This Friday, March 11, marks the first installment of This Blue Heaven‘s spring residency at the Rosebud Bar (2nd Fridays of March/April/May).

This Blue Heaven is female-fronted power pop bursting from the heart of the Boston indie rock scene. Catchy but never canned, the quintet’s rich, melodic offerings, delivered with brazen innocence by front-woman MacKenzie Outlund, beckon you into a vibrant world of shimmering guitars, hooky synths, and driving beats. In three years together, the band has drawn comparisons to Cyndi Lauper, Death Cab For Cutie, and U2. Fans crowd clubs across New England and beyond to join the colorfully clad group in their signature handclaps and "whoa-ohs".

The group’s latest project is "Spinning and Shining," a five-song EP produced by Paul Q. Kolderie (Radiohead, Pixies) and released in August 2010.

The complete line-up for Friday’s show is as follows:
9:00 – Yes Sir (members of MEandJOANCOLLINS & BirdsMakeBirds)
9:55 – Alta Mira (from Albany, NY)
10:50 – Streight Angular
11:45 – This Blue Heaven

8pm, 21+
Rosebud Bar
381 Summer St.
Somerville, MA

(poster by Tyler Littwin)

–Chrissy Prisco

Magic Magic has quietly released a plethora of new woozy, stoner dream pop over the past four months. The prodigious Boston five-piece has written and recorded two full-lengths and one EP respectively during this time: Whatever Happened to Monday Nights?, LP II and TV Life EP.  All releases are available digitally – stream them here. With over thirty tracks between the releases, Magic Magic will certainly have lots of new material for their upcoming March tour.
 
Magic Magic’s latest full-length, LP II, is their third release and marked with the kind of maturity that comes from a deeper understanding of one’s self and the passage from teen to the world of a twenty-something. Not quite old enough to be world weary, but just the right age to pile youthful experience, vigor and a scrappy je ne sais quois into ten tracks.
 
LP II strikes with jangly guitar hooks and duel drummers Dylan Gough and Mike Hadly who punctuate delicate lead vocals and beat at the smoldering, hazy layers of sound. At its quieter moments, like "In the Lounge", the album smartly pits soft, yearning pleas for mercy against a minimalist, shadowy soundscape. It’s a testament to Magic Magic’s knack for building immediately appealing, emotionally raw and powerful songs.
 
Whatever Happened to Monday Nights? was recorded at the end of last year in the confines of the a rehearsal space and a cold, unforgiving winter. Escaping a winter of record breaking Boston snow in favor of Nick Sera’s balmy bass grooves and Brendan Hughes’ bright guitar riffs on "Been Feelin’ Alright", the album as a whole flourishes with a warm, breezy easiness. 
 
The newest addition to the discography is TV Life EP,  a three-track insight into the next full-length by the same name. It is currently being written and recorded in their rehearsal space. "Afterglow" is a particularly promising start with a ruckus swell of frenetic guitars and punchy vocals that melts into a slow, pounding finish. The TV Life LP is set to be released in late spring/ early summer of this year.
 
At the beginning of March, the five-piece will climb into their camper and start their first real tour outside of Europe. An eight-day Midwestern tour will be their brief introduction to the sprawling American highway system and new audiences in the Great Plains. Tour dates are listed below.  
 
Upcoming Tour Dates:
3/12: Pianos (New York, NY)
3/13: Danger Danger Gallery (Philadelphia, PA)
3/14: Marburg Collective (Cincinatti, OH)
3/15: Beauty Bar (Chicago, IL)
3/16: Upstairs Lounge (St. Louis, MO)
3/17: The Bishop (Bloomington, IN)
3/19: The Elevens (Northampton, MA)

–The Deli Staff

This weeks Invictus Pick are my buddies Broadcaster from Providence RI. You see, me and frontman Chris McTernan grew up in the same town. Did we hang out? No. Somehow, I got lumped in with the cheerleaders and he was in band. Thats how it goes, right? But one thing I think it’s safe to assume is that while we were in junior high we most likely listened to similar music. I can hear Built To Spill influences with this track "Passerby" off their new EP. It was nice to run into him again, years later, when Im pretty sure I booked his band whithout realizing he was in it.  That’s how I met Moe Sherzai (Bitch Brothers) too. Its never a dull moment when these guys play, I clearly remember McTernan and crew tearing up The Hotel Vernon in Kelley Sq with a badass cover of Iggy Pop’s "Search and Destroy" and now my girl Rainy Logan (Eye Witness)  has taken over drumming duties. I’m definitely excited to see these guys play soon.

