The Jack Wharf Band

Peter McPoland

At just 20 years old, Peter McPoland creates the kind of finespun folk-pop that feels both beautifully lived-in and undeniably original. McPoland picked up guitar at the age of 14 and taught himself to play, finding lessons to be too regimented. Within a year he'd started writing his own songs, mining inspiration from folk artists like John Prine and Gregory Alan Isakov. As shown on breakout hits like his self-released single "Romeo & Juliet," the Texas-bred artist has an incredible gift for capturing the most nuanced emotional experiences, then bringing that expression to life in idiosyncratic detail.

Briscoe

If Briscoe's debut album was a coming-of-age soundtrack set against the backdrop of the Texas Hill Country, then its follow-up, Heat of July, is the sound of a fully-formed duo chasing down a broader horizon. Inspired by marriage, landscapes, and the cross-country tours that took the band across America, these new songs were written on the road, as eclectic and evocative as the terrain that unfolded just outside the van's windshield. Once again, Briscoe teamed up with Grammy-nominated producer Brad Cook to bring the songs to life, collaboratively creating a record that expands Briscoe's folk-rock sound in all directions. There are bigger arrangements, sharper vocal harmonies, and enough top-tier guest musicians — including members of Houndmouth, Hiss Golden Messenger, Bon Iver, Mipso, and Watchhouse — to form their own supergroup. The result is a cinematic, widescreen version of American roots music, created by two lifelong friends who've learned to distill the thrill of the open road — and the challenges of growing up — into an ever-evolving soundtrack.

Sound Tribe Sector 9 - STS9

With an ethos rooted in exploration, STS9 has been a sonic pioneer for two decades. Using electronic and acoustic means, the instrumental five-piece—comprised of Hunter Brown (guitar/keys), Jeffree Lerner (percussion), David Phipps (keyboards), Zach Velmer (drums), and Alana Rocklin (bass)—channels the primordial and celestial, producing a cutting-edge sound that has forged a path for multiple generations of electronic dance music. STS9’s innate sense of innovation is grounded by the group’s desire to forge universal connections. Seamlessly integrating their exploratory and improvisation-based music with a fully immersive light show, each performance is a transcendent celebration of humanity. The group continues to find ways to build community, consistently spearheading charitable efforts and founding its own independent record label, 1320 Records. Having released twelve albums in the last twenty years, STS9’s legacy unfolds into the future. The group has been honored with induction into the Colorado Music Hall of Fame and earns headlining slots at countless music festivals across the country. With the help of the group’s dedicated fanbase, STS9 has performed countless shows nationwide and consistently sells out legendary venues like Red Rocks Amphitheatre.

Goldie Boutilier

Nothing

Nothing have always been rule-breakers. Shoegaze renegades who’ve rebuilt the stereotypically lightweight genre in their own bloodyknuckled American image. Outlaw poets spilling existential dread on mile-wide canvasses of fuzz and reverb. Beginning as a Philly-born bedroom solo project in 2010, Nothing’s music has always captured the full scale of the human condition, both the blaring anger and the whispering sadness. A Short History of Decay, Nothing’s fifth solo album and first for Run For Cover Records, widens that aperture even further, providing the most hi-def rendering of Nothing to date. The band have never sounded this colossal, never felt this intimate, never been this honest.   With the strongest arsenal in Nothing’s ever-shifting lineup locked in -- guitarist Doyle Martin (Cloakroom), bassist Bobb Bruno (Best Coast), drummer Zachary Jones (MSC, Manslaughter 777), and third guitarist Cam Smith (Ladder To God, also of Cloakroom) -- singer-songwriter Domenic “Nicky” Palermo knew he had the manpower to make the band’s most ambitious record yet. Co-written and produced with Whirr guitarist Nicholas Bassett, and with additional production and mixing work from Sonny Diperri (DIIV, Julie), A Short History of Decay is the most evolved musical statement in Nothing’s catalog. Songs like “Cannibal World” and “Toothless Coal” are cataclysmic lashings of mechanized industrial-gaze that sound like My Bloody Valentine -- except more extreme.   On the other end of the spectrum, the ornately morose “Purple Strings” boasts a beautiful string arrangement that includes harpist -- and two-time Nothing contributor -- Mary Lattimore. That baroque delicacy permeates other A Short History of Decay highlights, particularly “The Rain Don’t Care,” a lilting ballad that channels the worn-down elegance of Mojave 3, and also “Nerve Scales,” a pattering bop that resembles Radiohead in its marriage of otherworldly atmosphere and mortal precision. Palermo calls the new record “a final chapter.” Not the end of Nothing, but the conclusion of a story that began with Nothing’s 2014 debut, Guilty of Everything — another album about time, regret, and confronting uncomfortable truths -- and now resolves with A Short History of Decay. As much a snapshot of Palermo’s past as it is a leap into Nothing’s future.

The Nude Party

For The Nude Party, nearly a decade has flown by in the blink of an eye. In that time, the New York-based band has released a pair of well-received albums, an EP, and played countless shows. Prior to the pandemic, the band was really starting to hit its stride. They had a system in place and were spreading their brand of melodic rock to the masses. In fact, they could count Jack White, Arctic Monkeys, and Orville Peck as vocal supporters, which led to support slots for each. Soon, incredible live appearances at Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza, Newport Folk Festival, and Shaky Knees became the norm.   Over the course of the last two years, The Nude Party decided to produce their new album, Rides On, themselves. With the help of Matthew Horner, The Nude Party had as much fun creating as they ever had at any other point in their career. Their new album includes 14 songs that dabble in electro-pop and stripped-down country. The Nude Party coalesced and embraced the spirit of collaboration. They’re excited to begin the next chapter of their career.   At a time when it would have been easy to pack it in, the band continues to persevere.

Dirtwire

Dirtwire stands poised between ancient Mother Earth and modern technology, a blend of ethnomusicology and the psychedelic trance state, gut-bucket delta blues and what the band variously dubs “back-porch space cowboy blues, swamptronica, and electro-twang.” It’s a sound informed by Dirtwire’s travels and performances around the globe, where East meets West and North joins South. From the favelas in Brazil, Femi Kuti’s Shrine in Lagos, Tokyo’s bluegrass clubs, Ayahuasca ceremonies in Central America, Gamelan performances in Bali, desert festivals in the Australian Outback, and the 20th anniversary of Kazakhstan’s modernized new capital Astana, the band spreads its message by building bridges across musical cultures in their own unique way. Dirtwire plays an array of instruments both ancient and modern, including West African kamale ngonis, jaw harps, space fiddles, whamola basses, Rickenbacher electric 12 string guitars, bowed Banjos and mouth harps from around the globe, all interwoven into modern laptop beat creation. Hailing from the underground west coast electronic bass music scene Dirtwire finds itself at the forefront of experimental electronic music production mixing in their wide array of world instruments with sampled beats and 808’s. Dirtwire’s live shows are a communal psychedelic journey, ranging from down home boot stomping get downs, to bass and blues electronic mashups, to ethereal cinematic beat driven soundscapes. Woven into each is the exploration of where live instruments meet computer production, and where tradition meets experimentation.  

Puma Blue

The Early November and Hellogoodbye

Six years have passed since New Jersey's The Early November released what, at the time, appeared to be their final album. Sprawling across three discs, The Mother, The Mechanic & The Path was a conceptual, grandiose and challenging record. Challenging for listeners but even more so, for the band that created it. Plagued with recording and creative struggles, it left the band feeling drained and frustrated. More so than anyone, it left songwriter and front-man, Ace Enders, feeling defeated. While proud of the record and response, he knew that it was not what he originally dreamed it would be. Less than seven months after it’s release, the band decided to call it day and announced their “indefinite hiatus” in March of 2007. Since then, much has happened. Enders immediately set out with a new solo moniker, Ace Enders & A Million Different People, determined to do everything “right” this time. In the music industry, that includes going to Hollywood to work with a hotshot producer and make a “hit” record. A deeply personal and sensitive songwriter, Enders found the experience less than gratifying to have his songs manipulated and contorted. As someone who has always produced their own material, the last straw came when he was asked to leave his own session only to come back and find a song completely re-arranged and re-recorded. The final product was ultimately scrapped and Enders vowed to never again make a record on someone else’s terms. After re-gaining his confidence and recording independence, he went on to release multiple fulllengths and EP’s under multiple project names (…And A Million Different People, I Can Make A Mess Like Nobody’s Business, solo) while keeping a continuous tour schedule. The other members stayed active as well. Guitarist Joseph Marro moved to California and joined indie-pop band HelloGoodbye. Drummer Jeff Kummer released a solo album, completed college and began working in television production. Bassist Sergio Anello toured with Enders for a period. Guitarist William Lugg worked in organic farming and even dug graves at a point. While still remaining close friends, the members appeared to have completely moved on from the band. Just a couple months before they all took the stage again at the sold-out Electric Factory in Philadelphia, an Early November reunion seemed to be about the most unlikely thing to would happen. Even before playing a second time, the old friends knew that they wanted to make a record together and be a band again. Things had changed for the little underdog band from the farming town of Hammonton, NJ during all those years. They found themselves with new purpose, drive and knowledge. Having signed their first recording contract at the ripe, old ages of 17, 18 & 19, they knew what they did and did not want to do this time around. They found the perfect partner in Portland, OR label Rise Records and set out to record a new album in Ace Enders recently built, Living Room Recording studio with Enders at the helm. In Currents is a record that could have only been made by this band, at this specific point in time. The Early November had to have the experiences they did in the past 10 years which are documented on this new album. The good and the bad, the ups and the downs. The tastes of success and the crushing disappointments. The band has grown up, lived life and seen both its beauty and dismay. An atmosphere and tension hovers over the entire record leaving one unsure whether they should smile or sigh. In Currents is an introspective and thought provoking record displaying a gamut of emotional territory. In the opening track, A Stain On The Carpet, Enders recollects a regretful evening and confronts the threat of losing someone to dementia. The alt-country tinged, The Smell Of This Place, reminds himself and his loved ones that those very ups and downs have been worth the ride and are responsible for where and who they are now. In the short but poignant Digital Age, Enders addresses an issue facing every musician; how to survive in a industry that seems to be abandoning its art. With their first new record in six years, The Early November have made an album that strongly and positively represents their entire career. The raw and youthful attitude from 2003’s, The Rooms Too Cold blends with the ambitious, sonic experimentation of The Mother, The Mechanic & The Path. Enders describes In Currents as “a journey through life’s joys and struggles” and “being pulled in a direction you can’t control…like an ocean current or the flow of electricity”. It’s a scenario everyone in this world is in and can relate to. It’s not about where those currents will eventually take you, it’s about the journey you’ll have and the experiences you’ll take with you that matter the most.