Kevin Bronson's Buzz Bands is back

For those of you who miss Kevin Bronson’s hyper-local coverage of the L.A. indie rock scene, Buzz Bands is back. The former, longtime music writer for the L.A. Times has resurrected his local music column and is now blogging daily at buzzbands.la. Bronson, a fixture of sorts wherever there's beer, baseball or buzzing guitars, is already back on the scene with local reviews, news, daily concert picks and exclusives. He launched the blog, which isn't affiliated with the L.A. Times, on Sept. 22. Beginning next week, he’ll have M83’s touring keyboardist/vocalist Morgan Kibby filing posts from the road. Suffice it to say, we’ll be checking in.

-- Charlie Amter

Photo of Kevin "chillaxing" at a past Coachella, courtesy of Kevin Bronson's award-winning Myspace page with permission from the man himself.

CORRECTION: The original post stated that M83's touring keyboardist/vocalist's name was Morgan Kilby. It's Morgan Kibby.

L.A.'s indie scene has long been fertile territory for teen-soap-opera music supervisors, but who else caught the lengthy Division Day aside on Tuesday's premiere of the new "90210"? In it, protagonist/perpetual grinner Annie Wilson (Shenae Grimes) is enduring a rough day at West Beverly High when new frenemy Silver (Jessica Stroup) spots a certain sticker on her school folder advertising a gauzy local post-punk quartet. "Don't they have, like, eight fans total?" she asks Annie, which means that whatever twentysomething Highland Park-residing scriptwriter assistant working on the show truly knows the scene of which he or she speaks. 

Hopefully, it'll earn some traction for the band, who have been pushing various editions of their proper and worth-revisiting debut, "Beartrap Island," for what seems like forever. This pretty hackish revision of "90210," if it lasts, might eventually do for the local rock scene what "Gossip Girl" has done for the swirling vortex of Gawker microcelebrity. Cory Kennedy even showed up at one of the girl's birthday parties about two years too late to matter!

-- August Brown

P.S. Full disclosure: Division Day drummer Kevin Lenhart once played drums at a studio session of a mercifully short-lived country band I was in a few years ago.

Photo courtesy of divisionday.com

On Tuesday night, I showed up a little early at the Mayan for Bloc Party, whose intricately austere set confirmed they are rapidly becoming contemporary post-punk's ELO, which is needed and awesome. Opener Does It Offend You, Yeah? (whom I've covered before, and liked) surprised me yet again,  because, judging by the audience squeals of hormonal delight at the "Let's Make Out" intro, they seem to have fully crossed over into L.A.'s idiosyncratic sorority-punk mainstream.

But the big surprise of the night was the first opener Friendly Fires, who pulled off a trick I've been waiting for a band to fully realize -- that cowbell-heavy Liquid Liquid dance beats would sound fantastic with gigantic shoegaze-ambient guitars and the shimmering house synths that too many peers, such as M83, can't seem to use right. 

Technorati Profile

Under the Influence of Giants is no longer under the influence of Island Records, which is why you'll find the L.A. quartet manning the Monday residency this month at Spaceland. With the paperwork on the band/label divorce being finalized, the foursome -- with new management and new songs -- got back to business last week, bringing its Bee Gees-on-steroids dance-rock to Silver Lake and almost filling the room.

Before setting out to make their mark on the post-punk landscape, Leonard Jackson and Ian Schaeffer --  pals from their day jobs at Guitar Center -- left their marks on plenty of bottles of beer. “We were drinking buddies first, and we’d sit around and philosophize about how things should be,” Jackson says. “Once we’d created our utopian band model, we realized there was no other solution but to do it.”

Now, singer-guitarist Jackson and bassist Schaeffer, along with guitarist Greg Smith and drummer Tom DuPree III, have moved forward as the Forward. Their debut album, “Nothing But Teeth” (due Sept. 9), showcases the quartet’s quick-hitting guitars, agitated rhythms and the wry, literate songs Jackson conceived during long hours of hawking merchandise that helped other artists realize their dreams.

Steve Aoki or N.E.R.D.? DJ A-Trak or MSTRKRFT? Kid Sister or Danny Masterson?

Those and other weighty questions (OK, so two of them were difficult, anyway) face attendees at the inaugural Hard Summer Music Festival, scheduled for July 19. An exclusive preview of the event's two-stage lineup reveals some interesting head-to-head match-ups. One stage will be erected outside the Shrine Auditorium in downtown L.A.; the other will be indoors. The all-ages event -- staged by the same folks who put on the Hard New Year's Eve fest in downtown L.A. -- will feature ambitious visuals and demonstrations from street skater Terry Kennedy and friends.

Capacity is 7,500 and ticket sales are said to be brisk.

