You may recognize Moi from the acapella singing competition The Sing Off. His group Kinfolk 9 is a collection of singer/songwriters that decided to see if they could join together to make beautiful music. And they did so fantastically. However, Moi was a definite stand out. The frequent frontman easily caught my ears at attention. So I decided to find out more about him.

Moi was asked by Koffeehouse Music Production to perform in their showcase at Sundance in January 2011. And he performed at SXSW in March 2011. His 3 song EP “Reveal” was released in April 2011.

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This Laguna Beach singer/songwriter describes herself as “whimsical, light, airy and playful” and I can totally get behind that. She’s got a sound I like to compare to Regina Spektor at times. Her sunny disposition comes across in her songwriting. She often has Douglas Miller (violin) and Dave Carpenter (upright bass) on stage with her. The strings really add a great playfulness to her music that is just so fun and delightful. The subtle drum stylings of Stephan Mac really round out the sound on stage.

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Justin is a Canadian singer/songwriter who has a R&B/folk sound all his own. He began writing music when he was a teenager and the now 22 year old has toured with artists such as Marie Digsby, Eric Hutchinson, and Missy Higgins.

In December 2010, Justin spent time with children of Africa through the organization Children in the Wilderness.

Justin’s single “Heartless,” featuring India.Arie, is getting some airplay around Canada. You can find this song on his most recent EP titled Blue Velvet Sea.

RZA from Wu Tang Clan heard Justin perform his song “Gone” and loved it. He sampled it for a song dedicated to his good friend former Wu Tang Clan member Ol’ Dirty Bastard.

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I don’t remember where I heard of Haley Shaw, possible Pandora or another music streaming service. Haley is a folk singer/songwriter from Charleston. I really like her sweet vocals mixed with well constructed melodies. There is an innocence to it that is inherently likable. In March 2011, Haley released a 5 song EP titled “Magnolia”. It features songs like “Fell Hard After” and “Hard Pressed to Shine” that just flow through the air like a cool flower-scented wind on a hot day.

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I learned of Miss Kaye as I was trolling for Darren Criss music. I’ll admit it, I like the kid. Anyway, I was really blown away by Charlene’s unique style. She’s really got a flare for songwriting that keeps you listening. The tone of her voice is really smooth. It feels like she is whispering in your ear some intimate secret.

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I really like how they sum it up on their website.

The Last Royals collect the discarded remnants of a day in the city and glue them back together to reveal a new picture, making music from the broken pieces. The songs are necessary responses to the difficulties life presents. The sound of the music is hopeful and bright, but the juxtaposition of words and sounds evoke a candid depth that accurately echoes our lives. In the end the conflation of all the pieces harkens back to the moment of its creation. The most beautiful moment of any song is the moment it was written and it’s that instant that lingers in each note of The Last Royals’ music.

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You gotta respect the musician who is doing it all himself. Just sitting in front of a camera, recording the songs he writes from his heart and then posting it online for all the world to see. It takes guts, man. Reboot the Robot consists of that one guy, Jonathan Ware. I agree that he sounds a bit like Third Eye Blind and Dashboard Confessional. I can definitely hear that type of quality in his voice and his songwriting. It is rock, but yet still soft enough to be sung in your local music cafe.

His new EP titled “This Heart was a Bomb” was released in November 2010. It sticks to Reboot the Robot’s acoustic roots with raw vocals and solid songwriting.

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Alex Dezen – Vocals, Guitar
Ted Hudson – Bass

They may not look like much, but these guys are pretty damn good. I came across these guys on MySpace back in the day and have just recently come across their music again. They’ve been through a few reincarnations through the years. But Alex and Ted remain a tight knit duo with a rotating group of talented musicians backing them up.

Their new album “No One Listens to the Band Anymore” was released in March of 2011. Go check it out!

Still need more info? Check out Chris Suchorsky’s documentary about the band titled “Golden Days.”

Also, it was recently announced that they will be performing aboard The Rock Boat XII setting sail next March.

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Karmin just charmed my face off when I saw a video of them covering Look At Me Now. It led me to check out the rest of their videos on YouTube. I love their originals too! And now they are getting all this attention and are about to blow up. More power to them though. They deserve it. They are really great and deserve all the attention they get.

Sorry I’m not being more informative this time. I’m just gushing about how much I love Karmin.

Karmin consists of Amy and Nick. They are graduates from Berklee College of Music, natch. There are a ton of talented people over there. They’ve got some shows coming up on the East Coast. Go to their website for more details about where and when. You won’t regret it.

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Scottish singer/songwriter who sings with a lot of passion. He loves music, you can just tell.

Paolo’s debut album, These Streets, was released by Atlantic Records in the UK in July 2006. A couple of my favorites on that album are “Last Request” and “New Shoes”. His second studio album, Sunny Side Up, was released in 2009.

Paolo and the boys will be heading to Germany this May for a whirlwind 4-date tour. The jaunt includes shows in Hamburg, Berlin, Cologne and Offenbach.

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