Willowake is a South Bay Los Angeles–based alternative indie-rock three-piece, comprised of Jr Polanco (guitar & vocals), Gavin Alvarado (bass) and Dax Corcoran (drums). The band formed during their senior year of high school in 2021, initially honing their live chops via backyard house shows hosted by Jr. In September 2022 they released their debut single “Bitterfaced,” marking their first milestone. To celebrate, they played their first proper venue show at Bottom of the Hill in San Francisco—opening for Ultra Q/Mt. Eddy to a sold-out crowd. Since then the group has maintained steady momentum, performing sold-out shows across the West Coast in established venues such as The Echo, the Constellation Room, the Lodge Room, Genghis Cohen, Teragram Ballroom and the Voodoo Room. In early 2023 they released their fan-favorite single “I See Ghosts,” which helped the band break into radio rotation on KROQ. In June 2024 Willowake followed up with their debut EP, An Alter Ego, co-produced by Jakob Armstrong (of Ultra Q/Mt. Eddy and son of Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day). During summer 2025 the band began seeing rapid growth on TikTok and Instagram, accumulating millions of views across both platforms. Their heavily anticipated new single “Echo Odd” dropped in August 2025 as the first track from their upcoming EP Having Bad Dreams. That single has already achieved 300 k+ streams on Spotify and over a million views of its video on TikTok; the band currently boasts 80 k monthly listeners on Spotify and 750 k total streams. Rooted in the vibrant South Bay music scene—where acts ranging from Black Flag and Pennywise to The Bags, Fishbone and The Untouchables laid early groundwork—Willowake bring a fresh indie-rock energy informed by local history but focused squarely on their own sound.

“The next wave of teenage riot grrrrl rebellion has arrived, youthfully defiant but smiling ear to ear with infectious pop-punk glee. Unabashedly honest and tightly wound, the quartet exudes passion, seems carefree and cheerful, and boils with attitude, all while displaying a keen melodic edge. And they play like their hair is on fire” – Peter Lindblad, Ink 19    While only performing together for a little more than a year, all-girl Los Angeles high school band, Kim Theory, has quickly made a name for themselves in the vibrant local underground music scene. With their infectious mix of indie rock music with riot girrrrl and pop punk influences, Audrey Cymone (vocals), Lula Seifert (guitar), Lucy Fraser (bass) and Zoey Su (drums), have established themselves at the forefront of an exciting youth movement built on social media and word-of-mouth.    Late last year, the band released their debut recording, the 4-song EP Bitch Scene. Recorded by Paul Roessler (Screamers, DC3, 45 Grave, Twisted Roots) at his Kitten Robot Studios, the EP earned the band radio play and generated universally glowing reviews from a wide variety of magazines, including Magnet, Shindig!, Ink 19 and Big Takeover.    Performing at all-ages venues and homegrown house parties, Kim Theory’s energetic, raucous performances have also garnered the band attention and traditional press coverage from print magazines and other outlets, including  Los Angeles Magazine, CBS News Los Angeles, and Vogue. The Bitch Scene release show was held at Backyard Party, an all-ages music space associated with Altadena Musicians, a charity to help musicians replace gear they lost in the LA fires. The sold-out event landed Kim Theory on the cover of the Lifestyle Section of the LA Times.  This combination of new and old media attention connected Kim Theory to first-generation riot grrrl band Bratmobile who reposted their cover of “Gimme Brains” to their Instagram page and shortly afterward invited the girls to join them on stage to sing on the tune in front of the fans at a sold-out show at The Belasco in Los Angeles. It was a fitting, once-in-a-lifetime experience for Kim Theory, whose moniker is a tribute to musicians/heroes Kim Gordon, Kim Shattuck and Kim Deal.  “Part-time band, Full-time friends”, the girls of Kim Theory love playing music and getting to watch other bands play.