After the jump, the schedule for Hard:

Everything about electro-pop trio Hearts of Palm U.K. seems a little coy, except the music.

The group hails from Echo Park, not England (keeping the “U.K.” appellation draped in mystery), and isn’t even a band but more a project of songwriter Erica Elektra — whose surname, of course, is merely something she adopted after almost being electrocuted while playing bass in the basement of her New York City apartment. Friends Frankie Rose and Billy Kaye (ahem .... not their real names; they’re to Elektra’s right in the photo) have come aboard to help Elektra shape the songs that emerged from “the sorts of things that come with the end of a long-term relationship,” she says.

The Little Ones, who lost their U.S. record deal with EMI/Astralwerks early this year, have been signed to Chop Shop Records, the year-old imprint that was spun off Chop Shop Music, the music supervision company that has curated the soundtracks to television shows such as "The O.C.," "Grey's Anatomy," "Gossip Girl" and "Boston Public," among others. Look for the Little Ones' debut album, "Morning Tide," to finally be released in September -- more than two years after their "Sing Song" EP marked the L.A. outfit as a band to watch.

"They're growing and we're growing," singer-guitarist Ed Reyes says. "It's back to basics for us -- it's great to deal with a group of people who are enthusiastic about our music."

I first met The 88 more than five years ago. Picking my way through the post-show crowd outside Spaceland, keyboardist Adam Merrin was among three or four people fliering to promote their bands. Only Merrin was handing out sampler CDs with The 88's fliers.

"I used to hate passing out fliers, but the idea of handing out music made sense," Merrin says of the tack that helped build the band a strong L.A. following. "We did that a long time."

No overnight sensations, these guys. After two DIY albums and more than 40 song placements in films, television shows and commericals, the 88 signed with Island and are releasing their major-label debut in August, and kicking off the campaign with a show as part of the Sunset Strip Music Festival. When I talked to them last week, they were pretty much the same dudes I'd run into pounding the pavement outside local clubs.

||| Stream: "Coming Home"

||| Live: The 88 plays the Roxy on Saturday night.

After the jump, check out my story from today's print edition of The Guide.

--Kevin Bronson

Photo: Keith Slettedahl, left, Adam Merrin and Anthony Zimmitti of the 88 by Liz O. Baylen / Los Angeles Times

Trenton Guinta, left, of San Dimas, and Ian DeLucca of Long Beach work their exit strategy as the opening day of Warped Tour comes to an end.

||| See: After a show Saturday in San Francisco, the Warped Tour returns to the Southland on Sunday for a date at Seaside Park in Ventura. And the tour comes to a close Aug. 17 at the Home Depot Center in Carson.

--Kevin Bronson

Did you catch the Division Day reference in the '90210' premiere?

L.A.'s indie scene has long been fertile territory for teen-soap-opera music supervisors, but who else caught the lengthy Division Day aside on Tuesday's premiere of the new "90210"? In it, protagonist/perpetual grinner Annie Wilson (Shenae Grimes) is enduring a rough day at West Beverly High when new frenemy Silver (Jessica Stroup) spots a certain sticker on her school folder advertising a gauzy local post-punk quartet. "Don't they have, like, eight fans total?" she asks Annie, which means that whatever twentysomething Highland Park-residing scriptwriter assistant working on the show truly knows the scene of which he or she speaks. 

Hopefully, it'll earn some traction for the band, who have been pushing various editions of their proper and worth-revisiting debut, "Beartrap Island," for what seems like forever. This pretty hackish revision of "90210," if it lasts, might eventually do for the local rock scene what "Gossip Girl" has done for the swirling vortex of Gawker microcelebrity. Cory Kennedy even showed up at one of the girl's birthday parties about two years too late to matter!

-- August Brown

P.S. Full disclosure: Division Day drummer Kevin Lenhart once played drums at a studio session of a mercifully short-lived country band I was in a few years ago.

Photo courtesy of divisionday.com

On Tuesday night, I showed up a little early at the Mayan for Bloc Party, whose intricately austere set confirmed they are rapidly becoming contemporary post-punk's ELO, which is needed and awesome. Opener Does It Offend You, Yeah? (whom I've covered before, and liked) surprised me yet again,  because, judging by the audience squeals of hormonal delight at the "Let's Make Out" intro, they seem to have fully crossed over into L.A.'s idiosyncratic sorority-punk mainstream.

But the big surprise of the night was the first opener Friendly Fires, who pulled off a trick I've been waiting for a band to fully realize -- that cowbell-heavy Liquid Liquid dance beats would sound fantastic with gigantic shoegaze-ambient guitars and the shimmering house synths that too many peers, such as M83, can't seem to use right. 

