DC’s pop singer/songwriter, Andrea Pais, is refreshingly much better than the usual young piano-playing songstresses on the radio. Her voice is not simply cute and youthful, but practiced, strong and evocative. The compositions on her debut EP, Chasing Forever, are interesting and complete, promising a true pop songwriting talent, both musically and lyrically. You can catch her at Bikenetic in Falls Church, VA on March 2nd, or the Jack Morton Auditorium (GW) in DC on March 8th before she heads to Austin, TX for an SXSW show at Mozart’s Coffee Roasters on March 14th. Check out a video of Andrea performing one of the songs off her new EP below. –Natan Press
Our Year End Poll for Emerging Chicago Artists was – as usual – a painstaking (and somewhat excruciating) process, but we pulled it of with remarkable flair!
For the first time in our polls’ history we have two bands tied in first place! Kudos to Netherfriends and The Wild Family (both bands are pictured) for sharing the spot in the sun!
First, we let the local bands submit their music (for free), and got our Deli editors to pick the nominees. Then we polled a list of 15+ Chicago scene expert (our jury, list at the bottom) and asked them to nominate 3 more bands of their choice each. Then we polled our writers, then we polled our readers. We tried to keep things open for each single genre, from Indie Rock to Roots Music to Hip Hop.
If you are a geek interested in all the subtelties related to how this poll works, you can read its rules here (happy reading!). But if all you care about is the awesome new music Chicago produced in the year 2013, this list is all you need. Enjoy!
BEST OF 2013 POLL FOR EMERGING CHICAGO ARTISTS
****** FINAL RESULTS ******
NYC Hip Hop act Ratking – highlighted in the 2012 edition of our Best of NYC Poll for Emerging Artists – mold their smooth yet in-your-face rhymes together with skill. Their take on experimental hip-hop takes its own form, kind of kicking it old school like the piercing jabs of KRS-One mixed with Death Grips. One of their first marks on the scene was a team effort track with Eric Copeland of Black Dice back in November for Converse’s Rubber Tracks. In preparation for the release of their debut album, titled ‘So It Goes’ (which will include a collaboration with King Krule), the band just dropped a pretty tight new single. Listen to their new, infectious track titled “Canal” below. – Michael Haskoor (@Tweetskoor)
Space has no sound; it’s a vacuum of nothingness. Much of today’s experiments with psych rock can be imagined as noise from the vast void – how space might sound if it did. But The Solar Motel Band doesn’t make music for floating away into the universe; they make jams for the trip back as you’re hurling through Earth’s atmosphere. Warped, Americana-inspired folk intermingles with crashing and mathematical noise, it’s a calculated journey that is straight from the mind of Chris Forsyth, whose forays into the vast reaches of the musical genre has helped produce this screaming rocket of sound. In addition to Forsyth’s latest project, fledgling all-female outfit Myrrias will be on the bill tonight at Johnny Brenda’s. Although the band is newly formed, the ladies that make up the group have all been around the block with members consisting of Mikele Edwards (Arc In Round), April Harkanson (The Downtown Club), Emily Robb (Lantern) and Casey Bell (Break It Up). The band promises a minimalist sound with backbone, or as they describe it, “light as a feather, stiff as a board.” Also on the docket is Horse Lords. Hailing from Baltimore, this band rocks an avant-garde, experimental style all their own. The night promises to be a veritable feast of sound – come out and broaden your musical horizons, or revel in a genre with which you’re well versed! Johnny Brenda’s, 1201 N. Frankford Ave., 9pm, $10, 21+ – Shaylin O’Connell
With temperatures rising a bit, here are some other places to hang this weekend…
Johnny Brenda’s (1201 N. Frankford Ave.) SAT Drone Ranger, Endor Endor, Mohican
The Boot & Saddle (1131 S. Broad St.) FRI Craig Hendrix (of Auctioneer), SAT Divers, SUN Nothing, Sad Actor
