A couple days after I wrote my Top 5 bands to see down here list, Rolling Stone came out with their 25 can't miss acts, low and behold we had one in common Motopony. We are both on to something with this band. After being introduced to them because of SXSW get to know the artists I got hooked, making their self-titled debut album my own. Having been at The Firehouse earlier in the week I knew I was in for an intimate show, but had no idea how special a show it would be. While watching Daniel Blue, the lead singer perform I couldn't help but make a mental comparison to Mike Jagger. Motopony covered Dr & The Medics "Spirit in the Sky" flawlessly, possibly better then the original, which I am a huge fan of as a "classic". I could have stayed all night and watched these guys play especially after hearing "Seer" live I was craving a few others off their album to see if they were performed just as good.  I want this band in Chicago as soon as possible I see them having the ability to start making the late night TV performances and blowing up over night.

After Motopony's performance I has tempted to go out on a high note and call it a night, but knowing Of Monsters and Men were playing down the block made me reconsider.  The crowds anticipation was apparent the second I walked in Stubb's for the Time Out showcase.  The crowd was full of fans that hung on every perfectly played notes, especially when it came to their most well known song "Little Talks". This band is powerful in the very best way possible. Their full orchestral sound in addition to perfectly crafted harmonies are what is going to set this band apart from others. I can see this band playing amphitheaters or better yet those of you familiar with Chicago at all our Pitzker Pavilion, a beautifully crafted outdoor pavilion where free concerts are held in the summer. This is band is a festival's dream act and look forward to seeing a lot more of them.

After Of Monsters and Men another band the happened to make Rolling Stone's list, Delta Spirit, took the stage to perform, what they told the crowd, was their 16th show of SXSW. That's impressive. I have no idea how they had as much energy and passion as they did during the set. The high-energy performance was captivating and cohesively a great well rounded set. They are a strong solid working band that made it very apparent as to why they had been asked to play so many shows down here.

To end my night I needed to follow my current trend of high-energy dance parties, and that was once again accomplished, this time by the band fun.  All throughout high school The Format had been a constant band that has helped mark some key moments in my life, so when they broke up in 2008 I was not thrilled, luckily front man, Nate Ruess, started fun. only weeks later. I had bought their first album by recommendation of a friend and enjoyed it, but never really thought they would go mainstream. I was wrong, they have been breaking Billboard charts left and right.  You may be more familiar with the band then you might know seeing as their song, "We Are Young" has been featured on Glee as well as in a couple commercials. This catchy tune had the crowd in a frenzy singing along with every word. This band surely does fit its name and will likely continue to do so as they create more dancey pop songs with catchy refrains that got stuck in people's heads. My night ended on a great note as the happy tunes carried me out of the venue along my walk back to my hotel.

All Photos (c) Daniela Montelongo

Creating music together for nearly nine years, the Rancho Cucamonga-based alt-hip-hop/funk/soul collection, Tha Boogie, prides itself in self-expression. Not only does the outfit transcend typical genres in music, but the members themselves express their own personalities through eccentric attire. Their ability to think outside the box piqued not only the interest of legendary artist/producer Raphael Saadiq, but Rolling Stone magazine as well. In the past few years, Tha Boogie has been busy touring and writing music, resulting in the release of Love Tha Boogie in 2009, which can be downloaded for free here, and the release of their next EP, Good Luck Charlie Vettuno, set for a January 2012 release. The group’s singer/songwriter/rapper/producer (the list continues), Nu-School, was nice enough to talk with me about “Tha Boogie Down Movement;” his experience with Rolling Stone, and why it’s so important to be honest in music writing. If you live in the LA area, be sure to check out Tha Boogie Wednesday, January 25 at The Roxy.

KN: One of your influences is The Super Friends clique. How have you adapted that model into your own music?

NS: The Super Friends really serve as our combined foundation of music; we learned how to arrange songs from listening to their work, and the principal that they seemed to hold do strongly in regards to pushing the envelope and not being afraid to be creative.

