Thursday, 3/15

Peter Bjorn & John
The sentence that follows is grammatically correct, it's just that the Swedish trio Peter Bjorn And John don't like commas. The group formed in Stockholm in 1999 but only really broke out with their third album and the single "Young Folks" which has been a hit in Australia, the UK, their home country and, of course, on YouTube.

Prototypes
Since forming in 2003, Gallic rockers Prototypes have already landed a top-ten single in France and enlivened both underground clubs and contemporary European art scenes with their punchy electronic rock.

The Young Knives
Few bands get described at "tweedy," but that's one of the adjectives used to describe the sound of Henry Dartnall, Oliver Askew, and Thomas Dartnall (aka House of Lords).

The Sights
The Sights come from Detroit and play swaggering garage rock. Eddie Baranek, Mike Trombley and Mark Leahy met in high school and must have won any Battle of the Bands held in the gym. Later they added organist-bassist Bobby Emmett.

Money Mark
Mark Ramos-Nishita performs under the moniker Money Mark. He has a career that any musician would envy. He tours with the Beastie Boys as a keyboardist, writes music for films, collaborates with the likes of Yoko One and Beck, and fronts his own projects.

Brother Ali
Brother Ali's second full album The Undisputed Truth will be released in April, 2007. The Minneapolis rapper has been through some hard times in the past few years. He and his wife split. They fought over their son. Ali was homeless for a spell.

Sondre Lerche
Sondre Lerche claims his latest album, Phantom Punch, is "an Orange Juice meets Fleetwood Mac & My Bloody Valentine meets Gilberto Gil & Os Mutantes meets early Elvis Costello & Prefab Sprout & XTC meets Thomas Dolby meets Steely Dan circa Katy Lied, kind of thing."

EL-P
You have to be a rapper comfortable with yourself to have guests such as Trent Reznor and Cat Power on your CD. El-P aka El-Producto obviously doesn't feel he needs to prove his credibility.

Friday 3/16

Antibalas
Nigerian musician Fela Kuti invented Afro-beat, the blend of jazz, funk and traditional African music that was the introduction to "world" music for many Americans. Antibalas, a Brooklyn-based collective of about 17 musicians, carry on Fela's legacy of making danceable, politically-aware songs.

Fujiya & Miyagi
There are great rock songs with meaningful lyrics that touch you and change your life. By their own admission, Fujiya & Miyagi don't write those kind of songs.

Tom Morello
After years being a member - an outspoken member - of big bands such as Audioslave and Rage Against the Machine, Tom Morello is stepping out on his own.

Andrew Bird
Whistle once on an album and you may be doomed to be tagged as a whistler forever. Luckily for Andrew Bird, famed in the indie rock world for his whistling, might be able to pass the torch to whistlers-du-jour Peter Bjorn and John.

Bonde Do Role
Bonde Do Role hail from Curitiba, Brazil. They play what is alternately known as baile funk, favela funk or funk carioca. Marina, the vocalist for the group, raps over a mish-mash of rapid beats and samples. It's basically dance music meant for blasting at parties and clubs. Their American debut is Gasolina.

RJD2
On his new album The Third Hand, RJD2 completely reinvents his sound. He's no longer pure hip-hop. He's made a pop record. It was written, arranged, produced and performed entirely by RJD2, born Ramble John "RJ" Krohn. There's not a sample on an album from a man famed for his creative use of layered samples.

Jamie T.
5 p.m. Cancelled
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Mando Diao
Mando Diao's plan when they formed was to save rock n' roll. The Swedish group claim to believe their recordings are better than anything by The Who, The Kinks, or The Small Faces.