Last Thursday night saw voodoo surf thrashers Sunshine Mind, the proggy serotonin fueled semi-locals Deep Fields, and an angsty Matryoshka doll of chaos and boozy guitars called Secret Garden bring their own very different sounds and concoctions of influences out to Harvard and Stone. From opener Sunshine Mind's sprinkling of screamed vocals that irreverently tear apart any false assumptions of conventional SoCal surf band tropes to Secret Garden's swampy, somber quietness giving way—rather violently—to nervous, sinewy guitar improvisations. And that's to say nothing of Deep Field's brilliant ‘70s inspired Rhodes piano odyssey that set the whole of Harvard and Stone on fire three-quarters into their set. Sunshine Mind ripped through groovy and pummeling (yet still very surfy) tunes with gusto. Think Misfits if they traded in corpse paint for plaid and California "good vibrations". Singer Henry Lopez peppered in energetic screaming vocals to break up melodic "ooh-ahh" lines that never let you get too comfortable in your expectations. A menacing undertone permeates their more-aggressive-than-your-average surf pop songs, torn apart and reassembled with ‘60s voodoo menace.

Next up were the brilliant Deep Fields hailing from Orange County. Their lush songwriting and layered piano accompaniments is a shot of serotonin to the proverbial arm of Harvard and Stone. Kaleidoscopic, Rush-reminiscent arrangements and a genuinely fun energy pulses alongside ‘70s Rhodes piano lines that are at once elegant and yet bursting like rays of light shining down on grooving flower beds of vocal and guitar melody. If 12-string electric guitar and Rhodes piano don't make the most pleasant sounding musical combination, I don't know what does. Secret Garden finished out the night with a set of swampy, troubled, mercurial jams laced with a "fuck-it-all" ethos. Singer Dani Evans was full to bursting with gravitas as she commanded a strong stage presence both fearless and fierce, going from skate punk ferocity to genuinely somber moments of singer-songwriter affectation. Ultimately, they got cut off early (and not entirely without reason) but this band—and Evans especially—has some serious heart. - Andrew Mendoza

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In second place, much sought-after singer-songwriter Miya Folick also counted on the support of her fervent fans, thus collecting over 450 votes to earn her the most votes in the always-challenging indie rock category. Miya has been earning accolades from many a major blog, and we're elated to have seen her evolve into a full-fledged breakthrough artist since we first wrote about her early last year. Have a listen to her knockout new single "Oceans", a heartstring puller that should be a highlight once she performs it at the Echo on February 25th alongside headliners Palehound.

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Newhall's singer songwriter Soren Bryce made it to the third place of this chart. Her soulful songs, at times just featuring her and a guitar, at others built on sparse arrangements of electronic instruments, speak to the heart. Her 2015 self-titled debut EP has found many fans, gathering hundreds of thousands plays on Spotify. 

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In fourth place we have a witch-house outfit that, with their highly creative mesh of chopped audio effects and playful samples, are creating a tenebrous sound that is truly of their own making: GRYPT. The trio recently released their most ambitious statement yet, entitled Thy Flesh Consumed, which you can currently purchase as either a digital or limited cassette through their official bandcamp page.

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Another talented female songwriter made it into the top of this chart - so new we had trouble finding her website and aren't able to find any embeddable music! Michaella (click on her name to listen) accompanies her beautiful voice with a ukulele: when two thing work so beautifully together, less is always more.

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Trailing not too behind is power pop band No Win, who are thankfully not only keeping those Badfinger guitar hooks alive but also wrote a killer self-titled EP that should be precedent for a knockout full-length debut (hopefully soon!) that will have me singing along all day long. You can listen to No Win (released Summer 2015) here. 

Last night's birthday bash for Dirty Laundry TV's Michael Grodner was pretty epic, confimed by The Deli's guest photographer David Foley. Read his first-hand account of the performances at Harvard & Stone and find more pictures on @TheDeliLA!

"Deep Fields felt like an electronic river of synth leading to a waterfall of whammy bar. You could tell the band members were enjoying being on stage together, and this translated into an uplifting wall of sound.

Colleen Green was like strawberry bubblegum, but with a bite. She had a very laid-back yet punkish vibe.

The Abigails were like raw molasses: down home rockabillies singing about love and death. Their lead singer was super expressive and entertaining, and I can't remember a song that didn't have a guitar solo."

For a high school band that's grown out of its garage roots, Hin Du (fka The Hindu Pirates) have come a long way in their six-year search for a definitive sound. While peeling off the surf-rock tag, the band has opened for Delta Spirit, Froth, Avid Dancer, and The Growlers and played fests from Beach Goth and Burgerama in OC to Noise Pop in SF.

Their newest self-released album When You Come In leads a straight departure from the band's blues-tinged surf-rock Pelican Daze and the rosy-eyed pop of their recent "Hurley" EP. Austin Green's synths and noise manipulation add grandiosity to the band's sonic presence, now focused on towering soundscapes than dirtbox licks. The voice of Austin Ferreira, once barenaked, orates in cavernous reverb as the glassy guitars refract in songs like "December" and "In Hell". Fans of orange-swirl psych pop bands Deep Fields and Cosmonauts might have found themselves a new trip buddy.

Listen to "Wind Song" from the album below. - Ryan Mo

Orange-based psych-jangle sextet Deep Fields released their debut EP yesterday, and it's a sonic nebula of wonders. Six songs of tantric proportions swirl like an acid trip in vernal bloom, mixing lyrics languid and reflective, even venturing out to space-rock frontiers with the epic closer "Other Half". Guitarist and vocalist Christian Peters goes all-out in the band's first singles "Salazar" and "Leonidas", bassist Emily Monnig's voice takes point in the hair-swaying "Oh Well", and both trade off in "Flat Business"  with instrumentation as bright as a field of calliopsis, courtesy of the brothers Higa, Brian Jackson, and Dana Maier-Zucchino. Descriptors aside, this EP is tight, and it's free to download!

And if you like what you hear, you can also catch Deep Fields this Sunday at the Dirty Laundry TV Summer Fest, where they'll be performing songs from the EP and new ones in the works.

"Any opportunity we get to share our music is always exciting for us. It's what brings this labor of love full circle. In our live shows, the highlights for us are the new tracks that we're just starting to phase in. It's been refreshing to devote time to internal development and exploring new directions. Plus, playing fresh stuff has really got us energized, it's going to be a fun time on Sunday for sure."

Listen to the "Flat Business" below, and come out to see Deep Fields perform in the early afternoon at Dirty Laundry TV Summer Fest — did we mention it's dad-friendly too? - Ryan Mo