Featured Artist : The Like
By: Amelia Elisa

Ladies and Gentlemen, introducing.The Like.

The Like seems to be that cool band that's still small enough to make the indie kids feel like the band is their discovery, but big enough to make those kids feel important and in the know when they drop their name. Based out of Los Angeles, The Like have made friends with all of the right people; celebrities who have been fueling the buzz about these three girls include Selma Blair, Jake Gyllenhaal, Kirsten Dunst, fellow LA band Phantom Planet, Maroon 5, and yes, even Elvis Costello. It may help that Z Berg (guitar, vocals), Charlotte Froom (bass, vocals) and Tennessee Thomas (drums) are well connected, but that's only where things begin.

Today, with her small frame and pale yellow dress, Charlotte looks like a little fairy sitting on the steps in an Urban Outfitters. She's watching All Night Radio play an in-store performance during the SxSW day festivities. She, Tennessee, and Z have come to Austin for the annual music, film and interactive festival known as South by South West (SxSW). Yesterday marked The Like's Texas debut. "We played the Levi's party yesterday, but it was outside. It was like 100 degrees, and with the lights on the stage, it was so hot they had to give us towels. I mean, we're girls.we're supposed to be.well we're not supposed to be sweaty!" Aside from the weather, Charlotte is excited to be a part of this year's SxSW line up. "Being able to travel and have all of these experiences, like this is all totally new. I've never been to Texas before!"

For the past few years, The Like have been building a strong fan base in their hometown opening for bands at local venues like the Roxy and the Troubadour. It was only recently that they began headlining their own shows. Last summer saw their first venture out on the road- a small venue east coast tour. "It was a lot of fun. We had never really traveled together before so it was interesting getting to know each others' traveling personalities." Charlotte recounts last summer's adventures with half of her face in a smile and the other half in a wince. "We all had to share the same room. That got interesting." The Like's manager, Jennifer, had an accident the night before the band was set to take off for the tour. "She sliced her foot the night before we were supposed to leave and she had to go to the emergency room. She was up all night and tired so we had to wheel her around the airport and everything." (The band has since posted pictures of the sliced foot on their website). "The tour, as in the shows themselves, was different than what we were used to. We're accustomed to playing for people who don't know our music, but it was weird playing to like, completely empty rooms."

Nearly a year after that tour, they're no longer playing to empty rooms. Tonight they play their showcase spot at the Hard Rock Café. The room holds a decent sized crowd of music fans and music industry types, all here to see The Like. "It's just kind of amazing because we never really expected any of this to happen! Everything with us has pretty much happened out of luck. Like, I make all of the pins myself. I print the sheets off my computer and slave at home making them. We print all of our CDs by ourselves.we hand stamp them and Jennifer has been burning them on her laptop. It's not like we expected such a reaction. And it's pretty amazing that we haven't had to really do anything for people to respond." On the contrary, The Like has provided the music people wanted to hear in order to respond.

The set at the Hard Rock had its obstacles; Tennessee halted the set a couple of times to tape a broken high hat stand, and Z politely commented on the conversations the audience members chose to hold during their songs (but this is SxSW, and we music fans must ignore the behavior of the record label snobs). What kept The Like connected with the audience (aside from those industry folk) was the music. Z's voice gave every song a sultry feel that could otherwise only come with age. Tennessee 's drumming peaked with the rushing flow of "Falling Away," a song from their second EP "I like the like." And it was Charlotte 's smooth bass lines that made "(So I'll sit here) Waiting" the song that everyone in the house gave roaring cheers for.

It's only a matter of time before The Like take their place in stereos and radios throughout every state, but there are a few things left to do before the girls look toward that road. "Z and I are still in high school," Charlotte talks about the band's future but is reminded of the rigors of being a high school student and a band member at the same time. "Yes, music is something we plan to do once we get out of high school. I'm planning on applying to college later, and Tennessee is deferring since she's already in college. But yeah, it is really hard actually, balancing school and the band. Because if you have a show on a school night it's not like you can do your homework in the afternoon and then go to the show at night. It's like, you leave straight from school to go to band practice and then you leave straight from band practice to go to sound check and you have no time to do anything and then your up all night and you have to be awake at like seven in the morning. So it is kind of hard managing everything but we've been together for like. I don't even know how long! Like two and a half years now.so I think we've almost got it down."

Their third EP, "Like it or Not" is now available (along with the first two EPs) online and it's only a matter of time before The Like is in your hometown. I think it's safe to say that you should now consider yourself warned.

PHOTOS FROM THE INTERVIEW WITH CHARLOTTE:

Click on the thumbnails below to view a larger image.

To learn more about The Like, visit their official web site at:     ilikethelike.com

Check back shortly for photos of The Like's SxSW show!