While New York City stands as punk rock’s birthplace, neighboring New Jersey has certainly contributed to that genre’s gritty sound. The Garden State may be known for established acts like Springsteen and Bon Jovi, but power-punkers Lost In Society find muse in early era punk and 90’s grunge. New single “I Want To Know” successfully touches those two bases in a concise two plus minutes. While the intro’s mid-tempo drum rolls and emphatic guitar chords suggest a classic power trio, subsequent tempo shift to a much quicker pace establishes meaner intentions. Verses come fast and hard and tell the story of working class people barely getting by “check by check” and “sinking down to a hopeless debt.” With the chorus initially (and conveniently) namechecking the song title, the next lines echo the best of Nirvana in cadence tandem with lyrics “when you take what you get and you don’t look back, do you feel no regret, do you really keep check?” Their full length record ‘Modern Illusions’ (produced by Pete Steinkopf, guitarist of The Bouncing Souls) is set for release on February 26th. Live shows will happen at Saint Vitus in Brooklyn, NY on February 25th and Convention Hall in their hometown (Asbury Park, NJ) on February 26th. – Dave Cromwell
New Lyric Music Video: “This Ecstatic Cult” (Feat. Killer Mike) – Lushlife + CSLSX
Check out the new lyric video from Lushlife + CSLSX for the "This Ecstatic Cult" featuring Killer Mike! For visuals, they recruited Philly grafitti artist GRIMGRIMGRIM to provide the lettering and artwork. Keep a look out for Ritualize, which will be dropping next week on Friday, February 19 via Western Vinyl.
Alright Panther @ Mutiny
Alright Panther released their latest EP, OOZE, last month digitally and on green cassette.
You can catch Alright Panther at The Mutiny ( 2428 N Western Ave) on Feb 19th with Mystery Crash, Dimwaves, and Johnny Snotlocker Wilson for just $5 donation. Photo by: Dan Javis of Midwest Action
Mr. Bones’ share new single, “12”
We’re fans of Mr. Bones at the Deli. Who wouldn’t be? We covered their debut cassette back in February of last year and the first single they shared from their upcoming sophomore effort, due one year after their debut at the end of February. Bites is dropping on the 26th on Good Cheer Records, with the first track off it, "12," premiering on Paste a few days ago. "12" is reminiscent of alternative indie rock from the late 90’s mixed with their already addictive lo-fi fuzz pop. It’s either a song about love or a song about confusion, but either way, it’s a song to be enjoyed. Listen below.
-Cervante Pope
New Music Video: “Noonewanna” – NAH
Approach the hyper-speed torrent of immediacy of NAH’s "Noonewanna" from multiple angles through this Phil Rudich video. Establishing an entangling/alarming vibe, the song found on the January 2016 release (recorded in Brussels, Belgium) hits immediately. Cassettes of the release are in their pre-order stage via Ranch Records. (Photo by Phil Rudich)
New Track: “Dial Tone” – Grubby Little Hands
“Dial Tone,” the first single issued off Grubby Little Hands‘s forthcoming LP Garden Party, transports you onto a hypnotic psych-pop pillow. Recently signed to Lefse Records (who will be releasing the album on April 29), the song teases the makings of an engrossing collection of tracks with its Tame Impala-esque tone. Catch the band this Saturday, February 13, alongside the cerebral sounds of Grandchildren and The Orange Drop.
Studio Spotlight: Pablo San Martin
Most of the time, The Deli focuses on the immense talent of the performers in the New England region, but what about the people controlling the knobs and microphones, working hard to make sure the performers sound their best? I decided to turn the spotlight behind the mixing-board for once and shine a little light on a (currently) local engineer & producer, Pablo San Martin.
Born in London, growing-up in Chile, and studying sound engineering in France, Boston-based recording engineer and producer Pablo San Martin has been interested in recording music for over a decade. “I started playing drums with a metal band when I was 13 years old”, says San Martin. “…I was that nerd in the band that thought the best thing to do was to do it on our own. I started recording my band and realizing that the world of recording and production was extremely varied and I enjoyed it more than playing drums. I’ve always liked heavy and deep sounds, that’s when I started to get into electronic music.”
San Martin currently has a studio inside M-Works Mastering in Cambridge, where he does most of his work. He has helped a variety of artists on different projects both locally and through collaborations abroad. “I keep a close relationship with some of my clients from Europe”, says San Martin. “[T]hey actually do come to the USA to work with me–which is amazing!”
