Rock Against HD Benefit Line-up & MP3s

As you’ve hopefully read about already, we’re helping present the third annual Rock Against HD Benefit Event on Monday at Safari Sam’s – a night where six amazing local acts will help us raise money for The Huntington’s Disease Society Of America by playing sets of new or unreleased material.

We’ve updated the Rock Against HD myspace page so all the music on it samples what the artists are going to be performing that there… in some cases demo tracks recorded as recently as late last night.

We’re really proud of the high quality of the bands we’ve managed to assemble for the event, so wanted to cover all the groups right here and provide a free downloadable MP3 for each, just in case you hadn’t heard them all before.

Sarah Negahdari -
The charismatic, ultra-energetic front-woman of The Happy Hollows, Sarah considers her solo work her “softer stuff,” but clearly can’t help rocking out with it at times.

Like in Driver, a track that’s startling at first because it sounds so different from The Happy Hollows but soon embeds sing-song lines like “All I want to do is think of you…” right into your cerebral cortex. (Make sure to come early to see her play! Doors are at 8:00.)

DOWNLOAD: Driver MP3

James Patrick -
The lead of local stoner rock act Buffalo Roam (hell, they were even covered once in High Times), James Patrick’s solo work haunts better than the ghosts of Christmas’ past, present, and future… as evidenced here in the song Pressure.

DOWNLOAD: Pressure MP3

The Spires -
This husband and wife two-piece from Ventura can charm the heart right out of you with a volley of pop songs that are at once upbeat and melancholy. They excel at creating the sort of music you want to put on a mix tape for a new love. (I know because that little boy was me…)

DOWNLOAD: Grand Canyon Vacation MP3

Thailand -
Another duo who leave smart, infectious pop in their wake, Thailand earned the praise of The LA Weekly, which wrote that they “approach their music with a scientific perspective that evokes the cerebral rock of their influences Wire and Brian Eno while still keeping their songs short and catchy.”

The Rock Against HD page has a demo mix of their new song Barely Functional, but here’s an unreleased track from earlier in their career.

DOWNLOAD: At The Expo MP3

The Western States Motel -
WSM’s Carl Jordan crafts pop with the same sort of heart as The Beach Boys’ epic Pet Sounds … music that makes you want to go on a road trip or fall asleep along the coast somewhere.

We somehow talked Carl into letting us post an early demo of the song The Cliff from his next album on the Rock Against HD page and here’s a gem from his self-titled debut to dl.

DOWNLOAD: Southwest Planes MP3

The Movies -
Nothing quite prepares you for The Movies... Their lyrics are amorphous like dream logic, poetry without an inkling of frilliness or pretension, and they switch between heart churning numbers like the classic Creation Lake and upbeat songs that make you jump around with equal deftness.

And ask anyone who’s ever seen them because they absolutely kill it live...

We’ve posted the track When I Was In Nam from their upcoming EP – which they’ll be playing many songs from on Monday night -- for streaming on the Rock Against HD page, but here’s an old favorite for you to download.

DOWNLOAD: Rock In The Slingshot MP3

Again, we really hope you can make it on Monday. We’re asking for just $5 to get in (though more is certainly appreciated), Division Day’s Ryan Wilson is DJing the night, and it should just be more fun than fun. You can find all the details right here.

(The Movies pic by Sterling Andrews.)