Austin

Which One’s Pink: Last Hurrah @ the Seaholm

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First of all, let me admit that I am a fan; many many of my adolescent hours were spent listening with great intensity to, say, The Final Cut, or Animals, or (of course) The Wall. So I sat waiting for the show to begin (after Moving Matter), ready to pass harsh judgment on the whole tribute-to-Pink-Floyd idea…but they nailed it. The drama and the darkness and the power…it was a faithful, tremendously skillful tribute, right down to the "Stand still laddie" and other seemingly minor touches that were absolutely necessary to the overall effect. Even the vocals– often the downfall of a tribute effort– were spot on without being overdone. What can you say? Fantastic. 

Put together by The Electric Company as the final show at Seaholm, Which One’s Pink brought together many of the very best Austin musicians (full list of performers here) under the musical direction of Chris Maresh. All to benefit Anthropos Arts, a non-profit dedicated to making music education and opportunities available to underprivileged Austin youth. Floyd, dude, and a good cause, and even a giant flying pig. And all was right in the world. How was your weekend? 

 

Chicago

Interview With Chasing Mars

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As we prepare to crown a new monthly poll winner, please enjoy our interview with current band of the month Chasing Mars! You can read our interview here, and stream and/or purchase their debut album here.

NYC

Motel Motel’s Erik Gundel new electronic project

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Erik Gundel, from recently dismembered Brooklyn band Motel Motel, has just released the debut EP for his new solo electronic project. Erik’s tracks aren’t in any way reminiscent of his previous band’s work, dwelling in a more electronic and experimental territory. The slow paced loops, mixed with abundant atmospheric noises and gentle sax stabs, bring back to mind a less funky version of… Funky Porcini, while the sophisticated vocal harmonies refer to more recent avant artists like Dirsty Projectors and Grizzly Bear. Overall a very interesting debut.

San Francisco

Interview with Silver Swans, SF Artist of the Month

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San Francisco’s Silver Swans has slowly evolved from a "casual project" to a productive partnership. Fresh from four successful New York City shows, chanteuse Ann Yu took a break from recording the forthcoming album Forever to talk about the indie pop duo’s influences and inspirations. Read more here. “Mother of Pearl” is a new demo track from Forever.

–Whitney Phaneuf

Silver Swans – Mother of Pearl by Hypetrak

Philadelphia

U.S. Girls Releasing New Split 12” w/Slim Twig

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According to Visitation Rites, “word on the street is that U.S. Girls mastermind Meghan Remy recently relocated to Mississippi” (which is a bummer for us to hear). She’ll be releasing a split 12” with Toronto’s Slim Twig (a.k.a. Max Turnbull) via Palmist Records (sister imprint of FatCat) on June 20 in Europe and August 16 in North America. You can check out U.S. Girls’ new, more hi-fi track “If These Walls Could Talk” below as well as her upcoming tour dates with Brooklyn’s Noveller, which will be making a stop in Philly on Sunday, June 12 at Hong Kong Garden. – The Deli Staff
 
U.S. Girls Tour Schedule w/Noveller:
6/11 Arlington, VA – Queering Sound Festival
6/12 Philadelphia, PA – Hong Kong Garden
6/13 Hudson, NY – The Spotty Dog
6/14 Northampton, MA – Feeding Tube Records
6/15 Providence, RI – Paragon
6/16 Boston, MA – Aviary Gallery
6/17 Montreal – Casa del Popolo
6/18 Toronto – Double Double Land
6/19 Detroit, MI – TBA
6/20 Chicago, IL – The Empty Bottle
6/21 Madison, WI – Good Style Shop
6/23 Lafayette, IN – The Black Sparrow
6/24 Cincinatti, OH – CS13
6/25 Columbus, OH – Skylab
6/26 Brooklyn, NY – Bruar Falls
 

If These Walls Could Talk by U.S. Girls

Chicago

Squat The Condos @ Empty Bottle

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Just as their romance novel album cover and straight foward title of We Should Be Together would suggest Squat The Condos write love songs. However, they are occasionally tongue-in-cheek, and always filled with raw ’60’s bubble gum pop sounds. The released their latest album back and March and are performing at Empty Bottle on May 31st (tonight!).

