I caught a show by L.A. band Chasing Kings a couple of weeks ago. They play a piano rock jive I found comparable to The Fray and James Blunt. And yes, I do mean that in a good way. Below are stage clips and a short interview with lead singer Matt Schwartz. The on-stage background artwork painted during the show is by Norton Wisdom.
A little shakey camera work at the beginning of this video due to a very active crowd at The Smell on July 17, but I managed to get things under control a few seconds in. Orange County band Audacity played a hot set (literally) to a full house that night. They’ve been together for about 8 years, which means (doing some quick math) these guys have been jamming since 7th grade. 
I’m really not sure how old they are, but I do know they kick serious ass on stage and write tunes with great hooks as well. There’s a short interview with the lead singer about halfway through the vid. Good crowd scenes too (when I was a safe distance away). Check it out.
Found out at the last minute these guys were playing The Smell back on 8/29. I’d missed them the last couple of times they were in town, and I was determined this wouldn’t be a third. It turns out they were running late, so all was good. When the band got there, drummer Ian Vanek issued an apology to the club owner, hauled in one of the larger pieces of his drum kit, and proceeded to momentarily dance with the hottest blonde girl on the floor. Japanther is a two-man act, Vanek on percussion and Matt Reilly on bass. No lead guitar, but you’d never know by the sound these guys blow out. Below is a clip from the show along with a short interview, and I’d like to end with a summation of Vanek’s response to my question on how to improve the indie music scene, an answer that actually could qualify for a decent life philosophy:
1) Don’t be a dick.
2) Drop your ego.
3) Play Rock ‘n Roll.