Bands To Watch in 09: The Californian

One of the local acts I'm keeping an eye out for the most this year is the sly, moody indie rock of The Californian...

They're a relatively new group who I've written before are "great music to listen to while driving at night in the middle of the desert... Pretty immediately likable" and Mouse at Classical Geek Theatre has likewise gushed "The Californian is electric to listen to. How can a band be so pretty-sounding and so electrifying at the same time? The conflict is confounding. When listening to The Californian: Am I being romanced or hunted? Is there a difference?"

After seeing them play at Bordello awhile back and listening to the demos of their new material for months, I feel like they have the potential to become a popular local stalwart and even grow to gain national attention, likesay a Great Northern. (Several of their tracks kind of scream "movie soundtrack.")

The Californian has an album available on itunes, but their newer material (songs like Bad Habit and The Ghost of Everything, which can be heard on their myspace page) seem to be more the focus of their current live show. No word on when their second album is due or when they'll be performing live next -- some of their members have tours with other projects planned -- but when you see that name on a show listing sometime later in 09, try to remember to check them out.