NYC

Kaiser Cartel have space issue + celebrate release at Joe’s Pub on 06.08

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We have a real weakness for Kaiser Cartel, a band that is truly able to warm our hearts with their gentle and intimate folk pop, and which will celebrate the release their new album "Secret Transit" at Joe’s Pub on June 8. BUT… they did something that cannot not be mentioned! Here it come Kaiser Cartel people – you asked for it!!!

I often wonder if the format of a band name can really have any influence on its popularity of or any other related factor (the usual answer I give myself to this question is: "uhm…no.") Bands contact me all the time because they want their names to be printed in all caps or all lower case, or a weird combination of the two (like "sTickLiPs"). My first reaction is "DUUUUUDE…" followed immediately by: "…ok, I will fix it because I care!"
This kind of stuff happens so often that I got used to it… but then a band takes the whole thing to the next level: I remember distinctly being contacted by the Kaiser Cartel guys last year while we were promoting their appearence at the Best of NYC Fest 2009 – they asked me to fix the spelling of their band name by removing the space between their two last names: "it’s KaiserCartel, not Kaiser Cartel". Sure, counterintuitive – but ok, there you go: fixed. Then one year later (today) I get an email from a PR person promoting Kaiser Cartel’s (WITH THE BLOODY SPACE!) new album. I ask for "space confirmation", and I get it – WHA??? No dudes, you can’t do this to me.
Now, to ensure that this will never happen again with any other band, I officially ask KC to answer these questions in our comment section below:
1. Why did you initially decide to go without a space?
2. Why did you subsequently decide to get rid of the lack of space? (uh, yeah, that’s what happened, right?).
3. What was your fans’ reaction to this change?
The world needs to know. – PDG

L.A.

Mad Planet album release party Thursday 5-27

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LA’s next dynamic duo Mad Planet releases their new album "All Elephants" this Thursday, May 27 at the 3 of Clubs. The event is free and performances start around 9pm. Mad Planet is hip-hop with an ethereal female vocalist and a male emcee with a smooth flow, backed by synths and samples. 

NYC

NYC artists on the rise: Uninhabitable Mansions

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Why the hell haven’t we heard more about Uninhabitable Mansions? This collective is doing what so many of us wish we could: jamming out with friends, pressing little, under-the-radar records, publishing books and doing all kinds of crafty-crafts. It’s one of those indeterminate-number-of-members bands, pumping out exuberant, eclectic rock – Earlier recordings of The Most Serene Republic might be the closest parable. The drums drive a lot of the tracks, with fluttering or towering guitars and a chorus of voices. There’s a ton of variety going on; maybe it’s the fact the band shares members with Clap Your Hands Say Yeah!, Au Revoir Simone, Radical Dads, and Dirty on Purpose, to name a few. “We Already Know” is a total jam, with deft vocals and propulsive drums. They’re unsigned, but it doesn’t matter – they just put out a full length, “Nature is a Taker,” and you can buy it online right now, along with a bevy of the collective’s gear. – DWE

Austin

Zoltars!

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Band here for you called The Zoltars. They play what they’re calling voodoo chant songs. And they now have a full album of them, having just completed their debut…name TBA. They’ll celebrate release of said album, which includes the inimitable "Party At the Bat Cave", at Beerland on June 5th, with all attendees receiving a FREE free copy. And that’s it. 

New England

Audrey Ryan at O’Brien’s 5/26

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Audrey Ryan was born when The Arcade Fire and Beck tumbled down Niagara Falls in a bucket with Joni Mitchell. She emerged unscathed, accordion in hand at the bottom. She writes the kind of music I prefer listening to while lying on the floor drinking a bottle of red wine. Since bars won’t let me do this, I stand and watch her one-woman-band-sleight-of-hand. Audrey simultaneously plays any combination of guitar, keys, drums, accordion and/or glockenspiel while singing. Her third full-length album (partially recorded in her loft where she often hosts DIY events) I Know, I Know was released earlier this year. Audrey Ryan works with Cave In’s Stephen Brodsky once again on I Know, I Know and with help from her UK Label, (Folkwit Records) the album is available in Europe as well.

