I went to see the last show of Talk Normal’s recent tour several days before the interview below took place. I had emailed Sarah Register and Andrya Ambro several times beforehand hoping to catch an interview with them that same night. Their answer, draped in exhaustion, was a very polite “hell no.” I went to their show at Secret Project Robot in Williamsburg and approached
them after the performance.

Andrew: “Hey Sarah, I’m Andrew, I’m interviewing you for The Deli.”
Sarah: [Zombie Face]
Andrew: So, how are you?
Sarah: [Black Hole]
Andrew: Um, how was the tour?
Sarah: [Death Shroud]
Andrew: Okay, see you on Tuesday.

Read Andrew Spaulding interview with the band here.
Don’t miss the band’s Prospect Park Show with Sonic Youth on July 30.

Fresh from their first sold-out Mercury Lounge date, Brooklynite Danny Ross and his band are taking over New York City venue Pianos for a July Residency on Tuesday nights. The man has chosen some great local bands to join him and kitschy themes each night with gratuitous outfits. Guest bands include Paracuta, My Glorious Mess, We Are Country Mice, Candy Claws, The Lesser Ghost, Megan McCormik, The Young Things, Eastern Conference Champions, Luke Wesley, Sasha Papernik, Lake Inferior, The Hoof and the Heel CMJ calls Ross’ debut LP One Way “Gorgeous…Immaculately arranged… I hope this album becomes a breakaway hit.” Stream it free and Pay What You Want for it here. – (as posted in The Deli’s Open Blog – post your band’s entries, videos, and Mp3s here).

Brooklyn’s Telltale showcases an intriguing mix of experimental no-wave, reverb-soaked post-punk, and dark shoegaze. Featuring Eric Gilstrap, Laurie Ruroden, Stephan Cherkashin, and Lauren Andino, the quartet’s ear-splitting washes of guitar feedback, deadpan chants and ominous droning wastelands doesn’t so much blanket you as it does envelop you, overpowering you with Sonic Youth caterwauls and JAMC-esque walls of sound. The music churns in a slow burn, awash in effects, but there’s an aggression lurking just beneath the surface that maintains an uneasy atmosphere. There’s also a healthy dose of reverb to help wash down all the gauzy noise… – (as posted in The Deli’s Open Blog – post your band’s entries, videos, and Mp3s here).

Like a bolt of lightning ripping through the hazy summer sky, The Barrens are exploding back on to the scene with electrifying new music. Go here for 3 songs from their upcoming new full length. "Felt" is a Sabbath-soaked, guitar-fueled epic, ripping through your ear-drums with sonic precision; "Drop Sea" is a sprawling, groove-based psychedelic swim in beautifully unknown waters, and last but not least the electro-drum driven "Yellow Cigarette" which builds a smooth, thumping groove until it explodes into a summer-punky chant of youthful abandon. The debut album is coming in the Fall. Check them out at live at the DIY haven Party Expo, August 6th at 8pm. – (as posted in The Deli’s Open Blog – post your band’s entries, videos, and Mp3s here).

Recently Stratosphere Sound, the Chelsea based recording studio owned by Smashing Pumpkins’ James Iha and Fountains of Wayne’s Adam Schlesinger, gave 3 Deli readers in bands the opportunity to win 1 FULL DAY of free studio time each. Grammy winning producer Geoff Sanoff (the studio’s chief engineer who worked with Secret Machines, Nada Surf, and Obits among others) volunteered to engineer/produce these sessions for free – adding value to a package worth around $2k. We can now announce that the winners of the third and last studio time giveaway (chosen directly by the Stratosphere Sound’s staff) are pop’n’rollers Eytan & the Embassy – congrats to them!

P.S. Stratosphere Sound has a 30% discount on their studio rates for all those who will mention The Deli until the end of September.

Saturday brings us the 10th Annual Siren Music Festival at Coney Island. One of the highlights (if not the best) of the free summer concerts in New York, it starts at 1:00 pm and goes for the next 8 hours. Among the featured bands this time around are some of the metro areas finest up and comers. Topping that group is the now veteran Pains Of Being Pure At Heart (in the top picture). Still riding the two year wave of critical acclaim and mass popularity, we can’t wait to hear a new song or two in their set. "Everything Is Happening Now," perhaps? The Screaming Females will be showcasing songs from their impending fourth album release, “Castle Talk”; we are looking forward to admire gifted guitarist Marissa shredding and sweating on stage – she is bound to be the focus of this dynamic act’s set.

