Couple of Burlington’s better folky/rocky left-fielders will be showing up at the big stage at Higher Ground in South Burlington tonight. Paper Castles was nominated for The Deli New England’s best artist last year and Buzz Jar has been kicking their twangy jams all over the place recently. A weekday show definately worth checking out.

—The Deli Staff

Singer/Songwriter Danielle Doyle will be celebrating the release of her first album, The Cartographer’s Wife, this Saturday the 13th at the Lizard Lounge. She will be playing with members for Garlic & Moonshine and The Flightless Buttress and many other local musicians.

Deli: What is one of your first memories of hearing music that really moved you?

Danielle Doyle: Josh Ritter has been my absolute favorite singer-songwriter for a very, very long time. For me, there’s just no one out there doing it better right now. He’s so incredibly talented. Seeing him live is life changing – I’ve never seen someone so happy, so passionate, so humble and appreciative of what he gets to do for a living. You see him live and you’re like damn, I want that. So – I’m trying to.

Deli: When did you decide to go public with your art?

DD: When I was at Oberlin I founded and ran an open mic night at the music venue I worked at. I remember the first time I played, my friend in the audience gasped – a really, positive encouraging gasp. So I started playing every week. Thanks for gasping, Sam Sax.

Deli: Is the upcoming tour your first big tour? Are you excited about the CD release? What are the steps that lead you to this wonderful accomplishment?

DD: A whole lot of firsts for me – first CD and a huge CD release party at the Lizard Lounge, first tour. It’s really exciting and I couldn’t be happier. It’s a lot of work but I really love all of it. I’ve taken a lot of classes at the Passim School of Music and I’ve interned and worked for some of my favorite artists’ managers – so I’d like to think I know what I’m doing – but I’m learning every step of the way. As for the CD – I’m really happy with it. So many of my friends donated their time and their talent to making it happen and I couldn’t have done it without them. Everyone who played on the album will be playing with me for my songs and playing with their respective bands throughout the night – and they’re all fantastic!

Deli: What did you want to be when you grew up when you were a little kid?

DD: When I was little I would dress up and hide in the other room and I’d make my grandfather announce me: "Live from Las Vegas, it’s Ms. Mary Mustard!" then I’d run in and sing and dance around their living room. So, I guess I’m doing pretty much the same thing now, except I think the songs I write are a little better now.

Deli: What are some "outside" influences on your songwriting? (i.e. pottery, Kubrick Movies, maps)

DD: "Salome" is (loosely) based on a Lovis Corinth painting. (I was an art history major in college.) "Pompeii" is about the end of the world, but the visual I get when I sing it is Mary Louise Parker riding a Segway out of Agrestic in the third season finale of Weeds. I’m a TV junkie. "Sky" is about the Trail of Tears – inspired by a Comparative American Studies course I took at Oberlin. Only a couple songs on the album are actually based on my life… because my life isn’t too terribly interesting.

Deli: Describe Tom Bianchi in 5 words or less.

DD: Most supportive human being EVER. Seriously, I don’t know if I ever would have pursued playing music for real without all the support and encouragement I get from Tom.

Deli: What advice do you have for young female performers who are looking to pursue a career in music?

DD: Meet Tom Bianchi. If you’re good – he’ll take care of you.

Tickets can be purchased here: ($8 in advanced, 10 at the door)

–Interview by Meghan Chiampa

Two years after the release of their eponymous debut album (produced by David Newton of The Mighty Lemon Drops, straight out of the UK), Boston’s The Hush Now is back with a sophomore – though not sophomoric – effort that will definitely please those already familiar with their particular species of subdued rock.

For those who aren’t so familiar, a quick listen through their new album, Constellations, will be more than enough to bring you up to speed, with lead guitarist Adam Quane setting the rhythm and tone for each song with some sweetly simple guitar riffs before lead singer Noel Kelly even has a chance to come in with a breathy-but-firm vocalism that, although it may not be for everyone, will certainly satisfy, at the very least. Be sure to catch them live at Great Scott this Saturday to see them perform songs from their new album, and to wish them well before they take the stage at South- By-Southwest later this month.

