Austin

:: Hikes and All Our Favorite Things::

Posted on:

This Friday, Cheer Up Charlie’s is hosting a show of some of The Deli Austin’s favorite local bands, all leading up to the release of the new EP from Hikes.  Hikes came on our radar last year after the release of what looks like the most fun video shoot of all time.  Do yourself a favor…

HIKES / Like Ripples / OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO from Lobo Sucio Creative on Vimeo.

Pair that with what is some of the most heartfelt and ambitious music coming out of Austin and needless to say, we’re excited to hear the new record. It’s a long night of music and DJs starting with Nathaniel Red and sets from Chipper Jones, Big Bill, Happy Hell and Young Tongue.  All great bands and an amazing, eclectic line-up of local talent.  Get there early and stay late.  

NYC

Album review: Leering Heathens – Leering Heathens (EP)

Posted on:
You know, working at NPR as I do, I’m surrounded by the kind of music that one would expect to hear at an NPR studio: lots of jazz and classical, folk and traditional sounds from around the world, and once in a while when we feel really crazy and want to throw caution to the wind, we might even go for some Lawrence Welk or Barry Manilow or even … hang on to your hats, people … John Tesh!
 
HOLY SH*TBALLS! JOHN F*CKING TESH!!!
 
*ahem*
 
Those of you who know me know that my music palette is a little more diverse than that. Sometimes I like those kinds of music, sometimes I’m down for some blues, sometimes electronica is what I want to hear—and sometimes I just need to have guitars and drums and basses and vocals that will melt walls and leave paths of wreckage and destruction. This review is about such a band that is doing just that to unsuspecting listeners and venues in the Kansas City area.
 
Leering Heathens is a Kansas City four-piece consisting of Joshua Quint on vocals and guitar, Brett Southard on drums, Chad Toney on bass, and Josh Simcosky on lead guitar. The band has recently released its self-titled debut EP, and as far as introductions go, theirs is about as straightforward as it gets: We play rock music. We play hard rock music. We play loud hard rock music.
 
The EP opens with “Dry Country” and gives the listener a good dose of classic rock guitar with a chorus that lays a very heavy, driving groove. “Lurker” is more chunky, and Quint’s vocals on this track keep high focus and intensity without crossing the line into emo-scream. The instrumental “Muskstache” is a little quicker-paced but no less effective and riveting, and at this point I started to think this mini-album may have been conceived with the assistance of a few bottles of brown liquor – and as their cover photo on their Facebook page would indicate, I think I may be right. “Rodeo Macabre” highlights some definite Tool influence—very sinister and heavy, with exception of the auctioneer and the old-timey last few seconds, which are kinda cool, and “Hulls of Blood” closes out the record, the most melodic of the tracks but one that still has loads of hammer-and-tong guitar aggression.
 
Some bands play at maximum volume because that’s their one skill. They don’t have enough faith in their work so they think that if they burst your eardrums, that will be enough to punch their rock-n-roll card. Others play loud, but do so with enough control that you listen to them and realize that you’re listening to music—very, very loud music—and not just sound. Leering Heathens are solid members of the latter category. If you’ve been looking for serious, authentic, gut-wrenching, actual factual rock ‘n roll, this will be a very wise investment of twenty minutes of your life.
 
You know, I try to be a good guy as much as possible, but I guess being a Heathen isn’t always such a bad thing either.
 
—Michael Byars
 
Michael secretly loves the music of John Tesh, but we won’t tell if you won’t.
 
 
Be sure to get your dose of Leering Heathens’ gut-wrenching rock ‘n roll this Thursday, June 19, at Czar Bar. They’ll be opening up for Young Widows and White Reaper. Facebook event page.
 


 

Free Hit Counter

 

NYC

Planning For Burial releases new video + tours

Posted on:

The NYC-based one-man slow-core band Planning For Burial comes at you with some mellow grungy blues that takes us back to some of the early Mercury Rev stuff. The foggy cryptic video for ’29 August 2012′ (streaming) gives you an idea of their blurred and even creepy aesthetics, and- if you watch the show True Detective – it may make you think of Carcosa.  The track appears on the project’s new album ‘Desideratum,’ which was just dropped last month via The Flenser.  PFB started its  tour on June 12th at Europa (supporting Pallbearer with NYC black metal band Yellow Eyes), and will end it with a show at the Grand Victory on July 07. – Michael Haskoor (@Tweetskoor)

Portland

In Review: Grandhorse, Tomten and Dedere at Habesha

Posted on:

Saturday night I found myself tucked away in a cramped corner of a packed Habesha Lounge. Part Ethiopian restaurant, part bar, and part venue, Habesha is a quaint spot full of variety and colorful characters, and the bill that night was built to match. 

Comprised of Grandhorse, Tomten and Dedere, the line-up was a diverse one. The show functioned as a tour kick-off for Grandhorse and Dedere, who will be hitting the road for the next 10 days. As for Tomten, Saturday night’s show served as the tail end of a mini-tour where they hit Spokane, Boise, and Portland.

Dedere at Hebesha 

First up was Dedere, playing a heavy brand of post pop complete with pensive, melancholy songwriting. The band — who traditionally has been a three-piece — played as a four-piece, featuring a second guitar to help round out their sound. Dedere played a few songs off their new record which is in the works, with some stand-outs being "Hollywood Future Plans" and "Sacramento".

