In Early 2009, guitarist Jamie DiTringo, lead singer Joe Montague, keyboardist Adam Weissman and bassist Steve Brown teamed up with drummer Matt Teitelman and guitarist Saul Slotnick to write and play some twangy tunes reminiscent of their parents’ record collections. Hailing from Hoboken, New Jersey the six musicians make up the summery "Post Classic Rock" band the Rosewood Ghosts. But with the southern feel on their self-titled album, the guys belong on a hay truck in Dixie Land not a neighborhood of NYC. Some of their songs sound as cheesy as O.A.R. but their best songs give off a Black Crowes vibes; in fact the vocal similarity between Montague and Black Crowes’ frontman Chris Robinson is uncanny. Their fifth track, "Cape Cod," is the kind of song you’d enjoy hearing as you dance around a bonfire with your new summer crush. "Store Bought Drugs," is a catchy melody with a message redolent of Wilco’s "Handshake Drugs" and Ben Harper’s "The Drugs Don’t Work" and a series of guitar rifts any hippie will dig. Throw the C.D. on, light a BBQ, open a bottle of Evan Williams and enjoy. Check them out live at Rocks Off Concert Cruise on 08.12- Bill Dvorak

Octant can be described as a one-man band featuring mainly acoustic robotic musical instruments that back up front man, Matthew Steinke, like a player piano as he sings, shouts, and plays various home brew instrumentation. For the upcoming performance at The Tank, Octant will perform an initial set of current and old songs ranging from dark melodic melancholy to bursting atomic pop-punk . The second part will include a live soundtrack to a projection of Steinke’s film, "Your Quest for Excellence" , a hypnotic abstract hand-drawn animation inspired by optical illusions and time lapse photography.- (as posted in The Deli’s Open Blog – post your band’s entries, videos, and Mp3s here).

Raking a turquoise rag across the deluge on his forehead during a performance at Queensbridge Park, courtesy of Summerstage, Pharaohe Monch wasn’t about to let the heat slow him down. As his rapid fire staccato echoed back from the housing projects adjoining the park, it felt like even the clouds were drawing closer to join the convergence of hard-core Pharaohe fans. His hour-long set touched on tracks spanning his entire career from conscious verses released with Organized Konfusion in the early 90s to the more soulful jams from his most recent solo release “Desire” (2007) to a couple new tunes from his upcoming “W.A.R.” Closing the set with his biggest hit “Simon Says,” Pharaoh laughed his way through the uncharacteristic misogyny that propelled him into the mainstream as if it were all a part of some Andy Kauffman-esque joke. If he had followed that track’s trajectory, he could have flown into the sun. Luckily for those of us rocking with him in Queens that day, it was damn good to see him still rooted firmly in the ground. – BrokeMC

In the NYC music scene you don’t find that many people born and raised in the Big Apple. Curiously enough, most of the REAL Newyorkers aren’t even hipsters, did you notice that? They are just regular "civilians" (that’s our new way to define "non-hipster" types), like Mark Bacino. So in case you forgot about this, we just wanted to remind you that this hipster thing is mostly an imported phenomenon – Todd P is from friggin’ Indiana, for Chrissake!
This being said, Mark Bacino has been making music in his home town for quite some time, releasing his third album just a few weeks ago (the first one in 1998!). He is probably one of the few people in this city who have the right to use the term "B&T" (for the uninitiated, "Bridge and Tunnel"), which is actually the title of a song that graciously enough doesn’t (seem to) mock our neighbors from NJ. Mark’s music often plays with influences from mainstream pop classics of the 50s & 60s, and finds a more personal chord in sparsely arranged blues ballads like Blue Suit. Pete’s Cady Store’s intimate room will be perfect frame for Mark’s music to resonate on August 2.

Brooklyn-local, Eli "Paperboy" Reed and his band, The True Loves, are back from Europe. To celebrate the release of his debut CD, "Come and Get It", Eli and band are playing at Le Poisson Rouge Aug. 11th at 7pm. With sounds reminiscent of Otis Redding, Sam Cooke and Wilson Pickett – Eli "Paperboy" Reed’s amazing live show is what you need this summer; A soul searching, sweat dripping, good time. Check out www.elipaperboyreed.com for music, tour dates and news and videos. – (as posted in The Deli’s Open Blog – post your band’s entries, videos, and Mp3s here).

Now – in case you didn’t get this yet – in a blogosphere where adoration of exclusively "diluted" (read "very accessible") indie music abounds, The Deli NYC proudly keeps a weak spot for artists with balls – figuratively speaking, of course. When we say balls we mean the courage to play it UN-safe, to take risks without outsourcing musicality, to make an effort to be truly, truly, truly unique and not just pretty or moving or powerful or "kewl". I guess we are talking about being "subversive" – in a sense that’s stripped of political meaning and charged with an artistic one. We feel like this experimental approach is the common denominator to the greatest acts this city expressed. This is why we like Marnie Stern. The most unpredictable and original lady of the NYC music scene is releasing a new album on October 2nd.

