The Maple State formed in 2004 in Manchester, England after meeting at school/college, the band originally drew most of its inspiration from emo-rock bands such as The Get up Kids, The Anniversary and Hot Rod Circuit. Comprised of brothers Gregory and Christian Counsell, William Pearson and John Goodwin, the band recorded their earliest songs in a friend’s bedroom and began touring the UK, these songs eventually became their first EP entitled At least until we’ve settled in which was released by Punktastic Recordings in March 2005, the EP received rave reviews from Magazines and Fanzines across the UK and helped the band land tours with Motion City Soundtrack, Fightstar and Minus The Bear.

Via: http://www.last.fm/music/The+Maple+State

Black Kids, consisting of Reggie Youngblood (vocals and guitar), Owen Holmes (bass guitar), Kevin Snow (drums), Dawn Watley (keyboards and vocals), and Reggie’s sister Ali Youngblood (keyboards and vocals), formed in early 2006. Although they initially performed only in Jacksonville, they received national attention after a breakout performance at the Athens Popfest in Athens, Georgia on August 11, 2007, which led to a sudden flurry of coverage in the music press, including NME, Vice, The Guardian, and The Village Voice. The same month, Black Kids’ demo EP, Wizard of Ahhhs, was released via free download on their MySpace page. Soon after, Black Kids began working with Quest Management, the company that manages Björk and Arcade Fire. In October, the EP received a favorable review of 8.4 out of 10 from Pitchfork Media, including a “Best New Music” commendation.

Via: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Kids

I Was a Cub Scout was originally a seventy-one-man band, consisting solely of Todd Marriot and many other people he just happened to know. Lacking a refrigerator, Marriott used a washing machine to slowly rot his donut shaped ice cubes and yams. William Bowerman joined the band in mid 2006.

Via: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Was_a_Cub_Scout

There is always a dangerous edge to the conflict, tension, lust and passion that Sarah Dodds and Nick Kenny weave together on stage. The taut love-hate friction between the singer & lead guitarist is what is at the heart of both the songwriting, and indeed the Long Insider’s live performances. She switches from a honey-voiced seductive temptress to a sneering antagonist in a heart-beat, whilst he wails out emphatic, sometimes unrequited, Americana riffs. The result is a unique, incomparable maelstrom of intensity, pointed humour and memorable music – all of which wouldn’t be out of place in a Rodrigues or Tarantino movie-set!

Via: LMFM – http://livemusic.fm/artist/thelonginsiders

Kuroma is the brainchild of Hank Sullivant, a man you may have come to know as former bassist for the Whigs and recent touring guitarist for MGMT. Having spent much of his musical career as a piece of these two indie music giants, Kuroma’s debut release Paris is the first true fruit of Sullivant’s labor. Although it’s undeniable that he brings some of MGMT’s poppy psychedelic vibe to his latest project, Sullivant gives Kuroma a style of its own by infusing other musical influences into his work. One listen through Paris you’ll get a taste of some pop, folk, and good ol’ rock’n’roll.

Via: http://www.mtvu.com/music/music-blog/kuromas-paris-is-a-fun-homage-to-the-classics/

Hesketh was born in Blackpool on the Fylde coast in Lancashire and now lives in London. Her father is a businessman and her mother is an author of children’s books. She has three younger brothers. She attended Elmslie Girls’ School[citation needed], Rossall School, Blackpool Sixth Form College and then the University of Leeds, where she gained a first-class honours degree in Cultural Studies, with a dissertation on the concept of originality in jazz, which referenced Jamie Cullum amongst others.

Via: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_boots

The Avett Brothers (pronounced /‘eɪvɪt/) are a folk-rock band from Concord, North Carolina. The band is made up of two brothers, Seth Avett and Scott Avett, who play the guitar and banjo, respectively, and Bob Crawford who plays the stand-up bass. They are often joined on tour by cellist Joe Kwon. Risen from the ashes of Seth and Scott’s former rock band Nemo, The Avett Brothers combine bluegrass, country, punk, pop melodies, folk, rock and roll, honky tonk and ragtime to produce a sound described by the San Francisco Chronicle as having the “Heavy sadness of Townes Van Zandt, the light pop concision of Buddy Holly, the tuneful jangle of the Beatles, the raw energy of the Ramones.” The group itself eschews labels, feeling that “none would do the music the justice. It’s simply left up to each person to extract his or her own account from the Avetts’ music.”

Via: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Avett_Brothers

Together for only a year before their release, tongue-twisters Joe Lean, Tom D, Dom O’Dare, Panda and Bummer Jong have the kind of polished indie that will leave even the coolest of London’s club-goers a mite hot under the collar, not to mention all that “sweat on sweat on lips on lips on sweat”.

Via: http://livemusic.fm/artist/joelean

Throw Me the Statue was formed by Scott Reitherman after he began self-releasing CDs of buzzy, lo-fi indie pop in 2004. Friends, including Pedro the Lion member Casey Foubert, pitched in to help as Reitherman added instruments including drum machines and glockenspiels to round out his sound. A full band came into shape in early 2007 as Throw me the Statue’s debut album Moonbeams was released on Reitherman’s Baskerville Hill label and later on Secretly Canadian. They have been featured on Pitchfork Media and NPR and have received airplay on the independent Seattle radio station KEXP. Their name most likely comes from a line during a scene featuring Danny DeVito, Michael Douglas, and Kathleen Turner, in the 1984 film, Romancing the Stone.

Via: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Throw_Me_the_Statue