Last night kicked off the first ever Rock and Roll circus at Lincoln Center, in a staggering amalgamation of sonic exploration, creative energy and… chaos. Many New Yorkers (at first glance mostly Brooklynites and "Downtowners" filtered their way through the stuffy uptown building accessing the Big Apple Circus tent to see some cool NYC indie bands. Electric Tickle Machine kicked off the show to cheering hipsters, as off beat circus dancers jived around the ring, followed by The So So Glos who rocked as they always do with their aggressive indie punk. But it was Japanther who "succeeded" in bringing the real Brooklyn DIY spirit (consisting in creating situations that piss off security and police) to this event. Their show was interrupted after 3 songs because about 100 fans rushed the stage and started crowd surfing and jumping on each other. Bigger Circus show tonight (but not free) with LA’s Ariel Pink and Saint Motel. – Christine Castanon

Woods, hailing from Brooklyn and Ducktails (pictured), from New Jersey, are setting out on a shared East coast tour. Woods will be stripping down their set and playing mostly acoustic versions of their older songs, as well as songs from their upcoming album, due out later this year. Ducktails are along for part of the ride, joining Woods in five shows (from Burlington on February 2nd to Baltimore on February 8th), before playing solo on three dates (Brooklyn on the 8th and 18th of January and Philadelphia on the 15th). Ducktails will be joined for one show (the Brooklyn January 18th date) by Chicago-based Smith Westerns. And, beginning on March 14, Woods embarks on a European tour, hitting cities such as London, Paris, Berlin and Helsinki (March 16th, 18th, 21st and 27th, respectively). Their European tour ends with the End of the Road Festival in North Dorset in the UK. Be sure to bookmark these tour dates, for this is a tour you definitely do not want to miss! – Leah Tribbett

Rubblebucket formed in Burlington, VT. between saxophonist/vocalist Kalmia Traver and trumpet player Alex Toth. We covered them already in our New England site but part of the band has now relocated to NYC so here they are in our NYC homepage… Their recently released "Triangular Daisies" EP is a new direction for the band. The album is psychedelic indie-pop, with a wider appeal. A track off the album “Came Out of a Lady” was made into a music video, and proves great works can be achieved when a bunch of art majors get down to business. The new EP was recorded at DFA studios, but the sound is refreshing and not your typical bass-heavy “neon party yeah!” flavor. After a two-night stint in San Francisco, the band toured Maine to Florida. Rubblebucket recently played La Poisson Rouge with The Rebirth Brass Band, the show brought out a secret “horn attack,” of a 10 piece horn section.

So it’s a pattern that’s been seen innumerable times throughout history- a woman and her guitar. But Rachel Zamstein’s pop-rock gems are not to be overlooked, a fact proved by her recent bookings along the east coast and as far away as Stockholm. Her debut album, “Bouquet” features her melodies backed by a full band in true rock ‘n roll fashion, with jazz infusion in her soulful vocals, a demonstration of her influence from her grandfather, a professional jazz musician. See Rachel at Rockwood Music Hall on January 10. – KB

If you’re not already familiar with the musical endeavors of songwriter Luke Brindley, guitarist-slash-everything elseist Bryan Dawley and singer Rachel Beauregard, then you are never going to believe that their band, Deep River’s debut album was produced over the span of ten short days.  The aptly titled "Ten Mornings" is a polished but deeply earnest set of emotionally riveting songs that manage to represent both what American folk music has been and what it could be.  The arrangements are thoughtfully minimal and allow Rachel’s iron-strong voice and the surrounding powerful vocal harmonies to shine.  And they really do shine.

Deep River has coined their own genre-name for their sound:  "Front Porch Pop."

And, as if to let all you music lovers out there know that they take that genre name seriously, they’ve recently offered to play in the homes of their fans.  If you’re interested, then contact amy@adjmgt.com for details!  

If that’s just not feasible for you, I’m sorry.  But, all is not lost.  They will also be opening for Chely Wright later this month on January 21 at The Birchmere.  You can still purchase tickets here. –Jarrett

I’m spending this Holiday season listening to the 350+ local artists who submitted to be considered for our Year End Best of NYC poll. I won’t have any power in the final selection of the nominees (I delegated it to the out of town Deli editors to avoid conflicts, as I know many of the bands in the list), but I thought I’d give some exposure to some of the artists I wasn’t aware of that I found interesting. Here we go!

