Hey Look Listen: “I'm all over the map with what I listen to, but this year has been a lot of Courtney Barnett and Jesse Welles”

Nom De Plume: “Success for us is people listening to our music and enjoying it. That’s it”

JB Elwood: “Music is an escape for listeners, and it brings us all together regardless of background or where we live”

Pisgah: “The beauty of being an independent artist who's not known is that right now I can make what I want, and I don't have to answer to anyone for it”

Daze of Laur: “When I write music, I'm going into a place that's deeply personal, trying to channel directly from my soul and heart, without worrying about who's going to receive it”

David Lockeretz of Sons of the Mellow Mafia: “One thing that I come back to is the idea that art (including music) should comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable”

The Easter Parade: “I think my love of songwriting came from listening to great songwriters such as Simon and Garfunkel, The Beatles, Tom Waits, and Randy Newman”

Solum: “My musical truth is to be completely free in what I make and unbound by any genre”

Mercy Kelly: “We definitely draw a lot of inspiration from the gothic romanticism of bands like The Cure, but also from the hopeful, anthemic energy of U2, especially their Joshua Tree period”

Seann Medicina: “I prefer to connect with listeners in live performances. Then I can see if they are paying attention or not”