Courtesy of Power Chief, the blues are alive and well in Austin, Texas. The four-piece band combines Black Sabbath-like riffs with the soulful harmonica of Zach Johnson. All of the instrumentation is tied together under the graveling voice of lead singer and guitarist Rio Norris. Norris sounds like he smokes a carton of cigarettes before singing each song, and I mean that in the best way possible. Power Chief will be rocking Austin throughout the summer. They hit the Mohawk July 19th and then the Legendary White Swan a week later. In August, the band will play the Hole in the Wall the 23rd and Beerland the 24th. Listen to the dirt romp “Mexican Funeral” below. – Josh Johnson

The Eastern Sea’s album “Plague,” released last month, is one of my favorite records released this year. The album’s biggest strength is the voice of frontman and founder Matt Hines. Oddly familiar yet totally unique, haunting yet strikingly uplifting, Hines’ voice takes the listener on a lush and winding journey. The ornate instrumentation serves as a perfect complement, and the result is just a fantastic listen. The Eastern Sea won’t be back in Austin until October’s Austin City Limits Festival, but Hines will perform a solo set July 18th at the Mohawk. “The Line,” the final track on “Plague,” is streaming below. – Josh Johnson

Corpus Christi, a song with some Texas love in its title by Texas electro-rockers Technicolor Hearts, starts off with a juicy, thumping bass which is quickly accompanied by a duo of dissonant piano and spacy female vocals. The simple but tight drums come in a bar later to help the bass hold this one down, but it those airy, attention-grabbing vocals and keys layered on top that make this song what it is, and these guys what they are for that matter. Not afraid to experiment, and to do it big. Saturday June 30^th they will be bringing their talents to Austin’s Beauty Ballroom for a can’t miss night.

 With the shining spotlight on her jazzy soprano, Jennifer Moore of Austin indie pop duo Deep Time leads the way on the group’s latest single “Clouds”, released in April on Sub Pop Records subsidiary Hardly Art. The only thing that may be more appealing than Ms. Moore’s radio-ready, born-for-art-pop voice on this track is that bass line that gets stuck in your head about 10 seconds into the song and does not leave until about 2 weeks later. Deep Time will be performing on June 28^th at Mohawk with the Mynabirds, and I know one guy who simply can’t wait (it’s me).

Interesting instrumentation, powerful storytelling and a voice that can’t be forgotten. When it comes to fresh and intriguing folk music those are three qualities that separate the special ones from every other singer-songwriter with an acoustic guitar and a microphone. Kalu James, Austin’s own by-way-of Africa, seems to use all three of those elements to perfection in every song he writes. His sound is enough pop that it gets stuck in your head, enough rock that that you’re happy about it and enough folk to maintain the intimacy that ties it all together. Come check him out one week from today at Hotel Vegas.

This one took me a while to pin down but I finally got it. If the Black Angels and Jack White had a baby that may or may not have been illegitimately fathered by Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys and that baby had spent a brief but memorable period of its life tripping acid in 1920s Mississippi… then that would be a deeply disturbed baby. It might also write a song like Hellfire Social’s Bleeding in Circles. This one combines blues-rock, psycadelic and experimental seamlessly. It’s out there, but in all the right ways. If you like what you hear (I sure did) come support these guys this Saturday at Hotel Vegas.

Still have no plans for tonight? Even if you do, drop them. Local indie pop sensation Love Inks will be taking the stage at Mohawk tonight with YACHT as part of the latter’s Shangri-La World Tour. Simple in the best ways possible and always fun, Love Inks, and especially vocalist Sherry LeBlanc, always make sure that they have your attention. Off of their latest album, E.S.P, tracks like ‘Blackeye’ and ‘Skeleton Key’ show that they can balance catchy and dreamy to perfection. If all is right, these guys should keep making noise in the indie pop world for a long time.

With electronic music taking off as much as it has recently, and with everyone and their mother getting on their laptops and calling themselves a DJ these days, it often seems like it is getting harder and harder to find quality, original electro. However, Rioux, with his talented vocals and unique arrangements, shows that he is exactly that. The Brooklynite has announced two local shows this summer, this Saturday at the Mercury Lounge and July 5th at the Knitting Factory, to support the release of his upcoming EP, Come On All You Ghosts, which will be available July 17th. Here at the Deli, we can’t wait.

Flesh Lights. When you check them out on Google make sure to type in “Flesh Lights the Band”. Even so, I’d erase your Internet history afterwards. Just to be safe.  What you should not erase is this band from your memory. The brand of ass kicking punk rock that they churn out on a nightly basis will be on display one last time here in Austin, at the 29^th Street Ballroom on Monday Night, before they take their talents on the road, supporting the Hives in 8 cities across North America.  Punk rock fans, a thank you is expected.

Peanut Butter Lovesicle has a lot of things going for them. A name you can’t forget, a bluesy-psycadelic sound that brings back the ‘70s like no other, and a show at Cameo this Friday. The band has been tearing through Brooklyn for a while now, but nothing about them, from their bluesy guitars to their drummer’s hair, is what comes to mind when the term “Brooklyn Rock Band” is thrown around. These guys are a throwback with an original twist, and have the capability to literally rock your face off, a quality that has become all too rare these days. – Max Lefkowitz

The Rocketboys, a staple of the Austin indie scene, will be headlining a show at ND Friday night to celebrate the release of their second LP, Build Anyway. Despite not having a full-time drummer in their lineup, the Rocketboys utilize front-man Brandon Kinder’s powerful pipes and keyboardist Justin Wiseman’s crafty melodies to deliver an effective follow-up to 2009’s 20,000 Ghosts, their debut LP. Bassist Josh Campbell ties this one together with his tight, driving grooves, leaving everyone who listens with just one question: who wouldn’t want to drum for these guys? 

Austin psych-rock trio The Boxing Lesson will be kicking off their summer tour tomorrow night at Hotel Vegas with fellow Austin-based psychedelic/experimental groups Melogrand and Megafauna. The Boxing Lesson’s tour will take them across 13 cities in 9 states and will be highlighted by a June 15th set at the NXNE Festival in Toronto, Canada. The band’s latest 7”, Health is the New Drug, was released in February of this year and features a title track that masterfully toes the line between shoegaze, psycadelic and progressive rock, using spacy synths to accompany one hell of a shredding lead guitar.