San Fernando Valley has this band called Draag, and they don't play by genre conventions. After splitting with his first band Tremellow, guitarist/vocalist Adrian Acosta started with an idea to get the finest musicians he knew in one room, playing whatever they wound up playing. He admits to SpeakIMG in an interview, "When I started the band, I really had no idea the kind of band I was putting together. I just knew who I wanted on my team." That statement might sound like heresy to a lot of musicians, but in this case it worked out perfectly for Draag, who recently played at the Make Music Pasadena Festival with The Electric West, Hobart W Fink, Tashaki Miyaki, and more.

Their influences go off several deep ends, from Talking Heads to The Pixies and Autechre, and you might hear bits of new wave, post-punk, krautrock, and surf punk. Hell, Traci Lordz's opening track "Milk Money" even gets into some a cappella goodness. But Draag aren't just piecemealing these elements to show their skills (we acknowledge said skills, though) — they're faithfully honing their own ideas with an arsenal of sounds: high-gain fuzz, '80s synth presets, oscillating delay, and dance-y drum machines. So far, it's working out really well for them.

Draag released their debut record Traci Lordz earlier in January, and are currently in the process of booking their fall shows and working on a new release. Listen to "Gown" from Traci Lordz below. - Ryan Mo

LA County's kickoff festival is here: Make Music Pasadena is happening tomorrow, June 6th, with over 150 bands playing at the heart of downtown Pasadena! Along with main stage big-timers like Kishi Bashi, How To Dress Well, Sir Sly, Nick Waterhouse, and rising stars Jr., Kera & The Lesbians, and Autumn in June, music & arts collectives around the county will also curate some of the tastiest home-grown acts. The main stage activities end with Pasadena Symphony & Pops' grandeur performance, but these side venues will be going strong late into the night.

You can find the complete schedule here on MMP's site, and we definitely recommend hitting up these side-stages below:

All Scene Eye presents two live stages at Armory Center for the Arts: check out Kat Myers & The Buzzards, The Electric West, Draag, Holland Belle, Tashaki Miyaki, and more.

Sherpa Music MGMT, One Question Sessions, and De La Vie TV presents at Old Towne Pub: DARK FURS, Crystales, Sanglorians, LA Takedown, Le Cos, and more.

For Friends Of Sound presents at Der Wolfskopf in the evening: OYLS, Kid Bloom, Slow Graffiti, GDNA, and more.

Montecito Music and Media presents at Shoppes at Stats: Shattered Skyline, Cool Face, The Wild Reeds, Valley Queen, bed, and more.

Open Kanvas presents at Club 54: Veteran Assassins, Noah V, Kennis Clark, Born Allah, and more plus a surprise headliner.

Remember: this music festival is FREE and starts at 11 AM. Parking structures are dotted across the city, but will definitely fill up soon, so make it out early! - Ryan Mo, photo credit: Chris Molina

Self-actualization is an arduous, life-long task. It requires vulnerability and acceptance. Embracing this attitude towards a higher existence, Lucy Miyaki is showing us her softer side with "Cool Runnings." Based on the idea of "trying to stop the cycle of self sabotage," a pattern known all too well to those following artistic paths, Tashaki Miyaki have once again captured layered emotions in their own breezy, chilled out way. The ease with which Miyaki delivers her dreamy, heartfelt lyrics is beguilingly seductive. Her voice is like a cozy cocoon waiting to wrap you up and carry you away to an enlightened consciousness. Stream "Cool Runnings" below from their bandcamp. The single is part of a limited edition 7" colored vinyl available Feb 25. Catch them live at The Troubadour on Feb. 22. - Jacqueline Caruso

Female fronted femme fatales Tashaki Miyaki have already enjoyed some breakthrough success across the pond, which in part is a shame because any opportunity to see them live in the local scene becomes a rare and special event. There's no surprise as to why they've garnered wider appeal - the plaintive, early-eighties feedback drench and intricate vocal tonality of their sound evokes the golden days of Britpop. But there's also quite a bit of that arty, Warholian sensibility as well - their latest video, "Tonight", ops to be sinister with an added dose of humor, in which two lovers are up to no good, plotting a series of murders that will eventually result in tragedy. We're never quite sure about the final outcome, but just like any Bresson or Godard film imagery is key and morality is relative; the rest just lends itself to open interpretation.