New Music, Emerging from your Local Scene
NJ melodic prog rock band Days Before Tomorrow recently won Record of the Year in the 2009 Los Angeles Music Awards. Their CD, The Sky Is Falling, produced by rock industry legend Ron Nevison (Led Zeppelin, Heart, Jefferson Starship, Survivor, Kiss, Europe, Damn Yankees, Ozzy, and more) combines huge multi-part vocal harmonies with big hooks and intricate musicianship like classic 70s and 80s arena bands, but with a modern songwriting approach.
One of our favorite hobbies here at The Deli is to brag about how much earlier we covered and/or booked some local bands that were later blessed by international recognition… Here we go, then: we first covered Au Revoir Simone in 2005 – the band also played a Deli show at quaint and cozy Pete’s Candy’s Store in Brooklyn. They were a brand new band at the time… we knew they were good, but we weren’t expecting that they would sell out arenas in Japan and China within a few years…
The three charming ladies will be back in their hometown in early 2010 for a show at Highline Ballroom on Thursday January 7. We have a bunch of free tickets available for readers: to enter the contest send us a 3 to 5 word description (or, better yet – make a Haiku) about the music of your favorite 3-girl-armed-with-synths band to this address: info [at] thedelimagazine.com. The 2 best entries will win 2 tickets to the show.
Submission Deadline December 11. Good luck!
The Deli Staff
Scrambler Seequill announce their debut LP "Secret Passageways" on Layered Records, and are offering four free downloads from the album. Accompanying the downloads is the debut music video for "One Design", produced, directed and visually designed by Seequill – which was made with a $200 budget – and as much invested in beer and coffee.
Frenchkiss/Mom+Pop Records just announced the signing of Freelance Whales – who packed the house at our CMJ Saturday afternoon party at the Delancey. The band will leave on a winter tour with Fanfarlo and play Webster Hall on December 18.
On Saturday December 5 local music blog Guilt Free Pleasures is presenting an intimate night of folk/alt-country performances at a private art space in Brooklyn, NY, featuring fine Brooklyn folkster Reverend John Delore among others. His blues-tinged alt-country rumbles with wistful tales of yearning. His gritty vocals have been likened to those of Hayes Carll, Mason Jennings and Steve Earle. Full line up and more info about this even can be found here.
A musician since the age of 3, Elaine Lachica first knew she wanted to be a singer when she heard Liz Fraser sing “Blue Bell Knoll” by the Cocteau Twins. It was then she started songwriting, and she hasn’t stopped since. "I think I Can See the Ocean" is her third full-length, and her first label-backed one. The release is scheduled for February 23 on Stunning Models On Display Records. Contributing musicians on the album include drummer Mark Stepro (Ben Kweller), bassist Rob Calder (Ari Hest), guitarist Aaron Lee Tasjan (New York Dolls), a string quartet led by violinist Rob Moose (Sufjan Stevens, Antony and the Johnsons) and brass section led by trumpeter Jon Mizrachi (Essie Jain).
After finishing a US run with Neko Case, Deer Tick started a three week European tour last week – upon their return to the US on Dec. 13 the band will be entering the studio to put the finishing touches on its as-yet-untitled third album, which will be released in the first half of 2010. The band will again be touring relentlessly in 2010, to SXSW and beyond. Taken mostly from a month-long recording session in upstate New York nicknamed "The Black Dirt Sessions", More Fuel for the Fire features three new studio tracks as well as a live version of "Straight Into A Storm" (from Born on Flag Day) recorded in Charlotte, NC at the Visulite Theatre.
Langhorne Slim sings Pavement songs in the shower. I learned this while drinking Yuengling with him at a Holiday Inn Express a few hours before his sold-out show at The Bell House in Brooklyn. – Read Ryan Henriquez’s interview with the man here.
The guys in Fiasco create the kind of angular, wire-tight bursts of frenetic math-punk that can simultaneously move crowds and impress even the most technically-minded musicians. The songs are a mind-boggling juggling act of interlocking guitar and bass riffs and manic drums, and they always carry an underlying punk influence (Fiasco started out as a punk covers band, after all). Just check out “Oh You Horny Monster” from Native Canadians (or the entertaining A cappella version on Myspace) for a taste of the fun and complexity that makes up the band’s songs. – Read Bill Dvorak’s interview with the band here.
Living about 1700 miles apart (namely in Austin and Brooklyn) doesn’t prevent brothers Jared and Michael Bell from conjuring up beautiful instrumental music. Ah, the miracles of inspiration (and of the internet)! Apparently though, also the good old telephone played a role in Lymbic Systym‘s latest CD called "Shutter Release". After touring with acclaimed bands like Broken Social Scene, The Books, Crystal Castles, the band is about to embark on a west coast tour, scheduled for early January. Definitely a good time to spend a few days in San Francisco, LA, San Diego, Tucson and Austin… The band also released a free download of the song "Bedroom Anthem" – check it out here.
Yes we have a weak spot for Chris Garneau – here’s his new video "Fireflies" from his latest album "El Radio"
On Thursday, Dec. 3rd, The Shake will celebrate the release of their new album, "The Shake Go Crazy," at the main room at Santos Party House. The New York 4-piece will be joined by fellow City rockers Milo & The Fuzz, Reckless Sons and Black Taxi. The band also just announced the release of their new music video for their single, "Got No Soul" – here it is – directed by Anders Urmacher (you guessed it, another New Yorker). Those who love fine rock’n’roll done the right way shouldn’t miss this show.
