For now, Portland’s newest eclectic indie rock outfit, Water & Bodies, can only be heard live. But starting April 15th, the four-piece will be streaming their very first song online, exclusively at RainCityRecords.net. With no music currently available for listening, these former members of Kaddisfly have already garnered over 27,000 views on MySpace in a few short months, and have been bringing in strong, eager crowds to their local shows.

Having recorded without many of today’s technological aids, Water & Bodies will be releasing a self-titled EP on May 15th via Portland-based Rain City Records. The EP will be available digitally through the label’s website, and a vinyl release of the album is expected to follow.

Water & Bodies plan to promote the record locally and regionally throughout the spring and early summer.

For more information on Water & Bodies, visit www.waterandbodies.com or www.myspace.com/waterandbodies.

Los Angeles pop-rock duo Oh No Not Stereo are taking their high-energy live show to the United Kingdom this December, where they will open for Bayside and Hit The Lights during a week-long jaunt. The group has enlisted Airin Older of Sugarcult to play bass for the tour, and will perform as a four-piece with Jussi Karvinen on second guitar.

Oh No Not Stereo are releasing their second full-length record, "003," digitally on January 13th, and physically in March. The album was produced by the band with assistance from Jim Wirt (Incubus, Live, Something Corporate) and Max Coane (Jack's Mannequin, The Rocket Summer, The Bronx). Special-edition packaging of the LP will include an additional EP, "004."

For more information on Oh No Not Stereo, visit www.ohnonotstereo.net or www.myspace.com/ohnonotstereo.

Oh No Not Stereo UK Tour with Bayside & Hit The Lights

2 Dec - Birmingham - Barfly
3 Dec - Manchester - Academy 3
4 Dec - Glasgow - Cathouse
6 Dec - Leeds - Cockpit
7 Dec - Newcastle - Academy 2
8 Dec - Nottingham - Rock City
9 Dec - London - Islington Academy

Memphis rapper and former Three 6 Mafia member Lord Infamous is scheduled to release his third solo effort, "After Sics," on January 27th via his own record label, Black Rain Entertainment. His first solo project, "Lord of Terror," was released as an underground tape in 1994, and his second album, "The Man, The Myth, The Legacy," dropped in October of 2007.

"This project was a must for all my fans," said Lord Infamous of "After Sics." "Everyone asked if I'm gonna keep doing the dark sound, but I never changed my music, it's still the same. With this album, we took it back to the underground days, and the only difference between this album and the last is that you get to hear all the Black Rain artists, Tha Club House Click."

"After Sics" will mark the second solo project from Lord Infamous since he broke away from the rap group Three 6 Mafia. As a founding member of the group, Lord helped propel them to win an Academy Award in 2006. His violent, often horrific lyrics are one reason behind the "666" in the original name "Triple 6 Mafia." Although he continues to collaborate with members of the group, he has recently been focusing on his own endeavors.

For more on Lord Infamous, visit www.myspace.com/officialblackrainent.

Lord Infamous & Tha Club House Click
"After Sics" Track Listing

1. Intro
2. Ball Off (Lord Infamous)
3. Uuugghh (II Tone, Mac Montese, Lord Infamous)
4. Gonna Make It Shine (Lord Infamous, II Tone, Mac Montese)
5. I'm Lookin' (Mac Montese, Snuggles, Lord Infamous)
6. Fed Up (Mac Montese)
7. The Streets (T-Rock, II Tone, Lord Infamous)
8. High As A Fool (T-Rock, II Tone, Lord Infamous)
9. I'm Out (Area 51)
10. Grimey (II Tone)
11. This Aint (Lord Infamous, Enigma, Big Stang)
12. Try Me (Krysis, Mac Montese, Santerria, II Tone, Mad Keyz, Lord Infamous)
13. All I Need (Lord Infamous, Q.B., Mac Montese, II Tone)
14. Work Dat Scale (Area 51)
15. You Know How I Ball (Big Stang)
16. Club House Click (Mac Montese, Big Stang, Tha Crunkaholics, Santerria, II Tone, Lord Infamous)

Charleston, WV pop-rockers Time And Distance (www.myspace.com/timeanddistance) have recently signed to Not Alone Records (www.notalonerecords.com). The group will be hitting the studio this January with Rob Freeman (Cobra Starship, Hit The Lights, Houston Calls) to record their third release. Along with T&D's new full-length, Not Alone will be putting out a limited 7" pressing of unreleased acoustic tracks.

