Ray LaMontagne and the Pariah Dogs

Punch Brothers are the New York City-based quintet of mandolinist Chris Thile, guitarist Chris Eldridge, bassist Paul Kowert, banjoist Noam Pikelny and violinist Gabe Witcher. Their new album Who’s Feeling Young Now?, produced and engineered by Jacquire King, contains some of the most exhilaratingly direct, sonically daring performances the group has ever recorded. Already, Vanity Fair has hailed the album as "their most expressive work yet as an ensemble -- sophisticated, pop-y, kinetic and profound, all at once." The New Yorker calls it "a mystical alchemy of old-time music and contemporary sensibilities" As the five members, ranging in age from their mid-20's to mid-30's, have matured together on the road and in the studio, their approach to writing and performing has, conversely, become looser, simpler, and, in a sense, more unaffectedly youthful. In fact, the title song on the new disc—featuring rumbling bass, skittering violin, and wailing multi-tracked vocals—sounds like hard-charging string-band punk rock.

The group, as virtuosic as it is freewheeling, evolved out of a 2007 collaboration on Thile's string-band suite, The Blind Leading the Blind, which premiered at Carnegie Hall in a series curated by composer John Adams. Its debut disc for Nonesuch Records, Punch, was released in 2008, followed by the Jon Brion-produced Antifogmatic (2010). The five members each have impressive resumes within the progressive string-band scene and are regularly sought-after as guest stars and session players. Punch Brothers are currently featured on the soundtrack to The Hunger Games and the Chieftains' 50th Anniversary disc, Voice Of Ages. As guitarist Eldridge notes, “Every little side project we’ve done has helped us come back to Punch Brothers with new ideas and new energy and a new sense of confidence, a righteous need to create stuff.”

-Michael Hill

Music is one of the most powerful forces of unification. It has the power to heal, the power to help, the power to inspire, and the power to change.
Yuna understands the importance of music and has the ability to write songs that transcend any and all boundaries. With her soft vocals and warm acoustic guitar, this singer-songwriter crafts intriguing and infectious ruminations on life, love, and so much more.
Growing up in Malaysia, Yuna was first inspired by the universal appeal of acts like No Doubt, The Cranberries, and Fiona Apple. At the age of 19, while in law school, she picked up a guitar and began to fervently write. She released her self-titled EP in Malaysia in 2008. The single “Deeper Conversation” became a massive success and went on to win the title of Best English Song at the 2009 AIM Awards, Malaysia’s national music awards. Yuna swept the ceremony, garnering Best Pop Song and Song of the Year for her Malay song, “Dan Sebenarnya”.
Yuna joined FADER Label in summer 2010 and released her digital EP Decorate in March 2011, which had fans, critics from Billboard, KEXP, The New York Post, and even Russell Simmons himself, who raved, “an amazing new singer…her music is incredible”, all instantly praising her talents. Also in 2011, SPIN featured Yuna in their Buzzcatcher piece, “Eight Bands You Need to Hear Now” and she gave a stellar performance before a packed audience at MTV Iggy’s “Best New Band in the World” concert in New York City. Yuna was a finalist in the “Best New Band in the World” competition and the show aired live on MTV’s HD Screen in New York’s legendary Times Square and was also streamed live worldwide on MTVIggy.com.
In January 2012, Yuna released “Live Your Life”, the first single from her forthcoming full-length album. It started getting airplay immediately at Sirius – The Loft, KCRW and KROQ. The music video premiered on MTV2 and was featured on the homepage of VEVO.com. Yuna’s self-titled album will be released on April 24, 2012.