The sound of Sherlock’s Daughter is a fascinating hybrid of delicate female lead vocals and somewhat unsettling instrumentation, leaning towards the droney and the dreamy. The emphasis can often be on chanting vocal choruses, with intricate percussion and pulsing keyboard undercurrents. – Lead vocalist and principal songwriter Tanya Horo helped shed some light on it all in this interview by Dave Cromwell, and listen to the single "Sons and Daughters from the band’s new EP, released in May 2011.

DC clearly knows what’s up when it comes to thrash… Warchild! Voted to the top of our recent band of the month poll, these dudes- Rory Sheridan, Allan Chappelear, Devin Cassidy, and Jason Dangle, are planning on releasing their debut later this summer, and just shot a video which is currently in post. Both will be awesome of course. We caught up with the man behind the mic, Rory, to learn more about what exactly makes Warchild so awesome. Check out the interview here...

Listen to their track "Back to the Mines" in the skate promo below, and be sure to check out their CD release show at the Rock & Roll Hotel, August 26!

After endless touring on the rollicking one-two punch of their debut record "Head Home" and sophomore "Broken Hymns, Limbs and Skin", country-noise Brooklyn outfit O’Death was sidelined in the midst of their 2009 tour when drummer Rogers-Berry was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma. Ten months of chemotherapy and a shoulder replacement later, the group returned to the studio with a new outlook on life, and began work on the album they are releasing today: "Outside". Recorded over a two-month period, the longest they’ve ever spent on a production, the record comes with a video of the single "Bugs" (see it here) and – of course – with a tour starting at the end of August.

Since we are in the mood for rehashing the glorious NYC past, here’s a reminder about a rare live appearance of legendary post punk band Bush Tetras, on June 24th at 285 Kent Ave. The band formed in the early 80s, and offered a sound that mixed punk attitude with funk rhythms in ways somewhat similar to what "co-scenesters" The Talking Heads were doing at the time, although with a less melodic approach. Lead singer Cynthia Sley’s spoken, casually atonal vocals had a significant influence on Sonic Youth Kim Gordon’s singing style. The band is still active with occasional releases (this is their latest) and live performances. One of our favorite emerging bands will open for them on Friday’s show: Religious to Damn, whose debut record was our March 2011 Deli CD of the Month – check out the embedded track.

Punk’s not dead! On Saturday, July 9th, CJ Ramone (above in a picture from the good old days) comes to the Webster Hall’s Studio for a night of rock and roll mayhem. CJ will be joined by the legendary producer and musician Daniel Rey filling in on guitar. Together, the band will play a set comprised entirely of Ramones songs. Opening for CJ Ramone are up-and-coming rockers, Wyldlife, who have been generating a good amount of buzz in the past year or so and take their cues from 70s garage/punk bands like the New York Dolls, the Undertones, The Saints, and of course, the Ramones. Also on the bill are The Bad Parts and The Bullys. The Bullys are a veteran group of Queens-based punkers who have played alongside Tommy and Richie Ramone, as well as Andy Shernoff from the Dictators. They’re the kind of band that makes you want to party and put yourself through bodily harm. The Bad Parts are a super fun ska and punk band that sound as if Green Day got into an arm-wrestling match with The Pietasters. Clear your calenders and dust off your leather jackets! Doors open at 7pm, ages 19+. For more information: Pre-Sale Tickets here. – (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.

NYC "chill-wave" pioneers Woods released their sophomore album "Sun and Shade" on June 14 and are about to embark on a month long US tour with, alternatively, The Fresh and Onlys, Kurt Vile, Ducktails and White Fence. They are now releasing a 7" single featuring two new songs: "Find the Empty" (embedded below) is characterized by screaming distorted guitars we aren’t accustomed to hear from this band, tamed by their signature mid tempo rhythms and by the layer of relaxed doubled vocals. The B-side, "Be There" is a more jam-friendly number reminiscent of their live shows. The cover of this single features a young Caleb Braaten (Sacred Bones), his father, and a gigantic marijuana plant. How appropriate! To see Woods live in NYC you’ll have to wait until August 13 (Bowery Ballroom).

