Michael Cantor of The Ambulars has been starting to make a name for himself in his endeavors as a solo artist, and now he’s literally made a new name for himself: The Goodbye Party. The new moniker Cantor will perform under doesn’t necessarily signify a departure from the contemplative lo-fi we’re used to hearing from him. His last EP, Funeral Season, was a melancholy march of distorted blues that built up to a hopeful final track. He’ll be opening for headliners NYC’s Ava Luna, playing a jittery style of soulful pop. They released their latest LP, Electric Balloon (Western Vinyl) earlier this month, and it’s chock full of sharp-cornered funk. Boston’s Krill will also bring a raw, straight-from-the-garage sound to the stage, while Philly’s own Laser Background provides sugarcoated lullabies intertwined with sadistic psych-pop. Not a bad way to cap off a nice spring weekend before it snows again next week – ugh…forever winter. Great Indoors, (Please contact ghostlightbooking@gmail.com for more info.), 8pm, $5, All Ages – Shaylin O’Connell
Philadelphia
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Shape Breaker & Jackie Paper Opening for Burnt Ones at Bourbon & Branch March 22
If a showcase featuring Shape Breaker and Burnt Ones sounds like a post-punk rendition of a Lovecraft novel, you wouldn’t be far off. Local openers Shape Breaker lives up to its name with some echoing, violent psych-punk, while Jackie Paper sounds like an intersection between a folksy family band and an acid trip. Burnt Ones will be celebrating the release of their new LP Gift (which is available via Thee Oh Sees’ John Dwyer’s imprint Castle Face Records), by way of a tour with fuzzy-psych outfit Raw McCartney. With playfully deranged vocals draped over instrumentals that can go from dirty to tender at a moment’s notice, expect only the best and the weirdest from tonight’s performance. They’ll all be converging this evening at Bourbon & Branch for a showcase presented by rad Philly-based music blog The Styrofoam Drone that is run by Zac Camagna. Bourbon & Branch, 705 N. 2nd St., 8pm, $10, 21+ – Daniel Ludwig
Philadelphia
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Oldermost Album Release Show at JB’s March 22
Oldermost have taken bold strides to hone their vibrant harmony and melody-infused Americana rock with chamber pop elements by welcoming Geoff Bucknum (formerly of Free Energy) into the fold. And their upcoming album I Live Here Now, which was tracked in the band’s home studio and recorded at Miner Street Recordings, should firmly set the next musical evolution of their career. This will give the group much to celebrate, and plenty of new songs to debut when they usher in the album’s release at Johnny Brenda’s tonight. And for the occasion, they’ll be joined by Song Dogs, who will be making their JB’s debut before they set out on a writing and recording hiatus in order to polish up some of the new material that they’ve been working on. Johnny Brenda’s, 1201 N. Frankford Ave., 9pm, $10 21+ – Bill McThrill
Portland
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Portland Music’s Excellent Adventure: Treefort Music Fest
If you’re one of the lucky ones who is making it out to Treefort Music Fest in Boise, Idaho this weekend, you’re probably losing your mind right now. And with good reason, as your life is likely to change forever. To make things easier for you, we’ve dug through this year’s lineup to highlight the overwhelming amount of Portland bands whose performances this weekend demand your presence. Persuasion is done best quickly and carefully. Pay close attention.
