What most people (sadly) don’t know is that another, similarly diverse city has been producing local independent music for nearly a decade in the most unlikeliest of places: Provo, Utah.

Provo’s unique creative atmosphere and expansive independent music network has birthed a number of high quality indie artists and bands, including Joshua James, Neon Trees, Fictionist, and most recently Parlor Hawk. These are some big names within the indie/local music community. Most of these bands have been at or near the top of iTunes’ download charts in last few months, and there is no sign of them letting up.

(Check out Neon Trees!)

There are a few things that Provo has that most cities don’t. First, the indie music community has a very strong hub, a high-quality venue called Velour Live Music Gallery, as well as a few other, smaller local venues. And it’s unique location in Utah allows it to disperse new creative indie rock to a very large audience.

Velour is designed like a vintage Baroque Indie Rock chapel, yet it is clear from the way Corey Fox, the owner, runs things that Velour is there to support the bands. Only the best bands are selected to play weekend shows, but up-and-coming bands are encouraged to play at the weekly acoustic nights and semi-annual and highly competitive Battle of the Bands concerts. It’s an incubator for indie rock and creative music.

Because Utah is a haven for Mormons (members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints), many come from all over the United States (and to a smaller extent, the rest of the world) to visit Utah. Then they take the new music they’ve found in Provo back home.

Double the effectiveness of this principle for the two college campuses (BYU and UVU) located in Provo. Indie rock attracts college students like ants to a spilled can of Classic Coke. The Indie Rock then steeps into the collective college soul throughout the semester. And the students become musical carriers when they return to their out-of-state hometowns for vacations.

This dissemination of new music has created Provo’s vast independent music network, while the local community generates lots of potential bands and different types of music.

Keep an eye out for any bands coming out of Provo. Odds are that they’ll go far.

Alesana

This is a newer band full of energy.  Stay away from them if you’re against a little screaming, but they are sure to put on an incredible show.

Alkaline Trio

I saw these guys back in 2002, and they put on a great show.  Especially if you aren’t into all the screaming of a lot of other Warped Tour bands, you need to see Alkaline Trio.  I’ve never met anyone who doesn’t like them, and their music, old and new alike, is most exquisite.

Attack Attack

Come see Attack Attack if you want to see something new.  These guys are definitely different, but their show this year is bound to be epic.  Most of their songs rapidly change from intense screaming to ultra-rad, heavy techno.  Attack Attack is not for everyone, but I fell for them and am stoked to see their show.

The Bouncing Souls

I’m disappointed these guys aren’t coming to Salt Lake City, but if you are fortunate enough to live where they are playing- see list here- this is a must.  These guys have been around for just over twenty years and have been rocking the whole time.  Their music is about as timeless as it gets in the punk scene, and their show is highly recommended.

Dropkick Murphys

This is going to be one of the biggest shows at Warped Tour this year and one that is worth battling the crowd.  This American celtic punk group is guaranteed to be a crowd pleasure, and one you need to see

Emarosa

I found this band a year ago am excited to see them in action.  It’s a harder screaming band with a lot of energy.

Pennywise

Pennywise is a classic as far as the punk scene goes.  They’ve been around for a while and put on a lot of excellent shows.  If you haven’t seen them yet, you need to this year.

Pierce the Veil

This is the most emo band that made my list, and the most emo band I actually listen to.  I haven’t seen these guys play yet, but I am sure they’re going to rock.  I fell in love with their music and am looking forward to seeing them this summer.

With a alt-folk sound, Paul Jacobsen & The Madison Arm lured me into their musical world of guitars, banjos, and pump organs. I especially loved the presence of the organ, adding richness to Jacobsen’s vocals and an old-time church richness not often found in folk music.

