There are musicians and then there are musicians that have a position in the music industry similar to Michael Lyon. The latter group includes Michael Lyon. Michael's music is a captivating combination of deep emotions and concepts. When Michael Lyon was a little child growing up in Arlington, Virginia, his parents would wake him up in the morning by playing songs from the Great American...

Ava Valianti represents something increasingly rare in contemporary music: genuine precocity without artifice. This Massachusetts artist, who is only fifteen years old, handles general themes with a level of emotional depth that is shocking. She shows that youth can bring out the best in complicated human experiences, rather than hiding them. "Distant," her sixth single, functions as a sonic archaeology of friendship's dissolution. The track excavates layers...