If there’s one thing Portland can seem to do right, it’s produce some fun lovin’, beer chuggin’, good ass garage rock. Today, the Deli is premiering two new, soon to be hit singles from a couple of the best garage acts in town, Melt and Mister Tang. Both bands share a member or two, but don’t think that makes them in any way the same.
Melt’s single, "Take a Walk," coming off their upcoming Fun House tape, takes a fuzzier surf route to the genre, with Jeff Tang’s vocals being refreshingly nostalgic to the genre’s predecessors.
"Where You Goin?," the Mister Tang track on the cassette of the same name, is grittier, more raw, and straight up rock n’ roll. Stone Tang delivers the lyrics frankly and unforgivingly in your face, drawing you in.
Both Mister Tang and Melt are also going on tour together in celebration of the tapes’ releases, which are both dropping within days of each other. To kick it all off, a show featuring both of them, the Deli Portland Emerging Artist of the Month nominees A Volcano and a famed special guest will be happening next week, March 10th, at the Liquor Store. Cassettes and tees will be available to fund the tour. It’ll be an auspiciously awesome situation for everyone involved, so be sure you’re there to witness it. You’d be Better Off Dead than missing it.
After winning a coveted Pew Fellowship, Mary Lattimore set out on an journey across the wide-open roads of America with a friend and her trusty but bulky 47-string Lyon & Healy harp. This adventure inspired the compositions that now make up her full-length album At the Dam, a name borrowed from Joan Didion’s essay about the Hoover Dam. The record is out today via Ghostly International, and you can help Lattimore celebrate its arrival tomorrow evening at PhilaMOCA. Kicking the night off will be garage-psych outfit Spacin’, who will be returning home from being on the road with Kurt Vile & The Violators. They’ll also be joined by the single gal synthpop project of New Zealander Annabel Alpers, otherwise known as Bachelorette. PhilaMOCA, 531 N. 12th St., 8pm, $12, All Ages – H.M. Kauffman
More places to hang this weekend…
Johnny Brenda’s (1201 N. Frankford Ave.) FRI Weekender, Hello Shark, SAT West Philadelphia Orchestra, Swift Technique, SUN Valley Exit, QQQ
Boot & Saddle (1131 S. Broad St.) FRI Joy Riding, Kiska, SAT Northern Arms
Kung Fu Necktie (1250 N. Front St.) FRI Evil Sword, Hallowed Bells/Cacciato, Chatty Kathy/DJ Deejay, SAT Ghostbeds/Jesse Tyler, SUN Cold Fronts
PhilaMOCA (531 N. 12th St.) SAT Mary Lattimore (Record Release), Spacin’, SUN Petal, The Superweaks
The Trocadero (1003 Arch St.) SAT Modern Titan, Initial Kick, Violence In Ascension, Scars Like These, SUN Beanie Sigel, Jahlil Beats
World Café Live (3025 Walnut St.) SAT (Upstairs) Welcome to Wonderland: A Soulidified Tribute to Stevie Wonder, SUN (12pm) (Upstairs Lizanne Knott (CD Release)
The Fire (412 W. Girard Ave.) FRI (6pm) Spill, Skyline The City / (10pm) Marv Mack, Anyee Wright, Hulitho, SAT HighKick, American Dinosaur, The Parameters, Paper Comets, SUN The Mad Splatter, Seeing Snakes
MilkBoy Philly (1100 Chestnut St.) FRI Ryan Tennis & The Clubhouse Band (Record Release), Looseleaf, Chickabiddy, SAT Night Windows, James Dukenfield, SUN The Sixties, RFA, Ceramic Animal
Ortlieb’s Lounge (847 N. 3rd St) FRI The Stammer, Hidden Lights, Polar Ice Cap, SAT Glitter, Chris Brooks
Silk City (435 Spring Garden St.) FRI DJ Dav, Reed Streets, SAT DJ Deejay, SUN Agent Zero
The Grape Room (105 Grape St.) FRI Tree Rats, Bohka, SAT Dorkosaurus, Sweet Eureka, The Raknoss
Bourbon & Branch (705 N. 2nd St.) FRI David Fantasy & Adult Content, LeBon LeBon, Muscle Tough, SAT Dear Forbidden (Record Release), Illinois, Siamese Sundown (Farewell Show), Nicky P, SUN John Kelsey, Echo Sun Ensemble
Ardmore Music Hall (23 E. Lancaster Ave.) FRI Splintered Sunlight, SAT Hurricane Hoss, SUN David Stone: The Johnny Cash Experience
First Unitarian Church (2125 Chestnut St.) SAT Pinkwash, The Spirit of The Beehive, Loose Tooth
Everybody Hits (529 W. Girard Ave.) FRI Static Mountain, Souldiers of Soul, R.R. Perkins
Today Day Wave releases his highly anticipated sophomore EP, Hard To Read via Grand Jury. Hard To Read was performed, produced, mixed and mastered by Day Wave directly to tape, and the result is a beautiful 5-track EP bursting with California sunshine. Packed with ethereal, lo-fi vocals, captivating hooks, and celestial guitars awash with subtle synths, Day Wave builds an entrancing sonic milieu that makes him one of the most exciting up-and-comers today.
