Nico Vega & The Growlers
With an outstanding live show and music that straddles the line between credibility and accessibility, LA-based Nico Vega is rapidly developing a powerful fan base, entirely by word of mouth. Witnessing a unique kind of devotion, this is rare for a band that has not had any formal publicity or released its first full album.

Imagine The Doors locked in a garage in the throes of an electric Native American dance ritual. You’ll find yourself being swept away by the natural forces of The Growlers from Westminster, California.

The Deadly Syndrome & Miss Derringer
“... unbridled euphoria — and wry touches such as onstage cutouts of ghosts helped LA band The Deadly Syndrome go from zero to signed in a few short months. Well, that and explosive, unaffected songs right out of the Arcade Fire/Modest Mouse/Wolf Parade playbook.” —The Los Angeles Times

Heavily influenced by American music of the late ‘50s and early ‘60s, particularly the vintage sounds of outlaw country performers such as Merle Haggard and Johnny Cash or the girl group pop of the Ronettes and Shangri Las. Miss Derringer, an LA band, also finds inspiration in the music and attitude of early punk bands like the Misfits and Black Flag.

The Duke Spirit & Io Echo
The Duke Spirit’s elfin-faced singer has room-shaking lungs and possessed-by-the-devil dance moves. This musically powerful full-on rock band from London, England is understated and gimmick free.

Io Echo describes its music as “full of rage but with good manners.” This LA band recently toured internationally with She Wants. Front woman Io has been described as “a true rockstar who in time could take her place next to Siouxsie, Joey Ramone, and Patti Smith.”

Tokyo Police Club & Afternoons
Making a stop during their world tour is Tokyo Police Club, four early-20-somethings from
Ontario, Canada. They have performed at Coachella and Glastonbury, and made two appearances on the Late Show with David Letterman,.

Consisting of former members of the band Irving, and filling out the soundwith several new members including horns and an operatic female vocal backing, Afternoons create an enormous textured landscape upon which to float their well-written songs.

Graham Connah's Detention Seven
"In the 'What is jazz?' debate, divisiveness runs deep ... but with the accessible tunefulness of the straightahead and an intuitive bent for imaginative extrapolation, Graham Connah bridges the divide." —SF Weekly

Pianist, composer, and bandleader Graham Connah from San Francisco leads his propulsive band of Bay Area heavyweight musicians in a rollicking set of swinging original jazz with deep ties to prog rock and psychedelia. Connah has collaborated with eclectic jazz and rock musicians on both coasts, and has performed with musicians in the bands Camper van Beethoven, Mr. Bungle, and John Zorn’s Masada, among others.

Photo: Tina Heringer

Ron Miles' Blossom
"It’s no secret why Ron Miles is one of the most highly regarded trumpeters of his generation. His rich, burnished tone and supple lyricism have won over ... fans who appreciate understatement, whispered dissonance, wry humor." —All About Jazz

Denver trumpeter Ron Miles brings his moody, grooving band to the Hammer in a rare West Coast performance. Miles has performed in groups led by jazz/pop superstars Bill Frisell, Madeleine Peyroux, Don Byron, and Ginger Baker. In his keyboard and guitar-driven group Blossom, he infuses jazz forms with dreamy, bare folk and pop sounds, including arrangements of songs by The Partridge Family and The Jackson Five.

Photo: Peter Gannushkin / DOWNTOWNMUSIC.NET

Vinny Golia Sextet
"Music that is at once sweeping and precisely observed, hilarious and dire, vulgar and sublime."
—One Final Note Magazine

A multi-instrumentalist bandleader and composer, “Vinny Golia is the abbot of LA edge jazz” (LA Weekly). With his commanding and riveting presence on a variety of saxophones, clarinets, and flutes, Golia delivers every note like it’s his last, and leads a band with electric intensity. His new electric sextet mixes rock momentum with aggressive solos and group improvisations, drawing from the LA music scene’s most accomplished and adventurous musicians.

Photo: Scott Groller