Abra Moore has released albums on record labels large and small, toured with the Lilith Fair, earned a Grammy nomination for her vocal performances, and placed tracks in movies, television shows, and best-selling video games. But for all her worldly success, it's the intimate connection that she's forged with her fans that stands as her greatest accomplishment. It's no wonder that her devoted fanbase treats each new release as a reason to rejoice. In her hometown of Austin, Abra Moore is a legend - and she's respected and celebrated everywhere singer-songwriter music is heard.

Daring production choices have often distinguished her recordings from those of other singer-songwriters, and that continues to be true with On The Way. An Abra Moore vocal can feel positively bewitching, and subtle use of reverb and echoing effects often amplifies the strange and beguiling quality of her recordings. On "Sugarite", a song of memory and longing, Moore sounds simultaneously heartbroken and detached, delivering each note with a near-unearthly precision. She begins her story over an acoustic guitar riff reminiscent of Suzanne Vega's early work - but by the end of the song, the drums and overdriven guitars have kicked in, and the track becomes a dizzy, swirling reverie. It's a bold, uncommon sound for a contemporary singer-songwriter, strongly suggesting Moore's roots in the uncompromising and globetrotting Poi Dog Pondering.

While often compared to Kate Bush, Siouxsie Sioux, and Tori Amos, Natasha Khan has developed an identity and sonic vocabulary of her own. Her music, while immediately familiar, is also elusive, multifaceted, impossible to pin down. Nevertheless, one word that continues to appear in reviews of Bat For Lashes is "spooky", and it's a good descriptor: Khan herself has likened the feel of her music to "Halloween as a child", and she's appeared onstage dressed as a skeleton. Part of the ghostliness of Fur & Gold radiates from Khan's ethereal - but edgy - vocals. Her voice is a supple instrument; she can howl and purr, address the listener conversationally, sound like a frightened child or a terrifying adult, and switch between modes with startling precision. "What's A Girl To Do?", the first American single from Bat For Lashes, starts with a near-spoken verse over a Phil Spector beat, and then slips into an anguished, howling chorus. It's a chilling ride, hypnotic and engrossing, and it announces Natasha Khan's arrival as a nascent master of cinematic song.

Director Dougal Wilson is no stranger to strange, spectral music - he's shot videos for LCD Soundsystem, Hard-Fi, and The Streets, and he was behind the camera for the creepy late-night taxi drive that accompanied Jarvis Cocker's "Don't Let Him Waste Your Time". But with the unsettling clip for "What's A Girl To Do?", he's outdone himself: it's one of the best clips we've seen all year, and it's sure to be the talk of YouTube and other video-sharing sites. Looking lovely - and perhaps a little dreamy - in a blue pajama-top and silver tights, Natasha Khan guides a child's bicycle down a deserted highway at night. She rides, unswerving, in the middle of the road, and sings as she does; behind her, trees angle toward the center of the street, forming a dark canopy over her head. Light flashes off the bicycle handlebars and reflectors, the clip in Khan's hair, and the sparkles on her shirt. But when "What's A Girl To Do?" reaches its chorus, the action really begins: a chorus-line of BMX bike riders suddenly appear behind her. Wearing giant, grim animal masks, they clap along with the song and perform stunts in tight formation. The incongruity of the masked riders only add to the chill - as do the images of trick-or-treaters lost in the woods, abandoned and upturned automobiles, and Khan's own breath, condensing in clouds beside her.

In their hometown of San Antonio, they're already stars (they're favorites of the City alternative weekly, the Express-News, and the much-read S.A. Rocks weblog); in the rest of the Lone Star State, they're spoken of by music aficionados as a group on the rise. Now, the wide release of their self-titled debut seems certain to show the nation what Texas already knows: Blowing Trees have the sound, the talent, and the live energy to connect with a mass audience. Their intelligent pop-rock is already deep, layered and nuanced; on Blowing Trees, Producer Dave Castell (Blue October) has given these powerful songs a bright, radio-ready aura.

The quartet was, without a doubt, one of the most discussed bands at South By Southwest. This year, Blowing Trees rocked both the Fuse and the PureVolume showcase, and were selected as one of the Featured Emerging Artists in the corporate-sponsored SXSW sweepstakes. Since March, the band's reputation has spread by word of mouth - Matt Pinfield is a fan, and has played their music on his Sirius Radio show -and Blowing Trees has chosen to cement their foundation by touring Texas relentlessly. Those who'll pack the upcoming shows will experience a rare treat: a band of sharp young writers who marry thought-provoking lyrics and singalong melodies to a majestic tapestry of sound.

A band as conscious of detail as Blowing Trees might seem like a good bet in the studio, and the aesthetic success of their ambitious debut has justified the faith of their many rabid fans. Dramatic as Mars Volta, cinematic as the Flaming Lips or Arcade Fire, and as carefully-conceptualized as Wish You Were Here, Blowing Trees also contains many pop charms. "The Day The World Left Me", the lead single, is quintessential Blowing Trees: a message song appointed with the proper balance of grit and gloss (and a fist-pumping chorus, too!) Frontman Chris Maddin delivers the lyric in a howl of passion; it's bracing, and moving, and it announces the coming of a singer with something to shout about.

