The New Yorker 2014

Hailed as "a deeply natural songwriter" (The New Yorker) who "defies expectations in his own way" (Time) and "Gen X's most famous absurdist" (Blender), Beck is the single most inventive and eclectic figure to emerge from the '90s altertnative revolution. In an era obsessed with junk culture, Beck seamlessly blends pop, folk, hop-hop, indie/underground and electronica with the end result being an authentically uncategorizable musical style that nevertheless has sold millions of records and scored multiple Grammy awards.

The release, Bahamas Is Afie, is the first self-produced album from the Ontario-based musician. With this record he pursued a far more complex sound than on prior releases and is responsible for the majority of the instrumentation. The album follows 2011's Barchords, which was praised for being a reserved yet melodically rewarding exploration of relationships and heartache by The New Yorker. SPIN recently premiered the first pre-release track from the album, All The Time, saying Bahamas distills his brand of breezy soul…with summer-ready falsetto harmonies that float over a distorted riff, before ending with a quick solo, a move that reminds this laidback Canuck can shred.

Acclaimed singer Hilary Gardner grew up in Wasilla, Alaska infatuated with New York City. In 2010, Hilary was chosen by the Frank Sinatra estate to appear as the live, onstage singer in Tony-award winner Twyla Tharp’s "Come Fly Away". Backed by a 19-piece big band, Hilary sang solos and duets with Frank Sinatra in a performance hailed by critics as “wonderful” (Huffington Post), “elegant” (USA Today), and “terrific” (New York Observer). Her solo recording debut "The Great City" is part love letter, part lament to New York and the big dreams it represents. The album has garnered effusive praise from New York’s jazz community, including Will Friedwald (Wall St. Journal) and Terry Teachout (Arts Journal, Wall St. Journal).