Time And Distance released their debut EP with I Surrender Records in 2003, followed by a self-released (and Matt Squire-produced) LP in 2006. The band has additionally toured with acts such as Midtown, Relient K, Mae, The Spill Canvas, and numerous others.

For more on Time And Distance, visit www.myspace.com/timeanddistance.

Music Emissions, an independently run music community website, has just announced its second annual Indie Of The Year competition. The 2008 contest is a chance for unsigned artists to showcase their talent and music in front of major record labels, producers, managers, radio stations, magazines, music supervisors, booking agents, publishers, promoters, publicists, and more.

Indie Of The Year is an opportunity for unsigned indie artists to get their friends, fans, and families behind them to push them to the top. Each artist is allowed one album, EP, or demo to be entered in the contest. Online voting for the competition will end on October 15, 2008, with the winner being announced the following day.

The Grand Prize winner will be playing the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame showcase during the New Music Seminar in Cleveland, Ohio on November 1, which will be streamed to the rest of the world live via JamNow.com. Other sponsors such as IK Multimedia, Underground Squeegee, Jam Now, Tim Huesken, TuneCore, Pandora, and Bear Trap PR will also present the top 20 bands with prizes.

Last year, Ohio's Amplexus took home the honors, and gained exposure in a variety of ways from the contest. "Participating in the Indie Of The Year contest was an amazing way to get our music out to new people," said the band. "Everyone at Music Emissions was awesome to work with, and you could tell they cared about the music first and foremost."

For more information on Indie Of The Year, and to enter the competition, visit www.musicemissions.com/indieoftheyear.

Memphis rapper La Chat was recently named Female Artist Of The Year at the Tennessee Hip Hop Awards, which was held September 6th and 7th in Nashville. This award comes following the release of her fifth full-length solo album, "Da Hood Homegirl," released in July 2008.

"Da Hood Homegirl" was released through La Chat's own label, Dime A Dozen Entertainment, and features artists such as Pastor Troy, Gangsta 'Lady' Boo, T-Rock, Criminal Manne, Yung Kee, Murphy Lee and others, with production by K-Dubb, Lil Lody and Memphis legend D.J. Squeeky.

La Chat originally found success with the group Three 6 Mafia, but her first breakthrough came in 2001 after her collaboration with Project Pat, "Chickenhead," got national airplay and quickly went platinum. After this success, La Chat decided to try the solo route and released her debut album, "Murder She Spoke," which went on to sell over 200,000 copies.

Being born and raised in Memphis, Tennessee, La Chat stays true to her roots by rapping about things such as the ghetto, drug dealing, and being a single mother. The combination of her interest in music and pride in her upbringing continue to help La Chat have a style that is all her own.

For more info on La Chat, visit www.myspace.com/lachatrap.

Budding t-shirt company P Is For Panda (www.pisforpanda.com) is branching out into the world of music, not by sponsoring bands like many clothing lines, but by starting a record label. Through a partnership with Hopeless/Sub City Records, the Atlanta area-based organization is launching an imprint to serve a wide variety of indie rock artists.

After leaving his previous label, The Militia Group (which he founded and operated for 12 years), P Is For Panda owner Chad Pearson ironically chose to cut music out of his life entirely. He entered into various career paths that had nothing to do with the industry (baking, construction work), but eventually found himself returning to music. "I started listening to old demos I had gotten and kept, and I started really enjoying myself," said Pearson. "I had bands reaching out to me, asking me when I would start up again, asking for my advice, and after awhile it just made sense. My love was always there; I just needed to find what I loved about music again."

Since starting P Is For Panda in 2007, Pearson has found success selling t-shirts, thanks largely in part to support from the indie t-shirt blogging community. Word-of-mouth has proven to be the best form of advertising for Pearson so far, and it's something he relies on in his business model. Because the company also donates a third of its profits to various charities, keeping costs down by forgoing advertising is important. "I want P Is For Panda to do more than just make a buck," said Pearson. "I want to help others as best I can."

