Local Bands We Love!

2009 was a great year for music in Los Angeles. On air we hosted the radio debut of Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, a joyous celebration of life and love with the intensity of a religious revival, and the haunting debut from local beat technician Nosaj Thing, a gorgeous merger of hip hop and electronica, which was a mainstay across all our music shows. Also, the recent nomination of Silversun Pickups for a “Best New Artist” Grammy – which is funny to many of us who have been seeing them live around town for the last 5 years – is a sign of LA’s powerful music presence.

Over the next few days, I’ll be posting about some of the newer bands bubbling up to the surface who we expect to see some great things from in ’10.

Local Natives

This band made my best of ’09 list even thought their album doesn’t officially come out until next year on Frenchkiss Records and both Anne Litt and Garth Trinidad are big fans. The Local Natives play celebratory rollicking rock with beautiful melodies. They have an exceptional live show and, after becoming regulars on the Eastside club scene, they built a huge fanbase across the pond with nonstop touring. These guys worked hard this year and won over a lot of ears and hearts. Keep an eye out for the release of their debut album “Gorilla Manor.” For those of you in LA, go see them live on Tuesday, December 22 at The Echo (with another great local act, Voxhaul Broadcast, who is getting spins from Nic Harcourt)

http://www.myspace.com/localnatives

Buyepongo

KCRW DJ Anthony Valadez says they are “one of the most amazing live, young, vibrant cumbia bands in Los Angeles.” They keep in the tradition of cumbia and also know how to keep a dance floor moving! They’ll be playing on New Year’s Eve at the Rhythm Lounge in Long Beach.

http://www.myspace.com/buyepongo

Jail Weddings

This 10-person collective creates drunken anthems that owe a debt to Phil Spector’s Wall of Sound and are a favorite of KCRW DJ Dan Wilcox. They have an EP called “Inconvenient Dreams” out now and a few shows coming up around town, including tonight in at Surf City Saloon and on Saturday, Dec 19 at The Smell.

http://www.myspace.com/jailweddings

RR