Straight out of the Twin Cities, this is one indie rock foursome you can’t take your eyes…er, ears off. With an intrinsic mix of folk, rock, and alternative, at times bordering on country twang, July Fighter aren’t afraid to take on the new and toss out the old. They’ve shared the stage with acts diverse as Everclear, Blind Melon, and En Vogue, and have topped several OurStage charts including winning the Indie Pop competition in February of 2012 What are you waiting for? Take a listen to “Echo”  after the jump. Continue reading ‘Featured Artist: July Fighter’

We were fans of Philadelphia Slick long before they won the opportunity to perform on the OurStage.com stage at last summer’s Warped Tour, and so we’re very happy to feature the band as this week’s Pro Artist of the Week.

Describing them as a hip-hop group, while not inaccurate, fails to represent the breadth of the music they create. Each Philadelphia Slick song is a verbally punctuated vibe – a lush atmosphere created out of organic loops, horns, pianos and other keys, strings, and more.

As for the raps, Slick delivers attention commanding streams of consciousness that you’ll spend at least five rewarding listens parsing. It’s a rapid-fire series of thoughts and references that end up as a whole, in contrast to the more meaningless, non-stop pop-culture references you might be used to from some of the renowned “clever” hip-hop artists out there.

Check it out.

Our first Pro Artist of the Week for 2013 is MaG, who hails from hip-hop’s ground zero, Bronx NY. MaG is a leading light in a unique wave of hip-hop that seems to synthesize all the best of soulful music from the 1970s to the present. The sound of his tracks is golden and timeless, embracing melodicism and creating a rolling vibe upon which his lyrical flow rides. There’s a subtle tension between the music and the voice that pushes and pulls the listener – it’s not jarring, but it satisfies a basic need for drama in music. Not surprising then to learn that MaG himself comes from a background in theater. His mastery of that delicate balance between mellow and urgent is apparent on first listen.

One of the greatest things about music is its ability to both enhance and directly impact your mood. With the right mixtape, you can go through a whirlwind of emotions in just a few short moments.  But what about when you’re looking for that same fluency with only one artist? Well, Adrian Bourgeois has you covered.

From the mellowest of tracks, to ambitious tambourine-enhanced duets, Bourgeois’ pallet is a wide array of offerings for even the trickiest of soundtracks. Between poignant mini-ballads to humble simplicities, you can be sure Bourgeois is a name to watch in 2013.

Check out “Shot In The Dark” below.

And the very first OurStage Pro Artist of the Week is…the excellent Vic and Gab. This sister duo, who play mesmerizing, grooving, and powerfully catchy indie pop, joined OurStage in 2010 and have since made an impressive amount of headway in their career. That year, they won the opportunity to have a song featured on MTV’s (controversial but short-lived series) Skins. Just this past July, they played the OurStage.com stage at the 2012 Vans Warped Tour. Then, two months later, they were playing for 18,000 people in their hometown of Milwaukee, at a rally for President Obama’s re-election. Not a bad trajectory and there’s surely more to come. We’re proud to feature them as our Artist of the Week.

Here’s “So Long So Tired” as heard on MTV:

More like this:

• December Winner Of Score SKINS Music Project Featured On MTV
• Final Round Of Winners Announced For The OurStage Warped Regional Competition

This isn’t the first time Civil Sound has appeared on OurStage’s radar, and we’re guessing it won’t be the last. After winning the Texas date of our Rock Yourself To Sleep Tour competition, and previously sharing the stage with acts such as South FM and American Idol contestant and OurStage’s own Tim Halperin, these guys have a long line of references all leading to one conclusion. Civil Sound is a solid, driven four piece, and being from the state that boasts everything as bigger and better, these guys definitely fit the bill. We have no doubt they’ll be bursting into the limelight in no time.

Check out their song, “Like You Mean It” below.

Although I may be biased with my unexplainable affection for Seattle, whenever I discover a new band from that area, my expectations are high. After all, it’s the home of Nirvana and Starbucks. When you’re in Nirvana town, the community has to be a little critical, right?

For indie pop outfit, As It Starts, it’s hard to believe this has ever been a concern. Citing influences from Adele to Death Cab for Cutie, these guys cover everything from acoustic serenades to folk rock riffs. Take a listen to “Symphonies” below and let us know what you think!

Ivory Drive may be a top hat wearing quintet from Boulder, CO and they may mix jazz with folk, and classical with blues, while boasting a unique mixture of keyboards, drums, bass, saxophone, trumpet and vocals, but they’re begging you-don’t call them alternative.

But they do make a good point, and as they say themselves, labeling them alternative leaves a lot unsaid. Get to know Ivory Drive here, and listen to their current chart-topper in the indie pop channel, “Intertwined” right here.

Let us know your thoughts on this week’s featured artist in the comments!

From Sweden to London, England, with nothing but her guitar, a few clothes and a heart of gold, Charlotte Eriksson AKA The Glass Child has poured countless hours of blood, sweat and tears into her craft. Spending sleepless nights on the floors of generous strangers, scraping by for change to make it to the next city, and singing her heart out to audiences every night, Eriksson knows the life of a struggling artist.

With several Top 40 achievements on OurStage and an incredibly strong, captivating voice, The Glass Child is an obvious example of passion, hard work and dedication come to life. Listen to “Best Part Of Me” below.

All the way from London, England, yet coming from all over the world, Immigrants is our latest OurStage artist feature. Packing rock and roll vibes with English influence, Immigrants are the creation of four band mates, each from separate cultures, incorporating elements of Milan, Tabor and Berlin into their sound.

Although the four originally began as a blues group and influence is clear, listening to “Requiem For A Requiem”, there’s no doubt that Immigrants is full on, in your face rock. Check it out right here.