During a recent trip to New York City, all eight acts sat down for an interview with Rolling Stone contributing editor Touré.

Now you can check out the interviews for yourself and vote for your favorites.  Voting for round two will end on April 14th, and the final four contestants will be announced at the end of the month.

Here's a rundown of each of the interviews.

Lelia Broussard: The Los Angeles singer-songwriter told Touré that she uses music as a form of therapy, and that her first set of songs was her way to deal with the trauma of breaking up with a long term boyfriend.

Empires: The Chicago rock quartet talked about their shared past together, and how they never expected to ever be in the same band.

Fictionist: The Utah quintet talked about how they have been inspired by a pure love of sound to set aside their ego and attempt to connect with their audience.

Mod Sun: The self-proclaimed "hippie-hop" artist explained why he made the transition from rock drummer to rapper, and how he files away all his negative thoughts at the bottom of a dresser in his mind.

The Romany Rye: The Los Angeles quintet explained the origin of their name, which comes from an 18th-century novel by George Henry Borrow, and discussed their collaborative creative process.

The Sheepdogs: The Canadian boogie rockers told Touré that people should vote for them because they are bringing back elements of rock music that have almost entirely disappeared from rock radio.

Skyler Stonestreet: The 23-year-old Los Angeles singer-songwriter remarked on her first-ever visit to Manhattan and explained how she came to combine her interest in songwriting with her formal training as a pianist.

Tha Boogie: The SoCal pop crew said that their elaborate costumes and theatrical stage show are  products of growing up in the suburbs without much to do.

See exclusive Behind The Scenes videos and photos from the final eight bands