Rupa and the April Fishes
Artist: Rupa and the April Fishes
Hails from: San Francisco, CA
Musical Style: Punk, Folk, Pop
For Fans of: Manu Chao, Beirut, Julieta Venegas
Artist: Rupa and the April Fishes
Hails from: San Francisco, CA
Musical Style: Punk, Folk, Pop
For Fans of: Manu Chao, Beirut, Julieta Venegas
Artist: Demander
Hails From: New York, NY
Musical Style: Rock, HardCore, Indie Punk
For Fans of: Sleater Kinney, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Ida Maria
Why you should check them out:
The stunningly aggressive Demander is creating a riotous following with their exceptionally moody and gritty new tracks. Their abrasive punk rock, strong female vocals, and indulgent indie metal have made them a venerable force to be reckoned with.
Background Check:
On Tour:
Artist: Soft Pack
Hails from: Los Angeles, CA
Musical Style: Indie, Post Punk, Garage Rock
For Fans of: Velvet Underground, Yo La Tengo, Strokes
Why you should check them out:
The Soft Pack is the perfect antitdote to the malaise of stale, processed music. They bring the rock, distilled down to it’s thrilling essentials: tight rhythms, fuzzed-out guitars, and dynamic delivery.
Background Check:
I first caught wind of this infectious West Coast quartet in their original incarnation as The Muslims. After admiting that they weren’t into their maiden moniker-and realizing it wasn’t worth the snide and sometimes derogatory remarkes it elicited-the group redubed themselves The Soft Pack. Formed in San Diego in early 2007 by old school chums Matty McLoughlin and Matt Lamkin, the full lineup coalesced a year later and subsequently relocated to Los Angeles.
The Soft Pack’s songs are exercises in kinetic energy. Jangly, repetitive versus give rise to punky, catchy choruses. The tunes are original and well-constructed, maintaining a level of looseness and rawness that translates well on stage. The foursome know their rock history as well, incorporating the best bits of bands from The Feelies and The Fall to Wire and Replacements.
The bands self-released debut 12 inch EP, which sold out immediatly, featured one-of-a-kind artwork riddled with bullet holes provided by their friends father, a former NYC policeman. Keep a lookout, though, as Kemado records is currently re-pressing the album, supplemented with new songs. The international music press has taken notice and the band has been living on the road, including a plum assignment opening a spate of European shows for Franz Ferdinand.
Where you can find them in Cyberspace:
On Tour: