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COWBOY JUNKIES

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Toronto ,  Canada  ( 1986  – present) The Cowboy Junkies is a Canadian alt-country band formed by three siblings from the Timmins entertainment family (Margo Timmins, vocals; Michael Timmins, songwriter & guitars;  Peter Timmins , drums) plus  Alan Anton  on bass. The group formed in Toronto in 1986. The band’s name was simply a random choice as they approached their first ever gig, but it has come to perfectly represent their sound. (Some sources may credit Townes Van Zandt’s song “Cowboy Junkies Lament” as the source of the band’s name, but that song was written especially for Cowboy Junkies several years after they coined the name.)  The Trinity Session is perhaps their best known record, recorded live in a single day on a single microphone in a church in Toronto. This album also included a unique cover version of Lou Reed’s “Sweet Jane”. Reed reportedly liked the Junkies’ version of the song better than his own, and began performing their version in concert. None of

PEARL JAM

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Pearl Jam is an American  rock  band that formed in Seattle, Washington in 1990. Since its inception, the band’s line-up has included  Eddie Vedder  (lead vocals, guitar),  Jeff Ament  (bass guitar),  Stone Gossard  (rhythm guitar),  Mike McCready  (lead guitar), and drummer  Matt Cameron , who has been with the band since 1998. Formed after the demise of Ament and Gossard’s previous band  Mother Love Bone , Pearl Jam broke into the mainstream with its debut album  Ten . One of the key bands of the  grunge  movement in the early 1990s, Pearl Jam was criticized early on—most notably by  Nirvana  frontman  Kurt Cobain —as being a corporate cash-in on the  alternative rock  explosion. However, over the course of the band’s career its members became noted for their refusal to adhere to traditional music industry practices, including refusing to make music videos and engaging in a much-publicized boycott of Ticketmaster. In 2006, Rolling Stone described the band as having “spent much of the

THE STILLS

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Montreal, Quebec, Canada ( 2000  – 2011) The Stills were an indie rock band which formed in 2000 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The band consisted of Tim Fletcher (vocals, guitar), Greg Paquet (guitar), Liam O’Neil (keyboards), Oliver Corbeil (bass) and Dave Hamelin (drums, vocals, guitar). The band released three albums, “Logic Will Break Your Heart” (2003), “Without Feathers” (2006) and “Oceans Will Rise” (2008), before splitting in 2011.  Paquet left the band in 2005, with drummer Hamelin replacing him as guitarist and Julian Blais replacing Hamelin as drummer. In 2010, Paquet returned to the band and Blais left, reverting the band to their original lineup.

LED ZEPPELIN

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Led Zeppelin were an English rock band originally formed in 1968 by guitarist  Jimmy Page  under the name “The New Yardbirds”, based on Page’s previous band,  The Yardbirds . The band formed when Jimmy Page (guitar) recruited Robert Plant (vocals, harmonica), John Paul Jones (bass guitar, keyboards, mandolin), and John Bonham (drums). With their heavy, guitar-driven blues-rock sound, Led Zeppelin are regularly cited as one of the progenitors of heavy metal and hard rock music. However, the band’s individualistic style drew from many sources and transcends any one genre. Led Zeppelin did not release songs from their albums as singles in the UK, as they preferred to develop the concept of “album-oriented rock”. Thirty years after disbanding following Bonham’s death in 1980, the band continues to be held in high regard for their artistic achievements, commercial success, and broad influence. The band have sold over 200 million albums worldwide, including 111.5 million certified unit

