The hypnotizing, ambient duet Turn On The Sunlight has just been added to the bill for L.A. Folk Fest! They will be playing at Pappy and Harriets on the 26th along with He’s My Brother, She’s My Sister, Amanda Jo Williams, and Tommy Santee Klaws. Tickets are $10 and can be reserved online here. Right next to Joshua Tree, 130 miles away from the chaos of Los Angeles, we will be celebrating some amazing psychedelic and enchanting music along with the folk tunes that make you feel at home. Most people are making a weekend out of it and either staying at a cheap motel or camping. The Sunday morning show will be held at Joshua Tree Saloon and will feature Mia Doi Todd, The Driftwood Singers, and Emily Lacy.

As a special Valentines Day gift sure to warm your heart, Turn On The Sunlight has offered a FREE DOWNLOAD of their song "I Love You". This is a much better treat than some stale chocolates or a wilting rose. 

Stay tuned for more info on L.A. Folk Fest…hopefully you are as excited as we are!

–Jenna Putnam

We continue our "Best of LA Countdown", covering every day one of the artists that made our Year Ends Best of LA Poll list (a chart compiled by a jury comprised of local bloggers, music writers, promoters, record store personnel, DJs, and our writers and readers).

Sometimes it’s easy to write off female pop artists here in LA, especially when so many are preened to become the soulless zombie fair that Radio Disney adores. I reserved judgement before I hit play on Tara Priya and was pleasantly surprised that my eyes didn’t roll into the back of my head. What came out was a slightly more demure version of Amy Winehouse (the rare, sober one) who obviously pays homage to 60’s doo-wop, soul and jazz on tracks like "Wounded" and "Expectations". The track "Memories" breaks away a bit, but only to sound like other indie songstress Ingrid Michaelson, before slipping right back into an arrangements of horns. The only thing this girl needs to round herself out is a collaboration with Mark Ronson.

Her self titled EP is available on BandCamp.

-Angelo Lorenzo

It might not be 1967, we might not be in New York City, pop art might be outdated, and "heroin chic" might be a term of the past…but that shouldn’t stop anyone from wanting to hear songs from The Velvet Undergound…especially played live. See, the way I look at tributes is not in the bitter, "Well NO ONE can cover those songs because _______ is the greatest band that ever lived" sense, but rather an opportunity to appreciate a band that was so inspirational that the kick-ass musicians of today just want an excuse to play their songs. A memorial if you will. With that said, I’m sure He’s My Brother She’s My Sister, cinematic as ever onstage, will be dressed to kill and prepared to play the part. And with Vanaprasta and Erik Hassle, there is no going wrong. So ladies, don’t be afraid to wear your bored face or rock the bangs, and guys feel free to wear sunglasses inside (just this once). It is a time for tambourines and lazy drums, high-pitched guitars and golden bananas. Ladies and gents…it is time to get weird.

This event will take place at The Satellite, a.k.a. the old Spaceland. Buy your tickets here.

–Jenna Putnam

We continue our "Best of LA Countdown", covering every day one of the artists that made our Year Ends Best of LA Poll list (a chart compiled by a jury comprised of local bloggers, music writers, promoters, record store personnel, DJs, and our writers and readers).

Sometimes you’re in the mood for fisticuffs, and an old Irish trick to rile an opponent up is to offer them milk at the bar. The other way is to slap some headphones on them and turn up The Mighty Regis — a band that isn’t afraid to pen a few songs about hard drinking and Irish pride.

After cutting their teeth on Co. Sligo and Another Nickel For The Pope, the third and most recent album, 21, shows the band off in fine form. "Paddy Don’t Live In Hollywood" has Franky McNorman leading the charge on vocals over punk-bred choruses. Gavin McLoud’s mandolin raises the tide on "Celtic Storm", a high energy seaside yarn built on the foundation of a traditional Celtic melody. The remainder of the album winds through the familiar, but fun, territory that is Celtic Punk. The Mighty Regis reels back from the distorted guitars of their contemporaries Dropkick Murphys and Flogging Molly though, to show off the more traditional mandolin, tin whistle, and accordion.

