Kevin Bronson on December 7th, 2009

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For Silversun Pickups, earning a Grammy nomination for best new artist must be like getting asked to the Sadie Hawkins dance by the richest girl in high school – who is obstreperous, grating and generally insufferable. The indie world that birthed bands such as SSPU regularly and justifiably mocks the Grammys, bloated monuments to crass commercialism that they are. But if you like your career, and who doesn’t, you take compliments wherever you get them. It’s not like you turn it down.

I’d have bought drinks for anyone who would have predicted this five years ago. SSPU frontman Brian Aubert probably would have too. When I texted him congratulations, his response was:

“Hell hath frozen.”

Top photo: Aubert and bassist Nikki Monninger during SSPU’s performance last month at the Kidrockers event at the Echo (by Jeff Koga). Bottom photo: A scruffy band from Silver Lake performs in front of a sparse crowd at Spaceland on Aug. 6, 2004– the cellist is Tanya Haden, who played on “Kissing Families” on the “Pikul” EP. I’m pretty sure they were my best new band back then.