If there was any doubt, the clip for "The Day The World Left Me" can put it to rest: Blowing Trees are a terrific-looking band, too. Playing in an old warehouse, they hurl the song at the camera, demonstrating the kinetics and the intensity that have made them such a live attraction. Directors Emma Branch and Carlos Cruz Sol position Maddin directly beneath a hanging lamp, and capture the shadows that travel across his face as he sings; he looks more than a bit unhinged, and it's awfully compelling. Elsewhere, in a junkyard crammed with electronic equipment, two hapless men doze, putter around, and fuss with wires. Shots of Maddin playing guitar are juxtaposed with those of a white-bearded old man in a chair hammering away on his own acoustic - all while another one watches the sands pour through an hourglass. Later, these images of helplessness and decay are counterposed with other: a teenaged boy wearing homemade wings, two boys wrestling in gas masks. It's ominous, weird, symbolically-rich and undeniably compelling - much like Blowing Trees's captivating music.

Butch Walker is a recording artist, songwriter, and record producer.

Walker grew up in Cartersville, Georgia and stood out as a guitarist and performer in several rock bands in the '80s including Bad Boyz and Byte the Bullet. In 1988, he took Byte the Bullet to LA and they were signed to Virgin Records within the year. The band changed names to SouthGang and released two albums, Tainted Angel in 1991 and Group Therapy in 1992. SouthGang was one of the first bands to tour China in the early '90s.

Afterwards, Butch took over lead vocals and with ex-SouthGang members Jayce Fincher and Mitch McLee formed several bands in the 90s including Floyds Funk Revival, The Floyds, and the popular pop-rock band Marvelous 3 which had a relatively successful hit with the song "Freak Of The Week." After the break-up of the band in early 2000, Butch then began a solo career, releasing the albums Left of Self-Centered in 2002 and Letters in 2004, finishing 2005 playing over 200 live shows across both the U.S. and Japan. Butch Walker was recently featured as a headlining artist on the My Space promoted Inaugural Hotel Cafe tour - supporting independent artists from the Los Angeles Venue of the same name.

Several of his songs have been hits for other artists, including Bowling for Soup's "Girl All the Bad Guys Want" and Avril Lavigne's #1 Hit "My Happy Ending". He has written and produced records for such artists as Bowling for Soup, Pink, Lindsay Lohan, Avril Lavigne, Lit, Sevendust, The Donnas, Hot Hot Heat, American Hi-Fi, Midtown, Puffy AmiYumi and SR-71.

In late 2005, he released his first DVD "Live At Budokan." On July 11th, 2006, his newest record was released, entitled "The Rise and Fall of Butch Walker and the Let's-Go-Out-Tonites," which he recorded with his backing band, the Let's Go Out Tonites. Butch Walker was named Rolling Stone producer of the year in 2005. He will be the producer for the new Rockstar:Supernova group.

Walker was a guest judge on the second season of the American reality television program Rock Star, during which, in consultation with Walker, Tommy Lee, Gilby Clarke, and Jason Newsted will select a lead singer for a new band, Supernova (Rock Star band), to comprise the three, the first album of which Walker will produce.

Cake (officially capitalized "CAKE") is a band from Sacramento, California. They have had several hits throughout the 1990s and 2000s from six albums. Check this video out on Xyzmp3.com!

Coheed and Cambria is a Progressive rock band from Nyack, New York and Kingston, New York. Coheed and Cambria have released three studio albums, two live albums, and various special-edition re-releases. Their albums are concept albums, revealing the plot of an overarching storyline. For more information on this storyline, go to The Amory Wars. The band plans to release a total of five albums describing the saga The Amory Wars. To date, three studio albums have been released: The Second Stage Turbine Blade (2002), In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3 (2003), and Good Apollo I'm Burning Star IV, Volume One: From Fear Through the Eyes of Madness (2005). These albums make up the second, third, and half of the fourth part of the four-part saga of Coheed and Cambria, respectively. The albums are being released out of sequence; the second part was released first, and the first part will be released last. The last half of the fourth part, No World For Tomorrow, will be released in October 2007.

Eskimo Joe's sound is rich, moody, and engrossing, but bassist Kavyen Temperley's skillful and articulate songwriting is the best weapon in the band's arsenal. Temperley thinks conceptually: A Song Is A City, the band's breakthrough album, is a nuanced and provocative exploration of his hometown of Fremantle, Australia. Through song and story, he captured the strange tensions between cosmopolitan living and geographic isolation so common on the Aussie West Coast; listeners around the country identified, and rewarded the band with their first hit disc. Black Fingernails, Red Wine, by contrast, was a conscious attempt to broaden and streamline the Eskimo Joe approach, and to incorporate elements associated with Eighties rock. Just as he did with The Sleepy Jackson - another Perth-area band that has made international waves - producer Matt Lovell has delivered a polished, radio-ready sound that sacrifices none of the integrity or identity of the band. Old fans adored Black Fingernails, Red Wine, and new fans were made by the thousands: while A Song Is A City went platinum in Australia, the latest Eskimo Joe release has sold four times more.

Video director Nash Edgerton is almost as well-recognized Down Under as the members Eskimo Joe are: he's an actor and performer as well as a filmmaker, and his recently-released first feature was a hit at the Sydney Film Festival. Edgerton has shot clips for many of Australia's finest, including Toni Collette, The Sleepy Jackson, and Ben Lee. For the "Black Fingernails, Red Wine" spot, the young director has taken a dramatic (and black comic) approach: it's a dark night in Western Australia, and the three Joes are out on a kidnapping spree. We watch Temperley and his two bandmates abduct three men, and shove them in the trunk of a vintage automobile; later, as the song arrives at its false ending, they strike the business ends of their spades into fresh earth. They're burying bodies tonight - but whose? All is revealed when the well-dressed musicians pop the boot and Edgerton swings his camera on the faces of the victims: they're Eskimo Joe, or to be more precise, a prior version of Eskimo Joe that's now defunct. Temperley and company have hijacked their own history, forcibly seized it, and sent it into the ground. No clearer metaphor for a band's reinvention has ever been committed to videotape!