The Eelpout Stringers perform in studio on Radio Heartland.

In recent years, Lucinda got married. Many of us were worried she would run out of subject matter. No worries here, it turns out!

DeVotchKa's music is part of a trend that includes artists like Andrew Bird, Beirut and Calexico seemingly sprung from an alternate reality in which the British Invasion never reached American shores and yet the alternative movement flourished anyway.

"Born into the world wearing neon sunglasses and a pair of hi-tops, Jake Sullivan was raised on casio keyboards and cartoons." So begins an autobiographical segment on electronic, guitar and synth-shredding, face-melting local one-man band BadNRad. BadNRad has been thumping a keytar-sized dent in the Minneapolis music scene over the past year, culminating in a showcase at First Avenue's Best New Bands of 2010.

Emerging from Los Angeles' growing indie-soul scene, Fitz & the Tantrums began as the one-man project of Michael Fitzpatrick, but has now expanded into a seven-piece band. Fitzpatrck--"Fitz" for short--plays the church organ and shares vocal duties with singer Noelle Scaggs.

Born in London, growing up in Greece and moving to Scotland at the age of 10 then going to college at Duke University, it wasn't until singer-songwritier Alexi Murdoch moved to L.A. that his career took off when KCRW host Nic Harcourt began playing his music. His first full-length album "Time Without Consequence" was released in 2006, and his song "Orange Sky" found its way all over television and movies playing on shows like The O.C. and movies like The Garden State.

Norah Rendell talks about latest album from The Outside Track