Canadian indie rock band Elephant Stone was formed in Montreal back in 2009 by sitarist and bassist Rishi Dhir. After leaving his former band The High Dials, Dhir began to explore Indian classical music, yet he realized that artists in 1960s pop he grew up with, such as The Beatles and The Kinks, had significant influence over how he played. Thus, the songs of Elephant stone draw upon traditional aspects of Indian music while delving into the realms of psychedelic pop.

After a three-year stint as touring pianist with Edward Sharp and the Magnetic Zeroes, Bellfower, Calif., native Aaron Embry has struck out on his own. Embry wrote his solo debut Tiny Prayers while on last year’s Railroad Revival Tour, crafting bare-bones acoustic melodies reminiscent of many of the greats he has recorded and toured with, including Elliott Smith and Willie Nelson.

Few groups are as versatile as The Pharmacy, which Scott Yoder and Brendhan Bowers formed in 2002 as a garage-punk band before also embracing dance pop and psychedelic rock. After classically-trained pianist Stefan Rubicz joined the Vashon Island, Washington natives in 2007,

It’s not always easy for young bands to channel their youthful exuberance and still come away with a finished product that’s as representative as their intentions. For most bands, it usually takes a few records. But in the case of Kids Raising Kids, the debut full-length from the Nashville based Kopecky Family Band, the highly energized six-piece hit their target and then some. And that’s not to say that the Kopecky Family Band hasn’t taken some time to formulate their sound.

Ben Folds Five emerged in 1994 as music's only punk rock, piano-led trio. After slogging it out in clubs and building a following, they became one of the commercial and critical darlings of the 90’s releasing distinctive and eccentric piano-based music amidst the guitar heavy bands of the time. After releasing their third studio album The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner in 1999, the band abruptly announced the split of Ben Folds Five in November of 2000.

Calexico Adds New Orleans Influence to the Mix on New Album Algiers, released September, 2012.

Words are powerful, be they spoken or sung. For siblings Ian, Eric, and Brittany Hölljes, three of the four lead singers in the American folk rock band Delta Rae, the power of words came to them in the form of mythological stories told by their parents. In fact, the band’s name is inspired by a fictional story the Hölljeses’ mother intended to write. From then on, Ian, Eric, Brittany, and fourth lead singer Elizabeth Hopkins have worked to let their voices and their words be heard.

Cody ChesnuTT is revitalized on his new album, Landing on a Hundred. It’s been almost a full decade since the Atlanta-born soul singer released his debut, and this new collection is his first full-length album since. While that first album, The Headphone Masterpiece, delighted critics, ChesnuTT is probably best known for his collaboration with Philadelphia’s The Roots on their breakthrough hit “The Seed 2.0.” A lot has happened between then and now.

December's Artist To Watch is the Kopecky Family Band, one of the most exciting acts to come out of Nashville’s recent hotbed of indie music.

November's Artist To Watch is the folk and rootsy rock band, David Wax Museum. They have elements of traditional Mexican Latin music and recently released a new album, Knock Knock Get Up.