It started like this:

One night in late 2006 Matt Smith placed an ad on Craigslist.  The ad read: “lets start a band in silver lake.”  That was it.   No hyperbole, no posturing, no allusions to mythical record deals.  Simple.  Direct.  Lets plug in some instruments, turn on the amps and play some Rock n Roll.  Two demos were attached.  One listen and recent NYC transplant Avi Glijansky knew this was someone he wanted to work with.  Matt got a lot of responses to that ad.  Avi’s was the only one he wrote back to.

The songs started flowing and the band that would become LOST CITY RADIO fell into place.  Avi’s former bandmates Josh Palmer and Chintan Pandya had found themselves in L.A. as well, so it was inevitable that they would play together again.  Josh took his rightful place behind the drum kit and Chin traded his guitar for a bass.  Matt had been playing with Justin Janowitz since college.  There was little doubt that he’d be lending his guitar to this endeavor as well.

The organizing principle of LOST CITY RADIO is the same as that of the ad that started it all.  No bullshit.  Just Rock n Roll. “Indie,” “Punk,” “Grunge,” “Post-Anything,” call their music whatever you like, as long as you recognize it for what it is:  a little bit loud, a little bit trashy, and yes, even a little bit melodic.  Their live show veers from ferocious up-tempo attacks, to quieter introspective tunes that build towards back of the club catharsis.  There is no practiced detachment here.  This band wants you to feel something when you hear them and they will keep playing until you do.

Their debut EP “Bad Decisions” is very much an L.A. record, capturing what it’s like to find yourself in the City of Angels and not remember exactly why it is that you’re there.   But while the lyrical content may be unified, the music is more restless.  Opening track “Birds” is a gritty bar song, meant to be belted out from whiskey soaked stages.  “Hollywood” alternates between a laid-back groove and punk aggression while “Watch it Down” marries arena-sized choruses and guitar work with hushed introspective verses.  “Self Storage” combines lush harmonies and an evolving guitar line.  And album closer “1 Inch = 100 Miles” begins with a subdued bit of country twang and a slide guitar, before careening into a wall of sound and raw emotion.

Some things have changed since that ad was posted.  For starters the band’s not really in Silver Lake anymore.  Matt traded his shack perched above Spaceland for a loft downtown.  Songs have been written and refined and in some cases abandoned as more satisfying tunes worked their way into sets.  But one thing is certain.  The 5 guys who comprise LOST CITY RADIO have started a band.  And when the lights go dim and you hear the feedback start to ring out from their amps, you’ll be glad they did.