Homeboy Sandman
Homeboy Sandman grew up in Queens, New York City and attended boarding school at New Hampshire
Homeboy Sandman grew up in Queens, New York City and attended boarding school at New Hampshire
Michael Henry McBrain (born June 5, 1952 in Hackney, London, England) is the drummer for heavy metal band Iron Maiden. The nickname "Nicko" is from Michael’s childhood, where his favourite stuffed animal was named ‘Nicholas the bear’ – which he apparently carried everywhere. Due to this, his parents called him ‘Nicky’. “Nicko” was spawned when Michael was meeting a manager from CBS Records, with the keyboard player Billy Day. Billy introduced him as ‘My Italian drummer – His name’s “Neeko”’.
Aaron Cohen - Downbeat "Kneebody Creating a New Language" At first, it seems that Kneebody chose a name that intentionally invited anonymity. After speaking to a couple members of the quintet, it becomes clear that they also took a firm stance against presenting a single bandleader. Equally crucial is that they wanted to invent a word that conveys no preconceived musical connotations. "It's a nonsense word that my girlfriend came up with," said saxophonist Ben Wendel. "We wanted a short, memorable word with a nondefinable genre connection.
Swanston is made up of Grice Peters (Lead vocals, guitars) Jim Peters (Keys, flute, vocals) and Dave Costello (Bass, vocals) and was formed in Devon, UK. Swanston take their name from a dilapidated but much loved Georgian mansion in deepest Devon. This is where much of the band's early material was written and recorded, including their stunning concept album 'Glorious Swanston'. This was recorded in one mammoth session!
Leeds based trio I SWIM WITH SHARKS blend infectious melodies with a scissor kicking live presence to create their exciting Guitar Driven Aggro Pop. Over the last 12 months the band have shared stages with the likes of Alabama 3 and Mr Beastly amongst others and have enamoured audiences with their commanding live performances. Their debut release, the single
Nels Cline (born in Los Angeles in 1956) is an American guitarist and composer. Currently he is the lead guitarist of the rock band Wilco. Nels began to play guitar at age 12 when his twin brother, Alex Cline took up the drums. Cline is not classically trained. This gives him a unique avant-garde style that many other jazz guitarists fail to match, due to their probable conventional training. He is noted for his apt use of effects pedals and looping devices, which enhances his style and gives his approach to guitar and music a distinct sound.
Charles Spearin, founding member of Do Make Say Think, Broken Social Scene and K.C. Accidental released his debut album, The Happiness Project, on Feb. 14, 2009. The Happiness Project mixes music with spoken interviews which Spearin conducted on persons living in his own neighborhood. A theme throughout each interview is the subject of happiness. According to the album's liner notes, after the interviews Spearin would listen to the playback "for moments that were interesting in both meaning and melody," Spearin wrote.
Tyondai Braxton is an American composer and performer and ex-guitarist / singer of American experimental-rock super-group Battles, and as a prominently featured artist on record label Warp Records. He has been actively producing and performing music under his name as a solo artist, as well as collaboratively under various group titles and collectives, since 1998. Raised in Connecticut, Braxton is the son of multi-instrumentalist and avant-garde composer Anthony Braxton. He later studied composition at Hartt School of Music in Hartford, Connecticut with Robert Carl and Ingram Marshall.
Pentatonix are an a cappella quintet from Arlington, Texas, and were the winners of the third season of "The Sing-Off" on NBC. Their members are Scott Hoying (lead), Kirstie Maldonado (female lead/harmony), Mitch Grassi (harmony), Kevin Olusola (percussion), and Avi Kaplan (bass). They specialize in futuristic sounds and techno-style pop. Their name is likely a play on both the pentatonic scale and the fact that there are 5 members in the group. The group's website is: www.ptxofficial.com.