NJ’s alt rockers Those Mockingbirds released their album “Fa Sol La” just this past January, but that didn’t slow down their creative process. The band is already releasing a new single, “The Difference Between Love and Addiction,” (streaming below) in anticipation of a forthcoming album. The track contrasts light vocal male-female interplay with crunching guitars and minor keys. Welcoming the new tune, the band will kick off a tour on April 30 at Montclair State University. Stay tuned for upcoming tour dates and check out the band’s site for all related news. – Meijin Bruttomesso
Nashville
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Daniel Ellsworth & TGL @ The Basement, 4/28/12
Photo by Will Vastine
Like most members of the Nashville music scene, Daniel Ellsworth & the Great Lakes are not actually from Nashville. Bassist Marshall Skinner and guitarist Timon Lance are from Ohio (Columbus and Youngstown, respectively), Daniel Ellsworth hails from Minneapolis and drummer Joel Wren ended up in Nashville via Wichita, Kansas. Track-by-track, the band’s eclectic Midwestern roots become apparent and are directly reflected in their music, as each song oscillates seamlessly through various genres and stories.
After a short but impressive stint as part of the a capella group The Collective on NBC’s “The Sing Off,” Daniel Ellsworth returned to his instruments and joined his eponymous band for a US tour in support of their second and most recent release, Civilized Man. Self-produced and funded by fans through Kickstarter, Daniel Ellsworth & the Great Lakes found success in the independent approach that nurtured Civilized Man and applied the same DIY spirit to their recent national tour, booking and managing every aspect themselves, and then relying on their rapidly-growing fanbase to support and contribute to the outcome. Despite being Tennessee immigrants, the band has quickly established themselves within the Nashville music community, creating enough enthusiasm to accomplish the somewhat rare feat of successfully funding a Kickstarter campaign.
As the band continues to gain nationwide recognition, Daniel Ellsworth & the Great Lakes continue to make a name and a home for themselves in their adopted hometown. If you’d like to get an idea of what makes them unique, the four-piece will take the stage at The Basement on Saturday, April 28, alongside Jeremy Lister and Kelly McFarling. Listen to “Shoe Fits” from Civilized Man below. – Brianne Turner
Chicago
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From Our Open Blog: Milano @ Beat Kitchen
Milano is excited to announce their show at the Beat Kitchen coming up this Saturday! They will be playing with Chicago band Canasta as well as Hotel Lights, featuring Darren Jessee of Ben Folds Five. Live Milano performances entail full costuming, face paint, and videos – all corresponding with a current album’s overarching themes. Says lead singer/composer Jon Guerra, “We figure, if people are going to be paying to see us play, let’s give them their bad-economy-dollar’s worth and really put on a show.” Come see Milano, costumes and all, this Saturday night, April 28th!
Chicago
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Moneypenny “Sides”
Moneypenny (Chess Hubbard and Jessica Gonyea) returned this week with a new, free ep called "Sides". The EP features the original, pop-filled single "Sides" and several remixes including an exceptional one our very own Disrupt The Scene.
You can download "Sides" here.
Chicago
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Zamin
Sometimes you need something different, distinctive, textured, and today that something is Zamin. This is the multi-culture, genre bending trio headed fronted by Zeshan Bagewadi. The group blends traditional Indian vocal styles with hints of classical, folk, indie rock, and a touch jazz. What drives the sound through is Zeshan’s powerful and passionate vocals.
NYC
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Mittenfields, Paperhaus, Me and This Army at Black Cat 4/30
Monday 4/30 is gonna be a stellar night of indie noise as three amazing locals take to the Black Cat stage. The phenom DC quintet Mittenfields are back from a Texas tour with some new material on top of the unique 90’s indie meets noise pop sound they are known for off their EP The Fresh Sum. Joining the bill are Paperhaus, DC’s own meld of psychedelic/blues rockers who’ve turned their home studio into a sweet gig space known as The Paperhaus, which so happens to be the name of their EP released last Sept. And get there by doors open to check out Baltimorean pop alt. rockers Me and This Army (noms for Band of the Month!) who’ve got some new material up on Soundcloud following their 2011 EP release Souls.
It’s all happening at the Black Cat on Monday Apr. 30, doors @8 PM, $8.
NYC
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Megaphone Barons’ Music Video Release Party/Bar Crawl May 11
DC’s indie rock trio Megaphone Barons recently set out on a guerilla shoot all over the Capital to create this video complete with pedicab performances, and sneaking past lobby security (full drum kit and all) to achieve high views of our city. All this for the epic track "Send Somebody Else" off their debut EP Menagerie which is available for free download off their website! To celebrate the release they are inviting you to join them in a bar crawl on May 11th. More details here…
(Directed by Emre Çilem and edited by Hamilton Riley.)
Philadelphia
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New Music Venue/Bar to Open in South Philly Next Year & Be Booked by R5 Productions!
Hallelujah – looks like South Philly is going to get a new music venue/bar that will be booked by R5 Productions! The Zoning Board of Adjustment granted permission yesterday to Avram Hornik of Four Corners Management, who runs Union Transfer and recently reopened Ortlieb’s as well as multiple bars throughout the city, to reopen the Boot & Saddle (1131 S. Broad St.) as long as the surrounding neighborhood isn’t affected by noise. There will be a 12:30am curfew for all live music. The bar plans to open in 2013 – seven days a week from 5pm to 2am. You can check out more details about this new development via City Paper’s Meal Ticket.
