The mixtape 'The Grind Season Vol. 1' is the first public release from Boog Brown, an emerging artist/emcee/poet based in Atlanta. Due for release later in 2010 is 'The Brown Study' from Mello Music, by the latest Boog Brown project, UPS, with hip-hop producer Apollo Brown. Prior to that release and her upcoming appearance at SXSW, Brown spoke with Spinner.

Describe the Boog Brown sound.

I'd have to describe it like more of a social commentary in the form of a rap than anything else. It's more what I see from my perspective than talking about things that I haven't done or won't do or things like that. I make music that feels good. I make music that feels good for me and I think a lot of my folks can relate to it, and that anybody can relate to it. It's more like a reality check than a fantasy rap. I don't do fantasy rap.

To celebrate the release of their first album together, Broken Bells' Danger Mouse and James Mercer decided the occasion warranted a little something extra. While you can purchase regular old vinyl and CDs, they've also released the album in a format that actually tries to mimic an old-timey music box.

The deal is this: when you slide out the bookish-looking box, a light sensor triggers the box's bottom to start playing a piece of unreleased Broken Bells music while you inspect the contents inside. And for Mercer, it's safe to say he's pretty excited about it.

While attending graduate school at the University Of Texas, Celeste Griffin, the mastermind of Monarchs, has carved her own path in the music industry. From her humble beginnings in the Yellow Hammer State to playing local venues in her adopted hometown of Austin, Texas, Celeste has released two successful albums, 2008's 'The Oak EP' and 2009's 'Those Words, Those Frames.' After making a name for herself locally, Celeste is on the verge of performing at this year's SXSW to audiences from around the world. She spoke to Spinner about her musical style, her band and cookies.

How would you describe your sound?

Monarchs are soulful roots-rock. Sometimes folky, sometimes bluesy, sometimes mellow, and sometimes rocking, it is always soulful and it is always honest.

The Capstan Shafts might sound like some exotic outfit with several bearded instrumentalists, but the band actually started as the solo act of Dean Wells, of Harpers Ferry, W.V., by way of Lyndonville, Vt. Best known for sounding like he makes tracks in his bedroom with a cassette recorder, Wells' acclaimed style of lo-fi garage pays homage to the short pop song. Here, Wells tells Spinner about adding a full band, recording in a real studio and heading to SXSW.

Describe your sound in your own words.

Sort of a garage-y pop. It's all been four-track stuff. Sloppy, garage-y pop.

The words "lo-fi pop" are consistently thrown into descriptions about you. Would you agree?

It's just because it was the only thing I knew how to use. It wasn't really trying to wreck the sound, it was just using what I had available to me. But I'm recording in a studio now.

Over the course of a Canadian Music Fest set that saw award-winning Vancouver indie-folk troubadour Dan Mangan perform much of his 2009 breakthrough album 'Nice, Nice, Very Nice' -- including 'Road Regrets,' 'The Indie Queens Are Waiting,' and 'Robots' -- the song that cut the room in half was the one we maybe weren't there for.

'Basket,' a song Mangan wrote about and for his grandfather, was the song that he visibly felt more than we did, the one that hurt him a little. Performed towards the end of his time onstage, it almost brought him to his knees. His massive, full rasp shook and strained like he was holding on for dear life.

A legion of fans, a handful of albums and consistently crowded tour schedules. Doesn't exactly sound like a bunch of losers, does it? For almost 10 years, Austin, Texas' Born to Lose have connected with their fans on a street level with a working-class, "pub punk" sound that, contrary to their monicker, has proved to be a winning formula.

In 2009, the quintet almost folded its cards, with band member departures signaling a probable end to the group's run. However, with a revamped lineup and a new CD, 'The Dreams of Kids,' Born to Lose are back at the table and showing all aces. As the band neared the end of a European tour -- and with a SXSW showcase around the corner -- Spinner managed to connect with bassist Chris Hausen, who was in a van somewhere between Bratislava, Slovakia, and Chemnitz, Germany.

Could you describe Eastern and Central European fans? The Old Country must be amazing to travel in.

The fans here are awesome. Something about our sound and personalities seems to rub them the right way -- they're very receptive to what we are doing. They also really live the music: They're polite, hospitable people who try to make us as comfortable as possible. Some places feel very "Western," while some definitely have the look and feel of the Cold War-era stereotypes we all know. In some of these places, the people joyfully live harder lives than a lot of Americans could understand -- less comforts and such.

That being said, they also party like nobody's business! Luckily, we pride ourselves on being power drinkers, so we can hang. This is our fifth trip to Europe, and every time, we venture a little further east. That part of the world is really open to new things, and they like DIY ethics. I mean, 20-30 years ago we would not have even been allowed in these countries. Now we are welcome guests.

When actress Dakota Fanning was slated to play Runaways' lead singer Cherie Currie in the upcoming film about the rise of the '70s legendary all-girl rock band and based on Currie's autobiography 'Neon Angel: A Memoir of a Runaway,' you'd think that Currie would have known before Fanning signed the deal. But apparently she learned about it while watching the local news.

"Well, I found out about it on the Channel Five news with [KTLA newscaster] Sam Rubin," Currie tells Spinner. "And my knees buckled because Dakota Fanning is my favorite actress of all time."