THE DUDES - Dropkick Queen Of The WeekendJust the band name alone,
THE DUDES, pretty much sums up the times we live in, the slang we use, and their slack style and the warm, familiar feeling of their music. From up North in Calgary, these dudes have had songs placed on hit Canadian TV shows like "Whistler" and "Falcon Beach", and are in the middle of a full Canadian tour through March. Management: Rob Pattee. Needs: US booking.
THE DUDES – Brain Heart Guitar – Load Music {Canada only}
BANG CAMARO – Push Push (Lady Lightning)Ever wonder what would happen if you created the US version of THE DARKNESS and added a touch of classic American rock like, BOSTON?
BANG CAMARO! Metalheads actually from Boston, Mass, legend has it that this band has 20, that’s right, TWENTY singers on stage, crushing you at the same time! Management: Ralph Jaccodine. Needs: Booking.
BAND CAMARO – Bang Camaro - No label.
THE WILDBIRDS – Shake Shake‘
Shake Shake’ shimmers with hints of KINGS OF LEON, BLACK CROWS, and even a little George Michael’s ‘
Faith’. How’d they get this Motown vibe hailing from Fox Valley, Wisconsin??? The demos that make up their forthcoming full length strut and testify like my preacher on Sunday morning. Needs: Management, booking. Legal: David Stein.
THE WILDBIRDS - Demos – PRC/Universal.
THE NOISES 10 – DistanceNo stranger to FUTURE SOUNDS,
THE NOISES 10 are clearly my favorite band from North Carolina. I’ve tipped them before, but they keep delivering amazing new tracks as ‘
Distance’ proves. Billboard named them a buzz band, and labels are now making the trip to see them sell out their NC show. It’s only a matter of time before their noise is heard everywhere. Management: Andy Johnson. Needs: Booking.
THE NOISES 10 – Summer EP – No label.
DIKTA – Someone, SomewhereI know, for a second you think that COLDPLAY have gone back to the ‘
Spiders’ era songs that made us love them, but this track is actually by Iceland’s
DIKTA. Signed to the same label as BJORK and SIGOR ROS in Iceland, the band is just starting to stretch their legs to the UK and are crafting plans for the US. It may be tougher to say Haukur Heiðar Hauksson than Chris Martin, but perhaps Haukur may settle for just being Dikta.
You can bet they’ll get a lot of Coach Ditka jokes as well. Needs: UK/US booking.
DIKTA – Hunting For Happiness – Badtaste Music.
THE EPOCHS – Stand Up And Be CountedBrooklyn’s
THE EPOCHS are a four-piece - two being the Holladay brothers - that have this funky kinda GUILIMOTS sound. They refer to themselves as “electronic/rock/pop”, and that either captures all that they are, or doesn’t even scratch the surface. Diesel Jeans picked a track of theirs as the ‘Best American Rock Song’, and new songs are beginning to surface for their next release.
THE EPOCHS – The Epochs – No label.
COCO B’S – Modern LoverThe COCO B’S remind me of my favorite kind of DINOSAUR JR/alternative rock songs from back in the day: lots of hooks, nothing flashy, just rock and roll from any US town that drinks PBR and likes it loud. These demos were completely done by the band, and they sit ready for release to someone that understands great music.
Needs: Management, booking.
COCO B’S – Demos – No label.
GOTYE – LearnaligivinanlovinFrom Melbourne, Australia, the one-man machine known as
GOTYE comes off sounding like a mix of JAMIE LIDELL meets GO WEST. Described as the Australian BECK, this song is the feel good song of this month’s CD. His self-released album sold 22,000 copies in Australia with no promo budget and was awarded the Triple j Album of the Year.
Manager: Danny Rogers. Needs: Booking, legal.
GOTYE – Like Drawing Blood – No label.
THE TEMPER TRAP – My SunThe second of three acts on Future Sounds 26 from Melbourne, Australia,
THE TEMPER TRAP have just completed tours with KASABIAN, MODEST MOUSE, THE DEARS & SPANK ROCK. Coming up they are performing at the Laneway and V Festivals in Australia. The 3-song EP that was sent my way could’ve had any one of the songs as a pick, but ‘
My Sun’ encapsulates their mix of fury and drive. Lunatic Management. Needs: Booking, legal.
THE TEMPER TRAP – The Temper Trap EP – No label.
LIONS & TIGERS – ZaireLIONS & TIGERS had me from hello. ‘
Zaire’ roars and purrs as these New Yorkers (by way of Martha’s Vineyard) should be on everyone’s hip list soon enough. Dark, bohemian, post punk, they are already working on their upcoming full length called
Saxon that is ready to pop soon. Management: Will Suter. Needs: Booking.
LIONS & TIGERS – Zaire Single – No label.
LOVELIKEFIRE - Wish You DeadSan Francisco’s
LOVELIKEFIRE have been my darlings for a few months now. Singer
Ann Yu is an absolute firebomb, and the early demos from their latest studio efforts continue to impress me. Part INTERPOL, part YEAH YEAH YEAHS, they still manage to infuse their San Francisco dark roots into each song (
Sometimes I wish you dead, my friend). MTV-CHI is onto them, just got ink in Performer Magazine, my secret is out.
