Making music was the furthest thing from Scars on 45 co-founder Danny
Bemrose's mind until the professional soccer player from England's
Huddersfield Town football club broke his foot at 21 and his world came
crashing down. “I was in limbo, without knowing what to do with myself,”
he says. Bemrose put down the soccer ball and picked up his father’s
guitar. Those early years led to creation of Scars on 45, a quintet from
Leeds, England that combines the gentle melodic intensity of Snow
Patrol or Keane with the added allure of co-ed vocals. Tension, often
propelled by drummer Chris Durling’s insistent beat, builds throughout
the songs as the emotional ante rises. The group’s self-titled debut
includes the gracefully propulsive “Heart on Fire,” on which Danny and fellow lead vocalist Aimee Driver play out a couple’s anguished conversation.
Atmospheric, retro-influenced pop/rock band Broken Anchor
evolved through a collaboration between singer/songwriter Austin
Hartley-Leonard and producer Brad Gordon. After honing his craft as a
solo artist with songs featured on TV shows such as “Private Practice,”
“Friday Night Lights,” “Burn Notice,” and "The Jersey Shore,”
Hartley-Leonard originally imagined Broken Anchor as a studio project.
Yet, with time, Hartley-Leonard and Gordon soon saw the songs take on a
life of their own and released the acclaimed Fresh Lemonade album in 2013.
Broken Anchor is now touring throughout the U.S. and expects to release a new EP in the fall of 2014.
