Your Twenties - Fleetwood Mac meets Elastica

Hometown: London.

The lineup: Gabriel Stebbing (vocals, guitar, keyboards), Michael Lovett (backing vocals, bass), James Hoare (backing vocals, guitar), Robin Christian (drums).

The background: The history of lesser band members (i.e. not the frontman) breaking away from the parent outfit to form a halfway decent new group is long and illustrious. Well, maybe not long, but there are a few. And illustrious might be a stretch ... Hmm. How about Fat Les? Maybe not. Still on a Blur tip: Gorillaz were all right. Then there's Bad Lieutenant, the outfit formed by Alex James and Bernard Sumner of New Order. Hold on, this is ridiculous: we can only think of bands formed by ex-members of Blur. While you try and come up with some better suggestions, please allow us to introduce you to Your Twenties, possibly – it suddenly transpires – the best group ever formed by a member of another act where he wasn't the main geezer. To coin a phrase.

If the name Gabriel Stebbing rings a bell, that's because he was the bassist and keyboard player with Devon's finest electronic popsters Metronomy. Not that he and Metronomy's head honcho, Joe Mount, fell out – in fact, the latter has been producing tracks that will comprise Your Twenties' debut album next year. Before that there is the single Billionaires, to be released on the Neon Gold label (Passion Pit, Marina and the Diamond), which was produced by Blur (them again) and Smiths whizz Stephen Street, who has piled on the gently strummed chords, the oohs and aahs and handclaps, and made it feel like a catchy blast of late-summer guitar pop.

There was a previous single, Caught Wheel, which caused a bit of a stir when it came out last November. It caused a bit of a stir because it managed to pull together the sounds and styles of Your Twenties' two favourite acts, Fleetwood Mac and Elastica. On paper, it seemed a little odd, because even though those were/are both boy-girl combos, there the similarities end. But somehow Caught Wheel – featuring the gently insistent motorik-MOR pulse of the Mac during the verse and a staccato guitar riff during the chorus that was pure Elastica – did indeed sound like that strangest of hybrids, west coast Britpop. There were also synthy bloops and bleeps in there that made you think of early-70s proto-electro novelty, Popcorn by Hot Butter, as well as lush CSN&Y harmonies, and a frenzied guitar solo redolent of Ernie Isley circa Summer Breeze. It could have been a mess, but it was actually quite marvellous. "Our ideal evenings are often spent at home listening to 45s from three decades ago and making wonky pop music," explains Stebbing. Meanwhile, the band are looking forward to completing their debut album, which they hope will sell enough copies to enable them to "move to America, marry librarians and pursue our love of yachting". Well, good luck with that, chaps. And good luck with your decision to pursue either synthy MOR or jangly indie pop.

The buzz: "A curious mix of upbeat, keys-driven alt pop and west coast-styled rock fusion."

The truth: Street might have the marquee name, but if it's an electronic MOR sound you're after, stick with Mount, boys.

Most likely to: Form a spin-off troupe called Fleetwood Macstica.

Least likely to: Become billionaires.

What to buy: Billionaires is released by Neon Gold on 7 September.

File next to: Magistrates, Empire of the Sun, Fleetwood Mac, Elastica.

Links: myspace.com/yourtwenties

AT8 - this girl pop duo have a low-rent charm that's perfect

Hometown: Buckinghamshire.

The lineup: Amber Ducker (squeaks) and Thalia Beard (shrieks).

The background: AT8 are one of two girl pop duos waiting in the wings at the moment, the other being Mini Viva, who seem a bit cooler, a bit more style mag. AT8 have a rather more low-rent charm. In short, they're less Hoxton Bar & Grill, more Harlequin Centre in Watford. Like MV's, AT8's songs are dancey, but they're slower, with slashes of guitar, which the girls actually plug in and play themselves, and they tend to speak-sing with a pseudo-bored sneer that is bound to have commentators swooning that they have "punk" edge. Not always, though – they've obviously been told (although they maintain that they're not media trained, that they do what they want, when they want, etc) not to turn that rap-singing thing into a trademark. They do proper warbling sometimes, only it's that generic, slightly shrill, anonymous Auto-tuned or pitch-shifted vocal sound that we've come to know and hear drifting over the Tannoy at Top Shop or wherever.

AT8, who were born in '88, hence the name, are managed by Amy Winehouse's team and are sassy/saucy suburbanites. They're a GaGa or Girls Aloud for girls who spend Saturday afternoons giggling outside Gap. And they are girls – not grrrls, the riot variety, as Radio 6 presenter Tom Robinson has suggested, writing on his Twitter page that they are, "Gtr-based delinquent B52s/Slits/Tom Tom Club grrrl trashpop." That's not their lineage. They're not a high street Huggy Bear – be serious - much as that notion appeals. They don't have a manifesto or programme of ideals. Unless you count, "We just go out on the piss/Cuz our names aren't on the list," as they tell us on their Skins-tastic debut single, Adam's Party. They've also declared their modus operandi to be "about having fun, rocking out and getting drunk", adding that their lyrics are inspired by "going out on the lash and generally fooling around." Sophisticated situationists they are not. They are scary, though. Thalia is the "fiery redhead who struts around like a sex mad singer" while Amber is the "platinum blonde who takes it off like a part-time stripper." They describe their chirpy electro-pop set-up thus: "We are two guitars and a drum machine … that's all we got that's all we need!" Their spelling and grammar are terrible.

The buzz: "AT8 are more punk than Gallows."

The truth: They insist they're "the complete antithesis of Dolly Rockers", but they're very much in that vein, only less cheeky and smart.

