Portland

Portland’s Best New Indie Pop Acts to Enjoy this Year

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Last year was a pretty good year in local music. We’ve seen many faces tackle few genres, battling it out for the top spot in all our rotation of shows we attend, merch we buy and band pages we like. Of all the Portlander crusaders in Indie Pop, Reptaliens won the yearly reader’s poll for the category, but there are a handful of other bands that caught the eye of our jurors and voters. 

At the top of that list is Little Star (pictured), the Good Cheer Records band that pulls the best from 90’s college radio indie and emo, giving a modern spin to the classics of sad pop. Spawned from the ashes of a romanticized detriment, as are some of the best contributions to music ever, Little Star’s small but estimable discography models moments of tender affection and soft aggression sonically and lyrically as a well rounded product to share with the masses. 

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Next up we’ve got Mini Blinds, whose angelic twee pop quickly made them a favorite. Just in their first year of existence, their debut release Air Signs captures an innocence many long to hold on to.

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Newer to the Portland scene, synthpop duo My Body hauled their danceable beats across the country from New York to share their creations with us. We couldn’t be more happy about it, or their Seven Wives EP, released yesterday.

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With one of the best guitarists in the city right now, Two Moons is an enigma of sorts. Their albums reflect a temperate delivery, but their live shows are a brute force to be reckoned with. They’ll surprise you in all sorts of ways, but all of them pleasantly.

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We’ve can’t forget to show some love to our Honorable Mentions Small Million, Plastic Cactus and Point Juncture, Wa as well! 

Philadelphia

Weekend Warrior, January 27 – 29

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Lately, a general gloomy atmosphere has hovered overhead. However, amid these dreary conditions, an unexpected return has taken shape. Pet Milk is back (marking the group’s first time on stage since 2013) with a show this Saturday at Everybody Hits. Not only will the band be exploring the sweet sincerity, searing space, and downhill assertions interconnecting twee, shoegazing, and punk into one, but they’ll also be doing so with a pairing of lead vocalists in Adriane Dalton and Sarah Schimeneck for the first time. Before heading into the studio with Jeff Zeigler next month to work on a full-length album, Callowhill will be bringing their rhythmically heavy thrust, which is complemented by jagged riffs and lush melodies. The quartet bridges the gap between the return of one band and the maiden voyage of another in Green Wolf, which is made up of Josh Agran (Paint It Black, Cassavetes), Deven Craige (Little Big League), and Joe Godino (The Menzingers). – Michael Colavita 
 

 
Other places to escape this first Twilight Zone week under a Trump administration…
 
Everybody Hits (529 W. Girard Ave.) SAT Pet Milk, Callowhill, Green Wolf
 
Johnny Brenda’s (1201 N. Frankford Ave.) FRI Mindboys, SAT DJ Emynd, Bo Bliz
 
Boot & Saddle (1131 S. Broad St.) FRI The Peace Creeps
 
Kung Fu Necktie (1250 N. Front St.) FRI John Dominy/Drones for Queens, Supine/Cruzko, Evan Riley, Gordon Bombay, Cliph, SAT Clamfight, Brain Candle, Decap Attak, SUN The Royal Noise, This Way to the Egress
 
PhilaMOCA (531 N. 12th St.) FRI Planning For Burial, A Virgin, Cemetery Flowers, SAT Bad Heaven
 
Underground Arts (1200 Callowhill St.) SAT Kiska, Shark Tape
 
Union Transfer (1026 Spring Garden St.) FRI Moor Mother
 
The Trocadero (1003 Arch St.)FRI Pig Iron Theatre’s Annual Benefit: This Town Ain’t Pig Enough For The Both Of Us
 
TLA (334 South St.) FRI Sinners Saints
 
The Fillmore Philly (1100 Canal St.) SAT Motionless In White
 
The Foundry (1000 Frankford Ave.) FRI Live At The Fillmore (Allman Brother Tribute)
 
Electric Factory (421 N. 7th St.) SAT G.Love & Special Sauce
 
World Café Live (3025 Walnut St.) SUN (Upstairs) Tiffany Jones Quintet, V Shayne Frederick/(Downstairs) Philly Rising Showcase: Justin Angelo, Kate Dressed Up, Heart Harbor, Laela, The Art of Walking, Keely Sibilia, Seth Aaron, Sam Steffen, The Separators
 
The Fire (412 W. Girard Ave.) FRI Sure Juror, The Retinas, SAT AdotWAKE, E. Grizzly, Slaughter Rico, SUN Elk Embassy, Twin Sister, Moma, p.pyhill
 
MilkBoy Philly (1100 Chestnut St.) FRI Tucker Hill (Release Show), Kingfisher, SAT Attic Tapes
 
Ortlieb’s Lounge (847 N. 3rd St.) FRI Sparrow Steeple, Mark Feehan, Kiel Everett, SAT The Tisburys (EP Release), Darlingtyn, Mother Moses, Dweller/Suburban Living (DJ Set)
 
