L.A.

Kiev’s residency at The Bardot

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Mellow rockers Kiev are knee deep in their month long residency at Bardot in Hollywood. Two more performances are planned for the 20th with The Familiars and The Colorist, and the 27th with The New Limb and Deli favorite Vanaprasta.

They recently self-released their debut EP Ain’t No Scary Folks In On Around Here. Smooth, Thom Yorke, inspired vocals flow through an album with musical arrangements that span from modern jazz to the slightly electronic overtones familiar to fans of Bonobo’s live shows. "Rational Animal – Layered Lines" sports influence from the latter, opening up with glitch drums and synth, and matured into portions of sweet melodies and aggressive breakbeat driven breaks. "Crooked Strings" starts off in a more traditional sense, building a crescendo into what most would expect a distortion filled chorus, but turns out to be a raucous mix of saxophone, jazz piano, and shaker percussion. The album is worth a listen and can be found on the band’s site.

-Angelo Lorenzo

Austin

Unreleased Okkervil River

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After debuting "Wake and Be Fine" on Jimmy Fallon, Okkervil River broke out another brand new song, "Weave Room Blues", a B side from the upcoming I Am Very Far. Lead singer/songwriter Will Sheff was also one of the more entertaining people to follow on twitter (@okkervilriver) in the run up to and during the Grammys…not to mention his running commentary on the vibe in Prescott, AZ. 

Portland

These Aren’t Your Grandparents’ Grandparents

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The first words that came to my mind amidst the introductory track of Grandparents‘ Don’t Move Time were: the 70s and Led Zeppelin. Having my fill of this in early high school made me hesitant to listen on, but keep listening. It gets so, so good.

Take "Ethereal Light," for instance, my favorite track. At first slow-moving and oceanic, you get a feminine background specter catching onto the lead’s faraway croons. The whole thing is distanced and lulling, but sudden drum clashes kick the listener back in, carrying an ebb and flow through some distal dream.

Grandparents’ call themselves psychedelic shoegaze, which seems fitting. Signed with Gnar Tapes and Shit, you can name your price for their new album via bandcamp. –April Ehrlich

Philadelphia

The Deli’s Philly Best Emerging Artists Poll – Top Performers: The Spooks

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The controlled storm that is The Spooks had quite the year in 2010. The Fishtown boys kept busy unleashing songs on the Internet, hiring a new manager, and building a serious buzz about their raucous, must-see live performance that often left the band and crowd drenched in beer, sweat, and occasionally puke. The band self-released a gem in their garage-surf 7” Sleepy Monsters that is incredibly tight in its songwriting while still feeling completely unhinged. While the reverb, broken instruments, and general mayhem of their live show is what caught people’s attention initially, it is their skillfully crafted pop songs that set them apart from the slew of “garage” acts. The band supported the release of their 7” with a huge tour that took them coast-to-coast melting faces and creating shenanigans all along the way. They also recorded their debut LP with Adam Granduciel of The War On Drugs/Kurt Vile, which had plans for release on Mark Schoneveld/Yvynyl’s Trig Club label (though the album may come out on Small Plates now). The Spooks may take cues from early bands like The Kinks or The Clash, but they are a new breed entirely and are keeping their sound fresh by never taking things too seriously. 2010 was a pretty fruitful year for The Spooks considering their relatively limited output of material, so it will be exciting to see where they go in 2011 with a fresh new album burning a hole in their pockets. – Adam G.
 

Philadelphia

Welcome to UNIVOX TV

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Univox would like to bring you into their strangely disjointed but melodic world with UNIVOX TV (below). We’re still not really sure what they are talking about or why they are talking about it sometimes, but we are lovin’ the tunes and performances. Look out for new episodes every other Thursday here. Enjoy! – The Deli Staff
 

Philadelphia

Orbit to Leslie at Silk City Feb. 16

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Orbit to Leslie were pretty quiet in 2010, but you already find the space cadets quickly out of the stargate and running in 2011 with a slew of shows to test out the newly configured unit. Some percussions and a metal folding chair just isn’t cutting it these days for the now four-piece so Chris Wood is pulling out the small kit for a little dueling drums action. They’ll be joined by Levee Drivers who seem to be going through some band growing pains of their own. August Lutz and Kyle Perella will be heading down to Nashville this spring to test out the waters and see what type of trouble they can get into. Rounding out the bill tonight at Silk City will be Shutters. Silk City, 435 Spring Garden St., $5, 21+ – H.M. Kauffman
 
L.A.

