Having formed over a mutual love of North American alternative rock, the 5-piece outfit consisting of Sarah Hall (vocals), James Hall (guitar/keys), Graeme Martin (guitars), Mark Brown (bass) and James King (drums); began playing local shows in their hometown (Newcastle).

Thematically, a lot of the new Wilderness of Manitoba album, Island of Echoes, is about the past year or so and all of the songs come from that timeframe. There wasn’t a lot of downtime for the Toronto-based band as they were on tour, primarily in the United States and England. Vocalist/multi-instrumentalist Will Whitwham reflects, “For me personally, a lot of my songwriting was done on the road because it had to be.

Rock ‘n’ roll, direct and with no qualifiers, is Lions In The Street’s business. What sets the Vancouver band apart from the defanged mainstream is that their modern denim-and-leather heaviness is anchored in the raucousness of the Rolling Stones and the gravitas of Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac. Over the past decade, Chris Kinnon (lead guitar, vocals), Sean Casey (guitars), Enzo Figliuzzi (bass) and Jeff Kinnon (drums, vocals) have become masters of coarse rock and strident roll, both of which the group’s new On The Lam EP has in spades (February 19, Beverly Martel Records).

Colin Gilmore grew up in Lubbock, Texas, spending many nights as a child in nightclubs like Stubbs, where he witnessed songwriters like Joe Ely, Terry Allen, and his own father, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, bring the stage to life. He developed a taste for Buddy Holly, Townes Van Zandt, and bands like The Clash and The Pogues. For 13 years, Colin has been informed by these observations, writing songs and playing under his own name.

Pink Dollaz hails from Inglewood, California. Comprised of teen rappers Nilla, Cammy B, Cee Cee and Reese, they are on a mission to prove that female MC’s can make music just as good as males. The group is inspired by music icons 2pac, Biggie Smalls, Lauren Hill, Lil Wayne, Jay Z, TLC, Erica Badu, Janet Jackson, Beyonce, Nicki Minaj, all pioneering West Coast MC’s, and the late great Michael Jackson. With their creativity and talent, they seek to dominate hip-hop.