Above all, I love meaningful lyrics, and Paul Jacobsen & The Madison Arm did not disappoint. Jacobsen sang with such earnestness, I felt like each song was a personal message delivered directly to me. In between songs, his easy-going demeanor won over the audience with

One particular song, At That Day, lulled me into a blissful half-sleep with its charming layering of voices and its ethereal lyrics. Below is a recording of the song at the concert where I discovered them (Kilby Court in Salt Lake City). The song steadily builds in intensity until a soul-gripping wail about five minutes into the song. Please close your eyes, listen and enjoy. I promise it’s worth it.

BONUS VIDEO

Paul Jacobsen of Utah’s Band of Annuals joined Paul Jacobsen & The Madison Arm and treated the audience with this incredible, newly created masterpiece. The recorder of this video dubbed it Wind at my Feet, although the song is still untitled. Do yourself a favor and listen to it.

If you still can’t get enough, visit Paul Jacobsen & The Madison Arm or Band of Annuals at their MySpace pages.

“Matt Beilis‘s new album sounds polished but live at the same time, which is a tough balance to strike. He manages to be both catchy and soulful, two of the best elements of good pop music.” –Ryan Dusick of Maroon 5

Here is a cover of Bruno Mars’ new song “Just the way you are.” This rendition amazed me and caught my attention. It demonstrates how Matt Beilis‘s sound connects the popularity of pop music to the soulful-rock-sound that makes it his own.

Check Matt Beilis out at his website http://www.mattbeilis.com/ and see for yourself the talent of this new up-and-coming artist.

After collaborating, the result was “Let the Woman,” a sophisticated, clever and adventurous album. Barnes and Noble won the exclusive rights to distribute “Let the Woman” online and and in their stores all over the world. The album’s single, “Brown Eyes,” became a staple on radio stations nationwide, and “Let the Woman” became a bestseller.

Davis toured extensively in support of “Let the Woman”, both headlining and opening for Colbie Caliat, Jakob Dylan, Mat Kearney, Will Hoge, Howie Day, and NEEDTOBREATHE.

Here’s his music video for his single “Brown Eyes.”

His new album is scheduled to be released in the fall of 2010.

Read more on his myspace page.

Here are the choruses for each of these songs:

Just the Girl:

Cause she’s bittersweet
She knocks me off of my feet
And I can’t help myself
I don’t want anyone else
She’s a mystery
She’s too much for me
But I keep comin’ back for more
She’s just the girl I’m lookin’ for

Catch Your Wave:

Hey girl,I wanna catch your wave
Hey girl,I wanna drift away with you
Hey girl,you’ve got an undertow
Hey girl,hey girl don’t wanna let you go

Flipside:

Waiting for the day when I’m complete
Without you I’m doing what I can to let you be
Making sure there’s nothing showing on the outside
Something’s dying on the inside
I’m still broken but I’m free
I’ll see you on the flipside

Check out this band and you may fall in love with the music!

In early 2009, he hired manager Daniel Weisman of Elitaste Inc., who also manages Wale, to work on his first mixtape, “A Matter of Time” along with Don Cannon and DJ Benzi. In July 2009, Posner signed a major label deal with J Records (RCA/Sony). However, he chose to return to Duke University after signing his record deal, and toured on the weekends while at the same time recording for his debut album. Posner’s second mixtape, “One Foot Out The Door” was released on October 27, 2009. The mixtape is hosted by Clinton Sparks, and features the sounds of Kid Cudi, Big Sean, Bun B, Saigon, GLC, 3OH!3, Freddie Gibbs, and XV. Interestingly, it was originally released on iTunes U, the education division of Apple’s iTunes, but was taken down after Apple deemed it uneducational.

His debut album entitled “35 Minutes to Takeoff” is to be released August 3rd, 2010. He will be performing at Bonnaroo and all 42 dates of the 2010 Warped Tour this summer. The first single from the album, “Cooler Than Me,” as of June 3 had climbed the Billboard Hot 100 to reach No. 8. On May 31, 2010, Posner appeared on Lopez Tonight with a performance of Cooler Than Me.

