Best Up-And-Coming OC Bands Of 2014
Orange County has produced some bands that went on - and still continue - to do big things. Bands like No Doubt, Sugar Ray and Social Distortion have all burst from Orange County to become recognized internationally. The tradition continued in 2014 with some bands that seem poised to be the next Orange County band to be a hit. Here are some of the promising bands that have the potential - based on their accomplishments in 2014 - to make it big nationally.
Undecided Future
www.facebook.com/pages/Undecided-Future
The band's name is Undecided Future, and maybe these high school kids haven't decided what the future will be. However, the future looks pretty bright for this band. These guys write catchy songs that range from funk to ska. The band already has a lot of impressive gigs under its belt. Not to mention that the band won the People's Choice Award at the 2014 OC Music Awards. This band is only going to improve at both songwriting and performing live.
Mt. Ossa
www.facebook.com/mtossamusic
Bands are a dime a dozen in southern California, so a band really has to do something to set itself apart from the countless others. Mt. Ossa certainly is something different. First, the band's sound is pretty hard to explain. Second, the only song on the Mt. Ossa's Bandcamp page is a cover of "Don't You Care" by The Buckinghams. Not many bands cover The Buckinghams. The people at the OC Music Awards see the promise of this band - having voted this band as Best New Artist at 2014 OCMAs.
www.wellhungheart.com
Well Hung Heart had about as good a year as any local band can expect. In April the band released its album "Go Forth and Multiply." It received recognition from both the OC Weekly (Best YouTube Stars) and the Orange County Music Awards (Best Live Band and Best Music Video). The Orange County Music Awards are particularly impressive simply because the competition is so plentiful. It also played the Center of the Universe festival in Tulsa with Fitz and The Tantrums and local favorites Young the Giant.
Related: Best Local Rock Bands In OC
The Growlers
thegrowlers.com
The Growlers is a band that has already been well-known around the Orange County music scene for a number of years. However, while Orange County is familiar with this band, a bigger part of the world got to know the band in 2014. The Growlers played to sell-out crowds not only across the U.S., but also in Europe. In addition, it headlined a two-day event at The Observatory that saw more than 10,000 attendees. If that wasn't enough, the band was also featured in a long piece in a recent issue of OC Weekly. Look for even bigger things from this band in 2015.
In the world of music, if you get the attention of Randy Jackson, you must be doing something right. After all, he is in the business of making music stars. Nilu got the attention of the "American Idol" host in a big way. She signed on to have Jackson as her manager and producer of her next album. That being said, don't be surprised if Nilu is the next musician who becomes a star under the tutelage of Jackson.
