Few things in life get me more excited than discovering a new band I can really dig into. It's an even nicer surprise when said musical discovery comes completely out of nowhere, and I couldn't be happier with my recent find in Kinglsey Flood, which played Saturday, February 11, at Lovin' Cup.

First up was local band The Jesus Rays. A three-piece group that centered around oldies - or classic-rock grooves, if you wish - the Rays didn't really fit with the rest of the folksy bill. It also didn't bring anything overly exciting or new to the table. Not my cup of tea, at least.

Next up was Bethesda, which despite the name, is not from Maryland, but Ohio. The band put on a good old folksy jamboree, led by Shana Delaney on vocals. I could have used a little bit more of the faster stuff, and I had a hard time hearing the violin unless I really searched for it among everything else going on. But Bethesda did set the stage well for the like-minded folk onslaught that was to follow.

Last up was Boston-based Kingsley Flood. It's rare to see a band so enigmatic and able to fluctuate between genres; to bring together so many different sounds but somehow make each of them its own. I'm not fond of writer cop-outs like "genre defying," but Kingsley Flood was all over the place musically, and the audience was better off for it.

At the most simple level Kingsley Flood is folk rock, but there was keyboard, trumpet, violin, saxophone, washboard, and even a makeshift garbage-can drum thrown in the mix. That's on top of the constant electric guitar, bass, and acoustic guitar, and the result was a flood of energy and sound that washed over the listener, creating both a musical and energetic cohesion. The band moved effortlessly from country-laden stomps to catchy pop-rock anthems, while hitting almost every note in between.

The band closed with its hook-laden, catchy-as-all-get-go, "I Don't Wanna Go Home," which stood as a fitting end-of-show sentiment. You don't discover bands this enjoyable live from the comfort of your couch. The time to go home did come, unfortunately, but I've already grabbed Kingsley Flood's EP to keep the party going.