As the bleakness that is post-holiday winter in New York stretches endlessly ahead, the phrase, “I need a vacation” rings all too true for many. If you can’t get the time off, look no further than Vacationer’s “Gone EP” set to drop on the last day of the month. Members of electronic collective Body Language plus Kenny Vasoli, formerly of The Starting Line, bring lush waves of ambient indie pop stacked with beachy melodies. The Brooklyn and Philly based band’s dreamy sound is bound to transport souls to a hazy, thoroughly tranquil parallel world. While their music may be quintessentially mellow, Vacationer certainly won’t be relaxing much in the next few months. After they release their EP on the 31st, they’ll be supporting The Asteroids Galaxy Tour, playing shows throughout the US as well as several dates in Canada. In March, Vacationer comes out with their “Gone LP” and will be joining Naked and Famous on another tour. – Corinne Bagish

Brooklyn-based five-piece band Snowmine will be curating and headlining four nights at Piano’s beginning on February 2 and continuing every Thursday for the remainder of the month. Each night will feature three supporting acts and be co-presented by a different partner including ExFm (2/2), The Wild Honey Pie (2/9), our own The Deli Magazine (2/16), and the creative agency Pulp Lab (2/23). The shows are sure to be unique events each time, and will serve as essential hometown showcases before the group heads out to SXSW in March, as well as an upcoming tour in the South & Midwest. The band’s sound embraces an imaginative brand of psych-pop with emphasis on echo pedals, tribal beats, electro-acoustic soundscapes and classical orchestrations. Snowmine is fronted by composer Grayson Sanders, whose vocals have been compared to Robin Pecknold of Fleet Foxes, and Jim James of My Morning Jacket. – Dave Cromwell

Deli Readers,

After a month and a half long painstaking process, we finally have the overall results of The Deli’s Best of NYC 2011 Poll for Emerging Artists.

Congrats to Caveman – who won the poll after being featured on the cover of the NYC Summer 2011 issue of The Deli. This fantastic band received a record number of votes from our jury of NYC scene makers (see list here), which sealed the deal since the early stages of the poll.

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Congrats also to Lucius, who will be featured on the cover of our Spring 2011 issue, since we never give the most coveted glossy page of The Deli to the same band more than once. Lucius – a female fronted alt-roots band we highlighted and booked several times in 2011 – earned the cover by winning the Readers’ and Fans’ Poll. But make no mistake: they fully deserve this prize, just go see them live tonight (01.25) at The Mercury lounge and you will understand why.
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Well done to dream-pop masters Widowspeak for their third place, sanctioned by lots of love from our jury and writers. Their stunning debut album on Captured Tracks Records was The Deli’s Record of the Month in August 2011.

