So Busted split up, the DumDums disappear, Rooster aren't getting anywhere, and Mcfly are good, but not cool enough. What is there now to fill the void between pop and hardcore? Well, there's fuckin a2m. Take elements of all the aforementioned bands, add some swearwords and there you are. You've got yourself a pop infused punk band from North-east Wales (call it Chester.) After a short break they're back on the road performing their rocking riffs and singalong choruses in venues all over the north west. After selling out of their first EP, Almost2much are set to record a second very soon - (Read more)

Carmen Hillary's latest EP, recorded by Producer John Webster (Tom Cochrane, Aerosmith, Cher, David Bowie) and utilizing the talents of top Vancouver musicians - including Jeff Buckley's rhythm section, has definitely wetted the appetite of both industry professionals as well as the eagerly awaiting public.

Based in Houston, the Chicago native got a late start in music when he first picked up the guitar while attending the University of Houston. After stints in The Jeepneys and Lavendula Arthur decided to set out on his own and released a 4-song, self-titled EP in 2001 followed by a 5-song EP, can you still look adorable in 2002. Having racked up rave reviews and nominations in the Houston Press Music Awards, Arthur felt it was time to record a full-length. So with the help of good friend and former Houston Rocket, Matt Maloney, 12Records, Inc. was created for that very purpose. Building on the success of the label’s first full-length, I’ll Be Here Awake in 2004, Arthur has since released a 5-song EP of songs in Spanish, Suerte Mijo, and a 3-song EP of songs in English, Something Must Be Wrong. 2007 brings with it : Handshake Smiles which finds Yoria venturing into new stylistic territory by infusing his now trademark hook laden indie-pop gems with everything from 70's AM radio rock to Americana to the sounds of the 60's British Invasion. Lyrically, Handshake Smiles feels more intimate than any previous release and Arthur claims to have taken a more autobiographical approach. “This record is about the last two years or so of my life.” Says Arthur, “I've grown up a little and oddly enough, I’m starting to have more fun or at least I’m seeing the humor in all of the stuff that used to do me in.” Whether it’s with his seasoned 4-piece band or with his “solo-electro” act, the live shows have been known to captivate even the most jaded of venue patrons. He’s toured the U.S., South America and the U.K.  In addition, Arthur has had songs placed on the OC, the Fellicity DVD collection, various MTV shows, Adam & Eve and has had songs featured in Arizona Jeans and Domino's Pizza ads.

the Broken String has been tearing up the charts worldwide since its release last July: in Japan, in Australia, in Switzerland/Europe, and of course here in the States. In fact, we're surprised there are any charts left intact anywhere at this point; we're not sure what they're publishing in Billboard this month. That says to us that it's time to let the healing begin and start on a new record. We'll be working on it all Spring, with some U.S. shows and a short European tour to follow, on which we'll be trying out the new stuff for the first time. - (Read more)

Originally from Okinawa, Japan, Caroline Lufkin moved around a lot by the time she had graduated from Berklee School of Music in Boston in 2003, ultimately settling nowhere (though currently calling Los Angeles her home). With an incredible gift for writing gripping songs from the most minimal elements - not to mention a voice that could make angels weep - Caroline's music seizes the rare opportunity to hypnotize everything and everyone around it. And really, who in this world doesn't want to succumb to a music-induced weightlessness every once in a while?