Artist: Two Gallants

Hails from: San Francisco, CA

Musical Style: Indie Rock, Folk, Blues

For Fans of: Bob Dylan, White Stripes, The Mountain Goats

Why you should check them out:

Childhood friends and band mates since age 12, Two Gallants aren’t going anywhere but up, so you might as well get in ont he action sooner rather than later. With just one listen you will quickly hear that this indie folk duo is well worth your time.

Background Check:

With so many bands currently going from CD-R to record contract seemingly moments after gracing the pages of any given music blog, Two Gallants come as quite a refreshing breath of fresh air. Seriously, when a band plays nearly 200 shows a year since forming in 2002, I’d say they rightly deserve their status as headliners and one of the top bands on the Saddle Creek roster.

I first saw Two Gallants a few years back at a place called the Tradewinds.  It’s small, dark and dingy and would fit perfectly into any Bukowski novel, commonplace for Two Gallants in their early  years of playing any venue that would have them.  I had never seen them at the time and was doubly surprised to hear so much sound and cohesion come soley from two guys on a drum set and guitar. It was an intimate experience, one that groups of small audiences around the country were experiencing little by little as Two Gallants played increasingly more shows, forming the foundation of their fiercely dedicated fan base.

Now on their fourth album, Self -Titled (2007), the San Francisco duo have only recently been able to enjoy their success. Instead of tighly fit venues you can now find them on nearly every notable music festival worldwide. With distinct folk and blues influences throughout their songs, Two Gallants range from softer acoustic epics to aggressive indie rock distortion with remarkable fluidity. Having played music together since age 12, it’s no wonder that guitarist Adam Stephens and drummer Tyson Vogel sustain such musical closeness. And even with their new found amphitheater stages, Two Gallants continue to captivate audiences and further secure themselves as much more than just the buzz band of the month.

Where you can find them in cyberspace:

MySpace

Two Gallants Website

Wikipedia

On Tour:

JamBase
 

Artist: El Guincho

Hails From: Barcelona, Spain

Musical Style: Electronic, Pop, Dance

For Fans of: Manu Chao, Animal Collective, Flamming Lips

Why you should check him out:

Pablo Diaz-Reixa, the international man of movement behind El Guincho, samples and salsas his way through drum heavy, oft repetitive flares of exuberance with a natural rhythm and a free association spirit.

Background Check:

Having never mastered the Spanish language has put me at a disadvantage. I ofthen feel I’m missing out on large chuncks of great cinema, literature and even the occasional Telemundo masterpeice theather.  Thankfully, El Guincho, the latest tropical sound sensation from Spain, is music the world, including me, can enjoy.  With truly international flavor and color, full of exhiliration and soul, El Guincho is sung in native tongue, but heard around the globe as one.

Formerly of Coconot, Diaz-Reixa took his drums and his love of Afro-pop, Spanish folk music, Tango and other worldly influences and assembled techo style beats drapped under a canopy of crossed cultures.  El Guincho’s debut album Alegranza is an effortlessly exciting peice of musica at once remininscent of EVERYTHING and completely unique in of itself.

Never set on one locale, El Guincho shifts from Latin sizzlers like “Costa Paraiso” to Caribbean calypsos like “Antillas” all while appealing to independant minded souls the world over.  His tours in Australia, Europe and fevered appearances at SXSW prove that El Guincho can navigate the varried commotion of the world while retaining a youthful, traditional beat all his own.

Where you can find him in cyberspace:

MySpace

Discoteca Oceano website

Wikipedia

On Tour:

Jambase