Uncovering Acts: Five Acts You Need To Know

In this — the age of the Coronavirus — many of us are stuck at home, isolated with only TV screens and the glow of laptops and phones to keep us connected. In other words, there isn’t much to do. 

However, one thing that is available to us all is the wide world of recorded music. And now is as good a time as ever to get to know some bands you may not have heard of but ones that you will assuredly enjoy, dear reader. 

So, buckle up and get ready for a digital ride around the continental United States with stops in Philadelphia, Detroit, Albany (New York), Tucson (Arizona) and Spokane (Washington).

LULLANAS, “Pennsylvania Skies,” Philadelphia
Essential link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=22xQHvZnkXs&feature=emb_title

This east coast duo, founded by twin sisters Atisha and Nishita Lulla, exhibits the beautiful, crystal clear harmonies born of trust that only those sharing familial intuition can muster. The duo’s members say they like to write songs while sitting at a desk, scribbling lyrics like secrets onto the page. As a result, the lyric video for their new single, “Pennsylvania Skies,” features the hand-written words and drawings penned by an Italian artist who created the video while on Coronavirus quarantine lockdown. The result is a charming, heart-warming delight.

Shadow Show, “Shadow Box,” Detroit
Essential link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQQakwGdAUY&feature=youtu.be&fbclid=IwAR29mmfoUo4bK4DEIcqtgf7TN8FBcHfXGfVOpsoXyWkD7RLk7Plfabhe6oM

Certain bands are numinous. Their sound is such that it seems as familiar as yesterday, yet you’ve never really heard it before. Such is the song, “Shadow Box,” by the Detroit, Michigan-based trio, Shadow Show. With ghostly harmonies, blood-pumping verve and, likely, a few secrets behind their smiles, the three-piece band make music that seems to drip up from the floor boards of some half-empty saloon. Vigor follows and suddenly the place is shaking back and forth like Dorothy’s twister-torn Kansas shack.

Front Biz, “Little Mutants,” Albany
Essential link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MdfUCZWyOn8

Sometimes one must simply infuse fun like confetti into your ears. Times stuck in side call for cookies at night, your favorite movies on repeat and “Little Mutants” by upstate New York’s Front Biz. Vocals soar like long-stretching sunsets, guitar riffs push forward like Cadillac cars and rhythms bounce like children on green front lawns. This is the music of rebellion on your way to the corner store for another fantastic, ice cold Big Gulp. Go ahead, the funky Front Biz tells us, enjoy life wherever and whenever you can find it.

Najima, “America Blues,” Tucson

Essential link: https://justnajima.bandcamp.com/track/america-blues

Just as there is time to cut loose, there is time to reign in. Time to think, consider and refine one’s stance. Tucson, Arizona’s Najima offers us that space with her rough-rugged blues prowess. She isn’t afraid to talk about American murder while soloing like the masters of a lineage of which she’s assuredly a part. Sometimes one needs to pull punches, other occasions, however, call for big and powerful uppercuts. This song is a roundhouse and it stems from a fighter who won’t quit throwing until she sees justice for all.

Vanna Oh!, “Chaperone,” Spokane

Essential link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hphz0jDpxGU&fbclid=IwAR2A4HdL1Wk0WlmdgIj1Bwc2dRtJIfn1O4sDZ6vrh7FaQA0YIdGXWGHP0Is

This school teacher-turned rocking blues musician has a voice like a Jack White guitar solo and the musicianship skills to back it up. But perhaps more than any singular quality, the pure energy Vanna Oh! exhibits on stage and in recording is infectious. She’s like a morphine drip mixed with a bottle of simple syrup. The platinum-blond artist also has a knack for visually stunning assets, boasting a number of high quality eye candy music videos that showcase her prowess as one of the Northwest’s best.