2015 was a year full of surprises. We saw a lot of up-and-coming artists get the attention they deserved and we saw musicians break free from their respective bands to do their own thing; there were announcements of unexpected reunions and there were collaborations we never would have thought true without seeing them for ourselves. Check out our list of 15 “Break Out Artists” from 2015.

15. Holly Bowling
Introduced to the scene last year as the girl who successfully tackled the infamous “Tahoe Tweezer” on the piano by herself, Holly Bowling has had an incredible year in 2015. Fueled by interest and passion, and having seen over 300 Phish shows, the classically trained pianist released her first album Distillation of a Dream: The Music of Phish Reimagined for Solo Piano. Additionally, she just completed an impressive thirteen-date fall tour, including an incredibly flawless set at the inaugural Brooklyn Comes Alive (listen). She is scheduled to perform on Jam Cruise and Aura Music Festival in 2016, and we can’t wait.

14. Marcus King
The nineteen-year-old, guitar-playing, soul-serenading, South Carolina native released his debut album Soul Insight (2015) earlier this year, which landed at #8 on Billboard’s blues charts. Quite the feat for a teenager, especially for his first record ever! With good reason, King has found himself opening shows for bands like Gov’t Mule, The Foo Fighters, Johnny Winter and more. Learn more about the up and coming blues artist here.

13. Todd Stoops

Todd Stoops has been involved in pretty much any and every supergroup you can think of in 2015, playing some great keys across the scene. Between sit-ins, super jams, and RAQ sets, keep your eye on Stoops!

12. Nigel Hall
Nigel announced that he was leaving the Nth Power last March. “Ever since I’ve been around, I’ve always been a special guest of somebody’s band… all I’ve ever really wanted in my life is to be a part of a band that was my own,” he explained in an interview about his departure. With the time off, Hall was able to spend time on this dream and make it a reality. In November, he released Ladies and Gentlemen… Nigel Hall, produced by Soulive/Lettuce guitarist Eric Krasno, featuring a number of notable sit-ins, including spots from Questlove, Ivan Neville and more. The product is outstanding and we can’t wait to hear more of the pianist/singer/songwriter.

11. Odesza
Odesza is an American electronic music duo from Seattle who in 2015 sold out almost all of their shows. The duo released In Return (Deluxe Edition) earlier this year through Counter Records as an extended version of the original 2014 album, but they added three live recordings all featuring a horn section and instrumentals, and a new track “Light (feat. Little Dragon)”. Making their way around the festival circuit, adding more live instrumentalists along the way, Odesza’s fan base has grown substantially and for good reason. Perhaps most impressively, they sold out Chicago’s Aragon Ballroom twice in the same night. Due to overwhelming demand, they had to add an additional early 6:30pm set just to satisfy their 9,000+ fans. What the what! 

10. Father John Misty
Just days before Valentine’s Day, Father John Misty (Joshua Tillman) released his 2nd studio album I Love You, Honeybear (review), sampling themes of love, sex, drugs, honesty, and discontent – it was incredibly entertaining. Then he released an interpretation of Ryan Adams‘ cover of Taylor Swift in the style of Velvet Underground all because Lou Reed appeared to him in a dream and told him to (read the story). Also this year, the singer-songwriter/guitarist and former drummer of Fleet Foxes appeared on Aziz Ansari‘s new original series Master of None, performed on Conan, Jimmy Kimmel Live, and gave some hilariously awful relationship advice to Time Out Magazine that still has us laughing today. Father John Misty, we dig you.

9. The Wood Brothers
The three-man group released an incredible album Paradise that has everyone talking. Anticipation for this album grew exponentially with the release of their leading single “Never And Always”, which featured southern blues and soul fixtures Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks. The album alone is an incredible statement for the Wood Bros. musicianship, but the subtle inclusion of Susan’s voice and Derek’s slide on the powerful track really showcases the expansive range that the Americana blues band can work within. More recently, the folk figures collaborated with Bloody Sunday Sessions, taking a ride through the streets of New Orleans’ French Quarter while performing on horse-drawn carriage. We love what the Wood Brothers have been up to and look forward to seeing more of them on the road in 2016.

8. Hayley Jane
California native, Hayley Jane, mixes Vaudevillian style storytelling with Americana roots to perfect her original lyrics and larger than life performances. Her band of Primates are no strangers to the theater either, which makes them a perfect fit for the festival world. She’s been making waves through the scene, including a memorable Catskill Chill performance with Stratosphere All-Stars, a Dead & Co. after party with members of DTM, Dopapod, Billy & The Kids, and RAQ, and increasing collaborations with Todd Stoops and Twiddle. This girl’s vibe is contagious and we see big things coming from her in 2016.

