New England

Concert Review: A Wilhelm Scream, Less Than Jake — Sunday, Feb. 19, 2012 @ The Middle East Downstairs

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A Wilhelm Scream played in front of a packed house of nearly six hundred people at The Middle East Downstairs in Cambridge, MA this past Sunday night, February 19. The show marked the start of a three-month long tour spanning the globe from Cambridge to Moscow to Montreal. During that time, the band will also be sharing some dates with Sunday’s headliner (and ska/punk veterans) Less Than Jake.

Based on previous performances, I would say Wilhelm are certainly a worthy candidate to share the stage with a band as accomplished as Less Than Jake, and Sunday’s performance was no exception…

Click here to read the rest of Daniel McMahon’s review.

Photo Credit: Nicholas Santos

New England

Justin Levinson and The Valcours @ The Lizard Lounge Saturday, March 10

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Justin Levinson and The Valcours will be performing Saturday, March 10 at The Lizard Lounge. The show is celebrating the release of Levinson’s latest album, This Side Of Me, This Side Of You, a ten-song ode to love and its repercussions. Dressing his distress in an eclectic mix of piano, loud guitars, horns, strings, and dreamy harmonies, the album also features contributions from acclaimed singer/songwriters Will Dailey (MA), Gregory Douglass (VT), and Liz Longley (PA).

Other supporting acts for The Lizard Lounge appearance include Yellowbirddd (NY) and The Days Weight (MA). Show is 21+ and $10 dollars at the door.

NYC

Nashville artists to watch at SXSW: Madi Diaz

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Like a young Gillian Welch, songstress Madi Diaz has absorbed the best of Nashville into her alt-country bag of tricks. Along with co-songwriter Kyle Ryan, Diaz has been writing and performing since attending the Paul Green School of Rock Music as a teenager. Now she’s re-packaged classics from her catalogue along with some new nuggets for her first release off eclectic label TinyOGRE Entertainment. "Plastic Moon" finds the artist in a romantic mood, with tracks like ‘Gimme a Kiss’ and ‘Love You Now’ as perfect excuses to take a summer drive with that person you just met over Valentine’s Day. Madi will be playing The Deli’s UN-OFF party at Austin’s Gypsy Lounge on 03.15, the show will be announced soon. – Mike Levine

New England

Cheerleader — Do What You Want EP

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It was Elizabeth Wurtzel who coined the term “Prozac Nation” to describe the state of the country living in the post behavioral medication boom of the 90’s, a time that spawned a new breed of diagnosed 9 to 5’s living in a limbo of euphoric depression. So it is that this populace needs what every other has before it: music to dance to. So it is the New Wave movement — which formed in the post punk boom of Joy Division and The Smiths, peaked in the 80’s with The Eurythmics and R.E.M., and was born again in the new millennium within bands such as MGMT and the New York City two pieces — makes it’s church in this era of ambivalence. This religion of moody dance music now finds itself two more promising disciples in Hartford, Connecticut’s Donovan Rex and Max Friday, the equal parts of the electronic duo Cheerleader.

In preparation of their premier full-length album, Do What You Want, the partners in crime have put out a three-song sampler in order to give the public at large something to get excited about. The EP works as a good introduction to the band’s sound. The title track is reminiscent of such out of town acts as The Church or Echo and The Bunnymen, with the lyrics grounding the band as good ol’ New England boys with the lyrics “I feel like driving/up Massachusetts/barely surviving/and feeling useless”. The three songs flow together well with a mix of clap-your-hands beats and lost-in-the-ether vocals that make for a solid mix of dance and daze and shows great promise for the upcoming full length. Anyone who believes in the Old Testament of New Wave based in The Cure and Depeche Mode or any new converts from the new indie found movement within Cults or Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeroes would be well advised to check them out.–Anthony Geehan

NYC

Kirsten Price and Lisa Jaeggi win free studio time at Flux Studios

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As you all should be aware by now, The Deli’s mission is to give local artists free exposure and opportunities. Recently, stunning East Village recording facility Flux Studios gave to The Deli readers the opportunity to win a FULL WEEKEND of free studio time in their main room. Today we got the news that the studio’s staff couldn’t decide between 2 artists, and so they decided to reward both! The winners of studio time giveaway are Lisa Jaeggi and Kirsten Price. These other artists were also selected to get a 40% discount off the day rate for one session, to use towards tracking or mixing in either one of the studio’s 3 rooms (Dangerous, FabTone, or Revolution): Abby Payne, Bern & The Brights, Lady In The Radiator, Les Rav, Lights Resolve, Nicky Egan, The Amboys, Will McCraine Trio, The Barrens, The Shake, Tubetops.