She performs tomorrow 5/26 at O’Briens’s Pub in Allston along with Greg Lyon, and Ian Adams as part of Eldridge Rodriguez’s residency. Doors at 9pm, $6, 21+

–Kat Burke

NYC

Best of NYC #43: Javelin

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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 store personnel and DJs).

By “Oh! Centra,” the third track on its Luaka Bop debut, “No Mas,” Javelin has already covered bumping Tom Tom Club funk, Beach Boys-circa-’66 chamber-pop, and “Super Mario Brothers” blip-bloop-bleep. Much of the music sounds lifted from thrift-shop vinyl, but according to George Langford and Tom Van Buskirk, the wily Rhode Island cousins who formed the band in 2005, only some of it is. Often, if the duo’s press releases are to be believed, Langford and Van Buskirk play real, live instruments, using guitars, keyboards, horns, and whatever else they’ve got handy to recreate vintage source material. As slick and seamless as it is, “No Mas” is smudged with human fingerprints and free of the “aren’t I clever?” gimmickry that mars many a lesser glo-fi record. Langford and Van Buskirk plunder with love, whether cribbing glossy new-wave synths (“Moscow 1980”) or the burping baritone saxophones of Stax-aping Daptone soul (“Shadow Heart”). – Kenneth Partridge

Philadelphia

FYI on DIYs in PHL: Girls Rock Philly

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Let’s face it. Philly needs a lot of things, but we certainly need more music education programs. Lucky we have the ladies of Girls Rock Philly (GRP) helping to foster a generation of female rockers. Beth Warshaw-Duncan, Director of GRP, was kind enough to take some time out of her busy schedule to answer a few of our questions as she prepares for their very first Ladies Rock Camp this weekend (sorry ladies, registration is closed), which will culminate with a showcase on Monday, May 31st at Tritone presented by Sugar Town/Ladies Rock Philly.
 
The Deli: Please tell us what Girls Rock Philly is about.
 
Beth Warshaw-Duncan: Girls Rock Philly (GRP) is Philadelphia’s only rock n’ roll camp for girls —  a week-long summer day camp serving junior rockers ages 9-17. Led by a team of all female instructors, band coaches & mentors, girls in the program learn how to play musical instruments, write songs, make their own band merchandise, discover other women in rock & finesse their on-stage jump kicks. They write original songs that they play at a showcase at the Trocadero on Saturday, August 14th & then record their original songs for a studio CD that comes out in the fall.
 
TD: How did Girls Rock Philly start?
 
BWD: I founded GRP after I volunteered at the Willie Mae Rock Camp in New York for their first two years, then decided to bring the idea of camp to Philadelphia once I saw the good it did for the girls and women each camp week.
 
TD: What do you want for the girls to get when they leave your camp?
 
BWD: All of the campers leave camp having written, played, and recorded at least one new original song with their new band, to which they own the copyrights. They can also continue to play for free using our fully-stocked practice space, either by themselves or with their bands or friends. Intangibly, the girls leave with a new network of friends to write & play songs with, or just hang out with. And they’ve discovered a lot of women they might not see in the media they consume — women who aren’t necessarily internationally famous, but are still making music & having a great time. The girls have also learned to try something new & seen themselves succeed, which is just immeasurable in how they live their lives.
 
TD: What made you want to start Ladies Rock Camp?
 
BWD: Because women are always saying that they wished they had rock camp when they were girls! We also realized how little time we spend in all-female environments & how much good they can do as a safe space, where you can drop out of your daily life & try something you’ve always wanted to try — it’s not too late!
 
TD: What should the ladies expect from the weekend?
 
BWD: Ladies should expect to have a great time! They’ll learn the basics of the instruments of their choice in a really positive atmosphere, they’ll be able to learn a bit about the music industry, and they’ll be able to write songs together & play in front of a supportive crowd.  We also have some great after-parties planned after each day of playing & writing!
 
TD: What do you love about Philly?
 
