L.A.

The Living Sisters performed refreshing Patsy Cline homage

Posted on:

 

Having just debuted their first album Love to Live, the very talented Living Sisters filled Walt Disney Concert Hall 75%, though mostly with a supper club crowd, to see the 1950’s inspired quartet’s homage to Patsy Cline. The women began with a stirring rendition of ‘Walking after Midnight’. Living Sister Alex Lilly educated the crowd ‘Patsy Cline was the first women to play the Hollywood Bowl’ and other noteworthy achievements made by the famous singer. The group consists of Alex Lilly, Becky Stark, Inara George, and Eleni Mandell wore 50’s styled blue dresses because Cline’s "favorite color was blue" which was no doubt a play on words. The evening was packed with star appearances placed out of their elements. John C. Reilly sweetly crooned a duet of ‘The Wayward Wind’. After another upbeat number, he retired, for the duration of the show, to the faux living room where couches were strategically placed near the very talented backup band. There was a truly successful time capsule element to the evening. Former Garbage front woman Shirley Manson stated ‘It’s fitting that I should be here singing Patsy Cline songs for Mother’s day, since my Mom was a big fan’. She nailed ‘Never No More’, ‘Strange’, and ‘Leavin’ on your Mind’. Her voice was very powerful but she has a higher pitch voice and she seemed to be dialing it down to an unnatural level in moments unfortunately. It was glorious to watch her tackle these numbers in such a acoustically rich venue. Zooey Deschanel had the best pitch for Cline songs and sang with a beautiful lilt fall off. She opened with ‘I fall to Pieces’, which was a lacking the swooping vocal eloquence of the other girls, cutting hard on the word ‘pieces’ each time around. She evened out on ‘She’s got You’ which sounded like pure gold. ‘This next number was written by Wllie Nelson, I met him an all you can eat buffet..on Maui.’ announced Dechanel as she launched into a gorgeous rendition of ‘Crazy’. John Doe, formerly a punk rocker from the LA band X, was a complete dark horse, nailing ‘Three cigarettes in the Ashtray’ and ‘Back in Baby’s Arms’. The Living Sisters finished with ‘Poor Man’s Roses or a Rich Man’s Gold’. Their harmonies were rich and delicious sounding in this beautiful venue. The ladies best effort of the entire evening was undoubtedly ‘Sweet Dreams’ with exquisite harmonies and sparse composition. The Living Sisters give a rich, refreshing performance and enjoy sharing their spotlight with other great talents.                                                       Michele McManmon

Philadelphia

Adam and Dave’s Bloodline Open for The Growlers at JB’s May 8

Posted on:

Adam Grabinski and Dave Petersen met at a punk rock show in Northeast Philly when they were just children. Petersen was actually still an Indiana native at the time. Though they spent over a decade and a half in and out of bands together as well as working apart on separate projects, they always understood that they shared “a similar sick sense of humor” and a genuine love for classic rock’s musical icons, which led them to release two full-lengths as Adam and Dave’s Bloodline – their most recent ironically titled Boycott Classics. Well, they are currently working on new material for an EP that is scheduled for release this Spring, but expect a more streamlined, sparse sound than past works which you can hear for yourself when they open this evening for Dylan-esque Californian psych-garage outfit The Growlers. Johnny Brenda’s, 1201 N. Frankford Ave., 9pm, $10, 21+ – H.M. Kauffman
 
San Francisco

Album Review: Blue Sky Black Death, “Noir”

Posted on:

"Noir," the new album from San Francisco and Seattle based Blue Sky Black Death, is a sweeping, shoegazing soundtrack reminiscent of early trip hop. The fourth studio album for Young God and Kingston, accomplished producers known for their collaborations with hip hop’s Jean Grae, Crooked-I and Hell Razah, "Noir" continues to build upon the duo’s cinematic style. Combining live instrumentation and sampling, the sound is intricate and ambient. The meditative layers in tracks such as "Where Do We Go," "And Stars. Ringed" and "Sleeping Children Are Still Flying" carry the album and create what feels like a composition rather than a collection of singles. Listen to all of "Noir" on Blue Sky Black Death’s YouTube channel.

