It was way back in December of 2008 that Ragged Claws released their debut ep The Sleepwalk, but the trio is back with the 7 track effort Imagined Kings. Lead by the vocals and guitar of Paul Kremer, the trio has taken their time with this album, but it is worth the wait. From the shifting strut of the bi-lingual, "Frida", to the romantic tropical sea shanty "Maui", this album is one of the best Chicago releases of the year. The album is available on bandcamp and you can pay what you like for it.
You can catch Ragged Claws @ The Fulton Street Collective (200 W. Fulton St) on Dec. 14th and at The Whistler on Jan. 14th.
Today we bring you the haunting, but enchanting side project of Adam Harris from Den. Kraken Mare is largest known body of liquid on the surface of Saturn’s moon Titan, but it is also the moniker that Harris uses to explore the ambient spaces of sound and electronic. "Iapetus Ocean" is Harris’ first release on Skell Batch, but his second as Kraken Mare.
Child Actor are two cousins hailing from New Haven, CT and Boston, MA. Sedgie Ogilvy sings while Max Heath lays down the beats. Their sound is indie electro with an R&B twist. Lyrically mysterious, with reverb and auto-tune tugging the vocals back and forth between the beats on the hip hop landscape, their EP Window has a beautiful surface tension which speaks of a darker underbelly if you only stop passively listening. But why would you? In my opinion it’s the perfect thing to throw on while you’re doing just about anything. Child Actor has put together some great pop songs for a modern age. Check out a track from their full length album Victory below. – by Hillary Anderson
It has been a while since we’ve heard from Rob Merz (aka Static In Verona), but he is returning in 2013 with a new full-length LP Everything You Knew Before You Knew Everything.To give fans a taste of is to come he has released a free 5-song ep, "Some Things You Knew", culled from the new album.
You can download the new ep, as well as the last two Static in Verona releases, here for free.
Having just opened a show for the Shins in Seattle, brother/sister duo Blondfire will make its way back to LA for a show at the Troubadour on Tuesday. This time they will be supporting Australia’s Atlas Genius. Blondfire consists of Bruce and Erica Driscoll, and they have been traveling up and down the West Coast in support of their recently released EP, "Where the Kids Are." The Michigan natives are of American and Brazilian decent and have been playing music in some form or another since they were kids. Their mother is a classically trained pianist who encouraged them to take lessons at an early age. Through the years, Bruce and Eric explored various music interests, which included the likes of The Smiths, The Cure, and ’80s pop, and they have now come together to build a shimmery dream pop sound with delicate female vocals, catchy loops and addictive melodies. The songs on the EP have the enchanting and nostalgic essence of bands like M83 and the fun beats of fellow LA band Foster the People. A full-length called "Young Heart" is on its way via Warner Bros Records. – Karla Hernández
Wanda Jackson, Jonny Fritz and Courtney Jaye at 3rd & Lindsley Courtney Foster 8 December 2012
Nashville’s venue 3rd & Lindsley played host to a music event of epic proportions on Friday, December 7th. Local favorites Courtney Jaye and Jonny Fritz shared the stage with the legendary Wanda Jackson for a showcase of Nashville’s finest musical offerings.
First up was the beautiful and talented Courtney Jaye. Her vocal excellence and well-written lyrics took the unsuspecting crowd by surprise. Supported by a very solid backing band, Courtney captured the whole room with her vintage country and folk inspired set. Her clear voice is similar to that of Rilo Kiley’s Jenny Lewis from her 2006 side project with the Watson Twins, Rabbit Fur Coat, and possesses a strength reminiscent of country greats Dolly Parton and Emmylou Harris.
With an effortless togetherness, the entire band set the mood for a night of stellar music, even closing her time with the classic Holiday tune, “Mele Kalikimaka.” Courtney has received quite a bit of radio play on local station Lightning 100 and is currently working on new material. Look for Courtney Jaye’s newest album, Love and Forgiveness, to be released in April 2013.
Next up was the homecoming show for Jonny Fritz, formerly known as “Corndawg.” Having toured with up-and-coming artists The Alabama Shakes, Dawes, and Deer Tick, Fritz and his band definitely lived up to the positive praises from the folks at SXSW. With his hybrid of folk, Americana, bluegrass and honky tonk, the band could easily become a Lower Broadway staple with countrywide touring capabilities.
Adding to the existing strength of the band, noted Nashville fiddle player Joshua Hedley set his strings on fire as well as adding strong backing vocals. Jonny Fritz’s lyrics are autobiographical and the crowd took on the feeling of being on tour with the group, meeting every new person and seeing every new sight along the highway. Straying from typical lyrical subject matter of love and the lack thereof, Fritz chooses to thoughtfully observe the world around him with a relatable sense of humor. The best quality about the group seems to be the fact that every member looks like he’s having a darn good time.
The last act of the night was the fabulous Queen Of Rockabilly, Wanda Jackson. Despite being 75 years old and in the business since the mid-1950s, Ms. Jackson still plays over 100 dates a year, all across the country and beyond. She was a proud inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2009 and contacted by Jack White shortly thereafter to record The Party Ain’t Over with Third Man Records in 2010, reaching a wider and younger audience.
