You know when you “accidentally” put too much tequila in that Margarita and end up liking it that much more? It’s that type of party. Sonia’s Party throws down a pungent fusion of soul and hip hop guaranteed to get your juices loose and your pumps jumping. Lead vocalist Sonia Kreitzer croons with a prowess akin to Gladys Knight while the band (featuring co-rapper Max Burgundy) generates enough funk and swing to keep everyone’s hips gyrating feverishly. They’re definitely a party group; with live raps, infectious rhythms, and brash attitude they pay tribute to the blossoming expanse of hipsterdom in which they’ve taken root. They’re a tongue-in-cheek makeout session completely cognizant of the irony spraying all over their wet T-shirt contest. Whether you’re a weekend warrior or a seasoned veteran of the week-long bar crawl, Sonia’s Party is a shindig you simply must attend. – BrokeMC

Minerva Lions is an emerging Brooklyn band playing rather chilled alt-folk alternitevly reminiscent of Beck from the "Sea Change" period and early Gomez, although – now that I think about it – Ascension Day ( the song that made me think of Gomez) is more like a reinterpretation of Pink Folyd’s "Money". The band is getting a good amount of attention lately. They just released a 3 song EP you can stream here, and will be performing at a private last.fm party in Williamsburg on May 13 – you are NOT invited.

Punk-folk trio Bottle Up & Go – who shared stages with rather established like minded artists like Titus Andronicus, Crystal Antlers, Man Man, Deer Tick – are back after a few years of silence with a video and a new EP, to be released digitally in the summer.

For another fingerpicking folk artist coming out of Brooklyn, Howth has a great eidetic spectrum: It can take you on a drive through the country, it can take you to a peaceful city street at night, it can make you remember feeling in love. i.e., "Hey There Delilah" couldn’t hold a candle to Howth‘s "Timeless Square". (By the way, this CD is sold out, so that must mean something).

There’s something naturally beautiful in raw acoustic guitar and passionate, whispered singing.  Bird Courage plays the Silent Barn tomorrow, and it should be a pure, almost transcendental experience. The modern indie/folk duo is now recording an album due out this month; preview here.
 

When a band on myspace has six songs up, all with less than 100 hits, it’s usually an indicator of sub-indie mediocrity. However, I just landed on a legit electro/surf rock band FishDoctor, playing consistently catchy electronic rock for a 15-strong friend section. Check out my favorite FishDoctor track, "We are we".

These bands submitted their music for coverage on The Deli through this link. – All reviews by Caitlin Clive

On May 20, the best thing next to hearing epic, jangly bands on a spring break road trip will be seeing them play live at Glasslands. Whether you come out to see Radical Dads, three veteran rockers from Gowanus who sing about subjects ranging from dinosaurs to the La Brea Tar Pits, or Cymbals Eat Guitars, a band so emotional that lead singer Joseph D’Agostino has literally no control over his facial expressions when soloing, you’ll get all the elements of any good road trip out of this show (minus the scenery and high gas prices of course). I miss seeing groups like this, who have a sound as large as the destinations they’re writing about, and the ability to actually pull it off. Rounding out the evening will be the TV on the Radio-inspired Mirror Mirror and Iranian rockers The Yellow Dogs. Tickets on sale here. – Mike Levine, photo by Kristin Roby for The L Magazine.

Delicate Steve is the pseudonym of Steve Marion. At least it is sometimes. Other times it can mean a number of different things, but more on that later. Hailing from New Jersey, Marion has emerged as one of the Garden State’s most exciting prospects. Blending trippy percussion loops with catchy avant-garde rhythms, he’s tearing up the pop rulebook, and creating a buzz that has been felt down the turnpike and throughout the five boroughs. – Read Dean Van Nguyen’s feature on Delicate Steve here. – Delicate Steve will play The Deli’s NYC B.E.A.F. at Brooklyn Bowl on May 28 with Headless Horseman.

