After Emily & the Complexes frontman Tyler Verhagen spent several years hitch-hiking around the U.S. and playing as a solo acoustic artist, he settled down in Columbus, OH and recruited childhood friends Jordan Finke, Tom Konitzer, and Brett Gregory to turn his one-man band into a full-fledged rock n’ roll outfit. Drawing on Verhagen’s experiences on the road, the four began playing shows around Ohio and the Midwest. The band recorded and released their debut full-length album, Styrofoam Plate Blues, in September of 2012, and are currently focused on touring in support of it.

Matt Sheen & The New Hat Static is Indianapolis’ new up-and-coming band. They have a unique style that is somewhat hard to define by todays standards. A collective sound that incorporates styles from rockabilly, folk-rock, indie-rock, and alternative is definitely something that is worth giving a listen. If the music isn’t enough to catch your attention the bands leader/manager will absolutely get the job done. Matt Sheen is the brains behind the band. The mysterious man born from mechanical parts and magic, has a head like an old dial TV and the body of a business man. The other members of the band are as follows: Maxwell Holden, Jerryme Shoup, Jess Felmy, and Gregory Bacon.

With their soulful four-part harmonies, poetic lyrics and indelible melodies, it’s easy to see why the Atlanta Journal Constitution would hail von Grey as “nothing short of stunning.” They sound like they were born to play together – and, in fact, they were. The four sisters have been playing music nearly their entire lives. Classically trained from an early age, the Atlanta-based quartet – Kathryn, Annika, Fiona and Petra von Grey – have built on that foundation by performing upwards of 200 shows in the past two years, from recurring residency tours at intimate venues throughout the southeastern U.S. to supporting gigs with such artists as Sarah McLachlan.

•2012 – Enters the studio to record his first real album. Can’t wait to share it.

•2008 – Graduates High School. Enters Ball State University in the Fall as a Pre-Med major. Realizes he hates Pre-Med the first week of school and decides to pursue music instead. Never looks back.

•2005 – The Homecoming re-brands themselves as Hostile Waters. They record an EP that never gets released.

Formed in 2008, Shiny and the Spoon quickly established itself as one of the most intimate and honest folk acts in the Midwest. Videos of living room performances gained viral status, while a tightly knit group of fans packed perfor- mances in listening rooms and local “dive” bars. The past year has been their most momentous to date, with the addition of veterans Pete Brown and Matt Frazer, and release of their first full-length album: Ferris Wheel, produced by Afghan Whigs’ John Curley. The band has quickly moved from back rooms to bandstands throughout the Midwest, retaining the same unadorned simplicity and tightly wound harmonies as before. With a clever ease and lack of airs, Shiny and the Spoon, is quickly becoming one of the most exciting and broadly accessible folk acts performing today.

I was born in Chicago, IL on September 17th, 1985. I met music young, and I played in bands throughout my teenage era, but never (really) left home. I tried college for a bit before leaving to videotape and roadie for local pals and up-and-comers, The Academy Is…

Within a couple of months, we were hitting the road with Panic! at the Disco. The first night of the tour, Panic!’s guitarist Ryan Ross, was having issues with his effects pedal, and noticing the familiar frustration, I offered my help. Within a few hours we were talking about our favorite bands, movies, and food, and then we started playing guitars. The next few days, I spent my free time hanging out on the Panic! tourbus, getting to know the other guys and uncovering many similar interests. Within a few weeks they hinted that things weren’t working out with their current bass player, and within a few months I was on stage playing my first show with Panic! in front of 15,000 people at KROQ’s Weenie Roast. After that show, we spent two years touring relentlessly to promote their debut album.

After that, we took some time to work through ideas and creative kinks, finally finding solace in a collaborative effort. A few interesting months later, Pretty. Odd. was complete. Four formative years and a line-up change provided a relatively sharp contrast to Panic(!)’s first album, and though the record was met with critical praise, “underwhelming” sales in a declining music industry brought creative and personal conflicts to the forefront of ourover-worked and under-experienced band. Two world tours and a few short discussions later, we parted ways to follow our hearts.

Fellow bandmate/songwriter Ryan Ross also left Panic(!). We had a handful of songs we had been collaborating on, so we started a project called The Young Veins. We retreated to a California canyon to write, and in a few months we finished and recorded our album Take A Vacation.  It was a few more long months until we found an independent record label to release it, and after a couple of tense tours and many disagreements, it became obvious that the creative and personal issues of the past had carried over to the new project. Rather abruptly, The Young Veins were officially “taking a vacation”.

It was winter, I was back home (at last), and I was confused and exhausted. Then I became inspired. I finished and demoed some songs I had been working on, and impatiently decided to self-release these Home Recordings. It felt good. I kept writing songs, played a couple of shows and soon had enough material for a full length album. A few months later, New Songs was recorded and self-released.

-From his website

From the band:

“CUBA has been floating around in some form, for almost 5 years. Starting early as a duo between Ryan Lammey and Jon DaCosta, CUBA is now a five piece band that often recruits help from fellow friends and musicians for live shows and recordings.”

“Integrating raw passion, working class honesty, and channeling vast arrays of musical influences, power trio Yukon Fox from Indianapolis, IN bring a fresh dynamic and original sound to the independent rock world. Meshing harmonized vocal melodies, Yukon Fox create atmospheres that are both filling and captivating. The primary focus for this band has revolved around well-crafted lyrics, innovative structures, and integration of effective writing styles of past decades.”