NYC

Jake Wesley Rogers brings blue-eyed soul to The Basement on 8.28

Posted on:

Jake Wesley Rogers‘ name may sound familiar for fans of America’s Got Talent; the singer, who was only 15 at the time, appeared on the seventh season of the show and was a crowd favorite despite getting eliminated in the quarterfinals. Now he’s back, five years later, serving up his infectious blend of pop and blue-eyed soul to anyone who will listen. His debut EP called Evergreen was released in June, and it’s clear that he has seriously honed in on his strengths since his reality tv appearance. His next live show will be at The Basement on August 28th, alongside Bre Kennedy and Hadley Kennary. – Lilly Milman 


Watch the music video for “The Ghost In You” streaming below.

NYC

Miranda Lee Richards performing in UK, Norway, and Sweden 08.19 – 09.02

Posted on:

SF Bay Area songwriter Miranda Lee Richards is one week into their European tour, with upcoming shows in Scotland, Manchester, Norway, and Sweden from August 25th to September 2nd. The artist released an LP this past June, EXISTENTIAL BEAST, with dreamy and intense folk rock vibes and chamber aesthetics partly reminiscent of Nico’s solo work. The band will also make a stop at New York’s very own Pianos on September 13th! – Pearse Devlin

Philadelphia

New Track: “Buy My Ashes” – Etheric Felines

Posted on:

Trip-hop triumvirate Etheric Felines’ latest single, “Buy My Ashes,” quickly establishes a bass-quaking beat. That foreboding sense of authority gives rise to Andrea Bullard’s relentless rhymes that slyly wax and wane between idealistic, personal goals and self-confidence. That desire to achieve, weighed against potential security of abandoning dreams, creates a crisis of conscience. This mindful tension is smoothed over by Katie Ross’ subconscious “You don’t know me” chorus, hovering overhead.

L.A.

BAUM comes to an emotional crossroads on “Hot Water”, plays The Satellite on 9/8.

Posted on:

BAUM documents a moment of genuine self-discovery on "Hot Water." The buoyant electro-pop track gives us a glimpse into young adulthood with truthful insight, especially that moment when innocence begins to crumble without any warning. She makes a pithy observation with utmost confidence when it leads into the chorus: "You think of sex when I / spin in this dress / but I’ve never done much at all," she sings, adorned with a gruff yet sweet vocal style that could develop into a potential powerhouse.

BAUM is scheduled to perform at The Satellite on September 8.

Philadelphia

New Track: “Bad Art & Weirdo Ideas” (Quiet Slang) – Beach Slang

Posted on:

Beach Slang‘s James Alex began doing solo performances last year under the moniker Quiet Slang. Well, Alex just announced that he’ll be releasing a 7" EP of rearranged Beach Slang songs, entitled We Were Babies & We Were Dirtbags, which is due out October 20 via Polyvinyl Records. Below is its first single, a beautiful, piano-cello-vocal rendition of "Bad Art & Weirdo Ideas," off 2015’s The Things We Do To Find People Who Feel Like Us.

NYC

Altopalo play at Pianos 09.01

Posted on:

We’re really excited to share the news about Altopalo‘s upcoming performance at Pianos. This band has proven themselves time and time again in both their recordings and on stage. Their latest project, noneofuscared, blew us away back in 2016 with an ambitious incorporation of soulful vocals and uneasy psych instrumentals, all in an experimental fashion. The album is a joyride for avant/experimental music listeners, thanks to their ability to combine and edgy production with soulful vocals. And, as we remember, these guys bring the heat live, rocking the Deli’s CMJ Electro Stage at Pianos a few years back, so be sure to check Altopalo out on September 1st at 9PM! – Pearse Devlin

NYC

Fun power poppers all boy/all girl perform at Berlin 09.02 + prepare for US tour

Posted on:

NYC band all boy / all girl will be bringing their eclectic style toManhattan’s Berlin on September 2nd alongside Nick Llobet, Stringer, and Bernie & the Wolf. After folkier beginnings, the band has recently spiced up their style with an unexpected turn towards power pop, which they’ve especially embraced in their recent 2016 track "Voyeur". Be sure to check out their entertaining show and dynamic live sound next week before they leave for a three week US tour! – Pearse Devlin

NYC

The Brankas to play El Rio August 24th

Posted on:

