Seattle-based outfit, Night Beats, will kick of the last leg of a North American tour – bookended by appearances in Austin – on March 14. The band’s first performance at this year’s SXSW will be a homecoming of sorts. Its two founding members, lead singer Danny Lee Blackwell and drummer James Traeger (from Dallas and Austin, respectively) will be returning to their home state for the event. The progressive R&B act, a trio since the addition of bassist Tarek Wegner, have been furnishing the Seattle scene with their perplexing brand of garage-soul since 2009. Their self-titled, full-length debut is characterized by undulating bass lines, underscored by scratching, squealing guitar and alternately trembling and deafening vocals. Released last June, the album features textured and psychedelically informed instrumentation, interspersed by Blackwell’s yelps and howls, and his single, twangy guitar is reminiscent of Trouble in Mind label-mate Ty Segall’s lo-fi surf rock. The result is a resurrection of the ghosts of psyche bands past that transcends the decades since the ‘60s as effectively as any other contemporary revivalists. Night Beats will wrap up a 40-date stretch at the Austin Psych Festival on April 27. 

– Kate Shepherd

Exciting times for Brooykln’s neo-soul act Ava Luna, who are featured in the current winter issue of The Deli and just released their sophomore full length "Ice Level". The band is already on a two week tour which will take them down to Austin (for 3 SXSW performances) and other shows on the way there and back. – Read Bill Dvorak’s interview with the band here. (Photo Emily Raw)

James Levy and the Blood Red Rose (i.e. Allison Pierce of The Pierces) debut release “Pray To Be Free” harkens back to the days when pop was tasteful and genuine. Levy’s booming baritone taunts a meticulously crafted rhythm section, layered and perfected by producer Guy Berryman (Coldplay). A native Vermonter, Levy came up through the anti-folk scene in the East Village with contemporaries Adam Green, Kimya Dawson, and Regina Spector, and then caught the attention of many with the dream-pop band called simply… Levy. His new project’s debut album “Pray To Be Free” is, “An older record with a classic vibe and a contemporary, fresh sound,” says Jeff Barrett, Heavenly’s head honcho. Levy delivers his vocals with the insouciant gusto of Bob Dylan, while his horn arrangements tell us he may very well rock out to Blood Sweat and Tears songs when no one is around. – Read Ed Guardaro’s interview with Levy here.

We gave a lot of attention to avant-rootsy group Yellow Ostrich in 2011 – the band enjoyed a couple of Deli features and headlined one of our CMJ 2011 shows (full disclosure, they would have been on the cover of our fall 2011 issue if they could have played our show at Pianos, but they had other commitments). After a very good reception of the debut album, this prolific band begins 2012 with a new release entitled "Strange Land," which expands their sonic vocabulary in a direction that’s at once more electric and orchestral, with the enlistment of horn player Jon Natchez. If you are going to Austin next week, you’ll probably see them live even if you aren’t trying to, since they are playing 9 shows in 5 days! Otherwise you can catch them in NYC at Mercury on April 12.

Alabama-born songwriter-siblings Pascal and Lauren Balthrop moved to New York City to start a band in 2006. So they did and they are keeping at it, and we are surprised we didn’t hear about them sooner. Their music is based on quality songwriting that walks the line between rootsy and pop, which makes it very palatable for fans of groups like The Magnetic Fields and Belle and Sebastian. They are about to release their sophomore album "We Have Electricity" in April, and they are givingway the mp3 of the single below, entitled "Electricity". Check out the animated video of this same song by clicking on this weird little arrow here.

Mp3: Balthrop – "Electricity"

What do sleazy business men, protestors, Lemon Glub, human guinea pigs, brand new puppies, twitter, belly dancers, gossiping secretaries, and a bottle of booze all have in common? They all make an appearance in the latest music video from Brooklyn’s U SAY USA. The deliciously asymmetric song, "CEO", (which was recorded to analog tape – how cozy!) is the first of a new set of singles to be released every month leading up to the Armageddon. The band will play Glasslands on March 14 with Golden Age of Transit and Clouty. – (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 and APS Mastering.

Having been called "Technicolor Noir", The Vandelles’ tunes are reminiscent of 60’s surf music with a modern psych-rock edge, heavily relying on an insane amount of fuzz and reverb. The band organized a last minute trip to the South West, involving 3 shows in Austin during SXSW on March 16, 17 and 18 – more info about dates and location here. Check out this stunning video of the song "Lovely Weather" they released in 2012. (Photo by Victoria Renard)– (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 and APS Mastering.

NYC’s premium alt rock trio Screaming Females just premiered this video – which is actually grossing us out big time – of the single "It All Means Nothing," included in the new album upcoming album called "Ugly," scheduled for an April release. The band is already on tour with Titus Andronicus and is scheduled to play at SXSW at the Brooklyn Vegan showcase on 03.14 and then at The Bellhouse in Brooklyn on April 6th.

Unlike their name, Those Mockingbirds aren’t mimics of their NY/NJ musical counterparts. Instead, the Montclair-based five-piece produces a refreshing brand of pop-rock, synthesizing heavy guitars, graceful guitar and violin lines, and multi-part vocals. Their record, “Fa Sol La,” released just last month and available for free here, features a mix of songs and musical interludes, including “Mountain Slang I” which begins with gentle waves of sound then segues into crashing guitars on “Coast to Coast,” folksy and balladic “Don’t Stray,” polka-esque “The Bloodiest Gums,” visceral “We’re Animals,” “Fa Sol La” comes full cirlce with serene instrumental track, “Mountain Slang II.” The album is also available in vinyl from various musical outlets for those who prefer the classic packaging. –Meijin Bruttomesso

Sometimes bands bios aren’t boring, so why not use them for a blog entry? All we need to say is that these two girls (Alice and Michi) are talented musicians and you should check out their songs…
"It was early 2011, a jazzy feel-time season. Michi wrote Alice a letter urging her to come to New York and collaborate on a musical project. Alice was driving around Los Angeles, deep in her annual autumnal malaise. She skimmed the message at a stoplight just before stopping at her favorite Subway and read the remainder just before going to bed. Three months later Alice arrived in NYC with two suitcases, a snare and cymbals but it was unclear who would be playing what instrument. […] Nobody knew but Michi welcomed Alice into her home and the musical experiments began."
Alice and Michi’s debut record will be released on May 15 on Kenji Records

After a rather quiet period, lots of breakout NYC bands are sending us news about upcoming releases. Rad avant-pop band Miniature Tigers are releasing their new full length "Mia Pharaoh" today, it can be streamed here – definitely looking forward to that one. Electro-Dream-Pop outfit Bear in Heaven (pictured), after playing a secret show in New York last week, released another track (entitled "Sinful Nature, streaming below) from their brand new LP "I Love You, It’s Cool" out April 3rd on Dead Oceans/Hometapes. Glo-fi pioneers Woods just released a split album with California based band Amps for Christ, and are streaming one song from it on Pitchfork here. They also announced an April tour. Finally, noise masters A Place to Bury Strangers is releasing a split 7" with SF Ceremony under Famous Class Records, for a series of singles called "Less Artists More Condos", dedicated to DIY NYC promoter Ariel Panero, who died in December of 2010. The proceeds of these releases will entirely go to the Ariel Panero Memorial Fund