CHELY WRIGHT A secret weighed her down, and now the truth is lifting her up There are many words to describe the experience of hiding one’s sexuality in the notoriously conservative world of mainstream country music, and Chely Wright knows them all. “Crazy-making,” she says. “Painful. Lonely. Isolating. Awful. It about killed me.” Wright rose to fame in the 1990s with radio hits like “Single White Female,” but was compelled to keep... 

MELISSA ETHERIDGE A progressive survivor finds inspiration returning to her rock roots By Melinda Newman Melissa Etheridge attracts more than her fair share of what she calls “jumpers”: those overzealous fans whose exuberance leads them to leap uninvited onto her concert stage. “My people know how to watch the front row and go, ‘Oh, there’s a jumper,’” she says with a chuckle. “They can tell.” Etheridge has inspired just that kind... 

NAS & DAMIAN MARLEY Giants of rap and reggae find common roots in the musical family tree Scarcely a hip-hop or reggae album is released these days without a roster of guest performances by stars or hot up-and-comers, but full-length album collaborations are rare. That fact only made the prospect of teaming up for Distant Relatives, their new genre-blending album, more of an enticement for reggae singer Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley and veteran rapper... 

TAYLOR HAWKINS A Foo Fighter and Coattail Rider conjures the sound of his childhood When he’s not pounding the skins behind longtime musical partner Dave Grohl in Foo Fighters, singer and drummer Taylor Hawkins fronts his own group, the Coattail Riders. The trio has just released its second album, Red Light Fever, a collection of lush power-pop featuring contributions from Grohl, Roger Taylor and Brian May of Queen, and the Cars’ Elliot Easton.... 

DEFTONES A brutal accident threatened their future, but brought them closer On Nov. 4, 2008, Deftones bass player Chi Cheng was involved in a car crash that left him comatose. The group shelved its just-completed album, Eros, and pondered its future. “We took some time off to figure out what we were going to do,” says drummer Abe Cunningham. “What should we do? Should we end it? Everybody had all these different thoughts. After a couple of... 

THE NEW PORNOGRAPHERS For this pure pop collective, the more’s the merrier–marching band included The New Pornographers’ A.C. Newman has a confession to make. “Some people might think a song like ‘Daydream Believer’ by the Monkees is cheesy,” he says. “But every time I hear the song, I think it’s so beautiful it makes me want to cry.” Fans of the Newman-led collective, which just released its fifth studio album, Together, know... 

WIDESPREAD PANIC For their latest, the masters of improv draw upon comedy and tragedy alike Widespread Panic frontman John Bell sees a sharp distinction between being a so-called “jam band” and being a band that’s adept at improvisation. “It’s the difference between playing while you’re asleep and playing while you’re awake,” he says. “To apply yourself properly to improvisation, you need to have an awareness of the other players... 

BILL CHARLAP AND RENEE ROSNES A pair of virtuoso jazz pianists makes beautiful music together Bill Charlap and Renee Rosnes are not like most couples. By the time they married in 2007, each was already a world-renowned jazz pianist with an impressive discography and a packed touring itinerary. The living room of their New Jersey home is taken up mostly by two grand Steinways, and their piano stools are where they prefer to spend their leisure hours.... 

THE HOLD STEADY Aging gracefully, struggling mightily and thinking positively On the Hold Steady’s fifth album, Heaven Is Whenever, singer Craig Finn continues his evolution from a scenester reveling in gritty detail to an elder statesman with wisdom to impart. “On the last record, I was concerned with aging and the attempt to age gracefully, which is a tricky business in rock ’n’ roll,” Finn says. “This record sounds more like it came... 

BETTYE LaVETTE A mighty soul legend takes on classic-rock heavyweights Bettye LaVette admits that she wasn’t listening to rock ’n’ roll radio at  the time the 1960s and ’70s classics she tackles on her new album, Interpretations: The British  Rock Songbook, were popular. “I was listening to mostly black radio then,” she says. “I’m a rhythm & blues singer, and that’s where my music was being played. I had no particular teenage... 