You might not expect a band from SF to self-identity as math-rock (kinda nerdy for this city, no?), but The Brankas went ahead and did just that. On their bandcamp page, along with chill-wave digital tunes, they produced something uniquely complex in their latest LP, starting from the title: "My Parkour Body is the Paint And The World Is My Canvas. I Don’t See Obstacles, I See Opportunities." If that doesn’t scare you off, you are in for a ride. All ten tracks are dedicated to sometimes electronic, sometimes just electric, and sometimes… borderline disturbing methods of experimentation. These two are here to surprise you, see them at El Rio on August 24th. -Allie Miller

Philadelphia

New Mattress Food LP Available for Streaming & Download

Posted on:

Shrouded in warping echo and acoustic guitar strums, Vulture, the new release from Sami Rahman, a.k.a. Mattress Food, strolls up to you in a comfortably close but vulnerable manner. Luminescent, lo-fi folk trends toward frayed, psych edges, delivering stripped-down, bedroom proximity with pop sensibilities. The follow-up to Cryola! is his second album release this summer.

Portland

Big names come to Project Pabst this year

Posted on:

It was just last year when a newly imagined Project Pabst made it’s debut down at the Tom McCall Waterfront Park. With a fairly eclectic lineup for the actual festival and the night shows as well, patrons flooded in and out of the entrance gates with the gears in their heads turning as to how they felt about the festival’s new style. It’s almost impossible to pull anything off without a couple hitches along the way, but Project Pabst soldiered through another year of big acts and big piles of beer cans. The same is still true for 2017, just a couple of things seeing changes.

This year’s fest is scaled down in a few ways, but has grown a lot in others. Unlike the Project Pabst’s of the past, the 2017 edition won’t have any night shows at all. These night shows were held at various locations around the city and gave more opportunities for local acts to participate in the festival. Last year, Kyle Craft was the only local to make it to festival’s main stages. Project Pabst night shows also offered more in genre variance, since many of the festival’s metal shows happened at night. Local support this year comes but from just one local artist each day, though the ones chosen are two of the best in the city and have both been voted our Deli Portland Artist of the Month in the past.

Opening up Saturday’s festivities is the Last Artful, Dodgr. She happened to have played one of the night sets last year, but her distinct vocal style and bomb beats are perfect for the bigger stage. For Sunday’s sets, harsh post-punk group Lithics will be kicking things off. They’ve become more of a common name around town over the last few months, especially after basically being named the best new band in Portland by Willamette Week and participating voters.

What sets this round of Project Pabst apart from the others are the headlining acts. This isn’t to say that Duran Duran, Ice Cube, Tame Impala and Ween didn’t totally kill it last year, or that Tears for Fears didn’t a few years back. But each day this year has a pretty damn good trifecta of artists to close out everything. 

Attendees will get a chance to see Spoon, Nas and Beck on Saturday, while Sunday patrons will get a little bit of good, old and controversial. South African "rap" duo Die Antwoord have been contentious musicians from the start, but the reasons that make them such could create problems for Portlanders at the festival. Die Antwoord is known for committing racial and homophobic acts under the guise of shock value, like using the n*word in their songs, dressing in blackface in music videos and referring to people as f***ts, so it will be interesting to see how the crowd will react if they pull anything go the sort on stage.

To detract from whatever potential drama that could happen, the coolness of singer-songwriter and all around pop culture jokester Father John Misty, along with the iconic existence of still-kicking-it rocker Iggy Pop guarantees the festival will end on a good note.

For those that want to keep the party going, a Project Pabst Cooldown party will be happening back across the bridge at the Know. This bill is all local, featuring Blossom, Myke Bogan and Foreign Talks from Vancouver, Wa. 

This is one of the festival’s best bills yet and tickets are still available, so get yours before the chance is lost.

NYC

Raycee Jones opens for Joan As A Police Woman on September 20

Posted on:

On her latest singles, Raycee Jones comes across as a genre-bending artist with a wide range of influences. A self-professed protégé of Jill Scott, Beyoncé and Amy Winehouse, Jones writes songs that are sonically innovative. Her tracks contain warbling synths, chimes, complex beats and confessional lyrics. A regular performer at Rockwood Music Hall, Raycee is currently in the studio working on her debut EP. She’ll be performing with Joan As Police Woman at a (secret) show organized by Amnesty International on September 20th. Listen to "The Bomb" below! –Ethan Ames