A little backstory: Aby Wolf submitted an application to the 416 Club Commission in 2011, a grant-making program that the Cedar Cultural Center sponsors with the financial help of the Jerome Foundation. Her goal was to create a new electro-art-pop project. She obviously developed a strong case for herself as she was invited to participate and premiere her new work during the Cedar's winter season, one of only a handful of artists who received the opportunity. The main question here is whether Aby expected her original idea to stay intact even after that one-off performance was done.

It's really inspiring to see that Aby and the bandmates she recruited - props are in order to Jesse Whitney, Linnea Mohn and Joey Van Phillips - managed to keep their synergy after the main goal of the 416 had been accomplished. Thus, A. Wolf and Her Claws was formed, a band which allows Wolf to branch out to the spotlight rather than singing behind the scenes like she has traditionally done in the past.

The results? Well, they've created a work that's challenging, an album which is soaked in unusual instrumentation and rhythm which on paper may seem difficult to translate live. However, suspicions are quickly laid to rest once the songs are rendered on a stage. They may be very new to the local music scene, but A. Wolf and Her Claws already sound like well-established veterans.

A. Wolf and Her Claws will be the in-studio guests on The Local Show this Sunday night from 6-8 p.m., and they will be at the Cedar on Saturday, April 21 for their CD-release show with Brute Heart. Download "All This Time" from our Song of the Day page and subscribe to the podcast while you're at it.