Technorati Profile

Under the Influence of Giants is no longer under the influence of Island Records, which is why you'll find the L.A. quartet manning the Monday residency this month at Spaceland. With the paperwork on the band/label divorce being finalized, the foursome -- with new management and new songs -- got back to business last week, bringing its Bee Gees-on-steroids dance-rock to Silver Lake and almost filling the room.

Before setting out to make their mark on the post-punk landscape, Leonard Jackson and Ian Schaeffer --  pals from their day jobs at Guitar Center -- left their marks on plenty of bottles of beer. “We were drinking buddies first, and we’d sit around and philosophize about how things should be,” Jackson says. “Once we’d created our utopian band model, we realized there was no other solution but to do it.”

Now, singer-guitarist Jackson and bassist Schaeffer, along with guitarist Greg Smith and drummer Tom DuPree III, have moved forward as the Forward. Their debut album, “Nothing But Teeth” (due Sept. 9), showcases the quartet’s quick-hitting guitars, agitated rhythms and the wry, literate songs Jackson conceived during long hours of hawking merchandise that helped other artists realize their dreams.

Steve Aoki or N.E.R.D.? DJ A-Trak or MSTRKRFT? Kid Sister or Danny Masterson?

Those and other weighty questions (OK, so two of them were difficult, anyway) face attendees at the inaugural Hard Summer Music Festival, scheduled for July 19. An exclusive preview of the event's two-stage lineup reveals some interesting head-to-head match-ups. One stage will be erected outside the Shrine Auditorium in downtown L.A.; the other will be indoors. The all-ages event -- staged by the same folks who put on the Hard New Year's Eve fest in downtown L.A. -- will feature ambitious visuals and demonstrations from street skater Terry Kennedy and friends.

Capacity is 7,500 and ticket sales are said to be brisk.

After the jump, the schedule for Hard:

Everything about electro-pop trio Hearts of Palm U.K. seems a little coy, except the music.

The group hails from Echo Park, not England (keeping the “U.K.” appellation draped in mystery), and isn’t even a band but more a project of songwriter Erica Elektra — whose surname, of course, is merely something she adopted after almost being electrocuted while playing bass in the basement of her New York City apartment. Friends Frankie Rose and Billy Kaye (ahem .... not their real names; they’re to Elektra’s right in the photo) have come aboard to help Elektra shape the songs that emerged from “the sorts of things that come with the end of a long-term relationship,” she says.

The Little Ones, who lost their U.S. record deal with EMI/Astralwerks early this year, have been signed to Chop Shop Records, the year-old imprint that was spun off Chop Shop Music, the music supervision company that has curated the soundtracks to television shows such as "The O.C.," "Grey's Anatomy," "Gossip Girl" and "Boston Public," among others. Look for the Little Ones' debut album, "Morning Tide," to finally be released in September -- more than two years after their "Sing Song" EP marked the L.A. outfit as a band to watch.

"They're growing and we're growing," singer-guitarist Ed Reyes says. "It's back to basics for us -- it's great to deal with a group of people who are enthusiastic about our music."

I first met The 88 more than five years ago. Picking my way through the post-show crowd outside Spaceland, keyboardist Adam Merrin was among three or four people fliering to promote their bands. Only Merrin was handing out sampler CDs with The 88's fliers.

"I used to hate passing out fliers, but the idea of handing out music made sense," Merrin says of the tack that helped build the band a strong L.A. following. "We did that a long time."

No overnight sensations, these guys. After two DIY albums and more than 40 song placements in films, television shows and commericals, the 88 signed with Island and are releasing their major-label debut in August, and kicking off the campaign with a show as part of the Sunset Strip Music Festival. When I talked to them last week, they were pretty much the same dudes I'd run into pounding the pavement outside local clubs.

||| Stream: "Coming Home"

||| Live: The 88 plays the Roxy on Saturday night.

After the jump, check out my story from today's print edition of The Guide.

--Kevin Bronson

Photo: Keith Slettedahl, left, Adam Merrin and Anthony Zimmitti of the 88 by Liz O. Baylen / Los Angeles Times

Trenton Guinta, left, of San Dimas, and Ian DeLucca of Long Beach work their exit strategy as the opening day of Warped Tour comes to an end.

||| See: After a show Saturday in San Francisco, the Warped Tour returns to the Southland on Sunday for a date at Seaside Park in Ventura. And the tour comes to a close Aug. 17 at the Home Depot Center in Carson.

--Kevin Bronson

Friendly Fires gaze at their shoes, find them dancing

On Tuesday night, I showed up a little early at the Mayan for Bloc Party, whose intricately austere set confirmed they are rapidly becoming contemporary post-punk's ELO, which is needed and awesome. Opener Does It Offend You, Yeah? (whom I've covered before, and liked) surprised me yet again,  because, judging by the audience squeals of hormonal delight at the "Let's Make Out" intro, they seem to have fully crossed over into L.A.'s idiosyncratic sorority-punk mainstream.

