Philadelphia

Weekend Warrior, June 11 – 13

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Summer is here! And ‘tis the season to get out and have some fun. Our Weekend Warrior pick is goin’ to be a fuckin’ great time! So if you can find The Ox (reason one million and one why the El and Broad St. lines should run later), then you should be planted there when Reading Rainbow, Creepoid and Party Photographers hit the stage. You already know The Deli Philly’s recent End of the Year Overall Poll Winner, Reading Rainbow, who combine gorgeous harmonies, raging yet melodic guitar riffs and punchy precise drumbeats to put some serious shakin’ in your bones. Can we still count the number of Creepoid live performances on one hand? Buzz, buzz, buzz…we’re creating some of our own. Check out the review of their debut EP Yellow Life Giver in our CD of the Month section (to the right)! We are definitely digging their live set too. And Party Photographers will give you all the fuzzy walls of sound and feelings of disillusionment that you can handle. As if that wasn’t enough, Miami’s The Jacuzzi Boys will be rockin’ with their beach party enthusiasm to close out the evening. Grab whatever gets you off and head on over to The Ox this Saturday for some fun,fun,fun! ‘Tis the season – remember!?! The Ox, 2nd and Oxford, 8pm, $5, All Ages
 
Many more things to get you out of your place…
 
Johnny Brenda’s (1201 N. Frankford Ave.) FRI Prowler, SAT 722
 
North Star Bar (2639 Poplar St.) FRI The Sermon
 
The Fire (412 W. Girard Ave.) FRI Cheap Dinosaurs, SAT Electric City and Kuf Knotz
 
M Room (12 W. Girard Ave.) FRI Anvil Bitch, SAT Gondola and Serpent Throne
 
The Khyber (56 S. 2nd St.) FRI Bacio, SAT Suttercane SUN The Sobriquets
 
Tritone (1508 South St.) FRI Sideshow Prophets
 
World Café Live (3025 Walnut St.) FRI The Spinning Leaves and Downtown Harvest

Blockley Pourhouse (3801 Chestnut St.) SAT Government Cheaze Album Release Party

 
Danger Danger Gallery (5013 Baltimore Ave.) FRI The National Rifle
 
Millcreek Tavern (4200 Chester Ave.) FRI Swift Technique and The Groovement
 
The Trocadero (1003 Arch St.) FRI Zombie Beach Party w/The Slotcars
 
The Ox (2nd and Oxford St.) SAT Party Photographers, Creepoid, Reading Rainbow
 
JR’s Bar (2327 S. Croskey St.) SAT Jukebox Zeros and The Handsome Petes
 
Pterodactyl (3237 Amber St.) SAT Big Art Show w/ Grandchildren, Oh! Pears, Cheers Elephant
 
Murph’s Bar (202 E. Girard Ave.) SAT Experience Kef
 
Crane Arts Building (1400 N. American St.) SAT and SUN Art For The Cash Poor 11 w/ McRad, The Josh and Pete Band, North Lawrence Midnight Singers, Knife Show, and more 
 
Eris Temple (602 S. 52nd St.) SAT “Yellow” / “bunnies” Video Release Party w/ Radio Eris
 
The Ellen Powell Tiberino Museum (3819 Hamilton St.) FRI Carnivolution w/ Hydrogen Jukebox, The Radarmen, Squidling Bros. Circus Sideshow
 
First Unitarian Church (2125 Chestnut St.) SAT Mischief Brew
 
The Rotunda (4014 Walnut St.) SAT Birdie Busch
 
The Moonlight Forest (515 Memorial Highway) SAT Iris and Shibley Fest I w/ The Spinning Leaves, Chris Kaspar, Mason Porter, Psalmships, Papertrees, Tin Bird Choir, and more
 
Dock Street Brew Pub (701 S. 50th St.) SUN Dock Street 2nd Annual Music Festival w/ Grandchildren, The Homophones, Chasing Arethusa, Among Criminals, Stinking Lizaveta
 

 

Philadelphia

Zombie Beach Party w/The Slotcars at The Troc June 11

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Ever since Robert Drake, Melissa Torres, and Dave Ghoul organized Philly’s first Zombie Crawl in 2006, it has elevated itself into becoming one of South Street’s most decorated traditions. It became so popular that it led to a second annual happening in the Zombie Prom, that first kicked off on September of 2007 at The Trocadero. Last year the call for a summer event was answered in the form of The Zombie Beach Party, and tonight the legions of the undead are once again ready to raid The Troc in a flesh eating frenzy. While the Terror Behind The Walls make-up crew provides the rotting flesh touches for those who arrive out of costume, Robert Drake and Dave Ghoul will be providing brain eating boogies for zombies to Thriller dance to. And since it wouldn’t be a good beach party without a little surf guitar, and Philly surf punks, The Slotcars,are ready to answer the call of the damned. For a few years, Dave Roller and the ladies X have been breaking out tunes that will make fans of The Ramones and The Queers happy. And songs like “The Slotcars Theme” and “Surfing New Jersey” are perfect for slam dancing in the pale moonlight. The Trocadero, 1003 Arch St., 8pm, $10, 21+ – Bill McThrill
 

