Brittany Campbell is the artist people dream to be. Not only did she produce her own (third) album "Heroes" and animate the video for the title track (streaming), she is also the co-host of a monthly event at Skate Brooklyn  called Tomboi (pictured) which showcases and empowers women artists. Her Jamaican-influenced pop-soul anthems mix in a touch of hip hop and punk ethos make for a compelling live performance; members of the crowd who don’t dance stand enthralled in the musicianship of her live band, and the unbridled charisma of the spunky frontwoman. Though Tomboi  implies the infiltration of traditionally male roles, the strength of Brittany and her sistren is a class of its own. – BrokeMC, photo by Meena Ziabari

NYC songwriter Katie Von Schleicher will be opening for Eleanor Friedberger (former lead singer of The Fiery Furnaces) at Pianos on November 09. Back in 2012, Katie released a beautiful eight track mini album entitled "Silent Days," featuring streaming single "When The Rain Comes." The record follows folk rock coordinates that suit Katie’s full bodied alto and passionately intimate lyrics.  Since that release, it looks like Katie only released two singles online, both slow, stripped out ballads: 2013’s "White Flag" and this year’s "My Body on Through," hopefully is a sign of a new record to come. You can also see her live tonight at Deli sponsored event The Hum at the Manhattan Inn.

We added this song to The Deli’s playlist of Best songs by emerging NYC Roots artists – check it out!

NYC based (via LA) psychedelic songwriter Julian Cubillos is taking the paradox of lo-fi pop to new extremes. The guy has a knack for writing uplifting melodies and orchestrations that will intrigue any Beach Boys fan, only to bury them under a thick layer of terrible sounding recordings. We’ve always believed that lo-fi is an affordable, charming way to add character to a song, and that great songwriting will always shine through mediocre recordings. But some of Julian’s tracks sound so bad he’s actually challenging this notion, while probably also damaging the potential reach of his music. Anyway, this is obviously a very talented and eclectic songwriter, it will be interesting to check him out when he plays live at Palisades on November 5th. Here’s one of his better recorded tracks, entitled "I’m Ready to Depend on You."

We added this song to The Deli’s playlist of Best Psychedelic songs by emerging NYC artists – check it out!

It’s arguable whether people, like wine, improve with age. Musically, it’s almost never the case, which is why the new album by People’s Champs is an exception. The Brooklyn band has been around for more than half a decade, skirting the edges of nascent PBR&B (aka hipster-soul) with a smattering of self-produced anthems that lean more mainstream than indie. With their latest album "American Dreamers" (out on 3rd Generation Recordings), the Champs eschew fragility and the clatter-trap percussion of lightweight new-soul by going straight for the jugular. “Family” and “Your Love” employ a punky drum/horn interplay that lands somewhere between the Budos Band and the Flaming Lips. Cole Williams’ full-bodied vocals tie it all together, taking shrieks, screams, and swoons to swelteringly high levels. “Humanity/We need you to listen,” she sings earnestly. Message received. – Brian Chidester

The polymath Mike Larry Draw is back with some fresh new visuals to accompany his latest album Amalgamate.  His team has once again produced an exceptional video rife with lush cinematography and provocative symbolism.  The song and video detail the struggles of a man who has been pushed far enough and is resorting to whatever means necessary to elevate his position.  “You care if you live, I don’t give a f— if I die,” is the unfortunate ethos this video illustrates.  The chorus puts it in more distressing perspective.  Mike Larry raps, “Without actually telling someone where I’m coming from; 99 ways to feed a family, this is the fastest one.”  It’s as real as it gets. – BrokeMC

Monday October 26th marks the last appointment with the Deli Sponsored, collaborative series The Hum at Greeinpoint’s Manhattan Inn, featuring several talented female NYC musicians, collaborating with each other on new material.

Monday will see a heck of a lot of talent, starting with amazing, mesmerizing guitarist Kaki King, accompanied on drums by Kiran Gandhi of Madame Gandhi. Following up, a three way collaboration between experimental violinist Jeanann Dara, singer Katie Von Schleicher of mellow rootsy quintet Wilder Maker and out of control noise rock DIY artist Rose Blanshei of Prima – this one promises sparkles. The night will end with three more women on stage: soulful singer Alisha Roney of Feathers+Eyes, classic soul singer Amy Leon and Bridget Kearney from wonderful folk rock band Lake Street Dive.

This is going to be a great night of music, see you there, there will be a lot of Deli mags for you to read in between performances!

The Deli’s Folks (in the picture, by David Andrako; Lorna Dune and Emily Wells at last week’s installment of The Hum).

