Drawn From Bees are a collective of four ambitious musicians who since their inception late last year, have managed to make a respectable impact on the Australian music scene. Setting themselves a challenging role in late 2008 to write, record and release a fresh batch of music every six months, Drawn from Bees spent their formative year building a name and proving themselves as something more than a band with a crazy idea.
The music of Kooii is unique, resting readily in a morphing Australian way of life. Their songs click with many, and the music is held dearly. Kooii breathe, roll and transform. They are a seven-piece collective with a ‘rootsy-tribal-groove’ that is both urban and earthy. Reggae, Jazz and Latin are realised in the sound. The group started some two and a half years ago as a duo of trumpeter Peter Hunt and percussionist Anthony Forrest (who both also play guitar). It has since grown to its present form.
Ben Folds Five is a trio formed in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States in 1994, who until their breakup in 2000 were a mainstay of piano rock. Much of their work was influenced by jazz, evident in frequent improv-styled passages through bridge and/or ending. The members of the band are Ben Folds, the lead singer and pianist, who also wrote most of the songs; Robert Sledge on bass; and Darren Jessee on drums. The group enjoyed the success of the single Brick in 1997, a ballad written by Folds (with a chorus by Jessee) about his high school girlfriend getting an abortion.
New arrivals on the blues and roots scene; Chase The Sun have spent no time garnering widespread critical acclaim for their soul-tinged song writing, blues sensibilities and the powerhouse live delivery of guitar star-on-the-rise Jan Rynsaardt. Combining elements of old-school acoustic blues, Stevie Ray Vaughn boogie, hillbilly finger picking and Hendrix flash; three-piece Chase The Sun crank out a new take on a classic sound.
Holly McNarland (born in Winnipeg, Manitoba) is a Canadian singer/songwriter. Her more noteworthy songs include "Stormy," "Elmo," and "Numb." She collaborated with Matthew Good for his song "Flight Recorder From Viking 7," which can be found on his album "Loser Anthems" and with fellow Canucks of The Tea Party on "Wishing you would stay".
Cold War Kids are an indie rock band from Fullerton, California, USA. Band members are Nathan Willett (lead vocals, piano, guitar), Jonnie Russell (guitar, vocals, percussion), Matt Maust (bass guitar) and Matt Aveiro (drums). The band started in historic downtown Fullerton in Jonnie's apartment above the restaurant Mulberry St. (their first EP title). They are avid supporters of unsigned talent such as the band Electric Furs.