Now Hear This

>>>Brendan Little

After running away from home in his early teens, Brendan Little began performing in Boston's Newbury Street shopping district to earn money for food and cigarettes. Now 19, he has accrued more than some grub and smokes, having opened for such acts as Bettie Serveert, Ben Lee and Buffalo Tom. Little—who cites Bob Dylan, Radiohead and U2 as influences—is in the studio recording his first album with producers Jon Carin (Pete Townshend) and Perry Geyer (Joey McIntyre). The upcoming set has already drawn the attention of MTV, which is filming the singer/songwriter for a You Hear It First segment slated to air this fall. By then, Little expects to be shopping his album. "I've been working on the record on and off for two years, so we're just taking our time," he says, "but hopefully I'll find the right match."

Contact: Perry Geyer, 617-424-1062

—Katy Kroll



>>>Ricardo Moreno

Singer/guitarist Ricardo Moreno is an unlikely artist in an unlikely place. Born in Cuba, he traveled to Germany 18 years ago to take vocational courses—and stayed. Today, Moreno uses music to get close to the country he left behind. For the past five years, Moreno and his 11-piece band Latin Explosion have played gigs in and around Berlin. A mix of boleros, son and pop, Moreno's music is evocative and well-crafted. But making it big in Germany with Latin music—sung in Spanish, no less—is tough, he admits. His first major break was meeting Dieter Brussat, who has helped Moreno find a local audience via his own label, the small JonPaul Productions. With an 11-track album completed, Brussat is seeking partners to deliver Moreno's music outside of Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

Contact: Dieter Brussat, db@jonpaul.de

—Leila Cobo