First Avenue's Best New Bands of 2009

Photo by Nick Vlcek

​We're a little late in posting this, but First Avenue announced its annual lineup of Best New Bands last week, and the winners will be no big surprise to Gimme Noise readers: Picked to Click winners Red Pens (pictured above) are on the list, as well as a collection of other familiar names like the Twilight Hours and Slapping Purses. The lineup is more diverse than it has been in recent years, with a nice mix of hip-hop trio No Bird Sing, folkies Peter Wolf Crier, lo-fi rockers Leisure Birds, and prog-rock oddballs Moonstone rounding out the bill.

The Best New Bands showcase takes place in the First Avenue Main Room on Friday, January 15, 2010.