Last month Oh No No released new EP, Tren Del Sexo, which translates to Sex Train, an ironic choice for a title considering the four tracks’ PG-content. The band’s indie rock-Americana fusion is pretty tame as the quintet suggests by singing of getting tipsy – but not drunk – while the parents are sleeping.
The four songs are extremely individual and interesting though they seem to have little connection with each other. “You Could Be My Lover” features lyrics about growing a beard and never leaving the house amidst a sparkly xylophone ring and a steady drum tap, finishing with a more and more insistent repetition of “you could be my lover.” “Bedframe” introduces a banjo pluck and harmonic combination over the inquiry, “why’d you sell my bed frame for drugs?” The best part is probably what sounds like a kazoo towards the end.
“Futures All We See” with its simple bass line and rush of up-tempo drum rolls is probably the most polished and mold-fitting of the tracks on the EP, bearing traces of other local act Overzealous in the guitars. Oh No No show their teeth only once through the heated, provocative riff in “(Shake) Shake Your Hips.” They have potential though, they just need to identify and settle into their sound. You can hear all four tracks here. – Jessica Pace
Sorry we were late with the Indie Rock results from the Open Submissions to our Best of NYC Emerging Artists 2010 Poll – our server went down yesterday afternoon leaving us half the way through the job.
Ah, indie, indie, isn’t that a word we all love? We were happy to see Bear Hands (who graced the cover of our summer issue) submit to our poll (this should be an example to all bands of how there should be no end in your career to seeking promotion and opportunities for exposure). And well, the guys swept this category, followed (not too closely in terms of ratings) by two very promising emerging rockers: Devin Therriault ( who plays at The Mercury Lounge on 10.13) and Steve Shiffman & The Land of No. In the top picture, Bear Hands hold the beautiful Deli Trophy during the imaginary celebration for their win.
Categories: INDIE ROCK, POST PUNK
Region: NYC + NJ + Long Island
Jurors: Deli Austin, Washington DC and Philadelphia Editors
Cheers Elephant have been kicking it around Philly since 2007 drawing plenty of attention early in their short career. Back then the young upstarts impressed audiences with big classic rock riffs that wailed ferociously from lead guitarist Jordan del Rosario and a surprisingly tight sound for a fledgling band while receiving comparisons to such greats as The Beatles and Pavement. The free-spirited close-knit gang still knows how to rock as drummer Roberto Kingston flails his limbs in time, but you’ll find that they’ve traded in some of the longer jams for tighter well-crafted songs with a Brit-pop flare. It also appears Derek Kryzwicki has grown into his leading man role quite nicely demanding the audiences’ attention as he shakes and shimmies while belting out memorable pop hooks. Well, it’s taken Cheers Elephant over two years to release their full length Man Is Nature which they will be celebrating tonight at World Café Live. They also recently exceeded a goal of $5,000 for their Kickstarter campaign so there will be plenty to cheers to this evening. Joining them for this momentous occasion will be Nicos Gun, The Fleeting Ends and The New Connection. World Café Live, 3025 Walnut St., 9pm, $13, All Ages – H.M. Kauffman
After a promising 2010 that saw the release of their most successful album to date in Vanity Press and a video for their song In The Weeds, The National Rifle are hitting the stage tonight and ready to pop their cherry for 2011. And they’ll be doing so by hooking up a rare free show at The Station in South Philly. Joining them will be garage rock gods Univox, who will also be performing their first show of the year. If you haven’t had a chance to grab a copy of their breakthrough self-titled album that was released on ROIR last year or just haven’t experienced the non-stop energy of their live sets, then tonight is the perfect opportunity to take care of both! Also on the lineup will be Vitamin Cheese, and NYC’s Genuine Limitations. The Station, 1550 McKean St., 8pm, Free, 21+ – Bill McThrill