NYC

Live review: Nuclears and Brass Knuckle Evangelists

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On Wednesday Night on the curb in front of Bowery Electric, Nick Vivid, frontman of the Nuclears (in the picture), took a deep breath and limbered up, making tai chi-esque poses. When asked about his pre-show ritual, he commented "I don’t want to pull anything – other than hijinks." And there were hijinks to be had. Ripping through most of the tracks off their recent release, Brian and Mick Maverick worked out their sibling rivalry by shredding guitar. In between sets, Go-Go Amy’s steamy burlesque kept (male) patrons glued to their spots (by the way, the lady’s nipple-tassel-twirling is well executed). After a brief fashion show from Stella Zotis (featuring more zippers, studs and leather than I have borne witness to in quite a while), Brass Knuckle Evangelists took the stage, working through a set of expertly executed bluesy rock ‘n roll. After one last set from Go-Go Amy, patrons stumbled their way out, looking for the afterparty on a weekday night. – allison levin

NYC

NYC artists on the rise: Julia Haltigan, live at 11th St Bar

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Americana musicians are often forced to walk an interesting line between folk idealism and popular realities, with the best of such acts successfully synthesizing the strongest elements of both paradigms. One such act is New York-based songwriter Julia Haltigan. Her eclectic brand of roots music is reminiscent of iconoclasts such as Tom Waits, the electric blues of Chess records, and the atmospheric soundscapes of golden age Hollywood. Haltigan’s cryptic lyrics and blues-inflected vocal timbre sit right at home amongst a backdrop of lush guitars, old-timey horns, and a driving rhythm section. The pedal steel guitar, a mainstay in country music since the time of Hank Williams, adds an eerie ambiance that appropriately ties together Haltigan’s sound. Required listening for fans of classic blues, alt-country, and rockabilly alike. Check out "Knocking at the Door" from her latest release, "Julia Haltigan and the Hooligans." You can see Julia and her band at 11th Street Bar on May 31. – Jason Bertone

Philadelphia

What’s This?: Elevator Fight

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I just came back from a much-needed vacation in San Diego, and listening to Elevator Fight’s new tracks make me wish that I had them for my rental car rides to the surrounding parks (by the way, I highly suggest checking out Balboa Park, Cabrillo and Torrey Pines if you make the trip out). The band came together in early 2009 and seems to have found some great chemistry on their latest effort Post Empire, which is slated to come out “sometime later this year.” Catchy, summertime tunes like its title track and “Little Ghost” are songs that I wouldn’t be surprised to hear getting some serious airplay or making it in your favorite new commercial or coming-of-age, romantic comedy. Yes, more lo-fi vocals that sound like they are coming through a megaphone, but they hit it out of the ballpark with the production of lead singer Zoe Kravitz which can instantaneously be felt on tracks like the eerily disenchanted “500 Birds”. And yes, that’s Lenny Kravitz’s daughter flexing her rock star genes, and she’s being nicely supported by the skillful guitar work of axe man Dominic Angelella and rhythm section of Joe Baldacci on skins and Khari Mateen on low-end. I think that Post Empire will be a release that you’ll be hearing more about in the near future. – Q.D. Tran
 

Philadelphia

Live Performance Videos: Debut of Reading Rainbow as a Trio!

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The last time that we interviewed local duo Reading Rainbow, a.k.a. Rob Garcia and Sarah Everton, we had asked them if they ever thought about adding new members. Garcia responded, “We’ve actually talked about this, and we even have a person in mind we would like to join us. They would play guitar. But we really wouldn’t want to add anyone unless it felt right. I feel like it would seem odd or even out of place unless it fit into the natural evolution of our band.” Everton also added, “TRUE THAT! I like how we aren’t even thinking about a bass player – haha.” Well, it looks like they’ve invited the guitarist that they had in mind, and you can call him Al. Sarah is also using a full drum kit now. Below is some footage from Reading Rainbow’s debut show as a trio last week at The Brillobox in Pittsburgh, PA on May 26. Thanks to Brendan Sullivan (a.k.a. ace12003) for sharing his recordings of the whole set HERE! Enjoy! – The Deli Staff