The Muslims (now known as The Soft Pack) were formed in San Diego by Matt Lamkin and Matty McLoughlin, who were later joined by David Lantzman and Brian Hill. Based in Los Angeles, the quartet released its debut, The Muslims, in 2008.

Named after a long-winged seabird by part-time ornithologist Jonathan Meiburg, Shearwater (originally cofounded with Okkervil River’s Will Sheff) also includes upright-bass player Kimberly Burke and drummer Thor Harris. The band has released a number of studio albums since its inception in 1999, including Palo Santo (Misra, 2006), Rook (Matador, 2008), and Animal Joy (Sub Pop, 2012).

Named after Maryland’s state tree, Baltimore-based Wye Oak features Andy Stack (drums and keyboards) and Jenn Wasner (guitar and vocals). The duo’s debut, If Children, was released in 2008 on Merge; subsequent albums include The Knot (2009) and Civilian (2011).

Austin, TX–based Brazos was founded by singer songwriter Martin Crane (Tonewheel Collective) and includes Nathan Stein, Austin Jenkins, Andy Beaudoin, and Paul Price. The band has released two EPs: Feeding Frenzy (2006) and A City Just as Tall (2007, Autobus).

Faca are Facundo Delgado and Valeria Leyva, who hail from Bariloche, Argentina, and Tijuana, Mexico, respectively. The two musicians met online in 2002 and produce their music via email and instant messaging. In 2008, Nuevos Ricos released their debut album, Mi Deporte Favorito.

Nina Katchadourian is primarily a visual artist whose works incorporate photography, sculpture, video, and sound. She has exhibited at PS1/MoMA, Serpentine Gallery in London, and the San Diego Museum of Contemporary Art. In 2006, the Tang Museum in Saratoga Springs, NY, mounted a survey of her work and published an accompanying monograph, All Forms of Attraction.

Lucky Dragons is the collaborative undertaking of Luke Fischbeck, Sarah Rara, and others. They live and work in Los Angeles and have thus far recorded more than 20 albums, including Widows, their 2007 release on Marriage Records.

New Jersey native Jenny Owen Youngs is a graduate of Purchase College with a degree in studio composition. Nettwerk Records released her first album, Batten the Hatches (2007), as well as the 2007 EP Take Off All Your Clothes. Her single, “Fuck Was I,” was featured on the television show Weeds.

Novelist Rick Moody (The Ice Storm) and songwriter and film composer Hannah Marcus formed The Wingdale Community Singers in 2002 and were joined in 2003 by guitarist David Grubbs (Red Crayola, Bastro). An eponymous album was released in 2005 on Plain Recordings, and in 2006, the band expanded to include artist Nina Katchadourian.

Located in New York, Come Rad Comrade is the collective project of T.M. Davy and Peter Zuspan. Zuspan is the founding principal of architecture firm Bureau V, and Davy is a painter whose work has been shown at Eleven Rivington in New York and Taylor De Cordoba in Los Angeles.

Based in Long Beach, CA, Stuart Dahlquist formed the drone-rock collective ASVA in 2003 in Seattle. The band has released the albums Futurists Against the Ocean (Mimicry, 2006) and What You Don’t Know Is Frontier (Southern, 2008).