Aputumpu, Birddog Productions, My Social List and Brooklyn Brewery present Breakout Sessions‘ Summer Highlights Fest this Saturday at Brooklyn’s newest venue, Delinquency (1031 Grand St.). The day-long event is not to be missed, and will feature such local luminaries as Grand Rapids, Lost Boy?, The Yellow Dogs, GunFight!, Osekre & the Lucky Bastards, Roadside Graves and more! It’s also the CD release of current Deli NYC Artist of the Month Dust Engineers (streaming below). On top of all these sweet bands, Brooklyn Brewery has generously donated two, two-hour blocks of open bar to the event, which means you’re more than getting your money’s worth. More details here.

This Saturday, July 28, band of three and recent Deli Artist of the Month, Viva Mayday, will be rocking Mercury Lounge in honor of their new full-length record, “Consuela,” named after the band’s beloved mascot. The 10-track album, which has been keeping the group busy for the past two years, highlights the trio’s swaggering and swinging fusion of blues, rock, reggae, and soul. Three tracks are already available to tantalize on the band’s Facebook page, including surf-tinged “Demonic Woman,” funky “Monster,” and gritty “Bay of Pigs” (streaming below). Everyone who attends the show on Saturday will get a copy of “Consuela” upon entry, so don’t miss the chance to get one of the first hard copies. Doors at 7:30pm, 21+. The late show is also feature great line-up, featuring Philly’s Cold Fronts, and NYC favorites, The Click Clack Boom and The Gay Blades. www.vivamayday.com – Meijin Bruttomesso

Singer/songwriter Ben Chase might be the Devendra Banhart of Brooklyn fried soul. Like Banhart, his folk revival group Bird Dog expresses the undercurrents of Americana soul told through an urbanite’s eyes and unique experiences.

While his gritty voice has the ability to chop up lines like a rusty nail, Chase’s matter-of-fact storytelling on songs like ‘Lost Teeth’ (streaming) and ‘Hard Luck Kids,’ belies the Brooklyn singer’s imaginative imagery and warm spirit. With lyrics like ‘I fell into a feeling I can’t explain’ from his just-released ‘River’ EP, it’s hard to think he’s quite as rugged as his last (and louder) release ‘Cabin’ conveyed. But their mix of salt-of-the-earth truth and idealistic romance will make Brooklyners feel at home on the range.

See the band perform when they play Spike Hill on Sun, July 15th with Lynette Williams. – Mike Levine (@Goldnuggets) – This artist submitted their CD for review here.

Ever want to make chicken schnitzel, but you’re having trouble finding the right music to accompany the recipe? Well… look no further. The Sanctuaries have the perfect blend of indie songwriting charm and culinary know-how to ensure the perfect meal every time.

For the band’s latest EP ‘Not Guilty,’ they’ve included two instructional videos to accompany singles ‘Judgin’ You Is Easy’ and the title track ‘Not Guilty’ (video below). The tracks show off an odd juxtaposition between boyish charm and schoolyard taunts, especially when set to meal preparation visuals.

“Judgin’ you is easy because you’re easy, you were put here just to please me… ” Not the kind of lyrics you usually expect from someone with as sweet a voice as David Stern, but it only helps season the meal to the right temperature. The band’s new EP also includes some fantastically unexpected remixes by Bedouin Tea City Center and Erik Gundel.

Check out their videos below and see the band when when they at Big Snow Buffalo Lodge on August 1st. – Mike Levine (@Goldnuggets)

Not Guilty Pt. II from The Sanctuaries on Vimeo.

Admittedly, these four Long Island lads got a little more mature in their approach over the years. They gained confidence, their sound became clearer, more complex, stepping away from the jam-like confusion of their first two records, but still…there’s a certain irony to the name For Serious This Time. Sure, the structures are more elaborate, but serious? They don’t really do serious. No more random ‘stop&starts’ though: now the drums are beating continuously, instead throwing in casual breakdowns, syncopation and rhythmic shifts; the guitar is drifting around carelessly, tickling the tracks with a free-flowing melody, only sketching hints of a hook here and there; at times two voices clash, interrupt one another. That’s ‘Weird Life’ for you, their latest EP to date (released in 2011), a skippy indie-rock six-track record, less erratic than the last, with still something of a punk attitude. Only just getting off the roads, the band ended their summer tour at a fun friendly BYOB bash in East Northport last night- now that’s over, time for some new sounds. For serious this time, yeah? – Tracy Mamoun

Black Marble have taken us into some intensely abstract places in the past (especially in their previous incarnation as Team Robespierre), but with latest single ‘A Great Divide,’ they’ve decided to ratchet things down a notch. Perhaps it’s just the heat talking, but the band has seemed to relax a bit. This is a good thing, because they otherwise have a knack for keeping the tension tight. The drums and bass have decided to lay back… giving duo Chris Stewart and Ty Kube a chance to pour their guts out all over their washy sea of nord and korgs without interruption. Don’t worry though, if anything the dance party has exploded even more sharply over the material.

