On Our Radar is The LA Note’s weekly roundup of the artists and creatives who reach out to us. Every week we read the submissions and pitches that land on our desk, then share the people we think you should know: who they are, what they do, what they just released and where to find them. This week’s 11 run from a Boston punk band and an Arizona murder ballad to a dog puppet who explains politics and the people building LA hoops culture behind the scenes.
Find one that sticks, give them a follow, and tell them The LA Note sent you.
This week at a glance
- Lady Rackz: Hip-hop & R&B artist, South Florida
- Adios Fatso: Punk rock band, Boston, MA
- Collin Clowes: Indie folk-pop singer-songwriter, Gorham, Ontario
- The PJ Bidwell Band: Americana & alt-country band, Arizona
- Bars: Singer-songwriter & performance artist, Los Angeles
- DJ Piscine: DJ & producer, tech house & minimal, SWIM Records
- Keldamuzik: Rapper, actress & TV host, San Francisco Bay Area
- Darrel Smith Jr.: DIY multi-instrumentalist, Arlington, Texas
- Anchor & Cross: Christian R&B & soul, Independent
- Angel Gutierrez Mendoza: Basketball operations, events & talent, Los Angeles
- Jonathan Jordan: Performer, puppeteer & creator, Los Angeles
1. Lady Rackz
Industry: Music · Talent: Hip-hop & R&B artist · Based: South Florida
Lady Rackz is a Cape Verdean and Jamaican-American hip-hop and R&B artist who was raised in West Palm Beach, came up in Rhode Island and now makes her music in South Florida. Her new single “Breathe,” out October 9, comes from an independent artist and mother of three who writes about money, motherhood, resilience and real relationships. She started recording herself at 13, and she makes every record for women who carry a lot and still refuse to give up on their dreams.
Connect with Lady Rackz: Instagram @iamladyrackz · ladyrackz.com · Stream “Breathe” on Spotify · EPK
2. Adios Fatso
Industry: Music · Talent: Punk rock band · Based: Boston, MA
Adios Fatso is a Boston punk rock band whose motto says it all: life is short and so are their songs. “AI Is Taking Your Soul,” out October 16, is the first single from their sophomore album, The Sequel, and it pairs pounding drums and distorted guitars with a chorus that goes off like a siren. Frontman Sir-Ken Celli wrote it as a tongue-in-cheek alarm about how much room technology is taking up in our lives, and Bob St. John (Extreme, Duran Duran) mixed and mastered it.
Connect with Adios Fatso: Instagram @adiosfatso · All links
3. Collin Clowes
Industry: Music · Talent: Indie folk-pop singer-songwriter · Based: Gorham, Ontario
Collin Clowes is a singer-songwriter from Gorham, Ontario, just outside Thunder Bay, who promised himself he would pursue music no matter what after an autoimmune disease put him in the hospital at 17. More than a decade after a liver transplant, his debut album Daydreams arrives Friday, October 23, an indie folk-pop record that traces the end of a ten-year relationship and the strain of building a music career with an ongoing health condition. He wrote, recorded and produced much of it himself in his home studio, following EPs that earned him a 2024 Northern Ontario Music and Film Awards nomination.
Connect with Collin Clowes: Instagram @collinclowes · Pre-save & links
4. The PJ Bidwell Band
Industry: Music · Talent: Americana & alt-country band · Based: Arizona
The PJ Bidwell Band is an Arizona Americana and alt-country band fronted by songwriter PJ Bidwell. Their new single “Culebra,” out October 16 and co-written with Eric Cunningham, is a borderland murder ballad about power, violence and the stories people leave behind, moving from a Spanish-style nylon-string guitar intro into a full band with pedal steel and trumpet. The band’s originals have picked up airplay on independent and community stations in the U.S. and abroad, and they are now recording their first full-length album.
Connect with PJ Bidwell Band: Instagram @thepjbidwellband · Listen to “Culebra”
5. Bars
Industry: Music & Performance · Talent: Singer-songwriter & performance artist · Based: Los Angeles
Bars is a Los Angeles singer-songwriter and performance artist, formerly known as Bar Bionic, who blends pop, dance, wearable technology and musical-theater training, most famously in a “cyber wig” built from hundreds of headphones. The next single, “Sexting,” arrives November 6 as a jazz-inspired, comedic update of “Why Don’t You Do Right?” and the second preview of the sophomore album Dirty Troll, due in winter 2027 and co-produced by Varo and Daniel Jakubovic. Bars brought the vision to The Abbey in West Hollywood on October 8, and the album jumps from metal to disco to ballads on purpose.
