100 Monkeys—Grape!—(Independent)
The musical equivalent of The Cat in the Hat rifling through Frank Zappa's T-shirt drawer, or Tom Jones and David Byrne collaborating over a vat of brown acid. Fans of Farmer Dave Scher will enjoy this tasty and talented psychedelic jazz quintet.

Meet the Artist
100 Monkeys on MySpace

Connor Christian & Southern Gothic—90 Proof Lullabies (Vintage Earth Records)
Solid, hip-shaking, honky-tonk Southern rock, reminiscent of Counting Crows, The Band, and the Van Zandt brothers. There are several gems here, from the lively "Evangeline," "Sunday Suit," and "Chipping Away," to the quieter "Midnight Moon," "Waiting for Princess," and "Good Morning Sunshine." Don't miss the cover of Brewer & Shipley's "One Toke Over the Line."

Connor Christian & Southern Gothic

7dayBINGE—7dayBINGE (Rock Ridge Records)
Hard-edged party rock similar to Ted Nugent, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and Blackfoot. Don't pretend you can ignore the opening siren, "7dayBinge," keep the flammables away from "Oak Tree," and be sure to share when you get to the "End of the Road." It's a dark and wild ride.

7dayBINGE on MySpace

Duc'n It Easy—October—(Independent)
Jam band with coherent lyrics does atmospheric alt-rock in this six-song EP. "Whiskey & Peanuts," "Little Games," and "Duc'n It (Back to Ma)" contribute to this proof-of-concept album.

Duc'n It Easy on MySpace

Absinthe Junk—Living Ghosts—(Severe Records)
This 6-track press sampler from Nashville's steampunk prog-rockers has fierce energy, particularly "Commercialized Waste" and "Road to Damnation."

Absinthe Junk on MySpace

John O'Mara—Five Year Mission—(Independent)
Think of Morrissey, David Bowie, and Lou Reed, and you'll enjoy this sonic, retro-New Wave CD. Standout tracks: "Your Sister," "Happy Hour," "The Broken Part," "Fear of Mass Transit," the loungey "I Saw You," and "Satellite Radio." A little emo hits the right spot, and O'Mara hits it here.

John O'Mara on MySpace

Hot Press for Leopold—Hot Press for Leopold—(Independent)
Experimental rock for a misfit world. Quirky and orchestral, catchy and cheeky, HPFL reminds me of '70s-era Kinks and Cat Empire, particularly with "Torturer," "The Drinking Song," "Don't Be Afraid," "I Recall It Was Brief" and the joyful instrumentals, "Fishmarket" and "Are You Ready?" Mad fun, this one.

Hot Press for Leopold on MySpace