Ambulance LTD

Charming their way into the hearts of many music fans, Ambulance LTD's dreamy shoegazer rock swims with gentle, sensitive vocals, lush guitar and bass lines. The steady hype over this New York-based band makes them seem like an overnight sensation. However, to lead songwriter and singer Marcus Congleton, the band's success has been a long time coming. Before he began to adore the music of Elliott Smith, the Velvet Underground and the Pixies, Congleton was rockin' to the Doors at the age of 12, performing one of the legendary rock group's songs in a middle school talent show. But singing wasn't his first love. "I was interested more in songwriting than singing," he said. "I started singing by default because I happened to write the songs."

In addition to Congleton's knack for churning out catchy lyrics and melodies, the rest of the band -- Matt Dublin (bass), Andrew Haskell (keyboards), Darren Beckett (drums), Benji Lysaght (guitar) -- have incredible synergy, building on Congleton's introspective, lulling lyrics with amazing instrumental parts that swirl and mesmerize with youthful auras and poetic beauty. "I'm just lucky to be playing with four other people who can do what they do. Sometimes a song won't turn out the way I hear it in my head, but it inevitably comes out really nice because of the experience these guys have and the way we play together."

Though the band hails from origins as diverse as Portland, New York, D.C., Ireland and L.A., the group eventually settled in Brooklyn, NY. "I can't say exactly how, but I'm sure that we'd be different if we weren't living here," Congleton said. "If we had spacious houses, cheap rent and cars, something would be different about our music."

The Realistics

Realistics' songwriter/singer Dennis Codispoti began to learn the guitar when he was 12. He then wrote his first song. "I think it was me ramming on a D chord and screaming something about the injustices of the lunchroom," Dennis said. "I was very political back then." Today Dennis' lyrics are more inspired by human relationships and traveling, though politics may unconsciously peek through songs like fan favorite "Angie," which is about a transvestite. Dennis feels that the group -- Will on keyboards, Dave on drums and Mike on bass -- has grown as a band. "We've all learned to sacrifice, which is important," Dennis said. "Being a songwriter, I can be very touchy about criticism, but I think as a band we all learn to deal with it in our own way. There's definitely an element of maturity seeping into our music and into our souls."

Dennis' distinctive falsetto has always set him apart from the rest. "I was very insecure at first because I was a first soprano in my chorus class and every other boy was an alto," he said. "I thought I was a freak because I could only hit the high notes. Then I remember listening to Eddie Kendricks from the Temptations and realizing that what I had was special."

The Realistics' songs draw the listener in with universal stories about loneliness, heartache and spirituality. "I remember writing ‘Why Didn't You Stay' very quickly, and the words coming just as easily. At that time I was going through a tremendous amount of personal anguish and feeling like I had lost everything. I think that's why the song strikes a chord with people." He describes the new batch of Realistics songs like "a total breath of fresh air." The band recently recorded their second full-length with producer Martin Bisi (Sonic Youth), and the results are grittier and more raw.

Dennis also finds New York life incredibly influential in his songwriting. "Growing up in this city, you are exposed to galleries, drugs and diverse living styles at a very young age, and it influences you in so many ways," he said. "Sometimes just the smell of the streets makes me want to write."

stellastarr*

Lead singer/songwriter for stellastarr* Shawn Christensen was 18 when his parents bought him an acoustic guitar. He had just broken up with his girlfriend and he decided to write a song about it. No one ever heard this song, but it was the first tune Christensen wrote about his relationship troubles. And as stellastarr* loyalists know, it wouldn't be his last. There's "Jenny," "Moon Girl," and of course, fan-favorite "My Coco."

"I was kind of depressed for a couple years, so for a while writing songs was therapeutic," says Christensen. "But when I first started out on guitar, it was more of just an addiction. I couldn't go a

Writing lyrics and music came pretty naturally to Christensen, but singing was another story. When he formed stellastarr* with friends bassist Amanda Tannen, drummer Arthur Kremer and guitarist Michael Jurin, Christensen didn't start out on the mic. "I didn't know how to sing. So I was auditioning female vocalists and feeding them lyrics," Christensen says. "But my policy in music is if you don't make it up yourself, then how can you be 100% passionate about what you're performing? I just figured I'd sing temporarily. We just never really found anyone."

Over the past year, stellastarr* has grown a loyal group of underground followers on the New York scene. Through touring with hot acts like The Raveonettes, Longwave and Sahara Hotnights, stellastarr* have become darlings in New York, infecting listeners with their catchy songs that are sprinkled with touches of new-wave, punk and pop. They recently headlined a sold out show at the Bowery Ballroom, and won rave reviews for their performance at ASCAP's 2003 SXSW showcase.

"If you don't play these festivals out of your own area then no one's going to come and see you," Christensen says. "We figured, since we've never been in Texas, no one was going to show up to see our show. We were wrong." After stellastarr*'s dynamic performance at SXSW, the band burst into the UK rock scene with critical blessings from well-respected British publications like NME based on their solid live shows and the incredible buzz on their three song EP, Somewhere Across Forever. Now the band is set to release their self-titled debut album on RCA Records.

Folksongs for the Afterlife

They may have the perfect band name but, over the years, Folksongs for the Afterlife has also perfected their formula of creepy yet beautiful music. Their sound seeps slowly into your skin, into your veins, and then your heart with deeply affecting guitar lines, haunting vocals, and lyrics that both mystify and intrigue listeners.

The dreamy haze of songs on the band's latest release, Put Danger Back In Your Life, has captured the ideal blend of romance and devastation, especially in the opening track, "Reunion." The song is foreboding of the darker music to come later in the album with lead singer and songwriter Caroline Schutz cooing them slightly morose, slightly wondrous.

"The song ‘Reunion' is about being in a situation that you know is precarious but doing it anyhow. Choosing to put yourself in dangerous situations whether it's emotional or physical is a theme in the album," Schutz says. "But a lot of the other songs are more abstract so I don't like to get into lyrics too much. Sometimes it's more about an emotional state than it is a specific situation." In that way, Schutz's songwriting is an extension of her visual art - she majored in art at Oberlin College, where singers like Liz Phair also studied.

"I'm trained as a visual artist so I've been applying those principals to music," Schutz says. "After Liz Phair came out with her album, I sort of took that as a sign to just go ahead and pursue music even though I knew it would take me a while to get my guitar playing up to speed."

After graduating from Oberlin, she picked up the guitar and eventually formed Folksongs for the Afterlife. "I've always loved singing," Schutz says. "My mother was a singer, and my grandmother was a singer. It's kind of funny because even though I've always loved singing, I never thought I could do it because I don't have a well-trained voice." But her breathtaking, sugary vocals on the band's impressive full-length and debut EP dispel any doubts that Schutz was meant to perform behind the mic.