The Orcanaut



The Orcanaut are a really great sounding band with an active and growing following. Dudes are heavy, too. Think The Sword, but screamier. Their shows are consistently full of lots of energy, and their riffage is melodic. Just all around awesome band that's going to keep growing by the week. They have an EP coming out soon called Spacefire so be on the lookout for that.



Freak the Mighty



These guys are making a comeback after an almost year and a half hiatus from the scene due to relocation of their drummer, who just came back from playing with a variety of bands in New York. This is a serious instrumental band with talks of lyrics being added into the mix for the first time, so we'll see how that works out in their favor. Freak the Mighty are a psychedelic rock band on the higher tempo side with lots of funk and variation in their compositions. Definitely recommend people keep their eyes peeled for this one.

Criminal Birds

Here's what we had to say about Criminal Birds last year:

“Chill Out” is a dynamic song from a group of highly proficient young musicians who play like they’ve been doing so together for decades. Some internet research shows that these dudes get the term “ethereal” thrown at them quite a bit, and while that may be a valid description, it certainly didn't prepare us for the level of rock Criminal Birds attains. Sure, there are plenty of ambient bits to “Chill Out,” but about a third of the way through, it wakes the heck up. Jazzy rhythms, reverb-laden guitar noodling, and vocals that reach some pretty impressive heights abound here. It’s got kind of a Foals thing going on, too, so if you were digging them in 2013, jump on the Criminal Birds train, too. "

It's been a while since we heard new recorded material from Criminal Birds, but we're sure 2015 will bring some good tunes and plenty of live shows, too.