After the Electronic category results published on Tuesday, we have for you the names of the artists that qualified to the next phase of our Year End Best of NYC Poll for Emerging Artists from what we call the Traditional Rootsy category. The other roots music categories – to be unveiled soon – are Alt Folk and Songwriters/Rootsy Pop.

P.S. If you are interested in understanding how our Year End Poll for Emerging Artists works, please go here.

NYC YEAR END POLL 2011 OPEN SUBMISSIONS RESULTS FOR TRADITIONAL ROOTSY
Jurors: Jason Behrends (Deli Chicago), Jessica Pace (Deli Nashville), Paolo De Gregorio (Deli NYC).

– QUALIFIED TO THE POLL’S NEXT ROUND
The artists in this list qualify for the next phase of the poll, and will be added to the bands nominated by our jury of local scenemakers. The top two are tied with a combined rating of 8 out of 10.

1a. The Reverend John Delore – read 2011 Deli interview HERE.

Not your typical country crooner, The Reverend John Delore plays Americana music full of character that avoids stock country tropes, 12 bar blues, or Nashville’s underestimation of its audience. Like all the best songwriters, his keen observational style and sense of place can turn every day life experience into something more subtle and, ultimately, satisfying. – Read a 2011 Deli interview with the Reverend HERE.

1b. The Bottom Dollars

Like those serial heart-stealers out there, The Bottom Dollars may appear at first as charming gentlemen drenched in traditional values, but it doesn’t take too long to realize they are actually just a bunch of fun-loving, rocking sons of guns. As it happens, it will then be too late to withdraw your heart… check them out live at Spike Hill on 01.08.

3b. Tall Tall Trees
How much can the Americana genre be innovated without sounding like something else? Probably as much as Tall Tall Trees innovate it in their self titled debut album, which features an "outside the box" production, and tastefully blends bluegrass with varied influences ranging from pop, orchestral and even funk at times. This band has been slowly building a local following (which is a very good sign indeed) and it’s now playing regularly in NYC. You have 4 opportunities to see them in the next two months, the next one at union Hall on January 20.

3c. The Third Wheel Band
Serving their own brand of unadulterated roots music, The Third Wheel Band has the power to make your feet stomp even though they lack a drummer. A hefty dose of charm is brought to the table by vocalist and upright bassist Steph Allen, who sings the bluegrass with disarming spontaneity. Catch them at the Brick Cafe` in Queens on January 04.

– ALMOST QUALIFIED TO THE POLL’S NEXT ROUND
These artists had outstanding ratings from our jurors (they all shared a final score between 7.330 and 7.66 out of 10) but won’t qualify to the next round of our year end poll.

5. JP & The Gilberts
You know how pretty much any song is SO MUCH MORE FUN when you speed it up by, like, 50 bpm or so? That’s what JP & The Gilberts like to do to country music, with devastatingly entertaining results. Their faster songs, like the one streaming below, call for cowboy moshing – I’d love to see something like that actually – although they also offer plenty of more traditional slower numbers.

6a. Mercy Bell
Traditional American music can be communal old time party entertainment, or it can be a lonely and thoughtful kind of thing, like in Mercy Bell’s case. This lady moved to NYC bringing with her a duffle bag, an air mattress, and a guitar; and her warm and caring voice, which animates introspective, soulful songs about that ongoing absurd mystery we call life.

6b. Natureboy
Natureboy, the musical project of Sara Kermanshahi, injects its folk ballads with dreamy elements, creating songs that will haunt you down memory lane. Read a 2009 interview with the front lady Sara Kermanshahi here.

HONORABLE MENTIONS:
These artists also had really good ratings from our jurors (tied at 7.16 out of 10): Toby Goodshank, Piñataland and Little Anchor (who should have probably submitted as "Rootsy Pop" instead of "Americana").

Hey holidaying people out there,

Our Deli jurors just finished rating all the Electronic artists that submitted to be considered for our Year End Best of NYC Poll for Emerging Artists – and here are the results for you to check out! The top 3 artists in this list will qualify for the next phase of the poll, and will be added to the bands nominated by our jury of local scenemakers.

P.S. If you are interested in understanding how our Year End Poll for Emerging Artists works, please go here.

NYC YEAR END POLL 2011 OPEN SUBMISSIONS RESULTS – ELECTRONIC
Jurors: Jason Behrends (Deli Chicago), Dawn Reed (Deli DC), QD Tran (Deli Philly).

– QUALIFIED TO THE POLL’S NEXT ROUND

1. j.viewz

NYC’s j.viewz mesmerized our jury with his mid to downtempo, soulful and absorbing electronic compositions. Compelling songwriting, refined production values and beautiful female voices  work together in making this one of the best Electronic albums coming out of NYC in 2011. Apparently, the CD art isn’t that bad either – it was nominated for a Grammy for Best Recording Package!!!

