Matthew Paul Miller, 34, is known by his Hebrew name and stage name Matisyahu (“Gift of God“). He is an American reggae rapper and alternative rock musician. Matisyahu was born in West Chester, Pennsylvania. His family eventually settled in White Plains, New York. Matisyahu is known for blending Orthodox Jewish themes with reggae, rock and hip hop beatboxing sounds. Matisyahu’s 2005 single “King Without a Crown” was a Top 40 hit in the United States.
Árstíðir (English: Seasons) is an Icelandic indie-folk band with classical, progressive rock and minimalist elements. This tune is titled “Ljóð í sand” (Poetry In The Sand). Árstíðir became known to a wider internet audience in 2013 when a Youtube video went viral (3,000,000+ hits) showed them performing impromptu, Heyr himna smiður (“Hear, Smith of heavens”, a 13th century Icelandic hymn) at a train station in Germany. The video was shot by their PR manager after they had played a concert the venue inside the train station. The a capella was noted for improvising with the vaulted acoustics of the train station to effect the echo chambers of a monastic chapel.
Find the Icelandic Hymn that went viral on Youtube here.
Find their album on iTunes here: Svefns Og Voku Skil (Sleep & Waking Returns)
Rodrigo y Gabriela are a Mexican guitar duo (Rodrigo Sanchez and Gabriela Quintero) whose music spans a number of genres including nuevo flamenco, rock, and heavy metal. The duo’s discography consists largely of unaccompanied duets on the classical guitar. The musicians gained a reputation by playing on the streets of Dublin, Ireland and gained a cult following. They regularly dismiss being classified in a particular genre of music, preferring to say they play a fusion of many influences.
Family and Friends have barely been a band for a year, yet they’ve made quite the name for themselves in both Athens and Atlanta. From their mesmerizing stage presence and their foot-stomping, hand-clapping singalongs to their hilarious YouTube videos and awesome picture posts, this local band has easily made music fans a part of their family. (Source: AMG-Atlanta Music Guide). Find their 2014 album here on iTunes. . Find them here on Facebook.
Thank you Rachel. Who would have thought Father and Daughter would be aligned on a Tune. There’s hope yet…
Cloud Cult was formed in Duluth, MN in 1995 by Craig Minowa while pursuing a degree in Environmental Science, shining shoes and driving an ice cream truck. The band’s early work earned Cloud Cult several offers from record labels, but all were rejected in favor of self-publishing.In 1997, Minowa formed Earthology Records on his organic farm, powered by geothermal energy and built partially from reclaimed wood and recycled plastic. This nonprofit label uses only recycled materials and donates all profits to environmental charities. The band also tours in a biodiesel van. The band’s merchandise is 100% postconsumer recycled or made of certified organic materials. Cloud Cult has planted several thousand trees to absorb the band’s CO2 output. They also donate heavily to projects that build wind turbines as revenue generators on Native American Reservations.
In the year 2002, shortly after the unexpected death of his two year old son Kaidin, Minowa wrote over a hundred songs to deal with the loss. They Live on the Sun was finished in 2003 and went to #1 on college radio station charts across the country. Since that album, Cloud Cult’s music has been strongly inspired by the loss of Kaidin and the “big picture” issues of life: “who are we, why are we here, where did we come from, where do we go”. Minowa seems in constant pursuit of the light at the end of the tunnel.