Jason Lytle (b. March 26, 1969) fronted Modesto, California based indie rock outfit Grandaddy, which split up in 2006. He was the sole songwriter in the band, and he sang and played most of the instruments on the albums. Live he handled vocals, guitars and keyboards and synths. He has continued as a solo artist after the end of Grandaddy, so far only playing Grandaddy material at a handful of solo shows.
Panic! At the Disco is currently a two-piece rock band hailing from Las Vegas, Nevada. The current members are vocalist Brendon Urie and drummer Spencer Smith. Their debut album A Fever You Can't Sweat Out has sold over 2.2 million copies worldwide, 1.5 million of which were in the United States alone. This shot them into the international spotlight. Their sophomore album Pretty. Odd. debuted at number 2 on the Billboard 200.
The Duchesses sound is the manifestation of four musicians from very different backgrounds. Their broad spectrum of influences is evident in their atmospheric music, which transcends arbitrary genres. Not satisfied with following trends, the Duchesses have forged their own unique sound. Their debut album guides listeners through a dark sonic landscape of resonating guitars, bold rhythms and dynamic vocals, all surging into intricate and aggressive harmony.
Paul Gilbert is well known for his highly-acclaimed technical guitar work with <a href="http://www.last.fm/music/Racer+X" class="bbcode_artist">Racer X</a> and <a href="http://www.last.fm/music/Mr.+Big" class="bbcode_artist">Mr. Big</a> . After he parted ways with Mr. Big in 1996, Paul pursued his career as a solo guitarist and has evolved into a successful solo artist/singer/songwriter. Gilbert composes music in a wide variety of styles including pop, rock, metal, blues, jazz, funk and classical, but is perhaps best known for his versatility and speed. His guitar work is characterised by his floating right hand contrary to the more common anchored right hand that guitarists like <a href="http://www.last.fm/music/Pink+Floyd" class="bbcode_artist">Pink Floyd</a>'s <a href="http://www.last.fm/music/David+Gilmour" class="bbcode_artist">David Gilmour</a> favour.
Thriving and following the steps of independent acts before them, benjalu is a band that prides themselves on the old school approach of constant touring to promote their music. Since their formation in 2006 the Newcastle based roots-rock outfit have made the most of their successes. In 2007 benjalu concentrated on playing every week, mainly focussing on shows in their hometown. They capped off the year when the band released their debut EP ‘Reflecting On’ to an overwhelming response.
Steve Stevens (born as Steve Schneider on May 5, 1959, in Brooklyn, New York) is an American guitarist and songwriter. He is best known for playing for other artists (most notably <a href="http://www.last.fm/music/Billy+Idol" class="bbcode_artist">Billy Idol</a> and <a href="http://www.last.fm/music/Vince+Neil" class="bbcode_artist">Vince Neil</a>) and less known, but critically acclaimed for his solo efforts (<a href="http://www.last.fm/music/Steve+Stevens%27+Atomic+Playboys" class="bbcode_artist">Steve Stevens' Atomic Playboys</a> and <a href="http://www.last.fm/music/The+Flamenco+A+Go+Go" class="bbcode_artist">The Flamenco A Go Go</a>), collaborations (<a href="http://www.last.fm/music/Bozzio+Levin+Stevens" class="bbcode_artist">Bozzio Levin Stevens</a>, a.k.a. Black Light Syndrome), as an in-demand session guitarist, and guitar instructor.
The National is a Brooklyn-based indie rock band formed in 1999, by friends from Cincinnati, Ohio, USA. The band's lyrics are written and sung by Matt Berninger in a distinctive, deep baritone. The rest of the band is composed of two pairs of brothers: Aaron Dessner (guitar, bass, keyboards), Bryce Dessner (guitar), Scott Devendorf (bass, guitar) and Bryan Devendorf (drums).
Their self-titled debut album"The National" (Brassland 2001) was recorded and released before they had played even a single show. They cut the album with engineer Nick Lloyd and formed a label with writer Alec Bemis, so those recordings could be released. Kerrang! magazine gave it four Ks, calling it "the stuff underground legends are made of."
The National made a second album, "Sad Songs for Dirty Lovers" (Brassland/Talitres 2003). The staff was the same, though Peter Katis, who produced "Turn on The Bright Lights" and "Antics" by Interpol, helped produce and mix, and Australian composer Padma Newsome from Clogs collaborated on arrangements and strings.
