In early 1996, the world was seemingly reconciling some of its evolutionary hang-ups. Gary Kasparov defeated Deep Blue in one of the most epic chess matches of all time. Scientists discovered the possible evidence of life on Mars. President Clinton appointed the first female US Secretary of State. And in one cluttered basement in Wilmington, Delaware, the Spinto Band began to materialize. Spinto, huh?
Albert Hammond, Jr. (born April 9, 1980, in Los Angeles) is a musician best known as the guitarist for the rock band The Strokes. Outside of the band, he has released two solo albums. The son of Gibraltarian-British songwriter Albert Hammond, Albert Jr. was sent to the elite boarding school Institut Le Rosey in Switzerland at the age of 13. While there, he met Julian Casablancas, who would go on to be a fellow band member. In 1998, Albert met up with Julian in New York City and together they formed a band with Julian's former schoolmates: Nick Valensi, Nikolai Fraiture and Fabrizio Moretti.
Jana Hunter is a songwriter and musician, and was born in Texas. She is now(2010) based in Baltimore. She has recently(2009) formed a new band named Lower Dens and toured the USA with Future Islands(2010). She is signed to Gnomonsong, a record label run by Devendra Banhart and Vetiver's Andy Cabic. Her solo debut album Blank Unstaring Heirs of Doom was the label's debut release. She later completed her second album "There's No Home" as well as "Carrion EP".
Matteah Baim is a folk musician from New York, United States. She began writing music with Sierra Casady in 2005 for Metallic Falcons. After the band disbanded, she continued with a solo career in 2006, releasing her first solo album Death of the Sun in 2007. Matteah's music is described as disparate, haunted folk that roll over your senses like desert clouds. With the help of a few friends Jana Hunter, Devendra Banhart, and Rob Doran she has taken her palate of lonesome inky textures and blown it dry with a wanderer's spirit.
Dean & Britta is a musical duo consisting of Dean Wareham and Britta Phillips, both former members of Luna. Wareham had formed Luna in 1992 after leaving his first band, Galaxie 500. Phillips joined Luna in 2000, replacing bassist Justin Harwood. Their first album started out as a Wareham solo project, but when he heard Phillips' demos, he asked her to join him. After Luna broke up in 2005, Dean & Britta spent the next year working on film scores (most notably Noah Baumbach's movie, The Squid and the Whale), and promoting the documentary film of Luna's farewell tour Tell Me Do You Miss Me.
There are two artists that use the name Jaymay. 1) Jamie Seerman and 2) JayMay a Christian rapper. 1. Jamie Seerman is an American folk singer-songwriter from New York. She performs under the name Jaymay. She was raised on Long Island and in 2003, unable to find a job in book publishing, Jaymay began playing open mics. Her major musical influence is Bob Dylan. She has been described by the BBC as "darling of the New York 'Anti-Folk' scene", and by the New York Times as a "big name for the indie universe".
A self-taught pianist from the age of 7, Dustin O'Halloran's personal histories give us some clue to the thickly-woven tapestries of his music: he has lived in LA (where he studied art at Santa Monica College and formed the much-adored Devics with Sara Lov), Italy (in the depths of rural Emilia Romagna) and Berlin. His arresting, heartbreaking music is as much an elegant exercise in nuance and grace as it is a pure, intuitive, personal expression – and here is where we see some explanation into Dustin's quiet rise to notoriety and his continued ascension.
Linda Perhacs is an American psychedelic folk singer-songwriter, who released her only album "Parallelograms" in 1970 to scant notice or sales. The album was rediscovered by record enthusiasts and grew in popularity with the rise of the New Weird America movement and the Internet. It was reissued on CD and 2-LP in 2005, and again in 2008. Native of Mill Valley, California, United States, Linda Perhacs spent many years away from the music industry (mostly spent as dental technician).
Comets on Fire are a psychedelic rock band from Santa Cruz, California. The band was formed in 1999 by guitarist and vocalist Ethan Miller and longtime friend bassist Ben Flashman, who were seeking to create rhythmically and sonically intense music that paid no attention to categorizations. The band's self-titled debut was released in 2001 and eventually issued on the Alternative Tentacles label. Recorded on a four-track, it was a garage/psych freakout of intense if not epic proportions.
The Chapin Sisters are three sisters from New York whose unique blend of traditional folk harmonies and indie rock moodiness (think Crosby Stills and Nash meets Cat Power) have been winning them an increasing number of fans. Though the girls have been singing together informally for years, the Chapin Sisters started as a group only two years ago. One night the sisters started playing three part harmony renditions of new wave and punk songs they'd listened to growing up.