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I witnessed Katie Moore live last September in Canada during the Emerging Music Festival. While going through my music collection recently I stumbled on her latest release, Montebello. Moore told me that the self-funded album took four years to produce with her friends and fellow Canadian musicians from rock band Plants and Animals. With emotive vocals showcasing her heartbreaking, yet relatable lyrics, Moore blends old country, folk, bluegrass and rock influences for a standout release.

Songs like album opener “Something On Your Mind” captivate the listener with her wavering vibrato and whispered vocals. Alongside impressive guitar licks, striking piano and fitting percussion, the song strikes a chord.

When she’s not performing her own music, Moore tours with friend and rapper Socalled.

“We were neighbors in Montreal and we shared a back alley. He lived in this basement apartment that everyone would go into through the kitchen window and hang out,” she said. “He knew that I sang and thought that it was country music. I like country music, I just feel like if you were into country music you wouldn’t call it that. It’s folky and rootsy. It’s a bit similar to rock country from the 60s with some organs and keys, but it’s nothing like today’s country music which is sort of like pop music.”

While she doesn’t classify herself as country, it didn’t stop Socalled from collaborating with Moore. He found the sample, “There is nothing so unusual about being a Jewish cowboy” and decided to make a Jewish cowboy song and enlisted Moore’s help.

“I wrote the words and I sang. That was the first thing we did together. The song is called “You Are Never Alone” and it became a hit in France because he’s on a French label and then he asked me to tour with him. I don’t know how it got to where it is today where I do most of the singing, but it’s pretty fun.”

Socalled later contributed to Moore’s release, playing piano on many of the tracks.

Moore says she gets inspired by things that people say. One song in particular she contributes to her guitarist.

“If someone will say something I’ll write it down. Our guitar player came over my house for rehearsal once and he’s known for his great expressions. He was really hung over and he said, ‘I can’t wake up every day like this, Katie.’ And I was like, “Wake Up Like This!” And I wrote a song for it.”

While she has her guitarist to thank for the song’s inspiration, Moore’s songwriting chops earned her the SOCAN ECHO Songwriting Prize, beating out nominees Arcade Fire, Austra, Handsome Furs, and PS I Love You.

“Wake Up Like This” showcases her country roots with slowed, raspy vocals, and title track “Montebello” has more of a R&B feel with distinct drum and organ elements, further exhibiting her versatility.

Never afraid to reveal too much in a song, Moore says music is therapy.

“If I don’t feel really strongly about a song it’s painful to play it again and again because it feels like a fraud. Sometimes if you’re missing a line somewhere and if I were to try to put in anything because it sounds good, I know that it’s not real.”

Having beat out Arcade Fire and continuing to tour, Moore isn’t slowing down anytime soon.

“I’m working on songwriting. I feel like in 15 years I’ll be pretty good. I’ve got a lot of work to do.”

For more on Katie Moore, visit her Website.

The traveling music festival known as the International Pop Overthrow (IPO) is in New York City this week, as a number of bands take the stage on the Lower East Side for a massive showcase of up-and-coming talent.

Festival founder David Bash conceived the idea – to introduce bands from all over the world to the masses and have them play together under one platform – in 1997, and a year later, the first edition was held in Los Angeles, Calif., where 120 bands performing throughout 10 days.

Three years later it became a traveling festival when New York and later Chicago and Liverpool got added to the bill. Today, IPO is held in 16 cities throughout the US and Canada. A major success in Los Angeles, Bash said it took convincing from bands who continually played the festival before it went on the road.

“It was really more just urging of bands, who I think didn’t want to travel as far and thought it would be cool to have it at a place where they lived,” he said. “I’m glad they did that. It was immediately fun and successful.”

For more on the International Pop Overthrow, visit CBS.

Over 900 bands performed throughout New York this past week during the annual CMJ Music Marathon. For five days and five nights, music lovers scoured the City to discover up-and-coming acts, and in some cases found themselves new fans. Here are five acts from the festival to keep on your radar.

1. Alabama Shakes

Friday afternoon I attended the “Beyond Blogfamous” panel where Bruce Warren, Assistant Station Manager/Programmer of WXPN, raved about Alabama Shakes. He said something along the lines of them being the one band that has a shot of bringing rock & roll back. Naturally, I was intrigued. Turns out they were playing later that night at Bowery Ballroom so I made sure to catch their show.

From the moment Brittany Howard belted her first lyric on set opener “Hold On,” she captivated every ear in the venue. Her voice brings to mind Amy Winehouse with the power of Aretha Franklin. A distinct ’60s Motown vibe is heard throughout many of their tracks. On “You Ain’t Alone” she growls, “If you’re gonna cry, cry with me” while the rest of the band adds to the mix. With bombastic guitar riffs, soulful keyboard interludes and a heart pounding drumbeat, Alabama Shakes prove they’re a force to reckon with. As one festival-goer told me during the show, “You feel like you’re watching something special.” I couldn’t agree more.

2. Deep River

I featured Deep River as a Band of the Week last year and their set Saturday night at Rockwood Music Hall reminded me just why. The Virgina based trio exude confidence, often joking with the audience and enticing fan participation while onstage. With alternated singing between Rachel Beauregard and Bryan Dawley along with Luke Brindley on guitar, the country-fused band transported the New York City venue to the South. With foot stomping rhythms and mandolin accompaniment throughout much of their set, the band impressed. Newer songs like the soulful “Settin’ the House on Fire,” co-written in Nashville, showcase the band’s staying power.