Lelia Broussard + Rolling Stone

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The amazingly talented Lelia Broussard has been nominated for Rolling Stone’s "Do You Wanna Be A Rock & Roll Star?" cover contest. Sixteen unsigned artists are in the running, half of which will be eliminated by March 16th, and the final two will compete onstage at the Bonnaroo Music Festival. The winner will be the first unsigned act to ever appear on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine, and will also receive a recording contract with Atlantic Records. 

Her fourth independently released album, "Masquerade" has received ranting reviews. The fun, eclectic song "Satellite" is about a lovesick robot stuck in L.A., looking towards the sky, and "Hipster Bitch" is about that hot artsy Williamsburg or Echo Park girl you love to hate. Not only can Broussard hit a note, but her songwriting is witty and unapologetic. She’s offering a free download of the previously unreleased acoustic heartbreaker "Alone On A Train". Clearly having spent a good amount of time in both New York and Los Angeles, the 21 year old singer/songwriter has a lot to say, and it would be beneficial to listen.

–Jenna Putnam

 

NYC

Poor But Sexy’s Debut Out Today!

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DC’s funky "yacht-rock"ers Poor But Sexy have finally unleashed their debut onto the world today. Let’s Move In Together is packed with hooky jams that they’ve described, "sounds like R. Kelly traveled back in time to become Steely Dan’s front man circa 1977." What? This we’ve got to hear.

And PBS is made up of very familiar faces amongst the DC post-punk scene. Like Singer David Brown and bassist Brandon Kalber who met playing in the punk-funk band Travis Morrison Hellfighters.  Guitarist/Producer Jason Caddell rocked out with the Dismemberment Plan for 10 years. Keyboardist David Durst also composes punk-chamber music for Anti-Social Music. And drummer Bruce Falconer moonlights as an investigative journalist.

Check out the studio-filmed video for "Cherry Delicious" below and check them out live at the Black Cat on Feb. 27.

NYC

The Two Funerals Release Teaser From Their Upcoming EP

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 The Two Funerals

Richmond all-girl punk trio, The Two Funerals, are back in business! It’s been a few years since their last release, Tell Yr Story, but the band has finally posted the title track from their upcoming EP, Boy’s Club (Rorschach Records), available for free download. This record seems to pick up where the last 7" left off, forging highly aggressive street-punk with moody, post-rock interludes and lyrics that drive home The Two Funerals’ commitment to feminist rights in the 21st century, especially within the music industry and band scenes. "Boys Club" (the song) ends with the line, "Are we a band yet?", a confrontational statement that demands artistic recognition. In the wake of the late Sleater-Kinney there is still plenty of room for a strong feminist voice in the punk scene and The Two Funerals have plenty of talent and passion to grow into it.

Check out their newest release here.

–Jarrett

NYC

Danni Rosner Serenades Free People

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Danni Rosner

Former Deli Artist of the Month, Danni Rosner, has been keeping busy! After recently playing a show at the Urban Outfitters headquarters in Philadelphia she’s now heading on the road for a mini-tour of shows at Free People department stores. The dates are:

2/20 – FREE PEOPLE – 2-3PM
2925 Main Street
Santa Monica, CA 90405

2/20 – UNIVERSAL BAR – 8PM
4093 Lankershim Blvd
North Hollywood CA 91602

2/26 – FREE PEOPLE – 2-3PM
99 Spring Street
New York, NY 10012

3/19 – FREE PEOPLE – 2-3PM
524 Lamar Blvd
Austin, TX 78703

I recently talked about the future of collaboration between independent artists and the fashion industry in my interview with U.S. Royalty. Could this be a whole new path to musical recognition in the wake of the crumbling 20th century music industry? You should leave your thoughts in the comments. Don’t be shy!

If you can’t catch Danni at one of the Free People shows, you should still keep an eye out for the upcoming release of a video for her song, "On My Way." The teaser is below.

–Jarrett

 

San Francisco

The Deli SF’s Weekend Highlights For 2/16-2/19

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Well Valentines day has come and gone, but for those whose true love is music there is still much to be celebrated.

Tomorrow night Wiretap Music will be hosting a show out at El Rio with Dominique Leone, Mist Giant, and Schande. This show will be a benefit for The Holdout, an events and community organizing space opening in West Oakland later this year, so trundle out to the deep Mission and send your money to a good cause, 8pm.

Friday head up to the Cafe Du Nord to see Lloyd’s Garage alongside Blackstone Heist and Whiskey Pills Fiasco, 8:30pm.

Finally, make your way back out to El Rio Saturday to see Here Come the Saviours with Gliss and the Spyrals, 9pm.

 

–Ada Lann