Molly Bergen

n 2005 Clap Your Hands Say Yeah was the coolest thing since sliced bread. The band was one of the first bands to have emerged from obscurity with no label backing them just the full power of the Internet. Major labels saw them coming and quaked with fear. They put hope into garage bands everywhere who were releasing their tracks independently into the murky ether of MySpace. Heralded by critics and fans a like, the world was theirs. And then after their sophomore release in 2007, they disappeared back from whence they came never to be seen again...or so we thought. Lead singer, Alec Ounsworth has had an extremely busy year. His super group, Flashy Python (combining members of the Walkmen, Man Man, and Dr Dog) self-released their debut album Skin and Bones in August and he released his first solo disk Mo Beauty in October on Anti Records.

A.A. (Auguste Arthur) Bondy knows all about second chances. When his former band Verbena imploded just after signing to a major label in 2003, Bondy took off into the wilderness of the Catskills. Four years later he emerged back into the music scene with his lovely solo debut American Hearts which incorporated blues, folk, and a country twang,which he had recorded in his barn. This year, his second album When The Devil's Loose impressing critics and audiences a like with it's rough hewn edges and earthy melodies, influenced by music that came a time before rock n' roll was even a concept. We caught up with A.A. Bondy (or as he's known to his friends, Scott) before his show at the Echo. Here is some of what was said.

I have a crackpot theory that instrumental bands are all lumped together because the listener is given no written instructions on how to feel. There is part of us who wants to be explicitly told what the song is saying. Whether it's that this is a love song or a breakup song or that he is the Walrus, we want to understand concretely what it is that's going on and the story behind it. Which is why we're at a loss for words on how to describe to our friends how instrumental acts like Sigur Ros or Explosions in the Sky or the Lymbyc Systym make us feel. We use words like "cinematic" and "lush" but what we really mean is "Can you believe how those synths just exploded into horns and a banjo? That was amazing! It made me feel like I could conquer the world!" Or more succinctly, "Dude, like...woah." What is truly impressive is that Lymbyc Systym manages to do all of this with just two guys. Hailing from Arizona these brothers, Michael and Jared Bell, have been putting together these giant soundscapes since 2001.

It's a wonder Matt Popieluch's head doesn't explode with all of the music that's crammed in there. It's almost as if he's on a mission to see how much music one person can fit in their brain without it rupturing. A founding member of Foreign Born with Lewis Pesacov, Popieluch also plays in Pesacov's band Fools Gold, his girlfriend Cameron Mesirow's band Glasser, and now has decided to start a side project Big Search. All while working a day job as a groundskeeper in Coldwater Canyon Park. He must be secretly powered by something. Caffiene? Speed? A nuclear reactor? A mixture of the three? We caught up with him last night to find out which one it is.

Nils Edenloff wrote most of The Rural Alberta Advantage's stunning debut album Hometowns in Toronto, homesick for his native Albertan prairie. The touching album of folk anthems was built and honed at a open mic night in 2005 at a local bar where Edenloff met drummer Paul Banwatt. The duo gradually acquired a band and headed out on the road. We spoke with Edenloff from the road yesterday mostly to find out what the devil is the advantage is of living in Alberta.

The Morning Benders are one of those bands who's promise is achingly painful to watch. They've got pretty piano melodies, poppy guitars, and sweetly high pitched harmonies: all of the ingredients for an infectious pop album, and somehow they fall a little bit short. It's like when you try and bake a cake without the baking powder. All of the parts are there, but the damn thing won't rise.

Don't let Grace Potter's good looks or age fool you. This woman has a pair of pipes that would knock over a steam engine and a soul of a woman three times her age. I saw her on a whim at the Roxy last year, and the show was carved onto the stone walls of my memory as one of the best shows of 2008. (The only other competition being Sigur Ros. Yes, I'm serious.) And hands down the best show that I have ever seen grace the Roxy's stage.

Local gothic dance rockers Io Echo look unfazed as they performed before a sold out crowd at the Troubadour. They were ready for their moment in the spotlight and looked the part. IO Echo vocalist, IO (a.k.a. Joanna Gikas) looked stunning in a white dress with black crosses circling her waist and long flowing hair. Her band manifested themselves in various states of black punk attire which looked terrific through the clouds of white smoke that swirled around the stage. If they had sounded half as good as they looked, we would have been in business. But like a lot of bands, they were mostly packaging and very little substance.

For all of you who are bummed that you missed all of the glorious psychedelic freakout party that was the 1960s rock scene, fear not. Molding themselves in the image of the Yardbirds, the Zombies, and the Kinks, The Black Hollies are here to revive it. Sprung out of Justin Angelo Morey's attic, these four New Jersey kids sound and dress like it's 1968. Bringing joy to all the those who thought that that ship had sailed. (Or who thought they would have to wait until a time machine was invented.) We caught up with Angelo Morey last night to talk about his new LP Softly Towards The Light, his influences, and Ace of Cakes. Here is some of what was said.

I don't know if you've noticed, but there seems to be a very healthy country/folk scene growing in Los Angeles. Which is a little unexpected, LA is not the first city that you think of when you think of Americana, but the developing sound is nothing short of wonderful. From Olin and the Moon, to Dawes, to Leslie and the Badgers, The Whiskey Saints, Parson Red Heads, and Mississippi Man, there is definitely something in air. To add to that list, please include Lissie (Maurus) a young lady originally from Rock Island, IL who has been calling LA home for the last five years. Her debut EP Where You Runnin' has been making huge waves. In fact, I don't think I've seen critics this excited about an EP since Bon Iver's Blood Bank EP earlier this year. And for damn good reason too.