An independent musician with the heart of a geek, Jonathan Coulton is a Yale graduate who left his day-job as a computer programmer to stay home and write songs. Between 2005 and 2006 he wrote, recorded, and published a new song every week as a free podcast project called "Thing a Week." This year-long experiment produced 52 consistently well-written and solidly produced songs, and he soon became an internet sensation. Jonathan's songs cover unusual topics not often heard in music and tend to make even the most jaded listeners excited about music again.

Stefano was born in Naples, Italy, in 1978, and started playing when he was very young, studying piano at first but choosing guitar at last. From blues to pop to rock, in Naples he cut through different musical experiences, until he moved to Rome in 2001 and decided to dedicate himself fully to solo acoustic guitar. "When I first listened to Michael Hedges's striking album Aerial Boundaries, in 2003, I started studying technique and composition with Pino Forastiere and approached contemporary music, in particular American Minimalism (Steve Reich)."

Everything Daphne Willis has done up to now in both her music and her life has led to this moment--her new album, Because I Can (Vanguard, April 19), marks the 23-year-old writer/singer/guitarist's artistic coming of age in thrilling--and at times heart-wrenching--fashion. This captivating LP represents an exponential leap, as she grows into her enormous talent and puts it to powerful and relatable use via her singular sensibility. Because I Can sounds very much like the defining work of a young artist who matters.