 

Philadelphia

Artist(s) Who Deserve Your Friendship: Cheap Dinosaurs

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There was a time when bands would whip out a video game theme song, and it would instantly bring smiles to the audience’s face while it brought them back to all those joyous hours wasted without a care in the world. Then, it became lame because everyone was doing it, and you were forever labeled as one of those “Nintendo bands”. Well, the 8-bit subculture is alive and kickin’, but this is a generation that’s ready to dance and robots are certainly welcomed. Cheap Dinosaurs, solo project by The Fire’s fuzzy-haired sound guy Dino Lionetti, creates hot beats that will get you dancin’ out of any danger that you might encounter through the evening. Just watch out for the magic mushrooms. – Q.D. Tran
 

 

Portland

Pics from the First Deli Portland Showcase!

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After many hours of bribing bands (with delusions of endless online print), bribing venues (by telling them we were Paste Magazine), chasing whiskey with more whiskey and generally wondering whether or not anyone cared at all or might come to the first ever Deli Portland (and the Days of Lore) sponsored Portland music showcase, we’re happy to announce that it was a great success! We can’t thank the bands – or our generous hosts at The Woods – enough for being so accommodating to the interesting lineup we garnered (mental note: might not be best to position the psych-math, pedal-toting power trio before the emotive folk-rock troubadour, followed by the synth-rock starlet…). But, you know what? That’s pretty much what the Deli Portland is about anyway, not to mention the Portland underground music community in general. There are no barriers, there are no oil and water genres (unless maybe we tried to land the next showcase at Satyricon) and good tunes is good tunes.

We’re working on the July and August showcases as we speak. Be sure and go visit our dear (old) friend Mark Lore at The Days of Lore blog site. We’d love to see you at the next one. Here are a few live shots from last night:

 

Wax Fingers (above) wowed the crowd as openers, exacting a systematic aural assault with lots of effects pedals, tight bass tracks, two guitars and drums. Vocalist/guitarist Pete Bosack employed breakneck finger-tapping, anchoring the squal of the trio’s massive, swirling, razor-sharp roiling rock. You can help fund their upcoming album via the band’s Kickstarter site.

 

mbilly (above) brought in a full band, filling out his sparse, somber folk rock with a more raucous sheen. Culling from a healthy helping of tunes from his recently released full-length, Mr. Nobody Baby (buy it here), mbilly parlayed revved-up renditions of his catalogue with austere, passionate abandon. You can tell he means what he sings, and that he loves to sing what he means, and that made for a wonderful audience reponse.

 

Jen Moon (above, with guitarist Jesse Bettis) took the stage to round out the show, and immediately showed why her local stock is rising so quickly. Gooey pop melodies dripped rivulets from Moon’s vintage Moog, cascading waves of peppy synth, slick guitar leads, minor-key mauling, and a blistering rhythm section to appease the swaying hips of a now-standing crowd. Ripping through a balanced set of ska-tinged rockers and No-Wave confessionals, Moon and Co. impressed with a command of the subtleties inherent in all non-angst-ridden compositions – making sure the songs didn’t have time to spiral, filling the gaps with delectable dallops of taste and precision. It’s a wonder how the crowd refrained from cutting up a rug, the curtains, the very shirts off their backs.

Download her 4-song demo for free here.

Stay tuned for details on the next Deli Portland showcase. We have a feeling you’re going to dig what we have in store.

– Words and Photos by Ryan J. Prado

 

New England

Other Music Festival Day 4: Ashley Paul, Elbow Room, Johnny T and the Raccoonists, and more

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Ashley PaulDay 4 of Burlington’s Other Music Festival is another jazz colaboration heavy night, but the big attraction of the night is ex-Burlington experimental giant Ashley Paul in collaboration with Anthony Colman. One of the most exciting acts of the whole week. Also fleshing out the night are Johnny T and the Raccoonists, Elbow Room, Michael Gardiner/Derek Beckvoice/Peter Negroponte, Xander Naylor/Ian Kovac, and Zack Cooper/Christ Madden/Vic Dimotis. Things kick off at 8pm at North End Studios as usual.