Silk City (435 Spring Garden St.) FRI DJ Royale, Francisco Collazo, SAT DJ Deejay
 
Fergie’s (1214 Sansom St.) SAT The John Venezia Project, Hambone Relay, The Phonies, SUN Rusty Cadillac
 
Tin Angel (20 S. 2nd St.) SAT Kenn Kweder and the Men from WaWa
 
Connie’s Ric Rac (1132 S. 9th St.) FRI Fenris, Dear Forbidden, SAT The Stone Eye, Inner Temple, The Lizard People
 
The Grape Room (105 Grape St.) FRI Montoj, The Strange Heat, Baffle The Cat, SAT Kenny Price & Friends, xPresidents, Boy Wonder, Keely Sibilia
 
Bourbon & Branch (705 N. 2nd St.) FRI Bryant Eugene Vazquez, Matt Kelly, Katie Jo Knaub, Todd Fausnacht, SAT The Chris Paterno Band, Momma Hankton
 
Ardmore Music Hall (23 E. Lancaster Ave.) FRI An All Star Tribute to the 30th Anniversary of Paul Simon’s Graceland: Ryan Tennis, Aaron Parnell Brown, Zach Djanikian, No Good Sister, Griz, A Fistful Of Sugar, The End of America, SAT Splintered Sunlight, SUN Whiskeyhickon Boys, Ladybird/Bill Jolly’s Hard Drive All-Stars
 
The Pharmacy (1300 S. 18th St.) SAT Cottontail, Maxwell Stern, Spot Collins/Cacciato Disappearances, Caffeine, SUN Janelle, Whaler
 
Tralfamadore (Please contact one of the acts or venue for more info.) FRI Doggo, Kelsey Cork & the Swigs, Blushed
 
LAVA Space (Please contact one of the acts or venue for more info.) SAT Anili Mars, Kahlil Ali, Ronnie Vega, Madam Data, Pinkwash
 
NYC

Active Bird Community tours the east coast after release of ‘Stick Around’ LP

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It must be said that Brooklyn slack rockers Active Bird Community – a band we’ve been covering since 2013, when they submitted their music for coverage through our digital submission page – belongs to the "Spotify 1 percent." Don’t worry, there’s nothing wrong with that, not at all! It just means that they have at least one song with over one million plays on everybody’s least-favorite-but-unavoidable-music-streaming-platform-that-underpays-musicians. The guys actually have two songs above that numeric landmark, with "Pick Me Apart" ticking just above two millions! To impress our readers, we are streaming them both below, together with latest single ‘Dead Legs’ from their brand new album ‘Stick Around‘ – trickle down sonics!!! Perhaps their popularity is due, at least in part, to the fact that these guys have been perfecting their sound since they were 11 years old – there’s nothing like the bond and chemistry of friendship to keep a rock band united through the years! If you dig their ’90s influenced sound, you may want to get tickets now for their show at Asbury Park’s The Saint on February 23rd, before they sell out. – Jocelyn Huggler

NYC

The Misters bring optimistic folk-pop to Pianos on 02.21

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Released in July of 2016, The Misters‘ single “Off My Mind (In the Summertime),” with its upbeat tempo and catchy, carefree melodies, is a stranger to NYC’s January, notwithstanding the fact that this year it’s been remarkably mild… With a well-mannered voice that exudes precocious wisdom, lead singer Michael Nitting (pictured) recites "…cause this cold keeps pouring down, but I won’t let it bring me down" – a good reminder to all of us to keep on plowing through life, notwithstanding the bothersome events we can’t control related to weather (or… politics). The Misters play live on February 21st at Pianos. – Jocelyn Huggler

San Francisco

Joel Gion Release New Single – Tomorrow

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San Francisco based musician, Joel Gion has released a new single entitled, Tomorrow. This new neo psych pop track is a great new addition to his music catalog and rock and roll lineage. We love this song’s rebellious and super cool attitude where Joel sings:

"Don’t need a high place in a lowdown world
I’ll keep moving on
Where I can be myself and here’s something else
I’m doing nothing wrong
Seems everything is brought to extremes
Just to keep people runnin around…"

Tomorrow was written by Gion where he performed vocal, rhythm guitars, maracas and tambourine. The was produced and mixed by Collin Hegna at Revolver Studios in Portland, OR. Hegna also played bass on this track. Paul Dillon played guitars and Brian Gardner performed on drums.

It’s always a pleasure to hear new music from a San Francisco icon! Take a listen and support independent artists!