Most likely to: Misspell "insurrection".

Least likely to: Rhyme "seditious" with "Sid Vicious".

What to buy: Adam's Party is released on 5 October.

File next to: Mini Viva, Dolly Rockers, Lady GaGa, Girls Aloud.

Links: www.myspace.com/at8official

Monday's new band: Cold Cave.

SXSW 2010 Panel: What Borders? International Music in the Modern World

SXSW has added a voting component to the selection process for panels at next year's music conference. We have proposed a panel for the 2010 SXSW music conference entitled "What Borders? International Music in the Modern World". Please take a look at our description, register with the SXSW site, and vote for our panel. Voting counts for 30% of the selection process, so vote early and vote often!

Confirmed panelists:
Maryelizabeth Carter, The Underground Management
Matthew Covey, Tamizdat
Dave Dart, Dart Music International
Alan Holt, New Zealand Music Commission
Alan Mackey, New Direction Music
Derek Woodgate, The Futures Lab, Plutopia, and Dart Music International

Description: Rock & Roll has become the common language for young people across the globe. Panelists explore how touring, festivals, nonprofit organizations, and the internet are used to overcome borders to make rock music the market place of intercultural exchange for students, young professionals, and working class people the world over.

We will address the following questions:
1. What kinds of unique issues do artists face when touring outside their home countries (logistics, visas, day-to-day costs, etc)?
2. Are specialized work visas always required for all performances outside one's home country?
3. To what degree should bands be involved with international issues-based benefit performances?
4. What is the right "mix" of international festival performances, international benefits, and non-festival touring?
5. How much time is adequate to plan a tour to the US from other countries? What about multi-national touring (Europe, Latin America, etc.)?
6. How much should a band emphasize the socio-political impact of their "foreignness" versus their artistic ability when touring the US or other countries?
7. Given current demographic trends in the US and other parts of the world (as well as international superstardom for polyglot artists like Manu Chao), are we likely to see greater mainstream acceptance of languages other than English in rock/pop music?
8. What are the realistic expectations of a band's return on investment for an international tour/appearance (direct income, exposure, new sponsors, building new fan bases, etc.)?
9. What emerging technological resources - social media, virtual touring, video performances, online concerts, etc - should bands use to enhance their international presence?
10. While festivals like SXSW include lesser known international artists, what other resources exist to help up-and-coming artists reach international markets?

Little League World Series Rocks

International sports events are cultural activities that whose importance is often overlooked. Most people think of sports as nothing more than entertainment, but large-scale international tournaments take on a role much greater than mere diversion. The Little League World Series, airing right now on ESPN, is the perfect example of this. The annual LLWS is such a great celebration of the goodwill and promotion of international cultures. Baseball is one of the great exports of US culture that has taken root around the world. This year has a local connection for DMI. Jacob "The Rocket" Ramos, nephew of our friend Christy Gray, is one of the players on the LLWS team from San Antonio. They won their first game Friday and play again today at 3:00pm EST.

Besides the great coincidence of sharing a name with one of our interns, the team's second baseman Kyle Pollard is posting a blog during the week on the WOAI website.

Woody Allen to play Austin

In a rare appearance outside their standing gig every Monday night at Manhattan's Carlyle Hotel, Woody Allen and his New Orleans Jazz Band take the stage for a once-in-a-lifetime performance. As a musician, he innovatively plays the clarinet and replicates to perfection the sounds of jazz from its origins, supported by an encyclopedic musical knowledge that is evident in the colors of his identifiable musical selections. A can't miss evening at the Paramount Theatre on December 28, 2009.

Croatian band Kries mixes the traditional with 'ethno-rock' (and bagpipes)

Eastern European music has been making a starring role in Western pop in recent years. Take Beirut, or Gogol Bordello and to an extent Arcade FIre. But if you want the real thing, we might suggest the Croatian band Kries. The band draws from traditional Croatian music, an merges it with dark rock elements and, on their latest album, bagpipes and the fiddle work of the always eclectic Martin Swan.

Kries recently performed at Salmon Arm Roots and Blues Festival (August 14-16.)

The band has a new album and has also been working on film music a lot. They have also been working on music for theatre for Croatian director Rene Medvesek's new play.

Andor Vegh joined the band after their first CD 'Ivo i Mara'. Along with leader Mojmir Novakovic, Andor is a big fan of the diple, gahde, dude (different types of bagpipes in Croatia). Croatian wind instruments especially the 'bagpipes" are part of old Mediterranean tradition.

Spring is in the air...

Even though it's 100 degrees outside, Spring-time is dominating at the DMI office. We're planning for the Spring 2010 festival and touring season now. The visa application and planning processes take several months for each international band, so we begin work 6 months ahead of expected arrival dates. Right now we are working on plans for two great Chilean bands, Intimate Stranger and the Ganjas. We're also talking with several other bands from all over the world and will have more information out about them soon.

The biggest attraction for international bands during the spring is the South by Southwest festival in Austin. Each year they provide the opportunity for hundreds of international bands to gain exposure with the world's music industry and media. This year I have proposed a panel, What Borders? International Music in the Modern World that addresses many of the questions concerning international artists. Please click on that title to read more about it and cast your vote to have it accepted as an official SXSW panel.

This is also the time of year when we can really use donations to help us with our programs through the spring. For perspective, an international band that comes here to the US for a month-long tour without our help can spend nearly $1,000 per day with all the costs of visas, transportation, logistics, and everything else. With your support we are able to dramatically reduce that cost. Any contribution helps! Please see our Support Page for a link to the Network for Good credit card donation page (where you can make a monthly contribution) and other avenues for support.