2025 List of Favorite New Bands and Singers: new to me, but maybe not to you (alphabetical):
20. Adrian Bourgeois (seen August 4th). A band that I had seen before called Wynn was playing a rare set. I was thinking of just doing a hit and run, but then decided to check out who else was playing that night. I happened to notice that Adrian Bourgeois follows me on Instagram so off I went to catch his set, as well. Killer tenor vocals that float through the clouds.
Check out the song: Nothing Can Hurt Me.
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| Adrian Bourgeois at Harvard & Stone |
Random thoughts: Echo Park Rising was bursting at the seams. Time to expand to two days.
19. Alex E.T. (seen October 5th). I took off to The Goldfish to catch Dream Phases for the first time in 2025 and got to catch the heavy power of Alex E.T.
Check out the song: Calico II.
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| Alex E.T. at The Goldfish |
Random thoughts: Rocknite LA is making The Goldfish the go-to location for Wednesday nights. So I’m making The Goldfish my venue of the year.
18. Cissi Tv (seen October 30th). The band is the brainchild of Cissi Efrainmsson who has put together a stellar supporting cast of DIY female musicians: Kesley Hart of Death Valley Girls, Izzy Glaudini of Automatic, and Staz Lindes of The Paranoyds. Does that perk your attention? It should. The Go-Go’s re-emerge.
Check out the song: I Guess I Made It.
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| Cissi TV at Zebulon |
Random thoughts: My goal this year was to go out less frequently than I did in 2024. As of November, I have gone out 30 fewer days than 2024. Is that a success or a rounding error?
17. Home Again (seen February 17th). Alt pop rock songs that are driven by their drummer’s pitch perfect vocals and some nifty guitar playing.
Check out the song: Paper Ghosts.
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| Home Again at Zebulon |
Random thoughts: What artists / bands did I see the most often in 2025? I saw Bruvvy and Emily Rose & The Rounders 4 times each. I saw Laena Myers, Self Improvement, and Shannon Lay 3 times each. If you know the connection between Laena and Shannon Lay, you realize I stick with artists I love for years on end.
16. Horse Rider (seen September 15th). A blissful band where tough subject matters are explored via their lyrics.
Check out the song: Horse Rider.
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| Horse Rider at Zebulon |
Random thoughts: I kept my New Year’s resolution and blogged all year long. In fact, my goal was to post 4 times a week. Starting in July, I was posting 7 days a week. Will I continue blogging in 2026 or will I come up with a new resolution?
15. Hysteria (seen May 26th). Only has one song out in the world at the moment, but it is an emotional heart wrencher.
Check out the song: Reason to Pray.
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| Hysteria at Zebulon |
Random thoughts: A shoutout to US Rocker Music, the site where I cover bands that play larger venues.
14. Jake K. Leckie (seen April 21st). Let’s bring jazz back to the forefront of the Los Angeles music scene. Actually, over the last couple years, I’d have to say that jazz artists are getting booked from WFNM to Club Tee Gee to Zebulon.
Check out the song: Planter of Seeds.
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| Jake K. Leckie at Club Tee Gee |
Random thoughts: I went to Substance Fest for the first time. I can’t believe it took me so long to go.
13. Jawdropped (seen May 2nd). I set a 2025 New Year’s resolution that I was heading out less frequently than in 2024 – partially driven by a desire to restart my blogging, which does take time. I nearly ended up missing this band, because of that resolution. Lead singer Kyra Morling was a burst of refreshing enthusiasm.
Check out the song: Skully.
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| Jawdropped at Zebulon |
Random thoughts: I finally found someone who was using a Canon R5 Mark II – in a concert setting. It only took 18-ish months. The feedback was positive. When will I upgrade? That is an interesting question for me. I like a really good bargain and the Black Friday price point this year didn’t hit that mark so I’ll be pushing that decision into 2026.
12. John Errol (seen February 9th). A three year tradition is to head out to Zebulon after the Super Bowl. His set was dedicated to songs that have yet to be released. Has the album come out yet? We’re approaching nearly a year and it has not been released yet; however, he does have a 2021 album that has a song that reminds one of Tears for Fears.
Check out the song: Unbelievable.
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| John Errol at Zebulon |
Random thoughts: I finally made it out to Old Towne Pub. It took a very long time for me to finally hook back up with that venue.
11: Maryze (seen January 24th). Bring out the underground art scene. She may pronounce the letter Z with European flair, but this Montreal native is out to conquer Los Angeles.
Check out the song: Playing Dress-Up.
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| Maryze At Permanent Records Roadhouse |
Random thoughts: Here’s why I wanted to head to Substance Fest: because Ammo was coming back to town with her band Silent Mass.
10. No Worries LMK (seen January 3rd). Another band bringing jazz to the ears of the DIY Los Angeles music scene.
Check out the song: Trying for u.
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| No Worries LMK at Zebulon |
Random thoughts: strangely, I am still coming across artists / bands that I haven’t seen since the 2020 venue shutdown. Who stands out on the list: Annie Hardy, Gustaf, and Tijuana Panthers.
9. Ryan Fuller (seen March 17th). His music fits in perfectly with that old European pub where everyone knows each other.
Check out the song: Lover n’ Friend.
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| Ryan Fuller at Harvard & Stone |
Random thoughts: I really do feel like the East Side Los Angeles music scene is coming on strong. Zebulon and Permanent Records Roadhouse were always there, but The Goldfish now is a place to be, as well.
8. Seko (seen May 27th). Old time Los Angeles music fans may get this band confused with Sego so just need to clear up that potential confusion. Their goal is to blow the roof off any venue they play at.
