Progressive Americana singer/songwriter Johnny Lewis, who fronts a six-piece ensemble that plays chill acoustic jams accompanied by the singer’s calm voice and soothing backup vocals. The former electronic music producer is set to release his self-titled debut LP on 9/23. Opening for bands like The Flaming Lips and EOTO, Lewis plays music that resonates with the jam band sound, even sounding a little like some of Phish’s slower acoustic studio tracks in his song ‘Familiar Chime,’ which you can listen to below. You can catch him and his band at their album release show on 9/8 at Mercury Lounge, or beforehand at Pianos on 8/12 as well as at Friends & Lovers in Brooklyn on 8/19. – Michael Haskoor (@Tweetskoor)

With our (very NYCish) attention deficit disorder, we rarely stop for 3 minutes to watch a video from beginning to end. But this new video by quirky Brooklyn popsters Hani Zahra hypnotized us… HOLY CRAP! 170k YouTube plays in a week?!? Cute song too, well done guys!

In the sea of 90’s grunge renaissance bands, and rediscovered new-wave sounds that Brooklyn has to offer, Greenpoint’s Christines stand out with their honed embrace of the shoegaze sound of the late 80’s/early 90’s. Perhaps a band this young would normally still be figuring itself out, but Christines have known what they’ve wanted to be from the get-go, having opened for Ringo Deathstarr at Mercury Lounge as one of their first shows, and flooring the crowd before the second opener even came on. A numbing, almost nuclear cold forms out of front man Andrew Burr’s fuzz and Jordan Parker’s bass, and is cut and warmed over by guitarist Matthew Wu’s beautiful lead guitar fills, and paved out entirely by Burr’s almost whispered lullaby-like vocals. There is not much movement on the stage, but you can’t help but notice how intensely and intently the four musicians perform. Though they only have two songs recorded and posted on their soundcloud, they have played a slew of shows around NYC in the past few months, and are playing July 23rd, and 24th at Glasslands, and Death By Audio, respectively. Don’t miss them! – JP Basileo

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

Notwithstanding their undeniable talent, until now Zoë Randell and Steve Hassett seem to have been laying low as masters of the indie-folk scene, but have emerged with ‘Passerby’ as a powerful force in bottling dreams and giving them back to listeners with a lovely melancholia attached. Luluc, the now Brooklyn based Australian duo, has worked alongside The National’s Aaron Dessner to craft a wonderfully calm and lilting album that has already managed to charm fans worldwide upon its July 15th release. Dreamlike and simple, the album carries a heap of nostalgia that never exactly reveals the person or place it is nostalgic for. Alongside ‘Passerby,’ the band has also released an artful video for “Small Window” that embodies the same dreamy, ambient spirit of the album—watch it here. – Jillian Dooley

Brooklyn Wildlife and The Deli Magazine team up to bring you to the beating heart of DIY.  Saturday July 26, at Brooklyn Fireproof (119 Ingraham St.), Hip Hop reminds you of its true colors with a showcase of Rock, Rap, Punk, Tattoos, Live Painting, DJs, VJs, and BBQ. Starting at 4pm come have a snack and boogie down with the legendary DJ Soul Slinger.  Grab a tattoo from Badder Israel as the sun sets, then prepare for the cavalcade of music from Higher Animals, EULA, Melody Joy, Deathrow Tull, The Pluto Moons, Paxico Records, Joya Bravo, Rue Brown, and a special Brooklyn Wildlife set featuring Ohene Cornelius, Johnny Voltik, Tyquan Sounds, Stonehenge Parnhashnakovsky and more.  As the night rolls forward, lose yourself in the sexy glitch visuals of Matt Romein and live painting by Lexi Bella and Danielle Mastrion.  There will be skin.  There will be sounds, sights, and spectacle.  The best Bushwick has to offer.  Wear your shaking shoes and tape your glasses to your face or chance being blinded by the revelry.

Facebook event here.

In what seems to be an age dominated by 90’s throwback guitar bands, there aren’t many acts around right now quiet like LODRO. Fronted by Jeremy Cox (formerly of Royal Baths) and Lesley Hann (formerly of Friends), these self-described “neo-noir punks” have deeper routes with The 13th Floor Elevator and Nick Cave’s Birthday Party than, say, Nirvana. In an exclusive interview with The Deli, we caught up with Jeremy – apparently after the summer tour there’s a full length ready to be released.

