Philadelphia

The Deli Presents at KFN Jan. 21

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Tonight we’ll be presenting a most enjoyable bill at Kung Fu Necktie. Headlining will be sound manipulator Michael Johnson with his crew of experimental popsters under his moniker Ape School. Come learn how intelligent a school of apes can be. Make sure to get there early to catch The Deli’s January Artist(s) of the Month The Circadian Rhythms with their throwback sound in a new school way. They’ll be sandwiching Jenkintown’s New Motels, who’ve been recording their fun, ramshackled radio-pop at American Diamond with Bill Moriarty, and Brooklyn’s Savior Adore, who will be on tour most of March with Mon Khmers. We’ll be there with our drinking shoes on. We’d love for you to join us and hopefully buy us many shots of Jameson! Kung Fu Necktie, 1250 N. Front St., 8pm, $8, 21+ – The Deli Staff

 

Philadelphia

Gina Ferrera & The Philadelphia Gyil Fusion Project CD Release Party at MarBar Jan. 20

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Gina Ferrera maybe an Italian-American girl from dirty Jerz, but her heart lies somewhere in the warm climates of West Africa. She specializes in a tonal percussive instrument called a gyil – pronounced jeel – an acoustic, wooden mallet instrument in the xylophone family that originated from the tri-border region of Ghana, Burkina Faso and Cote D’Ivoire, where Ferrera traveled to learn from gyil masters Kakraba Lobi and Bernard Woma. She’s brought her knowledge and rhythms back to Philly where she’s recorded her latest album on Rope A Dope, titled Gina Ferrera & The Philadelphia Gyil Fusion Project – imagine a more organic, primal sounding Imogen Heap. Come to MarBar tonight for her CD Release Party with her all-star local lineup of special guests if you are in the mood for a little soul cleansing! MarBar, 200 S. 40th St., 9pm, $5, 21+ myspace.com/ginaferrera – Q.D. Tran

Philadelphia

Hair Rocket – Weird, Art or Both? at The Khyber Jan. 20

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What started out as an outpour of heartache and emotion has moved on to become a WOXY Pick of the Year in 2009, and has received a good deal of play on Y-Rock and WEQX! What started out as Chris Blasucci making a music video has since evolved into an intense garage/glam band whose music and performances have been compelling enough to have audience members in attendance volunteer locks of their own hair. So the hair might just fly when Hair Rocket plays music from their debut EP Novelty at The Khyber tonight. Be part of history and donate a lock of your hair, or at least be part of some weird cathartic art ritual! They’ll be joined by indie psych rock quintet Shining TV Screen. The Khyber, 56 S. 2nd St., 9pm, $8, 21+ myspace.com/hairrocket – Bill McThrill

Philadelphia

Year End Best of Philly Fans’ Poll Results Are In!

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1
 Levee Drivers
2
  Woe
3
  The Extraordinaires
4
  Conversation w/ Enemies
5
  Dangerous Ponies
6
  Kevin James Devine
7
  Swift Technique
8
  Grandchildren
9
  Prowler
10
  Orbit to Leslie

Congrats to Levee Drivers – Winners of The Deli’s Best of Philly Fans’ Poll! The results of our Composite Chart [the one including the votes from the jury and the writers which will elect our best emerging artist(s) of 2009] will be announced on Wednesday, as we need a little time to organize it and add up the votes (yeah, we suck at math). 

Congrats also to Woe and The Extraordinaires – who placed 2nd and 3rd in the Fans’ Poll. 

The Deli Staff
 
Philadelphia

Artist(s) Who Deserve Your Friendship: Mammal of Paradise

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If you made it out this past Friday to Orbit to Leslie’s SOLD OUT CD Release Party that The Deli presented, you learned that the boys behind the indie pop flying machine known as Aderbat have a new project in the works to unveil to the music world. Singer/songwriter/guitarist Matt Taylor, drummer Todd Scheid, bassist Brad Kunkle and multi-instrumentalist Craig Hendrix will be now known as Mammal of Paradise. Check out a sample of what they are working on at http://www.myspace.com/mammalofparadise. Both unmastered tracks, “Anyone’s Song” and “Freeway” were mixed by anti-music industry producer Andrew Weiss (Ween, Akron Family, Rollins Band). “Anyone’s Song” is sure to be their debut single with its chill, groovy “Walk on the Wild Side” feel. Hopefully someone better than Marky Mark will be smart enough to sample or remix it. I had a chance to catch up with Matt Taylor after the show to talk about Mammal of Paradise.
 
Q.D. Tran: With such recent critical acclaim for your full length We Belong to the Sea and your EP Man Overboard as well as your debut full length Rabbits and Rocks, why did you feel that now was the right time to change your name?

