Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: a producer encounters a drunken oaf and his hooligans aboard an LA train, and then winds up commiserating with said band while making music together in a sleeper car until that fateful hangover morning, in which he finds himself robbed off his guitar but with a golden possession in his hands: the bands’ "reel to tape". That’s all in the past now, as Lewis Pesacov, better known for his contributions in Foreign Born and Fool’s Gold, has ever since molded the wisful country rock of El Sportivo (aka Daron Holloway) into an enticing proposition. Their debut LP with backing band the Blooz, Nights & Weekends, lingers with the passing of a gentle breeze through a wide-open desert, each lap steel riff and rambling bass motif marked with seamless precision. The music reflects its expansive scope as they drive off an open road with an anything goes predicament as if they were pursued with a looming sense of danger, accentuated with a prominent wall of guitars and slinky piano hooks that only enhance the sprawling nothingness in view. We never quite know the destination they lead, but we know that the journey is only a first out of the many that lie ahead. You can stream Nights and Weekends in its entirety by visiting their soundcloud page. 

Our first ticket giveaway of 2013 is here. As proud sponsors of the What Cheer? Fest this Saturday, March 2, as announced here, we are excited to be giving away two pairs of tickets to some lucky hopefuls. If you’re as obsessed with locals Criminal Hygiene, Cotillon, Feeding People, Vinyl Williams, Colleen Green, Summer Twins, Body Parts, The Vim Dicta, and Fort King as we are, then you won’t want to miss this. The line-up is stacked and the Fest is planning to run from noon to 5am. Epic doesn’t begin to describe it. Tickets are $10 a piece and only available for Pre-Sale here. If you’d like a chance to win a pair, then head over to twitter and send a DM to @thedeliLA with your full name and e-mail, along with the band you’re most excited to see. Only those who also tweet “I want a pair of tix to the @thedeliLA sponsored What Cheer? Fest” will be eligible. Winners will be announced here on the blog on Friday afternoon. We will send out e-mails with all the information you need to redeem your prize. Good luck!

The electro-pop duo made up of Dan Chang and Michael Garner, known as Hunter Hunted, is sure to be a household name in no time. They made their official debut earlier this month to a sold out crowd at the Troubadour, and are already making their television debut tonight on Conan. After viewing the video for “End of the World” it’s obvious why they are soaring to the top of their class. The glistening guitars, booming drumbeats, and electronic flourishes are merely the backdrop to their folk-tinged melodies and honeyed harmonies. Add to that the anthemic chorus that drops in like a stampede of horses in the desert as they croon, harmonically of course, “the end is coming, but we already know,” and you’ve got yourself one catchy single that’s sure to spread like wildfire. Watch the two attempt to survive in an abandoned, rusted out wasteland as they are hunted by a pair of sexy face-painted women in this video that’s as sleek as their production. While they may only be playing inside your TV tonight, they’ve nabbed a coveted residency this March at the Bootleg. It’s free every Monday and the line-up is already shaping up nicely. – Jacqueline Caruso