On the cover of the Blank Tapes' latest LP, 2005's Landfair, is a drawing of a white river winding through snow-capped mountains, a benevolent sun shining down. It's a bucolic scene, one that feels appropriate for the rustic, lazy-day folk you'll find on the record within. You'd never guess that these 23 tunes were recorded in an Orange County garage, between parties and surf breaks, by future San Francisco resident Matt Adams. Or that prior to 2001, Adams wasn't even that interested in songwriting, intent instead on a career in illustration and cartooning. But now, with a clutch of amazing songs that recall the Beach Boys, Lee Hazlewood, and Leonard Cohen, he's spearheading the next wave of local folk music. It shouldn't be long before he — along with his bandmates Kathryn Jensen, Matt McCluer, and Jesse Olsen — is being courted by the same labels that have signed Jolie Holland and are pursuing Sean Hayes.