Matt Taylor: A bunch of reasons actually, Mammal of Paradise is more of a new project for us than a name change. When we became a four piece with Craig Hendrix and started to record a new Aderbat record this past year, it felt like a new band. Our whole dynamic changed and not to mention our personal lives. It was then I first thought about making the album under a different moniker. Also, Brad, Todd and myself started Aderbat way back in 2003, so we have a long list of songs…too many really. Most I can’t remember or I just don’t feel excited about playing anymore. This gives us the opportunity to have a new set of music without feeling obligated to throw in the oldies. Its a new decade…new ideas. 

QDT: What is the meaning behind Mammal of Paradise? Where did the name Mammal of Paradise come from?

MT: As a child in this industrial landscape, it’s a way of thinking, being and escaping. It’s romanticism, its emotion and intuition over rationalism. More importantly, it’s taken directly from a book by Lord Whimsy called The Affected Provincial’s Companion Vol. 1. 

QDT: Did the new name come to you easily or was it a grueling process?
 
MT: Grueling. Making up band names can become an obsession. Drunk, high, early in the morning, I would make a list then scrap it, then do it again. I’ve got some for future projects that I’m going to start. Mammal of Paradise came early actually, but I thought we couldn’t use it until I wrote Mr. Whimsy for permission and he so eloquently said “Matthew–words are for everyone, wear it in good health”.

 
QDT: That’s pretty cool. How has the reception been with the new name from your fans and friends?

MT: Awesome, I met a guy yesterday and he asked what my band was called, I told him, and he didn’t say, “How do you spell that?” Otherwise, no one really knows.

QDT: What should we expect from Mammal of Paradise in the new year?

MT: I’m very excited for the new year. We have the Mammal of Paradise debut record presently being mixed by our friend Andrew Weiss and new songs to write. We have a couple up online now. 

QDT: Would you consider yourself a "mammal of paradise"?

MT: Absolutely, I’ve got my own exotic paradise going on right now, somehow, it’s a mystery how I do it sometimes.
 
QDT: What is your favorite thing to get at the deli?

MT: Whatever I forgot to get at the grocery store…cream, cafe bustello.

 
 
(Photo by Ed Roper)
 
– Q.D. Tran

 

Philadelphia

Gene Ween Solo at WCL Jan. 16

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If you haven’t heard of Gene Ween, you probably haven’t heard of Ween, and if you haven’t heard of Ween, where have you been for the past twenty-some years? The duo from New Hope, PA has skewered every possible genre over the last few decades, infecting everything they touch with an unequaled level of musicianship and a crudely bizarre sense of humor that borders on the surreal. Naturally, Gene Ween’s solo project doesn’t fall too far from the tree, but there is a heightened emphasis on simplicity. Lots of classic rock riffing, with creamy, distorted leads and Gene’s trademark congested crooning. Who else could pull off both the Zeppelin-like guitar lines of “Ooh Va La” and the ‘77 punk of “It’s Not Cool” and still sound totally apart from everyone else in music? No one, probably. If you’re one of those who already inhabit the goofy Ween universe, or if you’d like to try it out, head on over to World Cafe Live where Gene is playing with indie-folk man Thom McCarthy. World Cafe Live, 3025 Walnut Street, 8pm, $25, 21+ myspace.com/geneweenband – Joe Poteracki

 

Philadelphia

Blood Feathers Album Release Party at JB’s Jan. 16

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Blood Feathers became the first band signed to the fledgling Philebrity label this fall. We’ve been anxiously waiting for their debut label full length Goodness Gracious since November, its originally scheduled release date. Well, tonight the wait is over! Join the boys and their snarky blogging backers at Johnny Brenda’s when they celebrate this momentous occasion with eccentric piano pop maestro BC Camplight, who was dubbed “a name to become synonymous with star quality” by Time Magazine, and the vintage 70’s revival rock sound of the Josh Olmstead Band. Johnny Brenda’s, 1201 N. Frankford Ave., 9pm, $10, 21+ myspace.com/bloodfeathersrockandrollband – Bill McThrill

 

Philadelphia

The Deli’s Best of Philly Poll – Vote for Your Favorite!

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Yes, this was a labor of love, and certainly heavy on the labor, but if you look over to your right, you’ll find a sweet list of nominees for The Deli’s Best of Philly Emerging Artist(s) Poll. First and foremost, we’d like to thank our always knowledgeable and attractive jury below and The Deli writers for taking the time out of their busy holiday schedules to vote. Without them, we wouldn’t have had all these wonderfully diverse bands to present to you. These jurors are just some of the people behind the scenes that we thought help to make Philly’s music scene so amazing! We greatly appreciate them allowing us to pick their brains.
 
