Bassnectar, Prefuse 73, Polvo, Joan of Arc, Future Rock, Ra Ra Riot, Daedelus, Nomo, Dark Party (featuring Eliot Lipp & Leo123),

Polvo
One of the most popular and accomplished bands in the arty, noisy indie rock offshoot dubbed math rock, Polvo touched on many of the style's hallmarks: dissonant, intricately layered guitars that often employed alternate tunings; odd, off-kilter rhythms; an emphasis on dense sonic...

Joan of Arc
Based on their roots and their hometown, it's not surprising that Chicago's Joan of Arc blends post-rock's atmospherics and punk's volume and dynamics. Singer/guitarist Tim Kinsella, drummer Mike Kinsella, and bassist Sam Zurick came from the emocore band Cap'n Jazz; when that band...

Daedelus
Born Alfred Weisberg-Roberts in Santa Monica, CA, producer/instrumentalist Daedelus wanted to be an inventor from an early age, a sentiment that led to him choosing this artistic moniker (in Greek mythology Daedalus was known as an inventor, although Weisberg-Roberts also cites the...

Bassnectar
It's difficult to avoid Bassnectar's own self-definition, which appears somewhere in all the press materials for the San Francisco-based outfit: "A free-form project that merges music, art, new media, social involvement, and community values; dedicated to a constantly evolving...

The 1900s
Chicago indie pop outfit the 1900s officially formed in the spring of 2004, but the group's roots date back more than a decade. Singer/guitarist Edward Anderson, guitarist Mike Jasinski, and drummer Tim Minnick first collaborated in high school, playing experimental noise rock under...

Ra Ra Riot
Combining indie rock songwriting with chamber pop flourishes (courtesy of a small string section), Ra Ra Riot formed while the band's six members were attending college in Syracuse, NY.

Future Rock

Bishop Allen
Brooklyn by way of Boston indie rock quartet Bishop Allen formed in 2003 around core members Justin Rice and Christian Rudder. The group (the two longtime friends are joined by a rotating cast of musicians) takes its name from Bishop Allen Drive in Cambridge, MA, the street where...

Nomo

Brighton, MA

Bailiff