BUZZ BANDS

Losing their cool

There’s rock and then there’s rock, and the Vacation plays to those who can spot the difference. “I think there’s a lot of false grit, manufactured or stylized aggression in rock ‘n’ roll, people who are really interested in looking cool,” vocalist Ben Tegel says. “Sometimes I want to see a little blood onstage. I want to lose myself in the moment.”

The L.A. quartet, which includes Ben’s twin, Steve, on guitar and Eric “Dutch” Suoninen on bass, has won a lot of fans with that Stooges-like approach. Its EP of punk-glam-garage fricassee, “They Were the Sons,” and a sizzling live show propelled the band onto the L.A. scene -- as well as into the public ear in Britain, where the Vacation has played the Reading and Leeds festivals and where its debut album will be released this fall on the Echo label.

Not that anybody in the Vacation is taking it easy. On Tuesday night, the band played two gigs in two counties in a span of four hours, opening for the Walkmen at the Galaxy Theatre in Santa Ana, then driving to Silver Lake to play on an International Pop Overthrow festival bill at Spaceland.

“What I’d really like now,” Steve said, just before midnight, “is some dinner.”

Fast forward

Rilo Kiley’s sold-out show Friday night at the John Anson Ford Amphitheatre originally was intended to be a record-release celebration for the band’s third album, the sparkling “More Adventurous.” But the release has been pushed to Aug. 17. (The Silver Lake quartet has scheduled an in-store at Amoeba Records that day.) As for Friday, fans of Seattle-area indie rock will want to be there by 8:30 to catch the opening “special guest.” ... More good music by people who live near you: Run Run Run plays in support of the 88 tonight at the Troubadour. The Icarus Line, touring in support of its latest release, “Penance Soiree,” headlines the Roxy on Saturday. And Frausdots, the latest project of Brent Rademaker (Beachwood Sparks, the Tyde, Further), plays the Troubadour on Wednesday. Frausdots’ debut album of moody, moving dream-rock, “Couture, Couture, Couture,” is due Sept. 28 on SubPop.... Catch the jazzy piano stylings of Welsh-born singer-songwriter (and Richard Thompson collaborator) Judith Owen every Monday through Aug. 9 at Genghis Cohen. She’ll play material from her forthcoming album, “Christmas in July.” ... And there’ll be plenty of quality beats Friday when the Breakestra, whose first album of original music is due early next year, performs as part of the Verizon Music Festival at the Temple Bar in Santa Monica.

Kevin Bronson

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