New England

Sadbeard, Kenny Brothers Band and Geometrist at The Middle East Corner Tonight

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It’s practically the weekend (Thursday is close enough, right?), so why not head over to The Middle East Corner tonight for some sweet, sweet music. Local singer/songwriter Sadbeard will be leading-off the night with an acoustic set–think Casiotone for the Painfully Alone minus the Casio. New Hampshire-based Kenny Brothers Band will also be playing, bringing with them some smooth, laid-back jams from up north. Closing out the night will be Geometrist, an Allston rock group with a very 90s indie-rock sound. I’d say they’re similar to Modest Mouse, but they already know that with their song aptly titled “Modest Mouse.” Show starts at 9PM,
$5 cover. 18+, proper ID required.

-Dan McMahon (@dmcmhn)


 

Philadelphia

The Deli Philly’s Featured Artist(s) Poll Winner: Commonwealth Choir

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Commonwealth Choir consists of Davis Jameson Howley (vocals, guitar), Nick Cislak  (lead guitar, vocals), William Chamuris  (keys, percussion, vocals), Maurizio Mazza (bass), and Jim Keifer  (drums), and the band hails from the “golden age” of indie rock or geographically Doylestown/Philly. They’re a relatively new act on the local indie music scene with merely one track (“Rest”) available for your listening pleasure, but look out for their debut EP Skinless coming very soon. Well, if you can’t wait that long, then swing on by the North Star this evening where they’ll be joined by The Lawsuits, Ali Wadsworth and Tallahassee. But first, check out our latest Featured Artist(s) Poll Winner interview with frontman Davis Jameson Howley and the gang HERE.

Philadelphia

Lockets Opening for Worshyper at JB’s July 18

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Lately, it’s been nothing but heat and heavy air, not a breeze in sight. No one wants to leave the comfort of a blasting AC. But somehow, Lockets and their new 7” Surrender (Beautiful Strange) implores the listener to step beyond the Freon curtain. Their synth-laden style is right up the alley of any dream-pop fan, but it’s vocalist Dani Mari’s enchanting nonchalance that attracts an a-typical crowd. A sharp and biting drum beat keeps things from flowing too perfectly, but the technicality of it all means those breaks are just as the man behind the music, Todd Mendelsohn, intended. Cutting away from peg-in-hole trip-pop is headliner, Worshyper. Multi-layered vocals with catchy, cool harmonies that blink from slowed down croons to a synthesized whisper. For first-time listeners, it’s hard to know how the next verse will sound, but with subtle anticipation and small builds, their songs wane and wax toward their conclusion. Both acts represent a divergence from the same old dreamy sounds and synthesizers, showcasing the diverse and multifaceted blends coming out of Philly. Johnny Brenda’s, 1201 N. Frankford Ave., 9pm, $10, 21+ – Shaylin O’Connell
 
L.A.

Artist to Watch: Spaceships

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Garage punk duo, Spaceships, may bathe their songs in raw, lo-fi fuzz that’s as thick as London fog, but if you allow yourself to be consumed by it, you’ll walk right into the middle of the emotional energy of a generation lost at sea, past apathy, past anger, with a voice that yearns to be heard. The band is set to release their debut full length album, “Cool Breeze Over the Mountains,” a witty title befitting a neo-folk pop act, on Mock Records, July 23. The first single, “Ghost,” off the forthcoming LP fits into the west coast DIY landscape, but proves an authenticity with no sign of irony or kitsch, just solid youthful rock ‘n roll. This Friday, July 19, the duo will be playing The Smell to celebrate their record release, joined by Shark Toys, Snow Wite and Palm Reader. – Jacqueline Caruso

Philadelphia

Philly Punx Picnic 2013!

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Tonight is the kick-off to the 7th annual Philly Punx Picnic, which will be running from July 18 – 21 in various spots throughout the city. This evening’s inaugural celebration(s) will be happening at two locations [South Philly’s Pariah (with Occult 45, Wise Guys, Weirdwolf and Kankers) and West Philly’s Golden Tea House (with Red Dons, SGNLS, Roman Holiday and Lot Lizard)]. “Why two shows? Because packing 100+ people into one house on a summer night is never a good idea. Hopefully this way we can have a more comfortable and fun evening with no need for drunk driving.” You can find the complete schedule of events for Philly Punx Picnic 2013 HERE, and if you’d like to learn more about its origins, check out our interview from a couple of years back with its founding organizers HERE. UP THE PUNX!!!

Philadelphia

New Video: “Wandering” (Random Tea Sessions) – Some Things

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While most of you are probably hiding out inside from the heat surrounded by air conditioning and fans like us, here’s a performance by Some Things of their song "Wandering" for The Random Tea Sessions, reminding us of the lazy summer days when you could hang out in the backyard with your friends listening to music without suffering a heat stroke. Some things consists of Danielle Dwyer on vocals, Marlee Sheaffer on guitar/vocals, and mewithoutYou/Geology‘s Greg Jehanian. And yes, that’s Birdie Busch in the background helping out a bit with the harmonies at the end along with Rebecca Goldschimdt, Heidi Karnitz and Olivia Scheaffer.