The Mighty Regis will be playing at The Blue Cafe in Long Beach on Feb. 19th, before hitting dates in central California and the east coast.

-Angelo Lorenzo

We continue our "Best of LA Countdown", covering every day one of the artists that made our Year Ends Best of LA Poll list (a chart compiled by a jury comprised of local bloggers, music writers, promoters, record store personnel, DJs, and our writers and readers).

Manhattan Murder Mystery on record might sound like a bunch of drunk people singing and playing rock’n’roll, but if you scratch under the surface you’ll realize these guys have some serious songwriting chops. You don’t really just want to listen to them on record anyway, as this band has a hell of a reputation for their frantic live shows. Comparisons with early The Cult seem appropriate, although the overall sound here is definitely not Goth at all but some kind of raw… let’s call it "Mid-Fi"?

The band will be playing a show at the PBJ Gallery during the Pomona Artwalk on April 12th.

Grouplove has released the official video for “Colours” off their self-titled debut EP, released in January on Canvasback Music. The video resembles a short film that makes a strong connection with the song itself (a bond that most videos fail to make), as its story line takes you on a cowboy and Indian adventure. It sparks a childlike fuse that’ll make you want to paint your face and place feathers in your hair.

Grouplove’s recordings are creative and energetic, but even more so live! The band will be hopping around Europe until they land back in the states March 23rd for a show at The Independent in SF, and are back home March 25th for a show at the Troubadour here in Hollywood.

-Margarita Castellanos

The Silent Comedy is a unique mix of heart-felt melodies and western grit. After a busy year of touring, sold out EPs and the exit of violinist Ian Kesterson, we caught up with Joshua Zimmerman (vocals/guitar/bass) to pick his brain.

Is being a band from San Diego, in your opinion, easier than being a band from Los Angeles?
Every city has unique challenges for emerging bands. San Diego is no different, but this city has been experiencing a renaissance in the past few years.

The bands image is very western meets 1920’s. Was this a planned thing?
Our aesthetic has been a part of the band since the very beginning. It developed from my love of early film, and the time period that surrounded it (early 1900s). Some of the members of the band brought their personal style to the stage, and it spread to everyone.

More…

–Kimberly Brown

Fellow Los Angelinos (and Los Angelinas of course…),

After a seizure inducing 2 months of polling and voting and number churning and link pasting… HABEMUS POLL WINNER!

Congrats to celestial electronic dude of Baths, who preceded rootsy psych-pop charmers Pepper Rabbit and dreamy electro-droners Superhumanoids, who got a nice push from our Deli writers. Here’s a picture of Mr. Baths for the ladies… and here’s the full list of our Best of LA 2010 Emerging Artists Poll:

Artist J W F OS TOTAL   1 Baths 5   0.088   5.088 2 Pepper Rabbit 3 1 0.009 1 5.009 3 Superhumanoids 3 2 0.004   5.004 4 Lord Huron 5   0.002   5.002 5 Queen Caveat 3   1.5   4.5 6 Incan Abraham 3   0.282 1 4.282 7 White Arrows 4   0.062   4.062 8 Grouplove 4   0.005   4.005 9 The Filthy Violets     3 0.5 3.5 10 Summer Darling 3   0.037   3.037 11 Foster The People 3   0.013   3.013 12 Teen Inc 3   0.004   3.004 13  The Hunting Accident 3   0.003   3.003 14 Taylor Loche & The Roughs 2   1   3 15 Patrick Joseph     2 0.75 2.75 16 John Carpenter 2   0.06   2.06 17 Sea of Cortez 2   0.037   2.037  18 Nosaj Thing 2   0.009   2.009 19 Letting Up Despite Great Faults   1 0.007 0.5 1.507 20 Red Circle Underground 1   0.5   1.5 21 Dylan Trees     0.317 1 1.317 22 He’s My Brother She’s My Sister     0.076 1 1.076 23 A House for Lions 1   0.074   1.074 24 The Smiles 1   0.066   1.066 25 White Fence     0.062 1 1.062 26 Cannoneers     0.056 1 1.056 27 Hands 1   0.047   1.047 28  Polls 1   0.022   1.022 29 Big Whup 1   0.015   1.015 30 Michael Nhat     0.01 1 1.01 31 The Black Apples   1 0.006   1.006 32 Infantree   1 0.005   1.005 33 The Fling   1 0.005   1.005 34 Mike Runion 1   0.003   1.003 35 Ceci Bastida   1 0.002   1.002 36 Mad Planet     0.08 0.75 0.83 37 Hot As Sun     0.044 0.75 0.794 38 Fight From Above     0.037 0.75 0.787 39 Chasing Kings     0.032 0.75 0.782 40 Eastern Conference Champion     0.029 0.75 0.779 41 George Glass     0.002 0.75 0.752 42 Tara Priya     0.229 0.5 0.729 43 The Mighty Regis     0.099 0.5 0.599 44 Manhattan Murder Mystery     0.033 0.5 0.533 Legend: J = Jury – OS = Open Submissions – W = Deli Writers – F = Fans

