S*ALT Artist Spotlight

Deer Park Avenue
Bay Area, California
www.deerparkave.com

Deer Park Avenue was another big S*ALT Poll winner! It was close, but they took it away bringing in hundreds of votes. Deer Park Avenue is a power-pop-rock band of two sisters. They self released their first full length album, Stop & Go, which you can stream and purchase HERE. For you convenience, we also plugged their stream widget below, as well as a video of them live.

Check it out and let us know what you think.

“Rescue Me” LIVE at Front Street Fridays –

Cartoon Bar Fight
San Jose, CA
www.cartoonbarfight.com

San Jose indie-rock. Yup. Cartoon Bar Fight is an indie-folk/rock group formed in 2007 by Kendall Sallay and Dirk Milotz (the two remaining original members).These guys submitted their single “Fairy Tale” to us, we listened and liked, then posted the song on our S*ALt Poll. CBF received most votes. Therefore they get to be featured on the S*ALT Artist Spotlight, as well as getting their song into regular rotation.

Listen to their EP “Tell All The Children” here:

Cartoon Bar Fight – “The End” @ KSJS

Check it out!

www.cartoonbarfight.com
www.facebook.com/cartoonbarfight

Local bands! Send us your music…

Lyttle King
San Francisco, CA
www.facebook.com/LyttleKing

We had asked Lyttle King for more info because there isn’t much to work with on the world wide web, and he sent us this, “I’m James Malek…. musical moniker is Lyttle King. I was born in the Caribbean, spent my teens in the Rural south (Ga,Fla). Moved more times than I can count on two hands before recently finding myself in the Bay Area. All my music is: Produced, written, played, sung and recorded in my tiny apartment bedroom. Just trying to find a spot for myself in the Sf Bay Area music scene. Thanks for your support and if you have any more questions please let me know. Thanks guys!” Which we thought was very genuine, honest and cool.

Have a listen his most recent EP “Backbone” below:

You should purchase it so he can afford to produce more music.

lyttleking.bandcamp.com

The Trims
San Jose, CA
www.TheTrims.net

In the Bay Area, there is a lot of great new music coming out each week. Bands break up, new ones begin and the buzz ensues…That brings us to The Trims, a local San Jose outfit that has the loyal fanbase and buzz to take them beyond their locality and into a national “spotlight”. That’s why we chose them for this feature, so you can get yourself better acquainted with the artists that are happening in the South Bay Area. The Trims have a strong sound reminiscent of early Strokes and the brit pop of the 90′s, while also conjuring the swagger of artists like Joy Division. Blend that style with over-sexed lyrics about all things scandalous, and you have the identity that defines The Trims.

Watch their music video for “The Breeze” here:

The band has had a busy summer, and don’t seem to be stopping anytime soon. They had the opportunity to play the acclaimed BFD festival, and earned a great reception. While also hustling shows all over the Bay, and keeping themselves as active as most artists with a booking agent of record deal. Amid everything happening, vocalist Gabriel Maciel, decided to start another project, Turn Me On Dead. A move that likely stipends most developing artists, Gabriel seems to be balancing both projects with great agility. We are expected to hear more from his electronic project “Turn Me On Dead”, but until then…The Trims are delivering everything that we could expect from a great up and coming band, great live shows, and a great music video! The video for ” The Breeze” was recently released on Oct 21st, and we have the pleasure of sharing it with you!

Go to their site below to see their tour dates and purchase their new EP “Cut To Fit”.
www.thetrims.net

She Beards
Oakland, California
www.shebeards.bandcamp.com

Submitted Bio:
She Beards is a super badass band from Oakland that plays upbeat, rocking pop songs. Comprised of adorable gf/bf pair, Carmen and Nate on keys and guitar respectively (both sing), their bass player Jon (best afro award 2010), and cuddly drummer Bryce, this band will totally melt your popsicle. She Beards draws listeners in with a sound that blogs have called “catchy, airy, uplifting and fun.”





S*ALT introduces another S*ALT Poll Artist Submission.. that turned into a S*ALT Artist Submission Poll contender.. that won the poll! Therefore that artist is featured on the S*ALT Artist Spotlight. All you have to do is submit your music and you can get a chance to get featured AND your song put in rotation!
Congrats She Beards!

Adventure Book
San Jose, California
www.adventurebookmusic.com

Adventure Book is your classic small town local band that is going to work hard until they get where they want to be. At least that is how we feel at S*ALT. Adventure Book submitted their music to us, we tested it on air a few times and it did well… We then put one of their tracks on our S*ALT POLL, and they won! Therefore, we are featured them on our S*ALT Artist Spotlight.