Philadelphia

New Music Video: “Seven Days” – The Dove & The Wolf and Sign to Fat Possum

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We had already guessed that The Dove & The Wolf had been signed to a record label when we first discovered that their 2016 EP I Don’t Know What To Feel had been taken down from their Bandcamp page this past fall. The duo of Paloma Gil and Lou Hayat just premiered a new music video for the single, "Seven Days," yesterday via NPR, and they also shared that I Don’t Know What To Feel will be reissued on March 24 by Fat Possum with two additional tracks. Congrats, ladies! (Photo by CJ Harvey)

NYC

Fake Guns (members of The Kickdrums) play Mercury Lounge on 02.07

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Born from two ribs of The Kickdrums, Fake Guns is the Manhattan based, electro pop/rock project of Alex Fitts and Chris Wall. They only have two songs streaming on their Soundcloud page (plus two remixes for singles by Mainland and Swimm), but it sounds like there will be more coming soon – we are streaming them both below. Fake Guns will be performing live at The Mercury Lounge on February 7th.

Philadelphia

New Music Video: “Dreamcatcher” – Mr. Manic

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Hyper-kinetic electronic beats are visually represented through frenetic location transitions in the video for Mr. Manic‘s “Dreamcatcher”. Featured on the forthcoming EP MKULTRAVIOLET, due out on March 26, the song’s rapid delivery teams with its mind-altering musical backdrop, pulling one into its alternate dimension. It’s a shape-shifting, electro-psych experience that’s not for the faint of heart.

L.A.

Turquoise Noise reignite modern hard rock with “Tabula Rosa”, play The Hi Hat on 1/30

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If commercial radio rock programmers actually did their research then bands like Turquoise Noise would be playing on heavy rotation. Sure, the quintet’s imaginative guitar rock has a slightly off-center seam, sometimes verging into psychedelic territory, but its nifty, hook-driven quality would appeal to audiences who like their rock laced with pop licks and an alternative vibe. Their most recent single, "Tabula Rosa", is carried with a confident swagger that’s both loud and proud.

Turquoise Noise are playing songs from their most recent debut full-length, as well as some new material, at The Hi Hat this coming Monday, January 30th. – Juan Rodríguez

Portland

Mood Music: New Move – “The City Life (ft. Chanti Darling & Ripley Snell)”

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Dishing out insatiable classic pop for the last five or so years, New Move go about their creative exhibition employing hints of glam, indie rock and lurid doo wop. Their new album, Back in the Habit, drops today and it features a variety of local artists, including Illmaculate, King Who, Radiation City and more. For the track we’re sharing today, we’re focusing on this banger with Chanti Darling and Ripley Snell on the mic.

"The City Life" has an interesting beat from Cameron Spies on keys, Jesse Bettis on guitar and bass, and a soulful vocal melody from Chanti Darling that lasts throughout the track, playing with some very silkily delivered bars from Snell. Everything about it is just delightful, and worthy of many repeated plays.

New Move are having a release show for Back in the Habit tonight at Mississippi Studios along with some sets from Y La Bamba and Hustle & Drone. Minden, Boone Howard and the Domestics will all be making guest appearances as well.

NYC

Buzz Alert! Eartheater covered by The Wire + plays The Kitchen on 02.09

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A noteworthy NYC artist we completely missed in 2016 (and 2015! – probably because she seems to tour the experimental circuit, rather than the rock/DIY one) is Queens based Eartheater, the solo project of multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Alexandra Drewchin. Propelled by impressive confidence and multi-disciplinary talent (she is also a dancer), Alexandra creates music that’s experimental and textural at heart and, in its most accessible expressions, could be described as a more abstract version of Cocteau Twins, bordering on Dead Can Dance’s arcane desolation. Streaming video for 2015 single ‘Homonyms’ (from LP ‘Metalepsis‘) reveals a bold and articulate artist blessed by the gift of uniqueness. Eartheater’s shows have often an original coregraphy (yep, she does that too…) and recently caught the attention of The Wire, which is why we have the feeling that those who dig art that’s "out there" might enjoy her upcoming show at The Kitchen on February 9th.

P.S. Clever name! is it "Earth Eater" or "Ear Theater"?

NYC

Indie rockers Deal Casino land Arlene’s Grocery residency

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It’s the end of January, and if you’re like most people, the enthusiasm behind those New Year’s resolutions are slowy starting to melt away. Though we can’t help you with that new gym membership losing its initial allure, if "seeing more live music" happened to chart on your New Year to-do list, you’re in luck. Deal Casino, a hard-working, indie rock four-piece from industrious Asbury Park, is coming to a venue near you, and we totally recommend catching them live. The band utilizies a mixture of minimalist sounds and hard-hitting riffs to create grooves that are as infectious as they are instantlly compelling. Their latest release, The Cannonball EP, features tunes like "Panama Papers," a timely state of the nation track, and "Purple," a wistful song that seems to capture the general, 20-something maliase. Catch the band live at theire Arlene’s Grocery residency (playing alongside Gillian on 01.31) and stream single ‘Panama Papers below. – Olivia Sisinni