Bands to Hear - Local bands

Hey, so I almost went to a show last night in Seattle-- we realized by the time everything went down it might be a bad idea since there is a 15 page Neuroscience paper due on Tuesday, but I was really excited because all the bands are from our local area, so here are a few that I thought sounded really good and I hope to see playing closer to home in the future:

The Lonely Forest: Basically just down the block in Anacortes, WA, this trio is one of the best things I've heard lately and they are getting a lot of attention and working with producer Jack Endino (Nirvana, Soundgarden) on their new album. Great indie rock-- check out "We Sing in Time" on their myspace page.

The Mission Orange: From a little further down the road in Mount Vernon, WA, the Mission Orange is a two-piece band, but sound nothing like the duos I've been listening to lately. They are very Built to Spill in a garage-band kind of way.

The Nextdoor Neighbors: I can't say this band is from down the street, since they are from Olympia, which is on the other side of Seattle from me, but they are local and they are fresh. Not really my style, but I'm still impressed and I know Dan and John J will enjoy it. Sort of a mashup of Smoosh and the Fiery Furnaces, with a voice similar to Regina Spektor.