I was listening to one of the staff members at White Oak Music & Arts as he told me about a ska show that broke capacity and a restroom sink.

That was mayhem compared to Wake Up, SFV, which floated upwards of 100 occupants shuffling between main stage and the lobby. On Sunday, the almost-nondescript music store, nestled with mechanic shops and powered by the will of 818, was host to a plethora of bands that not only called attention to the Valley's diversity, but more importantly its spirit. From 5 p.m. onwards, neighborhood youth shared cigarettes and sipped on tallboys as homespun vendors displayed their arts and crafts with decorum, beaming with a confidence and sincerity rarely felt in Los Angeles.

And I moved with the crowd through the different phases that claimed my musical adolescence — the genres that waxed and waned in popularity, but never lost their tenacity. From Tone in Georgia's well-groomed freakouts to The Aeons' feel-good maximalism, 100 Once's acapella cover of Evanescence and R!OT's dextrous remix of Shia LaBouef. The Unending Thread's toe-tapping emo-soul and those cathartic shivers of COEX, down to the fog-heavy end of the Fever The Ghost's glitched-out mecha fantasy. Every band brought their all, and the spirited youth gave back tenfold. 

Happy anniversary, White Oak Music & Arts. And thank you for wake-up call, Cesar Alas. - Ryan Mo

Fever The Ghost are bringing girl glitch and Gundams this Sunday as they perform with a dozen more local bands for the fourth Wake Up, SFV celebration. What started as the bedroom project of singer-guitarist Casper Indrizzo (ex-Seems), who frequeted SFV's mom-and-pop venues like Guitar Merchant, has grown into a sparkling '70s bubblegum flavored lovechild of MGMT and Starfucker. The four-piece mixes flutter, funk, and futurism in their debut LP Zirconium Meconium, an album best described as sci-fi pop (Kyary Pamyu Pamyu is a noted inspiration) and self-described as "Easter bunny poop." Fever The Ghost has quickly risen to critical acclaim for their glamorous live sets and unorthodox sounds, backed by talents like The Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger, Temples, and The Flaming Lips.

They've played outside California for much of the year, so this is probably the last time you'll get to see their reworked live set. Listen to "Sun Moth" off their debut LP below. - Ryan Mo

Get hyped, San Fernando Valley. Your city rocks. Your people rock. And to show you just how much, the lovely birds at Wake Up, San Fernando Valley collective are throwing a fest that'll put you on the map, more so than HAIM or System of a Down did.

WSFV -IV- (wait, the fourth?) celebrates homegrown talents from the deep San Fernando Valley at the longstanding White Oak. Over a dozen local bands are billed for your 818 pleasures, including Fever The Ghost, R!OT, and The Unending Thread. Art vendors, food trucks and more, ya heard?

It goes down on a spoopy December 13th. Expect this to be a packed show; wear your Sunday suits, or whatever. - Ryan Mo

The fifth annual Echo Park Rising has announced the 2015 lineup! The initial lineup includes heavy hitters like Blank Tapes, Dengue Fever, Roses, Fever The Ghost, Hanni El Khatib, and Kera and The Lesbians as well as Deli features Media Jeweler, Liphemra, Tennis System, Winter. More acts will be announced in the coming weeks.

Celebrating local music, arts, and small businesses, Echo Park Rising transforms several bustling routes into a summer weekend block party, with events happening through the afternoon and into the night. Yearly participants of Echo Park Rising include iam8bit Gallery, Stories Books and Café, Lot 1, The Echo/Echoplex, Bedrock LA studios, and the signature French restaurant Taix which sits at the crossing of Sunset Blvd and Park Ave. The event is free and all-ages (sans spaces that serve alcohol), but Echo Park Rising is currently offering VIP 3-day passes for exclusive viewing access, line-skip privileges, easy bar access, and limited-quantity souvenirs. VIP 1-day passes will be available when full lineup is announced.

Echo Park Rising was created in 2011 by several club and business owners to quickly replace the Sunset Junction festival, according to LA Times. Last year's festival included performances by Cherry Glazerr, Allah-Las, Crisis Arm, Bur Gur, and Tapioca and the Flea. Sound advice: avoid parking near the lake on afternoons. - Ryan Mo

Deli Nation,

Our Year End Poll for Emerging LA Artists was - as usual - a painstaking (and somewhat excruciating) process, but we pulled it off with remarkable flair!