In a city the size of New York, it can be hard to keep up with the many scenes and genres of the moment. Chill-wave, lo-fi, weirdo-beard-core… But what about the straight up rock bands? How do they get the proper rock and roll recognition of a band like The Hold Steady or Obits without some bandwagon to give them a lift? When they have “nothing” but amazing talent and great songs and motivation to work with?
For Appomattox, the plan is to work hard, practice hard, and keep playing. – Read Liz Schroeter’s interview with the band here. Appomattox will play at Pianos on May 14.

For starting off so recently in the Brooklyn electronic rock scene, Body Language has made quite a name for themselves. They’ve appeared with established bands like Passion Pit and Zero 7, and they’re playing a small show tonight at Tammany Hall with another Brooklyn act with an interesting psych soul sound: Jessica 6. So throw out your other plans and enjoy an evening of chilled electro pop, smooth and groovy disco, graceful singing, and a heavy dance beat between breaks. Check out Body Language’s facebook page, and definitely don’t miss out on the download. – Caitlin Clive

DC’s Title Tracks latest release In Blank is full out fantabulous. John Davis (singer/guitar/writer) brought 10 new songs to the table and was joined in studio by Michael Cotterman (bass) and Andrew Black (drums), creating what will most likely be the soundtrack of DC’s summer. With a killer cover in the mix (a freakin’ cute summer love spin on Flamin’ Groovies "I Can’t Hide"), Davis has melded together a great run of rock grooves.

Drama sounds fun in "Turn Your Face", a pumped up shoulder swayer with drum and bass keeping up the pace as the guitar chords enhance Davis’ chorus "..turn your face into wounds that don’t define you. No one’s chasing you when they walk behind you." Moving in every possible way.

"Forget the Ghost" is accompanied by a boardwalk friendly organ, acoustic guitar, and harmonic vocals that soar on about something deeper than a ghost story. It’s what I’d imagine a Brian Wilson take on power-pop to sound like. Gorgeous.

Title Tracks will be at the Golden West Cafe in Baltimore 6/17. 10 PM $5.  –Dawn

I literally despise the genre categorization "Adult Alternative" or "Adult Contemporary" used by many radios and music sites to describe artists I love like R.E.M. or Kristin Hersch – isn’t that the least exciting thing you can say about music, that it’s for adults? Besides, when I say "Adult Contemporary" I can only think about ONE artist: The Dave Matthew’s Band. It should be a one band genre, in some kind of borderline insulting way.
This being said, we can all agree that orchestral pop is one of the most sophisticated genres in the pop and rock realms, and adults are supposed to be sophisticated (at least here in NYC). But, as demonstrated by Girls in Trouble (not "Women in Trouble" by the way!), this kind of music can be playful and awaken the child in you. As a matter of fact, I’m pretty sure a lot of kids in their pre-teens might enjoy this band, which plays some of the most ineresting and inventive orchestral pop in NYC. I’d recommend they tried to organize shows with One Ring Zero, Clare & The Reason and/or Elk City. If you are into this genre, don’t miss their CD release party at Joe’s Pub on May 19.

COSMAL is a new One Man *Experience* involving the sampling of several LIVE instruments on stage, the live coordination of programmable beats, some sweet jams, and an awesome light show! Check out the live video of a song here. Show Listings: 5/9- Trash Bar, Brooklyn (10pm) 5/14- Art Festival, Rye Town Park (5pm) 5/25- Big Daddy’s, Massapequa (7pm) 6/10- The Cup, Wantagh (9pm) 6/16- National Underground, NYC (9pm) Many more to come so check back! – (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.

I just stumbled upon these Priestbird guys (they are on Benzod Records). I’m liking a lot their ssongs – tons of character. It’s like rootsy psych-rock or something along those lines. Check out the embedded video and if you like it you may want to check out their full length Beachcombers, which was released yesterday. Not all songs are this tense by the way – see tunes on their myspace profile in this regard.