Seraphina Lotkhamnga on March 17th, 2011

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[A recap of my Wednesday evening following Buzz Bands LA’s showcase… Venue-hopping at SXSW as if it’s my job. Oh, wait …]

The Boxer Rebellion (at Buffalo Billiards) – This British band-fronted-by-an-American drew huge crowds at last year’s SXSW, and last fall won even more L.A. followers at Culture Collide Festival, they did not disappoint. Lead singer Nathan Nicholson may have had trouble seeing out into the audience as he stated, “I can’t see anything. I feel like there are only four of you here,” but the truth was that the room was packed and eager to hear the band perform material off of their latest album, “The Cold Still.” Theirs is Brit-rock in its purest of form, and Nicholson jumped out in to the audience during the second to the last song and persuaded everyone to jump – making me weary of the upstairs room taking the impact – and surprisingly, it didn’t feel cheesy at all.

Tristen (at the Phoenix) – Nashville singer-songwriter Tristen opened KCRW’s evening showcase. Although she was on a bill filled with mostly Los Angeles artists, the talented wordsmith and her live band kicked the night off with charming confidence. For a small gal, she held a strong presence through her compelling vocals which would vary from bright to sultry. Songs such as “Matchstick Murder” and “Eager For Your Love” displayed her sharp wit but when she brought out her ukulele, we finally got to see the softer side of strong-headed Tristen. Think Neko Case and a smidge of Dolly.

Hooray For Earth (at 512) — NYC-based Hooray For Earth is every bit as upbeat as their band name, judging from the good vibrations of their brief set. Was Hooray For Earth’s live sound as peppy as I expected it to be? Yes. Do I still like it? Yes. Bringing in two members of the band Zambri, to sing backing vocals (they contributed vocals on the album as well), it was a full party on a small platform. Although their unreleased material did have an unexpected tribal vibe, the “True Loves” LP should be chock-full of sounds fans will be pleased with.

Royal Bangs (at Buffalo Billiards) – No matter if you’re a fan of the Black Keys, we all should thank Patrick Carney for discovering Royal Bangs back in 2008 and having enough faith to sign them. The Knoxville, Tenn.-based trio now signed to Glassnote Records is now moving even further into experimental sounds by spitting out dimension-defying songs such as “Fireball” where the electronic pulses blur lines with rock foundations. Royal Bangs: Highlight of the night for the pure energy in their songs.

The Stepkids (at Kiss & Fly) — Going from an electro-rock band to a soul-jazz-psychedelic-funk band isn’t such a vast change as one may think it is. Royal Bangs got their fair share of head bopping from me, but new Stones Throw band the Stepkids made me want to sway my hips like a rock and roll hippie who just discovered funk for the first time. To sum it up: Children of the future will be conceived to the Stepkids playing in the bedroom and the love-making will be intense (perhaps enhanced by some hallucinatory drugs) because the collage of sounds is more than futurist funk. One second, you’re in the future and the next second, you’re in the past.

On Twitter: @Seraphina_L