Artist J OS W F TOTAL   1 Caveman 13 2   0.023 15.023 2 Lucius 4   2 3 9 3 Widowspeak 6   2 0.012 8.012 4 Friends 7     0.015 7.015 5 Monogold 4 1 1 0.128 6.128 6 Ski Lodge 6     0.003 6.003 7 Big Wilson River 3 2   0.234 5.234 8 Ava Luna 3   2 0.014 5.014 9 The Denzels 5     0.009 5.009 10 Apollo Run 3   1 0.203 4.203 11 Kung Fu Crimewave 3   1 0.101 4.101 12 Tall Tall Trees 3 1   0.077 4.077 13 Ambassadors 3   1 0.033 4.033 14 Fort Lean 4     0.013 4.013 15 Arms 3   1 0.007 4.007   Grassfight 1 3   0.007 4.007 17 Body Language 4     0.005 4.005 18 Stephie Coplan & the…   1.5   2.5 4 19 Starlight Girls   1.5 2 0.007 3.507 20 Hurrah! A Bolt of Light!   2 1 0.239 3.239 21 Black Taxi   2 1 0.052 3.052 22 A$AP Rocky 3     0.041 3.041 23 The Can’t Tells 3     0.017 3.017   Yellow Ostrich 2   1 0.017 3.017 25 Spirit Family Reunion 3     0.011 3.011 26 The Men 3     0.009 3.009 27 Diane Cluck 2   1 0.008 3.008   Zambri 3     0.008 3.008 29 Devin 3     0.007 3.007 30 North Highlands 2   1 0.006 3.006   Skaters 3     0.006 3.006 32 Hidden Fees 3     0.003 3.003   Illuminator 3     0.003 3.003 34 Brothers 1     2 3 35 The Bottom Dollars   1.5 1 0.113 2.613 36 Field Mouse   1.5 1 0.027 2.527 37 MiniBoone   1.5 1 0.008 2.508   38 Futurist   1   1.5 2.5 39 Merrily & the Poison Orchard   1.25   1 2.25 40 Exemption   2   0.213 2.213 41 Mal Blum   1 1 0.196 2.196 42 Deathrow Tull   1 1 0.17 2.17 NYC Sandy Dickerson Experiments on Fifth Ukelele-Centric Solo Album Posted on: January 30, 2012 At once progressive and rustic, Sandy Dickerson’s solo forays with the ukulele are far from what you would expect from such an apparently simple instrument. From the opening chords on his fifth solo recording, Songs from the Cold Coast, Dickerson shows that the perceived limitations of the instrument won’t prevent him from creating complexly layered folk tunes. He explores its possibilities, making each of its four strings work. Dickerson may be known around town as the bassist for a handful of other bands – the Panda Conspiracy, Big High, Missing Players and the Subdwellers – but with another album, High Seas, on the way in March, this project is hardly sitting on the backburner. Accompanied by drummer and percussionist Steven Barci, and Chris Poage on flute, accordion and clarinet, his commitment to his solo work shows in the thoughtful composition and varied products on each of his albums. Songs from the Cold Coast balances understated, unconventional sounds with accessible language, and its songs run the gamut from upbeat to somber. Sparse melodies on tracks like “This Room” provide a backdrop to Dickerson’s whispery vocals and quietly disconcerting lyrics, while the four-string twang on the comparatively lively “3 or 4” underscores the song’s – and the album’s – alternately assertive and confessional tone. – Kate Shepherd Philadelphia The Horrible Department Record Release Party at The Rotunda Jan. 29 Posted on: January 29, 2012 The Horrible Department will be making their triumphant return to The Rotunda in West Philly tonight to celebrate the long-awaited vinyl LP/poster/digital download version of Capital I and the Royal Waltzing We. Their debut album is based on songs from last year’s stage production of the same name. It is near impossible to narrow this group’s unique and original sound down to one genre so I’ll just lay out some of the its best parts so you can get an idea: Accordion-centered, waltzing, theatrical art music played by a group raised on punk rock, and also knew somebody who happened to play the French horn. Okay, so this may seem like a strange combination of influences for a band, but trust me it is quite enjoyable. Also on the bill is the Balkan-influenced free jazz from the West Philadelphia Orchestra, as well as the gypsy jazz sounds of Octomonkey. Last March, the surreal stage production of this album was featured at two sold out nights at the Rotunda, so if you missed the experience last time around be sure to be there this evening. The Rotunda, 4014 Walnut St., $5 – $10, Doors  pm, All Ages – Dan Brightcliffe NYC Interview with The Will To Survive: DC Deli’s Band of the Month (January) Posted on: January 28, 2012 VA’s indie rockers The Will To Survive not only were nominated for best emerging band of the year, earlier this month they were voted by you as our Band of the Month. And with the rad EP The Chattering Teeth Demos, upcoming tours, and an ever growing fanbase, its not a shocker. So we wanted to know more about TWTS, and got a hold of Adam Blackburn (Guitar/ Vocals,) Jared Tampa (Guitar,) Ben Stivers (Bass,) Nic Carchietta (Drums,) and Austin Claywell (Guitar). Here they tell us about basement shows, delay pedals, and their plethora of recordings coming out this year. Now onto the interview… Check out their awesome track "Drab as a Fool" below, and catch them live next in Richmond VA at the Canal Club on Feb. 8th! –Dawn