The sum-total of knowledgeable Boston-based music writers increased by at least one earlier this year when Mr. Joe Fielder's new day job had him packing up his life in L.A. and relocating here to our little Hub. I'd had the music blog he wrote for, Radio Free Silver Lake, in my RSS reader long before he dropped me a note saying he was heading out this way, and having read many of his posts, we're lucky to have him. Rather than abandon his digital home, he's stayed on as RFSL's Managing Editor and occasional contributor to get that writing fix (nope, no Radio Free Belmont for us).

Yet somehow, despite the demands of that day job and his other blogging outlet, Joe's pulled together his first (of what will hopefully be many more) guest post for the 'Nac. Just six months removed from his L.A. departure, he's still got a good sense of what's going on out there, and in the month or so ahead, there are quite a few West Coast bands he loves hitting the Boston area. Perfect time for a preview, right? The bands and dates he spotlights below are...


Ok, so here's Joe...


The Silver Lake neighborhood of Los Angeles has become a fantastic little bio reactor for smart, diverse indie acts over the last few years - and a handful of the town's best and brightest are headed to Boston in September and October. Here's a quick rundown of groups to watch out for, along with videos and MP3s.


This Friday night, indie rock heartbreakers Division Day visit O'Brien's in Allston in support of their sophmore album "Visitation". (This one is on Dangerbird Records, while the last was on Eenie Meanie.) They put on a damn fine live show.


If you're a sucker for The Beach Boys' "Pet Sounds", Beirut, and/or charmingly excessive use of smiles and handclaps, chances are you'd like the hell out Princeton. They're touring with Chicago's Maps & Atlases and New York's Ra Ra Riot to promote their Kanine Records' debut "Cocoon of Love".


Singer/songwriter/guitarist Alex Church broke away from indie pop act Irving several years ago to focus on his own material... darker, dreamier, more heavily orchestrated stuff that all kind of wins. He's now on the road to push his second Sea Wolf album on Dangerbird, "White Water, White Bloom".


Not much needs to be said about recent indie rock success story The Airborne Toxic Event. Risen quickly, they're a polarizing group: you either love love love or hate.

To the latter, I humbly suggest that if you haven't seen them live, you haven't heard the band. Like LA's Silversun Pickups, they put on an excessively good performance and the production of the album fails to capture their sound. It's a great line-up, to boot.


The Henry Clay People's album "For Cheap or For Free" seemingly appeared on every LA music blogger's Best of 2008 list. (It was missing on mine, but only out of incompetence.) It's jangly indie rock 'n' roll at its best... with something clearly going on upstairs, too.


Formerly known as The Weather Underground, Red Cortez are an unsigned indie rock act that have been stealing shows out west for awhile now. Worth checking out.


The ideal mix of experimental and accessible (or more simply: smart and catchy), The Happy Hollows are out east for just a few shows as they make their way to this year's CMJ. Their debut album (produced by The Mighty Lemon Drops' Dave Newton) is out in early October and is easily one of my favorite releases this year. Not to be missed live.



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