Their debut LP ‘A Different Arrangement’ (to be released October 9) is expected to continue this trend away from doom and gloom. We shall see. Check Black Marble out this Saturday at Big Snow with Honeydrum and Black Jeans. – Mike Levine (@Goldnuggets)

Photo Source: Nude Pop

Nude Pop played Capitol Hill Block Party this past weekend and received rave reviews. In tandem with the performance was the release of their latest song called "Lurker."

The opening riff is curious and ticklish, weaving within and without the drums and bass. The vocals blend melliflously into the fold, behaving moreso like another instrument than just someone’s voice high in the mix. 

Nude Pop composes an artful tapestry over the course of five minutes; they are adept at crafting hyponotic melodies without making them feel dull and repetitious. Be forewarned, listening to the track may leave you in a pensive and chipper trance.

Although the band hails from Spokane, WA, they continue to pick up shows, fans, and press in Seattle. Earlier this year they won the Experience Music Project’s Sound Off! 2012 competition which earns them a slot at this year’s Bumbershoot music festival.

Working on a debut EP, setting up more performances for the summer – 2012 is proving to be a vital time for Nude Pop. Stream "Lurker" below to wake up in their dream. They also have several demo tracks available on their bandcamp.

– Cameron LaFlam

If you haven’t been to one of the shows in the Sonic Spectrum Tribute Series at recordBar, this is one to experience. Since debuting the series last January, host Robert Moore has selected local bands and musicians to play songs of eclectic artists like David Bowie, Talking Heads, The Pretenders, Neil Diamond, The Clash, and most recently, Minutemen.

It’s summer, and that means it’s time to get off your ass and do some traveling or – if you can’t afford it – watch videos about it. Mon Khmer’s latest video for new single ‘Dreamers’ will fly you over to Meghalaya in North East India, where you’ll be led around by a wise little girl over sharp cliffs and challenging terrain.

Brooklyn by way of Boston, founding member Hammarsing Kharhmar challenged Brooklyn cinematographer Russell Cramer to represent his roots for the piece, making way for an ambitious visual start to their new recordings. But it’s the addition of lead singer Emil Bovbjerg and producer Jeremy Loucas that’s really defined the band’s new direction. Mon Khmer’s latest EP ‘Dreamers’ contains some of their most decisive tracks yet. Filled with hypnotic synths and jetstream vocals, the record will pass right through your ears to some nostalgic root you usually come across only in Murakami novels. But then, this band is all about nostalgia. Named for a remote language spoken by Kharhmar in his youth, the band similarly captures hidden worlds in their music and throws them onto a global dance template.

Travel to Glasslands on August 7 when they play with Alt-J. – Mike Levine (@Goldnuggets)

Elana Belle Carroll isn’t one to mince words. Not that she doesn’t have plenty to say, just don’t expect her to hold your hand during the conversation. Equal parts music writer, film music composer and perfomer, Carroll describes her latest project Vernous as ‘electrolash.’ For this group, she takes her no nonsense approach to a rattlesnake hybrid of pounding dance beats and bone-chilling lyrics.

‘We are Children’ for instance, begins and ends it’s 6 minute chant with haunting foreboding (‘Don’t wait… listen…’), fellow artist Melanie Snyder whispers into the song. But it’s not all venom. At other moments, Vernous lets loose. Three song EP ‘Vernous I’ ends with the more playful ‘DTF,’ a song with a wild progression of beachside guitars and 808 snare hits. Not for the faint of heart, Vernous will wrap itself around you and like with any exciting woman you’ve ever met, you’ll thank her for the time you two spent together.

Put her groove under your feet when Vernous plays new Bushwick Venue The Paper Box on August 10. – Mike Levine – This band submitted their music for review here.

The Tumbling Bones are purveyors of traditional American music who value, above all, grit – and playing live. The Brooklyn based twenty-somethings who make up the trio have been callousing their hands and pushing their vocal chords for years as they’ve toured, recorded, and breathed folk music. Their raw take on old Americana has taken them across the world (they are currently in Ireland) and they don’t seem to miss any opportunity to play live, gigging with impressive regularity. Peter Winne’s deep baritone lead, Jake Hoffman’s cutting tenor, and Sam McDougle’s fiddle and percussion are faithful to old styles, but the Tumbling Bones can’t help injecting modern sensibilities into their music, however subtly. – (as posted in The Deli’s Open Blog – post your band’s entries, videos, and Mp3s here). The Deli’s NYC Open Blog is powered by The Music Building.

This week, we turn the tables on the creator of On The Beat, Sergio Moreno. Find out about his various projects (including The Hillary Watts Riot and Alacartoona), as well as other things he’s involved with, and see how he feels being in the hot seat for once. Catch the beat at the link here!

On The Beat is typically brought to you by Sergio Moreno, but has been overtaken this week by drummer and The Deli – Kansas City editor-in-chief Michelle Bacon. This weekly interview features some of the many talented drummers in the area.

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