Home School Valedictorian, the sophomore CD from Las Vegas quartet Adelitas Way, earns an “A” for execution, even managing to top the band’s forcefully compelling 2009 self-titled debut and its chart-topping single “Invincible.” On Home School Valedictorian, Philly-born singer/songwriter Rick DeJesus pens lyrics that are full of relatable pain and pathos in songs like memorably intense rockers “Sick,” and “The Collapse,” rife with heavy, edgy, melodic musicality, creating modern hard rock at once both eloquent and primal.

The last two years have been nothing short of amazing for Adelitas Way—playing at the 2010 Jets/Patriots game, touring arenas with bands including Theory Of A Deadman and Shinedown, their song ‘Scream” in Saw 3D , not to mention “Invincible” becoming the official theme song for WWE Superstars and used on the ‘CSI: Miami” finale. Yet while DeJesus’ gratitude, positivity and charisma is palpable, he often comments lyrically on the darker side of humanity. “The title Home School Valedictorian reflects the fact you meet a lot of people who are ungrateful for the things they’ve been given in life,” the singer notes. “When I think of a ‘Home School Valedictorian,’ I think of someone who’s spoiled and very into themselves, they think they’re the only reason that the world’s going around. I think that’s the opposite of what our band is; we’re very humble guys, we’re very easygoing, we’re very outgoing. The fact that I get to wake up and play for fans and play music, I’m beyond fortunate. But I’ve met a lot of people who don’t see it that way.”

Red Giant

Mouth Wired Shut

Allo Darlin'

Allo Darlin’ is the music of Australian-born, London-based songwriter Elizabeth Morris. Originally from a country town in Queensland, Elizabeth moved to London in 2005 and, inspired to write songs by her purchase of a ukulele from the famous Duke of Uke shop in Brick Lane, began to make music.

Although Elizabeth has been releasing music under various guises since 2007, it wasn’t until 2009 that Elizabeth hooked up with Paul Rains (guitar), Bill Botting (bass) and Michael Collins (drums) and Allo Darlin’ was properly born. Elizabeth and Bill are from Australia, Mike and Paul are from Kent, and they all play in other bands too – Elizabeth is in Tender Trap, Paul and Michael are in Hexicon, Bill is one half of Moustache of Insanity and also in Darren Hayman and the Secondary Modern.

Early in 2009, augmented by Terry Edwards of Tindersticks / Gallon Drunk fame on trumpet and sax, Allo Darlin’ cut their first single, “Henry Rollins Don’t Dance,” released in 2009 on the cult WeePOP label. Much to their surprise, “Henry Rollins” started getting airplay on BBC Radio 1, 6 Music and XFM and the like, and received glowing reviews in places such as the Metro, The Fly and The Guardian, the latter calling it “the best indiepop song for years”. The band’s single that followed, “The Polaroid Song,” was named as one of Drowned In Sound’s Top 50 singles of 2009, while their latest single “Dreaming” was voted Single Of The Week by Jarvis Cocker, Peter Hook and Huw Stephens on Steve Lamacq’s BBC 6music round table (beating MGMT, The Radio Dept. and Kate Nash in the process!).

The Wave Pictures

"The Wave Pictures may be on the cusp of a major breakthrough, and like all overnight sensations, it has taken them a long time to get there. This Loughborogh three-piece have gigged sporadically over the last decade, yet only now, on the eve of the release of debut album Instant Coffee Baby, are they attracting the kind of attention that means this last night of a four-week London residency is a torturously cramped affair. Their appeal is not hard to understand. They play charming, witty pop songs shot through with Jonathan Richman's gawky glee and Suede's doomed provincial romanticism. If Jarvis Cocker were to sing with the Modern Lovers, he might produce a song like Leave The Scene Behind, a piquant account of being brusquely rejected by a beautiful social climber. They are a sharp imaginative band, but The Wave Pictures are all about guitarist and singer David Tattersall, a waspish naif who wears his heart on his ragged sleeve. They owe a certain debt to the Smiths, and Tattersall has Morrissey's knack of marrying the ridicukous and the sublime in an exquisite, tautly turned phrase: "I've seen you selling shoes, but you've never heard me sing," he sighs on the bathetic but undeniably gorgeous Now You Are Pregnant. Similarly, We Dress Up Like Snowmen and I Love You Like A Madman are far more poignant than their throwaway titles would imply, and this packed indie sweatbox palpably throbs with entusiasm. The Wave Pictures will soon be playing far bigger venues than this - it was a privilege to see them here" Ian Gittins, Guardian Gig Review.

