ORCHESTRAL GENRE DEMOLISHERS 

FEMME FATALES

 It all started when a bear and a valentine caught each other’s eyes at a costume party. So says Kristen Allen-Zito,one quarter of the all-female band The Trucks, a techno-pop/indie-rock band. The two female friends became four and soon were making music together in slumber-party settings. “Things just happen,” says Allen-Zito. “When we met, it was such a creative clicking. Music is something you should do if it’s fun and feels good. It does, so we do.”No question The Trucks have fun, as evidenced by their catchy tunes, funky costumes (think fishnets and tampons) and school-girl charm. But it’s their bold, sassy lyrics that set them apart, delivered as if confiding in kindred spirits.“Every once in a while when we’re onstage, we look around and start laughing and say ‘Oh my God. We’re a realband,’” says Allen-Zito. www.trucks.net

THE DUKE OF UKE

Pop quiz: What’s unusual about Jake Shimabukuro’s version of George Harrison’s classic “While My Guitar Gently Weeps?”Answer: He plays it on a ukulele. For those who think that’s a sacrilege, think again. Shimabukuro does for the uke what Ian Anderson did for the flute or Béla Fleck did for the banjo—breaks it out of its doldrums and introduces it to modern rock, jazz and blues. Like Anderson and Fleck, Shimabukuro has taken his instrument where no musician has gone before. His use of various guitar effect pedals while plucking and strumming creates jaw-dropping sounds. There’s even ample evidence that Harrisonwould have enjoyed the tunes of this modern-day uke master. “George Harrison loved the ukulele,” says Shimabukuro, who met Harrison’s widow, Olivia, when she attended one of his concerts. “She was telling me these great stories about parties they had where George Harrison got out his uke and they all started jamming together.” www.jakeshimabukuro.com

BOWIE FANS GROW UP, GO BIGIn the United States

The Kooks may still be “on the verge,” but overseas the Brighton based group has already spent six months sitting comfortably in the Top 20. Since forming in music school three years ago, the quartet has gradually spread its Shins-like mix of rock and pop across the globe, scoring a choice spot at this year’s Coachella festiva lalong the way. “I originally thought, ‘Fuckin’ A—music school will be a good way toget my parents off my back,’” frontman/guitarist Luke Pritchard jokes. “But I started jamming with these guys who had a real open mind about music.” Boiling such diverse influences as reggae, new wave, blues and folk into a series of tight pop-rock numbers,The Kooks released their infectious debut album, Inside In/Inside Out, in 2006 andscored a hit with the bouncy single “She Moves in Her Own Way.” “The name ‘The Kooks’was actually an old girlfriend’s idea,” the fresh-faced singer admits. “We’d listen to David Bowie’s Hunky Dory and always thought the song ‘Kooks’ felt just right for a bandname.” www.thekooks.co.uk 

SAMUEL BECKETT ROCKS

Though its members are still in their early 20s, the politicallycharged indie-rock band Exit Clov is, in many ways, asecond marriage. “[Bassist] Brett Niederman and I were in another band and we’d do these late-night adultery sessions with [guitarist] Aaron Leeder,” drummer John Thayer says. “At the same time, the girls were doing this folk thingas Exit Clov and we decided to combine forces.” Fronted by twin female vocalists Susan and Emily Hsu, th  quintetstumbled upon an up tempo pop-rock sound not unlike Blondie or Metric. As soon as rehearsals started gelling, the group started pumping out demos and EPs. Spots at festivals like West Virginia’s All Good quickly followed. As Samuel Beckett fans can surely attest, Exit Clov’s name is actually a nod to Endgame, a play which reflects the group’s call-to-arms message. “We’re not trying to write songs just to have a hit,” Thayer says. “But at the same time, you can’t talk shit about a song which sells a million copies.” www.exitclov.com