2. Tayisha Busay
Williamsburg hypsters’ favorite party band has proven, with their new album "Focus/Virus" that they are much much more than just some kind of weird and hilarious cabaret act. Songs like "Nothing’s Happening" and "Heartmeat/Lovemuscle" (streaming here) are pure electronic pop gems, from a record that’s as consistent as it’s varied.

3. WAZU
Recent transplants from LA, the duo in Wazu crafts an almost scary electro-rock with industrial tinges and a pop soul. Their guitar sound alone commands awe, while the overall apop-calyptic mood of their music brings to mind that masterpiece of the 80s that is The The’s "Infected".

– ALMOST QUALIFIED TO THE POLL’S THE NEXT ROUND
These artists had outstanding ratings from our jurors (they all shared a final score of 7.66 out of 10) but won’t qualify to the next round of our poll because… I guess because we need to put a limit to the total number of nominees. We really wish they were in the final list though because they are really good, so check them out!

4a. Masterface
Atmospheric and textured, Masterface is a patient bunch: the band likes to build their songs slowly, letting their angelic melodies intertwine and feed each other, supported by (and often buried under) layers of gentle electronic sounds. This is an interesting project that bridges genres as antithetical as pop and ambient.

4b. Treasure Teeth
A collaboration spanning from London to Miami to NYC, Treasure Teeth is probably one of the most emotionally intense quirky bands we have ever heard. The fact that the sensitive female lead vocals don’t sound at all disconnected from the constantly evolving, somewhat bizarre electronic arrangements represents some kind of production miracle.

4c. Ghastly City Sleep
Also textured and atmospheric, Ghastly City Sleep conveys to its music an almost religious intensity through sparse arrangements and spacious melodies often drenched in reverb, showcasing also a penchant for intricate rhythms borrowed from Africa.

HONORABLE MENTIONS:
These artists also had really good ratings from our jurors (between 7 and 7.5 out of 10): Kodomo, Cultfever, Papertwin, Great Tiger)

Deli readers, indie bands and artists,

This year, our Year End 2011 Polls for emerging artists are proving to be more challenging than ever, with 11 US scenes involved and 1,500+ submissions between our own system and the Sonic Bids applications. We are spending a significant portion of the our Holidays listening to your music (thanks for that by the way!), and we haven’t even had the chance to check out the bands selected by our jury of local promoters, bloggers and scene makers yet…

ANYWAYYYY… the results of the Open Submissions are slowly coming toget and we are slowly going to publish them starting with NYC (check back!). Sonic Bids selections will be coming after that.

Whether you were selected or not, it’s always good to remember that in 1961 The Beatles were rejected by Decca with the following gems: "guitar groups are on the way out" and "The Beatles have no future in show business." Take that as a friendly reminder that there is no final authority on music, despite what pitchfork.com would have you believe.

Year End Poll Next Phase: The Fans’ Poll
The next phase of the Poll – a vote open to the fans – is likely to start in the first week of January and end at the end of that same month. We’ll spread the cities out a little bit to minimize contemporary traffic spikes that repeatedly brought our site down last year. So stay tuned. We should have the final results for our two separate final charts (fans poll and composite chart including the jurors’ vote) by the end of January.

Also, of course all this is possible also because of our sponsors – many of them are providing free studio time and prizes for the winners. Here they are – God Bless ’em!

LIST OF PRIZES FOR POLL WINNERS COMING SOON!

The Deli’s Staff

If you live in or around Austin and during New Year’s Eve celebrations you intend to escape that ubiquitous aural cheese also known as "generic party music," we recommend you spend the last few hours of 2011 at the Deli sponsored, 3 stage indie show at Cheer Up Charlie, featuring 9 indie Austin based artists, including Ringo DeathStarr, TV Torso, and The Sour Notes. In the best indie/DIY tradition, tickets are very affordable (only $5) and quite unbelievably also include free champagne for a proper year end toast.

Check out all the bands playing in the compilation embedded below. And may 2012 be a very indie year indeed!

The Deli’s Staff

Don’t let Ghost Ghost fool you. While yes, they are friendly spirits, they have seen things. Dark things. Perhaps that is still why they walk the earth, playing shows in New York City until they attain whatever it is they are looking for and are at peace. Or maybe they’re just some musicians, a painter, and a video artist (their live show incorporates both video projections and live painting.) Ghost Ghost’s most recent release, "No Clothes on Ragged Island," is a concept album about the life of poet Edna St. Vincent MIllay, recorded in one day, the soothing guitar work and earnestly sweet vocals belie the ominous lyrics. Tragedy and heartbreak lurk around every corner, and, it seems to Ghost Ghost, the best thing to do is keep a shaking smile on their lips as they tread out into the unknown darkness. – Read Allison Levin’s Q&A with the band here.