Hobosexual are celebrating the release of their new live album, Live From the CCT, this Saturday at the Columbia City Theater.  The strange and riotous duo are releasing their album in the antiquated tradition of cassette.  Rest assured, the tape comes with a download code for all of you who are familiar with the internet.  Local indie rockers Whalebones open the festivities.

I was searching for artists for the upcoming NYC Artist of the Month Poll and I had Andrew Cedemark (former Titus Andronicus’ guitarist and keyboardist) on my short list – he had been sitting there for quite some time, so I decided to check out his music again. While listening to his tracks, I stumbled upon this blurb he has on his myspace page, and I thought it was incredibly sweet and honest, expressing feelings and thoughts which may resonate with many emerging musicians:

"I am Andrew C, and I write and record these songs. I then dress them up with several other sounds… I have only ever played one show. With some friends on the night I graduated from college. We covered "Tugboat" by Galaxie 500 and "Amen" by Spacemen 3, and I was feeling a little ill, for I had a cold. Regardless, ribaldry and mirth were the orders of the evening and much fun was had by all.
I will probably play some shows at some point, but I do not know if I would like to now that I am older. It was very easy in high school, when friends hosted rock and roll shows. Then, one could get by on chops or charm alone. Now people demand both. And also, back then, if nobody showed – hey, no big deal… Now if I play any show it will probably be at some bar, where many people will lose much money. We might all go home having spent too much on drinks, having had a very sad evening… I struggle with the dual imperatives of promoting my music and respecting myself!"

The final thought expresses a concept I’m very familiar with – lots of indie artists have a problem with self-promotion. I was in the same boat when I was a musician, and even though I can relate to that feeling, it seems to me that the music business as we experience it today is already in a place where DIY style self-promotion is the only free option for emerging artists to spread the word about their music – since nobody has money to do that for them on a bigger scale. – A Cedemark will be playing at Maxwell’s with Real Estate on July 24th – PDG

It’s always interesting to follow how a promising emerging band’s sound slowly evolves and matures – in particular if it does so in interesting ways, of course. Widowspeak first appeared on the NYC scene earlier this year, sounding like a twangy version of The Velvet Underground, and landing some noteworthy opening spots for Crystal Stilts and Beach Fossils at various NYC DIY venues. Things seem to have evolved rapidly in these few months: the band’s brand new 7" signals the intent of taking that "twanginess" to new levels, with the beautifully melancholic song "Gun Shy" (embedded here), and a cover of what could be considered one of the (if not the) best twangy ballads ever written – Chris Isaak’s "Wicked Game". This band is sounding more and more like a slightly psych version of The Cowboy Junkies with really good songs, and we like this very much. They just signed with NYC DIY label Captured Tracks, announcing a full release for August.

Hot on the heels of summer music festivals like Northside and MMNY, Indie Label and promo agency SHEMSPEED.com is adding another highlight to your June calendar. The Shemspeed Hip Hop Fest is a two-night  bump-a-thon (June 27-28) showcasing a slew of diverse Jewish Hip Hop talent. The opening night at St. Jerome’s in Manhattan is a perfect time to network with the artists and label affiliates while enjoying screenings and premiers of their music videos and documentaries. Then head out Saturday night to Southpaw in Brooklyn to see the artists tear up the stage. With a packed bill of underground phenoms like Genesis Be and Eprhyme (in the picture), it will be a true festival of light and hot spit. More info here.- BrokeMC

If the band’s penchant for bright costumes doesn’t draw you in, Superhuman Happiness’s peculiar yet enchanting genre fusion will. The band’s mastermind Stuart Bogie’s roots in Antibalas are evident as he leads the group into a an ever-changing musical adventure through funk, afrobeat, pop, folk, jazz and rock. This dabbling in various genres may have to do with the impressive laundry list of artists Bogie has worked with including TV on the Radio and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. The band, which has just released the embedded single "Needles and Pins", will be playing 2 shows this week, one at Cameo Gallery on June 23 and the other in Prospect Par on the 25th within the Celebrate Brooklyn fest. – Superhuman Happiness placed 21st in our 2010 year end Best of NYC Poll for emerging artists.

The Broken Water LP Whet is available on Night People Records and it is fantastic! This three-piece from Olympia have honed a patient, swirling sound of distortion and reverb soaked beauty, creating a captivating sonic landscape.