At Neumos this Saturday,Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros were also at Capitol Hill Block Party this year, and they snuck under my radar due to my assigned schedule. At a glance they’ve got a big rambling orchestra hippie band look, all those beards and oldish duds, and on stage they come together to create a roaming 70’s rock sound to go with those duds. With big thanks to Bowie and Davies, they’ve got a theatrical and slightly over-the-top lean that a big band of girls and boys make fun pretty much all the time. Bouncing singalongs abound, they travel around in a bus big enough to accommodate all of their members, and from what I gather pretty much just get paid to party on stage for an hour. I’m down with that, so long as I’m entertained in the process.

Edward Sharpe is currently just beginning the release of a 12-part video series that features Edward Sharpe himself as the protagonist, a series that is I think meant to be just as dramatic as their music can sometimes be. Check the video for part 1, “Desert Song” below. It’s some wild stuff:

Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros “Desert Song” from benjamin kutsko on Vimeo.

Also on the bill are The Local Natives (@localnatives), a band who used to be our favorite unsigned act (in America), until last week it was announced that they’d be issuing their debut record Gorilla Manor in February on Frenchkiss Records, home to Passion Pit, The Dodos, The Hold Steady, and Les Savy Fav. In addition to playing a Sound on the Sound sponsored show in April, they’ve spent much of this 2009 playing festivals and cultivating a presence in the UK, where they nabbed a record deal with Rough Trade to distribute Gorilla Manor on the other side of the pond, where the LP has been out for a month now. (It also looks like they’ve already got their next round in Europe scheduled already.) If you love playful harmonies, this band is for you. Peep this video:

Yours Truly Presents: Local Natives from Yours Truly on Vimeo.

Local Natives are first so show up early! LA’s Fools Gold are second.