Now that P Is For Panda is entering into the realm of music, it's only natural that Pearson partner with his old friend and fellow humanitarian Louis Posen, head of the thriving independent label Hopeless Records and its philanthropic arm Sub City. "Through all our years of friendship, Chad has always conducted himself in the spirit of making a positive impact with his endeavors, which is a mantra we strive to live up to here at Hopeless/Sub City," said Posen. "We are deeply honored that Chad picked us to work with him."

Pearson's good intentions are readily apparent throughout the music community, which is something Jeremiah Edmond of the indie rock outfit Manchester Orchestra can attest to. "Chad is one of those few people who gets the music industry, but gets music and artists even more, and really believes in the music he stands behind," said the drummer, who also runs Favorite Gentlemen Recordings. "He's someone who truly wants to help the artists, and truly does."

The first release on P Is For Panda is a compilation featuring 16 songs from eight up-and-coming groups, including Gasoline Heart, Discover America, Damion Suomi, Mike Dunn & The Kings Of New England, and more. The album will retail for a mere $1.98 and be available digitally August 5th, with a physical street date of September 2nd. In continuing with the clothing side, P is for Panda has also unveiled a new summer line of t-shirt designs from artists Jesse LeDoux, M. Brady Clark, Brian Manley and Roy Fleeman.

To celebrate the new musical venture, a CD release show and label launch for P Is For Panda will be taking place July 25th in Atlanta at the Highland Inn Ballroom Lounge. Featuring music and artwork from the company's collaborators, admission is two cans of food that will be donated to the Atlanta Community Food Bank. Ten percent of all art sold will also be donated to the Valentino Achak Deng Foundation in order to help rebuild schools in southern Sudan.

"My goal with P Is For Panda is to be more involved in the community by giving back, whether it be with my time, financially, or otherwise," said Pearson. "The mission statement is quite simple: music + art + charity."

For more information on P Is For Panda, visit www.pisforpanda.com, and to learn more about Hopeless/Sub City Records, visit www.hopelessrecords.com.

P Is For Panda – Mixtape Volume 1

01. Your Heart – Andy Shauf (www.myspace.com/andyshauf)
02. Shake It Off – Gasoline Heart (www.myspace.com/gasolineheart)
03. Miles Of Grey – Discover America (www.myspace.com/discoveramerica)
04. Get Up – Mike Dunn And The Kings Of New England (www.myspace.com/mikedunnandthekingsofnewengland)
05. Rush Down My Spine – Josh Moore (www.myspace.com/joshuamoore)
06. I Held You Pretty Good – Pasadena (www.myspace.com/pasadena)
07. Darwin, Jesus, The Devil, And Me – Damion Suomi (www.myspace.com/damionsuomi)
08. Here's To The Kid – J.R. Rund And The Hold Up (www.myspace.com/jrrundandtheholdup)
09. The Queen – Mike Dunn And The Kings Of New England
10. How It Started – Discover America
11. Ghostly Reminders – Josh Moore
12. Burn Bright (But Burn Far Away) – Gasoline Heart
13. She Says – J.R. Rund And The Hold Up
14. You Remind Me – Andy Shauf
15. One More Time – Damion Suomi
16. Double Back – Pasadena

Connecticut pop-rockers A Coastline Ending are gearing up for the release of their debut full-length album, "In The Name Of Progression…," which comes out July 15 on Not Alone Records. Produced by Chris Badami (Midtown, The Early November, The Starting Line), the 10-song disc is available now for preorder at SmartPunk.com, where the first 50 orders come with a signed poster.

In support of their upcoming album, A Coastline Ending are currently on the road with Pennsylvania's A Farewell Rescue, and plan to continue touring throughout the summer.

For tour dates and more information on A Coastline Ending, visit www.myspace.com/acoastlineending. To preorder "In The Name Of Progression…," visit www.smartpunk.com/product.php?item_id=27869.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9oehAfEQRw