Cookie Rabinowitz is back!!! We discovered the entertaining animated series from Schoolly D, Kevin Hanson and Julius Curso while we were snowed in over the holidays. Well, they’ve given Cookie his very own talk show with his trusty wise-cracking sidekick Chocolate Spider (Schoolly D). They also brought along a special guest for the inaugural episode. Watch hometown freestyle extraordinaire Freeway battling it out with Chocolate Spider below! You can catch up on other Cookie Rabinowitz shorts here. You also can check him out live next Saturday, January 15 at The Grape Room (or just swing on by The Gold Club to listen to him spin ;o). Enjoy! – The Deli Staff
Homebred indie folk outfit, Papertrees, has quite an impressive pedigree of local players. An ever-emergent concept of sorts, Papertrees started with singer/songwriter/guitarist Allison Polans’ lissom fingers and ended up with some notable scene vets as part of its core: Phil D’Agostino (upright bass), Alec Meltzer (drums/percussion), Carl Cheeseman (electric guitar), and Nate Gonzalez (organ/keys/accordion). (Polans can also notch out Andrew Lipke and Deirdre Loughridge as former playmates.) And these guys and doll are also doing time with other revered local outfits like Hezekiah Jones, The Spinning Leaves, and Wes Mattheu & The New Way Down, to name a brief few. Really, it’s a royal family of musicians cooking up jazz-infused speakeasy folk for rainy days and sleepless nights – graceful, distending arrangements that both bustle and drift underneath the feet of Polans’ tenderly rich intones and disenchanted librettos. They recently took a hiatus from performing live (the December 9th show at The Ox was their first since September) but are back in full force and gracing the rostrum at Uni City’s The Blockley tonight with local cohorts Toy Soldiers, Levee Drivers and The Lawsuits.With Toy Soldiers’ fiery blues-rock, Levee Drivers’ boots-kickin’ rock ‘n’ roll, and the Lawsuits’ complex Americana, this bill will definitely keep you warm indoors while the crisp, bitter snow blankets the world outside.The Blockley, 3801 Chestnut St, 8pm, $5 adv/$7 door, 21+ (Photo by Will Connelly)
Other places to go if you’re not afraid of snow…
Johnny Brenda’s (1201 N. Frankford Ave.) SAT Val de Val CD Release Party w/The Atomic Square and Restorations
Kung Fu Necktie (1250 N. Front St.) SAT Mature and Split Red, SUN Metroplex and Conversations With Enemies
North Star Bar (2639 Poplar St.) SAT Groovement, SUN The Strange Heat and Papyrus Like You
The Fire (412 W. Girard Ave.) FRI Sounds From Atlantis, SAT (Early) Kite Party, (Late) Alien Architect
M Room (15 W. Girard Ave.) FRI Razorblade Skin and Workhorse 3
Tritone (1508 South St.) FRI Starving The Tsunami and Galaxies, SAT The Midnight Beat and Mondo Topless
Highwire Gallery (2040 Frankford Ave.) SAT Anahita and A Stick & a Stone
World Café Live (3025 Walnut St.) FRI (Downstairs) Among Criminals Album Release w/ Tsunami Rising, (Upstairs) Dutch and Kuf Knotz, SAT (Very Early) Peanut Butter Jams & KidROCKERS w/Reading Rainbow and The Shackeltons, (Late) Cheers Elephant Album Release Party w/ Nico’s Gun, The Fleeting Ends, The New Connection
The Blockley (3801 Chestnut St.) SAT Sonni Shine & the Underwater Sounds
We decided to enter the top ten bands from the Open Submissions poll in the Best of New England Emerging Artists 2010 Poll which will be posted sometime next week. In case you missed the last post, here are the bands in order of how they were ranked by other Deli editors (Chicago and LA). But in my opinion they are all stellar and I’m happy to add all of them to the poll next week. The Best of New England Emerging Artists Poll will be voted on by a cocktail of local bloggers, scenemakers, Deli readers and Deli staff. Stay tuned.