-Whitney Phaneuf

 

Philadelphia

Cookie Rabinowitz LIVE at The Fire May 7

Posted on:

So tonight at The Fire should be something…special. The elusive, slightly off but well intentioned Cookie Rabinowitz is the bizarre outcome of a cloning attempt by Colonel Salvadore Rabinowitz in the year 2065. He is also the creation of Julius Curcio, Schoolly D, and Kevin Hanson. This trippy animated series includes some really hilarious skits, talk show elements, and some seriously funky R&B from the future. How this live performance will go I know not, but I guarantee that there will be plenty of off-the-wall smoothness going on during their set. I also heard that Kuf Knotz might be joining them on stage this evening. Don’t sleep on this show, it will definitely be better than whatever else you had planned. Below is a video to help get you in the mood with special guest Peedi Crakk. The Fire, 412 W. Girard Ave., 9pm, $8, 21+ – Adam G.
 

Philadelphia

The Sisters 3 Record Release Party at JB’s May 7

Posted on:

Eclectic, silky voiced The Sisters 3 are celebrating the release of their newest album, Coruscate At The Meadow Gate, with a show at Johnny Brenda’s tonight. The harmonies of this Downingtown born and bred trio are impressive enough, but the sometimes delicate and always tightly crafted accompaniment makes these girls much more than a one trick pony. Just listen to the folk soul stylings of “Star Spangled” and you can hear that they take advantage of their vast and varied influences. This show is packed to the gills with radical openers including Honey Watts a.k.a. Liz Fullerton a.k.a. vocalist for trip-hop project Dutch with help from Carl Cheeseman, Andy Keenan, Matthew Landis, Jeff Hiatt, and Gary Lebiedzinski. West Philly All-Star Fletcher Van Vliet will be bringing his odd-ball acoustic group On The Water along for the ride as DJ Slowpoke a.k.a. Birdie Busch(!) will be spinning throughout the night. Niiiiice! Johnny Brenda’s, 1201 N. Frankford Ave., 9pm, $10, 21+ (Photo by Lisa Schaffer)- Adam G.
 
New England

Interview with Slothrust

Posted on:

slothrust

Slothrust is the perfect soundtrack for brooding on a gloomy day and would be a good way to psych yourself into finally telling your boss to go fuck himself (please exercise caution for the latter).  Melding clean, bluesy guitar riffs with lo fi, scratchy vocals, the trio from Bronxville is strangely reminiscent of Morphine… only not really.  Listening to their music can actually be a little confusing, sometimes feeling so familiar that drawing a comparison becomes irresistible, though nothing really fits.  Maybe trying to compare them to someone else is a pointless exercise.  Maybe trying to compare any artist to another is a pointless exercise.  My god!  All the time I’ve wasted!

Dumb philosophical rhetoric aside, this band is really good.  So good, in fact, we just had to ask them several conveniently band related questions, which they were kind enough to answer!  Perhaps you’d care to read it, if you aren’t too busy?  Of course you would!  Why else are you here?

Click here to read the interview by Charles Murphy.

Philadelphia

Weekend Warrior, May 6 – 8

Posted on:

Eat Your Birthday Cake recently unveiled an incendiary revamped sound. The first recording to feature their new sonic exploration, Enemies (which you can listen to in its entirety HERE), just dropped earlier this week and sets the ambiance for a summer of listening to sweet jams during road trips perfectly. To celebrate the release, Cloud Entertainment and the band will be breaking out the grills and hosting a block party on Mercer Street in Fishtown. It will feature plenty of veggie options, free juice from FUZE, live mural painting, and the projector + landscape music of Switzerland’s B Tong. But the afternoon wouldn’t be complete without more fine tunes that will be provided by Best Westerns who features members of Conversations with Enemies, The Wayfairs, The Josh and Pete Band, and Eat Your Birthday Cake. The lineup will also include the down home sounds of North Lawrence Midnight Singers, the soulfully unapologetic rock of Satellite Hearts, Derek Krzywicki of Cheers Elephant, and so much more. Enemies Central, 219 Mercer St., 1pm – 8:30pm, FREE, All Ages
 
More things to get you out…
 
Johnny Brenda’s (1201 N. Frankford Ave.) FRI Gods and Queens, SAT Sisters 3 CD Release party w/On the Water and Honey Watts, SUN Adam & Dave’s Bloodline
 
