Beta Radio

I first heard the song "Winter Eclipse" on a Christmas mix this year...you can stream the song here.  I was intrigued; the chord progressions, the intricate instrumentation, and the lead singer's melodic voice all contributed.  I was interested enough that I looked up and streamed all their albums.  I think the best way to describe the music is folky rock.  More folky than rocky I guess.  Here's one of my favourite of their non-Christmas songs.  It's quite catchy.  They have several albums that you can stream on their bandcamp.

Joshua Hyslop

I came across this guy on noisetrade about a month ago.  He's an extremely skilled banjo player, and the arrangements are quite powerful.  His voice is also strikingly tuneful and different.  Check out this live video.  His lyrics are very thought-provoking.  Here's another good (non-live) one.  I really like the style of his songs: they are folky, but with a compelling melody and driving beats.  It's a nice balance of different genres.  There are a lot of cool instruments too.  This is one of my personal favourites.