Take Jack Horton, a Portland-based singer-songwriter whose path to folk-Americana included stops at Japanese law school, Tokyo piano bars, corporate boardrooms, and government offices. His latest EP, "Imperfections," feels like finding someone's private journal set to music. And that someone happens to write really, really well. The five-song collection opens with "Set Me Free," a piano-driven confession that might surprise anyone expecting typical breakup bitterness. Horton...

Tillerman, the up-and-coming band consisting of brothers Jon (Lead Vox/Guitar) and Tom (Drums/Vox), have been making waves in the music business with their distinctive combination of classic rock and current pop. When Jon and Shaun (Lead Guitar) were both working at the same restaurant chain, they happened to run into each other by accident and struck up a conversation. This was the beginning of the...