Music

List of Famous Bands from Santa Barbara

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Updated June 8, 2017 23.6k views 23 items

List of Santa Barbara bands, listed by their level of fame. This Santa Barbara musicians list includes both bands and solo artists. All famous Santa Barbara bands are included, as well as many Santa Barbara musicians of underground status. This list of Santa Barbara musical artists includes information like what genre the artist falls under, what albums they've put out and more. If you want to know more about these famous Santa Barbara bands you can click on their names to learn more about them. Bands from every genre are listed here, including rock, pop, hip-hop/rap, jazz, and more.

This is a list that includes bands like Katy Perry and Jack Johnson.

If you're wondering, "What bands are from Santa Barbara?" or "What is a list of Santa Barbara bands?" then this list will answer your questions. (23 items)
1
Katy Perry is listed (or ranked) 1 on the list List of Famous Bands from Santa Barbara
Genre: Pop, Rock & Disco; Nationality: United States of America

Albums: Teenage Dream, E.T., One of the Boys, Katy Hudson, Ur So Gay, + more

Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson (born October 25, 1984), known professionally as Katy Perry, is an American singer, songwriter, and television judge. After singing in church during her childhood, she ...more

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2
Jack Johnson is listed (or ranked) 2 on the list List of Famous Bands from Santa Barbara
Genre: Indie pop, Tropical rock & Pop music; Nationality: United States of America

Albums: In Between Dreams, Sleep Through the Static, On and On, En Concert, To the Sea, + more

Jack Hody Johnson (born May 18, 1975) is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, actor, record producer, documentary filmmaker and former professional surfer. Johnson is known ...more

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3
Toad the Wet Sprocket is listed (or ranked) 3 on the list List of Famous Bands from Santa Barbara

Albums: Dulcinea, Coil, In Light Syrup, Fear, Bread and Circus, + more

Toad the Wet Sprocket is an American alternative rock band formed in 1986. The band consists of vocalist and guitarist Glen Phillips, guitarist Todd Nichols, bassist Dean Dinning, and drummer ...more

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4
DevilDriver is listed (or ranked) 4 on the list List of Famous Bands from Santa Barbara

Albums: The Fury of Our Maker's Hand, Beast, DevilDriver, The Last Kind Words, Pray for Villains, + more

DevilDriver is an American metal band from Santa Barbara, California, formed in 2002, consisting of vocalist Dez Fafara, guitarist Mike Spreitzer, bassist Chris Towning and drummer Austin ...more
5
Sugarcult is listed (or ranked) 5 on the list List of Famous Bands from Santa Barbara

Albums: Start Static, Lights Out, Palm Trees and Power Lines, Eleven, Live at the Starland Ballroom, + more

Sugarcult is an American rock band from Santa Barbara, California formed in 1998. The band currently consists of Tim Pagnotta, Airin Older, Marko DeSantis, and Kenny Livingston.

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6
Primitive Radio Gods is listed (or ranked) 6 on the list List of Famous Bands from Santa Barbara

Albums: Standing Outside a Broken Phone Booth With Money in My Hand, Rocket, White Hot Peach, Still Electric, Sweet Venus, + more

Primitive Radio Gods is an American alternative rock band from Southern California. Current members consist of frontman Chris O'Connor, who performs vocals and bass; percussionist Tim Lauterio; ...more
7
Jeff Kendrick is listed (or ranked) 7 on the list List of Famous Bands from Santa Barbara
Genre: Groove metal and Speed metal; Nationality: United States of America
8
Motograter is listed (or ranked) 8 on the list List of Famous Bands from Santa Barbara

Albums: Motograter, Pre-Release, Indy

Motograter is an American nu metal band formed in 1995. They are best known for their homemade instrument, the "Motograter", designed with industrial cable and guitar pieces that ...more
9
Nerf Herder is listed (or ranked) 9 on the list List of Famous Bands from Santa Barbara

Albums: Hi-Voltage Christmas Rock, Nerf Herder, How to Meet Girls, American Cheese, Nerf Herder IV, + more

Nerf Herder is a pop punk band from Santa Barbara formed in 1994 by Parry Gripp, Charlie Dennis and Steve Sherlock. They describe themselves as a "geek rock" band, and are known for ...more
10
Tripdavon is listed (or ranked) 10 on the list List of Famous Bands from Santa Barbara

