Podcast: LiveDaily Sessions

Indie rock quintet The Little Ones have fellow musician Matt Costa to thank in part for their rise in popularity. The LA-based group jump-started their career in 2006 with an opening gig for Costa at New York City's Bowery Ballroom. Download mp3Subscribe at iTunes

The 88, an LA-based indie-rock group featuring singer/songwriter/guitarist Keith Slettedahl, keyboardist/songwriter Adam Merrin and drummer Anthony Zimmitti, have been inundating the local music scene since their formation in 2003. Opening for acts including Matt Costa and the Smashing Pumpkins and serving as the backing band for the late Elliot Smith by request for a special OC performance has given the hard-working band an edge, as has the inclusion of many of their songs in primetime television programs and MTV reality shows. Download mp3Subscribe at iTunes

Utah-based rockers The Used are in the midst of an ambitious fall tour in support of their recently released album "Artwork." Download mp3Subscribe at iTunes

Identical twins Natalie and Nicole Albino make up Nina Sky, a creation that sprang from an early childhood appreciation of music. Drum and guitar lessons ensued, and, before long, the duo moonlighted as DJs. After a turnkey introduction to music producers The Jettsonz in 2000, the sisters wrote their break-out song, "Move Ya Body," a Caribbean-influenced R&B number that reached No. 17 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Download mp3Subscribe at iTunes

With his mastery of the guitar, piano and stand-up bass, Tom Freund could be his own one-man band. The experienced musician taught himself, picking up and playing whatever was around. Through a mutual friend, Freund became close pals with fellow musician Ben Harper, creating a duet album, "Pleasure & Pain," in 1992. Download mp3Subscribe at iTunes

Singer/songwriter Matt Costa had two interests growing up in Huntington Beach, CA: the guitar and the skateboard. After first going with the more thrilling of the two, Costa turned pro before suffering a leg break and subsequent marathon surgery that sidelined him indefinitely. Thanks to that unfortunate injury, Costa's inner musician reemerged and he began churning out songs as a coping mechanism. Since that time, the low-key artist has released four albums, two of them on Jack Johnson's Brushfire Records. Download mp3Subscribe at iTunes

Brooklyn-based Ben Curtis, former guitarist for Secret Machines, created his own electro-pop outfit, School of Seven Bells, in 2007. Naming the group after an imaginary San Francisco pickpocket school, Curtis drafted identical twin sisters Alejandra and Claudia Deheza to accompany him vocally. Download mp3Subscribe at iTunes

Though his lineage includes two country music legends, Shelton Hank Williams III, usually referred to as Hank III, prefers to pave his own way. The self-described "hellbilly" melds a touch of grandfather Hank Williams Sr.'s old-fashioned country ways with a punk attitude. With a home base in Nashville, TN, Hank III lends his bass, guitar and drumming skills to a variety of other projects in his downtime. Download mp3Subscribe at iTunes

British outfit Fanfarlo has its sights set on the Oct. 6 US release of its debut album, "Reservoir." The group recorded the 11-track collection in about six weeks with the help of producer Peter Katis (The National, Interpol), whose home studio in Bridgeport, CT, was the site of the recording sessions. Download mp3Subscribe at iTunes

Helmed by singer/songwriter/guitarist Reggie Youngblood, the Jacksonville, FL-based Black Kids have come a long way since their inception just a couple years ago. The quintet used MySpace as a free and valuable distribution tool with their 2007 debut EP, "Wizard of Ahhhs," which placed them on Rolling Stone's "Artists to Watch" list for the year. Download mp3Subscribe at iTunes