Bleached Sisters on Being "The Best for Each Other"

It's not as if Los Angeles has ever exactly lost its way when it comes to breeding some of the best rock 'n' roll bands in the world. But holy shit, something strange and wonderful has undoubtedly contaminated the City of Angels' water lately. It's subsequently now coursing through the veins of a new crop of deadly bands taking the national garage, psych, and punk acts back to school. This is thanks in part to the proliferation of a fistful of truly independent record labels investing in and pushing the area's bands.

Just one of the bands leading the charge with its own growing monster buzz and killer sound is Bleached. Sisters Jennifer and Jessica Clavin are the creative forces behind it and are responsible for the band's unique take on classic pop-rock.

Its sound is rounded out with some toothy punk-rock elements and a healthy dose of Phil Spector-informed production touches. The brilliance in Bleached's sound is the band's ability to add just the right amount of interesting colors, like jagged punk guitar sounds and oddball vocal reverbs. And all that without screwing up the universally approachable nature of a perfectly written pop-rocker.

Unlike many other groups featuring siblings, the Clavin sisters might be considered the anti-Oasis in their support for each other. Jessie Clavin explained to us that "We just want the best for each other. We're never competing, we totally just want each other to be the happiest we can be!"

Bleached released a series of EPs that hinted at a developing sound before putting out its critically acclaimed full-length, Ride Your Heart. And while the songs ebb and flow in style a bit on the album, the Clavin's personalities tie everything together in a distinctly Bleached way. On the band's sonic diversity and future direction, Jessica Clavin tells us, "I feel like we don't want to be so limited on a sound, we're just very open to trying things. Me and Jen's record collections are insanely huge, and we love so much music, and we want to try everything and see what we can do!"

The band has also made some waves with its unique music videos, something Jessie Clavin believes in fully as she told us, "Visuals make it come to life, and that's like the coolest thing ever! We used to have so many VHS tapes of bands playing live or music videos, and it's so awesome -- you feel so much more connected to the band!"

Bleached. With Jacuzzi Boys and DJ Skidmark. 8 p.m. Saturday, May 31, at Hollywood ArtsPark, 1 Young Circle, Hollywood. Free. Cal l954-924-2980, or visit Hollywoodfl.org.

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