Pittsburgh Slim
(Credit: Clay Patrick McBride/Def Jam Records)
Hyped on: illRoots; Hell Ya!
Official site
MySpace
Who: As his moniker proclaims, this Slim kid comes from the industrial city of Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers, and he won’t let you forget it. After kicking around town in a rap/rock outfit that opened for the likes of Ludacris and 50 Cent, Slim struck out solo to create his own mash-up of buzzy club tracks laced with clever samples and Slim’s sex-obsessed braggadocio.
What: Pittsburgh Slim is quick to flaunt his panorama of influences (ranging from Camp Lo to Led Zeppelin), but the most accurate reference point would be somewhere between early Kid Rock, Eminem and Justin Timberlake’s “SexyBack.” Single “Girls Kiss Girls” is destined to become massive club anthem in 2008, sounding more like Eminem than Slim Shady himself has in years. “Sunrays” rides a sample of Matthew Wilder’s 1983 hit “Break My Stride” and features rhymes from Jay-Z and Camp Lo’s Sonny Cheeba.
Made for: The legions of Eminem fans wondering what the hell happened. “Exotic” dancers and strip-joint DJs. Exhibitionist club chicks looking for a new excuse to make out with their girlfriends on the dance floor. Dudes and “bros” who pose shirtless for their MySpace profiles.
X-Factor: Jay-Z ended an escalating bidding war by quickly signing Pittsburgh Slim to Def Jam after hearing a demo of “Girls Kiss Girls.” – SS
Jukebox the Ghost, "Jukebox the Ghost EP" (Family)
Hyped on: Music Snobbery; Pop Tarts Suck Toasted; Fresh Bread
Official site
MySpace
Who: DC may be their hometown, but New York has been the launching pad for Jukebox the Ghost, hosting the band throughout 2007—including a month-long residency at Lower East Side club Piano’s that made frontman Ben Thornewill a Ben Folds heir apparent within the city’s blog scene. Web radio station (and king makers) WOXY have championed the trio endlessly, with year-end list props and an invitation to play a coveted Lounge Act session at the station’s Cincinnati studios. Not bad for a group that has released only five songs to date.
What: Thornewill has got the piano chops (and silly-billy sense of humor) to merit the Folds comparison. You can just see the frontman bouncing off his stool on “Hold It In,” a sugar-charged tune peppered with falsetto, handclaps and über-precious character sketches. “Good Day” is more plugged-in and resembles a more keys-focused Futureheads. (The band’s MySpace page features a “remix” of the song, studio kissed with drum machine breaks and Panic! at the Disco-style compressed vocals…a joke, we assume/hope).
Made for: Fans of the late, great pop band Koufax, whose early work is some of the better material released by Vagrant Records. People who sing along to “and don't forget to give me back my black tee-shirt” every time. People who know what we are talking about.
X-Factor: When guitarist Tommy Siegel is not touring, he works as a historical re-enactor and park ranger on the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal. “If you've ever seen the historically accurate, mule-drawn canal boat in Georgetown, that's what I do,” Siegel told DCist. – MR
The Gaslight Anthem, "Sink or Swim" (XOXO)
Hyped on: Left of the Dial; Sound as Language
Official site
MySpace
Who: Good rock ‘n’ roll still exists in Jersey! These New Brunswick kids take the angst of Garden State living, add a healthy dose of heartfelt classic rock (go ahead, guess their influence) and ramp up the tempo. The result is equal parts Against Me, Lucero and…well, that guy who was born to run.
What: First, listen to “Boomboxes and Dictionaries.” Ponder the lyrical content: nighttime car rides to nowhere, the ocean, songs on the radio, young love…hey, you got Springsteen in my punk rock! Actually, singer Brian Fallon’s rasp falls a bit closer to Jesse Malin and his band creates enough racket to lure in the Warped crowd, although the lack of make-up or goth pretensions may confuse My Chemical Romance fans. Then again, they’ll totally dig lyrics like, “You were gonna be my Judy Garland/We were gonna share your Tin Man heart.” Right?
Made for: Those who like their rock ‘n’ roll classic, honest and nimble. The sons and daughters of Springsteen fanatics. Those remaining kids who hang out on St. Marks Place in New York, showing off their Mohawks and tattoos and wondering where all the “real punk bands” went.
X-Factor: Guess who’s (possibly) a fan? Think New Jersey…rock ‘n’ roll…yeah, OK, it’s Springsteen. “We actually live pretty close to where [Springsteen] lives, and every once in a while he'll show up in these random bars,” said Fallon in a recent interview. “We've met him before. He's like the raddest dude in the world. He's totally normal and not weird at all.” By the way, Gaslight’s website does actually say “Greetings from New Brunswick, New Jersey,” a riff on Springsteen’s “Greetings from Asbury Park.” – KM
Rudder, "Rudder" (Nineteen-Eight)
Hyped on: Avant/Chicago; Savage Music; Club d'Elf
Official site
MySpace
Who: A quartet of New York jazz musicians with Jedi-like chops and encyclopedic resumés that range from the sublime (jazz titans Bill Evans and Charlie Haden) to the ridiculous (“The Caroline Rhea Show” house band). In between they’ve jammed with everyone from Harry Belafonte to Steely Dan, all while quietly spending the past decade building Rudder from an experimental side project into a proggy, jazz-rock powerhouse.
What: At first listen, it’s easy to label Rudder as a punkier kid brother to that other New York avant-jazz combo, Medeski, Martin & Wood. But they’re not so easily pigeonholed. Saxophonist Chris Cheek uses effects pedals to stretch and distort his horn’s sound into spacey psych-rock territory, keyboardist Henry Hey isn’t above a few rousing New Wave synth hooks and the rhythm section of bassist Tim Lefebvre and drummer Keith Carlock are equally capable of tightly syncopated jazz grooves (“Floater”) and the hypnotic, low-end patterns of dub and trip-hop (“Circle of Jerks”). It all adds up to a sound that’s funky, playful and flashy in all the right ways, avoiding the noodling clichés of both jazz quartets and jam bands to come up with something not quite like anything you’ve ever heard.
Made for: Fans of uncategorizable instrumental combos like MMW, Galactic and the Bad Plus. Anyone who went to Bonnaroo and spent most of their time checking out the small stages. Jazz clubs that serve $2 drafts instead of dinner.
X-Factor: Before serving as a session and touring drummer for heavy hitters like Sting and Steely Dan, Keith Carlock donned the fedora and shades and sat behind the kit for the Blues Brothers. – AH
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