Welcome to another weekend! Start it off right with music from the artists we’ve featured this week at BestNewBands.com.

“Steel My Heart” - The Angry Orts

Liz Livengood got a chance to sit down with The Angry Orts before their show at The Woods in Portland last Saturday.

Read the rest of Liz’s post here.

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“Mad Tom of Bedlam” - Charlene Kaye

In Tuesday’s BackStory feature, Charlene Kaye tells us the story behind “Mad Tom of Bedlam.” Here’s an excerpt of her explanation:

“Mad Tom of Bedlam is the name of an anonymous English poem that was written in the 1600s about people who feigned mental illness as a guise to beg for money, such as Shakespeare's King Lear. The word ‘bedlam’ is derived from the mental hospital called Bethlem Royal Hospital in Britain, which was also called Bedlam. The story addresses the character ‘Mad Maudlin’ (mentioned in the first verse) who searches for her beloved Tom, who has gone mad (or, is pretending to be mad) since visiting Bedlam. [...] As for the lyrics, at the time I didn't know what any of it meant, but I loved the sounds of the words and the playful, nonsensical nature of it all. I started messing around with it on my guitar one day and put some simple bluesy chords to it, and after I worked it out with the band, it became a staple in our live show - people loved it!”

Read the rest of Charlene Kaye’s BackStory here.

People By the Sea, comprised of husband and wife Leah Grounds and Jake Irwin and brother Dan Irwin is a heartfelt amalgam of rock, pop, folk, and sentimental singer-songwriter sounds.  I have been wary of their presence from word around the UCLA campus (the band formed at UCLA) and was first blown away by them live at the Troubadour last month. With their video for "Take Me Backwards," listeners are given a taste of the band's apt songwriting capabilities and are taken through a gradual increase in volume, dynamic, passion and mood.  The song starts out sort of blue and is taken to a sunny yellow by growing major chords and the transition of Jake's face from sad to smiling, only to briefly return to the previous melancholy.  Leah's harmonies add an indescribable element to the sound as a whole, and the song lingers as something tangible, relatable, and beautiful.

Claire Gallagher: Alrighty, who’s who? What are your names, what instruments do you play, etc?

Jacob Irwin: Well my name is Jacob, and I sing and play guitar,  Leah [Grounds] plays keys and sings, and Dan [Irwin] here plays the drums and sings as well.  I could've said we all sing.  We all sing.  And we're all in on the writing process.  I sort of get the bones of the song written, and these two help me bring it to life.

Today’s Playlist includes a little bit of everything BestNewBands.com has featured this week, from folk to punk-rock to dubstep - everything your music-loving hearts could desire! Listen and enjoy...

“Shoeshine” - Black Taxi

In this weekend’s BackStory Bonus, the guys of Black Taxi tell us about their single, “Shoeshine.”

“Shoeshine is a song written by lead guitarist Bill Mayo and sung by frontman Ezra Huleatt. Mayo wrote the song while on an Amtrak train home to New York City from Cape Cod, where he had been working at a golf tournament. Amused by the wealthy golfers and their mistresses partying around him, he created an account of a successful man leaving his wife and family for a tramp. The golf reference in the song is a direct result of his working the tournament, and far too fun and symbolic to leave out of the chorus.”

Read the rest of Black Taxi’s BackStory here.

The word of the evening, ladies and gentlemen, is talent.  Last night at the Troubadour, raw talent was apparent in every band that graced the tiny stage, making for an awesomely accurate portrayal of today’s local rock scene.  Six groups came and went, each bringing a different and individual sound, thus creating a more than satisfying night of face-melting.  With an entire glorious new year of concert-going ahead, this show set the bar for many acts to come.  Bring it on, 2011.

The Modern Drone

The night started out early with The Modern Drone.  A few people lingered and chatted on the floor, and the show instantly took on a concert-out-of-your-neighbor’s-garage feel.  The sound was good—promising—but the newness and inexperience of the band was apparent.  This is not a bad thing; rather, it’s quite interesting to be able to compare this embryonic trio to a more developed band with a definite presence and a sense of cohesion and confidence (such as thatwasthen).  Here were three kids before me—skinny-ass boys in old tees and jeans—shredding and jamming and looking a little nervous, but undeniably talented and filled with potential.  Two more years practicing in Mom’s garage and playing some local gigs and I think I’d see a whole new band.