Tempe, Arizona-based indie rock outfit Gospel Claws were formed in 2007 by guitarist/vocalist (and founding member of rootsy indie rockers Dear and the Headlights) Joel Marquard, vocalist/keyboardist Sloan Walters, guitarist Wesley Hilsabeck, bassist John Mulhern, and drummer Scott Hall. The band’s soulful, earthy blend of bluesy indie rock and wild desert folk has drawn comparisons to everyone from Fleet Foxes and Delta Spirit to Local Natives and the Black Keys. Gospel Claws’ eponymous debut EP appeared in 2010, followed by the full-length C-L-A-W-S. ~ James Christopher Monger