REBEL SPIRIT MUSIC

click & listen

click & listen

click & listen

click & listen

THE YOUNG THINGS: Bursting out of Brooklyn in true indie rock fashion, The Young Things joins this month’s Rebel Spirit Music series as the rock n’ roll nightcap to a fine evening line-up. Their new album, cleverly titled “…is the killer,” adds to their already buzzing reputation which has brought them to stages like CBGB’s, The Knitting Factory, Mercury Lounge, Spike Hill, Pete’s Candy Store, and Cameo Gallery. Bold, dark, and powerful in sound, The Young Things is quickly rising as a name to know in the scene, capturing audiences with their “East meets West” sound while sticking to the true nature of gritty, garage band rock.

CHRIS AYER: With the success of sixth and most recent album, “Don’t Go Back To Sleep,” accompanied by a thriving career and recent cross-country tour, Chris Ayer has made a name for himself as a NYC artist to watch.  The singer-songwriter has a warm and charming way of reaching his audience through comfortable, clever lyrics and pop-infused tunes, offering a pleasurable listening experience in both solo and full band performances.  He was the recipient of the Lennon Award Winner in Folk for the John Lennon Songwriting Contest as well as a finalist in the New York Songwriting Contest in 2008, and he’ll be playing the Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington, D.C. this April.  Rebel Spirit Music is excited to bring the talents and vocal styling of Chris Ayer to the April RSM Series.

STORM WEATHER SHANTY CHOIR: Formed in 2000 by Haakon Vatle, Shanty Choir was born of the background music used for a Norwegian tall ship, where Vatle has worked since 1997.  The fun, eclectic folk sound is comprised of six crew-members of various musical backgrounds, joining together to produce soulful and unique rhythms and melodies that rely more on the crisp sound of their voices than loud and overwhelming instruments.  They typically perform a Capella, often forgoing even microphones and simply focusing on the range in their voices, providing audiences with a one-of-a-kind experience each time they witness a performance.  Rebel Spirit Music is enthralled to have the likes of this international group join the April series, exposing our audience to not only new music and talent, but showing how cross-culturally art still translates to be such a beautiful thing.

MATT SIMONS: This California transplant landed in NYC for college to study jazz saxophone a few years ago and never looked back. Now invested in climbing the ladder of the NYC singer-songwriter CD, Matt’s first solo EP, “Fall In Line,” has had songs played on both pod-casts and internet radio, and he’s continuing to write, perform, and hone his talent to produce catchy, clever pop/rock music. Listing influences like Gavin Degree, Ben Folds, and Eric Hutchinson, Matt Simons has also collaborated with this month’s fellow Rebel Spirit artist Chris Ayer to release his latest single, “Awake,” now available for free download. The combination of these two singer-songwriters is sure to make April’s series not one to be missed.