Do you hear that? Spring is here. Bees are buzzing, birds are chirping, a soft breeze is blowing through the cherry blossoms, and two dozen brutal hardcore and death metal bands are packing up their vans and Google-mapping a route to Seattle so they can blow your eardrums out with three days of wicked riffs at Northwest Terror Fest in May.

Yup, spring really is a special time for music-lovers in Seattle, and I'm not just talking about the headbangers. Spring is the perfect pre-funk to summer's onslaught of non-stop festivals. It's when bands shake off winter's chill, and fans follow suit, both no longer tempted to stay home on a Saturday night to avoid the cold and the wet. Sure, the music community has been struggling, but spring is an opportunity for revival and regrowth, right? And this season is looking especially bright.

Last week La Fonda released We Are Infinite, the perfect record for warmer days, and they're celebrating Thursday, April 13 at Neumos. Contributor Kurt Suchman interviewed the band's founding members, sisters Veronica and Valerie Topacio, about their new album and their rad-as-hell Belltown Bloom music festival in May.

Don't sleep on DJ Waxwitch's girl-powered, fun-as-fuck Babe Night dance parties, either. Dave Segal has the scoop—and Waxwitch's thoughts on Aqua's 1997 banger "Barbie Girl"—here.

Travis Thomspon is continuing to get more much-deserved recognition—after his successful appearance on Reservation Dogs, the Burien-raised rapper scored a big local gig opening for Logic in June. Will this be the final rung on his ladder to stardom? Charles Mudede thinks so!

And in case you're worried about our region's musical future, worry a little less, because dozens of local teens worked with Seattle Symphony Artist in Residence Angelique Poteat to write their very own piece of music that JUST MIGHT SAVE THE WORLD, and they're presenting it for free at Benaroya Hall on April 21 for Earth Day.

There's more! Literally hundreds of local shows are forever being listed in our calendar, EverOut—you can even save all your favorites!—and in the coming days and weeks, we're going to roll out more album reviews and artist interviews. Are you in a local band? Have a release coming up you want to share with us? Send it to music@thestranger.com. We'd love to hear it.