Alt-country

Justin Townes Earle walks the line between old time country and modern acoustic Indie music by breathing new life into Early country, blues and gospel forms. His first release, Yuma, was a stark and beautiful set of songs written while Earle was fresh out of rehab and is now re-released by Bloodshot Records, who have a further three albums on their catalogue. The Good Life, Midnight At the Movies (Americana award nominee) and the latest Harlem River Blues show Earle's characteristic charm, wit and rhythm to the forefront.

Mark Kozelek was born and raised in Massillon, Ohio. Upon relocating to Atlanta, Georgia, he met drummer Anthony Koutsos. After the pair moved once again to San Francisco, California, Red House Painters formed with the addition of guitarist Gorden Mack and bassist Jerry Vessel. From 1992 to 1996, Red House Painters released a series of acclaimed albums, showcasing Kozelek's intense, highly autobiographical songs.

New Ruins began in 2004 as a home recording project of Elzie Sexton and J.Caleb Means. In 2005 "The Sound They Make" was recorded in the cold back room of a Champaign house. In 2006, New Ruins was signed by A Hidden Agenda Records. "The Sound They Make" was released in 2007 and received positive critical reviews, including All Music Guide and an Emusic editor's pick. Several songs from the album have been licensed for use on tv shows. Sexton and Means are joined by Paul Chastain (multi-instrumentalist, formerly of Velvet Crush) and Roy Ewing (drums/percussion, formerly of Braid).

The best songs don’t just tell a story set to music – they capture a moment, encapsulate a feeling and draw in the listener, in a way that’s at once singularly personal and completely universal. When Toronto singer-songwriter Jason Collett was mulling over titles for his new album, the by-turns effervescent and elegiac Here’s To Being Here, he stumbled across a line in an anthology of poetry by his friend Emily Haines’ (Metric) late father Paul, a well-known avant-garde jazz poet.