Little Joy

Formed around the talents of Rodrigo Amarante (singer/guitarist from Brazilian indie rock outfit Los Hermanos), Fabrizio Moretti (drummer for the Strokes), and Binki Shapiro (a Los Angeles-based singer), Little Joy came to fruition after a chance encounter between Amarante and Moretti at a festival in Lisbon, Portugal. Moretti, Shapiro, and Amarante -- the latter had relocated to Los Angeles to appear on Devendra Banhart's Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon album -- eventually moved into a house in L.A.'s historic Echo Park (Little Joy stole their moniker from a cocktail lounge within walking distance from their home) and began hashing out songs. The group's eponymous Rough Trade debut arrived in late 2008. ~ James Christopher Monger, Rovi