KN: Who all is involved in “Tha Boogie Down Movement?” and what do you strive to achieve with this?

NS: Tha Boogie Down Movement was created as a clique of individuals who worked together on music, it later progressed in to what you see today in our lineup. We do have a tendency to use it every now and then for our supporters and fellow musicians in LA that we have really good rapports with.

KN: Your music is an mélange of hip-hop, rock, R&B, soul, funk (the list goes on). What do you feel is the importance of producing music beyond genre constraints?

NS: It’s very important, art is suppose to be a form of self expression, and as people there are things that resonate with us that transcends genres, labels or categories, and it’s ultimately important to allow yourself to create in a way that is most true to you, despite any restrictions.

KN: Do you feel this is beneficial or hindering as far as “making it big?”

NS: Well there seems to be two sides to that. You can make it big and lose a mass amount of creative control over your music and image, but what ever you do you get to touch a larger audience, which ultimately can be both beneficial and hindering.

KN: Aside from producing music without boundaries, your group is also known for its original/eccentric style. How do you feel this affects your image and/or music?

NS: To be completely honest, it seems like other people notice it more than we do. We never felt pressured to try and deliver some type style or fashion sense in regards to our image. What you see us wearing might be hand me downs from our parents, some vintage clothing items or even something we picked up waiting in line at a grocery store. What is heard in our music and seen from us visually is just a continuum of the same self-expression.

KN: When can we expect a full-length album?

NS: Ahhh that’s another tough one, well we can say that we do get bored easily and quickly so with that being said when ever that happens a full-length will be sure to follow Good Luck Charlie Vettuno.

KN: Early last year, you were part of Rolling Stone and Atlantic Records' “Do You Wanna be a Rock Star,” competition. How was this experience.

NS: We had never participated in a competition like that before, and one of the most important things that we gained from that was a glimpse in to what could be achieved from simply being true to your self as an artist and who would take note of that. The fact that we were sought out by Rolling Stone Magazine to participate in competition was really flattering.

KN: In 2009, you had the opportunity to tour with Raphael Saadiq. Was that your first national tour?

NS: The tour with Raphael was our first tour, we were so excited it was a first for us visiting and performing in a lot of the places we did. It also marked our first visit to New York, which was priceless.

KN: Have you toured since then?

NS: We have been working on lining up another one for this year following the release of Good Luck Charlie Vettuno.

KN: What was your highlight of the tour?

NS: There had to have been two shows that really stood out for us and that was the show in New York and the show in Atlanta those two were some of our best performances and the crowds were amazing.

KN: Any interesting stories from the road?

NS: [laughs] The most interesting story was us losing a bag of clothes worth a lot of money that was just given to us right after we performed at the Filmore East in NY. Someone “Left the bag in the taxi,”  so sad. That story will never be forgotten, even Raphael still tell people about that story.

KN: What can we expect from Tha Boogie in 2012?

NS: Well look out for Good Luck Charlie Vettuno, as we said you can look forward to see us on the road. We will be preforming at The Roxy Theatre on sunset with Def Jam recording artist John West who is an amazing artist and person. Looks like we’ll be at SXSW this year all the cool things new bands think about plus leaving room for some serendipity never hurts.

Bestnewbands.com faves Saint Motel today released a free download of their upcoming, super limited edition, 7" vinyl single, "At Least I Have Nothing." Debuting on Rollingstone.com, we're proud to see one of the bands we touted early (and one of our Artists-In-Residence), breaking through to the next level! This brooding, melodic pop tune is a step forward and a sign of maturity for the band, which keeps elements of it's indie-pop, yet explores the darker elements of the genre. Without further adue, click here to get the single and the band will celebrating the release of the single on Friday December 2 with a special in-store at Oragami Vinyl in Los Angeles. Well done fellas!