His single has caught on quickly and is helping raise his name awareness before the launch of his next album. We look forward to hearing more from this up and coming artist.

Parlor Hawk “Every Bone” from The Occidental Saloon on Vimeo.

To be completely honest, the first time I heard Parlor Hawk, I was not really impressed. My brother brought home their new cd Hoarse and Roaring and I tried to listen through it multiple times but would have to stop after the first few songs, because I felt like each song had the exact same tempo and feel to it. Hence, I was inspired or impressed…but my brothers raved about the band. So, I gave them yet another chance.

And after seeing the above music video of “Every Bone,” in which I felt of the band’s fervent folk fusion, I completely changed my mind. Parlor Hawk is a remarkable band and they are going somewhere and already have.

Their music is touching with its tender and yet tremendous truth. I cannot imagine a better name for their first album, which released June 15th, than Hoarse and Roaring. Their music is both soft spoken and yet piercing with its intimacy, just as the album cover suggests. When you see the band in their music video, you really do sense and feel a part of their passion for what their music is relaying.

Chase Larson perfectly described Parlor Hawk’s new album when he said:

“Listening to ‘Hoarse and Roaring‘ is like driving alone down a long, open road off into a sunset tinged landscape, leaving plenty of time to contemplate life’s hopes and struggles.”

I would just add that the flow of the album may be a little too contemplatative, causing the driver to either lose focus of the road or to drift off into dreaming.

Parlor Hawk is still a mystery to me though. I tried to learn a little bit more about their forming of the band and honestly didn’t find much. Here’s what I found:

Parlor Hawk is a local Utah band, which originally started as the band Moses until 2009 when they changed their name and their music. The band consists of Drew Capener, TJ Nokleby, Andrew Dyer, Mark Garbett, and Jay Tibbitts. The band now has two record labels with the help of Joshua James, and they are busy sharing their soul symphonies to others in Ohio, California, Las Vegas, and so on.

This talented Americana Folk-rock band appears to be really down to earth and friendly. Most of the band, if not all of them, are married and have families. I read an interview about them in which they all had a great sense of humor too. Although their music is sensitive and serious, the band is all really down to earth.

Parlor Hawk is an attractive band, both physically and musically. I’m excited to see what this band will accomplish in the next little while. I expect them to continue to get better and to bring more juicy musical fruit to us in the near future . I only suggest, that the band work a little on the format and flow of their next album, so as to show their true talent.

One of the ways she got the crowd interested was by playing a few bars of Lady Gaga’s hit “Poker Face” in her own fashion which is sure to grab anyone’s attention as it is a break from her traditional style. She then transitioned from “Poker Face” into her own tune “Soldier,” giving fans what they wanted to hear.

Naturally, it was pretty hot there for the 80,000 people who turned out for the festival. And with most sleeping in campgrounds for the weekend, Michaelson noted it wasn’t the cleanest place in the world.

She said, “We smell like a bunch of slightly dirty music lovers. And what is better than that?”

Other artists performing at Bonnaroo included the Kings of Leon, Jay-Z and Stevie Wonder.

The National have more than mastered this art.

With last month’s release of their newest album, High Violet, the band proved that with their mature music sound and humble lyrics they deserve both the hipster’s affection and the huge national hype they have amassed.

High Violet opens with the powerful “Terrible Love” that sets the same standard for the album that “Fake Empire” did for their last album “Boxer”. The song about insomnia and self destruction has an eery buzz to it that reminds listeners how Middle-America the band truly is.

“Blood Buzz Ohio” is a deal sealer on the album for me. The gloomy sound accompanied by Matt Berninger’s haunting baritone voice forced me to listen to the 5-minute song on repeat for an hour (no joke).

Rarely would I believe that a band that will tour Europe three times this year would ever understand the financial woes of a middle-class working man. “I still owe money on the money on the money I owe,” and I buy everything they sing about hook line and sinker.

If you like the sound of The National’s newest album keep checking back to Underground Music Reviews.