Joshua Pressman

Tonight Spanish electro pop outfit Delorean will be headlining the Troubadour with none other than local indie pop quartet Superhumanoids and Brooklyn-by-way-of-San Francisco electronic trio Lemonade. Pacific Hurt, formerly known as Santa Ana-based indie rockers Aushua, are poised to take on LaBrie's in Glendale. And, lastly, San Franciscan garage rock trio Leopold and His Fiction will be performing at the Silver Lake Lounge. But we strongly suggest heading over to El Cid to catch local experimental indie pop quartet Hands. San Bernardino-bred tropical indie pop duo Naive Thieves are slated to kick things off.

The Henry Clay People did a wonderful job at the 2nd annual Rock n' Roll Circus. With more than a dozen bands performing, free popcorn, face painting, and costumes and decorations in full force, this year's circus was exhilarating. Bands such as Downtown/Union, the Little Ones, Andy Clockwise, and of course the Henry Clay People turned in great sets alongside a slew of other bands performing full-on electric sets or side stage acoustic sets on the patios of the Echo and Echoplex. Attendance seemed down, or at least nowhere near capacity, which is a shame because the event had none of the pretentiousness that so often accompanies rock shows and instead truly felt like a community event. I for one am looking forward to next year.

I've seen Ra Ra Riot many times before and this show at the Music Box at Henry Fonda Theater was no different. The energy they brought when touring for their first album The Rhumb Line was intensified by a thousand this time around for their sophomore album The Orchard. The show never had a dull moment. The energy each member brings lifts you up like a surge of electricity running through your veins and makes you dance and sing to every song. By and large, the highlight of the night was "You and I Know," the debut vocal performance of violinist Alexandra Lawn. Her soft, high ranged vocals made jaws dropped, mixed with the powerful tremolo picking solo of guitarist Milo Bonacci took the show to new epic heights. From the looks of it, there's no stopping these Syracuse, New York natives from taking the indie scene to places its never seen before.

Tonight Grammy-nominated British singer-songwriter, rapper and record producer M.I.A. will be gracing the Mayan Theater with none other than Rye Rye in tow. San Franciscan indie pop outfit the Morning Benders (LAist Review, #2, #3) are poised to...

Tonight Talking Heads splinter, legendary new wave duo Tom Tom Club will be headlining the Echoplex. Local electronic mastermind James Tamborello, otherwise known as Dntel, is poised to take on the Bootleg Theater with none other than LA-based orchestral pop duo the Long Lost, a collaboration between Alfred Darlington (otherwise known as electronic mastermind Daedelus) and his wife Laura. And, lastly, LA-by-way-of-Colorado folk troubadour Patrick Park will be gracing the Echo Park United Methodist Church with local indie rock outfit Sea Wolf (LAist Interview, Review, #2, #3). But we strongly suggest heading over to the Smell in Downtown to catch Oxnard-bred lo-fi garage rock trio Catwalk.

Tonight local alternative rock quintet Maroon 5 will be headlining the Greek Theatre with none other than Bruno Mars in tow. British alternative rockers the Klaxons are poised to perform for a sold-out crowd at the Troubadour. And, lastly, Talking Heads splinter, legendary new wave duo Tom Tom Club will be gracing the Getty Center for free for this month's edition of Saturdays Off the 405. But we strongly suggest heading over to Spaceland to catch Israeli shock rock troupe Monotonix (LAist Review), who will be performing as a part of Filter Magazine's Culture Collide Festival.

Tonight local electro pop singer-songwriter Evan Voytas will be kicking off a month-long residency at the Echo. Local indie rockers Radars to the Sky will be taking on Spaceland with the same intention. And, lastly, LA-based lo-fi, punk-tinged, all-girl trio Wet & Reckless will be starting their residency at the Silver Lake Lounge. But we strongly suggest heading over to Bardot late to catch Brooklyn-based electro-pop maestro George Lewis Jr., or rather, Twin Shadow.

Tonight Akron's crown jewel, blues rock duo the Black Keys will be headlining the Hollywood Palladium with none other than Costa Mesa-based psych rockers the Growlers in tow. LA-bred uber psychedelic drone act Sun Araw are poised to take on the Echo with Onohtrix Point Never. And, lastly, local indie rockers Funeral Party will be performing one last time at Bootleg Theater before leaving for their first major tour. But we strongly suggest heading over to the Masonic Lodge at Hollywood Forever to catch Seattle-based musician Mike Hadrea, otherwise referred to "sad bastard solo project," or rather, Perfume Genius.

Tonight NY-bred indie pop outfit Vampire Weekend (LAist Review, #2, #3, #4) will be headlining the Hollywood Bowl with Baltimore-bred dream pop duo Beach House and the Very Best, an eclectic musical amalgam comprised of London based production duo Radioclit and Malawi-bred crooner Esau Mwamwaya. LA-based experimental punk outfit Abe Vigoda are slated to perform at this year's Abbot Kinney Festival with none other than Long Beach natives Crystal Antlers (LAist Review), Puro Instincto, LA-based alt-rockers Olin & the Moon (LAist Interview), Voxhaul Broadcast, Kenneth Pattengale and many more. Ex-Vivian Girls drummer Frankie Rose & the Outs will be ringing in their debut disc at the Echo with LA-by-way-of-Glasgow retro 50s/60s pop outfit Neverever for this week's edition of Part Time Punks.

In the sea of could-be’s, would-have’s, and maybe’s that is Los Angeles, it seems an impossible feat for any young upstarts to crawl out of the catacombs of the over-saturated music scene here in LA. Local Natives have climbed to the upper tiers of indie-dom and done just that; they are a rare example of what it means to truly succeed in this town. With this newfound success, they relish it and take no chances.