J Brand

Every summer has its own playlist, but this year, it’s filled with stylish beats! We asked writer, Ali MacLean, to share with us the bands who defined her sounds of Summer 2011!

“Ah, summer. We shed our leather jackets and hoodies, slip into our favorite faded J Brand cut offs, spray on some SPF and head to the music festivals for some R and R.

Whether it’s rest and relaxation you are looking for or rock and roll, the fairgrounds camping sites or posh hotels will provide you with both.  Of course you can catch your powerhouse bands, your Radioheads, your Muses, your Foos, but if you step away from the main stage and wander across the field a lot of amazing music is going on. Get there early. Go see the new buzz bands. You won’t be sorry.

Here are a few of the hottest emerging acts of 2011 that you simply can’t miss:

FITZ AND THE TANTRUMS

When style and music collide, one band stands out.  Los Angeles’ own soulsters Fitz and the Tantrums are a force of panache and dynamite music, blending Motown sounds and a groove party that gets any audience jumping and dancing. They are ultimate entertainers, with lead singers Michael Fitzpatrick and Noelle Scaggs trading tantrums and powerhouse vocals while they doo-wop and strut around the stage. Always dressed to the nines, accessorized and glam, it’s like a modern day Temptations with Ike and Tina Turner battling it out.

Once a local favorite, playing popular LA haunts like Bardot, Fitz has now broken through as a VH1 ‘You Oughta Know’ Artist on The Rise, making appearances on Conan and has been touring across the country playing festivals. They played Lollapalooza and will be playing the V Festival and Voodoo Festival along with many other dates.

WARPAINT

For those who prefer minimalism, there is the older sister cool of Warpaint. Once boasting ‘it’ girl actress Shannyn Sossamon as a member, these four fashionable, raven-haired beauties play hazy post-punk dream pop.

At a Warpaint show, lanky legs and model hair adorn the stage. Standing almost completely still while singing whisper-like harmonies, the girls concentrate on each other onstage like an indie rock séance. The energy of the songs build to an enormous apex and crashes with thunderous cymbals and bass lines.

Warpaint are currently working their mysterious and ethereal magic on Europe, hitting the summer festivals, including Reading and Leeds. They’ll be back in America in time for Seattle’s Bumbershoot Festival and the Treasure Island Music Festival in San Francisco.

LITTLE DRAGON

Ever since Dylan plugged in, the kids have gone crazy for electronic music at summer festivals and the popularity grows every year. This season one stand out act has been Little Dragon.

Though lead singer Yukimi Nagano is a veteran in her homeland Sweden, having been a Debbie Harry type electronica icon, she collaborated with DJs and sneaker pimped her way through several acts until starting her own band.

Collaborations with the Gorillaz and TV On The Radio got them attention but it was their trippy, Prince-y, soul pop and Nagano’s sexy voice that earned them rabid fans. The winning combo bridges the gap between Massive Attack and some cool 80’s synth band that would have been on the Cocktail soundtrack while Tom Cruise was mixing some bitchin’ drinks.

So, get out there and enjoy the weather. Get those jeans dirty in the sun drenched fields of the fairgrounds and maybe discover the next new band coming up the ranks. There is always a next big thing and you could be the one to say you heard them first.”

-Ali MacLean

Ali MacLean is an award winning writer, performer and on air personality who hails from Boston. Ali attended Miami University of Ohio where she won a scholarship to the La Jolla Playhouse Conservatory to study with Tony Award winner Des McAnuff.  Upon moving to Los Angeles, she began studying improv at the acclaimed Groundlings Theatre under the tutelage of FRIENDS star Lisa Kudrow.  Ali’s acting credits include THE JIMMY KIMMEL SHOW, HBO’s MR. SHOW with Bob Odenkirk and David Cross, CAN’T HARDLY WAIT, KILLER BUD, STARKWEATHER and BREAK A LEG. Her writing credits include MTV’s BUZZKILL, WEB RIOT, HEAD TRIP, BLAME GAME, KATHY GRIFFIN’S SO CALLED REALITY, BIG URBAN MYTH SHOW, and VH1’s sketch show RANDOM PLAY. Ali then went on to create the MTV series TOWN MAUL and write for a season of MTV2’s updated version of CELEBRITY DEATHMATCH.

For more of Ali MacLean, click HERE

We definitely are going to be checking out the bands on her list, even though summer is coming to an end. Luckily, we can always reminisce about summer with some headphones and our 1046 Cut-Off shorts!