‘It’s Time’ for Imagine Dragons to rock ‘The Tonight Show’

Rising local band to visit Jay Leno on July 16

Imagine Dragons takes a big step into the spotlight Monday night.

Tuesday, July 10, 2012 | 7:34 p.m.

You know the little band that could? Well, they just did. Or, more specifically, they’re about to.

Next week, Imagine Dragons go from rising Vegas band (now based in LA) to musical guest on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno. The band will perform hit “It’s Time” on the late-night institution on July 16.

Since forming in 2008, Imagine Dragons have reached several milestones, including opening for Kelly Clarkson and Weezer, performing at South by Southwest and recording their first album at the Studio at the Palms. Monday’s performance for Leno’s huge national audience may be the biggest résumé-builder to date.

“It's unbelievable to have the opportunity to play on The Tonight Show,” bassist Ben McKee says. “It's one of those things that as a young musician you grow up fantasizing about, but you never really think that it will be something that you get to do. You grow up seeing so many of your favorite artists perform on that show. It's really unreal to think that we get to have a chance to get onto that stage and share our music with so many people watching from their homes. We couldn't be more excited.”

More big things are right around the corner as Monday’s TV appearance will serve as a kickoff for a busy fall. The band will tour with Awolnation, and the first Imagine Dragons full-length will be released September 4.

“The sessions went really well,” guitarist Wayne Sermon says of recording the album. “We came into [them] having done a fair amount of preproduction on the tracks and knowing the general direction we wanted to take. Even so, things took on a different life when we starting playing together, fixing or changing parts, adding sections, changing grooves, etc.” He says the band slowed its process for the full-length. “In the past we would record a whole EP in a week, so it was nice to have a whole month to dissect each track and spend some quality time on each part. Overall we are happy with the results and can't wait to share new music with our fans and connect with them on road this fall.”