Some of Broadcaster’s influences are: Silkworm, Wipers, Link Wray, Built to Spill, and Swervedriver.

Broadcaster – Passerby

— Danielle Freudenthal

The Sound Of Growing Up is the moniker of singer/songwriter Justin Kao. A Boston transplant via Long Island, NY, Kao moved to Boston shortly after finishing college to pursue his career in music. Having played small shows and open mics in the local area, Kao began building up a network of fans, friends, and musicians with his catchy melodies and earnest lyrics.

The band’s aptly titled debut EP, Drifting, releasing tomorrow March 8, 2011, is a sweeping range of emotions that travel from uncertainty and apathy to hope and promise.  Hints of The Beatles and the Beach Boys mingle with the power pop sensibilities of Jellyfish and Weezer, building upon Kao’s insightful lyrics to create what he affectionately calls “smart pop.”

Recorded at Barefoot Studios in Boston, the record was produced by Kao with arrangement help from band guitarist Thomas Meunier. The pair also enlisted the help of veteran studio drummer Mike Levesque (David Bowie, Susan Tedeschi, Juliana Hatfield) and engineer Nate Christy (Al Jardine, Casey Desmond). The record was mixed by Jon Castelli and mastered by Grammy Award winner Nathan Dantzler of  LA’s The Hit Lab Studios.
 
Having since filled out the band’s lineup to include Gerard Beaudoin (son of New England jazz/blues legend Gerry Beaudoin) on drums and Steve Tagarelis on bass, The Sound Of Growing Up looks to continue captivating fans with their unique brand of insightful smart pop.

The Sound of Growing Up will be playing at  TT The Bear’s on Thursday, March 17.

"Drifting" Tracklist:
01.  The Kite
02.  Swing
03.  Drifting
04.  I Have No Reason
05.  The Kite (Acoustic Demo) 

Click here to download "Drifting," the third track on the EP.

–The Deli Staff

In 1971, Paul and Linda McCartney released "Ram," a collection of visually-drenched aural musings. On Thursday March 10th, The Savant Project in Mission Hill will feature an evening of melodic and ocular cacophony borne of this inspiration. Boston’s own Daniel Harris and School For Robots will splatter the audience rainbow, hand-in-hand with visual artist Steve Grisé and comic Michael Levine.

Harris’ performances rise towards a free-form cohesion, a la Sufjan Stevens meets Daniel Lanois, featuring a full band: Josh Kiggans, David Ladon and Ryan Aylward, all from The Doctors Fox (where Harris himself plays a supporting role). Prepare for a rock-pop-ambient-loop-filled trip into Harris’s aorta.

School for Robots plays rock music for people. Their sound ranges from bizarre, twisted pop melodies to scorching ’70s hell-riffs. Drawing from such eclectic influences as AC/DC, McCartney, and Zappa, fans most often compare the sound to modern groups licking the rock envelope like Ween and Queens of the Stone Age. But whatever they’re hearing, School for Robots is forcing them to have a good time.

Steven Grisé’s dreamlike, often nostalgic, style of live video art has accompanied both Massachusetts musicians and international acts including Streight Angular, Casey Desmond, Prefuse 73, Don Preston and Bunk Gardner (Mothers of Invention). His work is based on methods varying from generating live feedback loops to sampling films and his own animated loops controlled via midi.

The evening will also feature special guest host, comedian Michael Levine, up from Austin, Texas. This Buildings On Fire…, a one-man acoustic folk act has also been added to the bill.

