Big Shifter is a quartet based in NJ and NYC playing a dense brand of alt rock with a dreamy edge in the vocals and occasional prog references. The group released their debut album ‘Mantra‘ in 2014, check out our favorite single "Chloe" streaming below, and – if you connect – don’t miss them live at The Bitter End on 06.20.
Philadelphia
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Debut Christopher Brooks LP Available for Streaming & Purchase
Folk singer-songwriter Christopher Brooks (formerly of Conversations With Enemies and The Wayfairs) just released his debut self-titled LP. It was recorded at Headroom Studio with Kyle Pulley and Joe Reinhart. Brooks also brought together local music pals like Hop Along‘s Frances Quinlan, Mark Quinlan, and Alex Smith (American Babies, ex-Cold Fronts) to help out and back him on the recordings.
NYC
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June Artist of the Month: Brooklyn Rye
Congrats to our June Artist of the Month, Brooklyn Rye! This new blues-influenced rock/pop group is fairly to the KC/Lawrence scene, making its live debut earlier this year. Find out more about the band and see what they have coming up.
The Deli: Down and dirty: one sentence to describe your music.
Brooklyn Rye: Time warped rock & roll best paired with a good whiskey.
The Deli: Give me some background on Brooklyn Rye. How did the band come to be?
Brooklyn Rye: The band started nameless in the dormitories of a small junior college in southeastern Kansas. Zach Dodson, Branden Moser, and Steven Bauer passed the time by creating simple progression songs with melodies that usually piqued the humor of the group. Bauer and Moser continued writing songs in this fashion before forming their first band in summer 2014. Kyle Babson had played with a group of friends in college and had toured the Midwest before meeting Bauer, Moser, and Dodson. On the search for a female vocalist Moser found Grace Griffin, who had been a solo singer-songwriter looking to collaborate with other musicians around the Kansas City area. Then we started jamming and haven’t stopped.
The Deli: What inspires your music and songwriting?
Brooklyn Rye:Life, love, loss, hope, sex. We write about what everybody feels and goes through in their life. We just tell our side of the story. We try to always push each other out of our comfort zones and try to create something that has parts of all of us. A Frankenstein of music roaming the streets of Kansas City.
The Deli: What have been your greatest accomplishments as a band?
Brooklyn Rye: We feel that being able to play music everyday with your best friends and share that music is our greatest feat. We are just lucky enough to have the opportunity. But we are honored to receive the Deli KC’s Emerging Artist of the Month.
The Deli: Do you have any recorded music or anything in the works? What can we expect?
Brooklyn Rye: We have released two demo tracks (“Demon Shake” and “Hangman”). We have an EP in the works without a release date at the moment but probably winter/spring . In the meantime, we are branching out later this summer/fall to continue pushing our own boundaries and road test new songs for the record. We adore playing live so we just try to work sessions around that.
The Deli: What does supporting local music mean to you?
Brooklyn Rye: In Kansas City alone, there are hundreds of bands that go unnoticed that have a great deal of talent. This city has so much to tell the world, and Kansas City’s choice of medium just happens to be song, which is pretty damn cool. We like to believe in the underdog and that you can make music and be seen and heard no matter where you’re from.
The Deli: Who are your favorite local musicians right now?
Brooklyn Rye: Grand Villanova, Me Like Bees, Scruffy and The Janitors, Radkey, and the other bands in the poll with us.
The Deli: What is your ultimate fantasy concert bill to play on?
Brooklyn Rye: The ‘69 Woodstock bill would be pretty rad.
The Deli: A music-themed Mount Rushmore. What four faces are you putting up there and why?
Branden Moser: That’s impossible. I’d put the other four members of our band on there. They’re pretty good looking and would provide great overseers for the people of South Dakota.
The Deli: What goals does Brooklyn Rye have for 2015, and beyond?
Brooklyn Rye: Recordings, festivals, gigs—anything we can get our hands on. We want to fully immerse ourselves in music.
The Deli: Where can we find you on the web?
Brooklyn Rye: www.brooklynrye.fm
The Deli: Always go out on a high note. Any last words of wisdom for the Deli audience?
