Named for the banyan trees that Andy Fitts climbed as a boy in Hawaii, his band The Banyans proffer pared-down indie pop songs just as idyllic as a childhood spent on an island paradise sounds. Fitts and company are currently writing songs for a full-length Banyans album, and have offered six of them online for free download. Of those, the two standout tracks, Settle Up and JC Grenade 1, reveal Fitts vast potential as a songwriter. On the other hand, love ballad Every Waking Minute is so saccharine that its cloying. (Then again, even in this economy Id bet money the songd make a girl less cynical swoon.) Even at their poppiest, though, the Banyans are charming. And Fitts affection for his 1968 Brazilian ukulele adds a winsome touch to his songs, which surely distinguishes the Banyans from Seattles myriad other pop bands. With Battle Hymns and Pablo Trucker. SARA BRICKNER
Sat., Jan. 17, 10 p.m., 2009