Thanks to all the jurors and the bands and the fans who helped us put together this list of artists. Please don’t take our poll too seriously (but not even too lightly, as these are great new bands!), we see it as a fun, playful way to give exposure to deserving emerging local artists, and as an opportunity to keep our finger on the LA scene’s pulse.

The Deli’s Staff

Blame it on the… aliens? Aaron Bruno of AWOLNATION has a close encounter in the music video for his single "Sail", released days ago. The video also sports the updated mix of the song that will appear on his album Megalithic Symphony, due to make contact on March 15th.

If AWOLNATION’s debut album is any indicator, you should be marking your calendars for Megalithic Symphony. Back From Earth, was a tasty mix of Electric 6, Mark Ronson, and UNKLE flavored tracks. Now if I could only get one of those space helmets…

-Angelo Lorenzo

If Elton John and Aretha Franklin has an impromptu jam session, it might sound like the soulful duo David & Devine. In just under a year, they’ve gained support from fans, friends and celebrities, allowing them to release their upcoming self-titled debut EP and music video for the single, "Til the Sun Comes Up", both due on Feb. 22nd. Finding the missing link to their fans through Kickstarter.com, the duo were able to raise almost $8,000 to create their forthcoming Sci-fi thriller-themed music video directed and produced by Cullen Wright and Cypress House.

"When Dave and I met it was immediately comfortable," Devine remembers. "Our voices had a great blend and we genuinely enjoyed singing together. Our writing styles were really compatible right off the bat, too. We write what we love, songs that are catchy and have a soul. If they get stuck in our heads and make us say ‘ah yea!’ at the same time, we’re happy."

Following the release of their EP, the duo will be playing the Hotel Cafe on Feb. 26th.

-From the Open Blog

What is probably the most important phase of our L.A. Best of 2010 poll, the FAN’S vote, has left us with some fresh new bands to become obsessed with. 

The Filthy Violets reign as #1. The band formed in late fall of 2010, played a couple shows in December, recorded some jams, and won our fans poll…not a bad way to start the new year! They resonate pure rock, nothing too fancy, which is hard to find these days. With their catchy, witty lyrics and great onstage chemistry, you’d think they have been playing together for years.  

In 2nd place is singer/songwriter Patrick Joseph. Whether it be the mellow acoustics or the heart-wrenching piano keys, Patrick’s music and deep-rooted lyrics will have you swooning. He released his full-length LP "Antiques" in November of 2010. One reviewer compared it to Radiohead’s "OK Computer", and I can’t help but mention his similarities to Jeff Buckley, in both his looks and his music style.  

Angst-ridden, rock-n-roll quartet Queen Caveat bursts into our 3rd place spot. Lead singer Lauren Little is a bombshell with a striking resemblance to Cherie Curry, and the band sounds like what might have happened if The Yeah Yeah Yeahs and The Runaways had a jam session. They played a couple shows at The Viper Room last month and shredded it to pieces, and their 4 track EP "Emptor" was released last summer. 

And there you have it, the 3 completely different artists that comprise the tip top of our fan’s poll. All completely talented emerging artists showcase the diversity of the Los Angeles music scene, and we can’t wait to see what they hold for us in 2011!!

–Jenna Putnam