Hooray for Earth‘s music definitely remains faithful to their optimistic name. The Brooklyn-based combo plays an extremely personal, sunny yet dreamy brand of electronic pop (by the way, as wake-dreaming in the sun is called a "mirage", I think we could label their music "mirage-synth-pop", which sounds pretty cool if you ask us – besides, there must a quadrillion "psych-pop" and "synth-pop" acts out there). The band is currently keeping extremely busy with 2 shows in NYC (tonight 07.22 at Cake Shop and tomorrow 07.23 at Coco66) and with a tour in support of their EP Momo starting in mid August opening for ex-Grandaddy member Admiral Radley. Grandaddy was actually another obvious "mirage-synth-pop", although they weren’t as "synthy" as Hooray for Earth.

Being a couple for nine years and writing music together for five, it is no wonder Andy Simmons (guitar/vocals) and Holly MacGibbon’s (keys/vocals) musical collaboration My Other Friend is filled with a raw passion and high energy. The band, mostly made of trained actors, plays dramatic and dynamic rock with occasional folky tinges. They are finally about to release their debut album with a party at Mercury Lounge on July 26th.

If New York’s music scene were summed up in two words, they would be Black Taxi. Kind of dirty, a little poppy, and VERY danceable, these Brooklynites fashion some of the most undeniably contagious music around. Each member brings to the table a style all his own, lending to Black Taxi’s widespread appeal and simultaneously distinct qualities, evident on their 2009 release, “Things of That Nature.” Lead vocalist Ezra Huleatt adds trumpet, keys, glockenspiel, and an array of noise-making gadgets to the mix that embellish Bill Mayo’s smooth backing vocals and virtuoso guitar skills, while Krisana Soponpong’s disco-infused bass lines interlace with Jason Holmes’s detailed drumming and resonant vocals. With finesse, Black Taxi compose songs of unmatched addictiveness, including “Shoeshine,” “Up Here for Thinking, Down There for Dancing,” “It’s a Ball,” and “Love Song for Ghost.” Revised fan-favorites from the band’s first two EP’s, “Pretty Mama,” “Head on a Pike” and “Wanted Man” remain staples in Black Taxi’s sets at their eye-catching, awe-inspiring shows. – Read Meijin Bruttomesso interview with the band here.

Naked Hearts‘ full length debut "Mass Hysteria" was The Deli’s CD of the Month in May 2010. To fully appreciate the duo’s talent for melancholic indie pop gems you might want to wait for the fall – which every stereotype indicates as the most melancholic of seasons. But good music is good music, even in the hottest NYC summer on record. – Read Claire Marie Le Bihan interview with the band here.

Well, we don’t get to mention the word "Emmy" too often here at The Deli – we are way too humble (read "snobbish in some sort of reversed way") to cover that kind of stuff. But Kelly Scarr, an emerging, talented Brooklyn-based singer songwriter, gave us the perfect excuse to mention this Award by being nominated for her work as a composer on the HBO documentary "In A Dream." Kelly met director Jeremiah Zagar at an East Village bar – and that’s when the collaborative spark began. The lady sure has an interesting voice and is not afraid to take the twangy ballad concept to extremes of slowness and intimate intensity. Her debut album "Piece" will be out on Silence Breaks Records on July 27.

We continue our "Best of NYC Countdown", covering every day one of the artists that made our Year End Best of NYC list (a chart compiled by a jury comprised of local bloggers, music writers, promoters, record store personnel, DJs, and our writers and readers).

Brooklyn’s Small Black is a duo (live there are more players involved) that creates synth-y lo-fi love songs (it sounds like love, anyway — maybe they’re singing about hate, but I doubt it) using a couple of casios and some beat machines. The vocals are the kind that, again, sounds like they’re sung from a Fisher-Price microphone. But here, that sound definitely works (sometimes that sound is definitely annoying, as I’m sure you know).
Small Black works better than a lot of the other people rocking the "hot new old sound" of lo-fi because their melodies are just so damn pretty. Sure, there’s some roughness and scratchiness with the way it’s recorded (an aesthetic choice), but really when we talk about Small Black we’re talking about beauty.
So just saying "lo-fi" doesn’t give these guys a whole lot of credit. Gosh, I love pretty songs. Seriously, is there anything better in this life? Pizza is pretty good, but not as good as a pretty song. – www.ohmyrockness.com