For more info on Pablo and his studio, visit his website.
-Dan McMahon (@dmcmhn)
The Walking Sticks are The Deli DC’s Best Emerging Artist of 2015! 2nd California Death! 3rd Manzara!
Dear Deli Readers,
Our Best of DC Area Poll for Emerging Artists has been – as usual – a lengthy and painstaking journey which took us through prairies of numbers, horizons filled with band names, and a dense, (mostly) joyous rain of music. We have finally reached our destination and we can announce the final results!
Coming in first for 2015 is DC’s premier velvet pop trio The Walking Sticks. Comprised of outstanding vocalist Chelsea Lee and brothers Spencer and Max Ernst, this group possesses a standout electronic base layered with funk and the stadium-quality voice of a siren. They have a show tomorrow night, 2/10, with Wylder and Tigers Are Bad For Horses at the W Hotel.
Barely a year out from releasing their first LP, Richmond psych rockers California Death landed at number two. Mellow and dreamy, this quintet makes a splash with their beachy, lo-fi shoegaze music in the Old Dominion. Nostalgic and feel-good, these guys have a show at Gallery 5, 2/28.
Number three on the list, Manzara lays out their heavy, atmospheric post rock to great aplomb, also hailing from Richmond. This spacy and mystifying threepiece doesn’t have much music on the books, but keep an eye on them as they build their following. Their next gig is at the Hardywood Brewing Company, 2/20.
Check out our poll’s top ten below, and don’t forget to get even deeper, exploring all the finalists organized by genre:
Alt Rock – Hardcore/Metal – Hip Hop/World – Electronic – Indie Pop – Indie Rock – Post Punk – Roots Music
|
BEST OF 2015 POLL FOR |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
—
If you wonder how this chart came into existence, here is how it all went down: first, we let the local bands submit their music (for free), and got our Deli editors to pick the nominees. Then we polled a list of 15+ DC Area scene expert (our jury) and asked them to nominate 3 more bands of their choice each (3 points for the top choice, then 2 and 1). Then we polled our readers. We tried to keep things open for each single genre, from Indie Rock to Roots Music to Hip Hop.
If you are a geek interested in all the subtleties related to how this poll works, you can read the rules here (happy reading!). But if all you care about is the awesome new music DC Area produced in the year 2015, this list is all you need. Enjoy!
Many Thanks to our Jurors: Josh Sisk (photographer), Craig Boarman (Ottobar), Brandon Wetherbee (Brightest Young Things), Alley Gibson (photographer), Lynda Lu (DC Rocks), Mike Rutz (WRIR), Katie Bowles (DC Music Download), Andrew Cothern (RVA Paylist), Chris (DC Heavy Metal), Jennifer Vinson (DC Setlist), Nestor (Velvet Lounge), Mark (Strange Matter), David Hintz (DC Rock Live), Kevin Hill (Chunky Glasses), Chris Naoum (Listen Local First), Jonathan Goodwin (The Deli Magazine). Many other jurors were asked to send us their preferences but elected not to do so.
Hope you’ll find some awesome new artists you weren’t aware of!
The Deli’s Staff
Cat Hoch is The Deli Portland’s Best Emerging Artist of 2015! 2nd The Domestics 3rd Golden Hour
Deli Readers,
Our Best of Portland Poll for Emerging Artists has been – as usual – a lengthy and painstaking journey which took us through prairies of numbers, horizons filled with band names, and a dense, (mostly) joyous rain of music. We have finally reached our destination and we can announce the final results!
All of us at the Deli would like to congratulate Cat Hoch for becoming The Deli Portland’s Best Emerging Artist of 2015! It doesn’t come as much of a surprise, though, as Cat’s indelible musical footprint even landed her the opening spot for Ride’s performance in Portland last year. She’s talented, as is her supporting band, and she’ll without a doubt keep dishing out incredible, dreamy psychedelia for the enjoyment of the masses.
—
The Domestics – after winning this same poll last year, when their full length debut album hadn’t been released yet – ring in our #2 slot, with their fun and loveable rock-pop. They’ve got a mass appeal and an easy to enjoy sound, so much so that it landed them on last year’s PDX Pop Now! festial compilation album, along with our top spotter Cat Hoch (and a performance at the fest along with our 3rd place winner).
