Ertel is a trio of musicians who met in Los Angeles in 2010.

Abbe Ertel Magid hails from Chicago; she wails hardcore, sings softly and has jokes for days. The party, in short, does not stop.

Greg Camphire is a Pennsylvania kid; he plays drums and percussion with influences that range far and wide. He brings together an eclectic mix of beats so strong they might take hold of your heartstrings.

Matt Bridges was raised in Texas; he strums a mean guitar and programs majestic noise through a laptop computer. But don't be fooled, he can get real soulful real fast.

File them under rock n' roll and all of its relatives: blues, soul, R&B, punk, dubstep and whatever else you hear.

Los Angeles native Holly Conlan has carved out a distinct niche in Hollywood's expansive music community.

A 2008 release of her Bird EP saw Holly's first national exposure, with the languid piano and soaring cellos of "Winter" and the upbeat smirk of "OK" appearing in hit shows like One Tree Hill, 90210, Drop Dead Diva, Ghost Whisperer, The Ex List, and Privileged. That Summer, "You Are Goodbye" was awarded the coveted iTunes Single of the Week spot-- its heartbreaking lyric and haunting production garnering a slew of new fans. Soon the film world took notice, and Conlan was offered a spot on the soundtrack of The Other Woman (now in theatres) starring Natalie Portman. Radio play followed in a nod from KCRW (Top Tune - "OK") and her addition to their 2009 pledge-drive giveaway package.

With the support of LA's famed Hotel Cafe, Holly has been lucky to share the stage with a number of notable performers including Sara Bareilles, Colbie Caillat, Katy Perry, Cary Brothers and Butch Walker. As part of 2008's Hotel Cafe Tour, she traded sets with the likes of Ingrid Michaelson, Meiko and Erin McCarley. Plus, her addition of "I'll be Home for Christmas" to their holiday compilation, Winter Songs, rounded out the Sony/Epic release.

2009 saw the independent release of her newest LP, Fascinator. Which was also produced by Al Sgro (Meiko, Gary Jules) and mixed by Darrel Thorp (Beck, Radiohead).

The fall of 2010 was Holly's first national tour, opening for the three time Grammy-nominated artist, Sara Bareilles, while also joining Bareilles on stage for her set throughout the tour. In early 2011 Holly joined Dutch-American songwriter Laura Jansen on tour throughout Holland as her support act. In the summer of 2011 Conlan embarked on her third tour throughout the United States and Canada, opening for Sam Bradley. She is currently in the studio finishing her newest record, The Sirens, which will be released late 2012.

Like a moth to flame, Ryan Darton has always been drawn to music.

“I remember from a very young age connecting to music and the emotional aspects of it – how it made me feel,” says the self-described rural boy from Utah and current LA transplant. “I just loved how music could mold me in that moment.”

Darton’s fourth grade autobiography hints at his dreams for a career in music, but things that trajectory didn’t truly launch until middle school, when he gathered together a bunch of his musical friends to start a band. Though it was Darton’s brainchild, it turned out that there was just one problem – he didn’t have a musical background and he was too shy to be the singer.

After an ill-fated go at the trumpet (“which is not an instrument you can self-teach,” Darton laughingly notes), his guitarist suggested he take up the bass. A life-long love affair was born and the rest, as they say, is history – or at least history in the making.

Darton’s passionate affair with music propelled him from his teenage band to underground indie faves Kid Theodore and eventually a burgeoning solo career. The nascent bass player soon became a guitarist and pianist and routinely picks up anything that makes noise. (That’s a khim – a Cambodian version of a hammered dulcimer – on “Camel’s Back.”)

As “I Am A Moth” demonstrates, Darton’s also a supremely confident singer and songwriter who’s come full circle by focusing on music’s emotional power.

“As a songwriter, I like to recognize the beauty in all life’s experience and try to tap into it,” Darton explains. “The songs I write are songs that you can connect to. Some of them are about love, some of them are about loss. Everyone passes through such a diverse palette of experiences in life but there's beauty in all of it. It’s all worth recognizing.”

Of course, life’s not often an either/or proposition and Darton’s compositions handle everyday ambiguity and anxiety in a way that’s both instantly relatable and undeniably infectious. For example, “Divorce Generation” may initially seem like a pessimistic treatise, but it’s actually a declaration of faith in love trumping fear. And “Living This Way” turns existential crisis into a buoyant romp – capturing the frustrating sensation of feeling like you’re going 100 miles an hour and just spinning your wheels.

On the latter, Darton – who now resides in LA – might be showing the frayed nerves of a carefree kid from the outskirts of town, transplanted to the nerve-rattling merry-go-round of Tinseltown. After all, it’s hard not to long for the halcyon years spent roaming the hills outside of Salt Lake City when you’re stuck in traffic on the 405. And while the fourth grade Darton may never have envisioned living in Hollywood, he’d be proud to death of “I Am A Moth” – and the fact that it’s being released on Utah’s birthday.