Hometown: Boston (originally from Dallas)

Sounds Like: She's basically the female, blond version of G. Love.

Her Story: 19-year-old Emily Elbert may be small and adorable, but the Dallas-born singer-songwriter is taking big leaps toward success on OurStage. Since joining the site, the pint-sized, self-professed "acoustic soul-folk" singer has surfaced in the Top Ten of the site's monthly contests in the Folk, Acoustic and Singer/Songwriter categories, and has reaped the benefits of success. The emerging artist-friendly site has since hooked up Elbert, who released her aptly titled debut album, 'Bright Side,' in 2006, with the opportunity to open dates for folk-funk counterpart G. Love, as well as guitar virtuoso Kaki King. Look for her to support the tours of Marcia Ball and Ben Taylor this spring, where, should you catch a show, you might be treated for her infamous cover of, that's right, Michael Jackson's 'Thriller.'

Watch the adorable guitarist goof off backstage with G. Love after the jump.

Hometown: Los Angeles

Sounds Like: Cat Power, Beth Orton

Her Story: While growing up, Sydney Wayser split her time between Paris and Los Angeles, developing an appreciation for adventure and culture at an early age. Her resultant worldly nature has played an integral role in the music she creates, as evidenced on her 2007 album 'Silent Parade,' which finds her bandmates playing everything from saws and toys to wine glasses. Wayser has consistently reached the Top 10 in both the Acoustic and Singer-Songwriter monthly contests on OurStage, and recently won the chance to open for Moby and Kaki King at this year's SXSW festival. Following the festival, she supported King on the guitar virtuoso's East Coast tour dates.

Our friends at OurStage recently sat down with Wayser for a chat about her influences and what she considers a perfect day. Enjoy the excerpt below and read the entire interview here.

Are you influenced by any French musicians?

I feel that I have been greatly influenced by French artists. To name a few: Edith Piaf, Serge Gainsbourg and Raphael. My influence from France has been more than simply music. My influences stretch from architecture, to painting, to parks, weather, the specific light of the sun that only Paris has, the sound of the ambulances through the thin streets, historic events, writers ... the list goes on.

Hometown: Los Angeles, CA

Sounds Like: Stereophonics, Oasis

Download: 'Blip' (MP3)

His Story: At the age of 18, David Avram Brown gathered up his guitar, a sleeping bag and about $100 bucks and began his hitchhiking adventure from New York to California -- an appropriately rash decision for someone who goes by the name of Benny Strange. But his impulsiveness eventually paid off and, after several years up and down the West Coast, his music career began taking off. With the help of Modest Mouse's Joe Zook and Black Eyed Peas' Ethan Willoughby, Strange released the first of his two EPs, 'Nowhere Left to Run,' in 2006. 'When Continents Collide' followed in January of this year with a release on iTunes.

"I'm just trying to take it in. Being here in Austin is just wild," drummer Pearson Constantino grinned while his bandmates prepped for their SXSW showcase in their room at a Hotel 6, where they slept two-to-a-bed. "We've definitely bonded," singer and Plushgun brainchild Dan Ingala said from outside their cramped quarters. "Through many means -- Goldbond, sleeping with my friend Sam, who isn't my romantic partner, though I could see how that could come across."

They're a quirky bunch -- as evidenced by their frontman, who has a penchant for pre-show pacing and says that the band's moniker reflects "something soft, something killer." And they're often compared to the Postal Service for their synth-heavy songs, which they would later play for their industry-saturated, discerning crowd at Maggie Mae's.

The four piece has come a long way since its origins in Ingala's tiny NYC bedroom. With the release of their self-titled EP in October 2007, Plushgun garnered attention for 'Just Impolite' -- a dance-y, accessible track about dying romances -- which was featured on artist-friendly outlets like MySpace, where you can hear their entire EP for free, and OurStage, the Web site responsible for their slot at SXSW.

Plushgun have been OurStage favorites for some time now, winning top honors in the site's monthly contests. They were January's No. 1 artist in Alt Rock and have held residencies in the top ten of several other genres, including Indie/Alternative and Pop -- a testament to Plushgun's unpretentious, genre-blurring accessibility.

"We're here because we made it," Ingala said. "There's a long, rocky road ahead. But after this experience, we know we're ready for it. I think."

Check out a day in the life of Plushgun, and download free Mp3s after the jump.

Brooklyn's the Forms were one of hundreds of bands showcasing their chops at this year's SXSW festival, where they treated their hype-enabling audience to a cover of Nirvana's 'All Apologies' at Austin's Red Eyed Fly. But impressing industry folks and bloggers aside, the Forms also have been riding a steady swell of good old-fashioned online fan frenzy -- the result of which landed them onstage at last month's Plug Awards.

Cue OurStage.com, an online destination for those who want to discover new music in any number of genres, wherein they can listen to songs by emerging artists and vote for their favorites each month. The Forms created a profile on the site and landed in the top ten artists for January with their track 'Knowledge in Hand' -- an accessible rock anthem recorded by wonder producer Steve Albini (Pixies, Nirvana). The success on the site led the people at OurStage to select the post-hardcore group for its slot during the 2008 Plug Awards. "It's a little intimidating, to be honest," the band admitted during the event. "We are so lucky ... a lot of people are going to be hearing us tonight, which is what it's all about." Bonus: St. Vincent's Annie Clark name-checked the band as her favorite performers of the night, along with indie-pop enchanters Bat for Lashes.