Ximena Sarinana released her critically acclaimed debut album "Mediocre" in 2008 and cemented her reputation in both Mexico and the United States with two Latin Grammy Awards nominations and an American Grammy Awards nomination under her belt. She's credited with helping to bring back the style of nueva cancion, a genre of Latin-folk popular in the 1960s-80s.

When you hear the word "design," you might think of iPods or I.M. Pei: artfully-conceived objects, be it architecture, gadgets, automobiles, or clothing. In this edition of Policy and a Pint from Monday night, our panel discussed the potential human impact that design and aesthetics can make.

Belgium's Black Box Revelation is a two-piece that sounds more like a ten-piece rock band. With layered guitars and booming drums, BBR's garage rock explodes with riffs and hooks.

After college at Northwestern University, Rachael Yamagata got her music start with Chicago band Bumpus. After six years of touring, she decided to go solo releasing her first self-titled EP in 2003, which she followed up with her first full-length "Happenstance" a year later.

tUnE-yArDs is the moniker and musical project of Merrill Garbus. Influenced by her experience and travels in Africa, she became interested in Afrobeat. Combined with her new Sony ICD-TK digital voice recorder and a new laptop, Garbus began recording melodies, noises, and lyrics which led to the release of her first album BiRd-BrAiNs, which she recorded on recycled cassette tape.

Major contributors to the roots-based musical hotbed that is the Twin Cities, Pert' Near Sandstone fuel the flame with their high energy old-timey tunes.

Oasis has always been taken to task for their generous lifting of hooks and sounds from some of rock's biggest groups. Interestingly enough, this has never bothered me. Maybe it's because I too love the Beatles, the  Rolling Stones and The Stone Roses.