Tucked away in the quiet serenity of the Virginia Mountains howls a group of over 100 musicians who gathered in the wilderness to put on a 5-day show across 10 different stages to create something unforgettable. This festival is something of a hidden gem, unlike America’s notorious music festivals full of teens and pre-teens impatiently waiting for their generations pop idols to appear. The music that plays at Floydfest is perhaps something that requires a deeper appreciation, full of folk, reggae, rock, and bluegrass, there’s no question that this festival is something of a unique experience in this day and age.

Continue reading about contributor Rohan Khanna’s experience at Floydfest here. 

The guys in NY/NJ’s Wyldlife seem to have time traveled back to a few decades ago when The Clash where refining punk rock and Joan Jett and others were making it commercially viable, proudly planting their sound in that era, while enhancing it with an attitude vaguely reminiscent of Mr. Mick Jagger. If you are a fan of that kind of energy and haven’t heard their 2013 album ‘The Time Has Come to Rock & Roll’ then you really need to catch up.  Every song in there is a leather jacket-wearing, beer drinking, early 70s trashy party of its own. After the band made our list of "Best Emerging NYC Bands 2013" in January, we were able to get some insight from them on what’s coming next. Read Michael Haskoor interview with Wyldlife.

Backwords belong to that thin layer of Brooklyn bands that can be defined as "lifers" – which is a perfect word for a career in music, since there are always times when it feels like a life sentence to shit earnings. The band, active since 2008, has reportedly played over 300 shows in the US on as many as 55 different stages in NYC alone, and received a fair amount of coverage in this blog. We are premiering here their preview single "Gloria" (streaming below), from upcoming LP ‘Nest,’ which reveals a more mature sound, as if their friendly psych folk had exchanged some friendliness for power and some lightheartedness for depth. Recorded in the dead of summer, with minimal overdubs, in a large open warehouse space in Sunset Park, Brooklyn "Nest" is an album of growth, openness, and change, from a band that knows the Brooklyn indie scene like few others. ‘Nest’ will be out on September 16, the release party is scheduled for 09.20 at Baby’s All Right.

If you’ve ever been a nine to fiver in New York City you’ll know that walking through the subway with the hordes of grumpy New Yorkers can be borderline existential.  It can make you feel small, insignificant, and the realization that you are indeed one of the billions of people in the world trying to float in life becomes very real.  Bronx-born Sal Mastrocola is the guy behind the project, No Nets, and he’s got a lot to say on the matter.  "Nobody wants to be average, but that’s all I’ve become" he sings on his song "Average" off his debut album, Affabel & Ready For Small Talk.  The album is a compelling tribute to the feeling of being just another one in a million.   The subjects are carried through both the creative high to low dynamics, and Mastrocola’s confident vocal and lyrical sensibility, amounting to an infectiously catchy pop record. You can catch No Nets at Fontanas Bar this Wednesday (8/13) and stream the song "Average" below.  – Jake Saunders

This band submitted their music for coverage here.