King Tuff, White Fang, Mean Jeans

[PSYCHEDELIC PICNIC] This guy looks like he should be roadying for the next hip-hop show at the Roseland, but don't let the gold teeth and bling fool you: King Tuff (born Kyle Thomas) is a softie with a bluesy soul, and the music he makes is simply fun. Imagine Dr. Dog and Woody Guthrie making love, having a child, and then driving from Tuff's native Vermont to Los Angeles and abandoning the baby there, with nothing but a guitar to comfort him. The results—evident on his self-titled Sub Pop debut—are hopeful, cutesy lyrics, clean acoustics and a West Coast, feel-good, bobblehead vibe.