Brooklyn Rye: Stay hydrated and ration the use of selfie sticks, people.
Brooklyn Rye is:
Steven Bauer: vocals
Kyle Babson: bass, guitar
Zach Dodson: drums
Grace Griffin: vocals
Branden Moser: guitar
–Michelle Bacon
Michelle Bacon is editor of The Deli KC and plays in bands.
Nashville
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Catch Midnight Pilot at Stone Fox 6.18
"Give me what you gave to him, and I’ll be fine," Midnight Pilot’s Grant Geertsma sings the title line of the opening track of their debut album with a plainitive hopefulness. It’s a reminder that love is sometimes a lonely place, and a fine first impression for the band. The album dropped May 5th, and has been making rounds on the blogosphere for its masterful production and rich blend of Americana and straightforward rock and roll. The four boys from West Michigan have been calling Nashville home for a few years, but there is a distinct Middle-America quality that remains in their music. The album so well-rounded and organic that you almost want to plant it to see if something grows. Of course, that would be a waste of very good vinyl. So, instead of burying a record in the dirt, go see Midnight Pilot this Thursday at the Stone Fox. The whole lineup is pretty stellar: newly-minted Yankee Blood (formerly Kelly Ruth,) Billy Crescendo and Juliana are rounding out the evening. You’ll be hard-pressed to find a better show that night, especially one for $5. Get more info about the night HERE, and while you’re clicking links, check out Midnight Pilot at www.midnightpilot.com. -Terra James-Jura
NYC
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Clean up at Dirty Laundry TV’s Summer Fest 6.21.15
2k15’s summer fest game is getting stronger by the week: indie music web series Dirty Laundry TV hosts its own Summer Fest, happening this Sunday from 1:30 PM till 12 AM at The Satellite.
Mainstage performers include triple-threat Rob Zabrecky + members of Possum Dixon, Mike Watt & The Missingmen, Colleen Green, Kera and The Lesbians, Deep Fields, and more, with Sunshine Mind and Gateway Drugs just recently added on.
There will also be an acoustic side stage featuring Samira of Winter, Nima of So Many Wizards, Los Angeles Police Department, Bobby T. and the Slackers, and Joel Jerome, to name a few.
And last but not least, your event DJs Andrew King (Crystal Antlers), Mariana Timony (Lo-Pie), and McAllister (KXLU 88.9 FM) will round out the moshpit and dance floor all day and night.
This event has NO advance sales; tickets are $10 before 6 PM and $12 after. Yes, you’ll get in, especially if you come out in the daytime (but not if you’re under 21). There will also be a swap meet with local vendors and labels like Danger Collective Records and Porch Party Records, and food by HACHÉ LA —best burgers imo.
Not sure who’s on the list/too lazy to look them up? Hype yourself with Dirty Laundry’s Spotify playlist of Summer Fest artists!
About Dirty Laundry TV: created in August 9, 2009, Dirty Laundry TV started as laundromat interviews with bands like The Pains of Being Pure At Heart, Local Natives, Warpaint, Surfer Blood, and more.It has since grown to include curated shows at local venues, compilation releases, event coverage, and general Los Angeles badassery. – Ryan Mo
New England
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The Foresters (CT) Release New Single: “Machines”
Today, Bethany, CT’s (yes, I had to look it up on Google Maps too) The Foresters released their latest single, "Machines", off of their upcoming record Sun Songs. The track starts off with a guitar riff reminiscent of Queens of the Stone Age, before launching into more of a dance-rock tune for the remainder of the song. "Machines" carries an intense energy thorughout its duration, compelling the listener to grab a tambourine and join in the dance party. The group have a string of dates booked throughout July (mostly in CT), but hopefully they’ll consider a couple of shows further north.
For more info about the band, click here.
-Dan McMahon (@dmcmhn)
Philadelphia
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New The Writhing Squares 7″ Available for Streaming & Purchase
The Writhing Squares, a.k.a. Kevin Nickles and Daniel Provenzano, have released a fresh 7" "Gemini Blues"/"Streetlight Nightmare." "Gemini Blues" uses a synth generating a spacey atmosphere before assertively marching forward, led by an ominous bass and the shuffling swooshes of tambourine. "Streetlight Nightmare" intertwines that onslaught of bass and percussion, incorporating that stargazing synth and injecting a focused fortification of saxophone, demonstrating the duo’s multi-genre sound. You can stream and purchase both tracks below.