Thursday, March 10
8pm, FREE
The Savant Project
1625 Tremont St., Boston (Mission Hill)

–The Deli Staff

Boston-based band theWandas are hosting a listening party Tuesday, March 8th at the Enormous Room in Cambridge, MA. The party is to celebrate the completion of their upcoming full length album.

Being an independent outfit, theWandas looked to their fans to fund the recording process. By allowing their fans to pre-order the album (in digital, CD, and vinyl formats), and to get their hands on limited edition merchandise, the band set out to raise $10,000 by using the direct-to-fan fundraising platform Kickstarter. The campaign was a huge success and they raised just under $12,000 in 30 days.

Now that the album is complete, it will be played in its entirety with DJ sets by the band to follow. Cocktail hour exclusive to their VIPs & Kickstarter backers starts at 7:30pm. Doors open to public at 8:00pm. There will also be a photo booth, courtesy of TimeOut Boston.

There is no release date set or name for the album yet, as the band is in talks with record labels to determine the release details.

This listening party is also a birthday celebration for guitarist Brent Battey and a sendoff for the band. Heading to Toronto for Canadian Music Week and then straight to Austin to play SXSW, the band will not be back in the Boston area until April.

Tuesday, March 8, 21+, FREE
7:30pm – Doors Open to Kickstarter Backers & VIPs
8:00pm – Doors Open to Public
8:30pm – Album Played In Entirety Over House PA
DJ Sets by the band to follow until close.

Enormous Room
569 Mass. Ave, Cambridge
–The Deli Staff

Based out of Boston, MA, Slowdim is an indie pop band with ambient and grungy influences. The band consists of Paul Sentz (formerly of This Car Up) on guitar and vocals, Ethan Cannon on drums and Karina DaCosta (28 Degrees Taurus) playing bass and vocals. Sentz started writing and recording songs in his apartment in January and February 2011. This is the first live performance for them as a full band, they go on at 9pm.

Also playing are ethereal pop band The Love Language. A seven-piece band from Raleigh, NC, they have a lo-fi, garage rock vibe, and listening to the abundant harmonies, a strong 60’s influence. If you like Arcade Fire and Guards, chances are, you’ll love these guys.

Headlining the show is Telekinesis. Powerpop hooks, and heartfelt melodic bliss, this band is super catchy. It’s like the indie rock of the mid-90s, like Death Cab For Cutie or Weezer, you know, before Weezer took to writing State Farm jingles. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.

Tuesday, March 8
8pm Doors. 9pm Show. $10
TT The Bear’s Place
Central Sq., Cambridge

–The Deli Staff

On Saturday, March 5th, at Clarendon Hill Presbyterian Church (Nave Gallery), Audrey Ryan will be releasing her latest CD, "Thick Skin". 

Audrey’s music has evolved over the years into an eclectic form of singer-songwriter indie-rock performed as a “one-man-band” using loops on guitar as well as accordion, ukulele, banjo, drums, vibraphone and other unique instrumentation. This music blends together her early influences of Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, John Fahey, and Bob Dylan with contemporaries such as Sufjan Stevens, Wilco, and Arcade Fire.

Opening the evening from 7-9 are performance by the following bands:
Pulling from influences of the blues, roots rock, and early American folk,  Brown Bird offers harmonized voices, haunting lyrics and diverse rhythm and instrumentation.

Husband and wife duo South China, from Portland, ME, use their individual backgrounds in experimental rock and classical music to produce a sound that feels sparse and improvised, evoking a slightly dark and dream-like state with captivating melodies.

Cuddle Magic , a 12-piece band, blend pop, rock, and folk by use of ukelele, vibrophone, and various percussion and stringed instruments. Their arrangments are striking and brilliant.

Alice Austin is a songwriter and multi-instrumentalist originally from Vermont, but now residing in LA. A twangy indie rocker that plays electric and slide guitars with lo-fi drum loops, she’s been compared to Jenny Lewis, Neko Case and The White Stripes.

From 9-10:30pm there will be a full 10+ piece orchestra "one-night-only" playing Audrey‘s music.

