopher Neal, on the keys as well as swapping JL for his brother Mark on bass.

"Thanks for the Silver" shows the Sun Gods in Exile truly coming into their own. Adam and the boys haven't just traded in their beer and muscle cars for whiskey and horses. "Thanks for the Silver" presents a band self-assured and self-aware with all the strength and swing of the first album and yet more mature at the same time. Christoper's adddition on organ, harmonica and slide guitar add flourishs only hinted at on "Black Light, White Lines" without detracting from the power that Mark and JK are pounding out. And Tony D hasn't given up a lick of ground when it comes to riffs and solos. Check it out and we hope you'll agree and say "Thanks for the Silver."

For fans of: Black Crowes, Allman Brothers, Blackfoot, The Brought Low, Infernal Overdrive, James Gang, AC~DC, Alice Cooper, Gideon Smith & The Dixie Dammned, Shame Club, The Cult, Dixie Witch, Roadsaw, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and Molly Hatchet.

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

Out in the surf of one of the most perfect swells the east coast has ever seen, Ricky Hamilton, Carter Luckfield, and Jared Chapman joined forces under the spirit of blackbear. The overwhelming good vibes urged them to devote their energy to making tasty music for the world to enjoy on their transistors at the beach. They then recorded "Geep Rangler" and "Elated" in a dorm bedroom in Nashville Tennessee. They gigged and decided to record a full length album called El Ano Del Surf. The first installment of El Ano Del Surf took shape as the "Eddie Would Go' E.P. released June 9th, 2012

Prawn formed in Ridgewood, NJ in the summer of 2007. The band has extensively toured the U.S., self released two EP’s and one tour demo. The band self-released their first full length "You Can Just Leave It All " in June 2011 and Topshelf Records released it on vinyl that winter. Prawn followed up their first full length with an EP/LP entitled "Ships." In the summer of 2012, Prawn made their first trip to Europe and the UK in the form of a five week tour. The band has continued touring throughout 2012 and 2013. A split release with Joie De Vivre is in the works for late 2013 and a new LP in early 2014.