After 7 years of dishing out self-released EPs and touring the entire east coast, Baltimore’s rock band Vinny Vegas are releasing their first LP The Big White Whale on Nov. 5. The hometown release party will take place on 11/16 at the Metro Gallery in B-more. They recently did a session with Audiotree Live which you can check out below.

Alex Vans and the Hideaway are playing an extra special show this Friday at Iota as a Mega Band! The band now features 9 pieces, including a full horn section and backup singers (and will include such talent as Will Rast and Margot Macdonald). Alex says the new setup “really brings the songs to life the way they are on record, plus a few surprises.” For my part, I can’t wait to see 9 pieces on Iota’s stage. Joining Alex and The (now much harder to) Hide Away will be These Animals (a NYC band releasing a new cd), and (playing their farewell show) D.C.’s Kid Architect . Doors at 9. –Natan Press

What’s DC rock band Middle Distance Runner been up to lately? Blasting onto the scene in 2005 and putting out their awesome LP’s Plane in Flames and The Sun & Earth, MDR was known for putting on a good show. Then they kind of went under the radar. However, earlier this year they put out a hometown anthem about a DC attraction (check it out below) and now they are back to perform their first DC show in years! Catch them at an early show on 10/4 with DC’s Teen Mom at U Street Music Hall.

We’ve partnered up with U Street Music Hall to get one lucky Deli reader a couple spots on the list to MDR’s 10/4 show! All you have to do is email us by 3 PM on Friday 9/27 and let us know your favorite MDR track. Please include your first and last name for guest list requirements. The winner will be emailed back. You can also still get tickets here.

Dan Jacobs is a DC based singer-songwriter influenced by Americana and alternative folk, as heard below on his debut release Creatures (August 2013.) With a early start on the cello, Jacobs progressed into guitar and jammed out with friends then began performing small gigs throughout the area. We caught wind of his sound, and weren’t alone hearing the charm as his fans pushed him to Band of the Month. We wanted to find out more about him. Here he tells us about "apartment tours", the Beatles, and his Takamine EAN-10C. Now onto the interview…

The White Mandingos’ first album The Ghetto Is Tryna Kill Me (Fat Beats) is a discussion about choices (leaving the ghetto to become a star, or not; playing punk rock while black; dating outside the race) that lead to conflicts in identity. Expectations of oneself, and from the rest of the world, pester, harass and abuse the many characters created by west coast rapper Murs, as his lines float seamlessly over post-punk guitars played by (founding member of Bad Brains) Darryl Jenifer and his friend, journalist Sacha Jenkins SHR. A masterful and surprising concept piece, The Ghetto Is Tryna Kill Me has critics awed and perplexed. Fans know they’re making something new from a varied history of experience. While the stories are framed in the experience of the black man in America, the struggles of self they express are universal. Don’t miss your chance to see Darryl Jenifer’s return to the city, and see the White Mandingos up close and personal. –Natan Press

The 9:30 Club has teamed up with us to get one Deli reader a couple spots on the list to this show happening on Friday 9/27 at U Street Music Hall! All you have to do is email us by 3 PM on 9/23 and tell us your favorite White Mandingos track. Please include your first and last name for guest list requirements. The winner will be emailed back. Tickets are still available here.

DCHeavyMetal.com is the best source for all things metal that roll through the DC area, and on Thursday Sept. 26 they are celebrating their 4th anniversary with an awesome party at the Fillmore in Silver Spring MD. Headlining the night is Philly’s sci-fi themed thrashers Vektor, and joining the line-up are a bunch of locals including Harrisonburg-based thrash metal band Earthling, heavy metal from DC/Richmond’s Midnight Eye (check them out below,) DC stoner rock Borracho, and more stoner metal from Baltimore’s Asthma Castle. In between sets the metal will continue with Metal Chris, founder of the site, taking over the nights metal playlist.

Doors @ 7 PM, $12 – Get tickets here!

This Friday, make your way over to Rock’n’Roll Hotel for an awesome local line-up featuring headliners Mission South joined by Dirty Names, and NYC’s Tauk. Mission South (an outstanding contender in our yearly Best Emerging Artist campaign) is a DC trio of best friends dishing out an alternative indie sound, and are currently on an extended US tour going on now through November. Check out their latest video for "Peaches" below. Maryland rock and rollers Dirty Names will be unveiling new music to the masses on Friday, and rumor has it- if they win this month’s Deli poll, they’ll release a new song! NYC’s experimental rock-fusion Tauk will no doubt lay out some key instrumental tracks from their latest release Homunculus, a record in which Grammy winning producer Robert Carranza was on board.

It all goes down Friday Sept 13 @ Rock’n’Roll Hotel. Doors @ 8 PM