NYC

Johanna and the Dusty Floor celebrates CD release party at The Living Room on May 5.

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Sweet, airy vocals lead this piano-driven pop band fronted by Australian singer-songwriter Johanna Cranitch, who had a residency at Pete’s Candy’s store in March. Her music listens like a childhood fantasy, a healthy mixture of controlled harmonies, string orchestration, and clever synth pop arrangements that envelop you into her world and experiences through lyrics and sound. A light shining in a community of often dark souls, Johanna and the Dusty Floor is the perfect pick-me-up as we embrace the long-anticipated long days of summer. Be sure to check out their CD release at The Living Room on May 5 at 9:00pm. – Christina Morelli

Philadelphia

Arrah and the Ferns Open for Oh No Oh My at KFN April 25

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Tonight Indiana transplants Arrah Fisher and Carl Stovner, who makeup the original core of Arrah and the Ferns, will be providing some local support to Austin’s Oh No Oh My. Having performed together for the first time at an open mic in December 2005, Fisher and Stovner instantly experienced that “lightning struck fingertips and songs were born from anxious little hearts of 20-year-olds.” Now, a little older and wiser – they’ve continued their musical journey in our much beloved creative hotbed Philly and have found some new friends/“ferns” [which also includes Ryan Belski (The Divine Lorraine)] to help bring their infectious upbeat indie pop to fruition giving us the shimmering release of 2010 sleeper All the Bad in One Place. (You can check out their recent music video for “Slim 5” from the album below.) Also on the bill will be Fulbright Scholarship winner and minstrel Brendan Mulvihill with his freak folk project Norwegian Arms (who has a new 3-song EP Trimming of Hides available for FREE download HERE) and Bensalem’s CowPals. Kung Fu Necktie, 1250 N. Front St., 8pm, $8, 21+ – H.M. Kauffman
 

Philadelphia

The Philly Zombie Crawl at TLA April 24

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The Philly Zombie Crawl began as one bartender’s simple idea to honor the most famous zombie of them all, Jesus Christ. But upon learning about the Zombie Crawl events that were so popular in Minneapolis, she decided to bring the fun to Philly, resulting in over 120 folks dressed as zombies flooding Tattooed Mom in 2006 and getting sloppy. The event has only grown in stature since then, and this year it’s moved to the TLA. Expect zombie face painting for $10, as well some spooky beats by Rainbow Destroyer, two self-proclaimed zombie performers who combine pulsing basslines, an epic backstory (involving the duo’s origins as 18th century French aristocrats who arose from the dead through the help of a sparkly unicorn-demon), and glam sensibility for a deliriously goofy dance-pop experience. Also spinning will be DJ Kiltboy. Theatre of the Living Arts, 334 South St., $5, 5pm, All Ages – Joe Poteracki

Philadelphia

Supergoose & BAnanas Symphony Live at Tritone April 23

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It’s been a while, but Bucks County’s Supergoose are back in Philly tonight at Tritone. The new wave death pop trio combines riveting mechanical drones with straight-up badass indie rock machismo vocals from Joe Ujj (Birdie Num Num and the Spirit Squad), which could inspire revolution on the right night. But if you just choose to rock out, I’m sure that they’ll be happy to oblige with some angsty fuzzed-out tunes to get the heart pumping. They’ll be joined by the dreamy psychedelic pop of BAnana Symphony. Led by the distinct vocals and lazy day guitar work of Yohsuke (who also fronts Blackhawks), you’ll find yourself lost in their hazy sonic textures so hopefully you still have some stash left over from Wednesday’s holiday. (You can also download BAnanas Symphony’s latest effort Salty for free HERE.) This should be a good evening to catch acts that you probably haven’t had a chance to really experience live before. Tritone, 1508 South St., 9pm, $7, 21+ – H.M. Kauffman
 


L.A.

Therapies Son @ The Echo, April 29th

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It may be a bummer, but I think it’s a proven fact that heartbreak is a catalyst for heart wrenching pop music. Meet Alex Jacob — nineteen-year-old Van Nuys resident who, as of last autumn, became an owner of a broken heart after a relationship crumbled. Tapping into his innate gift of songwriting, the melancholy teenager used his breakup as fuel for some otherwordly bedroom pop he writes under the moniker Therapies Son.

