The 2012 Home Grown Music Network’s new band of the year, Les Raquet, moved up the food chain in the New York music clubs. When the self-described “pleasantly schizophrenic” pop-rock-jazz-fusion-improv band decided to hit the road, it found a receptive audience in the Southeast.

Bassist/vocalist Kenny Murphy describes how the band built its act in the Big Apple’s live music scene:

“You know, the cream rises to the top pretty quickly, because everyone’s so objective there. No one’s afraid to tell you if you suck. So, it’s not like in some place like L.A., where it might be about who you know or your uncle or whoever. In New York, it’s very cut-and-dry. If you make the cut, you go to a bigger venue. If you make that cut, you keep climbing. So it’s really cool to be in that, competitively, because it’s at least a fair kind of playing field, you know.”

The trio shares the bill with Ben Trout Band on Tuesday night at Martin’s Downtown. Get show details and more music listings at Top Tickets.

Streaming music on this podcast: “Chimney Pete,” “Ambulance” and “Bruce Li.”

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