Kung Fu Necktie (1250 N. Front St.) SUN Split Red
 
North Star Bar (2639 Poplar St.) FRI Camp Arawak, SAT The Kalob Griffin Band, Oldermost and HighKick
 
The Fire (412 W. Girard Ave.) FRI Far Trio, SAT Cookie Rabinowitz and The Defog,
SUN Major League and Ghosts & Androids
 
M Room (15 W. Girard Ave.) SAT Synth Sircus, Audio Kings of the Third World, Coux Caroux, Time Ghost
 
Tritone (1508 South St.) FRI Pet Panther, Johnny & the Glutens, George Urgo,
SAT Epic Exposure and Transitshop
 
Millcreek Tavern (4200 Chester Ave.) FRI Cloud Make Sounds and The Formulary
 
The Marvelous (208 S. 40th St.) FRI Cannons
 
Tin Angel (20 S. 2nd St.) SAT Dani Mari
 
The Trocadero (1003 Arch St.) FRI The Noid and Thee Nosebleeds
 
The Blockley (3801 Chestnut St.) SAT Somata
 
Fergie’s (1214 Sansom St.) FRI Ron Gallo
 
Danger Danger Gallery (5013 Baltimore Ave.) FRI First Friday, SAT Best Friends
 
Electric Factory (421 N. 7th St.) SAT The Shackeltons
 
First Unitarian Church (2125 Chestnut St.) FRI (Basement) Jukebox the Ghost, (Side Chapel) Nick Millevoi
 
The Legendary Dobbs (304 South St.) FRI Da Rezarekt, SAT Panic Years and New Motels
 
Triumph Brewery (117 Chestnut St.) FRI Boy Wonder and Dani Mari, SAT Buzz Universe
 
Clark Park (44th & Baltimore Ave.) SAT May Fair w/The Whippoorwills and The Old Fashioneds
 
Hong Kong Garden (Please contact one of the acts for details.) SUN Peter the Pianoeater and Hop Along
 
NYC

NYC brief reviews: Bird Courage, Fish Doctor, Howth

Posted on:

For another fingerpicking folk artist coming out of Brooklyn, Howth has a great eidetic spectrum: It can take you on a drive through the country, it can take you to a peaceful city street at night, it can make you remember feeling in love. i.e., "Hey There Delilah" couldn’t hold a candle to Howth‘s "Timeless Square". (By the way, this CD is sold out, so that must mean something).

 

 

There’s something naturally beautiful in raw acoustic guitar and passionate, whispered singing.  Bird Courage plays the Silent Barn tomorrow, and it should be a pure, almost transcendental experience. The modern indie/folk duo is now recording an album due out this month; preview here.
 

 

 

 
When a band on myspace has six songs up, all with less than 100 hits, it’s usually an indicator of sub-indie mediocrity. However, I just landed on a legit electro/surf rock band FishDoctor, playing consistently catchy electronic rock for a 15-strong friend section. Check out my favorite FishDoctor track, "We are we".

These bands submitted their music for coverage on The Deli through this link. – All reviews by Caitlin Clive

 

L.A.

The Violet Lights to release Sex and Sounds EP

Posted on:

Shooting out of the mid-west into the city of silicone comes The Violet Lights. Composed of Green Bay, Wisconsin natives Joel Nass(guitars, lead vocals) and Amber Garvey (keyboards, backing vocals), the band hits the scene with a new EP that was crafted in the heart of Los Angeles only last May. The EP has a marching undertow with bobbing bass lines, distorted keyboards, and even a little psychedelic trip here and there to tickle the ears and highten the senses. Stand out songs include their title track "Sex and Sound", and newly released single "Your Love/Not Enough". "Sex and Sound" mixes clean echoing guitars with sweet vocals and magnetic keys, while "Your Love/Not Enough", will make the hair rise on your neck with it’s salty lyrics, backing vocals, and angular drum beats and fills. Both creative and diverse, they’re only small tastes of the recipe this band has cooked up in their new EP.

With a raw and natural arrangement sure to keep you interested, Sex and Sound will hit iTunes and other music stores on May 24th.

You can stream portions of ‘Sex and Sound’ or preorder it on band’s website.

