The CMJ Music Marathon is just a week away (bloody hell, not sure we trained hard enough for it this year…), and The Deli as always will focus its attention away from the bands everybody wants to see, to highlight instead those that too many will miss: the so called "emerging artists." NYC Wild Pink definitely belongs to the category, having released their debut, five track EP ‘Good Life‘ this past June – although they were obviously on Pianos radar earlier than that. It’s an electric record that (unexpectedly enough) does NOT quote Pavement nor Dinosaur Jr nor the grunge invasion of the ’90s – the trio deserves one thumb up just for that. We hear a little bit of early Modest Mouse and Guided by Voices’ earnest attitude here and there, but it’s an overall interesting release, full of raw intensity and not afraid to slow down the tempo, like in tracks "Good Life" and River "Run RX." But since upbeat stuff is what most people want, we’ll stream opening single "Is This Hotel Haunted?". Wild Pink will be performing at Lit Lounge (which apparently isn’t closing anymore) on October 14th.

Musicans have always strived to capture the primacy of human experience — some using tried and true approaches while others play with the strange and eccentric. But for the chamber group Inner Ecstasy, communicating felt truths often involves balancing the classical with the experimental, harnessing the provocative spirits of music’s golden age and its avant-garde. Isaac Takeuchi, Vicki Scotto, and brothers Steve and Gabriel Armenta pull from influences spanning centuries apart — from Johann Sebastian Bach and Philip Glass to The Velvet Underground and Sonic Youth — wielding the harmonious and the dissonant to chronicle the voyage of raw emotion.

After a first show at the inaugural LAB•FEST in 2013, Inner Ecstasy signed to DIY label Noise Met Sound, where they released their first EP and went on to play with acts like Liphemra and Bür Gür. The group has been strong advocates of the DIY music/arts community, supporting venues like the LA Fort and LAST Projects in the past years.

Inner Ecstasy plays an all-ages show tomorrow at the Ave. 50 Studio in Highland Park with Sean Pineda, Voice on Tape, Austin’s dream pop noir duo Technicolor Hearts, and Los Angeles post-rock Young Lovers. Listen to the haunting "Ascension" below and come to the show tomorrow; doors open at 6 PM. – Ryan Mo

The beginning of October is sign for shorter days, chillier nights, and pumpkin spiced everythings, but down here it’s still hot as hell. And tonight it’s only gonna get hotter, louder, and chiller: turn up and get sweaty in the walls of vintage equipment store and supporting venue Timewarp Records as two recent Deli features, Hillary Chillton and Crescendo, welcome San Francisco’s summer-eyed Hot Flash Heat Wave. The Bay Area baes wrap up their West Coast tour this weekend, celebrating the release of the sunbathing Neapolitan LP with two back-to-back shows in Santa Monica and Fullerton (@ The Continental Room with BURGER RECORDS’ well-done lineup).

The event moved venues from The Heart of Art Gallery, after an incident of vandalism in late August prompted the space to shut down. SFV’s trillest emo-soul trio The Unending Thread unfortunately had to pull out as well — big ups to their guitarist/vocalist Cesar Alas, who co-organized the event! Listen to "Malibu" straight off HFHW’s Neapolitan below. Doors open 8:30 PM, $8 admission to help the music fam. – Ryan Mo

We are fans of Gabrielle Smith’s Eskimeaux, a band that plays what we would call "very reletable" indie pop with folky tinges. After all, what’s more "reletable" than the cozy feeling of wearing socks and sandals with a simple summer dress, while rocking out on stage? They just released this fun video for their latest single "Broken Neck," which was picked up by NPR! The band is also playing at Baby’s Allright, tonight (10.02).