And from the sounds of his self-recorded debut EP, Over the Sea, music is a beautiful source of release for the young musician. The five songs that comprise the EP range in tone from the warbling merry-go-round waltz of “Rose Red Rose,” to the heavy, guitar-driven psych-pop of “Touching Down,” but all possess that fuzzy warmth of lo-fi.

You can purchase the Sargent House release here and catch Therapies Son’s performance at The Echo Friday, April 29.

-Katrina Nattress

Philadelphia

On the Water at Green Line Café April 23

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Tonight you can catch the sparse folk of On the Water at Green Line Café. This project of Chernobly Collective Arts member and Da Comrade leader Fletcher Van Vliet is a more intimate project that is similar to Isaac Brock’s Ugly Casanova. Van Vliet’s wiry, theatric vocals are both frenetic and calming at times over the acoustic guitar, banjo and violin accompaniment. The size of the group changes from show to show, but the instrumentation is always tight and art-pop weirdness always shines through. Also on the bill is experimental jazz collective The Move Duo and ridiculous one-man band The Bow-Legged Gorilla. Don’t miss out! Green Life Café, 4426 Locust St, 7pm, $5 donation, All Ages – Adam G.
 
NYC

Papercranes releases new CD + video

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Papercranes, brainchild of LA and partly also NYC based composer/singer Rain Phoenix, play dark and somewhat disturbed "mid-fi" ballads that convey a sense of beautiful fragility, like those crooked Amsterdam buildings on a rainy day. The band has been around since the early 2000s, and just released their 3rd record, "let’s Make Babies in the Woods" which was produced with a "no rest or retakes allowed" rule, as an exercise in ‘stream of consciousness’ writing. Previous to papercranes, Rain Phoenix worked with The Red Hot Chili Peppers, REM, Angela McCluskey, The Causey Way and is a performer with the notorious NYC political cabaret collective The Citizen’s Band.

 

Philadelphia

Weekend Warrior, April 22 – 24

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OK, so we think that Fishtown Shadfest will be a fun time this weekend with Black Landlord, Spinto Band, West Philadelphia Orchestra, Springs (Dr. Dog’s Scott McMicken and Eric Slick with Julie Slick and Mike Visser), and a Girls Rock Philly showcase, but we’re not very confident that this crazy weather will allow it to happen. Well, the rain date is set for next Saturday April 30. But you will definitely find a chunk of our staff at Kung Fu Necktie tonight with The Extraordinaires, Juston Stens and The Get Real Gang, and Gold Crowns so if you are looking for a great time safely hidden from a pissed-off Mother Nature, then we look forward to seeing you tonight. (Also take a gander at our recent intereview with The Extraordinaires’ Jay Purdy HERE.) Kung Fu Necktie, 1250 N. Front St., 8pm, $10, 21+  
 
Update: SHADFEST IS ON!!!
 
Other places to hide from the weather…
 
Johnny Brenda’s (1201 N. Frankford Ave.) FRI Birdie Busch and Silver Ages
 
Kung Fu Necktie (1250 N. Front St.) FRI The Extraordinaires, Juston Stens & The Get Real Gang, Gold Crowns
 
North Star Bar (2639 Poplar St.) FRI Local H, SAT June Divided
 
The Fire (412 W. Girard Ave.) FRI Mini Mammoth and The Rowdies, SAT Cowpals and Carousel
 
M Room (15 W. Girard Ave.) FRI Smoker & The Rollers, SUN Delco Nightingale
 
Tritone (1508 South St.) FRI Wareika Hill and Steppin Razor, SAT Supergoose, BAnanas Symphony, Meddlesome Bells, SUN Sweet Soubrette
 
JR’s Bar (2327 S. Croskey St.) FRI KMX Band, SAT Stomping Ground and Fuck Attack
 
The Blockley (3801 Chestnut St.) SAT Beards o Bees, SUN Writtenhouse
 
Fergie’s (1214 Sansom St.) SAT Dr. Ketchup
 
Connie’s Ric Rac (1132 S. 9th St.) SAT Shanti, Kuf Knotz, Dani Mari
 
Greenline Café (4239 Locust St.) SAT On the Water
 
Danger Danger Gallery (5013 Baltimore Ave.) FRI The Defog, 117, Sudden Ensemble
SAT The Trowels and Old Stuff
 