NYC

Pterodactyl celebrates final show at Death By Audio tomorrow (07.19)

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Experi-punk Pterodactyl (now a duo, and yes, that genre label sounds a little cheesy but it works) announced what’s going to be their last show, taking place tomorrow at Death By Audio. Hailed by truly yours The Deli as one of the best expression of the Brooklyn DIY scene, the duo’s debut album ‘Blue Jay’ was our record of the month back in 2007. Single ‘Polio’ – streaming below – should be included in any compilation summarizing what was going on in Brooklyn in the mid 00s. Sorry to see these guys quit, hopefully single members will keep entertaining us with their own musical output. 

Austin

Summer Slang II, 7/20/13 @ Empire Control Room

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Time to gear up for Summer Slang II. It was so good last time that a sequel was in order. This year’s soiree will be hosted in style by Heard Entertainment at the Empire Control Room & Garage (across the street from Holy Mountain). On the inside, we’ll get Cabrini Green, Jeffi DeLuxe & MoxieContin, Texas Microphone Massacre, Young Pharaohs, and FLAVOR RAID.

Outside is for DJs, and they are going to have the best there is in Austin: DJ Miguel Sanchez, DJ Scorpio (the brains behind Nite School and Blacklist), and DJ Nathan Green. But naturally you want more, so they’ll be throwing in "…an immersive 8-projector visual experience and sound system that embraces your body…". And who doesn’t like their body to be embraced? –Written by Scott Osborn

NYC

A NYC folk-pop band to keep an ear on: Nature Cruise

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We’ve all been there. Riding around in our sedans in high school, listening to indie darlings like Elliott Smith blast from the tape player (or was that just me?). But few of us communicate his kind of silky acoustic guitar work and stormy feelings into the problems of adulthood. Luckily for these high school friends, the members of Nature Cruise stuck together over the years, and their new EP ‘the sleeper ship botany bay’ brings a poetic urgency to otherwise softly pedaling folk textures. The three piece has a deep mystery to their catchy set. Perhaps that’s why they seem a bit obsessed with the humpback whale, the most mysterious animal ever… Check out ‘Choice’ below (presented as a "demo" – we almost forgot what that word meant in the era of home recording) and get over to their bandcamp to get your own humpback whale tote. – Mike Levine (@Goldnuggets)

New England

Soft Focus Plays Final Show At Elk’s Lodge This Thursday with Chandeliers and Strange Fuzz

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After a brief and wonderful stint in the increasingly sparse Boston underground scene, Emerson College-spawned shoegazers Soft Focus are leaving the basements of lower Allston as two out of three members make the move to LA, but not before one last blowout at Cambridge’s Elk Lodge. The three-piece released two EPs in their year and a half scene presence, most recently contributing to Hold On Another Day’s Boston Strong Music Project with the single "Runner Up", one of their strongest releases to date. Elk’s Lodge doesn’t mean the end of Soft Focus forever, members assure Boston fans, but a definite hiatus until at least January, when there’s potential for the group to pick up where they left off on the west coast. We’d welcome them back with welcome arms, but the NE scene will be a little sorer without them. Check out the free, all-ages event here, and catch a live set from them on The Left End on Boston’s WERS this Monday at 1:15AM.

— Jamie Loftus (@hamburgerphone)

NYC

Josh Farrow plays The Stone Fox on July 31

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Josh Farrow is a Nashville singer-songwriter that put out two singles, “Devil Don’t You Fool Me” and “The Worrying Kind” at the beginning of 2013, with plans for his second full length album to be released later this year.  In the interim, he has been spreading his blues throughout Tennessee and Alabama, with a detour to visit Daytrotter Studios this past May.  He’ll be back July 31st to dusty up the Stone Fox with his rendition of Americana.   If you’ve ever wondered what Ray Lamontagne would sound like with a few more miles on him, satisfy your curiosity here. – Terra James-Jura

NYC

NYC band on the rise: Steady Sun

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if you’re looking for a two-minute, three-chord jam, Steady Sun is not what you are looking for. But for anyone seeking a band to show what can happen when five insane musicians decide to form a roots rock band, look no further.

This band’s new record ‘Good Evening’ showcases their inexhaustible imagination, filled with Classical influences, Jazz inflections, and rock’s freedoms thrown together behind lead singer Dylan Nowik’s piercing pipes. This group is at the top of their form and re-inventing themselves at every turn. One of their best tracs, ‘Eyes Wide,’ is a reinterpretation of the love song format as a glittering folk jam, complete with fiddle solo and enough harmonies to make anyone fall in love. ‘Actress,’ streaming below, is a tastefully arranged moody and sparse blues. The record is a surprising statement from a young band whose first release was just a few months ago. – Mike Levine (@Goldnuggets)