Two-piece Nurses are constantly reinventing your definition of experimental pop. The Shivas toss your body and mind back into a time where bopping superseded twerking. The woodsy and folksy Great Wilderness are fronted by subtly demanding vocals. And And And is playful but not too playful but really fun to let loose to while actually still being serious. AU is destined to cover your body with goosebumps. Ernest Hip Hatchet coats simplistic guitar melodies with authentic lyricism. Animal Eyes never let their energy down. Sallie Ford is embarking on her own adventure, so it wouldn’t be in your best interests to miss the beginning of something beautiful. Sama Dams are the noteworthy avant garde three-piece in the scene. Tiburones echo all that make you actually feel like a human being, pulling at your heart strings and beyond. Genders could easily fall into your definition as a comforting band, while at the same time pushing you to get yourself into unlikely situations. Like A Villain AKA Holland Andrews will leave you never feeling the same. Hustle and Drone widen your eyes and move your body in ways you’d probably just do alone in the privacy of an empty space. Sun Angle are famously furious, wild and will make you laugh whether you’re into that sort of thing or not. Summer Cannibals match that amount of energy, bringing forth their youthful disposition. Eternal Tapestry pull from Eastern influences and force vivid imagery with or without actual projections. Wooden Indian Burial Ground aggressively shakes your world close to oblivion. Aan will bring you back and Magic Mouth will allow you to gently waltz back into the real world.
This year’s festival will be one to remember. – Colette Pomerleau
Philadelphia
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Weekend Warrior, March 21 – 23
I know that there are plenty of you out there who are already to enjoy the first weekend of spring. Well, tomorrow looks like it will be the best day to get out, and you’ll also find the best show of the weekend Kicking things off will be the enddearing pop-punk of Cayetana, who have been making people take notice with the help of their infectious single “Hot Dad Calendar.” Sleazy garage rockers Lantern have been cranking things up a bit lately with help from Chris Wilson (Ted Leo & the Pharmacists) behind the kit. They’ll be at The Boot & Saddle suporting Ex Hex, the anthemic-rock, all-female power trio, led by veteran riot grrrl Mary Timony (Autoclave, Helium, Wild Flag). BTW: Don’t be late! we heard that the venue has been having issues with one annoying neighbor so relatively early curfews are being adhered to. The Boot & Saddle, 1131 S. Broad St., 8:30pm, $12, 21+ – Alexis V.
Other places to enjoy spring this weekend…
Johnny Brenda’s (1201 N. Frankford Ave.) SAT Oldermost Album Release Show w/Song Dogs
PhilaMOCA (531 N. 12th St.) FRI Mausoleum Space Party …In Space w/S.T.A.R.W.O.O.D., Pushin’ It 2 the Limit, Marlo Reynolds
Kung Fu Necktie (1250 N. Front St.) FRI (Downstairs) Casket, (Upstairs) Underwater Country Club, SAT (Late) I Im Eye My (members of Spacin’ & Bleeding Rainbow), (Early) Literature, Mike Bell & The Movies, SUN Cassavetes
Bourbon & Branch (705 N. 2nd St.) SAT Tutlie LP Release Show w/Cult Choir, Les Professionnels
The Trocadero (1003 Arch St.) FRI The Sound of Animals Fighting, SAT Cat Liberation Army, Ortolan, Kuckle Puck Time, Josh Carter
TLA (334 South St.) SUN DeathMaschine
Electric Factory (421 N. 7th St.) SUN August Burns Red
The Fire (412 W. Girard Ave.) FRI Supreem Da Rezarekta, Rosemary Fiki Band, SAT Withered Old Beast CD Release Show) w/Top Hats and Effigies, Disco Machine Gun, Gash, SUN Sister City, Blankbook, Robins, Panucci’s Pizza, Uncle/Father Oscar
MilkBoy Philly (1100 Chestnut St.) FRI Wild Rompit
Ortlieb’s Lounge (847 N. 3rd St.) FRI The Sideshow Prophets, A Brood of Vipers, SAT Rise N Shine Feat. James OWK
North Star Bar (2639 Poplar St.) FRI The Racket Boys, Blayer Pointdujour & The Rockers Galore
M Room (15 W. Girard Ave.) FRI Matt McAndrewl, Wendy Betz and The Rising
