Artist: Monsters of Folk

Hails from: Omaha, NE

Musical Style: Indie, Folk, Classic Rock

For Fans of: Bright Eyes, My Morning Jacket, Wilco

WHY YOU SHOULD CHECK THEM OUT:
Monsters of Folk are the latest supergroup consisting of consisting of Jim James from My Morning Jacket, Conor Oberst and Mike Mogis from Bright Eyes and M. Ward.  This talented group of songsmiths venture deep into their influences on their dynamic debut album. The rotating front men trade off like a team of professors giving lessons on the history of American music; although they make sure to include their own modern touches. If you’re looking for some familiar yet forward sounds, handled by a group of young legends, then get this record spinning.

BACKGROUND CHECK:
This all-star crew got their start in 2004 after they began playing together both on stage and behind the scenes. After five years of collaboration while simultaneously working with their own bands, the group went public with their debut self-titled album released in September 2009.  All three acts represented in Monsters of Folk have rolled out so many hits in the last decade that they can easily be considered as some of the brightest stars of contemporary rock and folk music. The amazing song-writing and stunning playing abilities of this quartet are understood when you listen to some of their well received records like, My Morning Jacket’s Z, Bright Eyes’ Lifted or M. Ward’s Post-War.

With Monsters of Folk, you want to check out “Say Please,” a tune that plays like an instant classic. It’s superb guitar solo and catchy, group-sung chorus will have you joining in the jam from wherever you’re listening. Other highlights on the album are “Ahead of the Curve,” a sentimental acoustic song led by the talented Oberst and “The Right Place” a ragtimey number led by Jim James

Where you can find them in cyberspace:

Monstersoffolk.com

MySpace

On Tour:

JamBase

Artist: Blitzen Trapper

Hails from: Portland, OR

Musical Style: Indie Rock, Alternative Country, Classic Rock

For Fans of: Pavement, Neil Young, Wilco

Why you should check them out:

Garnering extensive critical acclaim for their 2007 release Wild Mountain Nation, this Portland based sextet has established themselves as one of the most eclectic and hard working indie/alt-country outfits to emerge onto Sub Pop’s current roster.

Background check:

Listen to just a few tracks from Blitzen Trapper’s Wild Mountain Nation, and you might just find yourself questioning whether you accidentally hit random on your itunes. Sure the vocals are seemingly familiar through each track, but with mellow acoustic songs leading into heavy guitar solo freak outs, you might wonder how songwriter Eric Earley, a man who admittedly does not buy records, could attain such eclecticism.

Normally, I would take this time to list a few similar bands to give you an idea of what to expect, but with Blitzen Trapper that list would require far more commas then I’m willing to commit to. Let’s just say, southern rock mixed with banjo laden delta blues, and a little bit of lo-fi Pavment-esque distortion to top it off. And I’m pretty sure that still doesn’t cover it.

Since forming in 2000, the Portland sextet have fully embraced the D.I.Y. ethic, self releasing all three of their albums before signing to Sub Pop in 2007. For a band who has continually worked so hard to get to where they are, 2008 finds Blitzen Trapper in high standings. Gaining critical acclaim with Wild Mountain Nation, and finding themselves on their first headlining tour, Blitzen Trapper’s fourth release, Furr (scheduled for later this year) is an album definitely worth watching for.

Where you can find them in cyberspace:
www.myspace.com/blitzentrapper
www.subpop.com/bio/blitzen_trapper
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blitzen_Trapper

Where you can find them on tour:
http://www.jambase.com