Deli Readers,

Our Best of L.A. Poll for Emerging Artists has been - as usual - a lengthy and painstaking journey which took us through prairies of numbers, horizons filled with band names, and a dense, (mostly) joyous rain of music. We have finally reached our destination and we can announce the final results!

1. James Supercave

Sharp on the heels of their full-length debut album, Better Strange, James Supercave is giving psychedelic rock a welcome facelift with an array of infectious grooves alongside warm, creamy atmospherics. The Echo Park band write songs that are hearty and yet soulful, offering a wildly eclectic journey that constantly rewards. Right when stylish electro pop is beginning to overstay its welcome, leave it to James Supercave to rewrite its formula with wide-eyed wonder.

2. Rudy De Anda

A slight outsider in the LA music scene, Long Beach resident Rudy De Anda is proudly raising the flag of an oftentimes relegated territory that sports a bevy of talent. Rudy’s first solo-outing after founding psych-pop troupe Wild Pack of Canaries has something of a more slacker appeal, putting a stronger emphasis on lovestruck songwriting with a deft touch of whimsy.

3. Miya Folick

As stated on her strong readers poll showing, it’s safe to assume that Miya Folick isn’t just emerging…she’s here to stay. She’s captured the hearts and minds of numerous publications with her raw delivery, a dry, though evocative voice that echoes with resounding effect alongside her reflective observations and haunting melodies. Her latest, reveal, “Oceans”, is a darkly introspective number that should strongly connect with listeners.

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Check out our poll's top 15 below, and don't forget to get even deeper, exploring all the finalists organized by genre:

ALT SOUL - AVANT-INDIE - DREAM POP - GARAGE/REVIVAL ROCK- INDIE POP - INDIE ROCK -PSYCH/POST PUNK - ROOTS MUSIC - SINGER-SONGWRITER - SYNTHPOP

[JUAN, PLS UPDATE THE HEADPHONE LINKS IN THIS CHART!] BEST OF 2015 POLL FOR EMERGING L.A. ARTISTS ****** FINAL RESULTS - TOP 15 ******

ARTIST J OS R TOT   1 James Supercave 5.5   0.005 5.505 2 Rudy de Anda 5   0.036 5.036 3 Miya Follick 3.5   1.5 5 4 Paul bergmann 4   0.046 4.046 5 Smoke Season 1 3 0.016 4.016 6 L.A. Drones 2 2 0.007 4.007 7 Ballerina Black 2   2 4 8 Michaella 3   0.5 3.5 9 French Vanilla 3   0.13 3.13 10 Death Lens 3   0.121 3.121 11 1st Vows 3   0.117 3.117 12 Kim and the Created 3   0.099 3.099 13 NoMBe 3   0.016 3.016 14 The Violet Mindfield 3   0.002 3.002   James the Human 3   0.002 3.002 Legend: J = Jurors, R = Deli Readers, OS = Open Submissions

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If you wonder how this chart came into existence, here is how it all went down: first, we let the local bands submit their music (for free), and got our Deli editors to pick the nominees. Then we polled a list of 15+ L.A. scene expert (our jury) and asked them to nominate 3 more bands of their choice each (3 points for the top choice, then 2 and 1). Then we polled our readers. We tried to keep things open for each single genre, from Indie Rock to Roots Music to Hip Hop.

If you are a geek interested in all the subtelties related to how this poll works, you can read its rules here (happy reading!). But if all you care about is the awesome new music L.A. produced in the year 2015, this list is all you need. Enjoy!

Many Thanks to our Jurors: [Britt Witt (Indie Rock Reviews), Betty Elektro (Elektro PR), Jay Tinsky, Droozie Lane (Freaky Styley Booking), Juan Rodríguez (The Deli LA), Pat McGuire (Flood Magazine), Janette Ayub (Girl Underground Music), John Giovanazzi (The Complex), Dan Frazier (Free Bike Valet), Liz Garo (The Echo), Michael Grodney (Dirty Laundry), Angela Ratzlaff (OC Register), Karla Hernandez (Sofar Sounds), Neil Shield (Origami Vinyl), Ryan Mo (The Deli LA), Matt Draper (Echo Park Records), Jesser Boredom (Bored to Death), Rosemary  Bystrak (San Diego: Dialed In).]