7. Dopapod
The name Dopapod has spread like wildfire throughout the scene’s vocabulary this year, as they continue playing face-melting sets at festivals like Catskill Chill, Suwanee Hulaween, and perhaps most notable, Bonnaroo. The band performed before thousands of appreciative fans at the Manchester music and arts festival, but it wasn’t their first time playing there. Some may remember when the four-piece, Boston-based band played deep in the campsites bringing the heat to whoever was willing to listen. It was worth celebrating when they finally were billed to perform in That Tent, and successfully drew in one of the weekend’s larger crowds. It’s amazing what can happen in such little time. DopaFam!

6. Brandon “Taz” Niederauer 
This year, the 12-year-old played NAMM, Barclay’s Center, The Today Show, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, CBS Morning Show, Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, to name a few. However his dreams were truly made true when he landed a role in Andrew Lloyd Webber‘s latest Broadway production, School of Rock, as the lead guitarist Zack Mooneyham. Adding acting, singing, and dancing to his already impressive resumé, you can catch the little guitar monster at the Winter Garden Theatre six days a week.

5. Trey Anastasio
Phish is perhaps the most loved and hated band in America (read a defense of their case here). When the world found out Trey would be performing the role of Jerry Garcia for the Grateful Dead‘s 50th Anniversary Fare Thee Well shows, there were mixed reactions. Suddenly, the world was seemingly divided between those in favor of Trey and those who were not. Life was at a standstill until he finally took the stage that rainy summer San Francisco day; then there was a rainbow, and we knew the big man approved. Conversations following the five FTW shows concluded with acceptance of Trey within the Dead Head community, and all was well in the jam band scene.

4. Brittany Howard
Those who were familiar with Alabama Shakes when they released their first studio album in 2012 knew how great the band was, but the 2015 release of Sound And Color brought the band to exponentially greater heights (debuting at number one on Billboard 200). The band went on to perform on multiple late night shows, including Saturday Night Live, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, and The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. Then, Howard was invited on stage to perform a duet of “Get Back” with Paul McCartney at Lollapalooza. To top off her exceptional year, Howard was named the recipient of Billboard’s Women in Music “Powerhouse” Award. Oh, and she has a bad-ass side-project called Thunderbitch.

3. John Mayer
The jam scene’s newest heart-throb, John Mayer won hundreds of thousands of skeptic fans over with his downright phenomenal performances with Dead & Company. The former pop-found-blues star has broken through the strongest of boundaries by entering the world of the Grateful Dead. Filling in Jerry’s shoes nicely, Mayer found himself incredibly well received by one of the most obstinate music communities. A life lesson comes with this example, that one should always welcome music with an open mind.

 

2. Vulfpeck
Despite releasing music since 2011, Vulfpeck came as somewhat of an overnight success during the anticipatory months leading up to their first full-length album Thrill of the Arts. Then, the day came that the progressive funk collective’s record was out, and their fame spread well beyond the music nerds who had been obsessing over them for the last several years. All of the sudden, the band was everywhere and with zero complaints from their growing fan base. They’ve since performed as the house band on The Late Night with Stephen Colbert, played an in-studio session for Sirius XM Jam On, and sold out two nights at Brooklyn Bowl. The Vulf isn’t stopping here, and we know for a fact that 2016 will present all sorts of exciting appearances. Stay tuned!

1. Grateful Dead Music
This year was all about the resurgence of GD music. We saw the core four perform a Fare Thee Well tour and the creation of a continued effort in Dead & Company. We saw drummer Bill Kreutzmann’s Billy & The Kids perform an impromptu Lockn’ show after the festival rained out the first day, and we saw them play an explosive Red Rocks show sandwiched between sets from Snarky Puppy and Railroad Eart. Joe Russo’s Almost Dead sold out two nights at the Joy Theatre in New Orleans over Jazz Fest second weekend, starting a fire and putting it ablaze over a dozen more shows this year as the talk of the town at All Good Festival, Mountain Jam, Hulaween, High Sierra Music Festival, and a smashing three-night run at NYC’s Brooklyn Bowl. If there’s one thing we can promise, it’s that Grateful Dead music will never die.

Have a great rest of the year and we’ll see you in 2016!