I’ve known – and loved – the various members of The Rassle for almost a decade now. I shared a writing workshop with lead singer Blair Van Nort and instantly recognized him as the most talented author in the class. No wonder the lyrics for The Rassle are both familiar and penetrating. Guitarist Reed Van Nort came into my life shortly after, a young musical prodigy who handed me a demo he had made in his apartment at the age of 16. Drummer Erik Ratensperger and bassist Mark Solomich were guys I’d seen around, touring with their old bands (The Virgins and The Takeover UK, respectively). These four fun loving have only been touring for a few months, but they’ve already gained a huge following in and around New York City. – Read Noah Forrest’s interview with the band here.

The Rassle will be performing at The Deli’s CMJ show at The Delancey on 10.19 with Blackbird Blackbird, Living Days, and many other awesome NYC bands. Full Deli CMJ schedule here.

Songwriter/singer, and inventor-genius Matthew Steinke used to stand behind giant towering drum robots, obscured like the man-behind-the-curtain by the machinery of his own creation. Under the name Octant, Steinke built a solid body of work, releasing accessible but experimental LPs. The records span a long career working with human beings and robotic inventions alike, but these days Steinke is focusing on his work as a poet and songwriter. The huge Octant drums, with show stopping robot-bodies built into road cases so large they can only fit in a van, have been benched. Octant’s maestro now plays guitar and sings through a harmonica mic, crafting tender, cerebral music, aided by tiny, idiosyncratic robot companions who truly feel more like supportive band mates than automated devices. I had the opportunity to ask Steinke a few questions after his July 7th performance at The Tank NYC, an amazing art space in midtown Manhattan. We talked about gear, poetry, inspiration, on-stage dynamics, and the quest to build ever more “humanly” robots. – Read Benjamin Wigler interview with Octant on Delicious Audio.

Octant will be opening for Buke and Gass at The Deli’s CMJ show at The Living Room on 10.21 at 7pm – don’t miss it!

Sounding somewhere between The Beta Band and your favorite shoegazer group, New Numbers is a Brooklyn band that can make many ears turn. We are actually very familiar with some of the guys involved, as they graced the inside pages of our magazine in the past – and also the outside one (i.e. the cover) when we had the now defunkt Jealous Girlfriends on it. Because TJG’s Josh and Mike are playing in this project together with 2 other noteworthy NYC "scenesters": Noah of Sam Champion, and Matt of The Comas and Dean and Britta. This is what we call a supa-group! The band has a series of CMJ shows planned, don’t miss the one at Fontana’s of Saturday 10.23 at 2pm.

Lights Resolve were selected by Stadium Red Studios as the winners of the free full day of recording time giveaway organized by The Deli. Ten more local artists were given a 50% discount on a full day session.

Not the typical rock troupe, the New York born and bred band cater to hard rockers, pop fanatics, and everyone in between, with catching songs defined by nonconforming vocal melodies, distinctive guitar modulations that intertwine with ornate bass riffs, and complex, hard-hitting rhythmic styles. The band has three self-released EPs, “Prelude,” “Currency,” and “…,” beloved national status, top spots on The Deli’s charts, consistently sold out hometown shows, appearances in soundtracks for MTV hits, including “The Hills” and Season 1 of “Jersey Shore,” and striking numbers of “Rock Band” downloads of their single “Dreaming of Love” under their belts, but shockingly, early 2011 will mark the release of Lights Resolve’s first full-length record, “Feel You’re Different.” The band will headline The Deli’s CMJ Alt Rock Stage at Arlene’s Grocery on 10.20 starting at 1.30 pm. Here’s the full lineup:

1.30 The Courtesy Tier
2.10 Decibel.
2.50 Frontier Brothers  (Austin)
3.30 Black Taxi
4.10 Blackbells
4.50 Am to Am
5.30 Lights Resolve

For the full schedule of Deli CMJ shows go here.

The Deli’s Staff

If you’ve ever seen Bluebrain live, you’ll know that their aesthetic endeavors have the two brothers exploring and pushing both sonic boundaries and the visual landscape. When performing live, their haunting and multilayered electronic music, rich in deep tones and timbres, textured with interesting instrumentals and various string arrangements, and characterized by dynamic transitions in pace and rhythm, is often accompanied with strange and mystifying visual effects, making them just as much of a performance art act as it is a music show. So if you’re looking to be wholly stimulated this Saturday night, check out their interactive live performance at the recently opened venue Artisphere in Rosslyn. They’ll be teaming up with other artists like the revered Geologist (of Animal Collective) and a few super secret acts yet to be announced.  Make sure you’re there to check out this interesting new gallery-meets-theater and watch as some serious musical brainpower assembles to produce plenty of killer tunes and dynamic art. Who knew dancing to electro music could be so intellectual.