5 Local Artists to Watch This Weekend @ Sunset Junction

Theresa Wayman, Emily Kokal & Jennifer Lindberg from Warpaint outside Spaceland, 8/9/09 (Holga Polaroids by Renard Garr)

As you may have heard, the 29th annual Sunset Junction Street Festival is this weekend. "I've only attended the last three years, and never knew the festival back in [its] free days," says Brad Roberts from Radio Free Silver Lake. "So, frankly, the cost isn't as much of an issue for me as it is for others. The days of expecting a bankrupt state and federal government to provide something as ephemeral as a music festival, are, unfortunately, relics of the past. I have thoroughly enjoyed myself at the last three, all of which introduced me to many of the local bands who are regular favorites of mine. The cultural mix is a Los Angeles specialty and in spite of occasionally resembling a frying pan, everyone seems to really enjoy themselves, the variety of food available is impressive and the atmosphere remains laid back and So Cal."

And while there's an inclination to go strictly for the headliners -- which this year include Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band, Arrested Development, Morris Day and the Time, Mary Wilson, Sly & Robbie, Built to Spill, and KCRW Morning Becomes Eclectic host Jason Bentley -- ignoring the artists earlier in the daytime is a wasted opportunity to sample many rising stars from the local music scene. Two years ago, those openers included Division Day, The Pity Party and The Parson Redheads, and last year's lineup included The Happy Hollows, Castledoor, and The Henry Clay People.

So here are five local artists we recommend for the festival's opening hours: Miss Derringer, Warpaint, Dengue Fever, Love Grenades, and Local Natives.

"Live, Miss Derringer is a strange, wonderful and strangely photogenic force. On Saturday night at the Knitting Factory, [frontwoman Liz] McGrath and bandmates Morgan Slade (her husband), Lightnin' Bill Woodcock, Sylvain de Muizon and Cody James were at their black-dressed best, showing only a little fatigue from the show's being Day 45 on a tour supporting Girl in a Coma. McGrath's vocals were a little thin (or was it the sound at the Knitting Factory, which I won't miss at all?), but her charisma came through loud and clear -- all playful vamping in a black cocktail dress while her guys played the straight men in black, embroidered Western shirts. It's a winning combination, and it has to be, because Miss Derringer's music doesn't abide any specific genre. ... Miss D's supporters will tell you 'Johnny Cash-meets-Blondie,' and that's a good start. At Saturday's show, I imagined a '50s girl group playing a honky-tonk to a crowd of punk rockers... who possibly needed help with their dance moves. Sweet, boozy and edgy, all at once." -- Kevin Bronson from Buzz Bands, 7/20/09. Miss Derringer performs on Saturday at 12:50 PM on the Bates Stage. (Pictured - Miss Derringer @ Spaceland, 5/29/09)

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