I rarely blog about music, because I’m not pretentious, full of crap, or a scene girl. Once in a while I like to pay verbal homage to a band which is firing on all pistons, though. Terraplane Sun, a top notch L.A. band with diverse influences like Delta blues and Led Zeppelin, is surprisingly tight for a three-year-year old band. TS deserves not just my little elegy, but also a weekend slot on Bonnaroo’s “This” stage, and a top spot on your shuffle. I was lucky enough to catch them mid-week in Tucson at Congress, a popular stopover for hot Cali bands who want to put a little cash in their pockets to keep them in diner food and gas during that long, dusty drive to Austin. The singer, Ben Rothbard, evokes the slightly forward-layering, echoing tone of Foster the People’s Mark Foster and Ben Bridwell of Band of Horses, all while strumming like Robert Johnson on a humid Mississippi front porch. Gabe Feenberg, a true maestro who plays lap steel guitar, trombone, piano, and Wurlitzer, is one of those versatile musicians who bands court as rabidly as Carl’s Jr. hamburger models. He deserves a corner office, a raise, and a road suite all to himself. Johnny Zambetti, Cecil Campanaro, and Lyle Riddle on guitar, bass, and drums round out Terraplane Sun. The bluesy, surfy tunes on their EP “Friends” are all strong and Universal has snatched up Terraplane, and I hope it’s a good fit. I’m friended.