BWD: That everyone has something of their own going on & it’s always worth checking out. People in this town are often amazingly willing to work together to make something awesome happen to improve their own communities.
 
TD: What do you hate about Philly?
 
BWD: The weather, mostly. And the fact that we still have an old guard here that is resistant to change in their neighborhoods, which causes some serious tension.
 
TD: What artists (local, national and/or international) are you currently listening to?
 
BWD: The latest people I’m listening to all tend to be people I know. BUT, those records stand up to anything being put out on major/national indie labels: Busses, Arc In Round, Attia Taylor (whom we all love, obviously). I’m also really looking forward to the Erykah Badu/Janelle Monae show next month.
 
TD: What’s the first concert that you ever attended and first album that you ever bought?
 
BWD: The first show I ever bought a ticket for with my own money: Jeff Buckley/Juliana Hatfield in May, 1995 at the Troc. The first album I ever bought with my own money was actually my first CD — Arrested Development.
 
TD: What’s your favorite thing to get at the deli?
 
BWD: I’m a vegetarian & am not a huge fan of sandwiches (no e-mails, please!), so I’d probably grab a Diet Coke.
 
– The Deli Staff

 

Philadelphia

Artist(s) Who Deserve Your Friendship: Dressed Like Stolen Cars

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Dressed Like Stolen Cars is an odd name and a relatively new band to emerge onto our beloved music scene. They write happy old-timey rock ‘n roll grooves with a hint of Brit-pop and plenty of Morrissey glass-half-full lyrics. They seem like a group that XPN could latch onto and put in heavy rotation to give their playlist a little more of an edge in the adult contemporary world and some street cred in the sometimes apathetic too-cool-for-school indie world. Dressed Like Stolen Cars’ demos certainly sound very promising. – Q.D. Tran
 

 

Philadelphia

Kevin James Devine Changes His Name to James Quinn

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“Local singer/songwriter Kevin James Devine has changed his name to James Quinn. This is to avoid future mix ups involving him and Kevin Devine (Brother’s Blood). Go to his new myspace here. Also, if you email him at jamesquinnbooking@gmail.com with your name, email address, mailing address, and number of samplers you’d like, he will mail you as many 2 song samplers as you’d like. Your information will remain private. Thank you!” – From The Open Blog

 

 

Philadelphia

Kurt Vile New EP Drops and Available for FREE Download Today May 25

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Kurt Vile’s latest release the Square Shell EP drops today digitally and on 12” from Matador Records. You can download it for FREE at the Matablog. It’ll be available only for the next 24 hours, and you’ll have to give up your e-mail address. But haven’t you accumulated enough junk e-mail accounts already? Or are you like my sister who still uses her original AOL account? – Q.D. Tran

 
San Francisco

The Deli SF’s Weekend Highlights For 5/25-5/30

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Maintaining last week’s momentum, looks like this weekend is turning out to be just as busy with a number of great shows around the city.

If you’re up for starting early this week head over to the Hemlock tonight to catch Maus Haus, with Boomsnake and Hosannas, before they set off on their tour, 8pm (early show).

Should the Hemlock not be your cup of tea tonight, around the corner at The Great American Music Hall Wooden Shjips will be playing with Spectrum, 8pm.

Continuing with their Thursday series, Epic Sauce will be putting on yet another quality free show at Milk. This one will be celebrating the release of Silian Rail and Seattle’s By Sunlight’s split 7-inch. Ash Rieter and Devotionals will also share the bill, 8pm.

This Friday head over The Rickshaw Stop where Birds and Batteries, Sister Crayon and Judgement Day will be playing a show presented by Spinning Platters, 10pm.

Lastly, on Sunday at the Hemlock local noisy shoegazers Young Prisms and Weekend will also be celebrating the release of a split 7-inch. Playing with Grave Babies and Swanifant, this is sure to be quite the show, 9pm.

Of course I’d be remiss not to also briefly mention that SF Popfest has a number of events sprinkled throughout the weekend. Featuring a number of great local acts head over to their website to check out their line-up and schedule.

 

–Ada Lann