With over 40 million units sold, over 20 years in business and multiple Grammy Awards, Razor & Tie is one of the most successful independent music labels and publishing companies in North America.  The roster includes a variety of both established and developing artists such as The Pretty Reckless, Starset, All That Remains, The Sword and Red Sun Rising. Razor & Tie’s alternative-leaning imprint Washington Square features Austin Plaine, Soren Bryce and Mothxr.

“What am I to build, if my hands are broken, if I’m not the chosen one?” sings Steven McKellar of Civil Twilight on “Story of An Immigrant”, over a lush, dynamic beat that evokes the sounds of his native South Africa while steeped in the band’s everevolving present. The foursome (Steven, his brother and guitarist Andrew, drummer Richard Wouters and Kevin Dailey on keys and guitar) are living proof of what happens when you stop worrying about being the chosen one and make music built on both the roots that grew you and the love that keeps you thriving every day. Civil Twilight’s songs embrace every corner of human emotion, balancing delicate, poetic lyrics with sweeping arrangements that touch all the senses: a phrase to make you think; a rolling drumbeat you can feel in your bones; a guitar vamp as illustrative as a picture; a shimmer of keys whose light can nearly be seen and heard. Produced by Ben H. Allen (Gnarls Barkley, Bombay Bicycle Club, Cut Copy), their third record on Wind-Up is built on this vibrancy, on the permanent dust of a Cape Town youth; on the connection that unites them all as brothers beyond blood and on their new home in America where they pull from the innate, thriving musicianship of Nashville, where they live. When you listen to Civil Twilight, from their self-titled debut, to 2012’s widely lauded Holy Weather to now, it’s easy to understand why the band has topped five million YouTube views and reached historic success with film and television syncs – because it’s music you can’t shake, that translates experience into moments and creates melodies that become imbedded deep under the skin. We’re all immigrants, in some way, and Civil Twilight’s singing our national anthem.

The show that gave rise to Simply Syndicated, Movies You Should See is at the heart of the network. This is no high-brow affair; it's what you get when a group of friends with different tastes in film gather in front of microphones to discuss, debate, dissect and devour movies for your delectation. 

From the gooey Ghost to the masterful Three Colours Trilogy, the crew leave no stone unturned across the genres and put each other through sometimes tough challenges. Disagreement, salty language and a heavy dose of irreverent humour might belie the passion for film and genuine pathos, but it's all there. 

The podcast that brings together the knowledge of <a href="http://www.skysports.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Sky Sports</a> journalists and the inside word from <a href="http://ad.doubleclick.net/clk;282340908;109111815;y?http://www.skybet.com?aff=9713&dcmp=ss_betlink_TRADINGVIEWS" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Sky Bet</a>'s trading room. There's also a £25 free bet up for grabs in the weekly competition!

The Strypes are 4-piece rhythm and blues band hailing from Cavan, Ireland, formed in 2011 by Ross Farrelly (lead vocals/harmonica), Josh McClorey (lead guitar/vocals), Pete O'Hanlon (bass guitar/harmonica) and Evan Walsh (drums).

The group has spent the past 18 months launching their explosive R&B assault on the clubs and festivals of Ireland, the UK and Europe, viciously hammering out a no-nonsense blues repertoire drawing from the songbooks of Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley, Howlin' Wolf, Little Walter, Slim Harpo and more with the passion and venom of British blues groups such as Dr. Feelgood, The Yardbirds, The Rolling Stones and The Animals. 

Having already been met with critical acclaim from greats such as Jeff Beck and Paul Weller and been tipped by NME as the No. 1 new band to watch, it seems things can only get better for The Strypes.

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