Back to the old school.

Zion I

The Bay Area group Zion I is known for infusing hope and positivity into old school flow and live instrument sampling. The group is touring in support of their latest studio offering Shadowboxing—an album that brings dark sci-fi inspired electro-beats into the mix with MC Zumbi’s Q-Tip inspired vocals.

For lead singer Johnny Solomon of Minneapolis rock band Communist Daughter, having two songs in one episode of ABC’s hit drama Grey’s Anatomy, came with some mixed feelings. In between gulps of Diet Dr. Pepper from a mason jar, Solomon, who named the band after a song by Neutral Milk Hotel, talked about those emotions and the results of getting sober.

Solomon was living in Hazelden Addiction Treatment Center when those two haunting songs about discontent and struggling to change were featured on Grey’s Anatomy. As a result, he is often reminded of that time when he plays those songs in concert and likely will be again when his band appears at The Horned Hand on Sept. 27.

Zoe Muth is a rare and rustic musical goddess. A beautiful blonde woman with a guitar who writes cowboy ballads about broken dreams, stiff whiskey drinks and lonely hearts.

Muth twists those themes into a vintage, Nashville-drenched twang for a sound that feels like the smooth country folk of yesteryear.

If her songs tell her life’s story, it’s been a rough go for the Seattle native. Muth says her lyrics are a combination of personal experience and telling other people’s stories that make her music convincing.

“I’ve never been terribly down and out, but I’ve had a lot of pretty crappy jobs and a lot of heartbreak, stupid ex-boyfriends and stuff. Kind of the same as most people,” said Muth, “It’s something that’s easy for me to write about.”

Door Number One:

Russian surf-party-pop rock band Igor & The Red Elvises must believe in the power of suggestion. Why else would they pepper performances with lead singer Igor Yuzov declaring that they are every crowd’s favorite “Rokenrol ”band?

In an effort to be unlike anything that exists in music today The Red Elvises wear velour animal print suits. They sing songs with nonsensical lyrics. They basically make love to their instruments as they play. Their formula takes what Elvis did with his hips and lips, blends it with what The Surfaris did with their guitars, and for good measure, douses the whole thing with good ol’ vodka-drinking fun. It’s one part crazy and two parts genius.

The best adjective for Big Head Todd & The Monster’s 20 plus year career might be found in the title of their latest collection of original songs—Rocksteady.

The rock band has steadily released an album roughly every two years, toured like clockwork and remained friends through it all. Since their early days as a college band at the University of Colorado in the 1980s, BHTM have made strong jazz and blues influenced pop rock with a calm yet edgy demeanor. And though it may appear the band works harder than most, according to front man Todd Park Mohr, it’s always been about enjoying the experience.