Connect with Bars: Instagram @bar_bionic
6. DJ Piscine
Industry: Music · Talent: DJ & producer, tech house & minimal · Based: SWIM Records
DJ Piscine is a DJ and producer working in tech house, minimal techno and melodic deep house, releasing music on his own label, SWIM Records. His new single “Have You Made A Choice?”, out October 21, is less a letter to a past lover than a reminder to himself about how hard life-changing choices can be, and it leads into his EP PRAY Pt.2, due December 8. With two EPs behind him and more than 13,000 monthly Spotify listeners, he is one for fans of Keinemusik, Steve Bug and Anja Schneider.
Connect with DJ Piscine: Instagram @dj.piscine · All links
7. Keldamuzik
Industry: Music, TV & Film · Talent: Rapper, actress & TV host · Based: San Francisco Bay Area
Keldamuzik, also known as Diva, is a Bay Area hip-hop and pop artist, actress and the creator and host of the talk show Diva Talk Tonite. Her single “Mind Sex” featuring Kafani aired on BET Jams, and her music has landed on The Real Housewives of Atlanta and Bad Girls Club. She also runs the Tamz beret line, and her short film When Realty Goes Wrong screens October 31 at The Ooley Theatre in Sacramento.
Connect with Keldamuzik: Instagram @keldamuzik · keldamuzik.com
8. Darrel Smith Jr.
Industry: Music · Talent: DIY multi-instrumentalist · Based: Arlington, Texas
Darrel Smith Jr. is an independent songwriter and multi-instrumentalist from Arlington, Texas, who writes, records and produces everything himself through his DIY label, Sign Guy Records. 2026 has been his most prolific year yet, from A Broadcast Memory, a lo-fi electronic EP recorded straight to cassette on a Tascam four-track, to “Banned in Japan,” an 84-second power-pop song about a chain of misunderstandings. On November 3 he releases Songs About Presidents Vol. 2, twelve short songs about American presidents that run from punk to folk to funk.
Connect with Darrel Smith Jr.: Instagram @darrelsmithjr · signguyrecords.com · Bandcamp · Spotify
9. Anchor & Cross
Industry: Music · Talent: Christian R&B & soul · Based: Independent
Anchor & Cross is an independent Christian R&B and soul project that blends modern R&B, melodic soul and hip-hop with songs about grace, redemption, gratitude and the realities of the Christian walk. The person behind it stays anonymous on purpose, so the songs and their message take center stage. Start with “Good Day,” the uplifting side of the sound, and keep an eye on the cinematic short-form videos that bring biblical themes to life.
Connect with Anchor & Cross: Spotify · “Good Day” · YouTube
10. Angel Gutierrez Mendoza
Industry: Sports & Culture · Talent: Basketball operations, events & talent · Based: Los Angeles
Angel Gutierrez Mendoza is a young Latino creative working behind the scenes of Los Angeles basketball, with stops at The League at SRGN Studios, Veniceball and BIG3 Street and Crosscourt. His work runs from league structure, scheduling and game-day production to brand activations, talent relations and curating who is in the room. He sees sports as a meeting point for LA’s music, fashion and creative communities, and he wants more young Latino professionals to see a future on the business side of the game.
Connect with Angel Gutierrez: Instagram @bubbz45
11. Jonathan Jordan
Industry: Comedy & Digital Media · Talent: Performer, puppeteer & creator · Based: Los Angeles
Jonathan Jordan is a Los Angeles performer and the creator of Political Words for Adults, a comedy and civic-education video series he hosts with Toby, a sharp-tongued dog puppet. Through sketches and straight explanations, JJ and Toby break down confusing political vocabulary without telling viewers which side to pick. It is proof that puppetry and a good joke can make civics a lot less boring.
Connect with Jonathan Jordan: Instagram @politicalwordsforadults · YouTube
How do I get on The LA Note’s radar?
Artists, creatives, managers and publicists can send their work through our submission page. Include a link to the work, your Instagram and a few lines on the story behind it. Every submission that comes in during the week is considered for the next On Our Radar, which publishes every weekend.
Mara Alcantara is a tech-savvy writer with a creative eye who tends to see life in color. Pairing an analytical mind with a knack for spotting talent, she covers music, voice acting, and entertainment for The LA Note. Outside of writing, she’s busy raising her kids and hiking with her family.
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