Check out the song: Danny’s Song.
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| Seko at Zebulon |
Random thoughts: a 2025 regret is that I didn’t walk to Supply & Demand during Happy Sundays Long Beach as I learned that the venue called it quits recently.
7. Still Blank (seen September 17th). I was blown away by this band the way I was blown away when I first saw Local Natives.
Check out the song: What About Jane.
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| Still Blank at The Goldfish |
Random thoughts: honestly, Still Blank is probably my favorite new band of the year.
6. Stinkus (seen April 23rd). Does anyone remember the band WILD that swept through Los Angeles in the 2018-2019 timeframe? Two members of the band are in Stinkus and if you want orchestral guitar beauty, check this band out.
Check out the song: FOLLOW.
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| Stinkus at The Goldfish |
Random thoughts: I will admit that Hotel Cafe isn’t one of my main venues that I visit on a regular basis, but it’ll be sad to see it shut down for a period of time (they’ll be opening back up in 2027 at a new location).
5. Sunder (seen September 26th). Dreamy pop. I would not have caught this band (at least not in 2025) if I didn’t get an invite from Dum Dum Records to head over to The Midnight Hour.
Check out the song: I Guess I’ll See You in the Movies.
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| Sunder at The Midnight Hour |
Random thoughts: what music resolution do I have for 2026? I did not go to DTLA venues all that often this year (talking about the DIY venues, not the larger ones which I did go to). I should put a larger emphasis on that for 2026.
4. Tino Drima (seen January 7th). I’ve personally never lived in a house or apartment that had a patio, but this band makes me want to find out how that just might feel.
Check out the song: Life on the Patio (with guest vocalist Michael McDonald).
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| Tino Drima at Zebulon |
Random thoughts: what were my 3 top venues when it came to compiling this list? Zebulon hosted 10 of the bands / artists on this list. Hotel Ziggy comes it at 8. The Goldfish is at 5.
3. DIY Music Festivals. I always enjoy heading out to DIY music festivals across Los Angeles county such as Echo Park Rising and Happy Sundays and finding new favorites. At Echo Park Rising, there is Addie Addie Addie and Op Ed. I was running around Echo Park Rising as one of the official photographers for the festival, trying to shoot as many bands and venues as possible. When I got to P.F. Candle Co, the place was packed for Addie Addie Addie. I quickly understood why. I only got to catch a couple songs, but I did leave feeling energized. The one and only Megan Tracy brought Op Ed to my attention on the day of the festival. Marlon Rabenreither of Gold Star plays guitar in this band and so I made some changes to my Echo Park Rising schedule. Lucky for me, Belle and Chain was scheduled to play both Echo Park Rising and Happy Sundays. I wasn’t able to catch their Echo Park Rising set so I circled their set time at Happy Sundays. I have a soft spot for Americana music and they fit the bill perfectly.
For Addie Addie Addie, check out: INDUSTRY.
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| Op Ed at Echo Park Rising |
Random non-music thoughts: This is about movies. I do love Oscar season. I usually try to catch as many of the potential Oscar nominees as possible. After the final scene of A House of Dynamite, I could not believe that movie was ever considered a potential Oscar nominee.
2. WFNM always has a diverse line-up of singers. You have the Americana-folk singers such as American Mile, Meels and Nico May. You have the jazz funk tunes of Dominique Jessie and Baba Jenkins. You can dance with Shi la Rosa. You can get emotional with Ron Blakely. Then there are the plethora of singer-songwriters such as Ashley Elle, Ferry Townes, and Tanja.
For American Mile (seen Oct 14th), check out: Photograph Of You. |
| American Mile at Hotel Ziggy |
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| Baba Jenkins at Hotel Ziggy |
For Dominique Jessie (seen February 18th), check out: Catch a Funky Vibe.
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| Tanja at Hotel Ziggy |
Random thoughts: Hope I uncover another stellar list of new bands / singers in 2026.
1. Out of town. There were a number of awesome bands that passed through Los Angeles this year that I randomly came across. Artificial Go was like listening to a Wes Anderson soundtrack. Charley T had the anthem rock sound. Leyla Ebrahimi was a School Night find – I’m happy that night is back, this time at Zebulon. Mop is a new band by Laura Jean Anderson who pulled up her Los Angeles stakes and moved to New York. Murdo Mitchell is a Glasgow singer who is planning to move to Los Angeles. North by North provided the garage rock. Nova Twins put on a performance to remember – the best performance I saw in 2025. The Opera was a scream fest from Austin. I immediately sent a DM to Lauren Lakis about the band and then noticed that she’d already been on the same bill with the band.
For Artificial Go (seen May 31st), check out: Circles. |
| Artificial Go at Permanent Records Roadhouse |
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| Charley T at Hotel Ziggy |
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| The Opera at Zebulon |
Random thoughts: best set of the year, to emphasize, Nova Twins.
Addendum. Some last minute additions. I caught some last minute December acts that I wish to mention that range from R&B (Darienne Savoy) to post-hardcore (Less of This) to rock (Sunrose).
For Darienne Savoy (seen Dec 9th - @dariennesavoy), check out: Frozen In Time
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| Darienne Savoy at Hotel Ziggy |
For Less of This (seen Dec 26th - @lessofthis_), check out: Choker
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| Less of This at Zebulon |
For Sunrose (seen Dec 3rd - @sunroseband), check out: Chemical Feel
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| Sunrose at El Cid |
Random thoughts: Pu$$y-Cow celebrated their 20th anniversary this year. Congrats!
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