TOCA

If you've listened to TOCA's dizzyingly schizophrenic sound, then you already know this California sextet appreciates different kinds of music. Make that A LOT of different kinds of music -- sometimes in the same song. So it's no surprise that the band members come from diverse musical backgrounds. Lead vocalist Danny "Xinxo" Rodriguez came out of L.A.'s independent hip-hop scene. Brothers Ceschi (guitar, keys, bass, vocals) and David (drums, percussion, vocals) Ramos were raised in Berkeley by professor parents and went on to form an indie rock band and dabble in underground rap. Danny Levin (on horns) worked with indie bands like Rilo Kiley and Built to Spill before coming to the group. Pianist Max Heath can tickle everything from jazz to rock to reggae out of the ivories; vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Tommy Valencia rounds things out. The six musicians were working on other projects when Rodriguez had them over to his house for several nights of jamming that eventually turned into TOCA. After an appearance on the Project Blowed 10 Year Anniversary Album and collaborations with indie-hoppers like Aceyalone and Busdriver, their debut came out on Two Tone Elephants in 2007.