BUZZ BANDS

No doubt about it

Bassist Kerry James knows that fans might check out Oslo simply because of the band’s connections. Guitarist Gabrial McNair has long been a sideman for No Doubt, and the pop juggernaut’s drummer, Adrian Young, has been sitting in too. James hopes those fans dial in the new group’s music -- moody, atmospheric rock that wouldn’t be out of place alongside releases by Britpop-style bands Steadman and South. Playing to fans who know Oslo through No Doubt “has been surreal sometimes,” James says. “You can feel the vibe change ... but there’s a percentage of people who get it, and those are the people we play to.”

Featuring the ethereal vocals of Mattia Borani, as well as Damon Ramirez on keyboards, Oslo performs three consecutive Sunday nights at the Derby starting this week (Young’s last turn as drummer before Devin Beaman takes over), hoping to catch the ears of fans and label scouts alike.

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Shared venture

Fans of Bright Eyes have to wait only until spring to hear some new songs. That’s when L.A. indie label Crank! will release “One Jug of Wine, Two Vessels,” a split EP with fellow Omaha band Neva Dinova. The six-song disc, recorded by respective frontmen Conor Oberst and Jake Bellows and mixed by Saddle Creek Records studio whiz Mike Mogis, is more of a collaboration than a split, with members of each group playing backup on a trio of the other’s songs.

The project grew out of a friendship between Bellows, whose band released its self-titled debut on Crank! in 2002, and Bright Eyes wunderkind Oberst. Loose and engaging, the disc has the feel of brothers playing songs to each other, with Oberst’s characteristically vulnerable vocals counterposed by Bellows’ world-weary reflections.

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Fast forward

International Pop Overthrow promoter David Bash restarts his monthly showcases tonight at the Scene in Glendale with a five-band bill that includes They Walk Among Us (from Cardiff, Wales), party-punkers the Dollyrots and L.A. veterans the Piper Downs.... Ex-Gin Blossoms guitarist Jesse Valenzuela is among the guests at Acoustic Chaos, a monthly event hosted by Orange County mainstay Walter Clevenger and kicking off tonight at the Bamboo Terrace in Costa Mesa.... Austin, Texas, emo-ragers Recover -- in town recording an album with producer Don Gilmore (Linkin Park) -- perform Saturday at Chain Reaction in Anaheim.... Postscript on the Album Leaf, whose show last week at Spaceland mesmerized just about everybody (except Nicky Hilton, who left early): Seattle-based SubPop has signed the act, and an album is due this summer....