Following the first session of several for Bernard Lenoir on France's Radio Inter, an in-between EP was released, Cherry Tree, containing what would become the blueprint for the sound on their next record and the session of Sad Song's standout Murder Me Rachael. After these accolades and being impressed by their live show, Roger Trust signed them to Beggars Banquet.
A show at their favorite bar became a van ride to neighboring cities, became a plane ride to Europe, became two summers overseas. Their ties to those good jobs slackened. And they continue on their own path, moving out even further out in Brooklyn to Ditmas Park, where there is space and familiar suburban streets and even Geese on Beverly Road. Their album, "Alligator", much of which was recorded at their homes in Ditmas Park, was engineered by Paul Mahajan, who has worked with the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and TV on the Radio. Padma Newsome camped out for a month with the band, and Peter Katis added more production and mixed the record at his house in Bridgeport, Connecticut.
Berninger's potent baritone still intones about matters fraught and funny and sad; about record collections, missing persons and medium-sized American hearts. But the record's not simply gothic or miserablist -- more like the plays of Tennessee Williams, it's full of peculiar intimacies and awkward grace. Alligator's heroes are reckless and possessed seducers, but they are apologetic ones. In The National's imaginings, in songs alternately lush and spare, there is something twighlit and dreamy worked out in the basement of our brains.
"Abel," "Secret Meeting," and "Lit Up" were released as singles.
On May 22, 2007, The National released their follow-up to Alligator, Boxer, on Beggars Banquet. Taking advantage of the fact that nobody had heard their first album and earliest demos, Matt proceeded to steal lyrics and melodies from them and give them the attention they deserved while keeping the intimacy that made them special. They even managed to convince new friend Sufjan Stevens to lay down some piano tracks for them, and recorded the album in a scant 6 months after coming off the long post-Alligator road.
"Mistaken for Strangers", "Fake Empire" and "Apartment Story" have been released as singles. The band have just finished touring North America and are on a large European autumn/winter tour after playing high slots at several large festivals. In their Dec. 07/Jan. 08 issue, Paste magazine named Boxer best record of 2007.
The band's fifth album, High Violet, was released on May 10, 2010 by 4AD Records. "Bloodbuzz Ohio", "Anyone's Ghost" and "Terrible Love" were released as singles.
In 2013 their sixth studio record Trouble Will Find Me was released and named "Best New Music" by Pitchfork. The album contained the single "I Need My Girl". In 2015, the album outtake "Sunshine On My Back" was released.
Four years after Trouble Will Find Me, marking the longest timespan between albums in their career so far, they released their seventh album Sleep Well Beast on September 8th, 2017 and were yet again met with great critical success.
The National homepage: http://www.americanmary.com/
The National blog http://tntl.tumblr.com
The National on Twitter http://twitter.com/The_National
Brassland homepage: http://brassland.org/
Beggars Banquet homepage: http://www.beggars.com/ Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.
Mere Theory’s live performance résumé includes spots on the 2005 and 2007 Big Day Outs; billing at the Clipsal 500 After Race Concert (to a hometown audience of 10,000); shows with international contemporaries like Millencolin, Anberlin and Alexisonfire; national tours with Gyroscope and Karnivool, and an appearance on the television show Rove Live. In 2006, the band were recipients of the Australasian Performing Rights Association’s Emily Burrows Award – a prize awarded to emerging Australian bands who show exceptional promise.
In Stereo, the 2nd full length from Australian two piece The Blackwater Fever. Recorded at Brisbane’s newly established Borough Studios. Co-produced with artist Skritch (Mary Trembles, Beast Of Bourbon, Tex Perkins’ Dark Horses) In Stereo is a blend of rock n’ roll, blues and soul. Written with honesty, performed with intensity and vigor. Ignoring all cool kid trends and hipster sounds. The Blackwater Fever have produced a potent 2nd album.
SEEKA is coming to get ya! And all of a sudden there’s SEEKA, the rock trio that warmed up Paradiso as a starter for N*E*R*D and Living Colour. This new indie/pop/rock band from Amsterdam consists of singer, guitar player and Alvin ‘Shad-O-Seeka’ Lewis, bass player Shanku Tuhusula and drummer Eddy Addai. Seeka provides a fresh mix, a melting pot of styles that provokes all kinds of creative inspirations and energies, but that turns out to be truly original every time. ‘We named it hip-rock: rock with past time dynamics and a hip-hop state of mind’, Alvin says.