New Music, Emerging from your Local Scene
Experimental Jazz Trio Sick Gazelle recently released the lead single, “Atlantic”, from their forthcoming debut album, Odum. The album is set to be released via War Crime Recordings on May 3rd, and was fully improvised as good Chicago jazz should be.
Sick Gazelle is the work of long time Chicago musicians and friends Eric Block (Saturna) and Bruce Lamont (Yakuza) with legendary drummer (Steve Shelley (Sonic Youth, Sun Kil Moon)
Brooklyn and Harlem-based artists gather once again to showcase their talents at The Revolution Vol. 38 this Saturday, April 27th. The performance series will once again highlight independent pop culture and musicians who go beyond the confines of their genre. The showcase will feature three prominent acts who epitomize the messages of the movement: Ohene Cornelius, Sol Liebeskind, and Lotushalves.
Ohene Cornelius mixes synthesized beats with a natural flow and delivers messages directly to independent artists, urging them to remain themselves in spite of industry pressures. The fluid R&B of Lotushalves examines identity, grapples with relationships, and promotes personal growth. Sol Liebeskind’s soulful vocals have a high class to them that mix well with the urban breadth of her music, in a style similar to R&B New York City legend Alicia Keys. All three of these artists have something important to say and on Saturday night they surely will.
Supergroup Acquaintances recently released the first single, “And It Went Black”, from their forthcoming sophomore album, 8 1/2 Lives, which is due out May 31st via the local label File 13. This is the first new music we have had from the five member rock group since 2013.
This is the work of Jered Gummere: Guitar, Vocals (The Ponys, Bare Mutants), Patrick Morris: Bass (Don Caballero, The Poison Arrows,), Stephen Schmidt: Guitar, Vocals (Thumbnail, Chino Horde), Justin Sinkovich: Guitar, Organ, Vocals (The Poison Arrows, Atombombpocketknife, Thumbnail), and Chris Wilson: Drums (Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, Shake Ray Turbine).
You can help Acquaintances celebrate the release of their new album on June 8th at Empty Bottle with Gnarboyz.
Maybe you have wanted to hear Great Peacock‘s Americana stylings live, but don’t like the idea of leaving the comfort of your own home. With the advent of streaming services, you can make your dream a reality. Great Peacock will perform live on April 28th on DittyTV, available on TiVo, Roku, Apple TV, Chromecast, or any other major streaming service. The performance follows a recent string of shows supporting the Infamous Stringdusters, and will kick off a series of tour dates throughout May and June to support Yonder Mountain String Band. If you miss the performance on DittyTV, select songs from the show will appear in the channel’s archives on YouTube. And if you want to listen to Great Peacock’s unconventional and atmospheric Americana now, take a listen to "Oh Deep Water" from 2018’s Gran Pavo Real below. – Will Sisskind
Shamir recently shared a new album, Be the Yee, Here Comes the Haw. It’s a multi-genre collection of tracks from the multi-talented Las Vegas transplant. These recordings churn in a perpetual motion. The vocals pull in a personal manner, while an omnipresent energy hovers in the periphery. Shamir is scheduled to perform next in Philly at Johnny Brenda’s on Saturday, May 25, opening for The Dove & The Wolf.
WaxWorks released their latest EP, “Jellyfish Style”, last month along with the video below for the EP’s lead single “Magic Umbrella”.
This is the Grove and Blues-based Rock of Frank Valenzano (Vocals), JB Bartlett (Guitars), Alex Fritzel (Keyboards), Dan Gianaris (Guitars), Harrison Ashley (Bass), Julian Daniell (Drums), and Alex Santilli (Percussion).
You can catch WaxWorks at Moe’s Tavern on April 27th with Broken Robots, Silvertone, and Eye & I.
“Observatories” is the latest collaboration between Jeff Zeigler (Valley Exit, Inlets, Arc in Round) & Dash Lewis (Gardener). Synth-fueled atmospherics envelope as one explores a pensive, pacifying state. The rhythmic, percussive motion steadies as the soft, bright touches of keys accent. Take it all in – just a little somethin’ to help ease ya into your day. You can also find them opening for Meg Baird & Mary Lattimore this Monday, April 29 at Johnny Brenda’s.
Instrumentalist and composer Caroline Mason has an EP coming out this fall, and she released a new single this past March. The song is called “Floating”, and that’s exactly the headspace the song takes you too. Sometimes it can be hard to maintain an ethereal, enigmatic space in a song with a faster pace. That doesn’t seem to be a problem Mason faces. Her voice echoes and floats above the percussion. Fittingly, this effect happens most noticeably as she sings about her feet being on the ground. It’s very easy to connect with the song. Mason is able to control the flow of both your mental intake of the song, and the physical responses your body has to her instrumentals.
Mason is responsible for all the instrumentation on this track. This becomes incredibly clear in the songs music video. The video consists of very close up shots of each instrument – her hands on the keyboard, her fingers on the guitar, her mouth as she sings. Occasionally we get wider shots of Mason, standing on a rocky dessert playing a single drum set, or the camera panning farther away as she strums on her guitar. It’s intimate and disconnecting, without feeling jarring. Check it out below.
-By Avril Carrillo, Photo by Christal Angelique
Tomorrow, April 25th, Reptaliens will be playing the Wonder Ballroom with Turnover and Turnstile. Reptaliens will be releasing their album Valis the following Thursday, April 26th. The band has been incredibly busy this month, managing to release not one but two music videos. You can check out the Deli’s coverage of their music video for "Shuggie II" here. This was in addition to playing shows at SXSW and Treefort. They’ve been amping up all month, so make sure you come out and see what’s going down.
-By Nick Hartman
Kami Maltz has wowed listeners with her smooth voice, her blending of folk and electronic elements, and her ability to craft songs about complex emotions through catchy hooks and poetic lyrics. Her new single "Kingdom" has all of that; it dropped last week and has already started to gain some traction on streaming services. The Deli now premieres the track’s video, which Maltz filmed with an all-female crew over the course of one day. The rainy day atmosphere of the video adds to Maltz’s lyrics about romance and the soft arrangement of the track. If you want to catch Maltz live, she’ll perform at the Owl Music Parlor in Prospect Lefferts Gardens on May 10. Until then, catch the premiere of the video for "Kingdom" below. – Will Sisskind
Pop Punk band Guardrail released a powerful new single called “Jane” last week. The song is accompanied by a Chelsea Marrin directed video and a shines a light on the impact of drug overdoses and suicide on the loved ones that are left behind.
You can catch Guardrail at Cobra Lounge on May 9th with No Object, Wilmette, Romancer, and Rarity.
Return of the Paisley Angels is the new album from the duo of Chris Twist and Jason Steady. The duo played together in numerous bands in the early ’00’s, and have finally come back together on this pretty straight forward Country Pop album.
The album is a departure from Chris’ 2017 solo debut album, “Hello, I’m Chris Twist”, which was filled with the DIY LoFi Rock that he has come be known by as Slushy.
