Despite their playful sound, whimsical lyrics and adorable band name, Mittens on Strings is a serious ensemble making a name for themselves in the Chicago indie-folk scene. Their latest album, Let’s Go to Baba’s, is sort of a kaleidoscopic trip by way of wry, humorous narrative, backed up by a strange mixture of folksy, somewhat psychedelic, experimental Baroque pop. more ›

You know what this Monday could use? A folk trio medley of Will Smith songs. Wish granted by New York's Pearl and the Beard. more ›

Brooklyn's Pete & J aren't trying to keep up with the trends that fly out of their home borough every other day, and that's mostly because they don't have to. Who needs keytars or Nintendo sounds when you've got pristine pop melodies and the kind of killer harmonies that melt the hearts of folk fans everywhere? more ›

As Duke Ellington might have said, Arthur Russell was a musician and composer "beyond category." In his short life (he died of complications from AIDS at the age of 40) he composed and recorded music that could be classified as folk, disco, ambient, classical, pop and even country. He was born in Iowa and followed in his mother's footsteps by taking up the cello as a child. Later he moved to San Francisco (befriending Allan Ginsberg) and then eventually New York City, where he became a catalyst in the art scene of the 70's as musical director of The Kitchen. Ginsberg, who lived in the same apartment building as Arthur for many years, described his music as "Buddhist bubblegum," and it's that sly tension between childlike joy and a more cerebral experimentation that has posthumously made him a favorite of David Byrne, Jens Lekman and Pitchfork. more ›