But the big surprise of the night was the first opener Friendly Fires, who pulled off a trick I've been waiting for a band to fully realize -- that cowbell-heavy Liquid Liquid dance beats would sound fantastic with gigantic shoegaze-ambient guitars and the shimmering house synths that too many peers, such as M83, can't seem to use right. 

Technorati Profile

Under the Influence of Giants is no longer under the influence of Island Records, which is why you'll find the L.A. quartet manning the Monday residency this month at Spaceland. With the paperwork on the band/label divorce being finalized, the foursome -- with new management and new songs -- got back to business last week, bringing its Bee Gees-on-steroids dance-rock to Silver Lake and almost filling the room.

Before setting out to make their mark on the post-punk landscape, Leonard Jackson and Ian Schaeffer --  pals from their day jobs at Guitar Center -- left their marks on plenty of bottles of beer. “We were drinking buddies first, and we’d sit around and philosophize about how things should be,” Jackson says. “Once we’d created our utopian band model, we realized there was no other solution but to do it.”

Now, singer-guitarist Jackson and bassist Schaeffer, along with guitarist Greg Smith and drummer Tom DuPree III, have moved forward as the Forward. Their debut album, “Nothing But Teeth” (due Sept. 9), showcases the quartet’s quick-hitting guitars, agitated rhythms and the wry, literate songs Jackson conceived during long hours of hawking merchandise that helped other artists realize their dreams.

Steve Aoki or N.E.R.D.? DJ A-Trak or MSTRKRFT? Kid Sister or Danny Masterson?

Those and other weighty questions (OK, so two of them were difficult, anyway) face attendees at the inaugural Hard Summer Music Festival, scheduled for July 19. An exclusive preview of the event's two-stage lineup reveals some interesting head-to-head match-ups. One stage will be erected outside the Shrine Auditorium in downtown L.A.; the other will be indoors. The all-ages event -- staged by the same folks who put on the Hard New Year's Eve fest in downtown L.A. -- will feature ambitious visuals and demonstrations from street skater Terry Kennedy and friends.

Capacity is 7,500 and ticket sales are said to be brisk.

After the jump, the schedule for Hard:

Everything about electro-pop trio Hearts of Palm U.K. seems a little coy, except the music.

The group hails from Echo Park, not England (keeping the “U.K.” appellation draped in mystery), and isn’t even a band but more a project of songwriter Erica Elektra — whose surname, of course, is merely something she adopted after almost being electrocuted while playing bass in the basement of her New York City apartment. Friends Frankie Rose and Billy Kaye (ahem .... not their real names; they’re to Elektra’s right in the photo) have come aboard to help Elektra shape the songs that emerged from “the sorts of things that come with the end of a long-term relationship,” she says.

The Little Ones, who lost their U.S. record deal with EMI/Astralwerks early this year, have been signed to Chop Shop Records, the year-old imprint that was spun off Chop Shop Music, the music supervision company that has curated the soundtracks to television shows such as "The O.C.," "Grey's Anatomy," "Gossip Girl" and "Boston Public," among others. Look for the Little Ones' debut album, "Morning Tide," to finally be released in September -- more than two years after their "Sing Song" EP marked the L.A. outfit as a band to watch.

"They're growing and we're growing," singer-guitarist Ed Reyes says. "It's back to basics for us -- it's great to deal with a group of people who are enthusiastic about our music."

I first met The 88 more than five years ago. Picking my way through the post-show crowd outside Spaceland, keyboardist Adam Merrin was among three or four people fliering to promote their bands. Only Merrin was handing out sampler CDs with The 88's fliers.

"I used to hate passing out fliers, but the idea of handing out music made sense," Merrin says of the tack that helped build the band a strong L.A. following. "We did that a long time."

No overnight sensations, these guys. After two DIY albums and more than 40 song placements in films, television shows and commericals, the 88 signed with Island and are releasing their major-label debut in August, and kicking off the campaign with a show as part of the Sunset Strip Music Festival. When I talked to them last week, they were pretty much the same dudes I'd run into pounding the pavement outside local clubs.

||| Stream: "Coming Home"

||| Live: The 88 plays the Roxy on Saturday night.

After the jump, check out my story from today's print edition of The Guide.

--Kevin Bronson

Photo: Keith Slettedahl, left, Adam Merrin and Anthony Zimmitti of the 88 by Liz O. Baylen / Los Angeles Times

Trenton Guinta, left, of San Dimas, and Ian DeLucca of Long Beach work their exit strategy as the opening day of Warped Tour comes to an end.

||| See: After a show Saturday in San Francisco, the Warped Tour returns to the Southland on Sunday for a date at Seaside Park in Ventura. And the tour comes to a close Aug. 17 at the Home Depot Center in Carson.

