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:

Singer/bassist Karen Correa and drummer Sivan Harlap were playing together in New York’s the Hissyfits when they first decided to venture out on their own. While opening for acts across the nation had introduced them to music’s manic lifestyle, their current lineup wasn’t quite enough. With a shared desire to make music that was a little rougher around the edges, they formed Demander in 2004 with guitarist Jared Scott, quickly unleashing brash and raucous battle cries amidst chaotically searing punk rock dissonance.Their debut full length, The Unkindness of Ravens, is a smart and tight collection of aggressive jams and darkly themed tones. Their standout single, “Hollis”, features Harlap’s sharply fractured beats, Scott’s screaming guitar cacophony, and Correa’s rumbling bass and dangerously sweet vocals. It was this album that first propelled Demander into supporting posts alongside the Hold Steady and New Model Army, showcasing their playful take on such heavy music. Recently, David Kurutz, who was also Sivan’s old high school pal from California replaced Scott.

After a bout of touring, the band released their Books 7″ in 2008 and have just completed their sophomore LP, Future Brite (release date TBD) which was mixed by luminaries like John Agnello (Dinosaur Jr., Sonic Youth, Screaming Trees) and features guests such as The Hold Steady’s Franz Nicolay.With the early track “Math”, signifying a progressive step towards a new found indie rock lightness and pop punk straightforwardness. Not that Demander is easing up, they’re still packing all of the aggressive punch of the debut. Demander has always been a band on the verge of true breakout status, and Future Brite may be the most aptly titled prediction possible.

MySpace

Demandermusic.com

On Tour:

JamBase

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:

MySpace page

On Tour:

JamBase

Artist: No Age

Hails From: Los Angeles, CA

Musical Style: Post Punk Rock, Lo-fi, Experimental

For Fans of: Sonic Youth, Pavement, Sebadoh

Why you should check them out:

Drowning in distortion and crammed with fast paced energy, No Age built songs created from the punk ethics of the 80′s, the grunge rawness of the 90′s, and have successfully defined what it means to be timeless.

Background Check:

There’s something distinctly refreshing about an album packed tight with gritty and echoing lo-fi distortin. In an sea of overly mixed pop perfection, it’s become common place for a band to mark their sophmore release with the complete sterilization of their sound. Thankfully, the noise rock duo No Age, aren’t a band who merely follows the crowd.

Emerging from the independant scene centered around the all ages venue The Smell in L.A., No Age released several E.P.’s before signing with Fat Cat records for their career propelling debut Weirdo Rippers. With only Dean Spunt on drums and Randy Randall on guitars and vocals, word of the talented duo spread quickly, backed by notable fanfare from Radiohead’s Colin Greenwood & Deerhunter’s Bradford Cox.

In 2008 No Age returned with their highly anticipated follow up Nouns released on Sub Pop records.  While expanding their sound into a slightly more pop oriented direction on their latest, No Age have managed to retain the initial energy and lo-fi feel that has clearly defined them since their DIY beginning. While new influences develop and bands inevitably mature theres no doubt that for No Age, the future is certainly bright.

Where you can find them in cyberspace:

MySpace

No Age Website

Wikipedia

On Tour:

JamBase

Artist: Grand Ole Party

Hails from: San Diego, CA

Musical Styles: Alternative, Funk, Rock, Gypsy

For Fans of: The Pretenders, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Janis Joplin

Why you should check them out:
This San Diego trio’s blues driven rock packs a punch with influences that range from gypsy music to club funk, all interwoven with storytelling lyrics delivered by boisterous frontwoman Kristin Gundred.

Background check:
I like the loud. I will not go gently into that Easy Listening night. In preparation for rocking out all the way into my twilight years, I’ve never been ashamed to rip up napkins or stick nubs of toilet paper in my ears and let a crushing wave of guitars slam me in the face, over and over and over again.

Enter Grand Ole Party to fill the void. This young pop-rock n’ blues trio from San Diego revolves around singer-drummer Kristin Gundred who leads her bandmates (John Paul Labno on guitar and Mike Krechnyak on bass) with her passionate and powerful vocals. The band deftly combines ferocious songwriting with a raucous and electric sound. Their live shows are notoriously rocking.

The band put out their debut album, Humanimals, which was produced by Blake Sennett of Rilo Kiley and was released on DH Records in January 2007, and has been receiving accolades ever since.

It may be the end of an era for the GOP, but just the beginning for this Grand Ole Party. Go vote with your ears. Don’t forget the toilet paper.

More links:
http://www.myspace.com/grandoleparty
http://www.jambase.com