This is a weekly entry that highlights some of the artists who posted their upcoming shows in our show listing section (right hand side column of this page). Any band can promote their show in The Deli’s DIY Live Show Listings section for free.

Monday 11/30: Xpia, Girls on Fire, and Veesugee @ Springwater

Wednesday 12/2: Absinthe Junk @ The Rutledge

Thursday 12/3: Max Beizer, Carswell, Blessing Offor, and Denitia Odigie @ Dan McGuinness

Friday 12/4: Heartbeater @ 5 Spot

Saturday 12/5: Vermicious K’nids, H-Beam, De Novo Dahl, and Evan P Donohue @ 5 Spot

Buzz and Click VI @ The End

The folks came out early for this one, which was somewhat mislabeled as a "benefit" for WRVU…The bands all got paid and so did the club, so while donations were being accepted this was indeed much more of a regular show, just with an extremely eccentric lineup. The Vermicious K’Nids started things out, and their well honed, key-driven power pop got the whole room quite excited right off the bat. There’s no doubt the VK’s are somewhat inspired by the sounds of The Killers/Bravery and their ilk, but there’s a much more honest and less pretentious delivery that, combined with a bombastic, frenetic live show and undeniable songcraft, make their take on the genre worthwhile. Make sure to catch their cd release Dec. 5th @ the 5 Spot with a newly re-formed De Novo Dahl.

After some feel-good jams from DJ Orig, Powerbrrrd came next with a blistering set of straightforward honest-to-goodness trashy punk rock that was delivered with brazen displays of equal parts egotism and humor, and it all blended into an extremely fun set. Not modest about their roots (ranging from "Montreal, Canada" to "Phoenix, AZ" depending on when you listened), local guys-you-see-everywhere Seth Graves, Brandon Jazz, and Steve Cross played with no sense of restraint and were a pure display of no-frills, sloppy rock n roll. Following the Brrd was Westfolk(formerly Oscar Anthony and the Westfolk Band), who began and ended with a solid groove that held up their furious inter-twining of genres, from bluesy/soulful croons to 70’s rock-n-roll decadence guitar solos to jangly folk rhythms. Westfolk proved they were a band that can have quite a bit more than necessary happening on stage but still compress it all into jams that make sense and make the people move. Unlike a lot of their contemporaries, these guys play material that is not only musically relevant and a display of greater things to come, but the focus on songwriting is quite evident as well. The crowd had a superb sense of camaraderie throughout the evening, but Westfolk really brought the dancing to the table.

Closing the night out was Cheer Up Charlie Daniels who was also celebrating a vinyl release. They brought to the table solid harmonies and catchy sing-alongs, and everyone on stage made it a point to get across the fun they were having during the set. The crowd was definitely comprised mostly of friends who drunkenly cheered every aspect of the performance, and the guys cranked through their entire new albums worth of country-friendly pop rock and then some. When the clock struck 130 everyone was pretty ready to go sleep, many of them likely to have class the next morning, but the show was successful (despite an attempted boycott, more on that later) and both crowd and bands seemingly went home happy. – Jesse Baker

So you’ve probably heard of YEAH (Youth Empowerment Through Arts and Humanities) by now; it’s a promising community project that gives the youth of middle Tennessee the chance to hone their musical skills in a safe and productive environment. Basically, they’re assuring Nashville a good music scene for years to come, and that is an invaluable service.

YEAH is holding a benefit show Monday (11/23) and you should go support this great organization. Here are the details:

The fundraising party on Monday (11/23) from 7-9. The event is for Friends of YEAH!, which means the people who are 18+ (too old to attend YEAH! on a regular basis) are allowed in, they’re asking for a pledge of $20/month (that’s less than a dollar a day, you can handle it). But, if someone wants to come in and pay $20 at the door to jam with local artists, eat food, get some drink, screen print, or take an acting class, they’d definitely be cool with that too. So don’t be a bum, come on out and help support this great resource for Tennessee’s youth.

So it looks like Ex-Meemaw guitarist Daniel Pujol is in need of a new drummer, and it could be you! Want to see the nation and meet interesting people? Want to have a "real rock and roll experience"? Need to get out of town for a bit? Well this could be the break you’ve been looking for! Sounds cool to us, here’s what Daniel had to say:

"Greetings, My name is Daniel Pujol. Now you just got to let me know: Do you know any musicians who want to tour all the time but can’t in your area?

As long as they’re not crazy, violent, or drug addicts, you should send them my way to danielluccapujol@gmail.com , because I need a tour drummer really bad right now. In fact, I just put out an entire tape as a Want Ad for a drummer called Ringo, Where Art Thou? Tracks from it can be heard at myspace.com/danielluccapujol and I can send a tape if anyone expresses further interest.

Right now I’m pushing by at barely 2 weeks a month of tour, but I’d like 2 weeks to be a minimum and I can book and provide equipment as well as transportation, but it’d be really cool if I didn’t have too. They can be from here or somewhere else, or I’ll go somewhere else to practice haha. I want to tour more. Everything must go! With prices like this, math just makes things more complicated!"