-Mary Broadbent
 

Philadelphia

Nick Millevoi Opens for Dirty Projector’s Nat Baldwin at FUC – Side Chapel May 6

Posted on:

With avant-garde jazz punk trio Many Arms, Hassidic punk rockers Electric Simcha, chamber pop collective Make A Rising, and new music duo Archer Spade already on his resume, Nick Millevoi is a shredder with many faces who has soundly proven the versatility and variety of his musical horizons. But with the release of his debut solo guitar album, Black Figure of a Bird, which is the first of a series of three premier collaborative releases from DC’s New Atlantis Records and Sunmagi Records, he has transcended to whole new heights. And to get there, he collaborated with worldly flamenco guitar master and sound engineer, Eric Carbonara creating The Deli’s April Album of the Month. If you get to the First Unitarian Church tonight for his show with Dirty Projector’s Nat Baldwin in the Side Chapel, you’re guaranteed to be wowed when you hear the mastery of Millevoi on his electric twelve string guitar. First Unitarian Church – Side Chapel, 2125 Chestnut St., 8pm, $10, All Ages – Bill McThrill
 
Nashville

Robert Plant & The Band of Joy @ N.O.L.A. JazzFest, 4/29/11

Posted on:

Photo courtesy of Chris Granger | The Times-Picayune 

Robert Plant & the Band of Joy opened their Jazz Fest set in a mostly unsurprising, yet still admirable manner—an Americana’d version Led Zeppelin’s “Black Dog” transitioning straight into Page & Plant’s classic “Kashmir.” After enthusing the crowd with just a few of those generally familiar tunes, Plant & the Band of Joy took the liberty to launch into a set comprised almost equally of covers—including Plant’s “favorite UK songwriter” Richard Thompson’s “House of Cards,” and Low’s “Monkey.” Band of Joy originals, like “Angel Dance,” were played out in a more subdued manner, showcasing the individual members of the band (Byron House, Marco Giovino, Patti Griffin, Buddy Miller, and Darrell Scott) almost as much as Plant himself. The spotlight shined on each of the members’ instrumental talent during these numbers—mandolin, upright bass, and banjo generously layered on many songs—leading to a “jam” element throughout the set. Needless to say, the Fest crowd appeared much more pleased with the renditions of Zeppelin songs, such as “Ramble On” and “Houses of the Holy,” than the country-tinged numbers that allowed Griffin to command the stage (for the remainder of the set, she mostly stood stage left shakin’ it in a sequined mini dress banging miscellaneous percussive instruments against her body whilst doing so….) While it was clear that what the crowd ultimately desired was a Led Zeppelin reunion, there’s no doubt that each of the members of Band of Joy held their own in front of thousands on the Jazz Fest main stage and breathed new life to a generous handful of well-loved classics.–Michelle Landry

Nashville

Justin Townes Earle @ N.O.L.A. JazzFest

Posted on:

 Photo courtesy of Keith I. Marszalek | NOLA.com

Even after last Friday’s New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival set, it still stands unclear to most whether or not Justin Townes Earle likes trouble more than it likes him. After getting harassed by security and “one of [New Orleans’] fine policemen,” Earle made his way to the shack-like Fais Do-Do stage clad in a classic cream- colored suit and candy cane pinstripe shirt. Adorned with just an upright bassist and fiddler, Townes’ band poured doses of southern pain via folk ballads, as well as rowdy traditionalist country numbers.

Stories of mama, fried chicken, and trailer-dwelling, kiddie-pool bathing women from South Georgia resonated in the southern heat, despite an unfortunate schedule clash with Mumford & Sons. Towards the latter half of Earle’s set, the Mumford audience poured over to the Fais Do-Do stage, enjoying perhaps less powerful yet more earnest tunes such as “Slippin and Slidin,” a song from Earle’s most recent release “Harlem River Blues” about how he “shoulda learned better” from the rash decision making that sometimes gets him into notorious trouble. A Samuel Lightnin’ Hopkins cover was a welcome nod to the blues and slight departure from the mostly Johnny Cash-esque country set. The distinctive influence of these legends, as well as his father, Steve Earle, was evident in Earle’s voice, stirring the crowd around me to gossip about how “he’s only like…22!” (although he’s really 29.) Regardless of the rumours, whether they be about his age or about the trouble he gets himself into, Earle’s voice rang true to the tune of his country fathers before him and pleased the Jazz Fest set on Friday.–Michelle Landry