You can download Constellations HERE for free!

–Dan Schneider

Ryan Power will be releasing his new full length album tomorrow at the Monkey House in Winooski with the help of some local favorites, Blowtorch and Lawrence Welks and Our Bear to Cross. Ryan will be performing with his full band before heading out on a three week tour with the album. Nominated as one of New England’s best arists of 2009 by The Deli, Ryan continues to prove to be one of the best Burlington has to offer.

—The Deli Staff

–Photo by Andrew Wallach

Thursdays at Precinct in March belong to velvet-voiced singer/songwriter Abbie Barrett. Her newest album, Dying Day is heavy with emotional lyrics and boasts vivacious beats. Most of the songs on the album are fast-paced and energetic and show a gentle and creative desperation (in a c’est la vie sort of way) that you hear in modern French and Irish folk. Her voice is unique and deep and leads the action-packed rhythms of the album. The title track "Dying Day" and "Bide My Time" are softer and sparkle with American-Country undertones but still contain the slow build and strong punch in the gut (in a butterflies in the stomach sort of way) that the other tracks have. Plus it is good to have something different once in a while. Barrett has the cautious heart of Joni Mitchell and/or Nick Drake and the thick-skinned creativity of Tori Amos.

At Precinct Barrett will be playing with many local bands such as, Dan Blakesee and Jenee Halstead (who will be also playing at the Deli Showcase on the 19th at the Armory – more to come on this soon)The Doctors Fox, Dave Alpert and many more.

Precinct is in Union Sq. Somerville, MA. Every Thursday in March. Abbie Barrett.

–Meghan Chiampa

The 4th annual New England Americana festival kicks-off today at Church in Boston and runs through Saturday. There is an amazing line up for this event. Guns, Girls and Glory, Jimmy Ryan and Hayride, Three Day Threshold, The Bees Knees, Movers and Shakers and many more will be celebrating the very American genre in with the spirit of the Northeast. They have different ticket bundles and you can check those out here.

–The Deli Staff

Review of the Deli’s Band of the Month winner, Jakob Battick and Friends. Stay tuned for an interview with them in the future.

Taking their name from an Andrew Bird song, Good Kid Sprouting Horns set the stage with their incredibly minimal setup of guitar, Casio keyboard, and small drum kit. While Horns’ music was rooted in folk, they showed different shades of influences from the lo-fi rock explosion of the 90s and a lick of alt-country. Anthony Bitetti’s voice was subdued and creaky and he could belt away in a beautiful descent. Horns’ performance was powerful and satisfying.

Following Horns was Bangor native, Jakob Battick who was accompanied by his ragtag team of musicians from the local university. Going under the name Jakob Battick & Friends, the group is constantly evolving, always welcoming new members and saying goodbye to the old—sometimes cycling through the same people, allowing for the reinterpreting of already interpreted songs. What’s so special about Jakob Battick & Friends isn’t only the folk and sometimes punk-infused songwriting, but also the group’s willingness to change and experiment with songs that never end up sounding exactly the same.

A year ago, Jakob Battick’s songs would have sounded almost gentle and quiet—with the support of acoustic instruments and maybe some light drumming. With a year passed, the group has changed and know have a sound that’s jagged and loud. While the songs are still rooted in folk music, the group isn’t afraid to show a little contrast between the soft and sharp. This was especially evident in the elegant sounds of Roy MacNeil’s violin set against Mark Dennis’ pummeling war-drums. It was during these moments that the folk switched to a more tribal sound.

Planets Around The Sun performed next, I suggest you check them out!

–Dylan Martin

Christopher Pappas’s solo project Forest Fires is an organic incarnation of this preternaturally gifted musician. The show at TT the Bear’s on Tuesday, February 16th consisted of seven songs from Forest Fires’ debut album Hark! And Other Lost Transmissions. Backed by a full band, Pappas blended his bittersweet lyrics with master showmanship to build his venue into an atmosphere fitting for the music he plays: something familiar and accessible while also testing the audience’s willingness to open themselves to the implications itinerant in his music.