Kahli Abdu’s Nigerian heritage shines in his music. Vibrant and engaging, it’s impossible to skip through his soundcloud library for fear of missing a beat, a vibe, a compelling lyric. Each track has its own power and mystery. From the brash funk of “Fear Fear Factory” to the uplifting flavors of “Festival,” Kahli melds rhythms and instrumentation into a new genre he has dubbed “World Electro.” Equal parts Fela Kuti and Wyclef Jean, there are cavalcades of polyrhythms marching forward to triumphant synth pads and sing along hooks to inspire your day. Kahli recently won the Hip Hop/Funk/World category of our Best of 2015 readers’ poll for emerging artists, and he’s currently in the studio churning out his debut album. We’ll be sure to keep you in the loop! – BrokeMc
Abi Reimold lets go of her everyday life, and finds her inner punk chicken(?) in her new music video for "Mask." The footage was directed by Jay Miller, capturing the universal feeling a lot of us experience in our daily lives and finds a humorous way to unmask what really lies underneath. Reimold will perform next in Philly, backed by a full band, on Tuesday, March 15 at Johnny Brenda’s supporting tour bud Curtis Cooper‘s album release. (Photo by Michael Ash Smith)
Evil Sword aids in accelerating the weirdness this evening at Kung Fu Necktie. Kate Ferencz‘s vocals and the mile-marking bass lines create a playful, haunting scenario. Those theatrically twisted tales narrated by Ferencz march through the narrow alleyways, gathering a following with its minstrel harkening bells and whistles. An eerie, tormenting backdrop taps at your door as the rhythm infiltrates your head, demanding participation; subconsciously, you’ll follow. Tonight, the space-altering, electro-synth soundscapes of Hallowed Bells provide a dreamy mind-cleanse needed as the week ends. Touring in support of their fresh full-length Songs from the Shoebox, The Snails headline churning enthusiastic rockers, peppered with precise, free-flowing instrumentation and soulful, etching vocals. Kung Fu Necktie, 1250 N. Front St., 7pm, $14 (Sold Out), 21+ – Michael Colavita
An ethereal combination of sounds goes the distance for Brandon Curtis’ (ex-Secret Machines) new project Cosmicide, who just finished a February residency at Pianos. If you managed to cautch one of the shows, you might then attest to the tonal high emitted from the gorgeous layering of sound, both instrumentally and vocally. With even catchier hooks, and an array of electronic production coating his brilliantly soothing voice, Curtis builds his own universe and sends you soaring through it. Driving rhythms and chugging lows set an undeniably moveable pace for the piercing aerial melodies. Lush synth is interwoven with warbled guitar modulation, which then meld into beautiful vocal harmonies, creating one rich chord for the entirety of the songs. This is one artist to keep an eye on in 2016, check out latest track "Everything’s Under the Waves." – JP Basileo
Modern Baseball premiered two songs yesterday from their forthcoming album Holy Ghost, over at NPR Music. The MB team is co-captained by songwriters Jake Ewald and Brendan Lukens, who will each be getting their own sides on the new record to sort through snapshots of their lives, working to make sense of it all. Ewald does so with the steady jogging pace of "Everyday," while Lukens goes the anthemic route with "Apple Cider, I Don’t Mind." Holy Ghost, which was produced by Joe Reinhart (The Headroom), is set to drop on May 13 via Run For Cover Records, and Modern Baseball is scheduled to head out on a girthy tour, with Thin Lips and Joyce Manor, that starts towards the end of May and will run into the beginning of July, with a stop home on Sunday, June 26 at The Fillmore.
Under the Big Oak Tree has all the makings of a solid bluegrass/folk collective, from dulcet vocal harmonies to mandolin flourishes and a foundational upright bass line. The trio’s latest album Local Honey—released early this year on Mudstomp Records—showcases these elements in a vibrant, lush sonic atmosphere. Find out more about the group in our Q&A with songwriter Simon Fink.
The Deli: Down and dirty: 1 sentence to describe your music.
Simon Fink: Rustic melodies; warm, tremulous singing; lyrics that tilt toward the literary: Gillian Welch, Dolly Parton, and Leonard Cohen walk in to a bar—or onto a front porch, maybe…
The Deli: Give me some background info on Under the Big Oak Tree.
Simon: About 4 years ago, I answered a Craigslist ad from a guitar player who wanted to start a bluegrass band for his daughter, who he said was learning to sing and and play guitar. From the sound of it, I pictured a guy with a 15-year-old daughter who wanted to be Taylor Swift. They turned out to be two of the nicest and most generous people I’ve ever met (Kristin Hamilton and Rocky Cathcart, who moved to Texas). As I got to know Kristin’s approach to singing, her voice became a great inspiration for new songs and arrangements. We added Doug Ward on bass pretty much immediately, who fit right in to what we were doing and helped expand on it.
The Deli: What inspires your music and songwriting? What is your songwriting process? Does one person write everything or is it collaborative?