Tin Angel (20 S. 2nd St.) SUN With The Badlees
Fergie’s (1214 Sansom St.) SAT John Train, SUN John Byrne, Rusty Cadillac
The Station (1554 McKean St.) SAT Teenage Bigfoot, Down With Homework
HubBub Café (3736 Spruce St.) FRI Radiator Hospital
Voltage Lounge (421 N. 7th St.) SAT The Butter Guns
The Grape Room (105 Grape St.) FRI Kalen & The Sky Thieves, Andrew Jude, Aaron Hehl, John Dutton, Ross Livermore, SAT John(outcry), Bring Back Farley, The Band of Rivals, Alex & The Beggars, Evil at The Beach
Studio 34 (4522 Baltimore Ave.) SAT Bike Art Benefit Auction for Neighborhood Bike Works w/Silverton
Golden Tea House (Please contact one of the acts or venue for more info.) SAT Kite Party, Gunk, Vietnam
Beaumont Warehouse (Please contact one of the acts or venue for more info.) SAT 8th Annual West Philly Waste Fundrager w/Dopestroke, Pushin It 2 The Limits, Batworm
LAVA Space (Please contact one of the acts or venue for more info.) SUN Wet Food
Great Indoors (Please contact one of the acts or venue for more info.) SUN The Goodbye Party (Michael Cantor), Laser Background
Wolf Cycles (Please contact one of the acts or venue for more info.) SAT Low Charge, The Pussy Dogs, Dark Thoughts
A House Named Virtue (Please contact one of the acts or venue for more info.) SAT All Bad, Queen Jesus
4QHQ (Please contact one of the acts or venue for more info.) FRI Neon Stains, Dark Thoughts, Stasi
Freedom 35 (Please contact one of the acts or venue for more info.) SUN Et Tu Brute, Goddamnit, Sic Bacchus, The Jantones
Dahlak Paradise (Please contact one of the acts or venue for more info.) FRI Puunk Phunk’n Philm w/Swarm
Portland
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Eidolons // Cataldo // Bed // 3.23.14
Curated by local all-star Theo Craig, this week’s Rontoms Sundays Session is simply a must catch event. Eidolons headline the show with their quiet, fluttering vocals, hard hitting drums and jazzy, progressive rock. Seattle’s Cataldo boasts smooth pop and catchy songwriting. Opening the night is Portland’s new low-fi/grunge/pop band Bed, who is also one of the bands in our current Artist of the Month Poll (tomorrow, 3/22, is the last day to vote for Bed, Daydream Machine, or Swansea in our Poll here). Bed will be releasing their single, Brother, and it’s accompanying music video at the show. You’ll sure feel weird if you miss out.
The show is free and starts at 8:30pm. – Chandler Strutz
NYC
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The Deli NYC’s Guitar Rock, Punk and Garage Playlist is on! Emerging Bands Only!
Folks, since garage, punk and 90s guitar rock are back in fashion big time, we created a new Deli NYC Playlist featuring the best tracks by local bands who play similar genres – check it out HERE!
We’ll keep updating it with new tunes by the best NYC based guitar rock bands we blog about.
The Deli’s Staff
Austin
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Back to Being a Local with The Bluebird Specials
First, a note: I love SXSW. It’s important to the city and to entertainment, it brings plenty of new people and ideas, and as a music lover there are obvious perks. However, it’s also one week of the year that being a local doesn’t count, or help. There’s a new map to understand, new traffic to navigate, and new items on the list of priorities. Between working, entertaining out-of-towners, and making sure I was able to see the handful of visiting bands I was really excited about, it was next to impossible to track down many emerging Austin acts that I hadn’t already seen multiple times. All of that’s why for me, the most refreshing local music moment of SXSW was on Monday night after the festival had ended. I met up with some friends at Hole in the Wall for a casual St. Patrick’s Day celebration. We were all still exhausted from the week, so we sat outside to chat. We had reached a natural break in the conversation when someone opened the door and the sound of strings and a three-part vocal harmony drifted out.
