Mark Adelsberger_

Truly I need an Irish pub in which to listen to this properly.

It may not be quite in the "main stream", but if you enjoy good celtic music (and really, if you don't, what's wrong with you?), then I think you'll agree this band should make a great addition to the SAB line-up.  I, for one, want this album to get made.

I first heard Banshee's vocals in their version of Whiskey in the Jar (as of this writing, posted as one of the three tracks on their SAB player).  On a first listen, I caught myself distracted that the vocals' accent isn't what one's accustomed to hearing in a celtic song.  Unconventional, perhaps, but as I listened a second time, I found myself coming around to qutie like the unusual (in my experience, at least) combination.

You've gotta love seeing a musician on a mission.

If you're like me, you could listen to this music a few times without ever recognizing what it's about (ok, with the exception of Weeds Amongst Flowers, which should pretty well explain itself at a glance...) but still find it quite enjoyable to hear.

When you finally do pick up that one line of a song that makes the meaning click in your mind, you realize that the writing is one of the Quahaugs' great strenghts.

These guys clearly have a great deal of skill and a vision of what they want to create; and they don't let that vision get clouded by mainstream assumptions about music.

A range of instrumental skills come through right away in "Kraeuterboy, Ahoy!", and while the long track with its shifting style seems at first like "several songs stuck together", this may reflect the assumptions of the listener... not all good music fits in a 3:05 timeframe.

Kumasi flows along with an evolving sound to create the kind of track you can just listen to and let your mind drift along.

Music like this can take some time to appreciate, and as such it may be a challenge for Suchtmaschine to build their audience; I look forward to seeing how they meet this challenge.

I think it's outstanding that some of the $50k acts are looking beyond the first album and looking to keep funding their projects with SAB.

And a SAB live album?  Even better!

It can't be denied these guys have what it takes to make the $50k march ... they've done it once already.  So now let's put 'em on tour!

More unusual than most?  Perhaps; you might find that a sci-fi story through music is a bit alien to your CD collection... though indeed it is not unheard of.

By projecting scenes from a fictional world, AIOIA offers a chance to really let your imagination wander with their music.  This world may seem all the more mysterious as we get only a narrow window into what is clearly a broader picture; to the listener following along with the story, I highly recommend a visit to the AIOIA myspace page.

But even if you choose to let the story flow around you without comment, this music can stand on its sound alone and is well worth a listen.

For all the range of styles around SAB, it's might be easy to overlook a good, solid rock sound.  These guys have pulled one together that's definitely worth hearing.

When one of these songs has something to say, it comes out and says it, loud and clear.

Thunders delivers high-energy music and a sound that grabs your attention, then directs that attention with authority -- often to a darker bit of reality than hopefully you are inhabiting yourself...

One of the things I was looking for when I first came to SAB was a broad range of music; and while I didn't see it at first, it's certainly here.

LAdy hAidEe has a very distinctive sound.  At times breaking away from the normal expectatoins about melody and rhythm, her tracks could fool you.  If you're not paying attention, you might think there were nothing to hear; but do pay attention, and you soon realize that this is not the chaos it might at first seem.

Give these guys a listen, and you will hear some great-sounding music.  Quite a bit of it, too, if you check their own web site.

Then double back and listen to Terminal One (posted among the three tracks on their SAB page as of this writing), and you'll see that this is a band that's both willing and able to "step outside the box" and create something you might not have expected.

joOp wolters came to SAB a couple months ago with some amazing instrumental tracks (more of which, it turns out, can be found on his prevoius CD's).  He's adding a vocal dimension to this next project, and from what I've heard so far, I'd say it's shaping up to be some great music.

Both the vocal and instrument al tracks have plenty of energy and outstanding guitar work.  He anticipates a number of vocalists contributing as well, and I look forward to hearing what they'll add.

Plenty of experience in the business, plus a strategy for how to make the SAB model work its magic, plus a healthy level of cynical irony and wit, plus a blues/rock sound that carries that attitude flawlessly.  This is a combination of elements that should draw any believer's interest.

One of the first artists I believed in when I joined SAB, Tiff Gow quickly made an impression with the energy she puts not only into her music, but into her presence on the site as well.

Numerous collaborations with other artists, frequent updates to her page (including a steady rotation of new tracks, every one well worth hearing), and consta nt communication to her believers... a clear commitment to the music; this is an artist who shows that she believes, too.