Just wanted to give a heads up that you’ll be hearing my lovely, nasally voice tomorrow morning (Wednesday, February 5) at 11am on Y-Not Radio. Head honcho Josh T. Landow was nice enough to ask me to swing by and chat with him about our recent year end poll, and I’ve been asked to take over the station for an hour to spin tracks from a few of my favorite local emerging artists who were nominated this year. And if you’re not a morning person like myself, they’ll be running it again later on that evening at 10pm. Hope that I can make your day a little bit better – much love! – Q.D. Tran
NYC
Posted on:
Akkilles wins The Deli KC’s 2013 Emerging Artist Award!
Congrats to Akkilles, our WINNER of The Deli KC’s 2013 Emerging Artist Poll!
Akkilles is the project of songwriter David Bennett, who began by writing folk-inspired demos with his acoustic guitar. He is the sole musician on his debut EP, Demo Treasure, which is available at Bandcamp. But this isn’t your regular sleepy coffeehouse acoustic hour—not by a long shot. Bennett takes risks with his music, many of which are fully realized in his debut full-length LP Something You’d Say (see our review here), released in mid-2013 through The Record Machine. Bennett enlisted an accomplished cast of musicians (Nick Pick, Rachel Pollock, Jeff Larison, Isaac Anderson, and Mike Crawford) to carry out his compositions, influenced by folk but swathed in a snug blanket of ambient, chill indie pop. It’s music that anyone can listen to, whether it’s a listener who becomes unconsciously bathed in its warmth or one who gets swept away by its depth and texture.
The result is that Akkilles has won over KC audiences with its easygoing summer pop sound, tinged with subtle hints of psychedelia. Bennett, who sometimes performs with the full five-piece band or sometimes a stripped-down version, has the ingenuity to transform songs that began as minimalistic bedroom tapes into dynamically dominant indie pop arrangements that seem to catch the attention of anyone in earshot.
Akkilles performs next at Czar Bar on Thursday, February 20, with Rae Fitzgerald and Cleemann. Don’t miss it!
Akkilles – ‘Your Only One’ from David Bennett on Vimeo.
–Michelle Bacon
Michelle Bacon is editor of The Deli KC and plays bass in The Philistines and Dolls on Fire, and drums in Drew Black & Dirty Electric.
New England
Posted on:
Audrey Ryan and Jenee Halstead co-headline at Club Passim
On February 27, two of Boston’s brightest female singer-songwriters will take over Club Passim. Audrey Ryan, who has shared the stage with Suzanne Vega (of “Tom’s Diner” fame), has a smooth voice reminiscent of Vega’s. Her brand of unorthodox folk finds the self-proclaimed "one-man band" playing with a loop station and instruments from the typical (guitar) to the unexpected (vibraphone, accordion). Jenee Halstead is another soft-voiced singer with a strong knack for telling story through song. Check out 2012’s “Raised By Wolves,” where she laments over a simple guitar strum and guitar click that “nothing can hurt [her] now” thanks to an unusual upbringing. Tickets to the even, which starts at 7 p.m. at Club Passim in Cambridge, can be purchased here. – Jake Reed
Chicago
Posted on:
Left Hand Signal
Left Hand Signal is a trio (Kristine Sørum-Williams, Jonathan A. Iuro, and Tommy Good) firmly planted in Americana or indie folk. They released their debut EP, Stanza, on January 1st. The three tracks on the EP highlight the band’s songwriting and the strong vocals of Williams.
NYC
Posted on:
Katy Guillen & the Girls Runner Up in The Deli KC’s 2013 Best Emerging Artist Poll
(Photo by Todd Zimmer)
Congrats to Katy Guillen & the Girls, The Deli KC’s second-place pick for 2013 Emerging Artist!
Though they’ve been a band for only a little over a year, Katy Guillen & the Girls have gained a strong and dedicated following in Kansas City and beyond. Guillen—whose blues/roots/rock/flamenco guitar skills far exceed that of most—has assembled a precise, expert rhythm section of Claire Adams on bass and Stephanie Williams on drums (see our 2012 interview with Williams) to set her songs in motion.
The trio recently took fourth place at the International Blues Challenge in Memphis with its unique, daring interpretation of blues rock.