Albums: The Enlightened Operative

Tripdavon is an American rock band from Santa Barbara, California. The group formed in early 2004 while students at UCSB by vocalist Justin Fox, guitarist Greg Doscher, drummer Russ Cummings, ...more
11
Mike Spreitzer is listed (or ranked) 11 on the list List of Famous Bands from Santa Barbara
Genre: Industrial music, Classical music & Heavy metal; Nationality: United States of America
Michael Colin Spreitzer (born February 10, 1981 in Torrance, California) is one of the guitarists of the American heavy metal band DevilDriver. He is the second longest lasting member following ...more
12
Bradley Fafara is listed (or ranked) 12 on the list List of Famous Bands from Santa Barbara
Genre: Nu metal, Groove metal & Melodic death metal; Nationality: United States of America
Bradley James 'Dez' Fafara (born May 12, 1966) is an American heavy metal vocalist who performs in the band DevilDriver and formerly Coal Chamber.
13
Snot is listed (or ranked) 13 on the list List of Famous Bands from Santa Barbara

Albums: Alive!, Get Some, Strait Up

Snot is an American Hardcore punk band from Santa Barbara, California. Formed in 1995, the band released their debut studio album Get Some with founding vocalist Lynn Strait in 1997 and ...more
14
Carah Faye Charnow is listed (or ranked) 14 on the list List of Famous Bands from Santa Barbara
Carah Faye Charnow (born August 3, 1984, in Santa Barbara, California) is an American singer and songwriter. She was the female vocalist of the band Shiny Toy Guns (2004 – 2008, 2011 – present), ...more
15
Bad Astronaut is listed (or ranked) 15 on the list List of Famous Bands from Santa Barbara

Albums: Houston: We Have a Drinking Problem, Acrophobe, War of the Worlds, Twelve Small Steps, One Giant Disappointment

Bad Astronaut is an American indie/alternative rock band founded in 2000 by Joey Cape, singer from Lagwagon. In Bad Astronaut, Joey Cape explores a new style of pop, with lyrics often about deep ...more
16
The Black Watch is listed (or ranked) 16 on the list List of Famous Bands from Santa Barbara
The Black Watch

Albums: Lime Green Girl, The Hypnotizing Sea, Jiggery-Pokery, The King of Good Intentions, Amphetamines, + more

The Black Watch is an independent rock band from Santa Barbara, California whose only constant member has been singer, guitarist, and primary songwriter, John Andrew Fredrick. Through their ...more
17
Madison Cross is listed (or ranked) 17 on the list List of Famous Bands from Santa Barbara
Madison Cross Genre: Pop music; Nationality: United States of America
18
Uphill Battle is listed (or ranked) 18 on the list List of Famous Bands from Santa Barbara

Albums: Blurred (1999-2004), Wreck of Nerves, Uphill Battle, Anubis Rising / Uphill Battle

Uphill Battle was an American metalcore band with elements of grindcore. The group was based out of Santa Barbara, California, USA.
19
Shane McFee is listed (or ranked) 19 on the list List of Famous Bands from Santa Barbara
Shane Robert McFee is the CEO of Kazrog LLC, a software company specializing in pro audio and gaming. He is also a musician and audio engineer.
20
Versus The World is listed (or ranked) 20 on the list List of Famous Bands from Santa Barbara

Albums: Versus the World

Versus the World is a punk rock band from Santa Barbara, CA, formed by Donald Spence and Mike Davenport. The band combines post-hardcore with pop punk and is currently signed to Viking Funeral ...more
21
The Coral Sea is listed (or ranked) 21 on the list List of Famous Bands from Santa Barbara

Albums: Volcano and Heart, Play Me, Firelight, Heartbeats, Where Is My Mind?

The Coral Sea a California-based indie rock band led by Rey Villalobos. Their music is atmospheric and ambient. Their songs have been used on American TV shows Grey's Anatomy, Sleeper Cell and ...more
22
This Ascension is listed (or ranked) 22 on the list List of Famous Bands from Santa Barbara

Albums: Sever, Tears in Rain, Light and Shade, Walk Softly, a Dream Lies Here

This Ascension is a gothic/ethereal band from Santa Barbara, Southern California that formed in 1988. They have released four albums on their own label Tess Records from 1989 to 1999. This ...more
23
Black Eyed Sceva is listed (or ranked) 23 on the list List of Famous Bands from Santa Barbara

Albums: The Lean Years Tradition, Way Before The Flood, 5 Years, 50, 000 Miles Davis

Model Engine was an alternative rock band based in Santa Barbara, California. Prior to 1997 the trio, consisting of Jeremy Post, Brad McCarter and Brent Nims were known as Black Eyed Sceva. ...more

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