New Music, Emerging from your Local Scene
Saturday was the night we made contact! The Echoplex played host to a UFO themed celebration, complete with a tinfoil hat contest and an MC decked out in space gear. Mississippi Man, The Pity Party, and Voxhaul Broadcast all played out of this world sets for their earth audience. Headliners Saint Motel donned space helmets as they walked on stage and even threw in a special cover or Peter Shilling’s ‘Major Tom’ later in the evening.
–Angelo Lorenzo
Mississippi Man
Emerging NYC based electro rock trio Brahms just announced at Pianos for 3 weeks in may and June with an exciting line up including – among others – Bell, Gordon Voidwell, Das Racist and Class Actress.
Giant System Chicago is quickly documenting the Chicago music scene and their latest film features Love Of Everything. I just have to say that Elisse La Roche is incredible in every way. The track they are performing is called "Fear of Missing Out". Giant Systems’ past projects include Aleks and The Drummer, White/Light, Black Math, and Locks. I can wait to see what is next.
Love of Everything will be playing on April 17th (Record Store Day) at Reckless Records in the Loop at 1pm.
Gathered around a table at Macri Park, the five amiable members of North Highlands reflect on their whirlwind experience since the band’s inception in May. At their three-month mark, they had written and recorded a six-song EP that they have likened to a Chili’s sample starter platter for its eclectic nature. By October, they booked an unofficial CMJ show that drew a mesmerized crowd, who raved about it seconds later, thanks to the Internet. In December, they played an uncomfortably packed show at the Cake Shop and acquired a van to gear up for a future tour. – Read Nancy Chow’s interview with the band here.
Dustin Payseur’s cloudy voice over his soft surfer rock guitar is classic. Classic in the sense that it transcends any sort of trendy indie music movement that at this point has become tired and formulaic. Beach Fossils is a refreshing revisit to the lo-fi quality music of 60s rock. The record could easily be a found treasure from your father’s old stored away box of vinyls. The so cal vibe mixes well with Dustin’s distorted vocals and makes for sincere, oft sad songs that remain lively with a pinch of pop. – Read Chloe Schildhause’s interview with the band here. Beach Fossils will headline the Deli’s Best of NYC Fest show at Brooklyn Bowl on Thursday May 13.
On April 21st at Empty Bottle the coolest benefit concert ever will take place and proceeds will go to the Nicest Man in Chicago. That man is David Thomas and he has cancer, but has had some success with treatment. However, he has been dropped from insurance and has a massive amount of medical bills. The event features music from Amalea Tshilds, Follows, and The Record Low. They will also have a bunch of cool items to auction of from local shops and publishers. It is the Kick Cancer In The Balls Benefit and tickets can only be purchased at the door for $12.
The best 5 bucks you’ll spend all week will be on a beer at the Laurelthirst…while Blue Giant is knocking the electric blues piss outta ya for free!
The band will be holding down a residency at the LaurelThrist Public House from 6 to 8 p.m. every Wednesday in April…
Wait, wait, wait. "What’s a residency?" asked singer and country guitar slanger Kevin Robinson. Well, it’s where you show up and play to the people that are already in the bar. Okay, that sounds pretty good to The Robinsons and Co. because Blue Giant will be trying out new material and jamming with old friends alongside their normal arsenal of slide and steel guitars, and anything that you can strum in between. Bring a mandolin or banjo.
But honestly, Blue Giant doesn’t strum. Sometimes it’s mellow and folky acoustic, sometimes slightly psychedelic. Lots of Southern twang with a fiddle here, then electric riffs and ass-kickin’ harmonica there – Bringing It All Back Home-era Dylan.
"Got to pay your dues if you want to play the blues, you know it don’t come easy," sings Kevin Robinson.
But it’s damn easy to enjoy Blue Giant for free.
– Chris Young
A country band in the original and truest sense of the term, you won’t find Crooks trafficking in piano bar anthems or boot scoot boogies. Not content to further clog CMT with radio-ready schmaltz, rural sentimentality, or nostalgia for a simpler time, these hounds are out to tree a different animal altogether. If you play a Crooks song backwards, you won’t get your dog, truck, and woman back. Though you might get your morality, humanity and sobriety. The good geologist, like the musicologist, knows that to unearth the best rock, one must look underground. And this holds just as true for outlaw country. So if you’re looking to wet your whistle in an undiscovered watering hole, give Crooks country a try. It’s just down the road apiece, off the well-worn path.
(this post taken from Crooks’ post on our DIY Open Blog, check out other Open Blog posts in the Deli Kitchen. As for Crooks – check them out at Mohawk with James ‘Slim’ Hand, Friday, April 16th. Pic above by Davis Ayer)
Here it is! The video you have been waiting for is here and awaiting for eager eyes. Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros not only know how to formulate very alluring band names, but they are quite talented musicians as well. Their debut album, "Up From Below" is available via itunes. They are also touring the hell out of the good ol’ U S of A in the coming months, so keep an eye out on your impending vacations.
Sitting restless two days into the work week, we have much hope that it will not require a boat to traverse the city this coming weekend (much as it was last), and while we await the final verdict on that there are a few shows that are worth adding to your calender coming up in the next few days.
Should you find yourself out and about this Thursday night make your way deep into the Mission to El Rio where Tokyo Raid will be playing with shoegazers Foreign Cinema, 9pm.
For something perhaps a little more upbeat and electronic, head over to the Rickshaw on Friday the 16th where Butterfly Bones (who recently played one of Epic Sauce‘s Milk showcases) will be laying down grooves with Princeton and the Swedish band Love is All, 8:30pm.
If nothing else, Hemlock should once again be your Saturday evening destination where psyche rockers Paranoids will be playing with Pets and Midnight Strangers, who are celebrating their CD release, 9pm.
That should about cover it for this week. Let’s hope it stays dry otherwise, screw it, show up drenched. Otherwise, check back again next week.
–Ada Lann