--Kevin Bronson

Buzz Bands: Under the Influence of Giants gets a new start in Silver Lake

Under the Influence of Giants is no longer under the influence of Island Records, which is why you'll find the L.A. quartet manning the Monday residency this month at Spaceland. With the paperwork on the band/label divorce being finalized, the foursome -- with new management and new songs -- got back to business last week, bringing its Bee Gees-on-steroids dance-rock to Silver Lake and almost filling the room.

Before setting out to make their mark on the post-punk landscape, Leonard Jackson and Ian Schaeffer --  pals from their day jobs at Guitar Center -- left their marks on plenty of bottles of beer. “We were drinking buddies first, and we’d sit around and philosophize about how things should be,” Jackson says. “Once we’d created our utopian band model, we realized there was no other solution but to do it.”

Now, singer-guitarist Jackson and bassist Schaeffer, along with guitarist Greg Smith and drummer Tom DuPree III, have moved forward as the Forward. Their debut album, “Nothing But Teeth” (due Sept. 9), showcases the quartet’s quick-hitting guitars, agitated rhythms and the wry, literate songs Jackson conceived during long hours of hawking merchandise that helped other artists realize their dreams.

Steve Aoki or N.E.R.D.? DJ A-Trak or MSTRKRFT? Kid Sister or Danny Masterson?

Those and other weighty questions (OK, so two of them were difficult, anyway) face attendees at the inaugural Hard Summer Music Festival, scheduled for July 19. An exclusive preview of the event's two-stage lineup reveals some interesting head-to-head match-ups. One stage will be erected outside the Shrine Auditorium in downtown L.A.; the other will be indoors. The all-ages event -- staged by the same folks who put on the Hard New Year's Eve fest in downtown L.A. -- will feature ambitious visuals and demonstrations from street skater Terry Kennedy and friends.

Capacity is 7,500 and ticket sales are said to be brisk.

After the jump, the schedule for Hard:

Everything about electro-pop trio Hearts of Palm U.K. seems a little coy, except the music.

The group hails from Echo Park, not England (keeping the “U.K.” appellation draped in mystery), and isn’t even a band but more a project of songwriter Erica Elektra — whose surname, of course, is merely something she adopted after almost being electrocuted while playing bass in the basement of her New York City apartment. Friends Frankie Rose and Billy Kaye (ahem .... not their real names; they’re to Elektra’s right in the photo) have come aboard to help Elektra shape the songs that emerged from “the sorts of things that come with the end of a long-term relationship,” she says.

The Little Ones, who lost their U.S. record deal with EMI/Astralwerks early this year, have been signed to Chop Shop Records, the year-old imprint that was spun off Chop Shop Music, the music supervision company that has curated the soundtracks to television shows such as "The O.C.," "Grey's Anatomy," "Gossip Girl" and "Boston Public," among others. Look for the Little Ones' debut album, "Morning Tide," to finally be released in September -- more than two years after their "Sing Song" EP marked the L.A. outfit as a band to watch.

"They're growing and we're growing," singer-guitarist Ed Reyes says. "It's back to basics for us -- it's great to deal with a group of people who are enthusiastic about our music."

I first met The 88 more than five years ago. Picking my way through the post-show crowd outside Spaceland, keyboardist Adam Merrin was among three or four people fliering to promote their bands. Only Merrin was handing out sampler CDs with The 88's fliers.

"I used to hate passing out fliers, but the idea of handing out music made sense," Merrin says of the tack that helped build the band a strong L.A. following. "We did that a long time."

No overnight sensations, these guys. After two DIY albums and more than 40 song placements in films, television shows and commericals, the 88 signed with Island and are releasing their major-label debut in August, and kicking off the campaign with a show as part of the Sunset Strip Music Festival. When I talked to them last week, they were pretty much the same dudes I'd run into pounding the pavement outside local clubs.

||| Stream: "Coming Home"

||| Live: The 88 plays the Roxy on Saturday night.

After the jump, check out my story from today's print edition of The Guide.

--Kevin Bronson

Photo: Keith Slettedahl, left, Adam Merrin and Anthony Zimmitti of the 88 by Liz O. Baylen / Los Angeles Times

Trenton Guinta, left, of San Dimas, and Ian DeLucca of Long Beach work their exit strategy as the opening day of Warped Tour comes to an end.

||| See: After a show Saturday in San Francisco, the Warped Tour returns to the Southland on Sunday for a date at Seaside Park in Ventura. And the tour comes to a close Aug. 17 at the Home Depot Center in Carson.