–The Deli Staff

NYC

Weekly Feature #206b: Sticklips, live at Unkle Mike’s on July 17

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There’s nothing quite straight-forward about this four piece’s slippery, somewhat dissonant, winding folk music. With sounds of fingers sliding up and down acoustic guitars, crystalline vocals and blatantly strange electronic interjections, Sticklips’ tunes leave listeners curious as hell. There are so many unanswered questions in each song. Music that seems like it should be so easy to figure out, with nice female vocals and some quirky instrumental aspects, instead creates riddles with its lyrics and ever surprising musical changes. There’s a depth in Johanna Warren’s thin, yet enticing vocals that makes it more than what it seems. In a song like “Cattleships and Bruisers,” the bass line is low and whispering and it change in a heartbeat from sweet and acoustic to uplifting and electric as waves of feedback enter without a moment’s notice. There is an eerie, ghostly quality to Sticklips’ sound as it combines so many aspects but spits it out in a pretty unique way. – Read Lauren Piper’s interview with the band here.

NYC

Weekly Feature #205a: Monogold play Kevchino’s party at The Knit on 06.16

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This Brooklyn 3-piece rocks around town with a falsetto voice and nicely patterned rhythms which had them on the road this spring with The Stationary Set after an appearance at SXSW. Formed in 2006 they released an EP titled “Waves” in 2007 and are now promoting their newest release “We Animals” which came out last year. These recent road dates find the band’s live show played out more aggressively than their sleepily tinged album suggests. But in their love for all things mammalian, Monogold finds themselves situated somewhere between the sea and the land playing shows to friends and fans who can appreciate hand drawn cover art and self-recorded music. – See Monogold live at Kevchino.com‘s party at The knit on June 16 + read Simon Heggie’s interview with the band here.

NYC

From The Deli’s Open Blog: Live Footage play Mercury on 06.13

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Hello Fellow Deli Followers! Come on out to the Mercury Lounge on Sunday June 13th to check out Live Footage, Setting Sun, Quitzow, and Siwat. Live Footage is a Brooklyn based electronic Rock duo consisting of electronic Cello, and Drums/Keys. Setting Sun and Quitzow are fresh off their 4 week European tour and sounding great! Both will be celebrating a CD release "Fanstasurreal" (Setting Sun), and "Juice Water" (Quitzow). These bands have played multiple bills together, so be prepared for a jam packed show of fun! – (as posted in The Deli’s Open Blog – post your band’s entries, videos, and Mp3s here).

 

NYC

From The Deli’s Open Blog: Galaxy of Tar release debut CD

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Galaxy of Tar‘s Naima Mora has a face you’ve seen before – she won "America’s Next Top Model" in 2005 and went on to to be the CoverGirl contract model – but it’s high time for her to be heard and not just seen. Filling her role as front-woman with passion and dynamism, her voice soars skyward over the Latin-esque poly-rhythms and churning riffage of drummer/sonic-architect, Elias Diaz V.’s Volatile Glass, the latest free release from Lapdance Academy. Borrowing equally from Diaz’s Dominican roots and the industrial pulse of Brooklyn’s transit system, GALAXY OF TAR have created a unique sonic space between SANTANA’S "Abraxas" and TOOL’S "Lateralus." Rounded out by the torn, metallic shards of Nemanja Rebic’s guitars and the deep pockets of Samuel Fernandez’s bass lines, "Volatile Glass", the band’s debut album, is available for streaming preview and free download in 256 and 320 bit-rates here. The band’s next live show in NYC will be at Commodore Barry Park on June 27. – (as posted in The Deli’s Open Blog – post your band’s entries, videos, and Mp3s here).

 

Chicago

Secret Colours

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Is psychedelic rock the next big sound in Chicago? Well, bands like Panda Riot, Apteka, and others seem to think so. Enter Secret Colours, and yes despite the “strange” spelling of colors they are from Chicago. Their self-titled debut album is beautifully retro in sound and style, and embraces the psych rock sound open arms and sensitive ears. From hazy drug trips to love songs to even fuzzed “Western” sounds. My favorite track from the album, which can be streamed on bandcamp, has to be the wandering and pop-filled “Jellybean”. It puts the listener in fun-filled summertime dream state.

Tommy Evans, Dave Stach, Dylan Olson, Justin Frederick, and Margaret Albright make up the band Secret Colours, and they will be celebrating the release of their album at Lincoln Hall tomorrow, June 11th with Gold Motel and Mini Mansions.