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Portugal The Man
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What is it about Portugal The Man that makes them stand out, that separates them from every other rock band?

Is it due to an unconventional upbringing in the magical and menacing tundra of the Land of the Northern Lights? Maybe it has something to do with their visceral live shows, their effortless ability to create concert experiences that differ wildly from night to night. Or perhaps it's due to the bond they actively forge with their ever-growing fan base evidenced by their showing up to in-store signings, radio stations or interviews with personalized paintings for their supporters.

In other words, Portugal The Man isn't a band, it's a movement and a force this strong could only be born out of a place as icy and isolated as Wasila, Alaska. While those of us who grew up in the Continental United States were raised on Saturday Morning Cartoons and sugary cereal, PTM front man John Gourley's upbringing was unorthodox. He spent a good deal of his youth exploring nature in one of the few virtually untouched territories left in the world. "Alaska is the prettiest place I've ever been," explains Gourley, whose striking enigmatic vision makes its mark on all of the Portugal The Man's CD packaging, merch designs, videos, photos and posters. "I think that environment has had a huge impact on our music."

Although Alaska is a decidedly conservative state, Gourley grew up as the child of two hippie parents, also one of the few husband-and-wife teams who ran the Iditarod, Alaska's annual dogsled race. John and his family lived in a remote cabin that needed a generator to provide electricity and had no phone. Thankfully, the generator provided enough juice to power the family's record player, and instead of getting caught up in mainstream hip-hop which permeated his hometown, he was raised on his parents' very limited record collection, poring over albums by the Beatles, Led Zeppelin, the Zombies, and Motown artists at a young age and being encouraged to explore his own inner creativity, which eventually lead to his joining Anatomy Of The Ghost with bassist Zach Carothers in 2002. When that band broke up in 2004, Portugal The Man rose out of the ashes.
The Temper Trap
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The Temper Trap\'s story begins with Dougy. Born in Indonesia and immersed in an artistic and musical family, with some rich influences from singing in church choirs with his aunty and uncle and listening to his dad, a country music fan, play guitar. These influences evolved around Dougy, as he moved consistently from different islands in Indonesa, to Hawaii and then eventually to Australia. Dougy\'s move to Downunder started him out as a portrait drawer at $25 a pop, or singing a tune for your loose change in downtown Melbourne.

Dougy eventually ended up working at the same retail store as Toby. Dougy had thought of starting a band for years and after a few months of boring work hours and finding out Toby was a drummer and a walking musical dictionary, the first band practice began, minus a bass player. In one of the coincedences that the band have come to rely on Jonny worked a couple of stores down and was called in. He had known Dougy for years, back in the busking days when dougy first arrived in melbourne. jonny, the 13 year old dreamer and son of a missionary, wanted to learn some guitar and dougy helped him out. A brotherly friendship was formed with some sense of common ground, both drawing life from music and their spritual upbringings, and unaware of the musical union which would be formed 6 years later.

The three of them came together, practised like crazy and played some shows for a year. One, two skip a few (guitarists), ninety nine Lorenzo. An old school friend of Toby\'s, Lorenzo had been dancing around bands and playing guitar from the age of 12. They bonded over skateboarding, but it didn\'t take the 2 teenagers long to start jamming covers and writing primitive songs in the garage. Years down the track and in another perfect twist Lorenzo\'s previous band called it a day just as the other tempers second guitarist departed and the band was formed.

The Temper Trap, lead by frontman Dougy, have been writing and touring Australia, catching the ears of many, including world renowned producer Jim Abiss who made the journey to melbourne to assist the Temper Trap in delivering their debut record. With a series of epic new tracks set for release on their much anticipated debut album, the band has conquered adventurous new territory, building on their rich foundations in a natural progression. Legendary Artic Monkey\'s and Kasabian Producer Jim Abiss flew over to Melbourne to be at the helm. The Results of this brilliant new evolution in sound will persuasively draw you in. The Temper Trap have undeniably delivered.
Drug Rug
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Thomas Allen and Sarah Cronin met in 2006 while working at the Middle East Club in Cambridge, Ma. After trading secret demos of their own songs, Tommy persuaded Sarah to combine forces. They spent their first date drinking whiskey in bed and playing each other songs on an old guitar. They've been inseparable ever since. Several months later, they christened themselves "Drug Rug," a name which has made strangers laugh and parents cry. Drug Rug began as an acoustic duo in the vein of the Everly Brothers and The Carter Family. Over the course of three or four shows Drug Rug evolved into a rock band with a revolving cast of friends and family. Their early rock and roll sound can be attributed to such influences as The Velvet Underground, The Byrds, and most importantly, the Paul and Linda McCartney record, "RAM". The songs are also inspired by the storytelling style of early folk musicians, comic books, campgrounds, funny hats, and the illustrations of Garth Williams. In the month of June, 2007 after consulting a psychic and a lawyer they signed to Black and Greene Records and are now slated to release their first record in the fall. Sarah likes to be covered in dirt and Tommy wears the same shirt for four days. They used to be drug free, but now they aren't so sure. They believe in the imminent end of the world and will destroy each other with love before the apocalypse. - Harmony In My Ears
Nathaniel Rateliff & The Wheel
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Combining the endearing swagger of Jacques Brel, the moody mysticism of Leonard Cohen and the pastoral plucking of Nick Drake, Rateliff’s potent songs and rich voice grabbed the audience by the heart and the throat.
All The Day Holiday
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This Ohio based four-piece has freshly come out of nowhere. Garnering an immense amount of attention and interest, things have picked up quickly for All the Day Holiday. While recently signing to Linc Star Records the band is in the midst of developing a strong foundation by building their fan base and voicing their perspectives and passions on life, people, living, and loving the fellow man.

While it’s rhythmically driven, the music is sophisticated and melodic. The songs have depth and purpose. The guitars and vocals give the music an identity that embraces the music's soul and perspective while the rhythm section lays the foundation and body of the music giving it it's unique swagger, energy, and direction...almost as if it had a definitive bone and muscle structure.

Inspired by art, experience, and the wonderful mystery of life they are multidimensional. These fresh faces in the music scene will soon become familiar. For fans of Death Cab for Cutie, Sunny Day Real Estate, Coldplay, Muse, and Jimmy Eat World, All the Day Holiday is a band you will be more than pleased with. Their first full-length album, “The Things We’ve Grown To Love,” just became available at shows—make sure to tell your friends before they tell you and be expecting big things from them in 2009 and beyond.
Julia Nunes
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Julia Nunes (pronounced NOONZ) is a native to upstate NY. She is a talented songwriter, guitarist, and ukulele player. Her talent is just now reaching to the public from internet websites such as YouTube.com and Myspace.com. Her first album, “Left Right Wrong” is being sold in the USA and Europe, as well as other countries throughout the world. Her second album, “I Wrote These” is available now. Her albums consist of all original work, however she does perform quite a few covers on YouTube! Julia’s CDs as well as t-shirts can be ordered at http://junumusic.com

Julia was recently featured on internet phenomenon site, YouTube.com. Her video performance of “Into The Sunshine” has nearly one million views, and continuing to grow. Before the video was featured on YouTube, Nunes was the winner of the Bushman World Ukulele Contest. Bushman is the world’s leading performance ukulele, and her winning tugged her into the music world. Her entry was a cover of Destiny’s Child’s “Survivor.” -Last.FM
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