Congratulations to Wings of Apollo for winning The Deli Nashville Reader’s Choice poll! The trio rallied the vote early on, and the gap they created thanks to fans dedicated to their no-holds barred metal ultimately proved too wide to overtake. One thing is for sure: these boys can hustle, and ROCK. 2014 proved to be a hell of a year for the band; they released their epic "By Force" EP and won "Best Rock Band" in the Nashville Independent Music Awards, and tore up the stage over dozens of dates near and far, in addition to bassist Pat Graves holding a personal and highly entertaining "Flip a Day" challenge. Wings of Apollo are currently working on a full-length follow-up to "By Force," with a music video nearing its release date. Keep up with their antics and developments here and here.
Hound Opening for Bardo Pond at Underground Arts Feb. 7
Roger Sellers the One-Man Composer
Some one-man-bands are a person on the street with a bunch of shit strapped to him screeching weird punk-folk. Some one-man-bands are a person taking all the many instruments they have painstakingly mastered and surrounding themselves with them on a stage with a bunch of layering equipment to create what must be called compositions, keeping all the parts of a complex song straight in their head and performing them perfectly.
Much as the first style of one-manners can be fun, it’s a very limiting format that doesn’t often result in the kind of deep, multi-layered performances that the second style can achieve. Roger Sellers is one of these second kind of artists. He’s more composer than singer-songwriter, but his sound is more Animal Collective than it is Andrew Bird. Standing in a hollow cradled by an array of more instruments than some entire bands can field, Sellers lays one set of sounds on top of another carefully and precisely, but with undeniable energy to create airy avant-garde pop songs. As a true multi-instrumentalist, and not just someone who can strum a little and owns a lot of musical shit, the result is top-notch experimental indie music where guitars and drums are there to add to the whole, not dominate it. Sellers has recently announced that he will be doing his thing during SXSW this year, and it’s hard to imagine that Austinites, with their refined musical palettes, would find his shows anything less than exactly the kind of thing that should be making it huge in this city. For a taste, see the KUTX-filmed version of his track "Waves" below, part of his newest album "8 Songs," which you can hear the rest of at his Bandcamp page here.
HONEYRUNNERS @ the Horseshoe
The HONEYRUNNERS pride themselves on giving their fans a sticky, soul-drenched rock n’ roll performance. Constantly pushing their creative boundaries, EP2 is an infectious mixture of Motown, neo-punk, soul, rhythm and blues. Recorded live
A great electronic track: Pink Murder’s “Set Her Free”
I’m not sure if our readers realize how many hours music bloggers spend every day listening to music they – for a reason or another – don’t want to write about. So, stumbling upon a track that gets our juices flowing pretty much gives a meaning to our existence. It just happened with this song by very new NYC/Philly band Pink Murder. The synth pop trio plays a danceable version of what some critics of the 80s used to call "sophisti-pop," i.e. light but tasteful melodic music featuring a touch of soul and lounge influences. Many treats are to be found in this track, but Jennifer Pague’s beautifully full voice stands out by a mile. Her melody sounds as if it was cunjured up by a mddle easern siren, while the electronic production is intriguingly synchopated and textured, in pure 80’s disco pop style, but better. The band released their debut EP in November, you can listen to it here.
We added this song to The Deli’s playlist of Best Electronic songs by emerging NYC artists – check it out!
Weekend Warrior, February 6 – 8
Mr. Bones Relese Self-titled Debut Cassette
PDX garage pop outfit, Mr. Bones, release their self-titled cassette via Good Cheer Records.
The debut full-length opens up with “Lurch,” a track that runs just under a minute. The minimalistic intro starts with just vocals and guitar, then adds a lo-fi sample pad beat. It almost sounds like it could be a track from fellow PDX songsters The Morals.
As the album moves forward, things get louder and gnarlier, sonically and lyrically. Tracks like “Glaring at U” and the single, “You Don’t Have a Skull of Your Own” blast through your speakers, and straight into your heart. Straight until the end, Mr. Bones pair noise with catchy melodies, straddling the line between destruction and summer-pop.
