Philadelphia

Photo Recap: Rock and Read Festival at Bookspace

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This past Saturday, an afternoon of music and book love commenced and went well into the night as The Deli Magazine and Cloud Entertainment presented the Rock and Read Festival at Bookspace. Proceeds at the door as well as from t-shirt and poster sales were donated to help Rock to the Future, a free after school music education and youth development program. Groovy riffs, lyrical excellence, and an overall love for the power and expression of music dominated the event. Kicking off the festivities was Marybeth Schroeder with fun-loving, casually spoken anecdotes to enhance each performance of her songs, followed by the duo The Jawnettes, propelling quick dance moves and bluesy wails. Satellite Hearts ventured off into the psychedelic rock stratosphere as they oozed Pink Floyd’s “Time,” which left the crowd and bands soon-to-perform singing along. Dragon King laid down snarling guitar licks, edgy vocals, thunderous bass lines, and poppy keys to impress. New Motels, fronted by local English teacher Josh Levandoski, taught a lesson on how to play catchy feel good rock tunes with twang-y riffs. If you didn’t know much about Ninjas or the fact that “boys are dumb and girls are crazy,” Uncle Monsterface helped out with Wikipedia-inspired lyrics and silly experiences. MC Kreacher (pronounced “creature”) came out from his lair and spat some mystical rhymes while his MacBook Pro knocked out the hot beats. Featured artists Harry and the Potters belted out (as you can guess from their name) Harry Potter-inspired songs that had five-year-olds, their parents, and teenagers singing and dancing along. Headliner Mischief Brew was last to rock for the cause, presenting new songs from their upcoming album The Stone Operation, along with old favorites that had the front row yelling out lyrics in unison. There was plenty of rockin’ (and some reading between sets) at this way chill event, and you can check out some of our pics HERE. – Brandi Lukas
 
NYC

Indie Releases Round-UP: Right On Dynamite, Noxious Foxes, My Pet Dragon, Ultraviolet Astronomy.

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Grab your beach gear, cover yourself in sun block, and sport your best noise-canceling headphones: it’s the first week of August, and the city that never sleeps is set to drop yet another batch of releases.

Scene semi-veterans and Brooklyn natives Right on Dynamite play a rather aggressive brand of garage rock with surf tinges, and are (finally) about to release their debut album "In Vino Veritas", out September 13th. The bands’ up- beat lyrics, and simple, yet memorable compositions combine for a sound similar to The Strokes, Rooney, and Phoenix…all in one. These self-branded surf rock/indie dudes will stage their repertoire at The Music Hall of Williamsburg opening for White Rabbits, on August 3rd – the show is sold out though…


Instrumentalists or, more appropriately, math experimentalists, Noxious Foxes    this week will release their third album entitled "Legs". Unexpected, quirky, and avant-garde are only a few adjectives to describe this musical duo’s compositions. Edgy, uber-mathy beats and inventive guitar parts combine for a unique, dark, tense sound. We definitely recommend you to venture into Spike Hill’s dimly lit walls for this duets’ performance on the 27th.

If punchy rock isn’t quite your scene, then you might be interested in the music of minimalistic male-female duo Ultraviolet Astronomy (pictured above). Their Eighties-inspired shy-pop is injected with plenty of synthesized beats and sounds, and it’s at once progressive and extremely melodic. Expect the group’s sophomore EP   "MVMNT" out on August 2nd.

“Gimme That Sound Productions” anticipates the release of My Pet Dragon’s sophomore LP, "Mountains and Cities", August 2nd. Catchy vocals, melodic guitar riffs, and steady drumbeats meld into a breezy indie/pop-rock album. Songs like "Majestic Lovers" and "Flow" entrance listeners with dance-inducing rhythms, and herald the ideal soundtrack for that cross-country, convertible drive under Augusts’ everlasting sunshine. Don’t own a car? Don’t worry, you can take a train to this NYC-based bands’ upcoming gig at The Mercury Lounge on August 5th. – Madi Silvers
 

Chicago

Umbra & Volcan Siege

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Umbra and the Volcan Siege is led by Jim Licka (owner of Volcan Gallery) and featuresCurtis Evans (Grape Juice Records) and members of Belmondos and Julie Meckler’s band. The band has recently released their new album The End of the Beginning. You can check it out through bandcamp below and if you need to know more about Umbra and the Volcan Siege you can watch the documentary below.