DUB TRIO

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Dub Trio is a live dub/rock band from Brooklyn, New York. Dub Trio is made up by DP Holmes (guitar & keyboards) Stu Brooks (bass & keyboards) and Joe Tomino (drums & melodica). With revolutionary combinations of electronic, rock, and jazz, Dub Trio pay homage to King Tubby’s original dub style. In the past they have toured with Meat Beat Manifesto and Soulive. They are all sought after session musicians, having recorded with the likes of Bo Bice, G-Unit, Tony Yayo, Mobb Deep, and Macy Gray. Joe Tomino recently recorded an album with The Fugees. DP Holmes can be heard on albums by Mos Def and Common.  In 2005 Dub Trio embarked on their first recorded effort with vocals, exchanging files with Mike Patton. This song, titled “Not Alone”, was featured on both Dub Trio’s 2006 sophomore record, New Heavy as well as Mike Patton’s 2006 album under the artist name Peeping Tom, also accompanying Peeping Tom on tour in 2007. \

THE SMITHS

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The Smiths  were a rock band which formed in 1982 in Manchester, England, United Kingdom. The band consisted of  Morrissey  (vocals, lyrics),  Johnny Marr  (guitar, music),  Mike Joyce  (drums) and  Andy Rourke  (bass). Hugely influential, The Smiths lasted all of five years from 1982 to 1987, releasing during this period four studio albums ( The Smiths ,  Meat Is Murder ,  The Queen Is Dead  and  Strangeways, Here We Come ) and three compilation albums ( Hatful of Hollow ,  The World Won’t Listen  and  Louder Than Bombs ).  Meat Is Murder  went on to enter the British charts at number one in February of 1985, and  The Queen Is Dead  further confirmed the band’s popularity with its release in spring 1986. Greeted with enthusiastic reviews and peaking at number two on the U.K. charts, the album also developed  The Smiths ’ cult following in the U.S., breaking into the Top 100. After the band’s split in 1987, a further six albums have been released, bringing the total number of Smiths

RORY GALLAGHER

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Rory Gallagher (1948-1995) was a legendary Irish blues/rock guitarist, born in Ballyshannon, County Donegal, and raised in  County Cork . He is regularly credited as one of the most influential Irish rock and blues musicians of all time. Before finding solo fame he was a member of blues-rock band  Taste . In 1972 he was voted Melody Maker’s Top Musician of the Year, dethroning  Eric Clapton . Rory died of complications following a liver transplant in 1995. As the funeral cortege moved through the streets of Cork, his life and music was celebrated by the city’s citizens. He is buried in St. Oliver’s Cemetery just outside the city. Generally regarded as one of the top ten guitarists ever, many of today’s top musicians, including The Edge  from  U2 ,  Slash  of  Guns N’ Roses ,  Johnny Marr  of  The Smiths  and  Brian May  of  Queen  cite Rory as an inspiration in their formative musical years. It is also well documented that  The Rolling Stones  auditioned Rory for the band as their perm

THE ALBUM LEAF

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The Album Leaf  officially began in 1998 as the solo project of Jimmy LaValle, guitarist for San Diego, California-based post-rock band Tristeza. LaValle has also performed in several other San Diego-area bands, including Swing Kids, The Locust, GoGoGo Airheart, and The Black Heart Procession. An Orchestrated Rise to Fall Jimmy LaValle had been playing an ocarina in the post-rock instrumental band Tristeza. Being a multi-instrumentalist, during downtime in the fall of 1998, he began playing drums for San Diego band GoGoGo Airheart. The singer and guitarist for the group, Mike Vermillion (which later inspired the song name “Vermillion” on  One Day I’ll Be on Time ) recorded LaValle doing improvised material playing to a vintage roland drum machine on a Rhodes Piano that would become his first full-length album, the 10-track  An Orchestrated Rise to Fall . Benjamin White of GoGoGo Airheart and Vermillion both supplied added improvisation with synthesizers and vocals to these recordin

PETER GABRIEL

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Peter Gabriel (born Peter Brian Gabriel on 13 February 1950) is an internationally-famous award-winning English singer, musician, and songwriter who rose to fame as the lead vocalist and flautist of the progressive rock band  Genesis . After leaving Genesis, Gabriel went on to a successful solo career. His 1986 album,  So , is his most commercially successful, and the album’s biggest hit, “ Sledgehammer ”, won a record nine at the 1987 MTV Video Music Awards. Throughout his career Gabriel has won numerous music awards, including three Brit Awards (winning Best British Male in 1987), six Grammy Awards, and thirteen MTV Video Music Awards. In 2007 he was honoured as a BMI Icon at the 57th annual BMI London Awards for his “influence on genera tions of music makers”. In 2009 he was awarded the Polar Music Prize and, in 2010, was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Genesis. Gabriel founded  Genesis  in 1967 with fellow Charterhouse School pupils Tony Banks, Anth

THE KOOKS

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British indie rock band  - formed in Brighton, England, United Kingdom in 2004. The band currently consists of  Luke Pritchard  (vocals, guitar), Hugh Harris (guitar), Peter Denton (bass) and Nick Millard (drums). Nick is currently filling in for Paul Garred due to a recent arm injury. They have released three studio albums; their 2006 debut  Inside In/Inside Out  peaked at number two on the UK Albums Chart, and their 2008 follow up  Konk  reached number one. The  Junk Of The Heart (Happy) Songfacts  reports that Pritchard found himself writing lyrics containing a lot of emotional drama for their third album and the phrase ‘junk of the heart’ kept coming back to him.  Junk of the Heart  was released September 12, 2011. The Kooks formed at the Brighton Institute of Modern Music, where they were all students. Lead singer and rhythm guitarist Luke Pritchard, got bassist Max Rafferty involved in a college project, which formed the base of the band. After getting lead guitarist Hugh Har

THE VERVE

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The Verve  (originally Verve) is an English  alternative rock  band. The band was formed in 1989 at Winstanley College, Wigan, Greater Manchester, England, by vocalist  Richard Ashcroft , guitarist Nick McCabe, bassist Simon Jones and drummer Peter Salisbury. Simon Tong later became a member. The band originally split in 1995, but reunited in 1996 to great commercial success. They split once more in April 1999. The band reunited once more in June of 2007, but this reunion was short lived and the band split again in August 2009. Beginning with a psychedelic sound indebted to  space rock  and  shoegazer  music, by the mid-1990s the band had released several EPs and two acclaimed records. They also endured name and lineup changes, breakups, health problems, drug abuse and various lawsuits. The band’s commercial breakthrough was  Urban Hymns  and its single  Bittersweet Symphony , which became a massive worldwide hit. Soon after this commercial peak, the band quit amid creative struggles

MUMFORD AND SONS

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Mumford & Sons  are an indie folk/bluegrass group formed in London in September 2008. The band consists of  Marcus Mumford  (lead vocals, guitar, bass drum),  Country Winston  (banjo, slide guitar, vocals),  Ted Dwayne  (double bass, drums, vocals), and  Ben Lovett  (keyboards, accordion, vocals). Having received critical acclaim from  The Guardian  on their “Band of the Day” online forum, and resounding praise from nearly everyone who has witnessed them supporting  The Maccabees  and  Laura Marling , Mumford & Sons continue to turn heads in London’s growing folk scene. Their debut EP,  Lend Me Your Eyes , features four tracks, including lead single “Roll away Your Stone”. Chess Club released their second EP, “Love Your Ground”, on the 3rd November 2009 on 10inch vinyl. The third EP, “The Cave and the Open Sea” (which was limited to 500 vinyls) is available as a download from their official rawrip page. Their debut album  Sigh No More  was released on Gentlemen of the Roa

THE BLACK KEYS

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The Black Keys are a two-man blues-rock group from Akron, Ohio, United States which formed in 2001, consisting of singer and guitarist  Dan Auerbach  and drummer  Patrick Carney . The band name was inspired by a schizophrenic artist and friend in Akron, who used the term “black keys” to describe things he disliked or people he did not trust. The Black Keys have roots in traditional blues and  psychedelic rock  stylings. They released their first album,  The Big Come Up , in 2002, followed by  Thickfreakness  in 2003, and  Rubber Factory  in 2004. October 2005 saw the release of the DVD Live, recorded live at The Metro Theatre in Sydney, Australia March 18, 2005. In 2006 they released  Magic Potion , as well as the lesser-known Chulahoma and a single version of Your Touch. One of their trademarks is their preference for simple,  lo-fi  recording techniques. They refuse to use big-name studios, and do most recording, producing, and mixing themselves. Most of  Thickfreakness  was recorded

CURTIS STIGERS

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Boise, Idaho, USA ( 1991  – present) Curtis Stigers is an American jazz vocalist / saxophonist / guitarist / songwriter born on 18 October 1965 in Boise, Idaho, USA. He achieved a number of hits in the early 1990s, most notably “I Wonder Why”, which reached #5 in the UK and #9 in the US in 1991. He is signed with Concord Records. He had his début self titled album in 1991 which sold 1.5 milllion. In his solo career, his most famous songs are ‘I Wonder Why’ and ‘You’re All That Matters To Me’. He has also worked with Elton John, Eric Clapton, Prince, Bonnie Raitt, Rod Stewart, The Allman Brothers Band and Joe Cocker.  Since then he has married and has a daughter, and recently participated in the BBC TV programme “Just the Two of Us”, where he partnered newsreader and TV presenter Penny Smith .

STIFF LITTLE FINGERS

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Belfast ,  Ireland  ( 1977  – 1983, 1987 – present) Stiff Little Fingers are a punk band from Belfast, Northern Ireland, formed in 1977. They started out as a schoolboy band called Highway Star (named after the Deep Purple song), doing rock covers, until they discovered punk. In 1983 they split up after six years and four albums, although they reformed four years later, in 1987. Despite major personnel changes, they are still touring and recording as of 2011.  Jake Burns, their lead singer, is the only member to have been with the band during all its incarnations, although in March 2006, original bass guitarist Ali McMordie rejoined them following the departure of The Jam bass player Bruce Foxton after fifteen years. Early years Prior to becoming Stiff Little Fingers, Jake Burns, vocals and guitar, Henry Cluney, guitar, Gordon Blair, bass, and Brian Faloon, drums, were playing in a rock music cover band, Highway Star, in Belfast. Upon the departure of Gordon Blair (who went o

STRETCH

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Stretch is a  rock  band from the United Kingdom that grew from the collaboration between Elmer Gantry (real name Dave Terry) and Kirby (real name Graham Gregory) and was most popular in 19 70s . Gantry was previously the frontman of  Elmer Gantry’s Velvet Opera . Kirby was previously a member of  CURVED AIR . Stretch was a British outfit who recorded for the Anchor label. Their first LP was in fact “ Elastique ”, produced by Martin Rushent, and now re-issued by  Repertoire , enabling whole new generations to rediscover the power of a band once hailed as one of the hottest new names of 1975. The start of the band had been quite controversial. In 1974  Fleetwood Mac  manager  Clifford Davis  saw that group falling apart in the middle of an American tour with the departure of  Bob Welch . Davis considered himself legal owner of name Fleetwood Mac. He named one of the other bands under his management Fleetwood Mac and sent them out to play the remaining shows of the tour. The result was u

DE PHAZZ

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De Phazz is a  downtempo jazz  ensemble integrating  modern turntablism  and elements of  soul , latin ,  trip hop  and  drum and bass  into a  lounge  music sound. De Phazz is led by  Pit Baumgartner , a German producer who changes his crew for every new album. Some of the more permanent members are  Karl Frierson  and  Pat Appleton . Since the release of  Detunized Gravity  and  Godsdog , De Phazz have appeared on the radar of listeners of equally innovative and sample-driven jazz by the likes of  Amon Tobin  and  The Cinematic Orchestra .  The band has released records on Mole Listening Pearls and Universal Jazz Germany along with single releases on Edel Records and United Recordings, and also remixes existing material.