In recent years, West Village venue Le Poisson Rouge has been expanding their booking tentacles to many local venues, and also making an effort (very appreciated by The Deli) to support the most promising local artists with "On the Rise,’ a series of shows involving emerging locals. The series’ upcoming appointment is on February 1st, with a show involving two acts we’ve been following for a while in this very blog (Lip Talk and Dinowalrus), and also a very new singer songwriter that’s about to release her debut album: she goes under the moniker Raia Was, and she has recently performed at National Sawdust’s The Revolution (another series featuring mostly emerging local acts). Single ‘Grant it Cause’ (streaming below), showcases an intimate sound with ambient electronic elements, and an expressive and soulful voice that strives for sophisticated melodies. Looking forward to the record, expected to be out some time in early 2017. – Photo by Samson Debela.