New England

Thief Thief, Night Fruit, Joan of Arc — Sun. Aug 7, Great Scott

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This Sunday, August 7, Boston’s Thief Thief and Night Fruit open up for Chicago’s Joan of Arc.

Joan of Arc (with original member Tim Kinsella [Cap’n Jazz, Owls, Make Believe]) has been playing since 1995 and are known for their use of electronics and multi-tracking.

Boston’s Night Fruit (pictured above) mixes neo-shoegaze and post-rock to create beautiful multilayered songs.

Thief Thief is an experimental noiserock duo that delivers a loud and intense onslaught of unique guitars and heavy, fast drumming.

The line-up is as follows:

Thief Thief
Night Fruit
Joan of Arc (headlining)

Great Scott
Sun. Aug 7
18+/$10/9 pm CQ Presents

–Chrissy Prisco

Philadelphia

Schoolly D Defends Lyrics Cited in Norwegian Mass-murderer’s Manifesto

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It was obviously strange to learn about the connection between Norwegian mass-murderer Anders Behring Breivik and Philly’s own godfather of gangsta rap Schoolly D. Breivik’s manifesto titled 2083 – A European Declaration of Independence uses text from American academic John H. McWhorter’s 2003 essay “How Hip-Hop Holds Blacks Back,” which happens to mention Schoolly D and his street anthem “PSK What Does It Mean,” to justify his rants against hip hop and its potential to lure listeners into drug use and violence. Well, you can read Schoolly D’s response in an interview with City Paper’s Critical Mass HERE as well as view his video interview with NBC Philadelphia below. – The Deli Staff
 

NYC

Dreamy Austin: Stefanie Franciotti’s “Sleep Over”

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"Forever", the debut LP from Austin-based Stefanie Franciotti (out on September 27), is a record of pastoral psychedelia, swirling texture, and unforgettable vocal strains, combining both synth landscapes and pop architecture to create an unfolding sense of yearning. Her voice weaves in and out of brethren synth and guitar timbres, unfolding over time outlined by minimal drum machine pulse, creating tape-saturated pop gems and ominous moments of synth shimmer that recall both dream pop and industrial urgency. Her synth work tends towards the warbly atmospheres – they bend and fuse like crusts of dried REM tears – and the songs have a dusty arc, with stark melodies that recall the spacious melancholia of Julee Cruise. Forever possesses an earthy, melting quality, reflecting Stefanie’s Texan roots in HD – hi-fi meets lo-fi, night meets day.


Philadelphia

New Music Video: “Come to the City” – The War on Drugs & Stream Slave Ambient via Urban Outfitters

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Below is a new music video from The War on Drugs for “Come to the City” from their upcoming album Slave Ambient, which is due out August 16. It is part of the UO Video Series and was directed by Peter J. Brant. You can stream the new album Slave Ambient in its entirety HERE via Urban Outfitters. Enjoy! – The Deli Staff

The War on Drugs – "Come to the City" (Official Music Video) from Urban Outfitters

NYC

NYC Artists on the Rise: Clinical Trials release sophomore EP at Union Pool on 08.03

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Frontwoman/guitarist Somer Bingham’s Clinical Trials’ follow up EP "Bleed Me" is a dark detour into the fringe regions of rock music – a tense, daring and unpredictable departure from the much more straightforward pop-rock tracks of "In the Wake of the Digital Afterlife" (January 2010) – we like what we hear. As the title may suggest, the tone of the EP is self-assured and challenging, sexual and a bit morbid. The EP release party is at Union Pool on 08.03. Unmastered mixes of the songs are being posted on the band’s SoundCloud page.