Jillian Rae is a multi-talented violinist, lead vocalist, and songwriter whose creative and dynamic style of violin playing, along with her lifelong experience as a performer, lend her an assured stage presence. She has an innate ability to create hook-laden tunes affirming the positives of life in the face of struggle and disappointment.

Al Church’s new solo LP, Next Summer, is a suite of pop confections conjuring up carefree days of his youth. His summers were filled with driving around with the windows rolled down bumping Dr. Dre’s The Chronic and R.E.M.’s Monster. “My album is like [Monster], but with saxophone and keyboards instead of Peter Buck’s guitar tremolo,” the Duluth-raised multi-instrumentalist exclaims when the Athens alt-rock legends’ “Strange Currencies” hits the speakers.