LINK: Sam Kogon’s interview with Lodro

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

Folk gospel group The Ghost of Arthur James has a knack for finding the spiritual blessing hidden among all our earthly travels. The group’s debut record ‘Small Target’ highlights this journey: punctuated by revelations discovered during trips through America’s heartland (‘Highway Blues’), and the spiritual revelations these have brought to bear (‘All Across This Land’). Like all our spiritual horizons, the landscape the group finds is rugged and untamed, but The Ghost of Arthur James finds the beauty in it all. Check out a live performance of ‘Highway Blues’ from Braund Sound Studio in Greenpoint, Brooklyn below. – Mike Levine (@Goldnuggets)

This band submitted their music for coverage here.

At their July 18 debut show at the Bell House, new Brooklyn group Dancegrass will be attempting the impossible  by melding breakbeats and bluegrass. Their show will feature selections from the classic 1996 Grisman + Garcia album of traditional folk songs entitled ‘Shady Grove.’ Stick around for legendary punkgrass headliners and Modest Mouse pals the Hackensaw Boys. Dancegrass is Alex Borsody with Production from Seth Kessell. Check out an early demo by Dancegrass below.

The Brooklyn-based duo of Bob Jones and Jonathan Schenke contributes to the evolution of hybrid electronica by putting an interesting twist on it with a project called Eaters, which references many of the genre’s masters.  Single “Far” (streaming) modernizes the Krautrock, mechanical approach of early Kraftwerk, by taming it with synth pitch bends reminiscent of Tangerine Dream and mellow, effected deadpan vocals. “Remainderman” wanders off into the pure, beatless ambient territory pioneered by Brian Eno, while “Bury The Lines” is built on the motorific beat German art rocker Michael Rother popularized with his band NEU! in the early 1970’s. It makes sense these guys are on Joel Ford’s (Ford & Lopatin) and Patrick McDermott’s Driftless Recordings label. The band opened for !!! at Glasslands on July 11. – Dave Cromwell

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

What do you get when you cross the ethereal melodies of Sufjan Stevens, the quixotic MCing of Serengeti, and the post-rock hip-hop production of NYC’s Son Lux? Like discovering some new breed of Dodo bird with reptilian traits deep in the rain forests of Papua, New Guinea, it’s exciting and bewildering, and it makes your belly jitter like you just ate an espresso omelet. It’s Sisyphus‘ sweet funk with social awareness. It’s booty popping for peace. It’s a fun house mirror that reveals all your insecurities and makes you feel stronger. Unlike the Sisyphus of lore, it is a boulder you won’t mind pushing up the hill over and again for days to come. – BrokeMc

This weekend (July 11-12), roll up your sleeves for some hootin’, hollerin’ barn-burnin’ revelry – and you don’t even have to leave the city. The Great American Roots Stomp is back: a two-night Brooklyn festival showcasing eight acclaimed local bands audaciously bringing Americana roots back into the spotlight. Don’t miss it this Friday and Saturday at Park Slope’s eclectic watering hole Union Hall (while there, pick up a copy of our Ten Year Anniversary OIssue!.

Friday night features a range of high-energy performances, from bluegrass to country to jazz. Jumbo Brown (pictured and streaming) is a group of wild southern boys bringing the sounds of a back porch jam, gold rush piano parlor, and a Mardi Gras parade to the big city. Bobtown‘s compelling blend of voices and instruments move gracefully between elegy and celebration. The Melody Allegra Band‘s virtuosic instrumentals include Melody’s own fiddling, which has been featured on an episode of House of Cards. Seth Kessel & the Two Cent Band moves effortlessly from Prohibition-era swing to gypsy jazz to 1950s rock ’n’ roll without skipping a beat.

Saturday night features strong songwriting and colorful voices. Union Street Preservation Society, an irresistibly lively string band with a Cash-Carter dynamic, weaves new songs from the fabric of bluegrass, old-time and early jazz. Jan Bell & The Maybelles‘ lilting harmonies combine sounds from backroads America with a UK coal mining background; they are winner of the 2008 Independent Music Awards’ Alt. Country Album of the year. The Alex Mallett Band offers genre-jumping, banjo-driven sing-a-long songs with a strong beat and an uncanny wit. Opening the night, Sara Bouchard & the Salt Parade‘s signature salty-sweet vocals will stop you in your tracks while smart, colorful lyrics – taken from history books and other unlikely sources – will hold you hypnotized.  

Big Ups (featured on the cover of the Spring 2014 issue of The Deli NYC) are at the forefront of a rising group of Brooklyn bands eschewing lo-fi pop, shoegaze or electro for something heavier and more direct. We asked them a few questions about recording and equipment, guitarist Amar Lal answered them here.

Listen to Big Ups and other loud, electric NYC bands on this Deli playlist here.