KG & the Girls released …and then there were three in summer 2013 (see our review here) and a single for “Earth Angel” early this year. If you want to find out more about them, we did a Q&A with them shortly after the album was released.
The group will be playing at Knuckleheads on Wednesday, February 26, with The Latenight Callers and John Velghe & the Prodigal Sons. Facebook event page.
–Michelle Bacon
Michelle Bacon is editor of The Deli KC and plays bass in The Philistines and Dolls on Fire, and drums in Drew Black & Dirty Electric.
NYC
Posted on:
Not A Planet Runner Up in The Deli KC’s 2013 Best Emerging Artist
Congrats to Not A Planet, The Deli KC’s #3 pick for 2013 Emerging Artist!
Not A Planet has garnered well-deserved attention with its unmistakably catchy pop sound, complete with pleasant vocal harmonies and a garage rock edge. Frontman Nathan Corsi’s vocals are passionate, theatrical, and soulful all at once, weaving together the trio’s cohesive, sincere indie rock approach. Corsi, along with bassist William Sturges and drummer Liam Sumnicht (see our 2013 interview with Sumnicht), command each stage they play with exuberance, finesse, and finely crafted songs.
In mid-2013, Not A Planet released its debut LP concept album, The Few, The Proud, The Strange (see our review). The trio has opened up for big names like ZZ Ward, Flogging Molly, and Maps and Atlases, and returns on tour this month to introduce more audiences to its infectious, energetic sound.
Not A Planet will be heading out on tour this month, but you can catch them when they return for their first KC show of the year at The Riot Room on Friday, February 28, with Me Like Bees and The Electric Lungs. Facebook event page.
–Michelle Bacon
Michelle Bacon is editor of The Deli KC and plays bass in The Philistines and Dolls on Fire, and drums in Drew Black & Dirty Electric.
Chicago
Posted on:
Kevin Andrew Prchal @ Lincoln Hall
Kevin Andrew Prchal reached his kickstarter goal to produce his latest album Sorrow Sings. The kickstarter still has 8 days left so there is still time to support and preorder the album.
You can catch Kevin Andrew Prchal with Exit Ghosts and The Quiet Revelry tomorrow night, Feb. 5th, at Lincoln Hall.
NYC
Posted on:
Late Cambrian is The Deli Readers’ Best Band of 2013!
NYC Deli Readers,
The Deli’s Best of NYC 2013 Readers and Fans’ Poll for Emerging Artists is over, thanks to all those who cast their vote in support of the emerging local bands and artists in our list of nominees.
Congrats to Brooklyn’s power pop trio Late Cambrian (pictured and streaming) for being The Deli Readers’ Best Emerging NYC Artist of 2013!
Kudos also to Rap-Metal outfit PUSHMETHOD and lo-fi soul talent I/O (both bands spelled rigorously in all caps!) who placed second and third.
Here’s this poll’s top 15 chart, full results organized by genre can be found on the right hand side of this page.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
MOST IMPORTANTLY THOUGH! Stay tuned for the composite chart, to be released soon, which will include the point nominees accumulated from the jurors and Deli writers’ votes, and will crown The Deli’s Best Emerging NYC Artist of 2013.
The Deli’s Staff
NYC
Posted on:
Album review: The Sluts – Virile
Why am I sitting in my office at 6 a.m. listening to a band named The Sluts? Perhaps it’s insomnia; it could be that it’s tough to sleep through a dream about the Three Stooges playing badminton with Presidents Taft, Reagan, and Taylor. Maybe it was my damned barking dog. But mostly, the band’s name drew me from my bed at this ungodly hour, and to the music. What self-respecting rock fan could possibly avoid a band named The Sluts? It should draw you like a magnet to a pile of metal shavings and rusty razor blades, It is unavoidable. Did I mention this two-piece from Lawrence is named The Sluts? The Sluts, I say! The Sluts!!!
