“A song is only [equal to] 100 percent, no matter what song it is. No matter how much you add to a song, it’s always going to be 100 percent. The more instruments you add, the less each one stands out,” explains Little Hurricane guitarist and vocalist Anthony Catalano (aka Tone) on why he thinks his band’s minimalist approach to music has been so well received by audiences, before taking another sip of beer. Celeste Spina (aka CC), the duo’s other half and drummer, smiles and returns to her post behind the bar.

Earlier this month, Catalano and Spina walked away from the San Diego Music Awards with the award for Best New Artist. Although they have only been churning out their brand of down and dirty blues for less than a year, Little Hurricane is quickly becoming one of San Diego’s best bands.

There are some who consider Craigslist to be the asshole of the Internet. While in most cases this may be true, every once in a while something great may come of it, and such is the case with Little Hurricane. Catalano, who has been working in the music industry for about nine years and playing in bands for almost 15 years, had grown tired of the polished mainstream rock bands he was playing in and decided to start writing songs that he would want to listen to. After spending years looking for a drummer, Catalano responded to an ad posted on Craigslist by Spina this past January and the two started jamming together instantly. A Little Hurricane was starting to brew.

“This is my first rock band really,” Spina says as she brings Catalano and myself another round. Both members had played in their high school jazz bands, but that was Spina’s only experience in a band, until now. With Catalano’s experience and Spina’s fresh outlook and raw talent, the two complement each other perfectly.

Catalano’s guitar playing teeters on the jazzier side of blues, often substituting the unexpected in place of standard blues chord progressions. Spina’s roots in jazz are very apparent in her drumming. Instead of bashing away on simple repetitive beats common to the genre, she favors intricate rhythms and laying back on the beat, which accentuates Catalano’s playing seamlessly.

The band’s approach to songwriting is to focus on the overall vibe of the track. Whether the lyrics inspire the instrumentation or vice versa, both come together for a listening experience that leaves the listener feeling exactly what they want you to feel.

Openly admitting to being more of a live band, Catalano and Spina decided to focus more on playing shows for a while before even considering to record a full length release. Now, after consistently playing live since March, Little Hurricane is working on their debut album, which they expect to be completed by the end of the year.

Little Hurricane will be departing on a nation-wide tour this coming December that they expect will last for more than a year. While this will help the band gain much deserved exposure, us San Diegans now have a limited time to catch one of the best shows in town. So turn off the TV and go see Little Hurricane while you still can.