JOSH RITTER He thought he was cursed—until a mummy showed the way home Josh Ritter albums have been fueled by one dominant emotion—and for the new So Runs the World Away, that emotion was terror. “For the first time in my life, I felt, ‘I don’t belong here,’” Ritter says. “I was thinking it was time for me to do something else, to move on to something other than music. I felt like a phony, and that terrified me. It was an awful... 

MINUS THE BEAR A little less math + a little more groove =  maximum “Minus-the-Bear-ness” When Minus the Bear guitarist Dave Knudson listens back to his band’s 2007 album Planet of Ice, he hears a complex, “proggy” deviation from the Seattle quintet’s more dance-oriented early material. “We were going for it,” Knudson says—“it” being a level of precise, hyper-clever riffing and arranging that, over the last decade, has earned... 

KATIE COSTELLO HOMETOWN: Hermosa Beach, Calif. INFLUENCES: Fiona Apple, the Beatles, X ALBUM: Lamplight, out now WEBSITE: katiecostellomusic.com Katie Costello recalls that she was “deathly shy” until she discovered songwriting at age 13. By 17 she was self-releasing her debut album, Kaleidoscope Machine, which generated enough buzz in nearby L.A. to earn her songs spots on TV shows including 90210, One Tree Hill and Private Practice. Still,... 

AMBROSE AKINMUSIRE HOMETOWN: Oakland, Calif. INFLUENCES: Terence Blanchard, Steve Coleman, Wayne Shorter ALBUM: When the Heart Emerges Glistening, out now WEBSITE: ambroseakinmusire.com Trumpeter Akinmusire caught the jazz world’s attention by winning the prestigious Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition, judged by the likes of Quincy Jones and Herb Alpert. He signed with the legendary Blue Note label last year and recorded When the... 

XIMENA SARIÑANA HOMETOWN: Guadalajara, Mexico INFLUENCES: Tracy Chapman, Ella Fitzgerald,  Paul Simon ALBUM: Ximena Sariñana, out Aug. 2 WEBSITE: ximenamusic.com Well-known since childhood in her native Mexico as a singer, songwriter and actress, Sariñana is preparing to introduce herself to a broader audience with her first English-language album. Ximena Sariñana, recorded in L.A. with producers Greg Kurstin, Dave Sitek and Natalia Lafourcade,... 

LAURA JANSEN HOMETOWN: Los Feliz, Calif. INFLUENCES: Joni Mitchell, Queen, Barbra Streisand ALBUM: Bells, out now WEBSITE: laurajansen.com Laura Jansen has done quite a bit of moving around in her life—from her birthplace of Breda, Holland, to Brussels, then Zurich, Connecticut, Tennessee and California. Along the way she studied at a music conservatory in Holland and at Berklee College of Music in Boston before finally launching her musical career... 

CARTER’S CHORD HOMETOWN: Los Angeles INFLUENCES: Fleetwood Mac, Emmylou Harris, Waylon Jennings ALBUM: Wild Together, out May 23 WEBSITE: carterschord.com Joanna, Emily and Becky Robertson grew up in the midst of country music history. Their parents, Barny and Carter Robertson, were members of the late Waylon Jennings’ 1970s band—he as keyboardist, she as backing vocalist. The sisters themselves made their debut singing on Jennings’... 

GRAHAM STOOKEY HOMETOWN: Littleton, Colo. INFLUENCES: Lenny Kravitz, John Mayer, Stevie Ray Vaughan ALBUM: The Basement Tracks, out now WEBSITE: stookeymusic.com Graham Stookey took piano lessons as a child, but he truly found his calling when at age 13 he saw a show by acoustic guitar master Phil Keaggy. “After that I decided I wanted to play the guitar,” he remembers. “I enrolled in guitar lessons from an excellent teacher, and my journey... 

KINA GRANNIS HOMETOWN: Mission Viejo, Calif. INFLUENCES: Jason Mraz, Alanis Morissette, Vertical Horizon ALBUM: Stairwells, out now WEBSITE: kinagrannis.com In 2007, Kina Grannis decided to upload her performance of her song “Message From Your Heart” to YouTube in hopes of winning a contest. Win it she did, earning the clip a televised airing during the Super Bowl—and an internet following that has since grown into the millions. “One of... 