 

  

 

Tomten at Habesha

Seattle’s Tomten came next, which was quite a departure from what we had just heard. My brain was having trouble adjusting to the crazy shift in tone from the first act to the second. Where Dedere ripped our hearts out, Tomten gazed at our hearts from afar and sat in fields with them. Tomten played their light, catchy style of baroque pop in the vein of acts like Belle & Sebastian, Camera Obscura, and even early, psych-poppy Rolling Stones. Their single "Pipe Dream Boy" was particularly striking.

Grandhorse at Habesha 

Grandhorse closed the night out with a set full of psych-pop jams. The majority of the set was newer material, which is a bit slower and dreamier than the stuff off their debut album, Portraiturefolio. It’s still coated in the same lush, gooey, hazy tones, but it’s almost as if it was stretched out like a big ol’ psychedelic taffy. It all strikes a nice balance, though, giving the set upbeat, danceable portions ("Short Drive With A Kidnapper") as well as introspective, jammy tracks to daydream to ("Port Townsend" for example). All in all, a fitting ending to a night showcasing a rich variety of styles.

Check out the rest of the photos from the show here! 

– Alexie Shishkin

 
NYC

NJ artist on the rise: Stolen Jars land tune on Apple ad + play Arlene’s on 07.08

Posted on:

New Jersey’s Stolen Jars is a definite candidate for one of the summer’s best rootsy pop listens. What started as a solo project by lead vocalist and guitarist, Cody Fitzgerald, evolved into a wonderful duo, featuring Molly Grund on vocals. Live performances include Greg Nissan on guitar, Will Radin on drums, and Tristan Rodman on keys. The group exudes a charming eccentricity fraught with whimsical and yet precise composition and harmony. Alt Magazine awarded Driving (the last track on the album) the Song of The Week, and the track was also featured in this Apple’s IPAD commercial. If you like Dirty Projectors and Animal Collective but wish they were a little more accessible, check these guys out. Keep your eyes peeled and ears squeaky clean for their next album coming out later this summer, and don’t miss their next show at Arlene’s Grocery on 7/8. Check out album opener "Stitches" below. – Rebecca Blandon

Nashville

Congratulations to Earnest Ernest, Our New Artist of the Month!

Posted on:

Congratulations to Earnest Ernest for winning The Deli Nashville’s Artist of the Month poll! Recently revitalized by a successful Indiegogo campaign for a new tour van, the band is set to attack the road and make their presence known with new vigor, starting with this little blog’s local popularity contest.  With a old-fashioned sensibility to modern pop songs, they are sure to make a mark whereever their new wheels take them. Speaking of which, check out the schedule of their summer tour, and listen to their appealingly alternative brand of folk on “I Do" off their debut self-titled EP. -Terra James-Jura

Portland

Lubec, Us Lights and Bed at Valentines 6.16

Posted on:

It’s in the cards for Lubec, Us Lights and Bed, Monday night at Valentines. Through a Three Card Spread of the Golden Tarot, the fate of Monday night’s show was dealt the Two of Wands (dominion), the Five of Coins reversed (worry), and the Nine of Coins (gain). 

 

Now, I’m no Tarot reading professional, but one could assert that through the mystic energy of this particular spread, the show is bound to be a success. The Two of Wands suggests thoughtful planning went into the event. A reversed Five of Coins suggests perhaps while the bands acknoledge they may not make their fortune this night, they are working towards a greater good in the longer term. Lastly, the Nine of Coins suggests that the bands will feel the sence of fulfilment that comes with acomplishment as the night of sweet, dark gaze-pop comes to and end and the crowd floats off home with heads bobbing. 

– Travis Leipzig

Philadelphia

Bleeding Rainbow Opening for Tweens at Underground Arts June 15

Posted on:

Embrace the weekend for all it’s worth, and head to Underground Arts tonight. Post-punk quartet Bleeding Rainbow is among a trio of bands including The No Nos, whom kick off the festivities, and headlining Ohio-natives Tweens. The band’s ever-evolving musical pallet is an ever-refined ebb and flow of instrumental outbursts, demonstrating a well-trained pugilist ability to strike at an efficient and frequent clip. Using the whole arsenal at their disposal while exhibiting affective aggression, the omnipresent backend laying the groundwork for the resonating blows of guitar united by the 1-2 punch of Sarah Everton and Rob Garcia’s vocals. Underground Arts, 1200 Callowhill St., 8pm, $10, 21+ – Michael Colavita

 
Portland

PALS FEST 2014 Announcement Show + Fundraiser

Posted on:

Back for it’s third year of madness, PALS FEST 2014 will take place August 9th through 17th. The festival serves up a week of debauchery, hosting shows every night of the week at different venues across town featuring the best of Portland music, then culminates in a weekend-long party at PALS Clubhouse featuring the same bands from the previous week but packed into an intimate cul-de-sac and backyard setting. 

Still interested? The lineup for PALS FEST 2014 will be announced TONIGHT at the Firkin Tavern! The announcement will be celebrated by live solo performances and a ridiculous drunken krautrock jam session by members of Sama Dams, Old Age, Noble Firs, The We Shared Milk and The Domestics. The announcement party will also serve as a fundraiser for the show to help pay for bands, permits, port-o-johns, etc. There will also be an auction with proceeds going to PALS FEST, with items including: a famed and signed photo of Talkative (shot by Todd Walberg), Banana Stand Media swag, Rigsketball swag, various local band merch, AND a free pizza! Party on dudes!

– Travis Leipzig