Hope you'll find some awesome new artists you weren't aware of!

The Deli's Staff

Psychpop stalwarts James Supercave have announced that they were nearing completion on the highly anticipated debut LP Better Strange. The trio, led by Joaquin Pastor, has been drumming up the release since their last show at The Echo (which we covered, by the way) with film teasers. Now they've announced a tour with Austin's psych southern rock The Bright Light Social Hour. The tour starts three days from now in El Paso, Texas — Pastor and the gang will make their way through the Southwest and up to Seattle before the end of the month, see below for tour dates and locations. James Supercave's debut LP Better Strange is out February 12 — vinyl pre-orders now available through Origami Vinyl. - Ryan Mo

1.16 El Paso, TX @The Lowbrow Palace

1.17 Phoenix, AZ @Crescent Ballroom

1.20 San Diego, CA @Soda Bar

1.21 Los Angeles, CA @The Echo

1.23 San Francisco, CA @The Chapel

1.27 Eugene, OR @The WOW Hall

1.28 Portland, OR @Mississippi Studios

1.29 Seattle, WA @Tractor Tavern

Singer-songwriter Miya Folick is not all that strange. She grew up in Santa Ana, went to college for Theatre, and moved to New York for a short period of time. In a recent interview with Drunken Werewolf, Folick concedes that she didn't consider pursuing music in her adolescence.

"I think I came to music fairly late. I didn't grow up thinking I'd be a working musician or even thinking that that was in the realm of possibilities for me."

And yet "Talking with Strangers", the first song we heard Folick half-nervously perform at James Supercave's 11/11 show, commanded a je ne sai quoi seldom felt from rosy-eyed musicians, and even less seldom heard by Los Angeles. For those six minutes, the Echo resonated with her voice and guitar, an off-white Telecaster finger-plucked with precision — unequivocably serene. As she performed alone, it was difficult to consider Folick's singing with embellishment, but listen to the studio version in her newly released "Strange Darling" EP.

Like the devil winds of Santa Ana, the katabatic pianos, synth dust, and guitar arpeggios fan Folick's verses into flames, burning presumption to leave us in the ashes of wonder and awe.

"Strange Darling" is available to stream on Miya Foick's Soundcloud and Bandcamp page. Watch Miya Folick perform at The Bootleg Theatre on December 3rd with Lena Fayre. And maybe buy some underwear, if you're a strange darling. - Ryan Mo

You know a show's good when it makes a Wednesday night feel like a Friday night. And James Supercave (fka Masxs), the fast-rising psychpop project of Joaquin Pastor, did exactly that, headlining an Echo show with some heavy local talents.

Space sojourners VS Colour started off really laid back, but their prismatic grooves took the Echo earlybirds on a serious trip. Singer/guitarist Joe Bates even threw down some dance moves on their closing odyssey jam. Miya Folick followed soon after, meticulously working the sound on what started as a sparse solo performance, but took a turn for the experimental, and ended in a jaw-dropping finale with her drummer.

And then of course, there was James Supercave, the freshest of them all. Rolling out with a rework of 2014's "Burn", Joaquin Pastor's crew got strange on stage with their newest single, went far back with their 2011 breakout "Chairman Gou", and even threw in a two-song encore to the satisfaction of the crowd.

If you missed out on James Supercave last night, you can still catch him this Saturday at the San Diego Music Thing. Check out pictures of the Echo show on our new Instagram account @TheDeliLA, taken by the very talented Michelle McCausland. - Ryan Mo

The psych-pop matador James Supercave came out with a new single yesterday, and by the first line we've already lost the game. From the wheezing synth riffs to Joaquin Pastor's choked falsetto, "Better Strange" unravels with a bass thump, shuffling around with anxiety like the most invisible wallflower at a house party. It's moody, yes, and sounds uncompromisingly honest. Uncompromisingly weird. And it's glorious.

"Better Strange" is our first glimpse and title-track to James Supercave's debut album. It's available to stream on Soundcloud and for purchase on iTunes. See the band live with VS Colour and Miya Folick at the Echo on November 11. - Ryan Mo