30-Minute Music Hour

This Madison-based four-piece makes self-styled "post-crunk" music, a sort of country-punk-rock sound. Sleeping in the Aviary has a large and devoted fan base that chases the band to its rousing live shows throughout the Midwest. On this episode the band showcases new songs from their forthcoming EP as well as slam home favorites from their latest record "Expensive Vomit in a Cheap Hotel."

From Babcock, Art Stevenson is the Midwest's preeminent practitioner of hard driving, traditional bluegrass music. With his wife, Stephanie, on string bass, the duo sing powerful harmonies that transcend the most urgent callings of mountain music. The quartet is rounded out by Dale Reichert - a master of the five-string banjo - and Bruce King, a breathtaking rhythm and solo player on mandolin.

Also known as Michael Silverman, That 1 Guy is a Berkeley, Calif.-based, classically trained string bassist. After performing with some of the nation's top progressive jazz ensembles in the 1990s, Silverman created an instrument out of wire and iron pipes that could serve his ever-expanding musical techniques. Think "gutbucket" bass with a lot more firepower. The result is an astonishing solo act.

The hardest rocking group on Eau Claire's wildly successful Amble Down label, Meridene crunches electric guitars and weaves lyrics that are high bred without being highbrow. Leader Trevor Ives writes songs filled with grit and whimsy, a paradox propelled by a smooth balance of keyboards, guitars and drums. The band features material from its new album, "You're Not Pretty, You're Worse."

From Madison, Lucas Cates is one of the state's hottest up-and-coming rockers. A prolific songwriter, Cates crafts driving electric and acoustic rock. The Lucas Cates Band is a multiple winner over the past several years at the Madison Area Music Awards. The four-piece also has garnered the unique honor of having one of their songs selected as an accompanying piece for the Cincinnati Ballet.

From Bloomington, Ill., Backyard Tire Fire has been called the country's "best kept rock secret." 30-Minute Music Hour fans are treated to a few of BTF's unreleased numbers. The band's set also features music from their sensational 2008 release, The Places We Lived, which finished in the top five of several music publications' "Best Releases of 2008" lists.

Pairing Stefanie Berecz' soulful vocals with guitarist Brendan O'Connell's talented songwriting, this Chicago-based band performed songs from their debut album.

National Beekeepers Society combine pulsing, minimalist pop-rock with worldweary lyrics. The Madison-based quartet performed songs from an eclectic catalog including selections from their critically acclaimed album "Pawn Shop Etiquette."

Rising Gael's youthful members serve up energetic, modern Celtic music driven with rythm that has been delighting audiences around southern Wisconsin since 2004. The Madison quartet has mastered a range of instruments including fiddle, bodhran, harmonica and Scottish bagpipes.

Owen Temple wrote the songs on his critically acclaimed fourth album "2,000 Miles" while living in Madison during the winter of 2006 and 2007. The songwriter now lives in Austin, Texas and his albums include support by some of the best musicians from the Lone Star State. Owen performed solo on the 30-MMH, all the better for viewers to immerse themselves in his cow-punk charm and clever lyrics.

The Duhks are a Grammy Award-nominated (Best Country Vocal Performance) group based in Winnepeg, Manitoba. The quintet is known around the world as a pacesetter for roots music. The Duhks' unbridled enthusiasm is easy to hear in their latest release, "Fast Paced World," but to see The Duhks perform is to fully appreciate the band's soaring spirit.

One of the most inventive hip-hop acts in Wisconsin, Madison-based Stink Tank is fueled by the insight and audacity of Producer/DJ Man Mantis and the multi-persona attack of MC Laduma Nguyuza. Their program often morphs into shows-within-shows and moves seamlessly from character to character, from perception to misperception.