Philadelphia
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Philly Fourth of July Jam Lineup Announced
According to HipHopDX, the lineup has been announced for this year’s Philly Fourth of July Jam, which is being hailed as the “largest free concert in America” with over 500,000 people attending last year’s event. Once again, The Roots will be headlining the evening with additional performances from Queen Latifah, Common, Darryl Hall and Joe Jonas (ewww). Things will be kicking off at noon on the Ben Franklin Parkway.
NYC
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The Deli Mag Vs. The L Mag “Challenge” – 2012 edition
The L Mag’s yearly appointment with their "8 [NYC] Bands You Need to Hear" issue is always perceived as some kind of "test" here at The Deli. The question we ask ourselves when we are about to check out this section is – of course: "Did they pick bands we never covered?"
In previous editions, the music editors of the biweekly entertainment magazine did find some local gems we had regretfully ignored or missed. But this year we feel particularly good about the outcome, since it turns out that we covered 7 out of the 8 highlighted artists – and the only missing one (Evi Antonio) was at least mentioned in a recent blurb related to a live show he played.
Here’s a very self-referential list of coverage we did for the top 8!
Field Mouse
These guys won our Artist of the Month poll ages ago (was that 2010?) – they sounded quite different at the time… they were #36 in our latest year end poll for emerging NYC bands.
Ski Lodge
They placed 6th in our latest Best of NYC Emerging Artists Poll. Recent interview here.
Daytona
Covered in February 2012
Black Marble
Covered earlier in April
Starlight Girls
Covered big time in print and online, we also booked them twice. Deli Artist of the Month in 2011. Recent interview here. They placed in 19th position in our latest year end poll for emerging NYC bands.
Plates of Cake
Covered a couple of times in the last year
Ravens & Chimes
We’ve been covering these guys for at least 3-4 years: they were The Deli Readers’ Best Band of 2010, and got this feature in print because of it.
"Honorable Mentions"
We hit Robin Bacior, Old Monk and Hunters (current Deli Album of the Month), but missed The Immaculates, Island Twins and Trailblazer, which we will check out soon!
Of the bands we never heard, we were mostly impressed with Island Twins – This is why we gave them the picture on top of this blurb and the streaming song below.
The Deli’s Staff
NYC
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The Well-Informed release new EP + play Rock Shop on 05.11
Brooklyn based The Well-Informed sounds a little like The Beatles did in their late years’ least experimental moments. The band on April 1st released a 3 song EP which could have easily been included in the "White Album" (under Paul McCartney’s name). Of course, even the least experimental songs by The Beatles had some truly imaginative arrangements and beautiful melodies, elements that are not missing from this record. Needless to say that these songs have the potential to be enjoyed by a multitude of people. You can see The Well-Informed live at Rock Shop in Gowanus on May 11.
Philadelphia
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Album Review: Bound for Glory – Peasant
Damien DeRose has been making moody folk tunes under the pseudonym/stage name of Peasant since 2008. Each album has found DeRose more comfortable in his own sound and strengths. Though his albums, On the Ground and Shady Retreat, were greeted with notable praise, his latest offering, Bound for Glory, is arguably the most thoughtful, effortless sounding record to date. The final destination of Bound for Glory is somewhere between familiar and familial. Most of the time it is vaguely similar in composition, or a drum part or strum pattern, but there are also moments and melodies of eerie familiarity. There is a focus on the waxing and waning of relationships so lyrically he isn’t reaching for the stars, but he comes off as honest and sincere.
The album’s opener, which also serves as the title track, is a quaint yet assertive number with groggy keys, vacant drums and DeRose’s calming vocals. The reoccurring “don’t worry” permeates the song and exemplifies Peasant’s ability to be simple yet effective. The lead single from the album, “The Flask,” is skittering, super catchy and sounds like a refined version of a Build Something Out Of Nothing-era Modest Mouse song. A bit later in the album we get “A Little One” which recalls early Jason Mraz (which is meant as a compliment). It’s just begging to be used in an eco-friendly car commercial.
The second half of the album begins with a standout in “Gone Far Lost.” From start to finish it recalls the delicate beauty of an Elliot Smith song, especially “Pitseleh” from XO. Even the frail, overdubbed vocals are intact. “Take It Light” is a sauntering tune similar to the Fruit Bats or the more tender moments of Okkervil River. Similarly, the stark, finger-picking of “Mother Mary” offers weightlessness to a heavy heart, with morsels that we swear we’ve heard before. The album picks up a bit with a slight left turn musically, creating a psychedelic vibe with its keys and reverb-soaked vocals. While the change of pace was short and sweet, it set up the closing of the album with the nimble “Stars” and another standout track in closer “Don’t Let Me Down,” which sounds like DeRose charmingly singing karaoke to a Hall and Oats B-Side, but it works.
While many artists try and separate from their audience by dehumanizing themselves and creating more of a brand, Peasant attempts to connect on a casual and intimate level with a fairly uncommon personal touch. It is more of a friendly conversation than a convoluted lecture, and such an effect can be quite refreshing. You can purchase Bound for Glory via London-based label Schitznel Records. – Adam G.