Simon: I write most of the songs, and Doug contributes too. A lot of my inspiration comes from thinking about the sound and dramatic potential of the group—the voices and instruments. For me it’s all about the meaningful interaction between words and music that, in turn, creates something greater—the alchemy of songwriting. Though I don’t purposely avoid it, I don’t generally write from autobiography. Lyrics, for me, are an heightened kind of language. A lot of my reference points are in (written) poetry, and you can see the names of certain poets who served as inspiration in some of the song titles on the new album.
The Deli: What have been your greatest accomplishments as a band?
Simon: I think both of our albums are pretty darn good, and I’m proud of them. We still have a lot more to explore.
The Deli:Tell us about your newest album, Local Honey. What can listeners expect? What future plans do you have for getting your music out there?
Simon: Expect a genuine singing voice embedded in sweet, rootsy acousticness. People tend to instantly recognize a kind of welcoming wholesomeness in our music. I hope they hear that, and I hope they hear some of the richer, more challenging layers to the songs and ideas as well.
We’re based in St. Joe, but we hope to get the word out and play more in KC and Lawrence.
The Deli: What does supporting local music mean to you?
Simon: I’m not a huge fan of that phrase because it makes it sound like one more grim duty (“Eat your vegetables.”), when, in fact, participating in music—especially “locally”—is essentially joyous and enlivening. There was a well-known ethno-musicologist in the ‘70s who found that worldwide and across cultures, people’s peak life experiences tended to have one thing in common: music. I’m always heartened by the people, especially non-musicians, who feel like they get something out of our shows and recordings.
I do worry that many people don’t seem have a place in their life to really listen anymore. When I read profiles of great contemporary thinkers and doers, their response to, “What are you listening to?” is so often a podcast or audio book. The status of music kind of peaked with the Romantics. In the 19th century, it was considered the greatest and most vital of all art forms. Now, music for its own sake (apart from film, TV, commercials, etc.) no longer seems to fit into our lives so well—and yet that’s exactly why it’s still so essential.
The music industry is a mess at the moment. But every community needs dedicated, local musicians. Individual fans can help by pitching in to ad hoc crowdfunding campaigns, etc., but it’s hard to imagine a local scene of quality and consequence really being sustained that way.
The Deli: Who are your favorite local musicians right now? Non-local?
The Deli: What is your ultimate fantasy concert bill to play on?
Simon: Opening for Bob Dylan. Accompanied by the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra. On a tour of great American National Parks. Sunrise and sunset shows. Staging by Julie Taymor. Cloud-scape by Vik Muniz. Free admission and snacks. And bourbon.
The Deli: A music-themed Mount Rushmore. What four faces are you putting up there and why?
Simon: Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash, Robert Johnson, Lou Reed: some of my favorite American songwriters.
The Deli: What other goals do you have for 2016 and beyond?
Simon: Record some live videos of the band; start a sponsored concert series; collaborate with local musicians on a project of new songs about St. Joe, MO; facilitate a collaboration between the KC folk and classical scenes; get an intern; get our music out to as many people as will listen and win you over as a UBOT fan. Yes, YOU, dear reader.
The Deli: Always go out on a high note. Any last words of wisdom for the Deli audience?
Simon: I have tried to write paradise
Do not move
Let the wind speak
that is paradise
-Ezra Pound
(mic drop…)
You’re in luck—Under the Big Oak Tree will be playing this weekend in Lawrence. Catch them at The Bottleneck on Saturday night with Kelly Hunt and Kansas City Hustle. Music starts at 9:00 pm. Facebook event page.
A good beat and some sick rhymes. When the search for a banger becomes a more arduous task than need be, these two key elements can make or break a song. Thankfully, The Last Artful, Dodgr isn’t green to what makes a hot track. Pigeons and Planes premiered the first release she’s had since the Fracture’s EP this past Tuesday. "Squadron" also happens to be The Last Artful, Dodgr’s first music video. Her raspy tone hijacks Australian producer WNTD‘s beat in this nod to your #squad, but the whole package is one worthy of playing on repeat. It’s the most fire two minutes you’ll hear today, and the video will make you want to roll one up.
Gretta Rochelle and Jack Armondo working on the dark electro-pop sound of My Gold Mask since 2009. On their latest album, dropping today, March 4th, on Moon Sounds Records, Anxious Utopia, the duo may have finally found perfection. It may be the addition of James Andrews on production, but most of the songs on the album were written by Armondo and Rochelle. This album is a mixture of dance pop in the vain of Carly Rae Jepsen and dark gothic pop of Siouxsie Sioux. Rochelle is powerful and commanding through out with Armondo and Andrews providing her driving and infectious club ready tracks. Anxious Utopia is My Gold Mask clearly firing on all cylinders.
Yasss – what a nice surpise! Here’s a new EP, III (Wilsuns RC/Static Shock Records), from garage-punks and former Deli Philly Artist of the Year, Sheer Mag. Starting tomorrow, the band will be spending most of its spring into summer on the road with stops at Coachella and Primavera Sound – DANG. And you can catch them back in town again on Tuesday, April 12 at DIY space Vox Populi, because that’s how Philly rolls. You can also check out Sheer Mag’s new music video for the track "Nobody’s Baby," which was directed by Nancy Shirley.