The music on the band’s release Virile is rock ‘n roll, plain and simple. Finally, the tide may be changing, shifting back toward guitars and volume. Is electronic music finally ready to shoot itself in the head, to make room for the glory that is rock ‘n roll? It sure as fuck sounds like it. “Flip the Tape Over,” the album’s opener, blasts out of the gate like a fire-breathing dinosaur from a time when music was released on tapes before it was cool and ironic to release new music on cassettes. It is a strange collision of Mudhoney-like power and a Bruce Springsteen story; a song that, on paper, must’ve been a mess but on tape is incredible, firing on all cylinders.
It is clear The Sluts (Kristoffer Dover and Ryan Wise) worship at the altar of grunge. There are flashes of the movement and her greatest acts are slathered all over Virile: Tad, The Fastbacks, The Fluid, Nirvana (especially on “My Hour,” a track reminiscent of “Return of the Rat,” a Wipers’ tune later covered with love by Nirvana), Green River, The Gits, a pre-fame Soundgarden, The U-Men, they are all here. However, do not get me wrong, there is something else, something lurking below the slime. The Sluts are not simply a band regurgitating their influences. They are a band acknowledging what came before and deconstructing it. Isn’t that what rock ‘n roll should do? What it’s meant for? Worshipping your heroes while simultaneously blowing them up into a billion pieces? The Sluts do that in spades.
“I Want You To Die” is a stomp that reminds me of Joan Jett’s “Do You Want To Touch Me?” except instead of talking about sex, it’s “it’s not like I hate you girl / I just want you to die.” Obviously this guy has issues. “Loose” is a power-driven ass shaker, “Misdemeanor” opens “Hey Mom and Dad / I got picked up last night” then rips into garage punk at its finest.
The dark “Friends” has a Tad Doyle licked guitar pushing a song about a guy whose friends have all quit smoking, quit drinking; it’s about the fears of growing up and growing old. Again, it is The Sluts tapping a vein and drinking deep of the rock n roll monster. Moreover “Victim,” the closer, is a turn-it-up middle finger to all those who were never there to save us from ourselves.
There must be something in the water in Lawrence. Over the last couple of years, great rock bands have been popping up left and right. The Sluts, Black on Black, Mr. and the Mrs., Stiff Middle Fingers—all of these bands have pushed aside the banjo wielding masses, let their freak flags fly and insist that rock ‘n roll will not be allowed to die a slow, boring amplifier free death.
The Sluts’ Virile is a work that was made by and for people who love rock n roll. Goddamn, I’m so happy I couldn’t sleep this morning.
–Danny R. Phillips
Danny R. Phillips has been reporting on music of all types and covering the St. Joseph music scene for well over a decade. He is a regular contributor to the nationally circulated BLURT Magazine and his work has appeared in The Pitch, The Omaha Reader, Missouri Life, The Regular Joe, Skyscraper Magazine, Popshifter, Hybrid Magazine, the websites Vocals on Top and Tuning Fork TV, Perfect Sound Forever, The Fader, and many others
Philadelphia
Posted on:
New Modern Baseball LP Available for Streaming
Quirky, emo foursome Modern Baseball just premiered their new LP You’re Gonna Miss It All (Run For Cover), which officially comes out February 11, via Pitchfork Advance. We were checking out our advance copy last week. We really enjoyed their first full-length album Sports, and there is definitely a noticeable progression forward with their forthcoming record. The band is getting ready to go on a massive North American tour in March and April with pop-punk heavyweights The Wonder Years that will be making a stop on Saturday, April 12 at the E Factory.
Philadelphia
Posted on:
New Music Video: “Sunday” – Creepoid
Check out the new drugged-out, slo-mo, B&W music video for Creepoid‘s "Sunday"! It was directed by Douglas Alvin Foulke, Jr. Their sophomore self-titled LP is coming out March 4 via No Idea Records. They’ll be celebrating its release on Thursday, February 27 at Johnny Brenda’s with Far-Out Fangtooth and Ecstatic Vision. Enjoy!
Philadelphia
Posted on:
New Track: “River” – Pattern is Movement & Official Album Release Date Announced
Experimental soul/R&B duo Pattern is Movement just announced the long-awaited official release date (April 1) for their self-tilted album (Hometapes), via Spin. It was also accompanied by a new single called "River," and the record release party will be taking place on Thursday, April 3 at The Boot & Saddle with Yellow Ostrich. You can stream their latest offering below.