Check out this cover of “Round Here”


Download two Adventure Book tracks below:
Latest tracks by Adventure Book

Acoustic/electro awesomeness = Adventure Book
www.adventurebookmusic.com

John Miller
Santa Cruz, CA
www.John-Miller-Music.com/

John Miller’s an impressive cat. He’s only 21 years old—still young enough to speak about his formative years vividly—yet he gives an interview with the confidence (yet fortunately without the exasperation) of a touring veteran. Luckily, he has the back story to match that zeal. Despite being just a few miles east of Watsonville, Aromas is the kind of community that feels like it might as well be light years away from Santa Cruz. Nowadays you can find Miller working at New Deal Clothing right in the heart of Downtown Pacific, but that feels like a far cry from the singer songwriter’s home town he left as a teenager. It was during those years when Miller first started composing music, playing with a few nondescript bands during high school. Conversely, such experiences probably pushed him toward his future solo foray. “That was when I got my first taste of other musicians and working as a team on musical projects,” explains Miller. “It’s really hard forming chemistry with other people.” In one sense, then, some of the folk rocker’s influences and analogs aren’t surprising—Elliott Smith, Jeff Buckley, Conor Oberst—and Miller willingly admits to projecting a similarly downtrodden aesthetic. Still, it’s lyrically relevant to the younger generation, and musically relevant to anyone who enjoys smart, modern acoustic guitar-led songs. In fact, trying an album out won’t cost you a dime, as Miller has made his year-old debut full-length, Shades of Autumn Everywhere, available for free on his website, john-miller-music.com. Not that he’s necessarily thinking big picture, but the 21-year-old has admittedly done this as a marketing strategy. “As long as I’m breathing, I’m open to whatever comes my way,” says Miller about his next move. “Anything that comes at me, I’m not going to disregard it.”

-Zack Stolof, Santa Cruz Good Times

Check out “Sing Softer”


Free Download

www.John-Miller-Music.com
www.twitter.com/johnmillermusic
www.myspace.com/johnsensa

Andrew Campbell
San Francisco, CA
andrewcampbell.bandcamp.com

San Fran Rebirth: “The voluminous title of former Handshake member Andrew Campbell’s debut album couldn’t suit the music found here better. While the music here has a strong sense of isolation and loneliness, there’s also some hustle and bustle in the background, almost like the ghosts of the people who once inhabited Campbell’s one-man city. This balance is only one of many factors that make What The City Will Sound Like remarkable. Another is the sheer intricacy and complexity of these songs, especially considering they are the products of an eighteen-year-old high school senior (albeit one whose voice sounds twice that age) playing every instrument himself.”

S*ALT ran its 1st poll from the Artist Submissions Page and Andrew had a song in teh voting poll… Well, Andrew had most votes! Therefore, we featured him here on the Artist Spotlight AND put his song “Feather” in rotation!

Check it out!

www.facebook.com/AndrewCampbellTunes

Picture Atlantic
San Jose, CA
www.pictureatlantic.com

Starting in mid 2006, Picture Atlantic was a band formed out of the San Jose Hardcore music scene. Wanting to create something more focused on melodic soundscapes, they quickly began making a name for themselves as a band with diverse depth and sound.
Comprised of Nik Bartunek, Ryan Blair, and Brian Graves, Picture Atlantic has thus far brought forth four releases, played with bands such as Coldplay, Say Anything, Dan Black, The Wooden Birds, and Jaguar Love.
Not really having a set sound, Picture Atlantic has been exploring songs with Folk, Rock, Trip Hop, Electronica, and Indie-Rock, as well as a strong pop sensibility.

The Trims
San Jose, CA
www.thetrims.net

The Trims are Billy Brady, Bryan Aguirre, Eric Scharer and Gabriel Maciel-a four piece Indie/Alternative/Post-Punk band from San Jose, CA. Formed in 2009 in downtown San Jose, The Trims came together when two former bandmates (Gabriel Maciel and Eric Scharer) decided to collaborate on a project that would bring a new sound to the Bay Area music scene. Guitarist (Bryan Aguirre) was also looking to collaborate on music with other musicians and joined the group as the lead guitarist. The trio began practicing, but were still in need of a drummer. Soon, (Billy Brady) joined the group and the lineup was complete. In 2010, the band released a 5 song E.P. and began playing shows throughout the Bay Area. They recently released their debut album, “We Cried For Fun”.