NYC

From the NYC Open Blog comes a Deli CD of the Month: Very Fresh

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Ah, the delights of The Deli’s Open Blog! NYC duo Very Fresh posted an open blog entry here a few days ago – we checked out their songs and… we were impressed! "Marker", in particular,  is a splendid song, very fresh sounding, slightly reminiscent of Liz Phair for the honest, fun delivery and the surprising melodic turns, but more chilled and intense – Phair’s material was always so: "yeah whatever, this isn’t really affecting me at all, dudes…"
This song shows a ton of potential and earns the band’s EP "Americana" the Deli NYC’s CD of the Month title. Amongst the other tracks we also like spare and dark "On Moot Point", while "The Clientele", which also displays a Barretesque love for unexpected melody twists, would benefit from better performances. Don’t miss these guys’ live show at Les Poisson Rouge on July 10; they’ll be opening for Larkin Grimm, in whose band singer Cindy Lou Gooden plays the bass. Actually, we should write something about Larkin soon too…

Philadelphia

Weekend Warrior, July 9 – 11

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Dave P and crew are back at Voyeur tonight with a sweet, sweet summertime deal for us. It’s a $2 Making Time folks with the totally rad Spaniards, Delorean! This is quite a treat considering they’ve already sold out tomorrow’s show at our favorite venue in NYC, The Bowery Ballroom, as they roam through parts of the U.S. and Canada on their way to the Pitchfork Music Festival. This heat feels like it’s finally breaking, but unfortunately, they are predicting plenty of rain. Lucky for us Voyeur is adequately equipped to give us shelter from the storm and to keep us plenty liquored up. Voyeur, 1221 St. James St., 10pm, $2, 21+
 
Other places to hide out from the rain(?)…
 
Johnny Brenda’s (1201 N. Frankford Ave.) SAT Bardo Pond and Caterpillar, SUN Kurt Vile
 
Kung Fu Necktie (1250 N. Front St.) FRI Tigersapien
 
North Star Bar (2639 Poplar St.) SAT The Codes and Penrose
 
The Fire (412 W. Girard Ave.) FRI North Lawrence Midnight Singers and Josh Olmstead
 
M Room (12 W. Girard Ave.) FRI New Madrid Faults
 
The Khyber (56 S. 2nd St.) FRI The New Connection, SAT Backwoods Payback
 
Greenline Café (4239 Locust St.) FRI Northern Valentine, SAT Death Panel
 
Danger Danger Gallery (5013 Baltimore Ave.) FRI Curious Buddies and Julia Rainer
 
The Ox (2nd and Oxford St.) FRI The Circadian Rhythms, Dragonzord, Hermit Thrushes
 
JR’s Bar (2327 S. Croskey St.) SAT Far-Out Fangtooth and Scott Churchman SUN Hessian
 
The Ellen Powell Tiberino Museum (3819 Hamilton St.) FRI Carnivolution w/The Hydrogen Jukebox and Squidling Bros. Circus Sideshow
 

 

NYC

3rd night of LC Fest at Bar4 with Casey Shea, Lowry and Great Elk

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The third night of Brooklyn’s 4th Annual LC Fest features free performances from Casey Shea, Lowry, Great Elk and ten more NYC indie acts. Shea (smaller pic) is a local celeb whose latest release, Love Is Here to Stay, combines vintage ’60s pop with pleasingly modern layers of noise. Indie rock band Lowry’s alt-country, psychedelia and rock sound has put them on the bill with bands such as Mates of State and Grizzly Bear, and their new album is scheduled for a fall release. Great Elk (bigger pic) just released their first self-titled studio EP, which is replete with haunting, sparse melodic rock. Performances begin at 8 p.m. For the complete schedule of all five nights (from July 7th to the 11th), go here. For 42 free MP3s from festivals artists, split into four volumes for easy downloading, go here.

NYC

NYC band to keep an eye on: The Rassle, live at Union Pool on 07.14

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The Rassle were born of the ribs of The Virgins and The Young Lords. This NYC psych-noise-pop band has the potential to attract the interest of a mixed audience of hipsters and "civilians" thanks to their droney guitar sound, combined with pristine and beautiful pop-folk melodies and dancey beats. Sit patiently through the 30 second intro of this video to meet a song that’s equal parts Jesus and Mary Chain, Happy Mondays and The Pogues (those Irish genes stuck in your system are always ready to pop up and be acknowledged, huh?) Thumbs up also for "Celebrate The Days", reminiscent of J&MC and Spiritualized, which you can find on their myspace page. Check out this noisy psycho-poppiness live at Union Hall on July 14.

Chicago

Metro Turns 28!

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July marks the 28th anniversary of well celebrated music venue Metro. To celebrate the milestone they are releasing their first CD project. The Official Bootleg Series Volume 1 will be released on July 22nd and will feature music from The Flaming Lips, Guided By Voices, Sleater-Kinney, The Decemberists, Indigo Girls, Alejandro Escovedo, The Sea and Cake, Tortoise, Alkaline Trio, Billy Corgan, Jimmy Chamberlin and Kurt Elling.

All artists have generously donated the use of the tracks, and all profits from sales of the CD will be donated to Rock For Kids. The album will be available for $20 at the Metro Store and online at metrochicago.com on July 22nd. The Smart Bar will also be holding a free listening party on the 22nd from 6 to 9pm.

