Eighteen months ago James Righton was an English teacher. He and a couple of friends began playing and recording together as Klaxon. They put out their first single just over a year ago. While there was a bit of a buzz about the band, they were relatively unknown.

The lead singer of The Frames, Glen Hansard, started his career as a busker in Dublin. In 1990, he gathered together a bunch of musicians he knew from the streets and formed the band. After seventeen years of hard work, The Frames are one of the most popular bands in their native Ireland.

Low is now a teenager. The Duluth band formed in 1994. Drummer Mimi Parker and guitarist Alan Sparhawk go back even farther than that - the spouses met in elementary school. Matt Livingston - the third bassist in their history - rounds out the group.

Cloud Cult, the Minnesota band with an extremely devoted national following, have a new album coming out. It's called The Meaning of 8. The band are famed for their live shows, which mix their music with videos, light shows and even have a couple of painters on stage who create during concerts.

It's rare that the phrase "punk-influenced" is used to describe a band that includes a banjo, melodica, and cello.

SSM are a trio from Detroit that have roots in garage rock, punk, and even a little bit of new wave and prog rock. It's a catchy, buzzy mix.

Sondre Lerche claims his latest album, Phantom Punch, is "an Orange Juice meets Fleetwood Mac & My Bloody Valentine meets Gilberto Gil & Os Mutantes meets early Elvis Costello & Prefab Sprout & XTC meets Thomas Dolby meets Steely Dan circa Katy Lied, kind of thing."

Mercury Music Prize winner Damon Gough chose his stage name from the title character in the British television show Sam and his Magic Ball.

The Ditty Bops are a band from Los Angeles with their hearts in the past. They play a blend of gypsy jazz, bluegrass, folk and a little bit of the great American musical.

Richard Buckner isn't afraid to take things into his own hands, whether it's songwriting or show security.