Jib Kidder is one of the monikers of super prolific multimedia collagist and musician Sean Schuster-Craig, who splits his time between LA and NYC, and who has already released a handful of albums since 2008. His latest, out earlier this year, is entitled "Teaspoon to the Ocean" and sounds quite literally like the equivalent of a kaleidoscope for the ear. His music is unapologetically psychedelic, in a quirky, super-creative way. Jib is the kind of artist who seems to make it a priority to produce songs that have something bizarre and unexpected to them. His melodies, his vocals, his arrangements, even his drum parts deliver surprise after surprise. A vocoder finds its way into opener ‘Remove a Tooth," which manages to be droney and groovy at once, while sounding like an electronic version of Gregorian chants. Following track "In Between" flirts with Indian influences with a hilarious hiccup sample slightly interfering with the vocals. Song after song we are presented with ever changing, unlikely sonic scenarios that work like clockwork. But despite the variety of ideas, sounds and textures, the record maintains an incredible uniformity. Like a child who found a toy that will satisfy his curiosity until the end of days, Jib seems to possess an unlimited supply of inspiration, and the necessary production skills to translate it into relevent, exciting, and unique psychedelia. If he’ll manage to incorporate more harmonic variation (read: choruses and bridges) in his next record, he could become a new, even more bizarre and wildly creative Mac DeMarco. – PDG

Ah, the joys and horrors of DIY touring! Those uninitiated to the rock’n’roll lifestyle may wonder what pushes four young individuals to share 24/7 a gas guzzling old van for several weeks, while traveling for over a month from coast to coast. This video by Brooklyn electric folksters Big Thief, for their new single "Masterpiece," provides the answers: our brains – like a video-camera – are set to record the good and fun moments, while forgetting the smells, the struggles, the bad meals and sleepless nights (invariably caused by snoring band mates). Most importantly, touring is a unifying, semi-epic adventure that has often the power to reinforce the bond between the traveling musicians, creating shared memories that strenghten the group’s identity and commitment. And that’s a great asset for any band.

The video, shot recently while on the road, anticipates Big Thief’s upcoming 25 date tour opening for Brooklyn pop experimenters Here We Go Magic. With its beautiful, powerful melody and full on band sound, "Masterpiece" (streaming link here) represents a visceral turn in Adrianne Lenker’s writing toward a heavier, electric sound that contrasts with her two earlier releases, both intimately folk and minimally arranged. Don’t miss their show at Bowery Ballroom on Ocrtober 24!

Flirting with trip hop, soul and electronic weirdness, Brooklyn electronic duo Soft Lit, in their first video "Ocean King" (streaming), offers an intriguing style that’s rather melodic, but filled with dark, somewhat menacing elements (presumably) concocted by programmer Tyler McCauley. Tara Chacón’s vocals carry a minimalistic verse towards the chorus’ rhapsodic opening, but the song’s overall atmosphere never breaks out of the claustrophobic feeling it sets from the get go. Earlier single "I Can’t Help It" is a more upbeat, straight forward synth-pop number, but Tara’s soulful vocals can’t help but lend a moody, melancholic touch to a track that – with that radio friendly chorus – could have been easily developed in cheesy ways we wouldn’t approve of. Soft Lit will perfor at Rough Trade on November 4th. 

While instrumental mediocrity is tolerated in many DIY inspired genres like Punk, Garage and Slacker Rock, you do not want to sound sloppy when you play in a Blues Rock band. Brooklyn’s Courtesy Tier know that, and produce music that’s as tight as it is explosive – both on record and live. What’s worth noticing though, is that they also, refreshingly, challenge a genre format that to many (us included) sounds at time stale. A song like "Cold" (from 2013, when they were still a duo), goes beyond the blues rock confinements, delivering something that’s truly unique. In this track, Omer Leibovitz’s relentless guitar recycles sonic references spanning from King Crimson’s early prog rock to the instrumental technique of old timey banjo players, while Layton Weedeman’s drums accentuate the song’s loud/quite/loud contrasting dynamics. Now a trio featuring Alex Picca on bass, the band announced the release of their new EP "Little Rock," with a release party scheduled at Rough Trade on November 3rd.

Sometimes, in retrospect, some choices we make can be seen as premonitions… We booked garage pop duo Diet Cig for last week’s Deli flagship CMJ show at Pianos, even though we couldn’t cover them because they weren’t based in NYC, but New Paltz. Well, as it turns out, we met them the night of the show, and they announced their recent move to Brooklyn! And here comes the coverage: welcome to NYC Diet Cig, here’s another premonition for ya: it’s gonna drive you crazy with excitment (and stress)! The New Paltz boy and girl specialize in lighthearted garage pop featuring Alex Luciano’s adorably expressive vocals and casual lyrics, which tackle issues as varied as the dislike for smoking and the move into your first apartment. We are looking forward to hear what she has to say about her new life in the Big Apple! Their next show will be at Baby’s All Right on December 4th. Oh and by the way! They have a great live show.

We added this song to The Deli’s playlist of Best garage/punk/slacker rock songs by emerging NYC artists – check it out!

Fresh from multiple appearances at the recently concluded CMJ fest, Brooklyn’s glam/grunge/garage rockers Sharkmuffin roll on with their personal take on the alternative rock sound. In addition to the myriad of rip-em-up exciting live appearances, the band continues to promote their recent full-length LP “Chartreuse.” That title track (streaming below) is a pure fun garage stomper, with lyrics detailing how they (someone) “Never want me around to hang loose;” the song sounds like a vintage rock and roll confusion scenario married to thumping bass and distorted guitar squalls. “First Date” moves in an even rawer, punkier direction, sounding like bratty girl-group fare with a touch of Siouxsie Sioux on her very first album “The Scream” (think “Carcass” or “Jigsaw Feeling”) in that shouty, aggressive vocal style. Sharkmuffin’s next show will be at popular Brooklyn haunt Pallisades on 10/30. We heard a rumor that, since the show will be the day before Halloween, the band will appear on stage dressed as The Powerpuff Girls – or rather some kind of hipster variation of them. – Dave Cromwell, photo by Chris Carlone