Bands Nominated for Next Phase of Best New England Emerging Artists 2010 Poll
Dede’s breakout song, “My Secret Sweet” induces nostalgia for childhood Saturday- afternoon-play-time with the neighbors – and brings to mind one of our favorite British band of the aughts, Broadcast. Maybe it’s the “chopsticks” piano chords on repeat, or the chimes cuing the her suggestion, “let’s play pretend.” Or is it the hand clapping, or her sweet, almost adolescent voice? It could be the fact that her appearance draws comparisons to Allison Wonderland, or her name sounds like a child’s first word. Either way, the youthful overtones of her music don’t imply juvenile musical skill. Our strong desire to reminisce upon hearing her songs is a result of expert composition and intuition as to what sounds people are uncontrollably drawn to. – Katie Bennett
Waking Lights’ music immediately jumps out at you: it’s catchy, stomping, energetic and head bobbing inducing. Their songs contain both rock and folk elements, sometimes alternating between the two while still retaining their unforgettable feel. Waking Lights is based in New Jersey and playing New York venues frequently. Their music stays in your head long after their songs have ended, so be sure to check them out at Bruars Falls on January 8! – Leah Tribbett
Shake the Baron reels you in from the start, the music danceable without losing the alternative rock sound and the lyrics (sample: “I’m not much good at changing/I’m afraid of the cold rush time against my feet” from “Rest of Reaction”) just as impressive. Their self-titled debut displays the band’s talent for layering harmonies and creating an unmistakably good vibe throughout. Though the band only formed three years ago – 2007, while all four members attended college in Connecticut – their debut has the polished, established feel of a sophomore or junior album. Shake the Baron’s sound is particularly catchy, and sure to spark many toes tapping and heads bobbing across the city. They play live at Spike Hill tonight (January 7)! – Leah Tribbett
High-energy,vocals, aggressive guitar, imposing drumbeats, and a bass-line so thick you could walk across it, MiniBoone know how to start a party. Essentially kids sporting facial hair and square-rimmed glasses, the members of MiniBoonehaven’t forgotten the day when Weezer used to produce power-pop anthems and Blink 182 would jump around on stage and yell throughout their entire set. And neither have their fans: the band’s scored a line-up of gigs along the east coast an beyond, as a result of acclaim for their debut EP, “Big Changes” (Drug Front Records). See them live at Brooklyn Bowl on january 18. – Katie Bennett
Smith Westerns will release their sophomore LP, Dye It Blonde, on Fat Possum on Jan. 18. That night they will kick off a tour in Brooklyn that will stretch across the country and span nearly three months. It will conclude in Austin in March for SXSW. The band will be performing here at the Empty Bottle on Feb. 26th. They have shared another track off of their much anticipated album called "All Die Young"
Showing kids the value of great music at a young age is fundamental. The fact that KidROCKERS has been blending some of the best up-and-coming indie music and comedy into their events that have featured the likes of Vivian Girls, Ra Ra Riot, and Chairlift as well as local favorites like Sun Airway and Power Animal is simply a wonderful thing. Well, get ready to rock at World Café Live tomorrow afternoon because KidROCKERS will be tag teaming with Philly’s equivalent WXPN’s Peanut Butter Jams. The show will be headlined by Chamberburg’s The Shackeltons, but the day will do one better by adding in everyone’s favorite quintessential indie duo that’s fittingly named after Levar Burton’s classic children’s show. Since releasing their biggest album to date in Prism Eyes, Reading Rainbow have been on a tremendous roll gaining some serious love from critics and fans alike. So grab your kids or someone else’s kids (legally) because you won’t be able to get into the show without one – no matter how good your friend looks in his little sailor suit. World Café Live, 3025 Walnut St., 11:30 am, Adults: $13 adv/$15 door; Children: $11 adv/$13 door, All Ages – Bil McThrill
As we wait for our final jury votes to trickle in, we’ve spent the last few weeks combing through the bands who submitted through open submission process, and through SonicBids.com. After having editors weigh in from other regions of the Deli Magazine, here are our results:
Jedi Mindtrick’s Stoupe The Enemy of Mankind’s initially collaborated with singer-songwriter Liz Fullerton on JMT’s “Razorblade Salvation” from 2006’s Servants In Heaven, Kings In Hell, and they would later cross paths again on “Death Messiah” from 2008’s A History of Violence. Well, the two have created a stronger musical union with their latest project Dutch. The trip hop duo released their debut LP A Bright Cold Day last year on Enemy Soil, and they’ve been making the rounds on the local music venue circuit. Tonight Dutch will be taking over the Upstairs at World Café Live with Stoupe’s laid-back, downtempo grooves and Fullerton’s attention-grabbing vocals. It should be a night of good vibes all around, especially since Kuf Knotz will be opening the festivities and bringing the positivity and jams from last year’s BoomBox Logic (Mad Dragon) – seems like WCL will be a nice place to chill from the chill this evening. World Café Live, 3025 Walnut St., 9pm, $9, 21+ – H.M. Kauffman
