The Shills are fast carving their niche in the Boston area scene with their music, songs that are simultaneously catchy, challenging and experimental in sound and concept. With their second full-length album Ganymede, a conceptual album about a misanthrope who is shipwrecked on an island and forced to confront himself, The Shills continue to hone their talents and distinct style as they assert themselves as a staple of the Boston scene. Recently, Bryan, Eric, Dave and James were kind enough to answer some questions for the Deli.

Deli: Could you give our readers a brief biography of the band? How you got together, what your musical and non-musical inspirations are, how you characterize your sound and style, etc.?

Eric: James, Dave & myself were in a previously existing band called Gallery. We fired our singer and were auditioning new ones when we came across Bryan. We all have different and similar musical influences, which is a great combination. The stuff we all like gives us a common ground to work from and then we can all bring in our own different influences and jumble it all together to create a new overall sound. It’s never been easy for us to describe our sound but it’s something like progressive pop/rock. We like to blend pop melodies and song structures with musically complex ideas and rhythms. The idea being that anyone can identify with sound right off the bat but there’s a lot of subtle complexities to keep it interesting. Basically we want my little sister and our music nerd friends to all dig it.

Read the whole interview by Meghan Guidry HERE

Perhaps one of the greatest things to happen in the Boston music scene in a while is Brendan Boogie’s Cover-up shows. This weekend at the Lizard Lounge The Blizzard of ’78, Casavettes, Mike Verge, Guilded Splinters, Sodafrog and lots of other special, spontaneous guests will rally and pay homage to one of rock’s greats and a critical influence to many, Neil Young. Keep on rockin’ in the free world, Deli Readers.

Lizard Lounge 1667 Mass Ave Cambridge

21+ $10 adv/$12 door 8:30 doors 

You can get tickets here: www.brownpapertickets.com/event/98649.

–The Deli Staff

The grand statement of the weekend will be made by free-improv collective, the le duo, by stripping their profusely collaborative sound back down to square one–letting the whole damn thing go. Improvisation. Expect the best of Burlington’s experimental music scene to be on stage with the le duo leader, JB Ledoux, to create who knows what. It will be mind bending and the drum will be beating, but other than that there’s no telling what pot of noise will be stirred up at the Bean Sunday night. A Snake in the Garden will be opening the night at 9pm with the waves of noise and Lawrence Welks and Our Bear 2X will be closing out the shin dig–should be a good one. The iNprov will actually be three part deal with February 14th and 21st also playing host to the le duo and friends.

Radio Bean
8 N. Winooski Ave
Burlington, VT 05401

—The Deli Staff

The Doctors Fox

Wednesday Feb 3rd, Precinct Bar (70 Union Sq. Somerville, MA) is
throwing a benefit concert for victims of the Haitian Earthquake. For
only $15 you can see 13 live bands playing from 6pm-1am. Precinct will
be passing around free appetizers for a few hours and there will also
be a silent auction.

Live performances from:
Otis Grove
One Fine Morning
Abbie Barrett
Gold Star Morning
The Doctors Fox
Super Volcano
Top Heavy
6th Degree
Maddyln Elyse & Mike Moore
Christoph Krey (From McAlister Drive)
Jesse McCullough

$15.00 All Proceeds donated to the Red Cross. This show is supported by Hear Now Live as well. It is a great show for a great cause.

–The Deli Staff

Photos by Michael Spencer

Boston’s Will Dailey  has his roots planted in classic rock and the local Boston music scene but his ambitions are high and successful. Dailey sat down with the Deli to talk about Neil Young,Brendan Boogie’s Cover-up, and how to cultivate your first musical influences.

Dailey is playing the Somerville Theater with Tim Gearan and Dwight and Nicole on February 5th for Dwight and Nicole’s CD release, Signs. Take my word for it. This show is a once in a lifetime show. I bet all my jellybeans it will be an intergalatically stellar night.

Deli: How would you describe your music?

Will Dailey: That’s always the hard question, how would you describe your music? It’s probably best described as where I want to take it and not where it’s been. Writing songs and performing them makes me happiest and I’d say the music I write is a reflection of the music that has always influenced me in a way.

–Read the whole interview by Meghan Chiampa HERE

Starting the set was a cat out of Lowell, MA: D-Tension. I’ll admit that beforehand, I had very little faith in this man’s ability to rap (and, even more so, his ability to perform) based the silliness of his name and his hometown. It would only be after his set was over that I’d realize how mistaken I’d been; how pseudonyms are rarely ever indicative of ability, no matter how bizarre or obnoxious they might seem (cf. Ol’ Dirty Bastard, Jay Electronica) and how where a performer comes from doesn’t really matter. Even if not many MCs have come from there before.

Admittedly, the fact that he didn’t do much but stand at center stage, wireless mic in hand, annoyed me somewhat. But, for the first time in a while, I really didn’t care. He was just too damn nice. Spitting 92-era lyrics over productions which seemed like they had spawned from Ali Shaheed Muhammad’s twenty-year-old fingertips (though this is very unlikely, I understand), D-Tension had me laughing. And not in a condescending way; it might be easy for some to mock this acknowledged self-deprecator with beats like a school kid and raps like “Ya Mama”, but if you were paying attention at all to D-Tension’s set you would’ve realized how genuinely happy the guy was to be there, spitting his rhymes, opening for People Under the Stairs. He never once broke stride: two-and-a-half-minute song, banter, two-and-a-half-minute song ad infinitum. In a rap world where self-propagation often leads to straight up falsehood, it’s nice to see someone not care if he’s not on top of the world and have some fun with hip hop.

