WHEELS 2.0 GETS AN EXTRA-CREDIT GEOGRAPHY LESSON

Now that we’ve completed the judging of the HITS-Sonicbids talent competition, we’re once again pulling out the world atlas in order to determine exactly where our latest three picks hail from. This week’s edition features a smart-rock group from Vancouver, a roots-rock group whose members come from Texas and North Carolina, and a singer/songwriter from the Seychelles Islands, who moved to England and is now located in Los Angeles. These acts may come from all over the map, but they have one thing in common—rarified talent—and we guarantee you’ll enjoy this weekend’s edition. Keep feeding us music at [email protected], ’cause without you, we’d be even more lost than we are now.

LAST GANG RECORDS ARTIST OF THE MONTH
Mother Mother: Our neighbors to the north continue to feed us really cool acts. Mother Mother released their second album, O My Heart, on Sept 16 in Canada and the U.S., debuting at #52 on the stateside Top 200 chart and rising to #42 this week. The video, which reminds us of a Tim Burton creation, is in heavy rotation on Canada’s Much Music. The band is on tour through November, with dates in Quebec and Ontario through Oct. 18 and a CMJ showcase at the Mercury Lounge Oct. 24. Look for the video on our site early next week. (www.myspace.com/mothermotherspace)

Hymns: Geography also plays a role in the makeup of this rock/Americana band, formed by friends from North Carolina and Texas and now based in New York City. The band’s second album, Travel in Herds, which came out last year on Texas indie label Blackland, features an array of traditional and modern instruments, making it an intriguing listen—and a seductive one as well. Hymns are on the road with MTV’s “Choose or Lose” tour until Nov. 3, after which they’ll continue touring behind Travel in Herds. (www.hymnsband.com)

Boniface: This 24-year-old singer/songwriter/performer extraordinaire from the Seychelles Islands—in the Indian Ocean off the east coast of Africa—is without question one of the hottest unsigned acts at the moment. His music reminds us of early Michael Jackson, but there’s something totally fresh about his sound as well. Boniface got his start recording music at the seemingly impossible age of 3, but due to complications with his musician father’s Human Rights Movement, his music was banned from radio by the country’s repressive regime. Undeterred, the youngster used his music to promote peace and freedom. After his father was released from six months in solitary confinement, the family was exiled to England. It was there that Boniface began to craft and mold his songwriting. A demo he cut with his brother’s help began to generate interest from major labels, leading to a pair of deals, neither of which panned out—go figure. He’s now resurfaced with a more defined piece of work that has the weasels sniffing around in earnest. We know it’s only a matter of time before he achieves stardom. (www.myspace.com/bruceboniface)