New Music, Emerging from your Local Scene
DC based Black Masala continues lighting up venues across the DMV with their signature blend of Eastern European Dixie funk. Think polka and funk make strange bedfellows? Think Again! With a mix of screaming brass, strong guitar/bass riffs, and frenetic singing, the 9-piece band brings the funk to every show. And with two albums and counting, the band just keeps on moving forward.
Catch Black Masala January 27th at the New Deal Café in Greenbelt, MD, or February 18th at Big Chief in DC.
In their recent sophomore LP ‘Illuminate Your Room,’ Staten Island’s slack rockers Bueno display a knack for unique story telling sung over a perfect mixture of sloppy-yet-organized instrumentation. If that brief description, and the band’s self congrutalory name, aren’t enough to convince you of their goodness, it may impress you the fact that these guys, after an east coast tour in the fall of 2016, are starting off the new year right, with what appears to be a three date residency at Shea Stadium on January 14th and the 26th, and on February 4th. – Joeclyn Huggler
The Shivers, the project of songwriter Keith Zarriello, have been playing around New York since 2001, releasing their arresting, 19 tracks debut album ‘Charades‘ in 2004 (The Deli interviewed them back in 2010). They’re coming into 2017 with a fresh start after a brief hiatus and a lineup change that now sees Zariello playing solo, with a rotating cast of guests. A favorite of bands such as Deer Tick and celebrities like Aaron Paul and Rose McIver, the band has been consistently delivering mesmerizing and soulful songs that feel truly timeless – don’t miss break out single ‘Beauty.’ You’ll find in them the introspective thoughtfulness of Leonard Cohen and occasional departures in more experimental directions. Their latest album ‘Forever Is A Word‘ was released in 2015 and features single ‘Puppy Dog’ (streaming).
On February 18, The Shivers will perform at Music Hall of Williamsburg with opening acts Max Jury, Ashni, and Ben Talmi. A portion of ticket sales from the event will go towards The Jed Foundation, a national nonprofit dedicated to protecting the emotional health of teens and young adults across America. – Will Sisskind
We’re excited to premiere folk artist, Chase McBride’s new music video for the single, On the Other Side from his upcoming album, Cold Water!
San Francisco singer-songwriter, Chase McBride announces his arrival as a rising west-coast folk artist with the release of his third full-length album, Cold Water on January 18, 2017. Independently recorded and produced by French Cassettes’ Mackenzie Bunch and Scott Huerta, the album is comprised of live, full band performances of songs written in the wake of a heartbreak. Fans of Dawes, Vetiver, and Sean Hayes will enjoy McBride’s confessional lyrics, understated instrumental arrangements and earnest vocals.
"This collection of songs was written after a jarring shift in my life. I had a lot of plans and a lot of comforts prior to that terminus, and the reality of starting from scratch at the age of 27 was painful. At the time, I thought it was wholly bad. Now I see that it was wholly good." -Chase McBride
Don’t miss Chase’s live performance in San Francisco at Amnesia on January 22nd!
Shannen Moser‘s new LP, Oh, My Heart, rekindles her personal-threaded folk, creating reflective anecdotes that dig into the earnest environment. While acoustic guitar serves as the instrumental foundation, accents of keys, cello and trumpet aid in accentuating a vivid atmosphere. The album was recorded/mixed/mastered by Eric Muth at The Enscoe’s Barn in Earlville, NY and The Knife Lair in Philly. Moser is slated to perform at Kung Fu Necktie on Tuesday, January 17 with Endless Mike and The Beagle Club, Maxwell Stern, and Spenser Colmbs.
Few band names are more accurate than NYC’s Dizzyride. The band’s unique combination of dream pop, electro and soul music takes listeners on a wild ride that is bound to disorient in the best way possible. "Soundtrack," a single off of their forthcoming debut LP, feels like riding on a roller-coaster going in slow motion. The shuffled high-hats and bass drum parts seem ready to speed up, but are held tight by the expansive synth patterns and shimmering vocals. The best part comes at the end though, when sleepy saxophone riffs join the mix to form a stabilizing outro. We’re definitely looking forward to their debut album, due on 1/20, whose release will be celebrated at Baby’s All Right on 1/18. — Henry Solotaroff-Webber
If you’re in need of a midweek boost, For Who? For What?, the first full-length album from Seeing Snakes, may just do the trick. Available via Violated Records, the pop-punk record (whose title may or may not reference Ricky Watters) quickly hits the ground running, gaining momentum while consciously melodic for a pissed off but polished tone. Catch them with P-Slur, Paths 2 Glory, and Get Killed on Saturday, January 21 at The Barbary!
Karma Wears White Ties is an electro pop trio that released their latest EP, Wesley, in 2016. They recently announced that their first show in 2017 will be opening for Myzica on Feb. 10th at Schubas.
Proving that big things come in small packages, indie-pop duo Giant in the Lighthouse have released an endearing and engrossing debut EP. Filled to the brim with intelligent, memorable lyrics and diverse instrumentals, ranging from soft arpeggios to driving and dirty guitar tones, All Winter is a comprehensive showcase of the band’s talents. We will certainly have our eyes on Peggy and Adrian in the future, as they find their place as giants in the NE music scene. Check them out below. -Brian Varneke
True artists never fail to find mediums for their inspiration. In the case of indie pop quartet, Velo, they have a renaissance man in their lead singer, Ofer Shouval (guitar/vocals). Velo, consisting of Waldo Wittenmeyer (keys/vocals), Marcus Brown (bass/vocals) and, Travis Newman (drums), has been on the Austin periphery since their genesis in late 2014, penning and performing powerful songs across a multitude of local venues, amassing a solid foundation of fans in the process. However the band’s momentum seems to be reaching its zenith as they prepare to release their debut full-length album, At Sea, on January 22nd. Shouval not only penned most of the album’s lyrics, but remarkably found time to animate and direct the music video for their first single, "The Grip". A slow-building masterpiece, the song’s inspiration drew heavily from the pain of Shouval’s breakup with a previous band which simultaneously coincided with the heartwrenching breakup of a girlfriend. The dark themes of "The Grip" evoke loneliness and impending doom on each frame, which was deftly hand-drawn by Shouval. Using a DIY palette of looped textures, a printing press, and DSLR camera, the video depicts an asteroid decimating a planet, a period of regrowth follows, and then another destructive asteroid striking, all the while the instrumentation builds the song’s chorus to epic levels. Velo is a deep pool of songwriting and musical talent that will undoubtedly blow us all away on January 22nd.
-Lee Ackerley
After the recent snowy blast, thawing out seems like a solid course of action. “Thaw,” the latest single from The Insides, slowly steps out in sobering fashion, before instrumentally heating up. Lyrically, the song gathers its footing in an attempt to pick up the pieces, thrusting forward with the assertive backend and reinforcing slivers of guitar in an emotive-rock/shoegazing snapshot.
There are only so many words in the English language to describe something beautiful. Alluring, elegant, divine, bewitching, sublime, but Ali Burress has somehow exhausted my vocabulary with her spellbinding music. Paul Ekman, a pioneer in psychology, researched different cultures and discovered that humans all have 6 basic facial emotions, and it is safe to say that I experienced all 6 while listening to “This Is Where”. The San Diego singer-songwriter’s raw emotion bleeds through her lyrics, and the unique intermix of instruments creates an atmospheric sense of vulnerability. Her music is satisfying, scratching the itch of the unknown. “This Is Where” truly is about where we belong: sometimes we don’t always know, but Burress can help you get there.
Burress’s newest EP, Dwell, will be released February 3rd through Spirit House Records. – Kayla Hay
