Drop that plate of Black Eyed Peas and mush your M.I.A. to the side. OK, nothing quite that dramatic. But if you’re looking for brightly polished hybrid pop that sounds like the bigtime but still tugs at indie sensibilities and non-ironic heartstrings, Le Vice (www.facebook.com/officiallevice) has you, from its Rick James basslines to its swaggering rhymes. The electrifying live foursome — singer Alex Lee, drummer Darrin Thomas, bassist Sean Stillinger, guitarist Renzo Staiano — arrived glowing and breathless for their photoshoot. They’d just crossed the hill from their Studio SQ HQ, where they were putting the finishing touches on an album slated to be released in April. (A self-titled debut came out in 2010; a collab with Oakland rapper and community booster Mistah F.A.B. Called “City Streets” dropped last month.) Billboard’s Hot 100 awaits.
Description of sound: We’re an indie band very diverse influences; everything from hip-hop to indie pop to electro to chillwave to 80’s synth pop/new wave to R&B to classical. It’s all in there. We also play everything live on stage, we don’t ever play to tracks like a lot of bands do these days.
What do you like most about the Bay Area music scene? We’ve met a lot of people in the scene who have helped us out because they really believe in our sound, like the guys over at Studio SQ, or at Earshot Entertainment. Also, the Bay has some great venues like the Independent, Mezzanine and the Rickshaw Stop who host huge acts but are also willing to take a chance on newer local bands like ourselves.
What piece of music means the most to you Samuel Barber’s Adagio for Strings, cuz it’s perdy.
Favorite local eatery Broken Record — fresh organic soul food in a grimy-ass dive bar. Tasty as fuck. Hipster bling.
Who would you most like tour to with? N.E.R.D., Weezy, Santigold, or Janelle Monae.