WHEELS 2.0:
SMOKIN’ IN THE BOY’S ROOM

With CMJ taking place, Erica has left me this week for more exciting times in New York. I guess it’s only fair, since I left her last week for the birth of my niece. In this edition of Wheels 2.0, I’ll be spotlighting a new artist who will be at CMJ, along with some updates on two bands we’ve been covering over the last month. Keep floodin’ our inbox ([email protected]) with music and hypin’ us on the music you love!!

Chris Nathan: This Nashville-based soulster is generating a ton of press, and weasels are starting to sniff around. Picked as the act to see at CMJ by the site Kings of A&R, Chris is creating a lot of buzz and has had two auditions lined up with Mr. P. Diddy. While his current indie release Words is more in the vein of Gavin Degraw/Jason Mraz, he’s well on the way to radically refining his sound—think Jay-Z meets a white Muddy Waters. Peep out his music at www.myspace.com/chrisnathanmusic, and stay tuned—we’ll be talking more about this intriguing young artist in the coming weeks.

Mother Mother: We’ve been hyping these amazing indie-rockers signed to Last Gang Records for a month, as the band continues to get a lotta love from mtvU. They’ve just finished the video for “O My Heart” and, as we promised, here’s a link so you can check it out.

Hymns: As we previously mentioned, this band is currently on The MTV “Choose or Lose” tour with indie band Locksley. Here’s the last leg of the tour; we strongly suggest you check them out when they hit your town:

10/24: Launchpad, Albuquerque
10/25: Emo’s Lounge, Austin
10/26: Jet Lounge, Houston
10/28: House of Blues: Pontiac Garage, Dallas
10/29: Mercy Lounge, Nashville
10/30: Vinyl, Atlanta
11/1: Highline Ballroom, New York
11/3: Jammin’ Java, Vienna, VA