FRANCESCA BATTISTELLI HOMETOWN: New York City INFLUENCES: John Mayer, Nichole Nordeman, Stevie Wonder ALBUM: Hundred More Years, out now WEBSITE: francescamusic.com When she wrote and recorded her debut album, 2008’s My Paper Heart, all New York native Francesca Battistelli had to worry about was the task at hand. When she went to work on the new follow-up, Hundred More Years, she had quite a bit more on her mind. “This time,” she says,... 

HENRY WOLFE HOMETOWN: Los Angeles INFLUENCES: Paul McCartney, Randy Newman, Harry Nilsson ALBUM: Linda Vista, out now WEBSITE: henrywolfe.com He may be the only musician in his immediate family, but Henry Wolfe clearly has creativity in his DNA: His father is respected sculptor Don Gummer, his mother is movie icon Meryl Streep and two of his three sisters are actors as well. Wolfe began channeling his own artistic impulses into music after receiving... 

PLAN B HOMETOWN: London influences: Eminem, Michael Jackson, the Prodigy ALBUM: The Defamation of Strickland Banks, due out in April WEBSITE: time4planb.co.uk Plan B (born Ben Drew) began singing and playing guitar as a teenager before he turned his attention to rap, inspired by the example of the similarly hued Eminem. “He was brilliant, he changed the whole game,” says Plan B. “He didn’t just influence white rappers, he influenced everyone.”... 

ANNA CALVI HOMETOWN: London INFLUENCES: Jimi Hendrix, Robert Johnson, Django Reinhardt ALBUM: Anna Calvi, out March 1 WEBSITE: annacalvi.com Anna Calvi began playing guitar at age 13, but it wasn’t until four years later that she began learning to sing. “I’d always wanted to be a singer, but it was hard for me because I’m so shy,” she says. “But I just worked on it—five or six hours a day. I was very secretive about it. It was the... 

FUNERAL PARTY HOMETOWN: Whittier, Calif. MEMBERS: Chad Elliott (vocals, keyboards), James Torres (guitar), Kimo Kauhola (bass, vocals) ALBUM: The Golden Age of Knowhere, out now WEBSITE: funeralpartymusic.com California rock band Funeral Party was born from its members’ boredom and disillusionment with their hometown of Whittier, Calif., a sleepy suburb of Los Angeles. “It was the perfect name for a band like ours, because we come from this jail... 

STEEL MAGNOLIA HOMETOWN: Nashville MEMBERS: Joshua Scott Jones (vocals, guitar), Meghan Linsey (vocals) ALBUM: Steel Magnolia, out Jan. 11 WEBSITE: steelmagnoliamusic.com In March 2006, Joshua Scott Jones walked into a karaoke club in Nashville. There he met and sang with Meghan Linsey for the first time, belting out a version of the Air Supply hit “All Out of Love” together. The two hit it off and began dating, but were determined to pursue... 

THE MEMORIALS HOMETOWN: Berkeley, Calif. members: Viveca Hawkins (vocals), Nick Brewer (guitar), Thomas Pridgen (drums) ALBUM: The Memorials, due out Jan. 18 WEBSITE: thememorialsmusic.com After parting ways with prog-rock band the Mars Volta in late 2009, drummer Thomas Pridgen immediately set about putting a new group together. He reached out to singer Viveca Hawkins and guitarist Nick Brewer, both of whom he had met while attending the Berklee... 

HOPE HOMETOWN: Woodstock, N.Y. INFLUENCES: Mariah Carey, Sade, Sting ALBUM: Hope, due out early 2011 WEBSITE: followhope.com In a way, Hope’s destiny in music was preordained by the bittersweet circumstances of her birth: Her twin sister, Faith, died just days after both were born. “Sometimes I feel like half of me is not here,” she says. “Music has become a huge part of that other half. I rely on the music to give me sanity and inspiration.”... 