Pappas played a tight seven-song set showcasing Forest Fires’ range from the tender, lulling opener “Lost at Sea” to the show closer “The Dying Physicist”, a tongue-in-cheek anthem to quantum physics, foregone opportunities and squandered time. There’s a controlled grittiness in Forest Fires, something gleaned even in more upbeat tracks like “Sweet Tooth” and “Static Gloom.” In “Son Son (Son)”, a tender apology to an unborn child, Pappas’s voice wavers between seduction and guilt, enough so to make the audience suspend the knowledge supplied by Pappas himself, “This is about the son I never had, not one I abandoned.”

Throughout, what ties the music together is Pappas’s ability to experiment with variations on melody, theme and genre conventions. The result is ultimately catchy, alluring and accessible while maintaining an impish degree of challenge. Nowhere was this more apparent than in the song “Fooling Everybody, All of the Time,” a coy, catchy dirge about the ubiquitous need to be accepted that began with Pappas near-cooing into the microphone and ended with the proclamation, “There’s no song to sum up the way you feel.” The music captures the sense of ongoing loss and elation inherent in any innocuous moment. Forest Fires hints at complex ideas through pristine songs, music that cycles back to key concepts and chords alike. Ultimately, Forest Fires strives to expose the bittersweet revelation of everyday experience and the mark it leaves upon us.

–Meghan Guidry

Burlington veterans, The Villanelles, along with promising new comers Ghost Weapons will be headlining the late shift at Radio Bean tonight at 11pm. Ghost Weapons have decided to unconditionally bring the huge classic alt rock sound (Dinosaur Jr., Husker Du) to Burlington. The single song available on their otherwise deserted myspace page speaks for itself. Tonight will be their debut and hopefully we’ll be welcoming some promising new sounds to the area.

–The Deli Staff

Theodore Treehouse is relatively new to Portland, but thanks to a grand network of friends and a venue that will welcome almost anything that resembles a music group, Treehouse was given a vessel to kick the ass of 100 or more ears on Tuesday night. Despite the band being in an early stage, their songs were incredibly catchy and well-crafted. The core of every song was poppy, but there were some more experimental elements (repetition, jamming) that kept the band from being just another pop act. It’d be safe to say these guys (and gal) are garage pop, very much like Portland’s Metal Feathers. The timbre can make or break a band, and this band’s timbre has a wonderful coat: guitar on distortion, fuzzy synthesizer, forward bass, dynamic drums and a scratchy, but lovable voice. You could say Treehouse can fall in somewhere between Modest Mouse, Wolf Parade and earlier Animal Collective, but comparisons like this ultimately do the band a disservice, especially when they bring a completely new sound to the table and deserve the credit. If you’re interested in following the Portland music scene, Theodore Treehouse is definitely a band to take note of. I can sense that they’ll be playing a lot more shows with better-known bands real soon.

–Dylan Martin

Mikey French Fries recently served up an enigmatic set at the Middle East Upstairs opening for Drug Rug.  The band fills the stage both literally and figuratively with an energy that the audience can’t help but find contagious.  The set was a refreshing mix of upbeat and somber tunes with elements of both pop and folk rock undertones.  Mikey Holland (Mean Creek, Movers and Shakers), frontman of the group was nice enough to sit down for a little interview. Be sure to check out his solo set at the Plough and Stars February 18.

Deli: What was your inspiration for forming Mikey French Fries?

Mikey Holland: The inspiration for starting the band is also the ideology of the band. It’s all about friends and fun. I’m so fortunate so have so many wonderfully talented friends who make time in their busy schedule to back up my little honky-tonk rock ‘n’ roll band. But the main thing is just spontaneous fun. You go to a show of ours and you will see a lot of smiling faces on stage and some "Oh shit, when did that change?" kind of looks

–Read the full interview by Sheen Dorci HERE

Michael Bernier & The Uprising will be playing his last show before he leaves the country to go to Belize to explore more about hand-drumming. Bernier won 2nd place in the overall year end contest and 2nd place in the reader’s poll. We will be featuring an interview with him when he returns from his travels. Supporting at The Big Easy, Station 85, Div Kid  and People With Instruments.

–The Deli Staff