Kung Fu Necktie (1250 N. Front St.) FRI Joey Sweeney & The Arctic Splash, SAT (Downstairs) Merring, (Upstairs) Congenital Death, GUNK, Ted Nguyent, SUN The Great Explainer, Podacter, Seeing Snakes
Underground Arts (1200 Callowhill St.) FRI Night Panther, El Malito & &he 33rd Century
Union Transfer (1026 Spring Garden St.) FRI Vinnie Paz Feat. Army of the Pharaohs
The Trocadero (1003 Arch St.) SAT Sparklefight, Reckless Dodgers
World Café Live (3025 Walnut St.) FRI Vikesh Kapoor, SAT KIDROCKERS w/Grandchildren
Electric Factory (421 N. 7th St.) FRI Dr. Dog, The Districts, SAT Dr. Dog
The Fire (412 W. Girard Ave.) FRI RW and The Mean Jeans, Trackjackets, Circadian Frequency, Glitter, SAT Big Tusk, Themuffinmanisaband, The Phosphenes
MilkBoy Philly (1100 Chestnut St.) FRI Cold Roses, St. James and The Apostles, SAT The Nocturnal Jocks
Ortlieb’s Lounge (847 N. 3rd St.) FRI Black Stars, Dr. Beardfacé and The Spacemen
North Star Bar (2639 Poplar St.) SAT Chipocrite, Dauragon, Disassembler
M Room (15 W. Girard Ave.) FRI Let It Out Matt!, Witch Fist, SAT Bastards of Earle, Chris Zurich, Angel Ocana, SAT Lamplighters, Welter, Truant Minds, Ex-Friends
Tin Angel (20 S. 2nd St.) FRI Camille Peruto, Bobby Mahoney and Sarah Larson, SAT Vance Gilbert
Porn and Chicken have teamed up with Miami-based producer Kryoman to released a new single called "Leap Frog". You can grab the insanely fun and additive dance track from free from their soundcloud, and remember "if you’re feeling froggy… Jump!".
You can catch Porn & Chicken on Feb. 3rd at evil0live (1551 W. Division St.) for their Marvel vs. Capcom Banger.
Steel Phantoms have been on my radar ever since I heard the first chord of Curtain Call last year and was immediately transported to The Jam’s ‘That’s Entertainment.’ The duo Aaron Harris, previously of Montreal’s Islands and Jesse Newkirk IV pump out scrambling songs that go from broody to brash in seconds. On ‘Sunflowers’ vocals take a delicate gossamer turn (the word ‘haunts’ sounds haunting), and even the drums glisten, quivering and glittering into a beat driven crescendo. ‘Matt Le Blanc’ hints at their grungier side, whilst ‘Friend to Friend’ is more smooth garage, sometimes with a nod to The Smiths via Sonic Youth. ‘Overflow’ (streaming) its layers of love and enchantment over melodic and heightened chord sequences will be the gentle sway and soar tune on Tuesday 18th Feb when they headline a superb line up of Coastgaard, Vinyl Thief, and Sharkmuffin at Pianos. – Francesca Baker
Steel Phantom won the Open Submission contest tied to our Best of NYC2013 Poll for Emerging Artists, full results for that category are here.
Friday night’s about to get a little steamy, because local “sex pop” outfit, Night Panther, will be in the building at Underground Arts. Falsetto vocals and slowed down rhythms make for the perfect last call – “your place or mine” soundtrack. Stir in subtle, disco-revival funk, and you’ve got music to dance, or bump and grind to. Their versatile sound makes it easy to see why Night Panther have become Deli favorites; they headlined at our most recent anniversary show, and their sound won’t stay contained to the local scene for much longer. The stage will also be set for Grammy-nominated Brazilian Girls. The band draws from various dance genres, like tango and reggae, with plenty of electro sounds woven in. Reunited in 2012, the band has been working on new music that’s sure to bring out your best moves. Get ready to sweat and find a partner, because tonight’s not the night for dancing on your own. Underground Arts, 1200 Callowhill St., 8pm, $25, 21+ (Photo by Zach Blum) – Shaylin O’Connell
Massachusetts-based arts and culture community organization Boston Hassle (yes, the same awesome people who put on the epic Hassle Fest music festival last fall) has recently launched a Patron 21 campaign in support of the organization’s popular print newspaper, The Boston Compass. The Compass is a major source of local music news (show listings, CD reviews), as well as art and film happenings all around the city of Boston.