I don’t have much to say about Budo and Grieves’ . Honestly, the only thing that struck me about this set was how UN-struck I was, which was strange, because Budo’s music still attracts me to the point of repeat-playing. I guess I’ll just have to see them again.

On a track, Kenan Bell sports deft lyrical control with a voice so high up in his sinuses sometimes it sounds like the guy could use a good nose-blowin’. I really didn’t know what to expect from Kenan Bell, beyond several well-produced songs and a quick tongue on the mic. What followed was a set that I can say was the best I’ve seen at the Middle East Downstairs, hip-hop-wise.  And, lest I forget, his band played some damn funky music right from the get-go ( opened with “Joy and Pain”) and didn’t let up ‘till the half hour was done. The bass was pulsing so hard I swear I felt like I was getting a defibrillator shock four times per measure.

People Under the Stairs played a magnificent set which I doubt will be topped by any I see for a long time. They used the audience, encouraging participation but without resorting to those old-pony tricks ("Everybody say yeah" was as close as it got to being 1987, and only for a minute) and they made the people at the ME get  down. Jam.

–Daniel Schneider

Cambridge Singer-songwriter, Brendan Hogan will be playing at the Lizard Lounge on the 29th to celebrate the release of his first full-length album Long Night Coming.The Lizard Lounge is a very appropriate place to have the release party for Hogan, since it is the same venue he started up in, playing open-mics and sitting in with other bands.

If you like Bob Dylan you’ll love Long Night Coming The album is mostly soft and very pretty with light country and Celtic accents. Some songs like "Rock Cast in the Sea" and "Big Black Car" are larger and more swingin’. "Rock Cast into the Sea" is a fast, accordion-involved piece and really stands out on the album which shows Hogan’s versatility. All the lyrics are balladic or poetic and finely composed. The title track "Long Time Coming" is a beautiful and metaphoric piece, with soft but soulful vocals. The first line of the song explains the album cover, Hogan causally posed in front of the Somerville Theater.

The thing I  like about this album is the dynamic of the lyrics and music. The lyrics are incredibly dire at times, but it doesn’t mater because the music that floats around the words is hopeful. (Think Dylan’s "It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue" or "Most of the Time")

Should be a great show and I bet you a million bucks there will be lots of special guests, local folks and lots of beer. A perfect show to see to top of the awesome month of January (honestly though, there have been some great shows this month.) Also a great album to get you through the epic awesomeness of February in New England.

–Meghan Chiampa

Burlington’s premier basement dwelling cacophonizers are releasing their newest offering Cam Couger tomorrow night at Enter aka The Bakery. The festivities are under way at 9pm and others from Burlington’s experimental offering will be slicing your head wide open all night: Chubby Wonder (Nosebleed Island), Caring Babies, and tooth ache.

—The Deli Staff

Maga, evilhero, and Sad Bastards will be playing at the bean tomorrow from 11pm to close to raise funds for the Hatian Earthquake relief effort. Wild sounds will be made to fuel this fundraiser. Head down the Bean to attend Burlington’s part in relief via music.

Radio Bean
8 N. Winooski Ave.
Burlington, VT 05404

–The Deli Staff

Burlington, Boston, Providence, Portland and the rest of New England wouldn’t be known for its stellar, incomparable music scene if it wasn’t for the men and women behind the curtains. They are sound engineers, promoters, tour managers, journalists and people who work in our beloved clubs. I thank them for their hard work and their willingness to participate in Deli – New England’s first yearly poll.

Jurors

Adena Harford – Writer and Founder of the Deli Burlington

Alex Budney – Nectar’s/Metronome 

Autumn Pincus – Tour Manager

Clay Fernald – Middle East Nightclub

Dan Cardinal – Ample-Fi Recording

Mark Kaye – Hear Now Live

Paddy Reagan – Angioplasy Media/Monkey House

Randi Millman – TT the Bear’s Place

Ryan Spaulding – Ryan’s Smashing Life

Susan Scotti – Club Passim

I am amazed, flattered and proud to see how well the site has been doing and the fanatic support from the New England music scene and the great writers I have on staff. And most importantly I thank the musicians for their music.

–Meghan Chiampa and The Deli Staff

We would like to thank all the jurors and writers who helped us with their vote put together this list of emerging New England artists. Thanks to the readers for participating and most importantly thanks to the bands for getting the word out about The Deli’s poll. 

Indie-rockers Mean Creek (in the picture), one of Boston’s most talked about bands, won the 2009 Best Emerging Artist – congrats to them! They were a definite favorite amongst our jurors. Mellow rootsy-folk, Michael Bernier and the Uprising placed second, thanks to a strong support from their fan base in the readers’ poll, while Boston soul sensation Jesse Dee came in third, gathering votes from Jurors, Writers and Deli Readers. More about the winners coming soon to the Deli, so stay tuned!

–The Deli Staff