—
Round out our top 3 is DIY/post punk trio Golden Hour, comprised of wonderfully endearing ladies who produce songs that are just as captivating. Almost out of nowhere, Golden Hour sprung up on the scene, dominating every show they’ve played so far with a charming humbleness. The Don’t Be Cute LP came out in February of last year and we’re hoping to get another release from these lovelies soon.
—
Check out our poll’s top 15 below, and don’t forget to get even deeper, exploring all the finalists organized by genre:
ALT-ROCK/METAL | ELECTRONIC | INDIE-POP | INDIE-ROCK | PSYCH | PUNK/GARAGE | ROOTS
|
BEST OF 2015 POLL FOR EMERGING Portland ARTISTS |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
—
If you wonder how this chart came into existence, here is how it all went down: first, we let the local bands submit their music (for free), and got our Deli editors to pick the nominees. Then we polled a list of 15+ Portland scene expert (our jury) and asked them to nominate 3 more bands of their choice each (3 points for the top choice, then 2 and 1). Then we polled our readers. We tried to keep things open for each single genre, from Indie Rock to Roots Music to Hip Hop.
If you are a geek interested in all the subtelties related to how this poll works, you can read its rules here (happy reading!). But if all you care about is the awesome new music Portland produced in the year 2015, this list is all you need. Enjoy!
Many Thanks to our Jurors: Aaron Sharpsteen (SSG Music), Ana Ammann (Publisher for Oregon Music News), Annie Ostrowski (Riot Act Media), Chad Davis (music video director), Duffy Rongiiland (Gnar Tapes), Heather Hanson (Portland Radio Project), Hunter Skowron (Dazzleship Records), Jeni Wren Stottrup (Portland Mercury), Linneas Boland-Godbey (Vortex Mag), Mac Pogue (Impose Magazine), Meagan Ruyle (PDX Pop Now!), Noelle Magia (CD Baby), Rob Cullivan (Portland Tribune), Todd Walberg (show photographer), Tony Prato (Bunk Bar), Travis Leipzig (Noise & Color), Yousef Hatlani (Faces on the Radio).
Hope you’ll find some awesome new artists you weren’t aware of!
The Deli’s Staff
PREMIERE: Human Ottoman – “YDKWH”
Opposing the conventional instrumental makeup of a band, Human Ottoman devise lively musicanship with Susan Lucia on drums, Grayson Fiske on vibraphone and Matthew Cartmill on cello. The three met each other in college and their shared interest in mingled measures resulted in a self released album, 2014’s Independent Music Award winning Power Baby, and the single they’re bringing to you today. "YDKWH" (standing for "you don’t know what’s happening") is a crazed, frenetic expression of each member’s individual talent. With a video just as vibrantly chaotic as the song itself, Human Ottoman kill it. You can see for yourself with the debut of their new video below, and check out the album it comes off of, Farang.
-Cervante Pope
Eskimeaux unveils ‘Power’ from upcoming EP + plays Market Hotel on 02.26
The recording project of songwriter and producer Gabrielle Smith, Eskimeaux began in 2007 as an outlet for her experimental and noisy home-recordings and later, within Brooklyn collective of musicians The Epoch, developed into a more structured folky tinged pop. Smith’s latest full-length album, "O.K." was called the #1 record of the year by the U.K. blog GoldFlakePaint, and was featured in NPR’s All Songs Considered’s Top 10 albums of 2015 – which it ain’t bad if you ask us. The artist just announced a new EP entitled "Year of the Rabbit," scheduled to be released on April 15. Check out single ‘Power’ below. The band will be also touring the US with Frankie Cosmos and Yowler in the spring, but New Yorkers will be able to catch it live at Market Hotel on February 26th.
Goth Babe wastes no time on new EP, performs at 5 Spot this Friday (02.12)
Wasted Time, the new EP by Goth Babe, is a fast-paced fuzz bomb brimming with the kind of youthful urgency that you can only feel when you have all the time in the world and you’re afraid of blowing it. The Bandcamp page mentions that these songs were written by leading man Griffin Washburn in his dorm room at local band incubator MTSU, and it shows in all the best ways. You can hear that Washburn is all about that Nashville garage sound but not yet entrenched in it, and that gives the five crunchy nuggets on this EP a fresh perspective while still keeping a tight focus.
Stream the EP below and check out Goth Babe at the 5 Spot this Friday, February 12. –Austin Phy