For those of you unfamiliar with Patron 21 (as I was), it is a consistent, monthly giving platform, similar to Kickstarter or Indiegogo. The main difference is that individuals can donate any amount (even as little as $2), which is deducted once each month, for a year (though donors are able to adjust the amount of their contribution or opt-out at any time). Instead of only spending your hard-earned money on boring things like car insurance and utilities each month, why not set aside a few bucks to help keep the arts and music scene alive and well in the Greater Boston area?
For more information about Boston Hassle and The Compass, check out www.bostonhassle.com. If you’re intrigued by the artwork for this article, check out Courtney White’s (the artist) website here.
On Kwesi K‘s latest EP Pronouns, we find the artist making leaps and bounds and being miles ahead of his debut release Ran Away From Me. It’s not surprising when you find that he has tapped into the rich natural resources of musicians in our community with Jaron Olevsky (Amos Lee) on keys and Ross Bellenoit (Divers, Birdie Busch and the Greatest Night, etc.) on guitar as well as vocal flourishes from Birdie Busch and Ginger Coyle to create a more refined album. Below is a very well-done new music video to accompany the title track to his EP.
Recent transplant to Chicago, Craig Woods is the force behind the fuzzed-out, lo-fi, garage rock of Hot Bagels. The band released Toasted this month digitally and on cassette via Be Happy Records (vinyl coming in February). The 15 mind melting tracks on Toasted range from 43 seconds to just over 3 mins in length and were recorded in "cars, basements, apartments, and practice spaces" around the city over the last three months. Hot Bagels is the essence of DIY and a band to watch and experience in 2014.
Queen Caveat’s lead singer Lauren Little has a captivating and slightly gritty edge voice with a bewitching stage presence that makes heads roll – literally. She consumes the audience’s attention by moving around the stage, making a lasting impact on listeners and leaving them longing for more. Lyrics, in my opinion, are the most important piece of the music puzzle and are what hypnotize and pull me into a song. So when band member/lyricists Ben Epand and Lauren Little wrote "Resilient Me" and "Mr. California", it really struck me straight through the heart. Its capability to bounce me back from a daunting mood is enough to make me, and anyone else, buy the whole damn album. Mr. California’s theme seems to have a vendetta against men; not all men in general, but the atypical behavior of a drunk man in a bar, hitting on the women who clearly have no interest. Moving to L.A. at the young age of 19, Little was thrown into a culture where society had stamped men as a different type of breed. Lauren’s take on her own song was to, “Stop worrying about what other people think, be who you are and don’t listen to them. That’s what the song is really about, that’s the message; I won’t listen to you.”
The four-member group includes lead singer Lauren Little, guitarist Ben Epand, bassist Will Weissman and drummer Jesse Magnunson. Queen Caveat has been together since 2010 and has only grown more dynamic, with nationwide buzz spreading on this rock group; they’ve performed at the SXSW Music Festival in Austin, Texas. Moving right along, they have also played in L.A. at some exceptional venues such as The Roxy, The Viper Room, The Penthouse at the Hollywood Tower, and were even featured in a 2-hour documentary called ‘Sunset Boulevard’ that aired on ABC’s 20/20. Touring the country and living in a van is a preference the group has, but they also want, “… to become greater people, write better songs, reach out to as many people as possible and expand as individuals. This isn’t just about making money and becoming famous, it’s about finding out who you are.” Preparing for the release of their new record on February 11th , and contrary to the run-of-the-mill EP release, Epand talked about partnering with Swing House Studios to host a massive warehouse party for friends and family. Future plans? “We want to be the first band to play on Mars, and the moon – that’d be pretty cool, no one has done that yet.” I look forward to the day that happens, my friends. – Kayla Hay
Aan was my first introduction to the Portland music scene. I remember venturing out into the unknown, alone, struggling to even find the venue. It was hard work, convincing myself to gaze out into a sea of strange faces. When the band started to play, my focus was still and unable to be broken. "Wake Me With A Kiss" brushes a cold, white sheet over your eyelids, enticing you to believe you’re in the scenario of waking up next to someone special on a hazy morning. Bud Wilson’s vocals are something to take note of. Through the curls and the snarls of his intriguing twang, there’s this never-ending maze of new sounds to explore. The lingering bass flirts with a build up, the guitar distantly trickling down your spine. This song posseses a theme true to the entire career of the band; anything is possible. Aan’s enthusiasm for mystification draws in the attention of many, but their incredible talent is responsible for keeping us excited. – Colette Pomerleau
