Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros formed in Los Angeles in 2007. They released their debut album, Up From Below, in July 2009 on Community Music. The album has sold over 275,000 copies in the US, and charted on iTunes for 69 straight weeks. With its unique and universal appeal, their hit single "Home" soared to over 775,000 downloads. After intensive touring throughout 2009-2011, including hit appearances at Lollapalooza, Bonnaroo, and Coachella (and a sold out show at The Vogue in 2010,) Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros have proven themselves to be a touring force to be reckoned with.

In March 2011, the troupe's lead singer Alex Ebert released his solo debut album, Alexander, on Community Music, which was written and recorded during breaks from being on tour as a part of Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros. The album includes ten brand new songs that Alexander wrote and played entirely himself.

In April 2011, the band embarked on the "Railroad Revival Tour" with Mumford & Sons and Old Crow Medicine Show where the band traveled exclusively in vintage railcars across the American Southwest for a week and played concerts at unique outdoor locations along the route. Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros actively support Water Wells For Africa, Charity Water, APJ Now, Hope Campaign and Voice Project.

Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros will release their second studio album on Community Music / Vagrant Records on May 29, 2012.

It's funny how a record comes together," says Del McCoury—and with fifty years of music-making already under his belt, he's a man who knows what he's talking about. "You get one song from here, another from there, and then you get one from out of left field, and you don't even know where it came from. This record, it was really fun to do, and I think the reason is because the songs were so different."

Del's not kidding about that "different" part, and it's a big reason why Family Circle, the latest on his own McCoury Music label, is so special—it's not only an enjoyable, exciting set of music, but an unmistakable sign that, at the age of 70, he's more ready than ever for a musical challenge. Others in his shoes might have stuck with the award-winning tried and true so brilliantly embodied in the epic Celebrating 50 Years Of Del McCoury, the McCoury Music boxed set issues earlier this year, but not this bluegrass legend. He may own Grammy awards and International Bluegrass Music Association trophies by the case full, he may play to enthusiastic audiences from Conan and Letterman to Bonnaroo, the New Orleans Jazz Fest and Merlefest, and guest with artists like the New Orleans Preservation Hall Jazz Band and country superstar Dierks Bentley, but Del's not resting on his laurels; it's just not the McCoury way.

That way has led Del through an unparalleled career in bluegrass. A product of the rowdy Baltimore bluegrass club scene in the late 50s, he jumped onto the national stage when he joined the music's original band, Bill Monroe And His Blue Grass Boys in 1962, and though his memorable stint with the Country Music Hall of Famer was followed by several decades' worth of part-time band leadership as he worked logging industry day jobs and raised a family, his stature grew steadily within the tightly knit bluegrass community. When he moved to Nashville in the early 1990s—his now-grown sons in tow and in his band—to devote himself to a full-time career, he was rewarded with a flood of acclaim from that community, including an unsurpassed string of IBMA Entertainer of the Year awards. At the same time, his blend of musical integrity and open-mindedness, fierce intensity and easygoing charm and willingness to look for new opportunities to present his crackerjack Del McCoury Band to the world at large began to bring him new audiences, aided by public admiration from popular fellow artists like Elvis Costello and Phish.

By the time Celebrating 50 Years Of Del McCoury came out, then, Del McCoury, along with sons Ronnie (mandolin) and Rob (banjo), long-time fiddler Jason Carter and bass player Alan Bartram had hit a groove that was both immensely successful and artistically rewarding—and yet it was at precisely that point, as Del began to think about his next album, that his sense of adventure began to take the upper hand. "I didn't really have anything in mind," he recalls with a trademark chuckle. "I just started looking through things I had that people sent me—people send me stuff all the time, I've got a box full of it. So got the box out and started listening, and I was surprised at some of the stuff that I found."

Among the songs that weren't surprising were entries from favorites like Shawn Camp, whose "My Love Will Not Change" has become a favored closer or encore on shows, and Billy and Terry Smith—Del's been recording songs of Billy's since the early 90s—but even there, it turned out there was room for a twist. "I didn't write any of the songs this time," he notes, "but it's a funny thing: I really liked that song of Billy and Terry's, but I got to thinking that it was a little short, so I wrote another verse for it and asked Billy if it was ok, and he said, sure—and then I wound up doing the same thing with a song that Jim Lauderdale had sent me. They had a different ending on the song, and it was kind of short, and I thought it would be better if I just came up with another verse for it. And then I saw Jim at a show, and I said, you know, Jim, I wrote another verse to that song and recorded it, I hope you don't mind. And he listened to it and said, yeah—it matches!"

Others given the familiar McCoury touch include West Virginian Alan Johnston's "Sweet Appalachia," the Alaskan story, "White Pass Railroad," a simmering "Revenuer's Blues," written by son Rob with long-time family friend—and country hit songwriter—Ronnie Bowman, and a nifty remake of a 40s movie song, "I Remember You," that Del got from country singer Slim Whitman, who grazed the charts twice with it. "Of course, I remember hearing Slim do it years ago," he says, "but then I think I heard it again on the radio. And sometimes, if I hear a song, I'll write the title down on a little piece of paper and stick it on the wall in the stairway at the house, and I had that one stuck on there. So I told my grandson, Jacob, see if you can get this song on the computer—and he downloaded it, and that's how I learned it."

