KNIFIGHT is not the type of name you’d associate with a synth-pop group. You’d probably think of a rough-and-tumble bar metal band with a name like that, cargo shorts and Mesa stacks abound. Vocalist John Gable did grow up in the hardcore scene of Tyler, Texas, where he saw bands like Hatebreed and Brutal Truth. Perhaps that’s where the tough name came from. Knifight started as an industrial project of Gable, and later keyboardist/saxophonist Patrick Marshall would also become part of the group’s nucleus. They performed as a noise duo, eventually finding their way into Austin, and formed into a full synth-pop band, rounded out by guitarist Nick Garrison, bassist John Hetherington, and drummer Nick Cogdill. Knifight may be the only group who’s played a noise fest and opened for Future Islands and Duran Duran in 2014, and dipping in both of those worlds has worked in their favor.

my education is an American instrumental post-rock band from Austin TX. They create cinematic and psychedelic compositions blending intense droning guitars with melodic viola. The core of the band is two guitars, bass, drums, and viola, although they do play with violins, keyboards and vibes at times. They are currently on Golden Antenna Records, a label based in Hessen, Germany, who released the band’s latest LP A Drink for All My Friends in March 2013.

Violinda Lola is a solo instrumental violin project that consists of strong melodies that has been enhanced with various effects pedals to enhance her sound. From performing in gypsy folk rock bands to country/americana bands, Violinda’s diverse back ground in music has given her a leg up in inspiration on creating the antithesis of it. “My music sounds almost nothing like my previous bands that I have played in, but I can’t say that it hasn’t influenced me. Pushing the violin out of context and into arenas of music that you might have never found it to be in or have any business in to begin with is where I like to start my songs with.”