NYC

Best of NYC #21:April Smith, Live at The Bell House, July 22

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The Deli Magazine’s pride and joy for several years, Brooklyn’s April Smith and the Great Picture Show, have been ascending since their number five ranking in The Deli’s “Year End Best of NYC 2008 Poll.” Their latest, self-released album, “Songs for a Sinking Ship,” debuted this past February, elicits images of a jazz lounge aboard a pirate cruise. On particularly notable tracks, the suggestive, rowdy, and anxiously paced “Terrible Things,” and “Colors,” a cheerful tune that embraces a calypso inflection, lighthearted grace, and amusing, vocally-created trumpet sounds, April Smith showcases her virtuoso, powerful, bluesy voice, and all-around sass. Ragtime piano and a cabaret cadence, blended with horn counter-melodies on the saloon-ballad “Can’t Say No,” and “Movie Loves a Screen’s” Caribbean beat, patter chorus, lilting trumpet lines, plus Smith’s dazzling vocals, define the album’s sunny theme. Because April Smith and the Great Picture Show’s swooning seductiveness and flamboyant flare set the band apart from many on the current Indie scene, the group will retain their distinctive presence on the press and audience radar. – Meijin Bruttomesso

L.A.

Marvelous Toy plays the Troub with Andy Clockwise Tues. 7-13

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photo: vivian cao

Eagle Rock’s sweet indie folk troupe, Marvelous Toy, have a show with LA-by-way-of-Australia’s Andy Clockwise and folk rockers, The Silent Comedy coming up on Tuesday July 13, at The Troubadour. Andy Clockwise returns to Summer in LA from an Australian tour this May with a new single. His new record, The Socialite, is available down under now and coming to the States soon. The Silent Comedy just did a stint opening for Mumford & Sons, in case you weren’t lucky enough to catch that. The print issue of The Deli Magazine Los Angeles features an interview with Marvelous Toy helmer, Jordan Hudock. The summer issue hits the streets in about a month. Tickets for the July 13, 2010 show are available through Ticketfly.com. Doors at 8pm.

-Angel Baker

Philadelphia

Grandchildren Releasing Debut Full Length Sept. 28 on Green Owl!

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We finally have a drop date for the long-awaited debut full length from Grandchildren! The West Philly boys will be releasing Everlasting on September 28, 2010 on Green Owl Records, a Brooklyn indie label run by Ben Bronfman (son of Warner Music Group CEO Edgar Bronfman and M.I.A.’s baby daddy and fiancé). It’s about a year since the originally scheduled release date for the album when the working title was Cold Warrior (same as their debut EP). I believe that it’s been remastered and another track has been added to it. Look out for a U.S. Fall Tour in support! (Photo by Sean Flanigan) – Q.D. Tran
 

 

Philadelphia

Tigersapien Bring the Filthy Shit at KFN July 9

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Tigersapien’s music revives the inner club kid in me making me want to pop multiple pills of ecstasy, blow fat lines off someone’s chest and have sex in the restroom stall (KFN has nice sized ones). It’s dirty and sometimes feels as manufactured as the drugs that you just took and the dialogue of “The Hills” episode that it should be on, but these kids are working hard to recreate for you the sounds of their misspent youth. Oh, and probably to get laid too. Hopefully you do tonight at KFN! (Hehe…dibs on the men’s room stall.) Kung Fu Necktie, 1250 Front St., 7:30pm, $10, 21+ (Photo by Tiffany Yoon) – H.M. Kauffman
 

 

Philadelphia

Dragonzord, Hermit Thrushes & The Circadian Rhythms at The Ox July 9

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Besides having a killer name, Philly outfit Dragonzord’s knack for crafting gritty soundscapes like the intro of “I Take It Back/Old Clothes” lends itself to the band’s lyrical honesty. Far from polished, their sound is unnervingly raw, enhanced by the twang of haphazard guitar and fuzzy basement sounds. Messy, loud and heartfelt, Dragonzord’s sound falls somewhere between Oberst’s early orchestration and the jangle of Jeff Magnum’s Invent Yourself a Shortcake. Substantially spacey “Deep Dark Start” and the gentle thumps of “Teen Plague” are transformative and chill, a perfect and washed out sublime. Nicely coupled with the unpredictable beats of Hermit Thrushes, Dragonzord’s performance is a fitting companion to this buzz-worthy band. The charming dings of “Snowflake Heart” and heartwarming riffs of “Benaki” are equal parts melody and meticulous genius. Polished quasi-pop with The Books style backbeats, Hermit Thrushes songs are strangely intoxicating, much like the bizarrely awesome tracks of The Circadian Rhythms (think of the bluesy “La Di Da” or the jazzy “Symptoms”). Destined to be famous, at least in the blogosphere, witness these three at their best before Pitchfork finds out. They’ll be hosting D.C.’s Deleted Scenes and Hume as well as NY’s Sons of an Illustrious Father. The Ox, 2nd St and Oxford St., 8pm, $5, All Ages – Dianca Potts
 

 

Philadelphia

New Madrid Faults Found at M Room July 9

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New Madrid Faults are coming to the M room tonight. This Bethlehem, PA collective are music enthusiasts, critics and producers who create delicate bedroom chamber pop ala Margot and The Nuclear So and So’s and Cloud Cult. Most times the voice is barely above a whisper and there are glockenspiels aplenty in these dramatic tunes with their swoops and swells. These guys sound like one of those bands that would definitely benefit from the utilization of more professional studio equipment to give their songs the life and energy that are obviously within them. M Room, 15 W. Girard Ave., 9pm, $8, 21+ – Adam G.