The Rotunda (4014 Walnut St.) SUN Meg Baird
 
Murph’s Bar (202 E. Girard Ave.) FRI Penrose
 
Theatre of Living Arts (334 South St.) SUN Philadelphia Zombie Crawl w/Rainbow Destroyer
 
The Legendary Dobbs (304 South St.) FRI (Early) Phil La Placa (Formerly of Even The Res), (Later) Drop Anchor and 58 Fury, SAT Close To Good and John & Brittany
 
Triumph Brewery (117 Chestnut St.) FRI Dirk Quinn and Adam Monaco
 
PhilaMOCA (531 N. 12th St.) SAT Caboder, Cranes Are Flying, With Our Teeth, Young Historians
 
International House (3701 Chestnut St.) FRI Bee Mask
 
World Cafe Live (3025 Walnut St.) SAT Gene Ween
 
The Marvelous (208 S. 40th St.) SAT Cat Vet
 
International Waters (Please contact one of the acts for details.) FRI We Were Skeletons, Naptakers
 
Hong Kong Garden (Please contact one of the acts for details.) FRI Tough Shits, The Eeries, Dry Feet
 
The Bordello (Please contact one of the acts for details.) SAT Spraynard
 
Dad’s Haus (Please contact one of the acts for details.) SAT Rowsdower
 

 

Philadelphia

New Venue in the Works from R5’s Sean Agnew!

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So according to a recent interview that the A.V. Club Philadelphia had with R5’s Sean Agnew, it was confirmed that there is a new venue in the works that he’ll be working with. It’ll be about a 500-person venue. Agnew also said, “It should, hopefully, happen by the end of the year – I’m not being tight-lipped because it’s top secret, it’s just still in the planning stages, and we’re getting drawn out and inspected now, and still pending permits and approvals.” Sounds good to us! Looking forward to hearing more about it, and we’re sure you are too. We’ll keep you posted. Cheers! – The Deli Staff
 
NYC

Deli CD of the Month: Yellowbirds – The Color

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Yellowbirds is the latest musical expedition, the “solo” debut, of Texas native Sam Cohen (guitarist/songwriter/vocalist in the psychedelic collective Apollo Sunshine). To Cohen, Texas was not the home of the Bush family or Big Oil, but rather the home to Buddy Holly and the Space Program. New York then, the city Cohen now calls home, is the epicenter of modern art, the home to Charles Mingus and the Velvet Underground. The music of Yellowbirds is full of double-speed auto-harp glissandos, bubbling echo and fuzz guitars played underneath the extistensial lyrics, a place where, as Cohen says, “only the purist tones can be heard.” Yellowbirds has released two singles, both in 2010, “The Rest Of My Life” and “The Honest Ocean” and “The Color,” both featured in his full-length album The Color, which came out in February 2011.
The music Cohen creates within the moniker Yellowbirds is, in three simple words, idealistic, dreamy and beautiful. – Leah Tribbett and Dave Cromwell

Philadelphia

Bee Mask Opens for Oneohtrix Point Never at International House April 22

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Ohio transplant Chris Madak meshes synth with voice and piano for tape-friendly sounds that are as detailed as they are definitive. Initially released as a cassette in 2010, Bee Mask’s highly sought after Canzoni Dal Laboratorio Del Silenzio Cosmico re-released this year as a coveted vinyl LP, offering fans more accessibility to the synth noise they’ve come to love. Remastered by Rashad Becker, Madak’s latest proves his work as avant-garde yet with reason and an audible aesthetic that is impossible to ignore. He’ll be opening for Oneohtrix Point Never (whose Daniel Lopatin combines forces with Tigercity’s Joel Ford to make up Games, a Deli NYC Top Performer in 2010’s Best Emerging Artists Poll). This intimate, mind-altering evening is brought to you by Ars Nova Workshop and R5 Productions. International House. 3701 Chestnut St., 8:30pm, $12, All Ages – Dianca Potts
 
NYC

Bear Hands: new EP + Video

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We must have missed this somehow – I can’t find any press release about it in my inbox… Deli Summer 2010 cover band Bear Hands just released a new EP (High Society) at the end of March 2011 under Cantora Record – you can stream it here. They also released a video from their debut album’s single "Crime Pays" – check it out under this blurb. The band is currently on a US/Canada tour and has no NYC gigs scheduled.