Gomez Addams

“From the Reach,” Sonny Landreth’s ninth album, is the first to be released on his own Landfall label. On it, the Louisiana-based slide guitar wizard does something unprecedented in his body of work, as he collaborates with five of the greatest guitar players on the planet – Eric Clapton, Mark Knopfler, Robben Ford, Eric Johnson and Vince Gill – for some jaw-dropping performances. Also making a house call is legendary New Orleans pianist and singer Dr. John and iconic Gulf Coast troubadour Jimmy Buffett. On the opener, “Blue Tarp Blues,” Sonny trades solos with Knopfler, and the aural contrast between Sonny’s shimmering slide and the Dire Straits leaders’ biting Strat is a textural treat. Clapton cuts loose on the following “When I Still Had You,” adding his soulful voice to the choruses as well. Slowhand then wails on “Storm Of Worry”, a spooky slow blues reminiscent of his Bluesbreakers era. 

“The Milky Way Home” is a powerful instrumental rocker that features Eric Johnson on delectably distorted guitar passages that morph into his trademark violin-like sound. “The Goin’ On” shifts into a country rock groove, with Vince Gill and Sonny alternating guitar solos and lead vocals. Robben Ford brings his soulful tone and phrasing to “Way Past Long” and “Blue Angel (the latter with Gill on backing vocals), as Landreth swaps his trusty Strat for a Les Paul. Each of these performances is an extraordinary showcase of brilliant players reacting to each other in supremely inspired fashion. “I’ve wanted to make this kind of record for a long time – to do an entire album that would feature some of my favorite players as special guests,” says Landreth, who’s as articulate as he is virtuosic. “And after all these years, I’ve gotten to become friends with them, so that addressed the question of, who do you ask? Every one of them wanted to do it, so that really fired me up.” 

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Brickhouse Blues Band

A New Orleans classic Shrimp Po Boy sandwich with authentic creole remoulade, lettuce and tomato on a fresh baked French baguette served with house Yukon gold fries. $11

Jess Klein

A folk troubadour whose talents have been lauded on the national and international scene for almost a decade, Jess Klein writes songs that tell the story of the soul – from wrenching heartbreak to finding the strength to pick up and move on.

Now, on her seventh studio album, Bound To Love, Jess Klein has created an Americana gem that speaks to the troubadour in all of us. Inspired by a move to Austin in summer of 2008, she evokes the dusty roots of Texas songwriters and melds them into her own blend of spot-on, speak-to-the-heart lyrics, percussive guitar and a voice as sweet as it is strong.

Jess Klein emerged from the Boston music scene in 1998 with her independent release, Wishes Well Disguised, but it was her later releases – 2000’s Draw Them Near, 2005’s Strawberry Lover and 2006’s City Garden that would capture the attention of critics and fans worldwide.

The New York native picked up the acoustic guitar and started writing songs while living as a student abroad in Kingston, Jamaica in her late teens.  Her first songs reflected a bittersweet culture shock as well as the warmth and musical vibrancy of these new surroundings.

Klein returned to the states, moved to Boston, and began performing locally. After independently releasing her first two albums, winning the Telluride Troubadour Songwriting Contest, and garnering several Boston Music Award nominations, Klein was spotted and signed to Rykodisc in 2000 by then-president George Howard.  Her first release for Ryko, Draw Them Near, [3.5 stars, USA Today], launched Klein on a worldwide tour where, among other highlights, her relaxed confidence and rootsy soulfulness wowed 70,000 attendees at the Fuji Rock Festival in Japan.

Kenny White

Kenny White is a relative newcomer to the world of the touring singer-songwriter, but the long road he’s driven to get to this point is evident in his soulful and witty material accompanied by dazzling keyboards and guitar. He has released four CDs since 2001. The latest, Comfort in the Static on Wildflower Records, was released to critical acclaim in the US and Europe. Pete Fornatale, (WFUV) declared it his “favorite album of the year … riveting … compelling” and David Crosby describes him as “A true wordsmith and musician who reveals a fine sense of humor, as well. He has earned a place among my favorite singer/songwriters.”

Kenny began his career in the 1970s touring extensively as the keyboard player for Jonathan Edwards and Livingston Taylor. He then became a fixture in the NY studio scene throughout the 1990s, producing and arranging literally hundreds of commercials for TV and radio, beginning with “The Unsinkable Taste of Cheerios,” and nearly seven years of Chevrolet’s “Heartbeat of America” campaign. Commercials enabled him to work with artists like Gladys Knight, Linda Ronstadt, Ricky Skaggs, Aaron Neville and even the London Symphony Orchestra. Kenny also worked on many film soundtracks as a contributing writer/musician, including Message in a Bottle, A Walk on the Moon, Where the Heart Is, and four films by John Sayles. He produced Shawn Colvin’s Grammy-nominated song, “I Don’t Know Why” and performed on Marc Cohn’s platinum debut record.

