Just in time for the holidays, The Forecastle Festival will host a special presale on Friday, December 5 at noon EST through ForecastleFest.com.

Chris Porterfield is the guy you bring home to Mom. Earnest, heartfelt, and yes, a little tortured – but not irreparably so.  He’s also the front man and lead singer of the band Field Report, who played the Hi-Dive to a mellow but appreciative crowd on November 11th. It was the coldest day in my memory of Denver, so credit is due to the intrepid fans who ventured out.

The marquee reads “Poor Man’s Whiskey: A Tribute to the Allman Brothers Band,” and the assumption that they’re no more than a cover band is understandable. Helping fuel the fire is their history of playing The Fox Theater with their renditions of Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of the Moon” and the music of Old and In The Way. What the casual passerby doesn’t understand, however, is that there’s much more to this band than rehashing their favorite artists and albums on stage.

One of the most original music acts to emerge from the hills of Asheville, North Carolina, Americana power-pop group Alarm Clock Conspiracy, have released their sophomore album 'Harlequin'. The “conspiracy” which the band speaks of is the fallacy that all humans must awake to a bellowing alarm clock each morning only to rush off to work at a job that they truly hate. Wake up to right now! ACC's music is a combination of Indie Rock, Power Pop and Alt-Country, with influences drawn from 60's & 70's acoustic folk and rock music, as well as more current indie rock sounds of today.

San Francisco based psych Americana band, Lee Gallagher and the Hallelujah, are an organ/guitar driven rock band whose shows transport the audience out of a traditional music venue and into a hazy, hip shaking psychedelic tent revival.

Particle has just announced a month long run of coast-to-coast shows that kick off their Winter Tour 2015. The livetronica pioneers kick things off on January 9th in Cambridge, MA and then head north and west to Burlington, VT, Syracuse, NY and Pittsburgh, PA. The band then continues west, hitting key markets throughout the run, including: Columbus, Minneapolis, Denver, Portland and Seattle. Particle will wrap up with a grand finale at the legendary Great American Music Hall in San Francisco on February 6th

Canadian roots music singer Robin Banks announces a November 25 release date for her self-released CD, Modern Classic, with distribution through CD Baby. Produced by acclaimed guitarist/producer Duke Robillard, who also adds his amazing guitar tones throughout the album, Modern Classic features a dozen all-original songs that showcase not only Robin’s sultry, soulful vocals, but also her strengths as a composer.

British Columbian roots songwriter Anne Louie Genest a.k.a. ANNIE LOU has spent years chronicling the rural lifepaths of Canada, writing songs to tell the tales of the hard-hit, hard-won victories of these everymen and women. With her new album, Tried and True, she returns to these backroads again, bringing her knack for storytelling and her keen eye for the small details of Canadiana that give her songs such life.

There’s California sunshine in the music of Los Angeles indie Americana band The Show Ponies, even a hint of that West Coast brand of optimism. Joined by special guest bluegrass banjo master Noam Pikelny, their new EP, Run For Your Life, showcases their driving hooks and good-humored harmonies, even while tackling tough subjects like life in the modern world. The Show Ponies tour hard, play hard, and take the business of their craft seriously.

Born in Halifax, but raised in the little seaside village of Antigonish, Nova Scotia, within sight of both Cape Breton and Prince Edward Island, sisters Cassie & Maggie MacDonald are heirs to the traditions of Maritime Canada.