Ms. Jackson was backed by Lower Broadway favorites Heath Haynes & the Hi-Dollars, who used their extensive musical knowledge to nail classic country and rock tunes “Rock Your Baby,” “Funnel of Love” and Elvis tribute, “Heartbreak Hotel.” Along with crowd-pleasing tracks like “Shakin’ All Over” and “Riot In Cell Block Number 9,” she also paid tribute to the late songstress Amy Winehouse with her hit song, “You Know I’m No Good” which appeared on the aforementioned 2010 collaboration with Jack White.
Unlike most performers who have been performing as long as she has, Wanda Jackson hasn’t lost a bit of fire. A passion and love for music is evident in her feisty vocals and energetic performance. Ms. Jackson currently has a new record out produced by Justin Townes Earle titled “Unfinished Business.” Look for her on one of her endless tour dates and pick up the new album, which surely won’t disappoint.
The fortunate folks at 3rd & Lindsley witnessed an event that won’t soon be seen again. All of the performers put on jaw-dropping performances and gained some lifelong followers in the process. Check out Courtney Jaye, Jonny Fritz and Wanda Jackson to listen to some sweet tunes and find tour dates near you! –Courtney Foster
The Amputees‘ debut e.p. "Commence The Slaughter" has been out since Sept. 1st a blend of hardcore, pop punk, indie and Garage Rock. With a sound centered around a swirl of rage, Manson and guitar layers, the six member band have been playing round New York since June of 2011. You can stream the 4 song e.p on The Amputees Bandcamp page, and check out their Occupy Wall Street-inspired video here. – (as posted in The Deli’s Open Blog – post your band’s entries, videos, and Mp3s here). The Deli’s NYC Open Blog is powered by The Music Building.
We are happy to announce that The Deli will be teaming up with Dangerous Ponies and “the Penn frat house that has been the East Coast punk rock toga party for well over two decades now” to ring in the New Year. Please RSVP to yargaproductions@gmail.com for more info about how you can get in on the fun!
Golden Sound Records is on a string of great releases. They kicked off mid-summer with Party Line from The Empty Spaces, later put out Ross Brown’s sophomore release, the new Everyday/Everynight singles, and now Mat Shoare’s fourth album. Within the past year, Shoare has somehow found the time and inspiration to write Domestic Partnership. As frontman of The Empty Spaces and a visceral component of Everyday/Everynight, one wonders where Shoare found the creative muses to write this breathtaking album.
Taking a more somber tone than The Empty Spaces’ upbeat surf-rock, and a more earthly sound than the ambient Everyday/Everynight, Domestic Partnership is an album that is easy to grasp. The album is full of sad, sorry tales, and real-life happenings that everyone, at some point, will have or has experienced.
The recording quality seems low-end, but works insanely well with this album. The album sounds as if Shoare recorded it while sitting right next to you. Domestic Partnership’s liner notes state: “…recorded by Mat Shoare in multiple bedrooms, basements, and offices…” And that aspect is definitely felt throughout the album. As mentioned, it sounds as if Shoare could have been playing the song while in the same room as you. This hosts a brilliant emotional linkage to his songs; not unlike seeing him perform live. For these kinds of songs, you don’t want over-produced and completely flawless music—it’s straight and it’s real.
Shoare’s vocals embody a haunting undertone while remaining pleasantly familiar. It sounds like a voice you know, one that you are inclined to listen to. His vocal range is quite impressive as well. Varying from a low and daunting timbre, like in the opening track “Patterns in the Sand,” to a high-pitched screech (a characteristic of The Empty Spaces) found in the title track. Backing himself up with a plethora of “ooohs” adds depth to songs like “Patterns in the Sand,” among others.
This album is a no-holds-barred attack on the reality of life. Shoare’s lyrics come at you like a slap to the face or a kick in the shin. Shoare definitely does not sugar coat a single line for the listener. “We never get older, we only get sadder, we never get bolder, we only get madder” is a shining example from “Meadowlark.” His words hurt and are full of some sort of pain, but paralleling this pain is an organic sense of sympathy, from Shoare to you. Domestic Partnership sounds like two people sitting, talking, and listening to each other: a therapy session.
Shoare celebrated the release of Domestic Partnership at recordBar this past weekend. The official release of the album will be tomorrow, Tuesday, December 11. You can order the CD and preview a track at the Golden Sound Records’ link here.
–Steven Ervay
Steven is the intern of Midwest Music Foundation and The Deli – Kansas City. He can’t go to 21+ shows yet and that bums him out.
Having been surrounded by music and musicians all his life, it simply was a natural progression that Dorian Love would start experimenting with some of his own sonic landscapes. The Los Angeles transplant has made a new home for himself here in Philly while also creating post-apocalyptic sci-fi sounds under the moniker NEWHERO. Check out our recent interview with Love and learn more about The Deli Philly’s Featured Artist(s) Poll Winner HERE.
Elika has a certain knack for re-making tragedy into beauty. Taking from personal tragedy and turning her experiences into a reason to persist, their latest video for ‘No One Gets Lost’ juxtaposes a halcyon youth against the cold realities of dangerous machinery like power drills and buzzsaws. Make of it what you will… but it certainly sounds like something malicious is happening here behind the scenes. Like a lot of their music, Elika presses on with a definite sense of optimism that shines through their stacks of shimmering keyboards and melliflous soprano. Taken from her new record ‘Always the Light,’ Elika is a powerful voice puncturing through pain and adversity with each new record. – Mike Levine (@Goldnuggets)
"No One Gets Lost" was added to our SoundCloud playlist of emerging NYC artists here.
