Strange Vine's earthy, energetic music is a fusion of blues, psychedelic, and traditional American rock. It's a sound born of California's Sierra Nevada Mountains, from two men who were raised there. Ian Blesse plays drums and Rhodes piano (simultaneously), while Toby Cordova fleshes out the songs with a rotating arsenal of guitars (including one made from a cigar box). Both contribute vocals toward a rich, layered sound that's greater than the sum of its parts. In just a year's time, Strange Vine has already shared the stage with acts like The Black Keys, Cage The Elephant, The Growlers, Matt And Kim, White Denim,The Greenhornes, and JEFF The Brotherhood.

-Conlan Spangler

­Electric Flower Group had a most unlikely of beginnings. The first time they met, Josh Garza and Imaad Wasif were strangers in an elevator in London. Garza was carrying his kick drum and Wasif had his guitar in hand. They were at the BBC Studios to film performances on "Top of the Pops," Garza with his band Secret Machines and Wasif, an established solo artist, was appearing as a guest musician with Yeah Yeah Yeahs.

Another three years passed before the two men randomly collided again, this time on a street corner in Los Angeles. They decided to head to Wasif's rehearsal space. In a blast of inspiration from the cosmic weirdness of it all, they wrote "Circles," the epic track off of their debut EP. With the pounding of blood, the rumbling of thunder, and the indelicate sensations delicately rendered; its finesse lies in the grafting on such libidinous roots of the more visceral stems of Electric Flower Group.

If the world ever catches up to them, we can then be sure that times really have changed, that the end is nigh, that the circle is unbroken. Electric Flower Group are on a journey through a modern kaleidoscope of rock 'n' roll, transcending mainstream influence and incorporating strong minimalist elements into their modern psychedelic music. Electric Flower Group wakes the ghosts of rock's most daring days, while never following them.