Summer afternoon at the uber-hip Standard Hotel on Sunset. The sun beaming down on pool-goers, soaking in the rays and sipping cold Colt-45s. This time, though, the main attraction was Saint Motel, one of LA's best new bands, taking the stage to play a benefit for Charity:Water.

Organizer Jillian Levin explained that 80 percent of disease on the planet is from lack of clean drinking water. She's on a mission to raise $5,000 -- enough to supply water, sanitation and water-related education for 300 people in rural Africa.

As for Saint Motel's involvement, "I saw them at the Viper Room," Levin said, "and just loved them."

The band tore through a 40-minute set, playing songs from their upcoming EP, including "Butch" and "Dear Dictator." In honor of the 40th anniversary of Woodstock, the band busted out a surprise cover of The Who's "Shakin' All Over," with an energy that would have left the original songwriters proud. 

Unsurprisingly, the Standard Hotel pool doesn't offer superlative acoustics, but the band played through some early sound problems and delivered a performance that won over fans who hadn't heard them before and drew remarkably appreciative looks from some of the hotel guests whose rooms overlooked the "venue."  

Saint Motel releases its debut EP on September 8 and will be playing a weekly residency at Silverlake's Spaceland every Monday in September starting on the 7th.