Harmonies - if you had to describe the music of Girlyman in one word, this would be it. The story doesn't end there, of course: the band blends modern acoustic, americana, and folk-rock into a musical recipe The Village Voice has called "really good, really unexpected, and really different." The wide range of instruments - acoustic guitar, banjo, mandolin, djembe, electric baritone guitar - reflects an eclectic sound, and the band members switch off lead vocals and songwriting duties. But it is the stunning three-part vocal blend that creates the Girlyman magic.

Girlyman (Nate Borofsky, Doris Muramatsu, and Ty Greenstein) hails from Atlanta, GA, though they formed the band while sharing an apartment in Brooklyn, NY. The band now has a strong national following of its own, and has sold out renowned venues such as The Barns at Wolftrap, The Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago, and The Freight and Salvage in Berkeley, CA.

And the name? "It's great for us, provocative and playful," says Muramatsu. "It makes people laugh. But it also hints at how we've never quite fit in. Nate wears make-up onstage, I'm a Japanese-American playing to mostly white audiences. Ty is a grown-up tomboy. The name Girlyman lets us acknowledge that we're out of the mainstream, but without taking ourselves too seriously."

 ~ girlyman.com

This young group of stellar musicians performs an incredible array of traditional old-time & honky tonk rock music reminiscent of the 1940's & 50's. Complete with hot licks and sweet girl-on-girl harmonies, they're sure to warm the heart of all you modern day cowboys and girls.

The Sweetback line-up features the lavish voices of Zara Bode and Emily Miller with an all-star cast of instrumentalists including: West Virginian triple threat Jesse Milnes; Stefan "da guns" Amidon on drums; Philly's stringed slayer Ross Bellenoit on rippin' Telecaster, and a slew of incredible bass players including Bridget Kearny (Joy Kills Sorrow, Lake Street Dive), Joseph DeJarnette (The WIYOS), Corey Dimario (Crooked Still), and Miss Amanda Kowalski (The April Verch Band, Flat Iron String Band).

With sold out concerts across the North East, a special guest appearance on A Prairie Home Companion , and a recent partnership with independent label Signature Sounds, these kids have had an exciting start! So why not come see this wild bunch in action? Get yer shanks in gear, grab a beer, and swoon while they croon some country classics!

~ http://www.myspace.com/thesweetbacksisters

"Hayes's most recent record, this year's Flowering Spade, is stripped down, Hayes's weathered voice a confidential rasp, the songwriting skeletal and haunting... People have been drawing spades forever. Guys have been strumming acoustic guitars and singing songs almost as long. Hayes imbues these archetypes with intention and the result, you could say, is magical."

~ The Stranger

"Do you remember your Bob Dylan moment? The mixtape that gave you Syd Barrett or Townes Van Zandt? These are the moments of musical epiphany, when a song grabs you by the bones, shaking everything into place with the words you didn't know you were looking for. The only thing more riveting than that first moment is the one that occurs shortly after; when you realize that there is a teeming back catalogue for you to explore. Get ready for another one of those moments [with Sean Hayes]."

~ New City Chicago

Sean Hayes' worn, soulful music defies easy categorization. Described as loose, dusty, and alive, his songs radiate a free-spirited charm that rarely seems attached to any particular era. The result is a sound infused with eclectic instrumentation and an unpolished warmth. Born in New York City and raised in North Carolina, Sean Hayes now resides in San Francisco. His songs have been re-mixed by DJs and covered by folk artists. His unique soulful voice infects audiences with charm, equal parts affirming and heartbreaking.

~ www.seanhayesmusic.com

The Winnipeg, Manitoba-based Duhks have always gravitated towards traditional roots-based song structures, but they've never stopped evolving since their inception five years ago. Due in part to a collective musical worldview that knows no boundaries, that evolution led the band to their latest offering Fast-Paced World, the first Duhks record to feature wunderkinds Sarah and Christian Dugas (replacing vocalist Jessee Havey and percussionist Scott Senior respectively).

The French-Canadian born siblings have been immersed in music their whole lives, thanks in part to their musician parents. "We had a family band that toured across Canada when I was 7 and Christian was 9," remembers Sarah. "My father had a recording studio in the house, so I grew up hearing a variety of musicians playing everything from rap to rock to world beat. I grew up in a fun and creative environment ."

Dugas' emergence as a songwriter has clearly contributed to the group's progression - the other members are fiddler Tania Elizabeth, guitarist Jordan McConnell and founder/ banjo player Leonard Podolak - from the jaunty pop of "You Don't See it" to the jazz-waltz of "This Fall," the Duhks' enthusiastic fan base has embraced the changes. "The reaction has been really positive," says Dugas. "We've been able to keep the old fans and gotten some new ones as well."

"There's a more liberal attitude in the band when it comes to songwriting approaches," admits Podolak. That attitude has even extended to drummer Christian's use of a full kit, in contrast to the band's previous use of just percussion. "My musical tastes have broadened immensely since we first started. I think we've evolved musically, while maintaining our roots, but everybody in the band listens to so many different things, it was bound to happen."

It's that kind of musical DNA that makes the band's spot-on fusion of trad itional bluegrass, folk rock, Afro-Cuban jazz and soul so accessible and yet so hard to pigeonhole. It's also earned them a Grammy Award nomination in the Best Country Vocal Performance category as well as a Juno award in their native Canada.

As the band continues their own musical evolution, Fast-Paced World illustrates just how far the Duhks have come, and just how far they're willing to go to challenge themselves artistically. Ultimately though, according to Leonard, the Duhks " just want to play music that speaks to everybody." Mission accomplished.

~ www.duhks.com