• Local trip-hop Paper Tiger exists in a number of iterations revolving around singer/songwriter Molly Kummerle (of Ruby Slippers) and DJ Mingle. Sometimes there’s a drummer, a cellist, a videographer. Always, there’s a lush and lounge-y sound, perfect for laid back dancing.
• Rockers Stephen Kellogg & the Sixers come from Northampton, Mass. go by “SK6ERS” — you figure out how to pronounce that. The group’s 2007 record Glassjaw Boxer was named a top-five album of the year by USA Today. Since then, they’ve landed songs on “One Tree Hill” and “Mercy.” You’ll probably recognize their hit, “Shady Esperanto and the Young Hearts,” here:
• Asheville-based Vertigo Jazz Project describes its music as “bridging the gap between multiple genres of music such as Jazz, Funk, Latin, Rock, Jam, Avant-Garde, Classical, World and even Country and Bluegrass while always maintaining a recognizable element of jazz.” Members include Ryan Reardon (bass), Sean Mason (drums) and Preston Cate (guitar).
• Local electronic band RBTS WIN is a collaboration between musicians Brien Worsham and Javi Bolea. They were originally called Robots but, after adding guitarist Jim DeBardi, they changed the name in honor of their debut EP, WIN. Their new album, The Dark Ones, is due out soon. Watch their performance at Moogfest last fall, here:
• Leeda “Lyric” Jones got her start busking on the streets of Asheville. Whether solo or with a small group of backing musicians, it was her intense, soulful voice that stood out. Lyric’s fan base grew as she played coffee houses and landed opening slots, gracing local stages with covers of artists like Tracy Chapman and India.Arie as well as her spirited originals.
