Banta

A hook-driven sextet based out of Echo Park, California, Banta employs a breezy blend of road-tested classic rock and smart, radio-ready indie pop that falls somewhere between <a href="spotify:artist:08GQAI4eElDnROBrJRGE0X">Fleetwood Mac</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:2cevwbv7ISD92VMNLYLHZA">Rilo Kiley</a>. The creation of Portland, Oregon native Sharaya Mikael, who left her desk job in 2010 and moved to Nashville to focus on music, the band began to shape after Mikael's return to the west coast in 2013. Utilizing a rotating cast of area musicians, the Mikael-led quartet recorded an eponymous four-song EP with producer Andrew Stonestreet (<a href="spotify:artist:5CWn0694sgJ7ur8lCM9XmO">Greylag</a>), and soon became fixtures on the busy L.A. indie rock scene. In 2016, the band, which had solidified into a six-piece consisting of Mikael (vocals/guitar), Kristin Hardin (vocals), Jon Marcu (drums), Scott Clear (lead guitar), Steve Oh Grohne (bass), and Alathea Reece (keys), released their debut studio long-player, Dark Charms. ~ James Christopher Monger, Rovi