Austin, TX
J-Church has been around for over a decade and has released over 10 albums... They are considered one of the pioneering pop-punk bands of the Bay Area. Now in Austin, this amazing act is now on tour supporting Society is a Carnivorous Flower, their latest release... If you are a fan of bands like Jawbreaker, NOFX and Against Me!, and aren't famailiar w/ J-Church - you should be!
Brooklyn, NY
RIYL: Elliot Smith, Archer Prewitt and John Renbourne
Local Band!
DiMenna's latest, Awkward Buildings, "subtly intertwines folk, rock, jazz and world influences into romantic waltzes about the uplifting and the downtrodden. Bert Jansch plus Elliott Smith, with a dash of Tom Waits." - Flagpole
"DiMenna... plays music that falls somewhere between M. Ward, Django Reinhardt and Tom Waits... Very beautiful songs." - The Alibi
"J. DiMenna... like Elliott Smith, Archer Prewitt, and Jeff Buckley sitting in a cabaret having a drink with Leonard Cohen." - Latitude 44.2 N
Phoneix, AZ
J. Wail and Friends... a cool electro-space-funk act from Phoenix... You might call it Funktronica!
Local Band!
Local Band!
RIYL: Jack Johnson, John Mayer, Jason Mraz and Matt Costa
Local Band!
Jacob Acosta's music chronicles a journey with many paths. He has explored the depth of the human condition through song since his first project Race You There in 2008, and has followed that up with more inspiring and soulful music from Roll Acosta in 2009. With his groups he has put out the works 'Acts of Treason' (2009), 'The Dawn EP' (2010), 'Catalyst EP', (2011), 'The Dark EP' (2011) and most recently 'This Dreamt Existence' (2012) with his first producer, John Vanderslice. He has worked as an artist, performing with many other bands in his hometown of Tucson, including a guest musician spot on the 'Truth be Told' (2011) album by the Tryst . Now he embarks on his first journey back to his singer/songwriter beginnings with the upcoming project 'Chants of Diplomacy'(2013). This astonishing performer, delivers a stunning show and a truly passionate musical approach to the human experience.
Jacob White is a recent transplant from Portland OR. Good for us fans of Iron & Wine, Mark Kozelek, Red House Painters, Damien Jurado and Rosie Thomas... really good stuff!
Perryville, MO
RIYL: Starsailor, Doves, Coldplay and Toad The Wet Sprocket
“Jailbox's... new album is made up of easy on the ear pop confections in the vein of Coldplay and Built to Spill. Much of the material is somber and haunting but there are a few burners as well. They should have broad appeal if they can continue to get their sound out there.” - St. Louis Post-Dispatch
"Jailbox may rep for Perryville, Missouri, but the quartet stakes a sonic claim to the melodic and sensitive British rock made popular by Coldplay, Doves and Starsailor. While Coldplay took cues from U2 and set its sights on stadium-rock, Jailbox prefers to keep things intimate while it summons an expansive palette." - The Riverfront Times
"...if you're looking for something to mellow you out at the end of a long, hectic day, (Jailbox's) Empty Rooms should be at the top of your list. This is yet another solid release from a band that I still contend has a bright future on the STL scene." - Metromix
"Jailbox... is saturated with somber rock harmonies, blissful acoustic chords, and smooth and cyclical riffs." - Eleven
Local Band!
Local Band!
Minneapolis, MN
James Apollo's music may be described as a mix of rootsy indie-pop combining the stylings of artists such as Buddy Holly, Billy Bragg, Marshall Crenshaw and Elvis Costello.
"A rootsy concoction of sweet pop and lonesome highway blues that anyone with a bruised soul can identify with..." - Colorado Springs Independent
"harnessing the power of punk and spontaneity of the old rock'n'roll that produced Buddy Holly's glasses and Nancy Sinatra's sexual spunk." - The Muses Muse
"Apollo's...crooning voice and subtle guitar work creates a somber sound that puts today's mainstream music to shame." - Panache
James Apollo: "Eddie Cochran on acid." - Amplifier
Nashville, TN
After collaborating with several backing bands under the Wooden Wand moniker, most notably with The Vanishing Voice, James Jackson Toth is set to release Waiting In Vain, his first album under his own name. Fans of Jason Molina and Magnolia Electric Company, Jim White, Lambchop, Crooked Fingers, The Court & Spark and Tindersticks, as well as Wooden Wand should dig the new material.
