Having uprooted from Maine and made their way west to San Francisco (a city the band call “a place full of creativity”), Guy Fox have been unveiling their own brand of vivid indie pop to a new audience of receptive Californians. Powered by tidy guitar lines and pretty piano chords, the band’s lush and joyous arrangements are punctuated by trumpets, trombones plus other assorted treats. See them at Rickshaw Shop with Ash Reiter, tonight (02.22) – Dean Van Nguyen
Chicago
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Bounte “The Desolation Test”
Bounte (aka Dean Dunakin) has been producing a wide range of dance sounds since 2007 and released a new ep last week called "The Desolation Test". Through only five tracks, the ep manages touch on an array of electronic music styles.
Chicago
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Two Star “His & Hers”
Two Star has released a video for their track "His & Hers". The track appears on their recent release Lover, Our Lips Have Left Us. The quartet has a Death Cab For Cutie vibe but make it their own in a very appealing way.
NYC
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Celestial Shore announces debut EP, shares “Valerie” + plays 285 Kent on 02.24
We had the opportunity to enjoy Celestial Shore‘s geeky pop madness live when they opened for Ava Luna during the launch party of our Winter 2012 issue about one year ago. The band operates along disorientating lines, juxtaposing gorgeous harmonies reminiscent of The Beach Boys’ "Pet Sounds" to inconceivable bursts of baroque math-prog madness. The streaming single "Valerie" – from the band upcoming album, to be released in April – is yet another example of this band’s quirky talent, and almost matches their masterpiece track, "Pals" – hopefully also to be included in the upcoming release. Celestial Shores’ quirky pop – as long as the crazyness doesn’t get out of hand – is one of the best new expression of a fun avant-pop genre that has been flourishing among nonconfirmist college students since the late 80s, and that has in Ween, They Might Be Giants and Beck its most illustrious predecessors. Don’t miss their show at 285 Kent on February 24.
We added this song to The Deli curated Soundcloud playlist of Best NYC songs by emerging NYC artists – check it out!
NYC
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Interview with Rude Cab Driver: DC Deli’s Band of the Month (February)
Maryland based hard indie rockers Rude Cab Driver came together in early 2012 under an unusual/unique situation- a show was booked by their now drummer, but the rest of the band didn’t exist yet. Now, the punk-tinged trio has a plethora of tracks under their belt, and an evergrowing fanbase that pushed them to the top of our recent poll making them our Band of the Month. We wanted to find out more about Jeremy Sigel (guitar/vocals,) John Mayhew (bass/backup vocals,) and Francisco Leonard Estrada (drums,) so we got a hold of couple of them. Here they tell us about group house band practices, DC pride, and German nuns. Now onto the interview…
Philadelphia
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The Deli Philly’s Best of 2012 Top Performers: Cousin Brian
Cousin Brian’s aptly named debut LP First had been floating around the internet for a while before Slutever’s Nicole Snyder had the brilliant idea to make it the inaugural release on her label Mallrat Records last year. A truly underrated album (which ranked quite high on my year end list of “Favorite Philly Releases of 2012”), First was filled with plenty of delightful tunes that eventually garnered a bit of praise from the local music community. However, some of our readers were a bit confused by our description of Cousin Brian as a “punk” band due to the unabashed amount of pop hooks and oohs and aahs found on their record. That was until I invited them to perform at one of my Tuesday Tune-Outs at PhilaMOCA, where they ferociously tore through their songs five-times as fast as what might be heard on the recordings while vocalist Sean Caruthers flailed around on and off the stage like he was having an epileptic seizure and physically assaulted their fans with his mic. After their volatile set, drummer Ben Harper proceeded to sit in the front row and heckle the next band throughout their performance. Ha…I think that the questions about Cousin Brian being a punk band were squashed that evening. – Q.D. Tran
Philadelphia
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Adam & Dave’s Bloodline Album Release Party at JB’s Feb. 22
The retro-rocking quintet of Adam & Dave’s Bloodline punctuate the release of their new EP 2×2 on Founding Fathers Records tonight at Johnny Brenda’s. With 2×2, the group is taking a slightly darker heavy psychedelic approach. The groove is still omnipresent, but the guitar work is more mercurial and effect-infused. The air appears to have thickened while the lights have dimmed. The band’s sound will mesh well with the hazy garage rock of St. James & the Apostles, balancing Jamie Mahon’s growling preacher vocals and raw guitar with the not so common injection of organ and artillery style drumming. Arrah and the Ferns round out an excellent evening playing what can best be described as a combination of folky-poppy country-blues along with Bloomington, Indiana’s Sleeping Bag. Johnny Brenda’s, 1201 N. Frankford Ave., 9pm, $10, 21+ – Michael Colavita
NYC
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NYC Songwriters on the rise: Loren Benjamin
Picking up where Elton John left off, Loren Benjamin is re-tooling the piano as the melodic lead is was meant to be. From covering ‘Human’ (The Killers) to a huge reception at this year’s CMJ Fest, the 23 year old is set to take off. And you have to respect any man trying to write our generation’s ‘Tiny Dancer.’
Currently recording his debut album under the direction of Grammy award-winning producer Steve Jordan, expect the piano man to come out swinging when he releases his full-length this Spring, and check out his performance last month from Highline Ballroom here. – Mike Levine (@Goldnuggets)
Chicago
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Sasha Go Hard “Round 3”
Hip Hop rising star Sasha Go Hard has released her new mixtape this month, and it has already been stream over 7,000 times. You can download or stream the DJ Victoriouz mixed album here. Below is my favorite track, the Tony Roche produced track "No Time".
Chicago
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Hidden Era
Hidden Era are Elizabeth Burchfield and Cold Blue Kid’s frontman Alex Longoria and from the sound of their first single "Until Morning" their are great things to come from this duo.
New England
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Magic Man releases new single “Paris”
If Providence’s Magic Man plans to follow their new single “Paris” with an equally strong set of tunes for their sophomore album, they could stage a breakout similar to a fellow New Englander playing catchy synth-pop songs: Passion Pit. Though the quartet may have found a bit of inspiration with their stateside neighbor, they are certainly holding their own style down, with bouncy piano interludes and cool synth beats woven into a simply great vocal part. Check them out live tomorrow night with Ava Luna at the Outer Space in Hamden CT. RSVP here. – Hillary Anderson
L.A.
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Song For Echo Park: A Film Within A Film
This event is a collaborative, interactive, live experience being held at Hollywood’s underground Church of Fun, a recent hub for celebrities ranging from Axl Rose to Moby to Weird Al, on March 2nd. A 2 ½ minute short film premiere evolves into a Last Waltz meets Truman Show one-off Two Act Filmed Showcase with a DJ Intermission. Artists coming together in community, all united by the romance of Echo Park, persons who might otherwise remain strangers. A variety show featuring performances by emerging indie artists to Echo Park’s greatest mariachi band, belly dancers, poets, and lounge singers. The lineup includes The Dead Ships, Manhattan Murder Mystery, Amanda Jo Williams (pictured above), and many more. Check out the Facebook event for more details.