The musical menu for The Deli's 4rd NYC B.E.A.F. (Best of Emerging Artists Fest) is right in front of you - I know, the font is a little small there (too many bands!!!) check out the details here, you'll find all the bands links under the poster). This festival is associated to our latest year end Best of NYC Emerging Artists Poll, a contest influenced by many NYC scene makers, bloggers and venue promoters, and will be heavily promoted in our Spring 2012 printed issue of The Deli, which highlights all the bands in the "Best of 2012" list.
The fest will last from May 23 to May 26 and will be hosted in 4 Williamsburg Venues, all within a few blocks (Brooklyn Bowl, Public Assembly, Cameo and Spike Hill). Hope to see you at any of these shows!
Evi Antonio claims he's having a tough time finding a good woman... but I'm not buying it. His music is so carefree and fun, I can't imagine he's having this much trouble attracting the right girl. In his latest EP 'China, Man,' Antonio whines and wails his way through two bouncy escapades all about the dangers of finding yourself with either no woman, or worse... the wrong woman.
But if any of this makes you think Evi's a downer, don't be alarmed. He is truly a master at the absurd, and builds his songs in a playground too full of pranks and tricks to ever allow any underlying issues of unrequited love to get him down. 'Blank' for instance, punctuates Evi's helium-filled lungs with toy piano lines and rollicking drums, while 'blank' situates his sound within an amusement park filled with plenty of blank and blank. See the man live at Big Snow Buffalo Lodge on June 8 or at Glasslands on June 18. - Mike Levine
You do not want to be on the bad side of Christine Hoberg. Her romantic reflections often turn to rage and revenge, and her lyrics rarely miss their mark. While 'J'Aime' off its eponymous record brings out an honest yearning to find love, Hoberg more often than not revels in love's less saintly modes, like the wrenching 'White Ass' and 'Nutcase.'
For her latest record, Hoberg challenges herself not in changing what worked so well over the past couple years, but in finding a space where her feelings can elevate amidst layers of haunting echoes that shimmer from her piano stretches and knife-cutting vocal delivery. 'Moonlight Never Shined So Bright' is both haunting and cutting at once, revealing depths to Hoberg that challenge any simple explanation for her wicked streak. Christine's can be a voice full of pain, but this weight gains a breathtaking outlet when expressed through the elevated tension of her music.- Mike Levine
This record was submitted digitally to The Deli here.
Playful pop with a lo-fi edge by way of two minute songs is the domain of Brooklyn's The Hairs. “I Remember Alien Gonzales” serves up word play though a song title and chorus that cleverly references a headline grabbing story from a decade ago. “Duh” (streaming below, video here) is happy, foot tappin’ garage-punk, with traces of Robert Smith guitar interplay. “Ghetto Control” continues the lo-fi sonics, with lyrical references to cops and social disobedience. “Houseplant Songgg” is a compact 1:39 in length while still fulfilling the requirements one expects from a song, while the amusing (if redundantly) titled “Feeling a lot of Feelings” keeps the loose good times going. The band plays Glasslands on Friday with Big Troubles and Punks on Mars. - Dave Cromwell
James Levy and the Blood Red Rose (aka the guy from Levy - the band - and Allison from The Pierces) just released this video for the song "Hung to Dry". The duo is splitting their time between NYC and London, and just announced a string of UK shows. James also debuted his new project with a show at Cameo on May 13.
We covered NYC indie-pop outfit Jump Into The Gospel a bunch of times in the past and today we found out that the band has decided to change their name to HITS after the recording of their new EP, which reportedly triggered "major changes and commitments." The band will debut the new name with a show at The Mercury Lounge tonight May 15. Check out the new electronic single "Madness" streaming below.
Hear Kodacrome scream and chill out at the same time. This isn't a combination that comes naturally to most of us, but in channeling rage through rhythm, singer Elissa Pociask has carved out a unique space that'll make you wonder why no one has thought of pairing an acoustic guitar with casiotones before ('Modern Man').
When there's a limit to frustration, San Fran and Brooklyn based Kodacrome provides the perfect outlet. Tracks like the winding 'All the Ama' off their new EP 'Perla,' gives and takes in equal measure, pushing the listener through an unexpected series of events from big beat dancefloor to solo piano interlude. But whether quiet or loud, it's proportions are always epic. - Mike Levine (@Goldnuggets) - Kodacrome submitted their music to The Deli for review digitally here.
With his soul-infused folk, Matt Cranstoun’s music has a possessive mixture of character and earnestness. The Brooklyn-based singer released his sophomore album “The Last Drop of Color” last fall and has spent the past few months on stage set to an energetic “big band” supporting group. Complete with choral-like gospel singers and horn section, the album comes alive with the energetic backing band, showing the vulnerable but spirited singer at his best and charging his up already electric indie rock. Cranstoun and company will be performing their final show in the series at Rockwood Music Hall on May 15. - Devon Antonetti
We blogged quite a bit about NYC's Tiny Victories in the last few months, the duo just released this stunnning video for their single "Mr. Bones," directed by Brian Bowman, check it out!
Songwriter Rachael Sage makes no secret of her scars. Her open attitude in discussing life's myriad frustrations and pains makes her music all the more real and personal: like an old friend lending a sympathetic ear. Tracks like the rootsy 'Delancey Street' discuss the hardships of the struggling artist's life, while new song cycle 'Haunted by You' finds the singer in and out of relationships and heartache.
Along with her band The Sequins, Sage takes her candid personality to the kind of roots jams only a city like New York could produce, and that's the best place to see her live too. See her when she officially releases her latest record on May 19 at Joe's Pub. - Mike Levine, photo by Laura Crosta
We've always been big fans of Luke Temple, and it's good to see that, together with the Here We Go Magic crew, the man is keeping at it with increasingly beautiful records and videos. The band's new album "A Different Ship" (stream it here) will be out on May 8, and betrays at least a partial return to Luke Temple's more intimate and melodic sound from his solo repertoire - in this regard, lend a ear to "Hard to Be Close," "Alone but Moving" and "Over the Ocean". This is welcome news for fans like us who always thought that in most HWGM material Luke's noteworthy songwriting skills seemed a little sacrificed on the altar of textural experimentation. This doesn't mean that the band's signature hypnotic, impressionistic sound is lost - it's just that these two elements work together better than they did in past records, and this is what makes this album one of the NYC highlights of the year so far. Indeed, this collection also features songs more in line with the band's past releases ("Make Up your Mind", "I Believe in Action"), which follow on the steps of brainy-pop icons like Brian Eno and The Feelies, but there's definitely a balance here, also betrayed by the almost perfect alternation of melodic songs and less traditional ones.The just released video of "How Do I Know," telling the story of a rejected dancing robot that ends up revitalizing an older man's appreciation for life, seems to reflect on this brain/heart, mechanic/organic dichotomies and somehow bring them to unity. - PDG
