Breaking Artist: Steve Shiffman & the Land of No

Steve Shiffman & the Land of No is an unlikely combination of bedroom sentiment and six string bombast unleashed in an earnest pose. While Shiffman spits out riddles of lust, love, and things more sinister, the band provides an energetic foil, tearing into each tune with a three guitar assault that piles hook on top of hook.

Steve Shiffman originally hails from Canada and upon moving to New York City, soon met and teamed up with drummer Pete Hayes (The Figgs). The duo became the first incarnation of what was to become Steve Shiffman & The Land of No. They released the home-recorded self-produced EP Tambourino in 2003 which received raves and produced successful tours on both sides of the Atlantic. The duo began to steadily expand as their popularity grew and eventually bassist Kent Heine (Holy Ghost), guitarist Dave Hollinghurst (Nicole Atkins) and guitarist Alec Ferrell (Holy Ghost) rounded out the line-up. They played a series of sold-out residencies around NYC and have toured up and down the Northeast, sharing the stage with artists as diverse as Regina Spektor, Morningwood, Adam Green, The Pernice Brothers, The Black Angels, and Jens Lekman.

With a handful of musicians coming from different backgrounds, Shiffman takes his rocknroll with crunchy and distorted guitars and adds all sorts of dynamic styles to it. The songs range from dirty rockers with a bluesy side to softer, folky strumming. Shiffman and company weave excellent musicianship around the songs as each one is memorable in its own right - whether it's a brash rocker or gentle introspection.

The band will have a self-titled debut out August 18th from Tiny Beast Records that features 12 new songs. Here's one song, "Tweed Skirt" off of their new album:

Tweed Skirt by Steve Shiffman & the Land of No

Tracklist:
01 Unfortunately for Her
02 Here Comes the Cigarette Girl
03 Jetlag Blues
04 Ready for You Now
05 Tweed Skirt
06 Hollow Town
07 This Second
08 Frog in My Throat
09 Death in the Newsgroup
10 Everyone's Getting Married
11 Squirrel in Chinatown
12 One of You is Lying