BANDS

A favor, honey?

Producer Sean Beavan has worked with a multitude of heavy hitters -- Nine Inch Nails, Marilyn Manson, No Doubt and System of a Down, to name just a few -- but his latest breakthrough came when he needed a pinch-hitter. Wanting to add last-minute female vocals to songs by Chicago rock band Kill Hannah, Beavan in desperation tried somebody he had never heard sing: his wife, Juliette.

“It was amazing,” he says. And 8mm was born.

The duo’s Internet buzz began last fall and continued with the release of 8mm’s debut EP, “Opener,” which frames Juliette’s sultry vocals in measured guitar-keyboard melodies for a smoky, cinematic feel.

Sean says collaborating with his wife of five years is easy. “We’re the kind of couple people love to hate -- you know, we’re kind of the same person with different genitalia.”

The songwriting is collaborative, and as a veteran studio guru, “from the first melodic phrase, I know exactly how I want it to sound,” Sean says. What surprised him, though, is the reception “Opener” has gotten. “The kids have just been pouring into our MySpace.com” site, Sean says.

8mm performs Tuesday and March 20 at the Knitting Factory’s AlterKnit Lounge.

Wrapped in Rayon

Rayon can thank Echo and the Bunnymen guitarist Will Sergeant for its name. After opening for the British band a couple of years ago, Walter Ensign expressed bewilderment about the band’s name. “ ‘Why don’t you call your band Rayon?’ ” Ensign remembers Sergeant telling him. “ ‘It’s one word, and it sounds British.’ ” And it stuck.

Though the name suggests Ensign’s trio sounds synthetic, Rayon is anything but. With the frontman’s flanged vocals poking through lush guitars, Rayon’s music seems as organic as an ocean swell. “We’re still trying to define” the sound, Ensign says, “but I love layers, even if it’s just to experiment. Layers of strings, layers of guitars

Rayon’s self-released EP doesn’t reflect the energy of a live set, which offers some neck-snapping surges. It figures to get even stronger with the addition of drummer Brian Keats to a lineup that includes peripatetic bassist Mimi Star. Rayon opens for Ian Hunter tonight at the Galaxy in Santa Ana.

Fast

forward

You never know where you might find catchy American indie-pop these days -- take, for instance, Shout Out Louds. They’re from Sweden, and their full-length debut is due May 24 on Capitol Records. They open for the Futureheads on Friday at the Fonda.... More imports from Scandinavia: The Export Music Sweden showcase comes to the Troubadour on Wednesday, with four bands introducing their wares, including the soulful Moneybrother and aptly named Melody Club.... The new album by the Warlocks isn’t due until August, but they play Spaceland on Sunday as one in a lineup of shows celebrating the venue’s 10th birthday.

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-- Kevin Bronson