Wire are an English rock band, formed in London in October 1976 by Colin Newman, Graham Lewis, Bruce Gilbert (guitar), George Gill and Robert Grey. They were originally associated with the punk rock scene, appearing on The Roxy London WC2 album, and were instrumental to the development of post-punk, while their debut album Pink Flag was influential for hardcore punk.
papercranes is an American band based in Los Angeles which features actress and singer Rain Phoenix on vocals. Her younger sister Summer Phoenix also occasionally plays piano/keyboards with the band. Their debut full-length album was released in 2006.
Down in a Mirror: A Second Tribute to Jandek is a tribute album compiled by Moscow, PA-based independent record label Summersteps Records, released as a follow-up to the label's first Jandek tribute, Naked in the Afternoon. As with Naked in the Afternoon, Down In A Mirror features cover versions of songs by the reclusive avant-folk/blues singer/songwriter Jandek. Some of the artists are members of the Summersteps roster or fans forming one-time combos to participate on the album, but the album also features contributions from Wilco's Jeff Tweedy, Six Organs of Admittance, The Mountain Goats, Kawabata Makoto of Acid Mothers Temple, Lewis & Clarke and Okkervil River.
Witchcraft is a Swedish doom metal band founded in 2000.
Eric Gaffney is an American songwriter and recording artist, and has been home recording on cassette since 1981. An active participant in the Western Mass hardcore scene, in 1983 he founded, wrote songs for, and drummed with Grey Matter, opening hall shows with Jerry's Kids, F.U.s, The Freeze, Big Boys, Raw Power, Adrenalin O.D., Siege, 7 Seconds, Outpatients, Pajama Slave Dancers, Da Stupids, and others.
Roommate is a band from Chicago, IL.
Through the Wilderness is a tribute album with contributions from a variety of artists dedicated to American singer Madonna. It was released on November 27, 2007, by Los Angeles-based Manimal Vinyl Records. According to label head Paul Beahan, the idea for the album was conceived by him in a dream. He enlisted multiple artists to work on the project, including Giant Drag, Lavender Diamond, Winter Flowers and Chapin Sisters. Although he's not a fan of Madonna, Beahan wanted to see how her songs would sound when covered by different musicians.
Manimal Vinyl is a Los Angeles–based record label founded in 2006 by film/TV producer, composer and former fashion editor Paul Gebser-Beahan.
Apollo Heights is an American shoegazing band that was formed in New York City in 2002. Consisting mainly of twin brothers Daniel and Danny Chavis, they play experimental rock music. They cite AR Kane and My Bloody Valentine as a major inspiration. Their debut album White Music For Black People was produced by Robin Guthrie of Cocteau Twins and features guest appearances from Mos Def, Lady Kier, David Sitek of TV on the Radio, Mike Ladd and Guthrie himself on guitar. The Chavis brothers were members of the alternative soul group The Veldt who released three albums on Polygram, Mammoth and Capitol Records. Although the Veldt is left out of references on the Chapel Hill music scene, they were a key band during the heyday of North Carolina music along with other bands of the time like Metal Flake Mother, Superchunk and Dillon Fence.
La Société Expéditionnaire is a Pennsylvania-based independent record label established in 2006 by Lewis & Clarke's Lou Rogai. On previous Lewis & Clarke albums, the liner notes contained a contact address for "The Expeditionary Society", a nod to the exploratory reference of Lewis & Clarke. This phrase was also taped to the door of Rogai's studio in Delaware Water Gap, Pennsylvania. An intoxicated French Appalachian Trail through-hiker mistakenly stumbled into the practice room, thinking it was the local hostel, and exclaimed "La Société Expéditionnaire!".
Perfect as Cats: A Tribute to the Cure is a charity record released by Los Angeles indie label Manimal Vinyl on October 28, 2008. It features covers of The Cure favourites by The Dandy Warhols, Bat For Lashes, Kaki King, Devastations, ex-Godflesh frontman, Justin K. Broadrick's Jesu, Rio en Medio, Lewis & Clarke, Sarabeth Tucek, Mariee Sioux, Xu Xu Fang, Blackblack, Gangi, Rainbow Arabia and over 20 more artists and bands. The record was mastered by Xu Xu Fang's Bobby Tamkin. The proceeds of the album went to the Invisible Children charity which works with the war torn youth in Sudan.
Summersteps Records is an independent record label located in Dunmore, Pennsylvania, United States. Formed by Eric Schlittler and Cassie Rose Kobeski in 1996 to release their home recordings on cassette tape, the label has grown to include other artists and to produce professional CDs and vinyl. Their premier act, Kid Icarus, was featured in Spin as artist of the day in August 2005.
Ariel Pink is a Los Angeles–based indie artist and musician. He boasts a cult following and endorsements from more widely known artists such as fellow founding Paw Tracks group Animal Collective.
Hecuba is a band based in Los Angeles, California featuring performance artist Isabelle Albuquerque and musician and designer Jon Beasley. They have toured with Devendra Banhart, Bat for Lashes and Rainbow Arabia. They have released two albums on Manimal Vinyl since their formation in 2006. Their second release, Paradise, has received favorable reviews from NME, Pitchfork Media, LA Weekly and XLR8R. They performed at the Los Angeles premier of Wild Combination: a film about Arthur Russell (musician) performing their versions of Russell's music. Their third album "Modern" was released in 2012 on the LA-based label Germ.
Luxxury, formerly known as Baron von Luxxury, is an American producer, songwriter, DJ and artist. His best known songs include "Be Good 2 Me", "Feels So Good", "Breathe (Again)" and "Feel The Night"; earlier songs include "Drunk", which was used in commercials for Pontiac; "Sweet and Vicious", which was used on The Hills; and "I Know There's Something Going On", a cover of a song by Anni-Frid Lyngstad from ABBA. In addition to being the sole songwriter and producer for that band, he is a touring DJ as well as being an in-demand producer, remixer and songwriter formerly under contract with Razor and Tie Music Publishing for whom he has cowritten songs for artists including Vanessa Daou and Little Boots, as well as the song "If That's Love", which was featured on the CSI: Miami episode, "Show Stopper". He was also a co-founder of the now defunct MP3 blog Disco Workout. Luxxury's 2012 full-length album "The Last Seduction" was released on Manimal Vinyl and featured songs about his friends Theresa Duncan and Jeremy Blake. The album received strong reviews and made it to several "best of 2012" lists, including that of Duran Duran's John Taylor.
Juliette Commagere is a Los Angeles–based singer-songwriter who was formerly the lead singer and keytar player of the band Hello Stranger. In 2008 she began a solo career with the release of Queens Die Proudly.
We Were So Turned On: A Tribute to David Bowie is a David Bowie tribute album released worldwide on September 6, 2010, by Manimal Vinyl as a charity for War Child UK. The album features contributions from Duran Duran, Carla Bruni, Mick Karn, John Frusciante, Warpaint, Devendra Banhart, Vivian Girls, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, A Place to Bury Strangers and others.
Rituals of Mine is an indie pop/electronic/alt R&B duo from Sacramento, California, founded in 2010, and led by vocalist Terra Lopez.
Jennifer Ognibene, known by her stage name Jenny O., is an American singer-songwriter, based in Los Angeles, California.
Making Patterns Rhyme is a tribute album devoted to Duran Duran, as well as a charity record to benefit Amnesty International. Among the artists who appear on the album are Moby, Warpaint, Soko, Austra, Luxxury, and Carina Round.