Cymbals Eat Guitars (2nd pic) have an appealing sound that incorporates, at times, frantic guitar strumming, impassioned vocals, a variety of blended keyboards – moving from quiet passages to all out blustery jams – all within the same song. They have no apparent inhibitions about incorporating alternately noisy and/or atmospheric passages within their mostly traditional song structures. Earl Greyhound blend the sprawling song structures (and chops) of prog rockers with a Dead-head hippie mentality, producing something unique and entertaining. All of the above are must see shows. – Dave Cromwell

Is NJ slowly becoming the coolest state in the US? I mean no seriously, lately the Garden State has produced some pretty awesome bands, in particular in the electronic department. Miss TK and the Revenge are one of them: sounding like a mixture of Santigold, Sleigh Bells and Prince, this collective’s music is like an electrified bonfire beach party jam. Led by the husband and wife duo of Tannis "Miss TK" Kristjanson on vocals, and Ari Katz aka "Mighty Lion" on drums, this gang has actually been dropping scattered bits of their punk disco dance hits since their 2004 debut XOXO. 2010 might be their break through year though, as Ernest Jenning Record is releaseing their debut full length " The Ocean Likes To Party Too". Don’t miss their live show at Santos Party House on 07.27. Check out the single "Beach Master" embedded here.

Not everybody likes quirky music – we do, in particular when the quirkness is supported by some good ideas and interesting songs. Mirror Mirror is the electro-psych-rock brainchild of three sick Brooklynites – sick in the head, of course. We are honestly having a hard time finding musical comparisons for these guys – there’s some early Pere Ubu maybe, early Pink Floyd at times, Peter Gabriel?? We couldn’t help but welcome this borderline wacky video with a smile, but check out also the rest of the material on their myspace page, as there are some more organic songs that deserve to be heard. The band will play McCarren Park on 07.14 at 6.15.

People have been singing the blues for quite some time now, and let’s face it, there’s nothing new about it. But the blues isn’t about being new – it’s about being real, grabbing your balls emotionally, and holding on to them until the song is over. It is quite rare to find performers who can do that (white ones in particular), and Trixie Whitley is capable of that, there is no doubt about it. This young lady combines killer vocals, fantastic intensity, and a look that’s between the angelic and the slightly tormented (how spot on!). Trixie will be back live in NYC at Rockwood Music Hall 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).

After multiple rounds of categorizing, voting, narrowing down, and counting, Williamsburg, Brooklyn-based Midnight Spin landed at the top of The Deli Magazine’s “New York’s Best Emerging Artist of 2009 Reader’s Poll.” Freshly formed in 2008, Mike Corbett (vocals, guitar), Jim Terranova (guitar, vocals ), Danny Scull (drums), Ben Waters (bass), and Jeremy Cohen (keys) have been touring around town, selling out beloved venues in New York, including the Lower East Side’s Mercury Lounge, making headway at college campuses across the country, and leaving lasting impressions at this past year’s CMJ Music Marathon. The quintet has gained substantial support in their short time as a band, and with their recent victory on The Deli’s website poll, Midnight Spin may hold the keys to hitting the big time in no time. Their album “Through the Mojo Wire,” released last summer, resembles the type of record that would skip the Indie scene and head straight for the “Top 40s.” However, unsigned and New York-grown, Midnight Spin have benefited from the necessary acknowledgment by the neighborhood, a feel-good step in any emerging band’s career.

The Spring Standards – currently our artist of the month – are a NYC trio of multi instrumentalists who play rather mellow folky tunes. The band released their debut full length in April, showcasing a sound more varied than your average Americana band, enriched by beautifully evocative male/female vocals. Bells and Whistles is the song the trio chose for their debut video, which is tastefully (and quite literally) inspired to the song’s lyrics.

Inspiration works in weird ways, all artists know that. Brooklyn producer/musician Brad Loving’s recent experience can testify that: a trip to Mali, one of the most georgeous African countries – although almost completely electricity-less – inspired… an electronic album! The full CD, presented under the project name "Lobisonem" and produced by John McEntire of Tortoise, will be released in september under Tall Corn Records, but a track can be previewed (or should we say "pre-heard"?) here.