All Ages. $5 Admission or $10 Admission & receive a copy of "Thick Skin".
Free beer, wine, snacks.
Nave Gallery
155 Powderhouse Blvd, Somerville

–The Deli Staff

Over the Summer, I would receive packages in the mail just about every week from Jinsen Liu of 28 Degrees Taurus. He would send me a few CDs of really awesome bands like Gospel Gossip. I would take these EPs and albums and import them into iTunes immediately. Sometimes it was on the fly, so I didn’t have a chance to listen to them. That was the case with Roh Delikat.

I was fixing lunch one afternoon when Kristina (Johnson) Parish’s voice stopped me dead in my tracks. "Who is this?," I thought. I marched over to my laptop, a piece of bread and a butter knife in hand, and instantly I was bummed. I wouldn’t get to see this band play this dreamy tune ever because I knew they had stopped playing live a few years earlier. Well, thankfully, that wasn’t true.

It turns out that Jinsen doesn’t just play guitar in 28dt and send packages in the mail, he also acts as a catalyst for getting really good bands back together. A few months later, thanks to Jinsen, Roh Delikat reunited with a new bass player, Ryan Brown (Ho-Ag), to play the Deep Heaven Now festival. After that, they decided to start writing new songs. "Tanya Zandra’s Tissue Box" is the tune I heard that day last summer.

Some of their influences include Sonic Youth, Autolux, Die Antwoord, and a sprinkling of dubstep.

Roh Delikat — Tanya Zandra’s Tissue Box

— Danielle Freudenthal

The Cambridge music community is dazzling with the songs and voices of some of this country’s finest independent musicians. The March 8th showcase features a beautiful sampler of sorts of the Cambridge area’s most talented voices and musicians. This is a show for the most seasoned Camberville music fan as well as a newbie wanting to get a heaping dose of the best live music in the area. March 8th show will feature Dennis Brennan, Jess Tardy, Mark Erelli, Billy Beard, Jeese Dee, Zach Hickman and Margaret Glaspy showcased by the On and Off of Mass Ave project. The project began in 2007 by two local music devotees who continue to document and rally support for live, local music. The March 8th event will be recorded for a future documentary.

Tuesday, March 8, 2011 at 8pm

Club Passim, 47 Palmer Street, Cambridge, MA

Tickets now available at www.passim.org

— The Deli Staff

Streight Angular is filming their music video for the single "Everyone Is Syncopated" Saturday, February 26 at the Out of the Blue Gallery in Cambridge.

It’s a collaborative art project that they want everyone to participate in by bringing personal devices that record video (cell phones, digital cameras, etc) to film it themselves and that footage will be used as part of the video. They want to do special effects with it all, so if you are going to bring a camera, the band asks that you RSVP here.

They also ask that you bring props like stupid stuffed animals and blow up dolls and toy instruments or whatever you have lying around that’s cool and weird. That, also includes posters of N’Sync, they want it to be that ridiculous.

They also want to get as many local Boston bands in the video as possible. All participants will get credit in the credits reel as extras and camera people (if you help out with the recording).

The shoot begins at noon, but they ask that everyone get there for 11:30.

Out of the Blue Gallery
106 Prospect Street
Cambridge, MA 02139-2503

–The Deli Staff

This may be one of the most eclectic line-ups to ever grace the stage at O’Brien’s.

First up is Crewshall. Self-described as: "Boston’s hottest new band playing reggae, hip-hop, and latin riddims," they’ll be taking the stage tonight at 9:30. At 10:30, is Bella’s Bartok, a 10-piece intensely energetic band, they blend eastern European folk influences with gypsy punk. Headlining the show at 11:30 is 28 Degrees Taurus, the ambient psych-rock band known for their unique asian-folk melodies on guitar, chilling vocals, and their love of jagermeister.

So, if you find yourself in the mood for hip hop riddims, gypsy rock, and psychedelia, or for a night of energetic fun, get yourself over to O’briens.

O’Brien’s, 3 Harvard Ave. Allston
9pm, 21+, $8

–The Deli Staff