Nate Jones

Steve Kimock is hitting the road in 2012 under his own moniker. For his first large-scale touring project in two years, he will bring along for the ride, Wizard of Woo Bernie Worrell on keys (Parliament Funkadelic, Talking Heads), drummer Wally Ingram (Sheryl Crow, David Lindley), and bassists Andy Hess (Gov’t Mule, Black Crowes) and Reed Mathis (Tea Leaf Green, SKB). The band will be debuting new material and celebrating Kimock’s rich catalog of music more than 30 years in the making.

JP & The Chatfield Boys

With raucous guitar riffs, velvety vocals and hook-laden melodies, Simplified has been hailed as one of music's most interesting and, ironically, most complex bands on the circuit today. Fusing elements of rock, reggae, funk, and roots, the rollicking quartet has not only stunned critics with their intricate songwriting and versatile stage show but also managed to create a sound all their own … a sound that appears to be stimulating the masses.

In fact, in just seven years since the band's inception, Simplified has not only performed more than 2,000 shows, but they have also earned the respect of such renown artists as O.A.R., whose saxophone player Jerry Depizzo helped produce their latest album. But don't be fooled. Simplifieds’ journey hasn't always been an easy one. The band has done everything – from the writing, recording and even the distribution of their four albums - completely on their own.

"We are proud to have released three studio records, one live album, an E.P. and even two music videos without the help of a record label," said Simplified guitarist Chris Sheridan. That's not the only thing the band has done on its own. They've also managed to continue to reinvent themselves with each and every new record – a feat not often seen in today's sedentary music scene.

Their latest release Brighter Days is a testament to the band's musical evolution. Calling it "honest, organic rock," Simplifieds newest effort embodies a bolder, more defiant sound than the previous albums and marks a focused vision for the band. Part of the shift in direction was, in part, due to the all-star team of engineers that were brought in by Jerry Depizzo, including Jeff Juliano (Dave Mathews Band, Jason Mraz, John Mayer, Train) and Brian Lucey (The Black Keys, O.A.R., Sami Yusef). "We are all very proud of our new album, says Sheridan."It's the best project we've done so far and we are excited to get it out for people to hear it.” "When we started the band back in 2004 we had more of a “jam rock” kind of thing going on that incorporated everything from funk and country to soul," said Vocalist Clee Laster. "Yet, for our new album, we're definitely taking on a more rock-driven sound. It wasn't a conscious decision to look for a certain sound or style. It just happened.”

The Burning River Ramblers

Memoryhouse didn’t actually set out to be a band. It took form as a collaborative project meant to serve as an artistic outlet for composer Evan Abeele and photographer Denise Nouvion. Evan, a dedicated student of classical music and a pop-music encyclopedist, intended Memoryhouse to be a multimedia art project, pairing his instrumental compositions with Denise’s photographs and short films. Combining their musical and visual artwork seemed the most promising, and least unhealthy, strategy for battling archetypal adolescent angst worsened by the paralyzing effects of Canadian winter. What they wanted was to test ways to blur the boundaries between genres, to weave a synthesis of music and photography. As Denise explains their collaborative cross-media process, “we start with photos that we want to write around, to give us some kind of aesthetic grounding.”

“When people think of music today, they try to compartmentalize it into different genres,” Evan observes. “I think the sound we have right now fits ‘out’ of time, but, obviously, is still ‘in’ our time. It’s something that could have happened many years ago, but it also sounds contemporary.”

Memory, then, both in terms of looking back and as embedded in contemporary culture, is the basis of the Memoryhouse project. The band’s name itself commemorates the work of German neo-classical composer/artist Max Richter, specifically his 2001 album Memoryhouse, as well as the watershed impact of that album on the Abeele-Nouvion project. As Evan explained in an interview with Pitchfork, “for me, in my musical development, there was a ‘before Memoryhouse’ and an ‘after Memoryhouse’…Hearing that fundamentally changed the way I approached composition. I just wanted to pay tribute to that. I wanted to have that to ground us, wherever we took our own music.”

Where Evan and Denise took their own music was a quick distance from where they began, recording, refining, and conceptualizing their aural-visual collage in the bedroom of a suburban family home. Individually and together, they experimented with themes, lyrics and multiple layers of instrumentation, with Nouvion’s soft, ethereal voice anchoring the frozen textures of Abeele’s compositions with frank sentimentality—a uniqure approach towards humanizing the electro-pop compositions they were creating.

Their first extended stint as performers made for a huge learning curve, but after a few extended tours in Europe and the United States, they were soon signed by Seattle’s legendary Sub Pop Records. And in September 2011 Memoryhouse released an improved version of their original home-recorded EP The Years on Sub Pop.

Summerays

Races

Born from a witch’s cauldron, roeVy is a DJ / VJ duo from Columbus, Ohio which started in 2008. The group is largely based around a high energy live show that puts as much emphasis on visuals as the music. Visuals are set specific and closely coordinated to the music live.

Smoke Screen

Blackbird

Headhertz