Eight Gigs: Northern American

Touring these days is hard for an indie band. Not only are transportation costs high, finding a place to lay your head for a couple of hours is also daunting. Luckily, Los Angeles' Northern American is on a West Coast tour anyway—promoting its fantastic new album Modern Phenomena which features some near perfect pop ditties. Check out the dreamy and ethereal “Somewhere Out There” or even the album's strongest track, “Strange Behavior,” which shuffles and soars with its blissful harmonies and Brit-pop leanings. Fans of Travis, Kent or anything close will adore what they hear. Also on the bill are Social Studies and Spectacular Spectacular. 129 E Street, Suite E, in Davis; www.facebook.com/NorthernAmerican.