Artist: Black Mountain

Hails from: Vancouver, Canada

Musical Style: Rock, Indie, Psychedelic

For Fans of: Led Zepplin, Black Sabbath, My Morning Jacket

Why you should check them out:

Celebrating the release of their hardest rocking album to date in early 2008, the Vancouver quintet Black Mountain have been modernizing the sound of early psychedelic rock since 2004, gaining generous critical acclaim and media attention within only a few short years.

Background Check: 

Since first hearing Black Mountain a few years back, I have been downright hooked.  Their two full length albums have received hours of continuous play, and their fierce live shows have been thoroughly enjoyed by an ever growing mass of fans equally affected by their current day homage to 70’s stoner jams.

Black Mountain don’t simply emulate the psychedelic rock genre, but rather take it a step further, modernizing the classics with folk and indie rock inspired additions.  Incorporating duel vocals from both Stephen McBean and Amber Webber, the Vancouver quintet fluctuate between dark and delicate breakdowns and classic Sabbath guitar riffs heard throughout their album opener “Stormy High”.

While two previous EPs and their 2005 self titled album introduced Black Mountain with a few electronic beats and mellow numbers, their latest In The Future  is pure rock, with added guitar solos, vocal wailing, and persuasive organ riffs to prove it.  Getting their start as suitable background music, Black Mountain have re-situated themselves to the musical forefront, merging psychedelic guitar solos and riff heavy metal with the indie pop of more recent generations.

Where you can find them in cyberspace:

Black Mountain Army homepage

Jagjaguwar.com

Myspace

Where you can find them on tour:

Jambase

Artist:  The Devil Makes Three

Hails From: Santa Cruz, CA

Musical Style: Ragtime, Folk, Country

For Fans of: Tom Waits, Old 97’s, Primus

Why you should check them out:

Three part harmonies and tight acoustic rhythms abound.  The Santa Cruz trio The Devil Makes Three are a testament to party scenes of an era long past, updated only through the occasional punk rock embelishment.

Background Check:

No drummer and all acoustic, The Devil Makes Three are not your conventional party band.  And yet, with their vintage ragtime rhythms and catchy whisky songs, the Santa Cruz trio always seems to get their audiences dancing and having a great time.

United by a mutual love of old blues, country, and punk rock, Pete Bernhard and Cooper McBean left their Vermont beginnings and headed out west,  where they eventually completed the trio with upright bassist Lucia Turino.  Now residing in Santa Cruz, The Devil Makes Three frequent neighboring Bay Area venues and have been known to extend their upbeat acoustics on the occasional national tour.  Releasing their first self-titled album in 2002, a 2004 full-length, and a 2006 live album thereafter, The Devil Makes Three have solidified their national presence with their highly unique and incomparable sound.

With the addition of four new tracks and a freshly remastered sound, The Devil Makes Three are set to re-release their 2002 debut, offering their introductory songs to an eager new audience as soon as November 20, 2008.  While their records may introduce you to the songs of The Devil Makes Three, their live shows are where the music truely comes alive, as assured by guitarist Pete Bernhard, “It can get pretty crazy, people are dancing and drinking and yelling.  And that’s the way we like it.”

Where you can find them in cyberspace:

Myspace 

The Devil Makes Three website

Wikipedia

Where you can find them on tour:

Jambase

Artist:  Aesop Rock

Hails From:  San Francisco, CA

Musical Style:  Underground Hip Hop, Rap, Indie

For Fans of:  EL-P, People Under the Stairs, Gorillaz, Atmosphere

Why you should check them out: 

Aesop Rock has been putting out innovative, genre blending Hip Hop albums since 1998.  Through numerous collaborations and countless breakout successes, Aesop Rock has survived as a central figure and unique presence in the independant Hip Hop genre he has helped to create.

Background Check:

I love hip hop that combines the necessary amount of bass with a killer beat and adds in intellegent lyrics.  It’s the perfect hip hop combination and a feat that Aesop Rock accomplishes in spades.  While appealing to those with Indie Rock sensibilities through collaborations with The Mountain Goats and Tokyo Police Club, Aesop Rock pays homage to many of the early rap inventors through his distinct lyrical style and lack of commercialized choruses.  Through two self-released albums, and one album on Mush records, the man behind the moniker, Ian Bavitz, soon found himself on Difinitive Jux records based out of his home state of New York.  In 2001, Bavitz and collaborator Blockhead released Labor Days, an album that propelled Aesop Rock’s career to the forefront of underground Hip Hop, gaining high critical marks across the board.

Following the success of Labor Days,  Aesop Rock has continually reinvented his sound, releasing four albums between 2001 and 2007, all garnering high praise and considerable fanfare.  Often defined as a staple of the New York Hip Hop scene, Bavitz relocated to San Francsico in 2005 settling in as an influential force amongst both west coast and east coast hip hoppers alike.  From his first self release back in 1998 to his 2007 success None Shall Pass, Aesop Rock has acquired a long list of collaborators and musical influences, all securing him as one of the most influential hip hop artists the underground scene has to offer.  While Aesop Rock might not currently be quite as underground as he once was, Ian Bavitz and crew continue to maintain the independant sound and innovation that makes non-mainstream hip hop so attractive.

Where you can find them in cyberspace:

Myspace

Definitive Jux

Wikipedia

On Tour:

Jambase