Weekly Feature: Wild Leaves
Wild Leaves brings comforting, warm songs into an often fast-paced and cold city. It’s a quite welcome sound. The mid-westerners share some affinity with folk stars Fleet Foxes. In a time when psychedelic music and folk are having huge resurgences in popularity, Wild Leaves already have strong foothold in the NYC scene, playing both folk and Indie-rock bills alike. Wild Leaves was kind enough to share their history and creative process with the Deli, which sheds some light on their hazy-folk music. – Link: Paul Jordan Talbot’s interview with Wild Leaves.
Foxtails Brigade Bells Atlas and Spencer Owen at Hemlock Tavern – 9/13
Hemlock Tavern will be bringing a night of melodic and unique indie rock music. Foxtails Brigade headlines the night with their chamber pop sounds that feature a variety of melodies over Laura Weinbach’s dreamy and enchanting vocals. Bells Atlas blends together hip hop, soul, R&B and indie rock into one innovative style, with a number of ambient and soothing sounds that come together over a smooth and clean voice provided by Sandra Lawson-Ndu. And opening the night, Spencer Owen is a solo act that combines a number of genres into one. His songs usually incorporate a wide variety of instruments, sounds, and vocals that come together into a catchy and quirky songs.
This show brings a number of experimental and ambient acts who will surely captivate and enchant you. –Victor Casillas Valle
Weekly Feature: Lovelife – Live at Terminal 5 on 10.17
After suffering a rather traumatic run as Viva Brother, a band who rapidly went from NME cover stars to British music press whipping boys after a series of PR gaffes, frontman Lee Newell and his group left their Slough home for Brooklyn seeking a fresh start. Alongside fellow Englishman-in-New-York Ally Young (formerly of the group Mirrors), Lovelife is a total change in direction for the ex-Viva Brother members. Ditching the jaunty guitar pop, the group have quickly created a body of dark, dense electronica that draws from eighties New Wave and modern R&B in equal measure. It’s a run of creativity that, according to Young, has been largely stimulated by the change of scenery. – Links: Dean Van Nguyen’s interview with Lovelife.
From Our Open Blog: Hemmingbirds with US Royalty at Beat Kitchen
Hemmingbirds will be supporting U.S. Royalty at Beat Kitchen on September 19th. Also on the bill is local Chicago new wave 70’s Britpop band, The Van Goghs. Tickets are still available for $10. Show starts at 8pm and is 17+!
Look out for upcoming tour dates, local events, and a brand new music video for the single, "My Love, Our Time Is Now" coming soon! Listen to The Vines of Age at here.
Weekend Warrior, September 13 – 15
We’re patiently waiting for new material from Ghost Light, but our patience is wearing thin. However, we do understand since Ghost Light’s Barrett Lindgren has been busy putting together some great shows in West Philly. Well, he’ll be rockin’ sensitively with the rest of his band at the Golden Tea House this Saturday night. They’ll be joined by Little Big League, who just announced that they’ll be hitting the road with PAWS, and New York’s Porches, who have been gaining interest in the local underground scene, as well as Gunk and Sirs. Golden Tea House, (Please contact one of the acts or venue for more info.), 7:30pm, $5 – $7, All Ages – H.M. Kauffman
Waking Light announces new EP “Weeknights”
One of orchestral rockers Waking Light’s strongest characteristics is their ability to incorporate catchy melodies over rattling guitars and unpolished vocals. Rather than evolving past the feel of their previous work, the band in their new record "Weeknights" (available September 24) expanded on the themes that define their sound, without getting too pretty. Waking Lights is hosting an EP listening party at Webster Hall’s Sports bar on Friday, September 13. In the meantime check out this song from previous release. – (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.
Varsity
Varsity recently released a catchy digital single "Turns Out". It has a b-sides called "Downtown" and is available for whatever you would like to pay on their bandcamp page.
New Track: “Watered Down” – Swearin’
Check out a new track from Swearin’ called "Watered Down"! It’s the first single off their upcoming album Surfing Strange, which will be available on November 5 via Salinas Records.
Musicfest Northwest Review
Last week crowds of music enthusiasts roamed the streets of Portland, running between crowded venues and enjoying a wide variety of bands taking part in the festival known as Musicfest Northwest. The week was full of so much great music that it took three members of The Deli’s Portland team to properly document it. We divided up our finding into the categories that follow, click the link below to read the review. Enjoy! READ THE FULL REVIEW HERE
Photo Credit: Craig Williams
Ticket Giveaway: Yeah Yeah Yeahs at the River Stage This Tuesday
We’re back with another kick-ass ticket giveaway! We have a stash of tix for the Yeah Yeah Yeahs this Tuesday at the River Stage at the Great Plaza. Now, we usually giveaway a pair; however, the prize(s) this time are single tickets only. So tell your friends to get off their asses, and try to grab their own. To enter for a chance to win, just send us an email at thedelimagazinephiladelphia@gmail.com with the subject line “Me Me Mes” Please also include your cell number in the body of the message (in case of an emergency). (BTW: For more info about the show or if you just want to guarantee your spot inside by purchasing one, click on the YYYs banner at the top of this page.) Good Luck!
Where Is My Mind?: Toy Soldiers’ Ron Gallo
My fondest memory of the band Toy Soldiers was the first time that I ever heard them perform. The Deli Philly was asked to sponsor the inaugural show by what later became known as the short-lived Fishtown Collective. It was also the first or second time that we had ever sponsored an event, which took place in a plastic bag factory diagonally across the street from Kung Fu Necktie on Front St. Someone’s father had allowed the collective to build a massive stage so that bands could perform at one big Valentine’s Day party. About five hundred college kids – mostly from Temple – took over the place as nearly ten of them walked on stage and helped us shimmy, twist and boogie the night away. (To this day, I have no clue what the DIY space was called, nor do I think that it ran long enough to even get a name, well, according to my partners in crime. If anyone out there knows otherwise, please feel free to leave it in the comment section of this post.) Toy Soldiers have gone through plenty of growing pains since then, as the band shrunk and grew again in size like the waistband of a “Biggest Loser” contestant. Well, the group seems to be settling into their own skin as they get ready to celebrate the release of their new album The Maybe Boys at Johnny Brenda’s this evening. We had a chance to catch up with the band’s frontman Ron Gallo, the gangly, lone constant that has kept this army of “maybe boys” marching forward. So before you head upstairs at JB’s tonight, please check out our recent interview with Gallo HERE.