Perry Wright is the driving force behind The Prayers and Tears of Arthur Digby Sellers, a rotating group of Durham, NC–based musicians. The band’s album, The Mother of Love Emulates the Shapes of Cynthia, was released in 2005 on Bu Hanan Records.

Tim’m T. West released his debut solo album, Songs from Red Dirt, as well as a collection of essays and poetry, Red Dirt Revival, in 2004. Based in Washington, D.C., where he coordinates HIV prevention and outreach programs, West (a.k.a. 25percenter) is also a member of Deep Dickollective, a rap group that released The Famous Outlaw League Of Proto-Negroes in 2003.

San Francisco–based Vetiver is headed by singer/songwriter Andy Cabic. The group’s eponymous debut, released in 2004 on DiCristina Records, featured guest appearances by Devendra Banhardt, Hope Sandoval, and Joanna Newsom.

Kimya Dawson is both a solo artist and one half of New York cartoon-folk troupe, The Moldy Peaches, whose self-titled debut came out in 2001, followed by Unreleased Cutz and Live Jamz in 2003. Dawson’s records include The Hidden Vagenda and Alphabutt.

Solex is Elisabeth Esselink, an Amsterdam-based record-store owner whose vivid, eclectic musical collages have been featured on several albums for the Matador label, as well as on The Laughing Stock of Indie Rock, released in the U.S. by Arena Rock Records.

Kate Pierson and Pat Irwin are members of the iconic New Wave band the B-52’s, whose albums include Wild Planet (1980), Whammy! (1983) and 1989’s Cosmic Thing. Pierson, one of the band’s cofounders, lives near Woodstock, NY, and has also collaborated with R.E.M., Iggy Pop, Matthew Sweet, and the Ramones. Irwin joined the group in 1989; previously, he was a member of the Raybeats and 8-Eyed Spy. A composer of soundtracks for dance, theater, television, and film, he has also produced recordings for Lydia Lunch, Love Tractor, and Deborah Iyall.

A founder of the Leeds, England–based punk group the Mekons (whose 20-odd albums include Fast Product, Fear and Whiskey, Curse of the Mekons and Punk Rock), Jon Langford is a member of the Waco Brothers and Three Johns. All the Fame of Lofty Deeds, his seventh solo album, was released in 2004 on Bloodshot Records. Langford, who is also a painter and a comic-strip artist, lives in Chicago.

Folksinger Ruth Gerson has released a number of albums, including Very Live (1995), Fools and Kings (1997), and 2004’s Wake to Echo. She is a veteran of the Newport Folk Festival, CMJ, and SXSW, and her Living Room Concerts have generated thousands of dollars for charitable causes worldwide.

Cofounder in 1979 of the legendary St. Paul, MN, band Hüsker Dü (whose albums include 1984’s Zen Arcade and 1985’s New Day Rising), musician, poet, and visual artist Grant Hart has a number of solo records since 1987, including Intolerance (1988) and Good News for Modern Man (2000). Hart was also a founder of the trio Nova Mob, whose records include a recording of his rock opera The Last Days of Pompeii.

Avey Tare (a.k.a. Dave Portner) is a member of the Brooklyn-by-way-of-Maryland band Animal Collective. The group's albums include Spirit They’re Gone, Spirit They’ve Vanished, Here Comes the Indian, Sung Tongs, and Merriweather Post.

J.F.K. is the brainchild of indie-music mainstays Kim Rancourt, a promoter and member of the covers band When People Were Shorter and Lived Near the Water; Don Fleming, who has produced records by Teenage Fanclub, Sonic Youth, Hole, and Nancy Sinatra; and Andrew W.K., a longtime contributor to the Detroit music scene and solo artist whose albums include I Get Wet and The Wolf.

Portland, OR–based Tara Jane ONeil has been recording and touring solo and as a member of the bands Rodan, Retsin, and The Sonora Pine for nearly two decades. Her albums include You Sound, Reflect and A Ways Away.

After the breakup of their band Pee Shy, Cindy Wheeler and Mary Guidera recruited friend Kristen Mueller to form The Caulfield Sisters, a Brooklyn-based trio whose EP releases include Say It With Fire and The Deal Breaker Demos.