Typhoon
January 22nd | 8:00pm | $10 adv - $12 door

They might describe their music as being “minimalist classical pop,” but with a name like Typhoon, there’s not much minimalism here: up to 19 different musicians at a time contribute to this Portland ensemble. Their songs, while hushed and delicate at their core, really come to life in their big and brassy arrangements. With ample players on strings, horns and percussion, Typhoon builds a vibrant wall of sound that gets taller and stronger with every listen.

For fans of: Andrew Bird, Loch Lomond, Lost in the Trees

LISTEN:  “The Honest Truth” :: A New Kind Of House EP

AgesandAges
January 22nd | 8:00pm | $10 adv - $12 door

This seven-piece traveling show offers effortlessly catchy Americana hymnals, creating a contagious feel that promotes campfire-like sing-alongs at every show. The unison melodies of their song “No Nostalgia” recall the co-op choir sound of Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros: feet rooted in the dirt while their heads hover not too far above the old fir treetops.

LISTEN:  “No Nostalgia” :: Alright You Restless

Brainstorm
January 22nd | 8:00pm | $10 adv - $12 door

One listen to the song “Battling Giants” and it’s clear that Brainstorm’s jarring synthesis can’t be categorized: bouncy circus tubas and nimble synth riffs momentarily explode into thrashing guitars before giving way to resonant barbershop harmonies. A mesh of styles that the Portland Mercury calls “the entirety of Portland's music scene whirled up in a blender,” this duo’s ambitious energy is just too captivating to deny.

LISTEN:  “Beast In The Sky” :: Beast In The Sky 7"

Elders
January 22nd | 8:00pm | $10 adv - $12 door

As an instrumental rock group cultivated here in Davis, Elders’ fervor for the experimental comes as no surprise. This local quartet combines familiar rock riffs with distorted spoken word and ever-shifting time signatures, resulting in chaotic, yet calculated, live madness.

LISTEN:  “Further Into” :: EP

Geographer
January 29th | 8:00pm | $10 adv - $12 door

Blending somber vocal melodies, throbbing drums and catchy synth riffs, San Francisco trio Geographer sounds at once ferocious and vulnerable. Their latest critically acclaimed EP Animal Shapes, which includes the infectious dance number “Kites,” showcases the group’s ability to cultivate a simple melody with textures and layers until, suddenly, it bursts into an ethereal sonic boom.

For fans of: Cut Copy, MGMT, Passion Pit

LISTEN:  “Night Winds” :: Animal Shapes EP

Lord Huron
January 29th | 8:00pm | $10 adv - $12 door

With the extensive orchestration featured on their first two EPs, Into the Sun and Mighty, it’s hard to believe that singer-songwriter Ben Schneider recorded these songs by himself. Now backed by a full band, it’s easy to say that their reverb-heavy sound fits into today’s pastoral indie folk-pop aesthetic, but Huron’s moniker and tropical elements are much more influenced by Trinidadian calypso, a music scene that produced the best storytellers of our time.

For fans of: Fleet Foxes, Bon Iver, Local Natives

LISTEN:  “Mighty” :: Mighty EP

A B & The Sea
January 29th | 8:00pm | $10 adv - $12 door

Three years ago, longtime friends Koley O’Brien and Joe Spargur moved from Wisconsin to San Francisco to assemble this indie pop-rock outfit. They recently released their debut EP Boys and Girls, a five-song rush of nostalgia; its surf-pop rhythms and vocal harmonies catch the big waves of sixties-era California.

Dawes
February 1st | 8:00pm | $10 adv - $12 door

Emerging from the debris of an ill-fated post-punk group, Dawes have traded their heavily distorted guitar riffs and screaming vocals for a classic, Bourbon-soaked Americana sound. They include clean vocal harmonies and vintage organs in their homage to country-tinged rock, but their bold punk attitude remains in songs like “When My Time Comes,” a wise old-soul anthem that flips the bird at failure and mortality.

For fans of: The Band, Ryan Adams, The Avett Brothers

LISTEN:  “When My Times Comes” :: North Hills

Jonny Corndawg
February 1st | 8:00pm | $10 adv - $12 door

Jonny Corndawg is a true Tennessee troubadour. Armed with little more than his clean tenor and an acoustic guitar, the Corndawg sings light-hearted, stripped-down stories about anything and everything that comes to mind: from starting a family in “Family Tree” to eating salmon with his own two paws in “The Life of a Bear.”

LISTEN:  “The Life Of A Bear” :: Down On The Bikini Line

Shannon Harney
February 1st | 8:00pm | $10 adv - $12 door

Even when she’s not collaborating with fellow songwriter Ally Hasche as Davis-based indie-pop duo Medea Fever, Shannon Harney’s solo performances are just as mesmerizing. She keeps her instrumentation bare, accompanied only by the tinkling of her piano, but the beauty of Harney’s songs lies in her floating melodies and poignant lyrics.

LISTEN:  “Squid” :: EP

Telekinesis
February 22nd | 8:00pm | $10 adv - $12 door

Michael Benjamin Lerner paints with a palette of eclectic styles for this musical project from the Pacific Northwest. With a wistful voice at its core, Telekinesis digs into the finest elements of indie rock—many songs are exuberant jolts of power-pop, but Lerner isn’t without his poignant moments, like the eerie and haunting “Coast of Carolina,” where he yearns for someone who could merely be a dream.

For fans of: Sloan, Death Cab for Cutie, Fountains of Wayne

LISTEN:  “Awkward Kisser” :: Telekinesis!
LISTEN:  “Car Crash” :: 12 Desperate Straight Lines

The Love Language
February 22nd | 8:00pm | $10 adv - $12 door

“Caught in a time warp” might be the best way to describe this group from Raleigh, who presents sounds from yesterday’s genres within a modern-day setting. Combining the upbeat jangle of the Mersey skiffle sound with the reverberating brashness of today’s indie rock, The Love Language offers a recognizable, but very unique, take on the British Invasion. Ladies and gentlemen, this isn’t your dad’s rock ‘n’ roll.

For fans of: Arcade Fire, The Beatles, The Hollies

LISTEN:  “Heart To Tell” :: Libraries

Jake Mann & The Upper Hand
February 22nd | 8:00pm | $10 adv - $12 door

Wilco fans will find a lot to like about Jake Mann’s latest effort, Parallel South: this singer-songwriter’s soft, Tweedy-esque vocals match up perfectly with the driving, lo-fi rock sensibility of his new backing band, The Upper Hand. Though they venture into new lyrical territory, this San Francisco-based collaborative effort features a troop of able folk-rock navigators who know exactly where they want to go.