Homegrown and happening

Today's Calendar Weekend section of the Los Angeles Times has a cover story about new indie bands in the LA area. Unfortunately we're not part of the story, since we're hardly a band at the moment.

Los Angeles has no "music scene." It has a bazillion niches populated by musicians of every stripe who cultivate their small followings and clamor for more attention, all in the shadow of a music industry that magnifies the line between commerce and art.

Myriad sensibilities abound. What's cool on the Sunset Strip might be crass in Silver Lake; what rocks Orange County might earn shrugs in Hollywood; what's hip in Long Beach might be harlequin in the Valle

It goes on to profile seven bands representing seven styles that can be found in the LA basin. Additionally, there are mini-profiles about "10 more homegrown artists you ought to know" and "Bands to watch: '06." Little do they know... 2006 will go down as the year of the Tonics.