For most of the rest, though, it's another story. "I kind of had to work on some of those, because they were so different from what I'm used to doing," Del admits with a laugh. "Like 'Does My Ring Burn Your Finger.' Someone told me it was a hit for Lee Ann Womack, but I heard it done by [soul legend] Solomon Burke on some kind of compilation of things by different artists—we had a cut on there, too—and I really liked it, but it took me a while to get, because the melody is so different. And then there's that song of Joe New's—I had met him back when he lived in Nashville, before he moved back to California, we did one of his songs a couple of records ago, and there's two of his this time, and one of them is called 'Barbaric Splendor.' I wasn't too sure about it at first, but the more I listened to it, the more I really liked it—there's a lot of mystique in that song, and that's the reason I recorded it—but that took some work, too."

Then there was "Hello Lonely—a "mystery song" that Del decided to record nearly at the last minute. "At the very end, I got to thinking, there aren't too many harmony songs on this album, I'd better see if there's something that needs some harmony vocals. And there was a CD sitting on my kitchen counter that didn't have a thing written on it—I didn't know whose it was at all. But I played it, and there was a real slow song on there that I thought, that'd be good for harmony at a fast tempo. And when I got to the studio, I got it out, and I was singing it, and Ronnie was starting to learn it, and then Jason walked in and said oh, that's my buddy there—I went to high school with the guy who wrote that. And I said, so that's whose song it is!"

Perhaps most surprising –at least for those who know him only by reputation as a keeper of the bluegrass flame—is Del's soulful cover of Mark Knopfler's "Prairie Wedding," given a wistful reading that, he says, came about mostly by accident. "My bass player, Alan Bartram, brought that in, and I remember, the guys were working it up in a hotel room somewhere when we were on the road. And they were doing it from listening to his record, which was in the key of C, and he sang it pretty low there. Well, I thought, I don't think I can sing it that low—but they've got the parts worked out already, so maybe I better sing it in that key! Because, you know, I really did like the song."

Yet while some might think that Del's new reach for left-of-center material was spurred by the younger generation of McCourys, and though he's quick to give son Ronnie credit for the instrumental arrangements—"all of the guys are good at that, but Ronnie usually takes the lead; he'll suggest things like all the playing the melody together that you hear in 'White Pass Railroad'"—Family Circle is arguably one of Del's most hands-on albums. "I guess I produced it," he says in a typically modest way. "With Ron and Robbie and Jason and Alan doing more on their own now with the Travelin' McCourys, I pretty much put this together on my own—and I really like it. I didn't start out to do something different, but that's how it turned out!"

Indeed, Family Circle is likely to turn more than a few heads, and open more than a few new ears. For while his love for the hard drive and mournful wail of classic bluegrass burns as brightly as ever, Del McCoury's still got a passion for great songs, no matter where they lead him—and a way of somehow still making them his own that's as fresh today as it was 50 years ago.

Plain and simple, Rodriguez spits the cold facts. He drops acute humanistic observations gleamed from a Detroit born and bred existence. And though this talented singer-songwriter's primary recorded output reaches back to the late sixties and early seventies, its enduring legacy has manifested itself in the most unexpected, far reaching, and mind-blowing of ways. While heads have been passing Rodriguez LPs around for a number of years in the American underground, a wave of mainstream acceptance in Australia and South Africa dating back to the 1970s has opened up new fragments of reality for the man born as Sixto Diaz Rodriguez…

Cleveland native saxophonist Joe Lovano, "one of the most creative saxophonists going," (Boston Globe) combines eclectic taste in conceptual projects with his own distinctive sound. After formative stints in the Woody Herman and Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestras and in small groups led by Lonnie Smith, Jack McDuff, Chet Baker and others, Lovano gained attention as a member of guitarist John Scofield's quartet in the early 1990s. He emerged as a band leader when he began a 20-year association with Blue Note Records. His current recording, "Bird Songs," -- Lovano's 22nd for the label -- has become one of the most celebrated recent jazz recordings because it breaks the mold for Bird tribute records (Birdland's namesake Charlie "Bird" Parker). It's a thrillingly adventurous, thoroughly modern, and uniquely personal look at one of the most influential figures in jazz history by one of the most important voices in the music today. And Lovano's dynamic young band, Us Five, is the perfect vehicle for this exploration. The BBC calls it, "Charlie Parker's music rethought and interpreted in fresh ways," while the Los Angeles Times says, "leave it to restless tenor saxophonist Joe Lovano to take the idea of a tribute record and turn it on its head… Lovano and his band expertly show the many ways these classics can still throw sparks."