New Jersey’s The Static Jacks are climbing the steep steps to indie-rock acclaim.  Guitar-in-hand, the group breathes juvenile hellfire and wrestles across the barriers of punk, garage and soul on their full-length debut, If You’re Young, produced by Chris Shaw (Ted Leo, Bad Brains).  Released in late August, the album has received coverage from Rolling Stone, Alternative Press and Nylon, and the band will be performing at the CMJ festival in NYC this week.

First formed in 2009, the band came to be as the result of “various musical projects in late middle school/early high school” that “mutated into a real functioning band,” says drummer Nick Brennan.  The Static Jacks attacked their rock and roll dreams with full-throttle DIY work ethic, playing local venues and designing their own merchandise despite arena-sized ambitions.  “We definitely started out as this super pop act,” says guitarist Henry Kaye. “You'd think being young teenagers, we'd want to write really aggressive and fast, bratty songs.  But no.  We were calm and wrote a lot of bright, sunshine-filled pop songs.”

As the band aged, their music grew a serrated edge, powered by distorted guitars and adolescent angst instead of sunshine and sugar. Kaye notes that the bandmembers “still love pop music and strive to have catchy melodies,” although their image and lyrical content have developed far beyond PG.

The quartet’s press photos place the band, stone-faced and clad in leather and military jackets, in front of a steel door decorated in the stars and stripes of the American flag.  The image provides a stark visual complement to the band’s music, a travelogue of four 20-somethings growing up in post 9/11 America only to find that these stars aren’t always bright as they seem.  The track “My Parents Lied,” for example, focuses on “the glaring holes in your elders’ accounts of the ‘real world,’” a real drag once you see it for yourself.

Several other tracks throughout the album find the band with a similar bleak disposition.  If You’re Young features recollections of drunken antics, violent confrontations, lust-fueled sexual tension, love on the decline and the death of religious faith in post-adolescence.  Adulthood is a painful business, and there are no Peter Pans in this world.  Everyone grows up, and then, everyone grows old.

Despite the bleakness, The Static Jacks still attempt to approach life from the bright side.  Their music, according to the band’s bio, stands as a “fervent affirmation of the present moment as all we’ve got, a battle cry for living fully.” They live for the moment; well aware it’s all we’ve got. As vocalist Ian Deveney sings on “Relief,” “Assemble, assemble the joy we’ll allow—so temporary but perfect for now."

There’s still a little ray of sunshine left in the band, and they hope to give fans something more to look for, as well.  “We want to leave listeners with a positive note,” says the band, “the sense that we all, at some point, weather the same shitty storms, but come out stronger in the end.”

The band will perform at The Delancey on Oct. 19 (for free!) and at the Studio at Webster Hall the following evening.  For more information visit http://www.thestaticjacks.com.  Their full-length debut, If You’re Young, is available now.

So why is a picture of Stevie Wonder on a site called BestNewBands.com? Because he's Steve F-ing Wonder that's why and because he, along with some notable BestNewBands.com alumna, is playing the Austin City Limits festival this weekend. If you're any where near the festival, stop what you're doing and get the best possible vantage point for his set. He's got to be one of the five best musicians ever to draw a breath and that's when he's not walking on water.

And while you're there, don't miss out on the great new bands in the line up, including Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. , who bring their racing suits and serious harmonies to the stage with songs such as “Simple Girl” and “Vocal Chords".

And then there is Young The Giant. They've had a busy year. Their debut LP came out in January and they played SXSW, Sasquatch and The Great Escape festivals, along with doing a lot of TV including the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards.

Soul-influenced indie pop band Fitz and the Tantrums have done all kinds of TV, toured extensively and were named "A Band To Watch" by Rolling Stone. We like them anyway.

Tonight, Tha Boogie takes their acclaimed stage show to Los Angeles’ Viper Room for their first area show in several months. The Los Angeles-based, Rancho Cucamonga-bred have been one of the most talked about new bands in the area for sometime.