DC electro rock duo 16 Large are more than just a genre-bending producer of dance beats. They are an ever evolving sound machine that have collectively been rocking the scene in some form or another for nearly 20 years. This alone wasn’t the only reason that they skyrocketed to the top of last month’s Band of the Month poll. With a successful self-release, music video, performances at 9:30 Club, and WHFS Battle of the Bands final placement- their resume of rock continues to grow. So we caught up with Trevor Krainik (Vocals, Synths) and Allen McDaniel (Synths, Drums, Programming) to find out more. Here they tell us about influential siblings, DC’s dancefloor revival, and their upcoming new tracks. Now on to the interview…

Their debut EP Self released in April, is available for free download on their website right now! Check out the video for "Make Me Crazy" from the album below.

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After months of instrumental experimentation in a Ballard warehouse, indie bard Bryan John Appleby re-emerged with a host of emotive narratives, disguised as four-minute folk songs. Fire on the Vine, Appleby’s first full-length album, was released over two years after he first turned heads with the six-song EP Shoes for Men and Beasts in 2009. Using everything from conventional instruments to housewares, the songwriter creates a unified soundscape with a clarity that belies its complexity. Appleby’s delicate yet resonant voice drifts over carefully constructed guitar melodies, giving life to lyrics that suggest a restlessness only assuaged – or at least pacified – by the road. The culmination of that musical exploration is an album that should solidify his place in the region’s field of folkies.

Appleby will kick off a west coast tour in the new year, after an appearance at the Seattle Folk Festival on Dec. 10.

December 10 Seattle Folk Festival Seattle, WA

January 12 Neumo’s Crystal Ball Seattle, WA Reading Room

January 13 Doug Fir Lounge Portland, OR

January 15 Moe’s Alley Santa Cruz, CA

January 17 Slo Brew (all Ages) San Luis Obispo, CA

January 18 Bootleg Theater Los Angeles, CA

January 20 Mia’s Lounge Flagstaff, AZ

February 17 Neptune Theater Seattle, WA

 -Kate Shepherd

Glory – Bryan John Appleby – Produced/Engineered by Alan Matley

November 30 saw garage pop trio Dude York release their third album in as many months. Dewark follows on the heels of the four-track-deep Satanic vs., and delivers much of the same raw, pulsating energy offered by its predecessor. Grounded by the propulsive opening track “Fuck City”, the album’s six songs bring to mind surf rockers without a sunny beach, instead confined to an echoing garage. Crunchy guitars and elastic, thrumming bass lines recall fellow west coast denizen Ty Segall’s lo-fi surf-twang. Dewark’s penultimate track, “Comics” is a pop-rock hymn, with fuzzy, organ-like guitars leading into the finale, “Comix”, an ode to the paperback bible of the American youth. Still, Dude York denies any nostalgic sentiment: “we’re through with 2011, see you in the future.” The upbeat noisemakers are set to close out the year at the Funhouse on Dec. 30.

 -Kate Shepherd

The musical landscape of Car on the Moon is breezy, soulful and stripped down. Somewhere in the center of a Venn diagram of blues, folk, Americana, chamber pop, and singer-songwriter-acoustic, you’d find the sounds that most clearly captivate Elias and his partner-in-crime/percussionist Danny Festa. With Orling’s carefully parsed melodies, and Fest’s understated playing, the songs have a quiet reverence about them, but with enough drive and instrumental diversity (banjos, ukuleles, all the percussion instruments that can fit in a barn in upstate NY) to keep the party going. – Read Charlie Davis’ interview with the band here. The band will be playing Union Hall on December 14.

Formed in NYC in 2010, after playing a handful of well-received shows at Mercury Lounge, The Cake Shop, and Cameo Gallery, droney and somewhat emotional indie rockers The Archive headed to Chinatown’s Mavericks Studio this spring to record their debut album. Working with producer Bobby Lurie (The Billy Nayer Show), engineer Allen Farmelo (Talk Normal, Glenn Kotche), and mixer Karl Derfler (Tom Waits, No Doubt, Roky Erickson). The song “Disarm” (streaming below) is a taste of The Archive’s debut record, expected to be released early next year. The band will be playing Pianos on December 18 with Oh My Blackbird, The Ravages and The End Men. – (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.

