Your New Favorite L.A. Band: The Airborne Toxic Event @ Pianos

The Airborne Toxic Event; Bombaldi
@ Pianos
New York, NY - February 27, 2008

With their first few chords, the Airborne Toxic Event instantly became the second best band from Los Angeles (hard to top X y'all). Driving power pop, substantive deeper melodies at work in the background, anchored by the deep, flowing voice of Mikel Jollet - this band covers all the bases and then some. This wasn't just a typical show either. This was a PACKED Pianos waiting for these guys, a band arriving only with 3-song EP at the merch table. Furious yet elegant, the total package, the ATE cover all the bases of rock n' roll and lived up to what were obviously high and enthusiastic expectations.
It felt like a CMJ show. An overcrowded Pianos, managers/publicists swarming the band in seconds after the set was over.
It cannot be overstated what an unbelievably good time this was. It's not even March yet, and this may have been the show of the year. And where the heck did they come from? It may be premature, but we may be looking at the next big thing here...
And as previously mentioned, here is a band with a great literary reference, but they've proven that DeLillo's White Noise isn't just an ode to the wonders of fat chicks. That's what the book was about, right?

Photos
Caught Bombaldi upstairs while waiting for the doors to open. Seem like nice guys working through the pop-rock thing. More hits than misses. Just don't get the costumes though. But at the rate things are going, these guys will be packin' em somewhere soon.