Local Natives: Beards and Buddies

Thanks to Heather Downie in the ABC News Los Angeles bureau for this:

The Los Angeles-based band Local Natives have been compared to bands like Animal Collective, Grizzly Bear, Vampire Weekend and Fleet Foxes. Pitchfork.com describes their sound as “joyous clatter” — a combo of “celestial harmonies,” “sophisticated arrangements,” “frenetic guitar work” and an overall sense of “communal bro-down.”

We got a chance to talk to the five-piece before their set at The Echo in Los Angeles. They’ll be headed for a gig in Paris when their debut album, Gorilla Manor, hits the US on February 16th. It’s named after the house they shared in Southern California where they wrote most of their music. Sometimes things got a little rowdy at the Manor, like the day they had a massive food fight. The place was so trashed they never got their deposit back.

Interesting notes from the interview: Taylor, Kelcey, Ryan, Andy and Matt have been friends for years. A year and a half ago, they quit their jobs, graduated from school and committed themselves to music. They recently finished a tour with the Los Angeles band Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros. The Zero’s trumpeter showed up for their set.

And check out the exclusive clip below for their song "Cards and Quarters". The video was recorded in an abandoned lot near the Manor: