San Francisco

Grand Lake releases video, album and opens for Ok Go

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Last week, Grand Lake released the video for "Louise (I Live in A Fantasy)" from the fourth-coming album Blood Sea Dream which was co-produced by Jason kick of Maus Haus. This week, they announced they’ll be opening for Ok Go at The Fillmore on May 26th. Things are heating up for the Oakland based band so catch an intimate acoustic set with them while you can this Friday, April 23rd at Mama Buzz.

Blood Sea Dream comes out next month off of the Hippies Are Dead label but you can listen to it now on Grand Lake’s site.

-Nicole Leigh

Philadelphia

An American Chinese Worth the Journey to North Star Bar April 22

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Panic Pilgrim masterminds, a.k.a. An American Chinese, keep things fresh with peculiar pop and buzzing vocals. With an end in sight for the release of their long-awaited debut full length Utopian Tree in May (we’re still a little salty about their posting of a January release so let’s stay friends, OK :o), the beats and blips of “Chasing Rabbit” are enough to elicit toe-taps and the occasional handclap while hissing snare and vocals rise beneath feverish chords. An American Chinese is well versed in rockin’ out and keeping crowds screaming for more. Their tracks are infectiously dancey without sounding trite. With subtle hints of folk and punk, this local seven-piece deserve to be part of the next crop of locals to get snatched up by a quality indie label. Between the driving beat and megaphone vocals of “Indian Punk” and the melodic crash of “The Distaste of Dairy Frank,” they’re well worth the cover charge. Don’t be surprised when they show-up visiting bands Roman Candle and Roadside Graves! North Star Bar, 2639 Poplar St., 9pm, $10, 21+ myspace.com/anamericanchinese – Dianca Potts

 

NYC

Weekly Feature #202b: Keepaway – Live at Glasslands, April 30

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The problem in coming to grips with success often involves the backlash to critical reaction, and Keepaway – exploding onto the Brooklyn scene this year after a 9/10 review from recurrent tastemaker Pitchfork – are no strangers to listener skepticism. But with songs comprising a central guitar, a hard-synth edge, and whirligig percussion, something lies beneath the surface of Keepaway that sets them apart: maybe it’s the narrative quality to their songs, or the darker aspect of their tunes that only gets hinted at, or it could have to do with the sheer exuberance the three possess. Whatever it is, the attention is deserved. – Read Dale W. Eisinger’s interview with the band here.

NYC

Weekly Feature #201a: The Defibulators – liva at Jalopy on May 8.

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A rag-tag witches brew of rowdy ramblers, five-time offenders, and filthy fiddlers, The Defibulators don’t shy from putting it all on the line. While greased-up pop sensations and corporate crooners spill out of Nashville by the dozens, this Brooklyn band mines the classics—Scruggs, Cash, Williams, Acuff and Wynette—and irresponsibly mixes them with jet fuel from the future. The resulting cocktail should be banned in fifty states because it’s high in proof that the thunderclap of rebellion and righteousness is alive and well. This isn’t weird science—this is true country music. And it goes by the name of The Defibulators. – Read Chris Nelson’s interview with the band here.

L.A.

Coachella Coverage: Local Natives Won’t Be Local For Too Much Longer

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Coachella seemed to be the proper happy ending to this indie-band fairytale, right? Five L.A. lads form a band, rent a house and make some music. Their songs are laced with perfectly-pitched harmonies, inescapably catchy rhythms and epic-esque melodies. They book shows at neighborhood lounges, then sell out holiday fundraisers. Suddenly, said band (with their effortlessly-coiffed facial hair and worn in skinny jeans) make it big and achieve the impossible SoCal musical dream





— they book Coachella.

It quickly became apparent though, from the get-go of their 2 p.m. Sunday set, that this wasn’t an end by any means for the Local Natives, but a mere milestone in their budding career. "This is awesome," said a very gracious Taylor Rice to an impressively packed Gobi tent. Yet, even for a fan as big as me, I worried whether they could handle the "heat" (after all, it’s Coachella). With only a few minor sound problems in their way, the humble quintet did what they do best and did it well —





they drove their three-part harmonies home and rocked their polyrhythmic orchestration the way their fans (some smeared with tribal paint across their faces) knew they could c/o their debut album Gorilla Manor. And though we wouldn’t say this is their last desert fest appearance, the guys played as though there was no guarantee of a next time, from the opening strings of "Wide Eyes" to the shouting choruses of "Sun Hands." We can’t wait to see what’s ahead for our Silverlake sweethearts, but we know it’s big, and after what most people have been calling their "breakout performance," we know the Local Natives are more than up for challenge. –Sara Tan










 
Portland

Album Review: Brent DeBoer’s “The Farmer”

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There’s a unique sort of interest that piques when a drummer steps out from behind the kit to showcase their songwriting talents. It seems entirely possible that every drummer might be bound for Josh Freese status and the misery known as The Notorious One Man Orgy. But Brent DeBoer, keeper of tempo for the Dandy Warhols, has officially shed percussive skin and stepped into a new beam of light with the release of his first solo effort, The Farmer.

