The Hush Sound

The Hush Sound is much like Lydia in the way they harmonize between male and female vocals. Both play a lead role at times, and it works for these guys. Their album "So Sudden." has been a staple on my iTunes for the last month or so, and I still am amazed every time through. They combine indie and folk tracks into a single album to create something that keeps you on your feet. The album keeps you entertained by switching from calm ("Weeping Willow") to upbeat ("Hourglass") at the drop of a hat. Some songs leave you wanting to cry, while some make you want to dance. The Hush Sound comes across as dynamic and entirely original on their debut album.

City and Colour

Dallas Green is City and Colour. This Canadian folk-singer hails from St. Catharines, Ontario but plays a rather American brand of music. His songs are chalked full of the sounds of Americana, American Folk, even country. Dallas combines these styles to create his own brand of folk that has skyrocketed him into the charts, even sending his first full length album Sometimes well past the threshold of a gold standing. Mr. Green has a quite tortured arsenal hidden within his pen, writing songs about funerals ("Body in a Box"), God ("I Don't Need to Know", "Faithless", and "Confessions"), and many other subjects one thinks about when spending a late night alone and awake. When this lyrical matter is coupled with folk-country lead guitar and the soulful voice of a man that feels every word, something truly amazing is created. On his most recent album Bring Me Your Love, Dallas employs friends to play mandolin, lap steel, organ, keys and even floor stomping to create a final product that is sure to make you feel something.

www.purevolume.com/cityandcolour
www.myspace.com/cityandcolour

Make Sure to hear:
"Casey's Song" (Sometimes)
"What Makes a Man?" (Bring Me Your Love)

Phillip Gregory

I grew up in a house next door to Phillip Gregory in Kent, Wa. He kept me up all hours of the night practicing with his band Bionic Systems Go until I was about eight. I slept so well those two years following his departure from the band. But this in no way meant that he was not making music any longer. No, Phill was working on a solo record. Two Ears to Hear You came out after my family moved to Camas, Wa in 2006, but I was involved the whole way through. My stepfather Jason produced it, and though it took a few years to finish, Ears was an album worth waiting for. The album is a diverse work of art that has both hints of Lennon/McCartney ("A First For Man"), and Phill's own style that has been developed over the years. Lyrically, Moos shines as a poet and a songwriter reminiscent to those of the seveties, yet entirely rooted in the future. Phillip draws from his past, present, and future; telling stories that give everyone just a little insight into the mind of this quiet guy that lived in his mother's basement next door until I was ten years old. Phillip is now in a band called Carousel. They play shows fairly frequently, even playing with Phillip's idol, and his son's namesake, rusty willabee about a year ago.

Make Sure to Hear:
"Noose and Heart" (Two Ears to Hear You)
"A First For Man" (Two Ears to Hear You)

Lydia

Harmony is Lydia's thing. They hail from Gilbert, Arizona and boast both male and female vocalists. This six-piece indie band knows who they are musically, and with each track they build upon their style. Vocalists Leighton Antelman and Mindy White's voices mesh perfectly on the band's record "Illuminate". The band has truly reached new heights on this release, utilizing keys, guitar, and voices in what may be the best dual-vocalled indie band to date. Leighton occasionally resembles a British-sounding Craig Owens (Chiodos/Isles & Glaciers) and Mindy a more high-ranged Hayley Williams (Paramore). The feel of this group's music is somewhat indescribable. It's calming yet thought provoking, inspiring yet down. Personally, I believe that Lydia is a band to not analyze, but simply enjoy.

Check them out:
www.myspace.com/lydia
www.purevolume.com/lydia

Places to Hear Me

So I figured I'd give you a few places to hear my music. I play a folkier brand of solo acoustic music and have released several albums and EPs over the last few years. My music is really just what's on my mind at the moment.



Please have a go at it and let me know what you think. I appreciate all feedback.



myspace.com/jackdevoremusic

purevolume.com/jackdevore

Stomacher

Stomacher is a band undefined. You cannot listen to their latest album with the intent of lumping it into any one genre, as Stomacher is simply that; Stomacher. They are ambient, chilling, and beautiful. With frontman Jarrod Taylor's haunting vocals leading the way, Stomacher slides through their own brand of music, parts indie, rock, folk, and alternative with the most soulful delivery the music industry has seen in a long time. With lyrical objectives not entirely decipherable, Jarrod Taylor writes to invoke thought. The band's newest album "Sentimental Education" alone contains ten songs, each with a dark, brooding, yet incredibly melodic vibe. The rythm section of this band leads the charge with grooves that almost force movement, while the vocals and guitars haunt your every sense. I have seen Stomacher live on two occasions, and I will tell you, this music will truly change your life. I know it has changed mine.

www.myspace.com/stomacher
http://www.stomachermusic.com/

Make Sure to Hear:
"Mystic Heat" (Stomacher)
"Sentimental Education" (Sentimental Education)
"Coming on a Black Day" (Sentimental Education)

A Movable West

Josiah Byars is a man of many thoughts, dreams, and introspections. He is a man that likes to question the perceptions of the majority and remind us all of how inane and inconceiveable some of the things our society believes are. A believer in God and the like, Josiah is not a man to let Christians slip by unscathed. In his song "You Devil You" he says to the followers, "I lifted you up, and this is what I get; you jump in some dirty river and join the born again". He speaks of ritual and the concepts of the church and society as a whole, trying despereately to tell the truth to at least a few of us who are willing to listen. And believe me, not only a few are listening. Josiah has gained a fairly large fanbase in his short time as a solo act. He plays a folky brand of acoustic indie music that you can listen to in almost any mood and enjoy no matter what. I am truly a fan and believe you should be as well.

Check him out:
http://www.purevolume.com/AMovableWest
http://www.myspace.com/amovablewest

Make Sure to Hear:
"You Devil You" (So Much Depends on Your Proportions)
"In Defense of the Lower Case" (So Much Depends on Your Proportions)
"Thousands and Thousands" (Portraits)

Abandon Kansas

A quartet from Wichita, Kansas, Abandon Kansas is sure a cut above all the rest. Frontman Jeremy Spring will tell you when asked what motivates him and his bandmates, that "As far as long term goals, none of us have any desire to be rich and famous. If we can keep connecting with people through music then we'll be content. There are way too many bands out there already so we're trying to make what we do a little bigger than music".
With lyrics like "The small town kids miss the city/The city kids miss the trees/How did we get this backwards?/We're gonna need more than a change of scenery", they do just that. They make their music worth something to the world. I witnessed this band's live show at last year's Tomfest music festival, and I was blown away. Even in the abscence of their bassist, the trio of men pulled together something beautiful. I came away from their set just a little different than I had been before. And though it wasn't a radical change in character, I believe this is what Jeremy meant. They only wish to connect with people and make that miniscule change of heart.
Abandon Kansas is a truly incredible band and a great group of guys.


Check them out:
www.myspace.com/abandonkansas
www.purevolume.com/abandonkansas

Make sure to hear:
"Minutes (acoustic)" from The Earth Falls Asleep
"I Wonder if it's Me" from We're All Going Somewhere