--Kevin Bronson

Buzz Bands: The Forward’s new direction

Before setting out to make their mark on the post-punk landscape, Leonard Jackson and Ian Schaeffer --  pals from their day jobs at Guitar Center -- left their marks on plenty of bottles of beer. “We were drinking buddies first, and we’d sit around and philosophize about how things should be,” Jackson says. “Once we’d created our utopian band model, we realized there was no other solution but to do it.”

Now, singer-guitarist Jackson and bassist Schaeffer, along with guitarist Greg Smith and drummer Tom DuPree III, have moved forward as the Forward. Their debut album, “Nothing But Teeth” (due Sept. 9), showcases the quartet’s quick-hitting guitars, agitated rhythms and the wry, literate songs Jackson conceived during long hours of hawking merchandise that helped other artists realize their dreams.

Steve Aoki or N.E.R.D.? DJ A-Trak or MSTRKRFT? Kid Sister or Danny Masterson?

Those and other weighty questions (OK, so two of them were difficult, anyway) face attendees at the inaugural Hard Summer Music Festival, scheduled for July 19. An exclusive preview of the event's two-stage lineup reveals some interesting head-to-head match-ups. One stage will be erected outside the Shrine Auditorium in downtown L.A.; the other will be indoors. The all-ages event -- staged by the same folks who put on the Hard New Year's Eve fest in downtown L.A. -- will feature ambitious visuals and demonstrations from street skater Terry Kennedy and friends.

Capacity is 7,500 and ticket sales are said to be brisk.

After the jump, the schedule for Hard:

Everything about electro-pop trio Hearts of Palm U.K. seems a little coy, except the music.

The group hails from Echo Park, not England (keeping the “U.K.” appellation draped in mystery), and isn’t even a band but more a project of songwriter Erica Elektra — whose surname, of course, is merely something she adopted after almost being electrocuted while playing bass in the basement of her New York City apartment. Friends Frankie Rose and Billy Kaye (ahem .... not their real names; they’re to Elektra’s right in the photo) have come aboard to help Elektra shape the songs that emerged from “the sorts of things that come with the end of a long-term relationship,” she says.

The Little Ones, who lost their U.S. record deal with EMI/Astralwerks early this year, have been signed to Chop Shop Records, the year-old imprint that was spun off Chop Shop Music, the music supervision company that has curated the soundtracks to television shows such as "The O.C.," "Grey's Anatomy," "Gossip Girl" and "Boston Public," among others. Look for the Little Ones' debut album, "Morning Tide," to finally be released in September -- more than two years after their "Sing Song" EP marked the L.A. outfit as a band to watch.

"They're growing and we're growing," singer-guitarist Ed Reyes says. "It's back to basics for us -- it's great to deal with a group of people who are enthusiastic about our music."

I first met The 88 more than five years ago. Picking my way through the post-show crowd outside Spaceland, keyboardist Adam Merrin was among three or four people fliering to promote their bands. Only Merrin was handing out sampler CDs with The 88's fliers.

"I used to hate passing out fliers, but the idea of handing out music made sense," Merrin says of the tack that helped build the band a strong L.A. following. "We did that a long time."

No overnight sensations, these guys. After two DIY albums and more than 40 song placements in films, television shows and commericals, the 88 signed with Island and are releasing their major-label debut in August, and kicking off the campaign with a show as part of the Sunset Strip Music Festival. When I talked to them last week, they were pretty much the same dudes I'd run into pounding the pavement outside local clubs.

||| Stream: "Coming Home"

||| Live: The 88 plays the Roxy on Saturday night.

After the jump, check out my story from today's print edition of The Guide.

--Kevin Bronson

Photo: Keith Slettedahl, left, Adam Merrin and Anthony Zimmitti of the 88 by Liz O. Baylen / Los Angeles Times

Trenton Guinta, left, of San Dimas, and Ian DeLucca of Long Beach work their exit strategy as the opening day of Warped Tour comes to an end.

||| See: After a show Saturday in San Francisco, the Warped Tour returns to the Southland on Sunday for a date at Seaside Park in Ventura. And the tour comes to a close Aug. 17 at the Home Depot Center in Carson.

--Kevin Bronson

Exclusive: Hard Festival lineup to make for some hard choices

Steve Aoki or N.E.R.D.? DJ A-Trak or MSTRKRFT? Kid Sister or Danny Masterson?

Those and other weighty questions (OK, so two of them were difficult, anyway) face attendees at the inaugural Hard Summer Music Festival, scheduled for July 19. An exclusive preview of the event's two-stage lineup reveals some interesting head-to-head match-ups. One stage will be erected outside the Shrine Auditorium in downtown L.A.; the other will be indoors. The all-ages event -- staged by the same folks who put on the Hard New Year's Eve fest in downtown L.A. -- will feature ambitious visuals and demonstrations from street skater Terry Kennedy and friends.