Needs: Management, booking.
LOVELIKEFIRE – Demos ¬– No label
WINTERGREEN – When I Wake UpAnother Los Angeles band,
WINTERGREEN have been discovered by Spin Magazine and local bloggers, as their The Extended Play EP (Mt Fuji) is getting noticed for their MORRISSEY-like fullness. The video for this song, directed by Keith Schofield, about the Atari Game E.T. is amazing! Needs: Management, booking.
WINTERGREEN – The Extended Play EP – Mt. Fuji.
VICTOR SCOTT – Gotta GoFrom Vancouver, Canada (originally London),
VICTOR SCOTT’s unique stylings have already gained him attention throughout the ‘blog circuit’, especially in the UK. His first record was released as an mp3 download on SVC Records in the UK only, Victor’s lo-fi, 4-track sound blends his love for jazz with all things twisted and outside the city limits.
Happy Days has something missing in most releases these days - a sense of humor. Needs: Management, booking, legal.
VICTOR SCOTT – Happy Days - No label.
APARTMENT – PressuresComing in at almost six minutes long, referencing ‘cocaine’ in it’s chorus, it’s against all the rules that
APARTMENT’s ‘
Pressures’ was added to over 17 regional radio stations in it’s first day in the UK. With the sophistication of ROXY MUSIC, David Caggiari’s voice has a dynamic range. No stranger to Future Sounds, the band’s album
The Dreamer Evasive just received 4 out of 5 in The Fly, and the NME loved this single. Booking: Justin Hirschman. Management: Jack Steven.
APARTMENT – The Dreamer Evasive ¬ - Fleet Street Records.
CLAIRE BOWDITCH & THE FEEDING SET – Lips Like OrangesWhat’s going on in Melbourne? The Aussie trifecta is completed by a gal whose voice is luscious, coming from lips like oranges in
CLAIRE BOWDITCH. Her new album will be ready mid year for the world after winning ‘Best Female Artist’ at this years’ Australian ARIA awards. Originally from Canada, she’s opened for the likes of CAT POWER and ELVIS COSTELLO, and looks to visit the UK and US in 2007.
Management: Danny Rogers, Lunatic Entertainment. Needs: US label, US/UK booking.
CLAIRE BOWDITCH & THE FEEDING SET – What Was Left – EMI {Australia/NZ only}.
OTHER BANDS TO WATCH:THE CLEAN PROPHETSLos Angeles’
THE CLEAN PROPHETS gush garagey-psychedelic influences throughout their debut EP. Boasting former BRIAN JONESTOWN MASSACRE bassist Dave Koenig, the band is currently touring the US in February. Tough Penguin Records.
Highlight tracks include: ‘
Tamberine Crown’ & ‘
Crime’.
MISTAKES Brooklyn’s
MISTAKES blend EVERY kind of music into their stew. Their live show is said to be blistering and their fanbase ever growing. Check out their EP,
Crying Lady Tiger.
Track: “
Waiting For The Cops”. Unsigned.
THAILANDFrom Los Angeles NOT
Thailand, this band takes their cues from TELEVISION & WIRE, while still sounding completely contemporary. Gaining momentum locally. Unsigned.
Track: “
Valley Vista”.
THE MORNING BENDERSFor fans of THE SHINS & VOXTROT or anything indie pop, Berkeley’s
THE MORNING BENDERS write songs that would appear on Natalie Portman’s ipod. Unsigned.
THE MILK TEETHLondon’s
THE MILK TEETH are clearly a trio that love to mine the past, as in LINK WRAY, yet still fit in nicely alongside THE BEES or THE CORAL. Traficante Records.
Track: “
Cold Climate”.
PATRICK WATSONMontreal’s
PATRICK WATSON released
Close To Paradise late last year on Secret City Records in Canada, but the world is just now warming up to this overlooked gem. A voice that floats like JEFF BUCKLEY, music like THE DOVES.
Track: “
Luscious Life”.
THE SWIMMERSPhiladelphia’s
THE SWIMMERS produce more classic American indie rock. Fun, playful, in the vein of THE NEW PORNOGRAPHERS. Poised to make a splash.
Track: “
Heaven”.
ALSO BUZZING:Monsters Are Waiting, Gersey, Injuns, The Drawing Board, The Broken West, Love Boat, Black Fiction, Some Velvet Morning, Soap Box Story, Holy Shit, Mister Loveless, Vibration White Finger, The Rumble Strips, Manic.
EXCELENT NEW RELEASES OF NOTE:THE SHINS – Wincing The Night Away (Sub Pop)
MY BRIGHTEST DIAMOND – Bring Me The Workhorse (Asthmatic Kitty)
THE VIEW – Hats Off To The Buskers (1965)
SLOAN – Never Hear The End Of It (Yep Roc)
DEERHOOF – Friend Opportunity (Kill Rock Stars)
FORMER FUTURE SOUNDS ACTS RECENTLY SIGNED:
SCOTT MATTHEWS to Island UK Records
MYSTERY JETS to Dim Mak Records
BABYSHAMBLES to Parlophone Records
ASSASSINS to Lizard King Records
ARMS to Melodic Records
***Please remember to buy music when you can or go out and see these acts live – support the arts!
