Bobby Long and Marcus Foster: Power of the Fans

Bobby Long and Marcus Foster live

Last May, when Sam Bradley played to sold out crowds at LA's Hotel Cafe, the British/Canadian singer-songwriter was treated to screams from fans who traveled from across the country, a lengthy meet-and-greet session and a sneak attack from the paparazzi. All this for a singer who doesn't even have a Wikipedia entry.

Expect Bradley's chums Bobby Long and Marcus Foster to follow suit, when the similarly young, but obviously talented, troubadours take over Hotel Cafe for the rest of the week. Like Bradley, Long and Foster are best known for their co-writing credits on the soundtrack for Twilight, where they collaborated with mutual friend Robert Pattinson.

The three friends all have the basics down pat. They write catchy songs with intelligent, witty lyrics. They put together simply, yet captivating performances. They have a certain appeal to people who grew up listening to Jeff Buckley. But, all you have to do is listen to KCRW for a few hours or stop by Hotel Cafe on any given night to know that there are a lot of up-and-coming musicians who fall into this category. What makes these artists ones to watch, though, are their fans.

Using the name Land of Dreamers, followers of the three are not just a devoted bunch, but a savvy one. They've essentially formed a street team, making their own flyers to pass out at shows and taking an evangelical approach to social networking, particularly on Twitter. Their organizational skills are top-notch as well. After a few weeks of heavy promotion at the hands of LOD, Foster's EP topped iTunes singer-songwriter chart in the first day of its release. What makes this even more interesting is the organic nature of the campaign. LOD isn't connected to any of the artists' management. They're simply fans, very active ones who have a good sense of how to create a marketing campaign and have been able to accomplish what labels often can't, even with ample budgets. Simply put, if Foster, Long and Bradley break in the US, it won't be because of Twilight so much as it will be because of Land of Dreamers.

Bobby Long plays Hotel Cafe tonight and Thursday, with two performances at the latter event. Marcus Foster will hit up the same venue on August 7 and 8.

Bobby Long "Sad Woman Blues"

Marcus Foster "Tumble Down"