Capacity is 7,500 and ticket sales are said to be brisk.

After the jump, the schedule for Hard:

Everything about electro-pop trio Hearts of Palm U.K. seems a little coy, except the music.

The group hails from Echo Park, not England (keeping the “U.K.” appellation draped in mystery), and isn’t even a band but more a project of songwriter Erica Elektra — whose surname, of course, is merely something she adopted after almost being electrocuted while playing bass in the basement of her New York City apartment. Friends Frankie Rose and Billy Kaye (ahem .... not their real names; they’re to Elektra’s right in the photo) have come aboard to help Elektra shape the songs that emerged from “the sorts of things that come with the end of a long-term relationship,” she says.

The Little Ones, who lost their U.S. record deal with EMI/Astralwerks early this year, have been signed to Chop Shop Records, the year-old imprint that was spun off Chop Shop Music, the music supervision company that has curated the soundtracks to television shows such as "The O.C.," "Grey's Anatomy," "Gossip Girl" and "Boston Public," among others. Look for the Little Ones' debut album, "Morning Tide," to finally be released in September -- more than two years after their "Sing Song" EP marked the L.A. outfit as a band to watch.

"They're growing and we're growing," singer-guitarist Ed Reyes says. "It's back to basics for us -- it's great to deal with a group of people who are enthusiastic about our music."

I first met The 88 more than five years ago. Picking my way through the post-show crowd outside Spaceland, keyboardist Adam Merrin was among three or four people fliering to promote their bands. Only Merrin was handing out sampler CDs with The 88's fliers.

"I used to hate passing out fliers, but the idea of handing out music made sense," Merrin says of the tack that helped build the band a strong L.A. following. "We did that a long time."

No overnight sensations, these guys. After two DIY albums and more than 40 song placements in films, television shows and commericals, the 88 signed with Island and are releasing their major-label debut in August, and kicking off the campaign with a show as part of the Sunset Strip Music Festival. When I talked to them last week, they were pretty much the same dudes I'd run into pounding the pavement outside local clubs.

||| Stream: "Coming Home"

||| Live: The 88 plays the Roxy on Saturday night.

After the jump, check out my story from today's print edition of The Guide.

--Kevin Bronson

Photo: Keith Slettedahl, left, Adam Merrin and Anthony Zimmitti of the 88 by Liz O. Baylen / Los Angeles Times

Trenton Guinta, left, of San Dimas, and Ian DeLucca of Long Beach work their exit strategy as the opening day of Warped Tour comes to an end.

||| See: After a show Saturday in San Francisco, the Warped Tour returns to the Southland on Sunday for a date at Seaside Park in Ventura. And the tour comes to a close Aug. 17 at the Home Depot Center in Carson.

--Kevin Bronson

Buzz Bands: Hearts of Palm U.K.’s sly electro-pop

Everything about electro-pop trio Hearts of Palm U.K. seems a little coy, except the music.

The group hails from Echo Park, not England (keeping the “U.K.” appellation draped in mystery), and isn’t even a band but more a project of songwriter Erica Elektra — whose surname, of course, is merely something she adopted after almost being electrocuted while playing bass in the basement of her New York City apartment. Friends Frankie Rose and Billy Kaye (ahem .... not their real names; they’re to Elektra’s right in the photo) have come aboard to help Elektra shape the songs that emerged from “the sorts of things that come with the end of a long-term relationship,” she says.

The Little Ones, who lost their U.S. record deal with EMI/Astralwerks early this year, have been signed to Chop Shop Records, the year-old imprint that was spun off Chop Shop Music, the music supervision company that has curated the soundtracks to television shows such as "The O.C.," "Grey's Anatomy," "Gossip Girl" and "Boston Public," among others. Look for the Little Ones' debut album, "Morning Tide," to finally be released in September -- more than two years after their "Sing Song" EP marked the L.A. outfit as a band to watch.

"They're growing and we're growing," singer-guitarist Ed Reyes says. "It's back to basics for us -- it's great to deal with a group of people who are enthusiastic about our music."

I first met The 88 more than five years ago. Picking my way through the post-show crowd outside Spaceland, keyboardist Adam Merrin was among three or four people fliering to promote their bands. Only Merrin was handing out sampler CDs with The 88's fliers.

"I used to hate passing out fliers, but the idea of handing out music made sense," Merrin says of the tack that helped build the band a strong L.A. following. "We did that a long time."

No overnight sensations, these guys. After two DIY albums and more than 40 song placements in films, television shows and commericals, the 88 signed with Island and are releasing their major-label debut in August, and kicking off the campaign with a show as part of the Sunset Strip Music Festival. When I talked to them last week, they were pretty much the same dudes I'd run into pounding the pavement outside local clubs.

||| Stream: "Coming Home"

||| Live: The 88 plays the Roxy on Saturday night.