Over the past six years, Monophonics have staked their claim as the San Francisco Bay Area's premier funk/soul band. Raised amid the city's rich musical culture, these young musicians proudly carry on the tradition of music native to their hometown.
Monophonics were formed in 2005; originally an instrumental ensemble comprised of guitarist Ian McDonald, bassist Myles O'Mahony, saxophonist Alex Baky, trumpeter Ryan Scott, and drummer Austin Bohlman, the band has recently added the dynamic soul vocals of keyboardist Kelly Finnigan. The result is psychedelic soul & heavy funk, which harks back to the stylings of the late 60's and early 70's, all while keeping its feet planted in the present.

As a mainstay of San Francisco venues such as the Boom Boom Room and the Independent, the Monophonics have created a national buzz and fervent local following, sharing the stage & bill with such names as Budos Band, Orgone, Soulive, Macy Gray, Dr. Lonnie Smith, The New Mastersounds, Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Dumpstafunk, Charles Walker & The Dynamites and many more. Their recording credits include tracks with the The New Mastersounds and Karl Denson (Karl Denson's Tiny Universe, Grey Boy All-Stars) who's also featured on their latest release and second album, Into the Infrasounds. The album also includes musical guests Mic Gillete of Tower of Power & Jonathan Korty of Vinyl. Their touring schedule has brought their signature rowdy, hard-hitting live set to over 300 dates from California to Mississippi, as well as major music festivals including High Sierra, Joshua Tree and Las Tortugas. Additionally, the ensemble has established itself as yearly residents at the legendary New Orleans Jazz Festival. They have been featured in various magazines including Relix's "On the Rise" section, and in 2007, were awarded best Funk/Soul/R&B band in SF Weekly's "Best of the Bay Awards."

Already in 2011, the group has showcased their new sound with the release of a 7" entitled "Like Yesterday," for Colemine Records. The record feature's members of the Los Angeles based funk group Orgone, and will be distributed across the United States, Europe and Japan. Also in 2011, Monophonics will complete their third album to date, lacing the sounds of the late 60's/early 70's psych soul with fuzz guitars, freaky synthesizers, hard-driving drums and bass, funky horns and gritty vocals, a sonic testimony to the evolution of this six-piece unit.

The Flood Brothers have been playing as a duo since 2001, offering up renditions of high energy traditional music. In 2006 they formed a band with Kent and Dan Burnside (Kent Burnside and the New Generation), a grandson and son, respectively, of the legendary R.L. BURNSIDE, and began extensively touring the West Coast, Midwest, and South, playing classic venues such as Gip's Place down in Bessemer, Al; The House of Blues, Chicago; Buddy Guy's Legends, Chicago; Morgan Freeman's Ground Zero Blues Club, Clarksdale, MS; and the Knitting Factory, Hollywood, CA. After playing with Kent for 5 years and sharing the stage with the likes of Buddy Guy, Kenny Brown, Bobby Rush and Cedric, Duwayne, and Garry Burnside, they thought it was time to once again dial in on the duo.

Believers is the long standing, ever-gestating brainchild of Tyler and Wesley Powell. Interweaving careful melodies, driving bass riffs, and subtle samples over a rhythm-heavy, double-drummer backbone, their music has an undying love of pop at its core. Choosing to collaboratively pursue this end initially in 2009, they changed their lives and moved in together to do so. After amassing a collection of sapling songs but without a band, the fruits of their labor proved somewhat abstract. So, putting that endeavor to sleep for the moment, they parted ways. After a year of false starts on either side of the Atlantic, they finally overcame the fears of their pursuit and reunited in the heart of the Heartland [Columbia, Missouri] two years ago to continue to do what they set out to do. Recruiting two drummers and a bassist cousin to realize their work, Believers became a real band. They've been playing weekend tours and, for the majority of last year, have scraped together time outside of menial work to finish their first release. Bent on realizing the thing in a do-it-themselves fashion, they recorded, produced, and mixed the thing on their own. It's taken some time, but the fruits of their labor have finally been made concrete and pressed to vinyl [music.believersbelievers.com]. They/we hope to god/gods/void you enjoy it. Maybe they'll/we'll see you soon.

Out of the flooded plains of the midwest music scene comes Vulvette. Vulvette is powered by raw, plaintively lyrical vocals and alt-country guitar and bad ass drums. Vulvette sounds like summer rain falling on the hot, dusty ground. Like wrenching open a fire hydrant and dancing in the mist. Vulvette is the sound of last goodbyes, of true love lost. Of baptism and murder, trains and graveyards, sweethearts and scoundrels. A celebration of life no matter how hard it's been on us.

A little bit country, a little bit delta blues, and a little bit rock and roll, Vulvette is Steph Foley up front on guitar and vocals, Mike Danger on guitar, keyboards, and trumpet, Dr. Doug Freeman on bass, and Jon Boldt on drums.
We are the old soft shoe. We are the cowboy boots you found in the back of your closet that fit like a glove. We are the people who try on your worn out clothes at the Salvation Army and shout AMEN!