3. Matt Cranstoun

Earlier last week I interviewed Matt Cranstoun and he informed me that he’d have gospel singers performing with him during his CMJ showcase Saturday night. I couldn’t remember ever witnessing gospel singers perform at a rock show so I was curious. Though his set only lasted for 30 minutes, Cranstoun and his backup singers held the room in the palm of their hands.

As each song ended, the audience hollered for more. From Cranstoun’s crisp singing style to soaring musical accompaniment from his band and the help of three powerful gospel singers, his audience was the most engaged of any CMJ showcase I attended. After the set, I praised their performance and Cranstoun said, “November 19th will be much better.” The day of his record release for The Last Drop of Color, he’ll be performing Nov. 19 at Mercury Lounge.

4. The Parlotones

Having opened for Coldplay at 60,000 capacity venues, the South Africa-based band stopped in New York during CMJ for a performance at Highline Ballroom. Though the room was a bit smaller than the crowds they’re used to, The Parlotones didn’t alter their set in the slightest. Between frontman Kahn Morbee’s charismatic and theatrical stage presence, arena friendly choruses, and killer guitar riffs, the band won over their American audience. Songs like set opener “Life Design” satisfied with haunting vocals while The Parlotones’ energetic encore included a fast-paced Elvis Presley cover of “Burning Love.” While the band has sold more records than Coldplay, Oasis and The Killers combined in South Africa, it’s only a matter of time until the rest of the world catches on.

5. We Are Augustines

You know you really like a band when you attend more than one of their showcases during CMJ. Brooklyn-based We Are Augustines wowed a sold-out crowd at Bowery Ballroom Wednesday night. With gritty guitar, soaring horn interludes & frontman Billy McCarthy’s emotive, wavering vocals, the band had a similar effect at each of their remaining festival performances.

The band took the stage shortly before 1 a.m. Wednesday night and had the audience screaming along until the close of their set an hour later. “I hope this is a celebration for you because it is for us. It’s been a little while since we’ve headlined here so we appreciate it,” McCarthy said. The majority of their show included songs off debut release, Rise Ye Sunkin Ships along with a solid cover of Joe Strummer’s “Road to Rock ‘n’ Roll.” Songs like the energetic “Chapel Song” hypnotized while the poignant “Book of James” struck a chord. For more on the band, read my interview here.

Matt Cranstoun’s powerful vocals make the listener take notice. Set to perform Saturday night at Brooklyn’s The Rock Shop, his show will include three gospel singers and a full band.

With so many showcases during CMJ Music Marathon, Cranstoun advises music fans to support independent artists.

“Everyone should support independent music and art. Go to CMJ. See 10 bands perform. If you don’t like one, walk out, you have the option to do that,” he said. “That’s the beauty of CMJ, there’s so much going on. You can find 10 shows that you should enjoy.”

Cranstoun began his music career at eight-years-old behind his father’s drum set. Once high school came around he joined numerous bands and soon afterward decided to take the solo route and moved to New York.

“I didn’t know what to expect so I came up here and started the real songwriter thing where you play by yourself. That was a whole new vibe for me and that’s what I’ve been doing ever since,” he said.

For my complete writeup, visit CBS. Matt performs tonight at 10 p.m. at The Rock Shop in Brooklyn.

For Brooklyn-based Savoir Adore, what began as a 48-hour challenge between two friends soon morphed into a band.

A band that’s scheduled to play 8 different showcases at the CMJ fest this weekend.

“Deidre [Muro] and I were both solo artists in New York. We were frustrated with our current situations so we said, ‘Why don’t we try to collaborate over the weekend? See what happens,’” says Paul Hammer.

Over the course of that weekend Hammer and Muro decided to record an EP and gave themselves rules, which included no acoustic guitar.

“That EP formed the band. It was never intended to be a band; it was just a fun recording project that ended up getting passed around,” Hammer said. “We were so excited at what we created that we kept doing it.”

For my complete article, visit CBS.

A week before their debut album, Feel You’re Different, is released, a band from Long Island is ready for their CMJ Music Marathon showcase.

Having played the festival for the past three years, Lights Resolve frontman Matthew Reich says CMJ has helped with the band’s success.

“CMJ has been a platform literally for us to take the stage and for people to learn about our band. I think a lot of people found out about us through CMJ because we did shows at Bowery Ballroom, Bowery Poetry Club,” he said. “We were on certain shows where people found out about us and now we’re some of those people’s favorite bands. It’s great to have that kind of festival with a built in audience that may not be your normal audience so you can tap into a new crowd.”

For my complete writeup, visit CBS. Be sure to pick up a copy of Lights Resolve’s debut release next week and catch them tonight at Maxwell’s in Hoboken.

“I like to say that music is the language of our friendship,” Heather Robb says of her band, The Spring Standards, who will perform at the CMJ Music Marathon & Film Festival Tuesday evening.

The Brooklyn-based trio, made up of Robb, James Cleare and James Smith, met while in high school, and what started as friendship quickly turned into a band. At fifteen, the trio began playing and writing original material together.

Years later, after a brief separation followed by a reconnection, their three-part harmonies and energetic live show has continued to captivate audiences.

Having played CMJ before, Robb said it’s different being a New Yorker at a New York festival.

“In a lot of ways you feel more at ease. You feel a greater sense of, ‘I’m from New York. I know this city. This is our community,’” she says. “You feel more interested in creating an atmosphere where bands traveling from far away can feel comfortable as opposed to trying to feel comfortable yourself.”

For my complete article, visit CBS. For more on The Spring Standards, visit their Website. They play a free CMJ show tonight at 8 p.m. at Rockwood Music Hall.