The Deli’s Best of Philly Poll Jurors:
Grace Ambrose, Booker, Pilam
Abigail Bruley, Music Editor, two.one.five Magazine
Mikele Edwards, Booker, Silk City
Brandy Hartley, Booker, Johnny Brenda’s
Melanie Hoch, Vinyl Expert and Dancin’ Queen, Repo Records
Steven James, Booker, Kung Fu Necktie/R5 Productions
Jessica McGinley, Editor-at-Large, PopWreckoning
Ben Morgan, Booker, Millcreek Tavern
Gina Renzi, Executive Director, The Rotunda
Mark Schoneveld, Blogger, Yvynyl
Jon Solomon, DJ and Record Label Owner, WPRB/My Pal God Records
Tom Szwech, Blogger, Bag of Songs
Q.D. Tran, Associate Editor, The Deli Magazine
Bruce Warren, Program Director and Blogger, WXPN/Some Velvet Blog
Emma Zumberge, Blogger, The World in a Paper Cup
 
So check out the list (to the right) and cast a vote for your favorite local Deli emerging artist(s) before midnight Friday, January 15th! We hope that you discover your new favorite band!
 
– The Deli Staff

 

P.S.

If you want to know how this poll works, please go here.

Philadelphia

Weekend Warrior, January 15 – 17

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There is plenty going on this weekend, but the place that you have to be tonight is Johnny Brenda’s for Orbit to Leslie’s CD Release Partay with Aderbat, Grimace Federation and Power Animal! It’s a guaranteed rager! Woohoo…we’re already taking shots of Jameson to get ready, and we just chased them with a couple of Percocets. (Don’t worry, we’re law abiding citizens here at The Deli. I think that one of us has a legal prescription for their wisdom teeth.) Hope to see you sooner than later! Cheers! Johnny Brenda’s, 1201 N. Frankford Ave., 9pm, 21+ myspace.com/orbittoleslie
 
Other shows that you should miss for this one…
 
Johnny Brenda’s (1201 N. Frankford Ave.) SAT Blood Feathers (Album Release) w/BC Camplight and Josh Olmstead Band
 
Kung Fu Necktie (1250 N. Front St.) FRI Birdie Busch, Joshua Park, Thom McCarthy
 
North Star Bar (2639 Poplar St.) Fathead (Reunion Show), Blivit, Jason Fraticelli and the Wet Dreams, SAT Plastic Doves and Urban Giants
 
The Khyber (56 S. 2ndSt.) FRI Courage Pills and The Last Barabrians, SAT Surgeon and Alright Junior, SUN Sgt. Sass and Rachel Tension 
 
World Café Live (3025 Walnut St.) FRI (Downstairs) The Cobbs, SAT (Downstairs) Gene Ween and Thom McCarthy, (Upstairs) The Beekeepers, SUN (Downstairs) Animus
 
M Room (12 W. Girard Ave.) The Elevator Parade (Album Release) w/music.for.headphones
 
Blockley Pourhouse (3801 Chestnut St.) FRI The Tressels (Record Release) w/Sure Juror
 
Millcreek Tavern (4200 Chester Ave.) Curious Buddies and Broad St. Blues
 
Green Line Café (4426 Locust St.) FRI Eliza Jones
 
The Fire (412 W. Girard Ave.) Andrew Lipke, Sister3, Paper Masques, Shutters (CD Release), Cowmuddy, Chris Kasper
 

 

Philadelphia

The Tressels’ Record Release Show at Blockley Pourhouse Jan. 15

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The Tressels have worked two and a half long years on releasing their album Bourbon Legend. It was marred by technical problems and a Spinal Tap-esque rate of drummer turnover. But through it all the core members rallied together to create a solid album that stands out among their best. Since their last album, 2006’s Prison Wine, earned them a spot on the Philadelphia City Paper’s Year End Critic’s Poll, it really says a lot. Of course, this time they also worked alongside Dan Hewitt (State Capital Records) and Bill Moriarty who has worked with Dr. Dog and Drink Up Buttercup. When you work this hard on an album, it calls for a serious celebration. And that’s exactly what the band intends to do when they play Blockley Pourhouse for their record release show tonight. They’ll be joined by Sure Juror, whose fast paced indie pop is sure to blend in well with The Tressels alcohol soaked tunes. Blockley Pourhouse, 3801 Chestnut St., 9pm, $5, 21+ myspace.com/thetressels – Bill McThrill

Philadelphia

Join The Elevator Parade’s Headphone Revolution at M Room Jan. 15

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What first started out as a 4 song project by guitarist Rocco Renzetti has since evolved into a full blown live freak out! The songs of The Elevator Parade are as much influenced by 1960s England as San Francisco psychedelia, with just a few choice tinges of Sonic Youth and Dinosaur Jr. The band has been hard at work with the recording and mixing of their newest album The Headphone Revolution. And all of that work is finally about to culminate with tonight’s album release party at the M Room. They’ll be joined by friends music.for.headphones who should mesh beautifully with the psychedelic shoegaze sound for the evening. M Room, 15 W. Girard Ave., 9pm, $8, 21+ myspace.com/elevatorparade – Bill McThrill