LAUREN PRITCHARD HOMETOWN: Jackson, Tenn. INFLUENCES: Aretha Franklin, Marvin Gaye, Al Green ALBUM: Wasted in Jackson, out now digitally; CD release due in February 2011 WEBSITE: laurenpritchard.com Lauren Pritchard came to Los Angeles from Tennessee as a teenager, determined to make her name in the music business—but before long found herself broke and resigned to returning home defeated. Then a friend’s mother intervened, convincing her to... 

THE SECRET SISTERS HOMETOWN: Muscle Shoals, Ala. influences: The Everly Brothers, Simon and Garfunkel, Don Williams ALBUM: The Secret Sisters, out now WEBSITE: secretsistersband.com Sisters Laura and Lydia Rogers grew up singing together in a town famous for music—but they never intended to perform as a duo. An impromptu audition for veteran producer Dave Cobb in the fall of 2009 changed all that. A few days later, Cobb had them on a plane to... 

MATT WHITE HOMETOWN: New York City INFLUENCES: Elton John, Led Zeppelin, Bruce Springsteen ALBUM: It’s the Good Crazy, out now WEBSITE: mattwhitemusic.com On his 2007 debut album, Best Days, Matt White built his sound around piano and guitar equally. On the follow-up, it’s all about the ivories. “This is really my first record,” he says. “Best Days was essentially chasing a time, and I experimented with a lot of nuances, like playing the... 

JASON REEVES HOMETOWN: Iowa City, Iowa INFLUENCES: Bob Dylan, Radiohead, Sufjan Stevens ALBUM: The Lovesick, due out this winter WEBSITE: jasonreeves.com Jason Reeves fell in love with music as a teenager, and eventually dropped out of college to head for California in 2005 and pursue a career as a singer and songwriter. “All songs exist in the atmosphere,” he says, “and artists are on a romantic search to pull them down and give them life.”... 

BRENDAN JAMES HOMETOWN: Derry, N.H. INFLUENCES: Simon and Garfunkel, James Taylor, Stevie Wonder ALBUM: Brendan James, out now WEBSITE: brendanjames.com After the release of his 2008 debut, The Day Is Brave, singer and pianist Brendan James toured relentlessly for 18 months. Along the way (by his count), he performed in 40 states, stayed in 210 hotels and ate at 330 restaurants. The goal was to build a fan base the old-fashioned way, one convert... 

ESPERANZA SPALDING HOMETOWN: Portland, Ore. INFLUENCES: Cannonball Adderley, Ron Carter, Dave Holland ALBUM: Chamber Music Society, out now WEBSITE: esperanzaspalding.com Jazz bass player and singer Esperanza Spalding has accumulated a lifetime’s worth of accomplishments at age 25, in part because she knew from a very early age what her destiny would be. She was only 4 when she saw classical cellist Yo-Yo Ma make a guest appearance on the kids’... 

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Vancouver Folk Festival – Part 1  Read More →

ANCIENT VVISDOM A Godlike Inferno myspace.com/ancientvvisdom Proving it’s possible to worship the beast while playing at a reasonable volume, these Texas folk-metal mavens temper electric crunch with acoustic picking, boot stomps and bamboo percussion. The quiet suits frontman Nathan Opposition—a thoughtful pagan who’s spent time contemplating man’s wickedness.  Read More →

JACK BEAUREGARD The Magazines You Read myspace.com/jackbeauregard Synth-pop is the medium, not the message, for Jack Beauregard, a German duo whose sensitive-guy songs are more Belle and Sebastian than Depeche Mode. When Daniel Schaub sings about going all night, his fantasy entails comforting a troubled lover, keeping her warm while she tosses and turns.  Read More →

FORD & LOPATIN Channel Pressure myspace.com/gamesmusic If it sounded cool in the ’80s, Brooklyn duo Ford & Lopatin squeeze it onto this record. Thomas Dolby synths, slap bass, shredding guitars, soft-rock vocals and the hook from Ready for the World’s funk hit “Oh Sheila”: They’re all here, warped and blended to brilliant effect.  Read More →

