Sky-Pony is not the simplest band to classify. They actually may not be best described as a band at all. Sky-Pony could be seen just as well as a burlesque show or carnival of sorts. Whatever you prefer, the rock performance artists have been dotting around NYC for a year now with their flashy costumes and careful choreography. You’re never quite sure what to expect from one of their gigs. The Brooklyn group is playing Mercury Lounge on Cinco de Mayo. Be sure to come with energy and panache, and maybe a costume while you’re at it. – Mike Levine (@Goldnuggets)

Body Language’s new video “What’s the Point?” pretty well sums up the current cultural sentiment. Combining silky images of desert landscape over fractal kaleidoscopes and angular digital animation, this psychedelic soul gumbo flows together with such liquid ease that its suggestion of co-existence as the only true enlightenment seems a forgone conclusion. It’s disco. It’s funk. It’s soul. It’s electro. And it sounds sexy cool. Comparisons to Kenneth Anger’s short film “Lucifer Rising” – – about the fall of traditional masculinity — are appropriate for Body Language’s modern direction here. – Brian Chidester

Brooklyn based Dead Sexy Sheila is a talented psychobilly garage rock band whose wild music and intriguingly seedy antics are inspired by the gritty art house nightlife of Bushwick. The release of their latest album, the surfcentric EP "Death Bat Flies Again" (out on Valentine’s Day 2013) has prompted the band to return to performing live all over Brooklyn this spring and summer.

The band knows how to perform their energetic, fast paced and youthful tunes: you’ll bounce, twist and sweat to their entire set! Make sure you make it out to one of their upcoming Brooklyn performances – the next one is on April 26 at never-heard-before restaurant La Piazzetta on 442 Graham Ave – more shows (at "real" venues like Bklyn Fireproof and The Rock Shop) listed here. – JE

The Whiskey Collection’s name fits their sound perfectly. Both refined and rough at once, like any good collection of brown liquor should be. The New York locals blend virtuoso performances with a rugged and honest folk sound. Front man and songwriter, Cameron Scoggins, possesses a twangy voice that mixes beautifully with the band, and fiddle player, Russell Durham, is heaven to listen to. The group celebrated the release of their debut full length "Letters from an Old Trunk" this past Sunday, Aril 21st at Rockwood Music Hall. – Paul Jordan Talbot

Catey Shaw is truly her own person. She’s been known to busk in subways with her lovebird Ketchup and her treasured ukelele. But more recently, she’s been seen at the Washington Square club circuit, winning fans with her softly strummed nuggets of truth and life well lived. New song ‘Run, Run, Run’ (streaming below, video here) finds Catey cast about on a host of issues that any struggling artist will relate to… and boy does she make that clear in the explicit uke jam. Check it out and see her when she plays Spike Hill Spike Hill on Sunday, April 28th. – Mike Levine (@Goldnuggets)

Brooklyn based (via Portland, OR) rootsy pop band Merrily and the Poison Orchard have a string of shows booked in NYC in the next few weeks, and will be playing for the first time at The Mercury Lounge this Sunday April 21. Led by Merrily Ruth Rosso confident and warm voice, the band supports the frontlady’s catchy melodies and gentle piano lines with arrangements steeped in American traditional music. Check out our favorite song "Tightrope Walker" streaming below. Merrily and co. are currently in the studio working on a follow up to 2011 debut album "Time and Hell."

Brooklyn’s synthpop driven Future Screens are set to make an appearance at Glasslands on April 29th with Cru The Dynamic. Latching on to the so called glo-fi sound, the band executes it well with beaming upbeat instrumentals building up to catchy choruses, driven by frontman Rob Arbelo’s trancey vocals. The quartet (consisting of Arbelo, Sky Riggs, Sean Brennan and Don Lavis on drums) claims that their unique inspiration comes from “daytime television and discontinued snack brands of the Dan Quayle era.” Listen to their latest single “One Summer”below. – Michael Haskoor

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

Sure, your favorite band has a couple good tracks, but do they have their own video game? NYC electro-pop band Black Light Dinner Party, not only they’ve created a fun jam perfect for your next late night bout of drinking (i.e. their new track ‘We Are Golden’ – streaming below), but they’ve also invented a fish-killing video game to match.

Play it yourself at their site, and see them next when they play at their continued residency at Pianos on Wednesday, April 24th. – Mike Levine (@Goldnuggets)

The Brooklyn Folk Festival is not your typical jam fest. It’s packed full of legends, locals, and newcomers at one of the most storied venues in New York. On April 19-21, experience the klezmer jams of Andy Statman, flapper Jazz with Jessy Carolina & The Hot Mess, and sign up for a banjo workshop led by New Lost CIty Ramblers’ icon John Cohen. All taking place at The Bell House in Gowanus, presented by the Jalopy Theatre, the fabulous venue, archive and folk music school out in Red Hook – schedule here.

While you’re there, say hi to Eli Smith, one of the co-creators of the fest, professional rabble-rouser, and expert banjo player. See you there! – Mike Levine (@Goldnuggets)

Promising Brooklyn dream rockers Lurve will play a show on April 25th at FUZZ (59 Canal St.) with Team Spirit and Cool Serbia. The band has three tracks available for streaming on their Soundcloud page: “Looks So Young” (streaming) quickly establishes a penchant for guitar driven rock, with a hooky chord change that fans of Dinosaur would surely love. “Wires” kicks it all up one notch higher with a faster tempo, while multiple guitar layers buzz like bees under smooth, reverbed vocals. The tracks closing jam-out takes its cue from Sonic Youth’s tandem of Thurston and Lee, while incorporating their own twists along the way. Closing track “Simple Syrup” on the other hand employs the quick turnaround chord changes that made iconic 90’s band The Pixies such a hit with what was once called the "alternative nation." Another extended guitar solo deftly incorporates the best of both The Pixies Joey Santiago’s and Dinosaur Jr.’s J. Mascis’ styles into their own, for an exciting final result. –Dave Cromwell

The Hollows are that rare thing: a strictly democratic group throwing ideas this way and that from all six of its frontmen, yet somehow making it all work. Throw any instrument at the roots-rockers and they’ll figure out some way to include it in the potpourri. And all this is poured out in their new live LP ‘Neverending Show’.

From ‘Canyon Rose’ to the more aggressive ‘Mad As Dogs,’ ‘Neverending Show’ proves these guys know their chops, and are comfortable making it happen in front of any audience. All the more reason to catch them live when they debut the album at Brooklyn Bowl on April 23rd. Stream below the first single "August" (video here) and check out two more tracks from the album on the band’s bandcamp profile. – Mike Levine (@Goldnuggets)

Ski Lodge is one of those bands whose fanbase is almost entirely composed by music bloggers – which I guess is a contrived way to say that, considering the quality of their music, they should have waaaay more fans. The Brooklyn based quartet – who was highlighted as the 6th best NYC emerging band in our 2011 poll after bands like Caveman, Lucius, Friends and Widowspeak – has been obviously  working hard to correct this, and has just released a new video for the single "Just To Be Like You" (streaming below), a song that flirts with the jangly guitar sound and lush melodies of the pop masters of the 80s – think The Smiths and The Housemartins. After a sold out Bowery show opening for Born Ruffians on April 16, Ski Lodge will spend a couple of weeks on the road touring with UK indie popster Chad Valley.

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