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.

"[Local Natives] makes music that crackles with frenetic beats, agile melodies and cascading harmonies, tightly assembled in songs that advocate, in varying degrees of exuberance and wonderment, the notion that to embrace change is to nourish growth... The band that tonight kicks off a residency at the Silverlake Lounge -- singer-guitarists Taylor Rice and Ryan Hahn, singer-keyboardist Kelcey Ayer, drummer Matt Frazier and [bassist Andy] Hamm (along with violinist Amanda Salazar, who sometimes joins the live lineup) -- was known as Cavil At Rest until last year. But a new musical direction and a more intense focus induced them to turn the page. ...it's the Rice-Ayer-Hahn harmonies, which, while not boy-band sweet, lend a kind of sibling kinship to the melodies. Probably the closest sonic cousins to Local Natives in L.A. would be the Little Ones; [Local Natives' album] Gorilla Manor at other points might remind you of Broken Social Scene, Vampire Weekend or even Arcade Fire, and the band has been known to cover Paul Simon and the Talking Heads." -- Kevin Bronson from Buzz Bands, 2/2/09. Local Natives perform on Sunday at 2:30 PM on the Bates Stage. (Pictured - Soundcheck: Local Natives @ Spaceland, 8/17/09)

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