KIRSTEN PRICE

 

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LISA JAEGGI

The Deli’s Staff
ComScore

Philadelphia

The Lawsuits – Not Just a Retro Act at KFN Feb. 24

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Kung Fu Necktie will be hosting a slice of Americana/roots rock tonight featuring local artists The Lawsuits and Ron Gallo alongside People’s Blues of Richmond (VA). The Lawsuits sound has its root’s deep in the tradition of American folk, bluegrass and the blues – similar to 60s acts like the Band and Bob Dylan. However, their recent work has proven that they are definitely not just a retro act. Earlier this month, the group teamed up with South Philly’s HotBox Studios to film an in-studio performance of their entertainingly titled new track “Hot Girl Makes Porno” (Dylan never wrote about porn stars!) which goes from a banjo-based folk song into somewhat of a punk influenced chorus, creating an interesting twist on the American folk tradition. They also had a HotBox performance which featured a collaboration with pals and up-and-coming hip hop outfit Ground Up – for their Tracy Chapman sampled track “Turn Around.” The Lawsuits are planning to release a new EP Hot Love later this spring. Also on the bill is Toy Soldiers’ frontman Ron Gallo performing songs from his catalogue of solo albums from 2006 to 2009. Kung Fu Necktie 1250 N. Front Street, $5, 7:30 pm, 21+ – Dan Brightcliffe

NYC

Sweet Secrets Release Debut Full-Length

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After two EPs, both released in 2009, Seattle sextet Sweet Secrets saw their first full-length album hit the shelves of local record stores back in December. The 12-track deep Color Force is a collection of easy-to-digest indie pop tunes that often hint at an underlying, folky sensibility. Standout numbers include the understated, but stirring opener, “Air Travel”, and slow-burning foot-tapper “Pinhole Camera”, both of which have been getting spins on KEXP. The record is accessible, without being conventional – a testament to Sweet Secrets’ ability to craft songs that are at once appealing to the masses, while maintaining every bit of credibility they’ve accrued since their formation in 2008. Frontman Roger Lloyd’s voice anchors tracks like “Evidence of Good Times”, with Eleni Romano’s pristine backing vocals and Corrina MacFarlane’s subtle violin accenting a rich bed of instrumentation. The band markets themselves as the purveyors of music for smart, sexy individuals, and for the most part, this album delivers the goods. Sweet Secrets will be playing a benefit concert for Planned Parenthood at the Sunset Tavern this Sunday, along with former Deli band of the month, NoRey, and the Volcano Diary.

– Kate Shepherd

Philadelphia

Where Is My Mind?: Bandname

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You can learn a lot or nothing at all from a band’s name. So what does the band name Bandname mean to you? (Yes, we got the spelling of their name all cleared up.) It’s pretty simple to figure out that the power trio of Jeremy Jams on guitar, Cat Park on bass and Greg Labold on skins enjoys a good laugh. The band(name) is performing a show tonight at PiLam with pals Algernon Cadwallader and Teen Cool Kids. Their split 7-inches with Shat Shorts and Hot Mess will also be available for the first time this evening, and expect a 3-song EP coming out later this year via Evil Weevil Records. Check out what has meaning to Bandname and what really doesn’t HERE. 

NYC

Best of LA #11: Hands play SXSW + launch video of “Warm Night Home”

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Atmospheric pop ensemble Hands are definitely one of the most interesting new bands coming out of the City of Angels – that’s probably why they did very well in our year end poll for emerging LA artists – where they placed 11th. The band will enjoy an exciting spring, with a series of shows scheduled in Austin during SXSW (including the Buzzbands LA Day Party) and an EP release in April. They just launched the video for the single "Warm Night Home," which will be featured in the records.