Many of the lyrics, like the songs themselves, are stream-of-thought, and span subject matter such as looking at strangers on the internet (“Another Fucking Summer”), generic people, love, and loneliness.
The album feels like they recorded everything live in someone’s basement, which suits the rawness and excitement of the band. This grungy, DIY vibe gives each song an added sense of urgency and earnesty — a rare change of pace from the often-overproduced pop (etc) album. Seems like a perfect touch to release it on a cassette tape. They even have hand-written lyrics on the inside of the liner!
Guitarist and singer Leland Brehl comes from the punk side of the Portland music scene, which might help explain the emphasis on energy, over clarity. Expect driving guitars and crashing drums, with vocals JUST outside of the focal point throughout the album.
Overall it’s a pretty smash-and-grab album, with short, hard-hitting songs (and a few mellow ones interspersed) — the longest track on the album is just over three minutes, so things move quickly throughout, often ending abruptly and moving immediately to the next song/feeling. So if grunge-pop via punk is your jam, Mr Bones’ self-titled tape is definitely worth checking out. Also, an entire listen only takes about twenty five minutes — I bet you have that kind of time if you’re reading this.
Good Cheer Records is a new label from Blake Hickman (of KPSU) and Morgan Troper, and so far hosts only Mr. Bones and Teenspot in their lineup.
From the label: “The cassette is being released on February 10th, The band is playing an in store at Music Millenium at 6 PM that evening to celebrate the release. More info about our label can be found at www.goodcheerrecords.com”
Written by Chandler Strutz
Photo of Mr. Bones by Yousef Hatlani
Seen Live: Sky White Tiger at Baby’s All Right (02.05.2015)
Baby’s All Right was temporarily transported to another galaxy last night. That was because of Sky White Tiger‘s cosmic live show. The band’s performance is intense, and enhanced by their hypnotic songs, and Louis Schwadron’s confident vocals and stage presence. Two young ladies in futuristic costumes danced to the music, while weird shapes and images were projected on their bodies. The crowd seemed mesmerized by the whole performance, nodding their head like synchronized robots when the band played single “Child of Fire,” streamiing below. If you haven’t seen Sky White Tiger live yet, it is time to! – Maylis Personnaz – Photo by SARAH GRAHAM
Video Premiere: Homer Marrs and the Excellent Adventure
We are excited to premiere the new video from Homer Marrs and The Excellent Adventure, "It’s Amazing". The video was directed by Michael Azzato and features Gia Gunn from RuPaul’s Drag Race and several local queens.
The Next Generation of Chris Forsyth & The Solar Motel Band at JB’s Feb. 6
Chris Forsyth & The Solar Motel Band have been crafting some of the finest psych-rock-meets-art-rock jams coming out of Philly, and their live performances have also become must-attend events. Though I was sad to hear that guitarist Paul Saukeena (Spacin’, ex-Spooks) had left the band, it was comforting to learn that alien shredder Nick Millevoi has officially joined the group. Those of you who have been keeping up with the local avant-garde music scene should already know the talent that Millevoi possesses. So I’m excited to hear what the next generation of Chris Forsyth & The Solar Motel Band will sound like live this evening at Johnny Brenda’s where they’ll be supported by Baltimore’s Horse Lords and Chicago’s Mind Over Mirrors. Below is a taste of it from their session with Relix. Johnny Brenda’s, 1201 N. Frankford Ave., 9pm, $10, 21+ – Alexis V.
The Flag plays Baby’s All Right tonight (02.06)
It feels good to see Baby’s All Right book a show with some truly daring artists like Brooklyn’s electro expreimenter The Flag and UK’s wicked macabre rockers Algiers. Former member of These Are Powers and Antimagic, Ted McGrath (pictured) is now operating solo under The Flag’s moniker, offering a sparse, droney, often anguishing sound that often references the darkest corner of the post punk of the early 80s. Enlightned music fans shouldn’t miss this show.
