Amanda Fintak

Rapper and record producer Maxo Kream carries the torch for hip-hop artists out of southeast Texas. The 27-year-old originally gained recognition by releasing a remix of Kendrick Lamar’s “Rigamortis,” and since 2012, has dropped four mixtapes of his own. In his solo work — he’s become the most recognized member of his rap group, Kream […]

Fifteen years and nine studio albums in, The Avett Brothers is still tearing up the stage — fading in and out of ferocious, punk-esque tracks and slow moving ballads about love and death. The Southern-fried musicians accentuate its country-orchestra vibe with cello, violin, and piano, but at the heart of the music is a simple […]

Over the course of seven solo albums, Bella Hardy has proven to be a gifted and adaptable singer and fiddle player. The English musician was awarded “Folk Singer of the Year” during the 2014 BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards, and has been recognized for her ability to rework traditional folk music and make it her […]

Known by many as Erykah Badu’s band, RC & The Gritz is an eclectic all-star group of nationally praised touring musicians in the jazz and hip-hop scenes. With avant-garde beats, atmospheric melodies, and rapping over New Orleans jazz and funk, the Texas supergroup is gaining hyper recognition. Both its albums, “Pay Your Tab” and “The […]

Steel pannist Jonathan Scales formed his modern groove, avant-garde quartet, Fourchestra, in 2002, with a cast of revolving members and special guests like Victor Wooten and Howard Levy of Béla Fleck and the Flecktones. The current Fourchestra lineup is a unique blend of renowned musicians, including Weedie Braimah of Nth Power, Snarky Puppy’s drummer Robert […]

One genre couldn’t even begin to describe Florida-based trio Swamp Rats. The style contains bits of modern train-hopping punk yet is heavily influenced by traditional bluegrass with folk underpinnings — uniquely blended with metal riffs and mucky Southern blues. Each musician plays multiple instruments, so you’ll hear specks of acoustic guitar, banjo, mandolin, stomp box, […]

What’s better than a mundane, brownbag lunch break in the dull office break room? Definitely a euphonic, polyrhythmic, nine-piece experimental Afrobeat-jazz-funk fusion group with soulful, entrancing vocals and a small brass fanfare. Especially if that group performed at noontime as a chance to break away from the monotony of the work day. Lost Wax is […]

Singer-songwriter Keller Williams is a one-man jam band, consistently creating a completely unique experience for every audience. He does this by utilizing a slew of instruments — including acoustic guitars, wah-wah pedals, and looping machines — and composes each song live on stage. Independent and self-taught, Williams playfully describes his genre as A.D.M (acoustic dance […]

Anti-folk storyteller Edward James Hamell is full of dark, comedic anecdotes exploring ideas of discontent with politics, social issues, family, and death. His music is fast, witty, and meant to invoke thoughts of rebellion. Equipped with his vintage 1937 Gibson guitar and side-splitting, obscene rants, Hamell is a force to be reckoned with — he […]