Happy 2010! – Paolo De Gregorio

In the age when the hipster reigns, storming the streets in search of all things “vintage,” it is truly earth-shattering to come across anything new. Which is why Gangstagrass is such a shock to the system. Self-proclaimed “lightning on the strings, thunder on the mic,” T.O.N.E.Z. isn’t a gangsta who loves his herb, but one who spits rhymes about diamonds, the hood, and shorties in the club, while classic bluegrass fiddle and banjo carry the “beat.” What’s more surprising than a sound influenced equally by Tupac and Allison Krauss is the fact that it is aurally pleasurable. After their single “Long Hard Times to Come” was chosen as the theme songs for FX’s acclaimed TV show “Justified,” the group was nominated for an Emmy in the category of Outstanding Original Main Title Theme Music. – Katherine Bennett

Paper or Plastic is kicking off its West coast tour, January 6th, with a night of relentless rock at one our favorite Portland venues, Doug Fir. They’re just itching to court you with their rock, let’s be honest. Joining Paper or Plastic will be AM Exchange, who rocked so hard at Backspace recently they almost shut the place down, as well as Hutson, who will surely bring their soulful hard hitting sound to fresh ear buds everywhere. Check this out, a show not to be missed! Make it your new years resolution. Doug Fir Lounge Doors at 8pm, Show at 9pm 21+ ,$6 cover

My Cousin, The Emperor may just be the band to make you reconsider your long-standing dismissal of country music. Winner of WNYC’s Battle of the Boroughs Brooklyn Throwdown, they’ve been converting rock ‘n rollers by filtering their classic country sounds through low-fi nuances, such as heavy guitar reverberation and lower-quality recording techniques to add the ‘alt’ to their ‘alt-country’ categorization. “Long Way From Home” won the Independent Music Award for best alt-country song, and features finger-pluckin’ quick enough to challenge any Appalachian band, and in “Montevideo,” lead singer/ songwriter Jason Reischel laments about lost love to the accompaniment of country music fundamentals pedal-steel guitar and banjo. – Katherine Bennet

Somewhat reminiscent of an acoustic, lo-fi version of The New Pornographers, Like, Mountains employ their indie-pop sensibility through an amalgamation of techniques, layering seemingly simple and catchy melodies with untraditional sounds. In “Call Me A Liar,” chimes punctuate the concerns of a 20-something (“What are you doing/ With your life?”), in the title track off the band’s latest EP, “If We Break Up Right Now,” accordion plays in chorus with male and female vocals musing about the material side of a relationship, and in “Mexico,” French horn and trumpet harmonies accompany tales of west-coast kids’ escape to the country that’s the “closest “furthest” place from what they know.” The band’s currently planning an early 2011 tour with Brooklyn neighbors Field Mouse, and hard at work on a full-length release. – Katherine Bennet

It may take a few days to nurse yourself back to health after your New Year’s party hangover, but I’ve got news for you:  The music scene waits for no one.  So be prepared, stock up on water and junk food so you can recover as soon as possible.  2011 is going to be a great year for local live music.

And what better way to get it started than with a night of new (but classic) D.C. post-hardcore?  Sounding reminiscent of a heavier Sonic Youth, with female/male vocal tradeoffs and no shortage of guitar breakdowns, Gangland Buries Its Own will be playing at Velvet Lounge on Thursday, January 6.  (Doors 7:30PM/Show 9PM/21+/$8)  Memories From the Space Age will be the opener.

Make a resolution you can keep this year:  Rock till you drop and support local music.  -Jarrett

Prominent in the city’s anti-folk scene, Cheese on Bread’s songs sound raw and unfinished. This is probably due to the fact that the duo recorded their album in their bathroom – initially because of purely economic reasons, later from habit. But because of their low-tech recordings, the songs sound more authentic, like if they were recorded by a couple of friends, and thanks to this the people and places in their stories sound more familiar and real. They’re silly and undeniably charming in a Kimya Dawson way, their songs bearing the same honesty and emotion as high school lovebirds. – Katherine Bennet

With an impressive list of recording credits, including indie rock legends TV on the Radio, Regina Spektor, and Pete Yorn, Eric Biondo still has time to front his own modern big-band, wittily named “Beyondo”. Biondo adds trumpet and a falsetto akin to fellow Brooklynite Justin Rice (Bishop Allen), to reggae-inspired down-tempo tracks. Following the pattern of many of his songs, “Gambler” is calypso jazz, structured around quick African drumming, a full acoustic back-up band, maracas, and funky organ chords. In traditional jazz style, his songs are built off improvisation, and have energetic, spontaneous, and definitely danceable attributes. – Katherine Bennett