7. Kaminanda 

Stephen Kaminanda continues to tour far and wide, evangelizing his drippy, wet, sensual soundscapes to new fans around the globe. The multi-instrumentalist just dropped Liminal Spaces last month on Kalya Scintilla's MerKaba label, and the record is spreading like wildfire. Check him out tonight in Boston, or this weekend at Rootwire.

6. Marvel Years 

Our jaws hit the ground when we finally caught sight of Cory Wythe at SONIC BLOOM this year. The electro-soul guitarist blew our minds, even after we had hungrily gobbled up all of his studio work before the #RetroElectro tour. This kid is something else, and his potential is absolutely off the charts. And check out these gems he's just been sitting on.

5. Manic Focus

Manic Focus' growing fanbase builds steam by the second, and its due in no small part to huge performances at Red Rocks, teaming up with PLM megastar Michal Menert, and issuing out solid music on the reg. This dreamer is making it happen, and the train keeps rolling. Look for a huge headline tour this fall!