NYC
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NYC synth-pop artist on the rise: EVVY, live at LPR on 07.09
Evvy is yet another NYC based synth-pop solo act that’s finding online love (as in, online fans). Her self-titled debut EP, released in mid 2014, features breezy melodies, easy listening production values, and lyrics about young love and heartbreak. After playing a free Northside party at Baby’s All Right on June 12, EVVY is scheduled to perform at Le Poisson Rouge on July 9th.
San Francisco
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n.Lannon Releases New Single – Another Love
The San Francisco based indie balladeer, n.Lannon has released a new single entitled, Another Love from his third upcoming full length album, Falling Inside. Falling Inside is due out on June 23rd on Badman Recording Co, and we’re excited to share this new single to encourage a stir of anticipation for his new collection of music. n.Lannon is so good at creating a full cauldron of tastefully attractive love songs. His music could be compared to Julian Casablancas and Ariel Pink, but n.Lannon has a slightly quieter, traditional take on indie alt music. This new track is lovely and we recommend you take a listen.
"Another Love captures the anxiety I was feeling right before my daughter Olive was born," explains Lannon. "I was having a hard time imagining what it was going to be like bringing another human into the world; did we have enough love, did we have what it was going to take mentally, physically and financially? I was looking answers, clues, trying to prepare, but I never felt totally ready – far from that really! Of course, it didn’t matter – she was born, and now I can’t imagine the world without her."
NYC
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The Othermen bring their manic psych garage to Union Pool on 06.18
Notwithstanding their growing popularity, since their early days, Garage Rock and its younger brother Punk seem to have lost much of their subversiveness and wildly provocative iconography. This may be due to the fact that the newer generations of musicians haven’t been radical enough to go all-in into anarchic politics and dangerous rock’n’roll ‘lifestyle.’ As a consequence, it’s been hard to find new punk or garage records that matched the intensity of those pioneers, who were literally walking the line between survival and overdose while producing masterpieces like ‘Fun House’ and ‘Never Mind the Bollocks.’ NYC ‘s The Othermen, with their latest, insane sounding ‘(Do The) Stand Still’ three song EP, get as close as humanly possible to the raw, manic power of those records, while at once injecting a 60’s psychedelic vein into that sound, courtesy of Kayla Asbell’s organ. Their abrasive tracks are dominated by the distorted bass’ grating, higher overtones, while the sublimely demonic vocals of guitarist Max Frechette alternate rough melodic sections with sudden, devilish screams. If the EP’s title-track below doesn’t scare you away, you may want to check The Othermen live at Union Pool on June 16.
Chicago
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sewingneedle
Aerial Ballet Records and Already Dead Tapes have come together to release the debut LP from sewingneedle, Vote of No Confidence. The plays a straightforward brand of indie rock with a little beer and grit mixed in. Speaking of beer, the local brewery Spiteful released a Double IPA also called Vote of No Confidence to commemorate the albums release. Grab a can if you can find it!
Philadelphia
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Alex G Opening for Unknown Mortal Orchestra at Boot & Saddle June 16 & 17
Alex G’s music finds that special way of washing over you, embodying that up close bedroom approach. The lo-fi melodics and his brand of simple yet twisting narrative lyricism create a welcoming personal sound that’s hypnotically soothing while occupying a somewhat warped headspace. It can be densely layered while creating an airy cathartic experience, floating as it spaces out and still connects to home. Over the next two nights at Boot & Saddle, the former The Deli Philly’s Year End Readers’/Fans’ Poll Winner opens a pair of sold-out shows for Unknown Mortal Orchestra, whose new record is a melting pot of synth-friendly R&Bthat takes a hold of you while still exploring a psychedelic side. Boot & Saddle, 1131 S. Broad St., 8pm, $15 (Sold Out), 21+ – Michael Colavita