Thanks for reading,

Daniel Pujol

The Royal Bangs have had a pretty exciting career lately. Their quircky blend of electronic blips and glitches layed over rough but infectious guitar riffs has attracted the attention of the music community lately, and there seem to be nothing but promising times ahead for these guys. In the past they’ve joined forces with huge names like The Black Keys, played some large festivals (including our own Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival), spent large amounts of time across the pond on their European tour, and recently just released their sophomore effort, Let It Beep–which is totally badass. Despite their hectic and exhaustive touring schedule, The Deli managed to sit down with frontman Ryan Schaefer to have a few words on the band’s past, the new album, and plans for the future. Check it out here. –Interview by Jessica Pace

Those Darlins are at it again! Seems like these ladies can’t be stopped, and they don’t show signs of doing so anytime soon. First they team up with The Black Lips and now they join forces with power duo King Khan & BBQ Show. Tonight (11/11) is going to be one of the best rock shows Nashville has seen in a while, and you don’t want to miss it. The smooth country/rock/garage musings of the Darlins is going to mesh beautifully with the expiremental garage rock of the amazing King Khan. Trust us, there is NOTHING better happening on a Wednesday night. Ever.

Sunday nights in Nashville are a hard battle to fight under any circumstances, and this was no exception. Just to get it out of the way,Goodnight Anthem and 2AM Club are touring bands not endorsed by Pitchfork, so as expected there weren’t a ton of people. The Goodnight Anthem were a pop-punk quartet, syrupy thick with the elements that define said genre. They had a ton of fun onstage and were quite effective at working the room, but overall the band wasn’t anything too special. They are super young though, so time could tell on that one.

The 2AM club visually defined the word "douchebag", and their overwhelmingly diva-esque actions during the course of the night backed it up. The players were quite skilled themselves; notably the drummer who held super solid grooves and had just the right amount of flash in his playing, but the unfortunate vocalists ruined their efforts. There was some element of vocal skill, but the Linkin Park rapper/singer approach resulted, oddly, in a New Kids On the Block sound that was overwhelmingly unappealing. All in all, it’s relatively sure that they’ll get some small modicum of success at some point, but honestly it was pretty awful.

Local band Leach was refreshingly impressive, with a garage-y pop rock sound a la early Weezer. This was their debut outing, and they were extremely tight and showed a writing and performing penchant rare even in seasoned local acts. Look for more from these guys. Closing the show wereTrans-Am Radio (who generously acquiesced to the demands of the touring bands and closed the show on short notice), who kicked out some straightforward blues rock jams that were pleasing to the ears as much as their high energy performance was to the eyes. The guitarist moves in december, so be sure to catch TAR while you still can. –Jesse Baker

This is a weekly entry that highlights some of the artists who posted their upcoming shows in our show listing section (right hand side column of this page). Any band can promote their show in The Deli’s DIY Live Show Listings section for free.

Wednesday 11/11: Xpia and Craggy Knoll @ Betty’s Grill

Those Darlins @ Exit/In

Friday 11/13: Tom House, Dirtbot, D. Striker, and Power/Load (AC/DC Cover Band) @5 Spot

Wooly Mamas @ The Boro

Saturday 11/14: Xpia, Thelma and The Sleaze, and Zopticon @ Springwater

Check out the newest music video from Turbo Fruits. Motorcycles, grainy film, crazy Japanese stuff…It may not make too much sense, but it sure looks cool.

Check this out. YEAH is a completely non-profit organization dedicated to helping young Nashville musicians and artists nurture their talent in an effort to make sure good music prevails in Music City and it’s surrounding areas. Awesome stuff, we’ve never really had anything like this before.

Act II: The Father of Death, the second installment of Protomen‘s unfolding epic, brings the story to a dark, yet hopeful place. Protagonist, Dr. Tom Light, wrongfully blamed, accused and subsequently banished for the murder of his love, serves as the political impetus for his rival’s, Dr. Wily, calculated march towards global, or at least civic, domination. As the saga progresses, the tragic hero is left with both the guilt of innocent life lost and the subsequent charge to take up the messianic-mantle on behalf the fallen and his beloved city.

Musically, the album is anthemic, dire and aggressive; all things rock-opera. Protomen succeed in creating an aural quality which enhances each scene through an all-out-nailing of traditional rock conventions. “The Hounds” features a guitar and drums combination which conjure up a strong sense of motion, almost chasing, thus symbolically aiding Dr. Light as he flees the scene of a murder. More subtly, “How the World Fell Under Darkness,” chronicling Dr. Wily’s transition of his city from one of human cultivation to one of mechanical rule, instrumentally transitions from acoustic, earthy strings to one of computerized synths.

One of the more poetic moments on the record is the way in which death is symbolized; a glorious choir of unrepentantly positive voices proclaiming “there will be light” ultimately cut short mid-proclamation; martyrdom in the face of unrelenting tyranny.

Act II features an interesting play between height and depth. The height of a tower, the depth of a plunge, and the distance of Dr. Light’s banishment give a geographical presence to the fictional city in the story, but also mimic the emotional extremes of the characters as they embrace cathartic motorcycle rides or look into the face of something created, broken and spoiled. Like any second act worth its salt, The Father of Death leaves the listener eager for resolution; or, at least the next chapter. Make sure to follow along in your booklets! – Trevor Nyman