Jess Klein (www.JessKlein.com)
As artists mature, it's rarely a metamorphosis into someone wholly new, but a return to something existent and true in themselves. Such is the case with Jess Klein, whose sophomore release on Rykodisc, Strawberry Lover, finds the singer-songwriter drawing inspiration from both the outlook and the music of her childhood. "Much of the album is about trying to remain young at heart," she says, "and keeping your heart open when you become an adult and see some things you didn't expect to: heartache, loss, grief, anger. In a way, it's about trying to draw on the strengths I had as a child - the strength of openness especially - and using that in the face of some adult hardships. In that sense, the album is also about trying to maintain a child-like innocence even when that doesn't necessarily seem like the logical thing to do, or what everyone else is doing." Jess has undoubtedly earned the right to speak on the virtues of innocence from a place of experience. Prior to her last release, the critically acclaimed Draw Them Near (produced by Rykodisc president George Howard, and featuring Wilco drummer Ken Coomer), Jess recorded three independent albums and toured the US, UK and Japan with the likes of 10,000 Maniacs, Jill Sobule, and Luka Bloom. More recently, she was seen and heard with Erin McKeown and Rose Polenzani as part of the quartet Voices on the Verge, and contributed to the Peter Malick Project featuring Norah Jones.

Dean Fields (www.DeanFields.com)
In less than a year, Dean Fields has gone from relative obscurity to being the fresh, new voice of the male singer-songwriter. Upon receiving the distinction of "Best in Miami" and performing at the premier Billboard Live, the singer-songwriter made the decision to leave Miami and dedicate himself to developing his craft and performing live. While promoting his debut album, "Imitations," Fields has performed over 170 shows in clubs and college campuses along the east coast in 2003. He has shared the stage with noteworthy acts including John Hiatt, Carbonleaf, Catie Curtis, Bruce Hornsby, Virginia Coalition, Amy Smith, Mark Geary, Seven Nations, Vienna Teng, and others. "Imitations" has garnered rave reviews and superior ratings from many publications and critics,as well as becoming one of the top selling albums on CDBaby, the internet's largest music distributor. Most recently, Billboard Magazine chose Fields as one of the top six acts to showcase at the Independent Music World Series in Nashville TN. Fields was the only singer-songwriter selected from over 1200 entries. He has also been a featured performer at BMI sponsored songwriting events in New York, Nashville, and Los Angeles. Fields continues to win over critics and audiences everywhere, and has even received an enthusiastic thumbs up from recording artist David Gray. His music is being featured in film scores, soundtracks, and on MTV's reality television shows Real World, Road Rules, and Sorority Life.

The Amity Front (www.TheAmityFront.com)
The Amity Front's music is a raucous ride into America's past. The trip includes stops in bluegrass, blues, Celtic, jazz, and folk. Nonetheless, their eyes are always on the horizon, searching for new musical stomping grounds. Amity Front's creative engines fuel this journey as they reinterpret traditional melodies and lay down fresh original tracks. Anyways, never mind all that hoopla, they have an accordion player! Everyone loves accordion. The Berkshire Hills of western Massachusetts have brought some new faces to the world of American Roots music. Blending traditional elements of American music, they are able to transcend the "traditional" label and create a sound that is as original as the members themselves. Yes, the line between tradition and innovation is a fine one and that is precisely where you will find The Amity Front. Drawing their influences from the vast landscape that makes up American music, The Amity Front understands that tradition is not something that is to be blindly followed. It stands as the foundation for further development. Whether it is a Kentucky work song, an Irish jig, blues from the Delta, or one of their original works, The Amity Front does it all, adding their own flavor to everything they play.

Oneside (www.OnesideMusic.com)
Hailing from Boston, MA, Oneside uses drums, bass, Banjo, and guitar to create their own unique, earthy variety of rock music. The band focuses on writing songs that are catchy yet not predictable and playing them in an unconventional and musically adventurous way. Given the unique instrumentation, Oneside has a surprisingly full sound. The sheer volume of notes being played on the banjo gives the music a sound that is frenetic when played fast, yet chiming and ambient at slower tempos. Underneath, the drums and bass bang out everything from straight-forward, driving rock rhythms to intricate fusion and funk. Confident vocals sing out rock lyrics that are sometimes candid and sometimes enigmatic, but with no shortage of sing-along choruses. Oneside's music has been likened to that of Early R.E.M, My Morning Jacket or "Being There" era Wilco, and the band has wasted no time making a name for themselves in the local Boston music scene. Their genre-infusing sound has had a crossover effect, allowing them to comfortably fit in on bills with a range of different sounding bands. Oneside has appeared with such bands as southern rockers Lucero, NYC pop band The Damnwells, and newgrass sensation Railroad Earth.