[Locals Only] My Pet Saddle

The average OC hipster is likely to digest a minimum of five to 10 nauseatingly ambiguous, animal-inspired band names each month. But despite the endless trail of jangly guitar solos, buckskin vests and bohemian swagger, sometimes even the most avid showgoers are left wanting. Maybe that’s because so few of these bands manage to stretch their sound beyond the realm of calculated carbon copies—diet versions of finer music eras gone by.

Fullerton-based My Pet Saddle may have very well fallen into this category, but fortunately, they have one huge thing going for them—they’re having too much fun to give a fuck. Like so many local bands, they sprang from gristly, no-frills recordings in a garage, theirs belonging to bassist Miguel Gomez. Citing the unshakable influence of country-rock pioneers the Flying Burrito Brothers, Gomez and band mates Caleb Palomo, Jacob Fosdick, Lucas Drake and Chris Darley emerge with a nicely crafted concoction of good-time grit three years in the making. Shimmering standout tracks such as “Il Fait Beau”—currently streaming on their MySpace—are ripe with sweaty recklessness and boot-stomping charisma. It’s the kind of stuff you’d like to hear at a backyard party right before things get too out of hand and the neighbors decide to call the cops on your ass.

On the local circuit, it comes as no surprise that the boys of My Pet Saddle are part of an equally rowdy set of sonic peers, including fellow Orange County favorites the Growlers and the Living Suns. But don’t be mistaken—these guys are starting to acquire a following all their own. And as they settle in to record their first full-length album, it’s quite possible they’ll be an oddly named indie-rock bands you won’t soon forget.

My Pet Saddle with Audacity, The Growlers, The Shys and The Living Suns at the House of Blues, 1530 S. Disneyland Dr., Anaheim, (714) 778-2583; www.hob.com. Jan. 9, 8 p.m. $10. Visit My Pet Saddle online at www.myspace.com/mypetsaddleband.

Attention Orange County/Long Beach musicians and bands! Mail your music, along with your vital contact info and decent high-resolution photos (plus any impending performance dates) for possible review to: Locals Only, OC Weekly, 1666 N. Main St., Ste. 500, Santa Ana, CA 92701. Or just be lazy and e-mail your MySpace link to aching@ocweekly.com.