With just eight tracks totaling 22 minutes in length, DeBoer provides listeners a warm dose of sedate, open-chord pop. “You Can’t Love Me” ushers in The Farmer’s distinct vocal styling, one that hearkens to the airy side of Courtney Taylor-Taylor, while also dipping into Iron & Wine’s well of glossy spook.

By “Is That All,” the record’s third cut, DeBoer also makes apparent a surprising musical strategy from that of a drummer, that being the conspicuous absence of nearly all percussion. Aside from the steady chick of a hi-hat and the occasional slight thump of a tom, DeBoer shuns his natural calling, and, while this move feels admittedly strange and unexpected upon initial listening, the crisp song-craft pleasantries of The Farmer quickly shine through in lieu of kit. Because on album-closer “I’m Alright,” when DeBoer softly moans “Let’s get wasted, stay up all night/Drink a bottle of cheap red wine,” we are intent upon agreement, leaving The Farmer a tender and successful collision of singer/songwriter musings and Dandy-esque pop sensibilities.

Check out "You Win" from The Farmer below:

On April 30th, DeBoer will celebrate his album release party at The Woods. All proceeds from the show will be going to benefit the National MS Society. Highway Rob Bonds will perform and fellow Dandy, DJ Rescue (aka Zia McCabe), will be manning the turntables. Tickets start at $15 though purchasers will be able to pay more should they be inclined to donate.

– Jacob Sprecher

L.A.

Follow the White Rabbit

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We all get that text message eventually: "Hey Dude! Come to this show tonight at this hole in the wall place with bands you’ve never heard of!" You shrug it off and turn on the TV to watch South Park. Well I got that text message, and so did a dozen other people, to catch a show for Zach and Kyle of The Braces, The Sheds, and one of Chicago‘s finest: Into It.Over It. at Dig In of Highland Park. Twas a mellow night with nodding heads all around and I didn’t regret missing some primetime TV.

-Angelo Lorenzo

 

 
NYC

NJ Artists on the rise: Like Trains and Taxis

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Jersey-based Like Trains & Taxis have just released their debut album “Tales From A Revolving Door” and are in the middle of a full US tour. Preferring to play unconventional venues like art galleries and living rooms, Like Trains & Taxis focuses on quality songwriting through a sound that here at the Deli we call Alt-Soul (see our NYC Alt Soul chart here – these guys will be in it soon). Lead singer Chris Harris guides the band with his sultry vocal and piano lines, through songs that evoke both the soul of Stevie Wonder and the offbeat nuanced approach of bands like Ben Folds Five.

NYC

Best of NYC #58: Savoir Adore – Live at Bowery, 04.24 w/Adam Green

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We continue our "Best of NYC Countdown", covering every day one of the artists that made our Year End Best of NYC list (a chart compiled by a jury comprised of local bloggers, music writers, promoters, record sotre personnel and DJs). Many of the bands in this list will play The Deli’s Best of NYC Fest in Williamsburg in May (6 shows in 3 different venues between the 13 and the 15).

Savoir Adore ‘s 14-track LP, “Into The Wooded Forest” comes out of the gate strong, with a wide array of musical styles from exquisite harmonies set to a smooth march to electric percussion with a beat that instantly makes you want to move. The duo who comprise Savoir Faire, Deidre and Paul, have made an outstanding collaborative effort, weaving synthpop, indie rock, and organic lyrics that show they are not naïve to the music scene or the fans who follow them. Their songs are authentic in nature, humble in deliverance, and strong in performance, making their first full-length album a solid jumping off point for this imaginative, Brooklyn-based group.– CM

Chicago

Mild Peril

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The Spend is as much about interesting and multi-layered folk music as it is about Matt Shaw’s desire for complete control. On his debut as The Spend, Mild Peril (Basic Satan), Shaw control’s the music, runs the label, and even does the cover art. The album and title track open with the line “The band is done. The girlfriend’s gone.”, and that is exactly where Shaw began with this project, broken up on several levels. The resulting full-length album is beautifully complex document of Shaw’s journey to independence and the understanding of who he is as a musician.

The Spend will be performing at Songwriter’s Night at Phyllis’ Musical Inn (1800 w Division) on April 28th with Gia Margaret and others.