Jay Brannan is a Texas born singer, actor, and songwriter. After finding homes all over the country to live in, and briefly attending University of Cincinnati's acting school, he decided to plant his feet down in New York City. Brannan was cast in 2003 for the movie Shortbus, directed by John Cameron Mitchell. He contributed the song Soda Shop to the film's soundtrack, which he stated was his "first professionally recorded track".
The EPs and the albums by Beirut are largely the work of Zach Condon, a young Santa Fe, New Mexico native. Condon has recorded before: when he was fifteen and under the name of Realpeople, he made an electronic record, fashioned after his love for The Magnetic Fields. Condon was a straight-A student until he dropped out at the age of 17 to travel Europe with his cousin in a drunken haze, cavorting and partying with the locals wherever he ended up.
Southern California native William Tell is the former rhythm guitarist for the band Something Corporate. In 2007, he released his first solo album, You Can Hold Me Down. The record produced a few popular songs including "Slipping Under (Sing Along To Your Favorite Song)", "Fairfax (You're Still The Same)" (featuring former bandmate Andrew McMahon of Something Corporate), "Sounds" and "Young At Heart" and even charted to #11 on the Top Heatseekers. Since the release of his debut album, Tell has released several demos for download on his MySpace page.
Tex Perkins, best known for frontman in blues band, Beasts of Bourbon, and indie/blues band, The Cruel Sea.
Midge Ure OBE (born James Ure on October 10, 1953 in Cambuslang, Lanarkshire, Scotland) is a rock and roll guitarist, singer and songwriter from Scotland, who had particular success in the 1970s and 1980s. His stage name, Midge, is a phonetic reversal of his real name, Jim. Beginning his career with bubblegum pop-rock band Slik, he would go on to play in The Rich Kids and temporarily for Thin Lizzy before replacing John Foxx as singer of electronic new wave band Ultravox in 1979. Shortly afterwards, they had a huge UK hit with "Vienna", and became one of Britain's top bands for several years.
Kathryn Dawn Lang, OC (born November 2, 1961), better known under her stage name, k.d. lang, is a Grammy Award-winning Canadian singer and songwriter. She is regarded as one of Canada's foremost female vocalists, as well as a champion of legal equality for LGBT people. Her singing talent has lent itself to a wide range of genres, although earlier works, such as 'Angel With a Lariat' and 'Absolute Torch and Twang' (the last of which won her a Grammy Award for Best Female Country Vocal Performance) were predominantly country, with hints of jazz and salsa.
Purveyor of the <a href="http://www.last.fm/tag/bakersfield%20sound" class="bbcode_tag" rel="tag">bakersfield sound</a>, country singer-songwriter Dwight Yoakam grew up in Columbus, Ohio before first heading to Nashville and eventually west to Los Angeles, and bought a place in Bakersfield, CA near his idol & mentor <a href="http://www.last.fm/music/Buck+Owens" class="bbcode_artist">Buck Owens</a>. Active as a recording artist since the early 1980s, Yoakam has appeared in films, on over thirty charting singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, and a plethora of albums and compilations selling well in excess of 20 million units worldwide.
Delta Lea Goodrem (born in Sydney on November 9, 1984) is a multi-ARIA Award-winning Australian <a href="http://www.last.fm/tag/singer-songwriter" class="bbcode_tag" rel="tag">singer-songwriter</a>, classically-trained pianist and Logie Award-winning actress. She was launched into popularity starring as Nina Tucker on the popular television soap opera Neighbours. She has released three number one albums, <a title="Delta Goodrem - Innocent Eyes" href="http://www.last.fm/music/Delta+Goodrem/Innocent+Eyes" class="bbcode_album">Innocent Eyes</a>, <a title="Delta Goodrem - Mistaken Identity" href="http://www.last.fm/music/Delta+Goodrem/Mistaken+Identity" class="bbcode_album">Mistaken Identity</a>, and <a title="Delta Goodrem - Delta" href="http://www.last.fm/music/Delta+Goodrem/Delta" class="bbcode_album">Delta</a>, enjoying the second highest number of weeks for an Australian album in the #1 position in Australia and has had eight #1 singles in Australia.
‘Villagers’ began life as a nameless collection of musical poems, all under the pen of one Conor J. O’Brien. “Ultimately, I’ve learned that a song is not an isolated thing. You have to wash the dishes before you write a song. It should never be taken too seriously. It must be treated with joy and humour, regardless of the subject matter,” muses Conor, as he strokes his hairless chin.
“The aim is to feel the songs out. If I don’t surprise myself, then it is a worthless endeavour. Indeed, I would apply this attitude to all aspects of this project.
Ed Sheeran (born 17 February 1991) is a singer songwriter currently signed under Atlantic Records. Sheeran was born in Halifax, West Yorkshire before moving to Framlingham, Suffolk. In his time in Suffolk, he was known to have flourished as a hidden talent when it came to music. He learned guitar at a very young age, and began writing songs during his time at Thomas Mills High School in Framlingham.