After the jump, check out my story from today's print edition of The Guide.

--Kevin Bronson

Photo: Keith Slettedahl, left, Adam Merrin and Anthony Zimmitti of the 88 by Liz O. Baylen / Los Angeles Times

Trenton Guinta, left, of San Dimas, and Ian DeLucca of Long Beach work their exit strategy as the opening day of Warped Tour comes to an end.

||| See: After a show Saturday in San Francisco, the Warped Tour returns to the Southland on Sunday for a date at Seaside Park in Ventura. And the tour comes to a close Aug. 17 at the Home Depot Center in Carson.

--Kevin Bronson

Buzz Bands: Little Ones sign to Chop Shop; album due in September

The Little Ones, who lost their U.S. record deal with EMI/Astralwerks early this year, have been signed to Chop Shop Records, the year-old imprint that was spun off Chop Shop Music, the music supervision company that has curated the soundtracks to television shows such as "The O.C.," "Grey's Anatomy," "Gossip Girl" and "Boston Public," among others. Look for the Little Ones' debut album, "Morning Tide," to finally be released in September -- more than two years after their "Sing Song" EP marked the L.A. outfit as a band to watch.

"They're growing and we're growing," singer-guitarist Ed Reyes says. "It's back to basics for us -- it's great to deal with a group of people who are enthusiastic about our music."

I first met The 88 more than five years ago. Picking my way through the post-show crowd outside Spaceland, keyboardist Adam Merrin was among three or four people fliering to promote their bands. Only Merrin was handing out sampler CDs with The 88's fliers.

"I used to hate passing out fliers, but the idea of handing out music made sense," Merrin says of the tack that helped build the band a strong L.A. following. "We did that a long time."

No overnight sensations, these guys. After two DIY albums and more than 40 song placements in films, television shows and commericals, the 88 signed with Island and are releasing their major-label debut in August, and kicking off the campaign with a show as part of the Sunset Strip Music Festival. When I talked to them last week, they were pretty much the same dudes I'd run into pounding the pavement outside local clubs.

||| Stream: "Coming Home"

||| Live: The 88 plays the Roxy on Saturday night.

After the jump, check out my story from today's print edition of The Guide.

--Kevin Bronson

Photo: Keith Slettedahl, left, Adam Merrin and Anthony Zimmitti of the 88 by Liz O. Baylen / Los Angeles Times

Trenton Guinta, left, of San Dimas, and Ian DeLucca of Long Beach work their exit strategy as the opening day of Warped Tour comes to an end.

||| See: After a show Saturday in San Francisco, the Warped Tour returns to the Southland on Sunday for a date at Seaside Park in Ventura. And the tour comes to a close Aug. 17 at the Home Depot Center in Carson.

--Kevin Bronson

Buzz Bands: The 88 readies its big release (with stream of the single ‘Coming Home’)

I first met The 88 more than five years ago. Picking my way through the post-show crowd outside Spaceland, keyboardist Adam Merrin was among three or four people fliering to promote their bands. Only Merrin was handing out sampler CDs with The 88's fliers.

"I used to hate passing out fliers, but the idea of handing out music made sense," Merrin says of the tack that helped build the band a strong L.A. following. "We did that a long time."

No overnight sensations, these guys. After two DIY albums and more than 40 song placements in films, television shows and commericals, the 88 signed with Island and are releasing their major-label debut in August, and kicking off the campaign with a show as part of the Sunset Strip Music Festival. When I talked to them last week, they were pretty much the same dudes I'd run into pounding the pavement outside local clubs.

||| Stream: "Coming Home"

||| Live: The 88 plays the Roxy on Saturday night.

After the jump, check out my story from today's print edition of The Guide.

--Kevin Bronson

Photo: Keith Slettedahl, left, Adam Merrin and Anthony Zimmitti of the 88 by Liz O. Baylen / Los Angeles Times

Trenton Guinta, left, of San Dimas, and Ian DeLucca of Long Beach work their exit strategy as the opening day of Warped Tour comes to an end.

||| See: After a show Saturday in San Francisco, the Warped Tour returns to the Southland on Sunday for a date at Seaside Park in Ventura. And the tour comes to a close Aug. 17 at the Home Depot Center in Carson.

--Kevin Bronson

Warped Tour: See you later, Pomona

Trenton Guinta, left, of San Dimas, and Ian DeLucca of Long Beach work their exit strategy as the opening day of Warped Tour comes to an end.

||| See: After a show Saturday in San Francisco, the Warped Tour returns to the Southland on Sunday for a date at Seaside Park in Ventura. And the tour comes to a close Aug. 17 at the Home Depot Center in Carson.

--Kevin Bronson