CHAPPO is coming off a busy summer/fall, playing an array of sweaty, confetti covered clubs, releasing their inner moon shamans on the regular, recording and self-releasing their second concept EP as well tracking their debut full length album, which is due out in the spring 2012. Their first EP Plastique Universe was touted for it’s "excellently overstuffed garage psyche sound" by Pitchfork and the lead off track "Come Home" was featured on an Ipod touch commercial last fall. CHAPPO has also received much praise for their lives shows – they played for The Deli at CMJ 2010. Intense and engaging their music combines psychedelic flourishes with funky lighting, fog, feathers and… confetti! They are headlining their first show at Mercury Lounge on Saturday, December 17th. Also on the bill are good Jeff Taylor, Monogold and Lucius. Hear the new track "Island Opiate" from their latest EP "Plastique Universe II: Pisces Princess," streaming below. – (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.

At first blush, Erika Spring‘s solo work is a bit lighter than her fare with Au Revoir Simone. There appears to be the beginnings of a dance beat, which could bode interestingly for the future. Of course, many of the same electro-chill elements remain, her voice, after all, is her voice: Breathy, girly, powerful in a whispering, vulnerable fashion. The lyrics are vague and sad, but "6 More Weeks" isn’t depressing. In fact, it seems to be a promising start for Spring’s solo endeavor. The song will be released on a split 7" in July, so if you want to hear more, you’ll have to see her live. And you’re in luck, since she’s playing two gigs within the next 5 days, at Grasslands and Mercury Lounge on December 4 and 5. Listen to the track on her facebook, presented in an endless loop. – allison levin

Devilish slide guitars, howling distorted vocals and blues riffs out the wazoo define New York based duo and ex Deli Artist of the Month The Dead Exs (in the picture), comprised of David Pattillo (vocals/guitar) and Wylie Wirth (drums). Together, they have exhumed the sultriness of retro-rock with garage rock intensity on their album “Resurrection”, available now and for free here. Rock ‘n roll- inspired and NY music-devoted fashionista/designer, John Varvatos, will be presenting this pair of musicians at his store on Bowery on Thursday, December 1 as part of the John Varvatos Thursday Nite Live series, along with harmonica-heavy, rootsy, and bluesy Daddy Long Legs. There are free beverages for the 21+ only crowd and free admission with an RSVP to jv_pr3@vfc.com. Doors are 8pm and music starts at 8:30. –Meijin Bruttomesso

Prefix Mag apparently is about to join The Deli in the effort to highlight emerging NYC artists through a series of free shows at Cameo co-presented by Golden Ratio Presents. The first show will be at Cameo on December 2, featuring 3 artists we are familiar with and a group we haven’t covered yet: St.Lucia is a one man band by the way of South Africa who offers dancey electro with world and chill components – yes, "chill" is officially a musical genre people, so was decided by us. You can definitely hear some Africa in these tracks, and some reggae as well. Also on the bill Zula, which we did blog about a couple of times and have a new EP of remixes which rings awesome to our ears. What’s this, a gentler version of Soul Coughing with Elvis Costello influences or something? Fun! Check out the song streaming below, it’s worth a listen. Also on the bill 60 pop revivalists and Deli ex Artist of the Month Starlight Girls (who have a new song for streaming here) and Savoire Adore femme fatale singer/keyboardist DEIDRE (who has a new video here).

Along with childhood friend keyboardist/vocalist Yos Munro and guitarist Jesse Newkirk IV, drummer/vocalist Aaron Harris, formerly of the eccentric indie rock band Islands, craft sparse and magnetic rock songs with new wave and avant-indie flourishes under the Steel Phantoms moniker. The trio delivered a delightful second EP, "Forer," after fundraising it via Kickstarter. Evocative of The Magnetic Fields’ timeless melodies immersed in a more modern, electric and percussive musical context, the record is named after psychologist Bertram Forer, who developed a theory according to which "normal" people are more likely to believe positive things about themselves rather than negative ones (we couldn’t agree more, considering how stunning we are!) In an interview with BlackBook, Harris said that the songs that he wrote on “Forer” explored his fears and lack of confidence. Interestingly enough, a very confident record came out of this, and regardless of the EP’s introspective content, the band assuredly presents six diverse songs that stand on their own right but also maintain a cohesive balance. The "Forer" EP is available as a free download on Steel Phantoms’ site steelphantomsband.com. See the band play with two other Deli favorites Slowdance and Papertwin for a modest cover of $5 at Union Pool on Thursday, December 1. Coincidentially, Steel Phantoms and Papertwin are currently competing for our Artist of the Month poll. – Nancy Chow