PHWG is a 6 piece instrumental band (guitar, cello, violin, tabla, drums, and bass) The electric guitar is at the heart of composer Pontus Gunve’s mostly music, and he craftily combines elements of progressive rock, electronic, and Western and Indian classical music. Music that drifts, moves, turns, and takes the listener on a journey. PHWG will be performing at Spike Hill (184 Bedford Ave, Brooklyn, NY) on June 9th at 9PM & at Figment Art Festival on Governors Island – June 10th at 3:30pm. – (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.

Mp3: PHWG – Sitar Jam

Kansas-native, NYC based, glam-inspired artist Patrick Cleandenim‘s new album, "Radio Heartbreak," stays true to the artist’s new wave influenced pop sound. However, for the first time, he employs a full band to create disco-esque atmospheres infused with ’70s overtones. Radio Heartbreak’s ten tracks convey the artist’s maturation since his 2007 debut " The Baby Comes Home", which relied heavily on the use of piano. Now, with hints of David Bowie, The Bee Jees, and Scissor Sisters, Patrick Cleandenim’s new musical endeavors offer a 33-minute flashback to neon-lit floors and disco balls. Make sure to catch his performance on June 10th at Union Pool, and don’t forget to put on your members-only jacket before you go. – Madi Silvers

Scott Alexander is a classically trained bassoonist with a degree in ethnomusicology. These days he performs mostly on electric and acoustic baritone guitars, and bassoon (all tuned a half octave lower than normal of course). With his unique background, Scott performs a sort of "non-repetitive pop", where each song continually develops without a verse-chorus structure. Nevertheless, his demeanor is playful and his sound is catchy. Scott is also known for giving out his own fresh baked vegan cookies at every performance as well as being the man behind FREE COOKIES, which has developed an eclectic cult following on Twitter and Facebook and has also been featured in the NY Post, NY Daily News, and Gothamist to name a few. Rather than promoting his music directly, Scott Alexander appears at random locations on an inflatable couch giving out his own fresh baked cookies, personally meeting as many folks as he can. – (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.

Wall of sound perpetrators Young Adults will be playing the Flavorpill-irockiroll-Bell House Northside show at Cameo on June 18. The band was born in 2009 as a duo comprising guitarists Chris and Demitri, until Kurt, Chris’ brother, was enlisted as percussionist. Within a year the band has wrote, recorded, and released an eponymous demo, opened for bands such as Wavves, Best Coast, and Weekend; and crafted their debut 12" LP titled Black Hole. Recommended if you like: Parts & Labor, Sonic Youth. On that Northside bill there will be also other interesting NYC artists:  Neighbors, Sean Bones, Wojcik and Zuzuka Poderosa.

P.S. Is "Young" the new "Bear" in the indie-rock-band-name department?

An early Deli discovery (check out this interview from about 2 years ago) The Postelles are now (finally!) getting a lot of attention in the media. The band is releasing their self-titled debut album – produced by the band and The Strokes’ Albert Hammond, Jr. – today through +1 Records, and it’s about to embark on a Record Release Tour starting tonight (June 7) with the first of two shows at the Mercury Lounge. Will they become the new NYC indie-pop sensation?

Mary Page is a sultry, moody Montreal songwriter who recently moved to NYC and released her debut EP, "All Before the Head of State," last week. Her band includes many musicians whose "other" bands we covered here like bass player Turner Stough (Low Water, Bel Air) and drummer Tim McCoy (Savoir Adore, Rarechild). The EP is a compelling (and rather dark for singer songwriter standards) documentation of her journey from her hometown to the Big Apple. "All Before The Head of State" is available for free download on the band’s bandcamp page. See her live at The Delancey on June 15. – (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.

Pulled straight from the sonic viscera of New Jersey, Waking Lights is a powerful quintet that serve quality indie folk rock, reminiscent of bands like Okkervil River and Mumford & Sons (swapping the banjo for the violin). Formed in 2005, the brothers Matthew and Tommy Maroulakos, Dana LaMarca, Kyle McCammon, and Nicole Scorsone are more a family than a band, endlessly digging into the depth of their unique musicality to ultimately create an organic aural experience, driven equally by strong instrumentation and Matthew’s poetic lyrics. After independently releasing their debut EP, The Rabbit Hole, on vinyl in 2009, Waking Lights have pushed themselves to a more fantastical wonderland for their second release, (official release date TBA), paying homage to the heavy rock and roll of Springsteen while maintaining a contemporary tone, resonating the harmonic zeitgeist of today’s counterculture. The band played The Deli Mag’s B.E.A.F. fest two weeks ago, check out this recently completed video. – (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. 

Starlight Girls would have been the ideal band to write the the original soundtrack for the Austin Powers film series – at least, this is what we gather from "Gossip", the only track they have available online. This is a sassy indie pop gem strongly influenced by early 60s pop, with a loungy touch in the form of an addictive piccolo sample that screams "Austin Powers is at this party!!!". This is fun music, you can see these guys live on Sunday June 19th at The Delancey and Thursday June 23 at Bar Matchless!

The Deli is proud to premier last week’s NYC Artists of the Month Nico Blues‘ "Folk Song Number Two" video, the band’s second one after "Living Proof" made its way through the blogosphere and onto MTV. Just wait to see it, the artsy Williamsburg kids won’t be able to wrap their minds around this groundbreaking film trick: "Check it out, man, the guitar’s a camera!" Take it anywhere, put it in the drum set, put it on your lap in the car, show it down the frozen food aisle, all the places your electric guitar typically wouldn’t go. "Get the guitar out of my face, I’m checking e-mails, dude!" Wait, wait, wait, guys, wait… the guitar… it’s a camera! – Don’t miss Nico Blues opening for Blind Melon at Hiro Ballroom on July 1st. – Caitlin Clive

Month’s ago, Flo Anito graced the headline banner of DC Deli’s site as Artist of the Month. She had just debuted a music video off her latest album "No Dust Bunnies", and as of June 1, that video has recieved the grand prize in Ourstage’s Video Finals. Our intern Jessie caught up with her to find out her musical origins, performing at DC memorials, and how she found Rod Stewart. Full interview here…

Catch Flo Anito this Sunday 6/5 at the Sweet Tea Fest at Almaz, 8 pm, and 6/11 at Celebrate Fairfax.