Congrats to Alt Rock four piece Dorothy, who won our overall poll and we therefore crown as "The Deli LA's Best Emerging Band of the Year. "

With their jubilant choruses and foot-stomping riffs, Dorothy brings an exciting modern twist to their classic rock influences. Singer... Dorothy is a tour de force: her powerful vocals and commanding presence instantly bring audiences to their feet. In the past year they’ve been regularly selling out shows in local venues and large theaters alike, a good indication that their musical journey is just getting started. Check out their break out single "Wicked Ones."

Kudos also to indie folk duo Girlpool (who, sadly for us, recently left the best coast for Philly), and to quirky electro-psych-poppers Fever the Ghost, who also placed third in last year's Best of LA poll! That must mean something - we are digging their new record as we speak.

Here is how it all went down: first, we let the local bands submit their music (for free), and got our Deli editors to pick the nominees. Then we polled a list of 15+ LA scene expert (our jury, listed at the bottom) and asked them to nominate 3 more bands of their choice each. Then we polled our writers, then we polled our readers. We tried to keep things open for all genres, from Indie Rock to Roots Music to Hip Hop.

If you are a geek interested in all the subtelties related to how this poll works, you can read its rules here (happy reading!). But if all you care about is the awesome new music LA produced in the year 2014, this list is all you need. Enjoy!

BEST OF 2014 POLL FOR EMERGING LA ARTISTS ****** FINAL RESULTS ******

ARTIST J OS W R TOT   1 Dorothy 7.5     0.002 7.502 2 Girlpool 4.5   1 0.011 5.511 3 Fever The Ghost 5.5     0.003 5.503 4 Avid Dancer 4.5     0.002 4.502 5 Little Galaxies 2     2 4 6 Banta 3.5     0.008 3.508 7 Heaps N' Heaps 2     1.5 3.5 8 Maudlin Strangers 3     0.5 3.5 9 Kiev   3   0.003 3.003 10 Moses Sumney 3     0.003 3.003 11 King Washington 3     0.002 3.002 12 Pr0files 3     0.002 3.002 13 Paul Bergmann 3     0.001 3.001 14 The Diamond Light 2     0.5 2.5 15 Lion Kings 2     0.013 2.013 16 Sex Helicopter   2   0.01 2.01 17 Dead Ships 1   1 0.01 2.01 18 Fellow Bohemian   1 1 0.007 2.007 19 Debt 2     0.005 2.005 20 Jesus Sons 2     0.003 2.003 21 Modern Time Machines 2     0.003 2.003 22 Talk in Tongues 2     0.003 2.003 23 Van Ike 2     0.003 2.003 24 Babes 2     0.002 2.002 25 Exist Elsewhere 2     0.002 2.002 26 Drab Majesty 2     0.002 2.002 27 BØRNS 2     0.001 2.001 28 Fakers 2     0.001 2.001 29 Roses 2     0.001 2.001 30 Carney 2     0 2 31 Evan Mellows 2     0 2 32 Moth & The Flame 2     0 2 33 Post Life 2     0 2 34 The Dream Club 2     0 2 35 Valley Queen   1.5   0.004 1.504 36 Carlton 1     0.018 1.018 37 Dark Furs   1   0.015 1.015 38 Dalton   1   0.013 1.013 39 Afternoons   1   0.009 1.009 40 Hi Ho Silver Ho   1   0.004 1.004 41 Dawn Thomas 1     0.003 1.003 42 Corners 1     0.001 1.001 43 Hearty Har 1     1 2 44 Holy Folk 1     0 1 45 Sullen Ray 1     0 1 46 The Dead Ships 1     0 1 47 Billy Changer 1     0 1 Legend: J = Jurors, W = Deli Writers, R = Deli Readers, OS = Open Submissions

Jurors List (in random order): Molly Kodros (The Satellite), Britt Witt (Indie Rock Reviews), Dan Frazier (freebikevalet.com), Phil Jaurigui (Swing House), Anna Soffer (KXLU), Jennifer Tefft (Spaceland), Kelsey Mitchell (The Fold), Brandon Dorsky (Super Good Music), Jay Tinsky (Genghis Cohen Cantina), Matt Draper (Echo Park Records), Neil Schield (Origami), Portia Medina (music writer), Betty Elektro (Elektro-PR), Juan Rodriguez (The Deli LA). One juror asked us to remain anonymous.

Hope you'll find some awesome new artists you weren't aware of!

The Deli's Staff