BUZZ BANDS

The big rock flies

Aviatic makes big rock anthems, which are finding increasingly big audiences -- who, it turns out, aren’t necessarily devoted to big rock anthems. “We’ve played on bills with a lot of hard-core bands because that’s a lot of what’s out there,” says Sebu Simonian, frontman of the L.A. quartet. “We’re more melodic and down to earth, but we’ve found that music fans are open to all different types of music.”

So it’s no surprise that, at a Thanksgiving week gig at the Whisky, Aviatic earned the same energetic response as its headbanging brethren. The same is likely to apply Friday night when Aviatic joins a diverse lineup including A Jumpstart, Ed, Echocell and Slow Motion Reign at the Hyerock Festival -- a benefit for victims of Hurricane Katrina -- at the Fonda Theatre.

Aviatic’s Radiohead- and British Invasion-influenced sound represents the fusion of its members’ two former bands, the Unknown Project and Deeper Path. Simonian and guitarist Ryan Welker had met in music school; drummer Barrett Yeretsian and bassist Clint Feddersen had been band mates before.

“We brought in the best material from both sides,” Simonian says, “and what we ended up with was a little more rock ‘n’ roll, more energetic.”

In ‘05, the quartet earned notice when its song “Goodbye Beautiful Day” shot up the charts on Yahoo Music, it won a battle of the bands on Universal CityWalk and it self-released its debut album, “Arrival.” Now the band is getting feelers from a major label that Simonian declines to name.

“We’re being patient, but we’re also a little anxious,” he says. “We feel like we’re developing in a unique way.”

Fast

forward

Touts: First must-see show of the new year arrives Tuesday when Montreal quartet Wolf Parade performs at El Rey Theatre. Compared sonically with Modest Mouse (Isaac Brock hooked them up with Sub Pop Records) and Arcade Fire, Wolf Parade is riding the buzz created by its September debut, “Apologies to the Queen Mary.”

Shouts: To the L.A. musicians whose forthcoming work is spinning on the Buzz Bands CD player. Arriving Jan. 24: “Sun, Sun, Sun,” the sophomore effort by the Elected, the side project of Rilo Kiley’s Blake Sennett; “Rabbit Fur Coat,” from the other Rilo Kiley principal, Jenny Lewis, with the Watson Twins; “Ordinary World” from Get Set Go; and “Mellowdrone” from the rock quartet of that name.... Then there’s “Clear Static” (March 7) by the quintet of that name, “All Good Dreamers Pass This Way” (April) by Bedroom Walls and pop-punk from the Adored (title, date TBA).... Not to mention snippets from Rock Kills Kid, Oliver Future, Stavesacre, the Nervous Return, Pretty Vicious and Death to Anders.

See you in ’06.

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Kevin Bronson

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Recommended downloads

* Download Aviatic’s “Goodbye Beautiful Day” at aviatic.us/audio/Aviatic_-_Goodbye_Beautiful_Day.mp3

* Download Wolf Parade’s “Shine a Light” at music.download.com/wolfparade/3600-8591_32-100796411.html