"James Jackson Toth (a) refugee from the freak-folk commune... a knack for Southern sensibility and beatific sloth... (creating) loping, closely harmonized country rockers that could be lost Tom Petty nugget(s)." 3 stars - Spin
"Toth's... Waiting In Vain isn't just bright by comparison (to Wooden Wand and The Vanishing Voice material), it's lucid. He's always been able to write a decent song, but (now)... it's like he finally realized that self-effacement is as much a manifestation of neuroses as cool... the quality of the few songs floating around from Waiting In Vain, he not only has nothing to hide in his name, but, actually, plenty to be proud of." 8/10 - Paper Thin Walls
Portland, OR
"James Low's most obvious point of reference is the great Texan singer/songwriter, Townes Van Zandt...they cover the same psychic ground in their choice of song material, longtime country favorites like outlaws, modern and ancient, and the timeless struggle of heart and mind. These songs go down with a slow, warm burn, like the finer brands of Tequila." - All Music Guide
Ft. Worth, TX
"James McMurtry is terse to the point of aggression. He speaks in clipped sentences, snapping off words like he's cutting fence wire...(with) a severely American voice, not because it's rural or twangy or rough, but because it carries a disarming isolation... McMurtry cuts into phrasings, chews the words like tinfoil, and you can hear the sizing-up squint in his eyes - the sound of a voice that looks through you, sure as you're standing there." - No Depression
"While the voice of James McMurtry may not be the envy of the pop world (think Lou Reed with a nasal twang), it's just right for his short-story songs. It's filled with portent and warning, like the sound of a high howling wind sweeping menacingly across the prairie. It's a voice you notice, a voice you can't ignore." - Chicago Sun-Times
"Texas singer/songwriter James McMurtry, known for his hard-edged character sketches, comes from a literary family; his father, novelist and screenwriter Larry McMurtry... James has a smooth, low voice that carries a Western twang from his life in Texas... Childish Things follows McMurtry's well-received live album by a little over a year and maintains the high standards set by that release while occasionally upping the stakes..." - All Music Guide
"Thanks an eye-opening live record (last year's Live in Aught-Three) and an honest-to-Phil Ochs protest song ("We Can't Make It Here"), folks outside musicians' circles are finally starting to note that James McMurtry has quietly become one of America's very finest singer/songwriters. Childish Things crystallizes what makes him great: sturdy roots rock melodies, tough guitars, compelling characters, a conversational narrative style that draws you right in." - High Bias
"No one - not even next-of-musical-kin Steve Earle - is writing poetic narratives and coruscating political commentaries these days like James McMurtry... a virulent broadside of anti-war and anti-corporate dissent." 4 stars - Uncut
"The truest, fiercest songwriter of his generation... The best American protest song since (Dylan's) 'Masters of War'." - Stephen King, Entertainment Weekly
"James McMurtry can compel you to boogie while you consider the plight of his characters." - Rolling Stone
"McMurtry...brings a literate edge to roots sounds." - Time Out New York
James McMurty will resonate with fans of Joe Ely, Lou Reed, Steve Earle, Warren Zevon and Dave Alvin.
Austin, TX
RIYL: Ryan Adams, Ben Kweller, Ray LaMontagne, Josh Rouse and Damian Rice
"Band you should know: Jamestown Revival... If you like indie-rock with a country slang this band is definitely for you." - Inspirer
RIYL: Billy Bragg, The Chieftains, Luka Bloom and The Dubliners
Jamie O'Brien comes from a London-Irish family; he was there in the 60s, he left England in the 1980s and has spent most of his life in Europe and the US. You can hear all his travels and experiences in his music. O'Brien has been compared to musicians like Irishmen Gerry O'Beirne and Luka Bloom and George Kahumoku from Hawaii: guitarists who not only write their own songs but also delve into traditional repertoires.
Jane Crowe: one of Tucson's best blues acts!
Costa Mesa, CA
RIYL: The Strokes, Richard Hell, The Modern Lovers and Mannequin Men
"With a pro surfer as their lead singer and a drummer who used to be a designer for the surf gear brand Hurley, it's no surprise that Japanese Motors' music is all about surfing, drinking, parties, and girls (not necessarily in that order)... Japanese Motors embodies that lifestyle so completely that it transports listeners into the band's laid-back, sun-drenched world." 3.5 stars - All Music Guide
"Japanese Motors... a good time." - Spin
"Japanese Motors’ debut is a solid dose of garage pop." - Urb
"Think of Japanese Motors's self-titled debut as a West Coast response to Vampire Weekend." - Slant
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