Of course we all went in. By then the front bar room was full and my friends and I stood in a line along the back to take in The Bluebird Specials. The three-piece based in Austin was exactly what I needed. There was no giant hype for the show, no sponsorships, no fuss; just three women, their instruments, and their voices. The vocal harmonies were clear and beautiful, and they still had as much, if not more, fun onstage as most of the bands I had been able to see during the festival. Most of the songs fit classic country themes (whiskey was drunk, hearts were broken), but often enough it was more than that. All three women clearly just love to play, and that was more refreshing than anything else. That is my favorite thing about Austin: the laid-back take on classic Texan passion that pops up without pretensions when it’s allowed to. Somewhere close to the stage, a few people were two-stepping. Drinks in hand, my friends and I tapped our feet and bobbed along.
Thank you, The Bluebird Specials, for helping bring my Austin back to life. You can see The Bluebird Specials TONIGHT at Ginny’s Little Longhorn and Mondays at Hole in the Wall. – Marie Meyers
NYC
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Brooklyn garage-pop band Toons asks tough questions
In a world that seems to lack answers to important topics (what happened to Flight 360? Does Putin go to the gym?) Brooklyn garage-pop quartet Toons has been trying to address some fairly weighty – and obviously borough-related – questions… like: "where did all this milk come from? Where did all these cows come from?" And with these solid interrogations, these hard-rocking doods have just launched the crazy fun behind their latest full-length ‘Born2Milk.’ It’s a shit-kicking, good time, perfect for anyone who remembers K Records’ bouncy dance tracks from back in the day. Check out ‘Milkn’ below and bring your milk moustache out with you when you see them play at Glasslands on April 28th with talented lo-fi female songwriter Frankie Cosmos. – Mike Levine (@Goldnuggets)
We added this song to The Deli’s playlist of Best punk/garage songs by emerging NYC artists – check it out!
Philadelphia
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Tutlie LP Release Show at Bourbon & Branch March 21
Northern Liberties’ decommissioned church-turned-bar, Bourbon & Branch, is the perfect setting to venerate West Chester’s self-proclaimed “baroque pop” outfit Tutlie. This evening’s show will be a celebration for the release of the project’s long-awaited first official LP Young Cries, which beautifully demonstrates the group’s wispy, enchanting vocals and charming instrumentation. (You can check the record out in its entirety below.) With a semi-new lineup including vocalist Rebecca Way, Tutlie will be joined on the bill by Brooklyn’s Ponyhof and local psychedelic shoegaze crew Cult Choir, who will be followed by electronic trio Les Professionnels laying down the soulful grooves to keep the celebration going. Bourbon & Branch, 705 N. 2nd St., 8pm, $10, 21+ – Maggie Grabmeier
Philadelphia
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Mausoleum Space Party …In Space! at PhilaMOCA March 21
The newest installment of PhilaMOCA’s live taping video series goes extraterrestrial tonight as it hosts the space edition of its Mausoleum Party. And they lined up an out of this world host in self-described alien contactee, author and radio host, Riley Martin, who openly talks about the time he spent being abducted in his book The Coming of Tan and radio series on Sirius. And they lined up the perfect music headliner in futuristic saviors of the universe, who call Philly home, S.T.A.R.W.O.O.D. Their tricked out uniforms and supersonic interstellar soundscapes are just two of the things that make it necessary to witness them live. And rounding out the lineup will be West Philly space punks Pushin’ It 2 The Limit. PhilaMOCA, 531 N. 12th St., 8pm, $10, All Ages – Bill McThrill
NYC
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Emerging Brooklyn Alt Soul artist: Amatus
Brooklyn based, and Chicago born Amatus – who wears what’s likely to be the most glorious afro in the borough – is a composer, singer and clothing designer, and has just released a new collection of soulful post-R&B tracks entitled ‘Broken Compass.’ Production on the five-track record is a little gritty, but this doesn’t hide the artist’s potential. We like in in particular opening song ‘Messin’ (streaming), an its abrasively stylish, powerful electro-soul track. The rest of the album is slightly more minimalistic, and nods heavily to the Phildelphia neo soul sound of the late ‘90s and early millennium. – Jordannah Elizabeth