THE SHIVERS More theshiversnyc.blogspot.com With keyboardist Jo Schornikow on piano or organ, singer Keith Zarriello inevitably sounds like a salty old barstool philosopher. When she’s on synth, he becomes an unlikely pop singer—Tom Waits in Prince’s purple finery. Either way, this New York duo keeps it intense, soulful and unpredictable.  Read More →

AITAN Top of the World aitan.com Stylish L.A. synth-pop newcomer Aitan wants either to be the male Katy Perry or his generation’s George Michael. Both are worthy goals—no, seriously—and if this slick, well-crafted EP is any indication, Aitan won’t reside in the indie scene for long.  Read More →

P.J. PACIFICO Outlet pjpacifico.com Life is tough for touring musicians, but less so for those with supportive partners. P.J. Pacifico is grateful for the woman who’s stuck by him for the last 10 years, and on “As Soon as I Can,” the country-tinged pop-rock centerpiece of his third album, he thanks his wife for letting him pack up the car and chase his dreams. He probably got permission by playing her “Home With Me,” his heartfelt telling... 

CIRKUS Medicine cirkustent.com Trailblazing trip-hop producer Cameron McVey and his wife, “Buffalo Stance” singer Neneh Cherry, have been making anything-goes 21st century pop music since at least the late ’80s. For their second album as cirKus, the forward-looking couple again teams with daughter Lolita Moon and producer-guitarist Karmil, creating the musical equivalent of a family juggling act. From the woozy swagger of opener “Drug of Choice”... 

EDIE CAREY Bring the Sea ediecarey.com Artists like Edie Carey provide a valuable, if underappreciated, public service. As per her official bio, Carey occupies that “middle ground between singing at weddings and being Madonna,” and while she might never be a pop star, this strumming balladeer poetess writes truthful, elegant songs for adults. Her seventh album is about following dreams, starting families, overcoming insecurity and losing the destructive... 

LINDI ORTEGA Little Red Boots lindiortega.com Lindi Ortega knows she’s no Elvis Presley—she even sings a song called “I’m No Elvis Presley”—but she comes closer than any female Canadian country singer since k.d. lang. On pop-rockabilly opener “Little Lie,” Ortega revisits the King’s early days, pairing “That’s All Right”–style guitar with the rolling drums of “Tweedle Dee & Tweedle Dum,” the lead track on Bob Dylan’s... 

THE TUNNEL Fathoms Deep thetunnelsf.com A veteran of San Francisco’s avant-garde theater scene, hammy Tunnel frontman Jeff Wagner sings like a theme-park pirate or B-movie baddie. “I’m not of your world,” he warns on “King of the Impossible,” claiming instead to be from a “whole other underworld.” That underworld sounds suspiciously like Australia, as his sound echoes several of that continent’s most influential acts. The most obvious... 

LIL DAGGERS Lil Daggers myspace.com/lildaggers When they’re so inclined, Lil Daggers can take off on a mangy psych-blues ramble as good as any by better-known ’60s revivalists the Black Rebel Motorcycle Club or Brian Jonestown Massacre. On “Dada Brown” and “Slave Exchange,” the Miami sextet does just that, setting crud-caked guitars against cheap-o 1966 organ tones. As garage-rock classicists they’re great, but the Daggers cut deepest... 

TRS-80 Horizons trs80.com Jay Rajeck founded TRS-80 in 1997, years before the advent of “chillwave,” or hypnagogic pop, or whatever this week’s correct term is for the current wave of indie music meant to invoke hazy memories of early-’80s video-game soundtracks, New Wave hits and other sounds ingrained in the brains of people raised during the Reagan years. TRS-80 has toured with Ariel Pink and Geneva Jacuzzi—leaders of the movement in... 

ARNOLD McCULLER Soon as I Get Paid arnoldmcculler.com If James Taylor and Phil Collins picked up any extra soulfulness in recent years, they probably got it from Arnold McCuller. A longtime back-up singer for these and other pop giants, McCuller plays smooth bluesman on Soon as I Get Paid, a collection of covers and originals. His own “Gods and Monsters” is the standout—a song about a voodoo guitarist casting spells at an after-hours juke joint....