Portland

Support XRAY.FM Tomorrow at X-ILE on Ray Street

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We love XRAY. The community radio station has done tons in the realm of supporting not only local bands and solo musicians, but supporting other DIY outlets that promote artistic and creative endeavors. They give a lot to all of us so here’s another opportunity for us to give back to them.

Tomorrow, Dig A Pony will be hosting a benefit show with the witty title of X-ILE on Ray Street. Tickets will be $5 and all proceeds going back into the volunteer run station.

Theo Craig and Chancie Chance will be playing tunes in between sets by the ever-entertaining Lola Buzzkill and the darlings of Psychomagic, not to mention the benefit also acting as the album release and tour kickoff show for the loveable Reptaliens (who also help set the benefit up!). Adding even more intrigue to the set, a secret special headliner will also be taking the stage.

Head down to Dig A Pony on SE Grand at 8 p.m. tomorrow to give a lil something to XRAY’s cause, hang out with much of the fellow music scene and to figure out who the secret headliner is!

Portland

Balto is Back with a New Residency

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If you’re looking to enjoy some straight up rock & roll roots, local maestros in the craft Balto will be providing a freek week of it with their new week-long residency at Al’s Den, downtown at the Crystal Hotel.

Beginning today and lasting through the 27th, Balto’s residency will mainly be solo performances from band frontman Daniel Sheron. It was Sheron’s ventures from Moscow, Russia through Siberia that have helped inspire much of Balto’s songs and sounds, from their October’s Road debut to their recently released 7" Call it By its Name.

"CA LUV" is the latest to come off Call it By its Name and is an airy roots track that will act as the perfect taste holder for fans as the wait for yet another Balto release.

All of Balto’s Al’s Den residency shows begin at 7 p.m., are free and for those 21 and over. They’ll be joined by other acts throughout the next week, all of which can be found here.

Philadelphia

MH the Verb Opening for Gangstagrass at MilkBoy April 21

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Whether he’s suavely spitting over a soulful, candle-burning beat or escalating into his own fire, MH the Verb always appears under control. The ability to cruise when the traffic turns up around him and seemingly slowdown the system, skillfully hitting high performance while cascading over an array of worldly sound, displaying versatility. It may be Sunday, but he’ll extend that weekend vibe for all it’s worth. Tonight, MH the Verb will set the table for the unlikely yet ear-grabbing combination of hip-hop and bluegrass known as Gangstagrass. Milkboy, 1100 Chestnut St., 7pm, $12, 21+ – Michael Colavita

Portland

Saturday Night Sounds: Astro Tan – “HYFY”

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Fusing jazz, psych and r&b are what Astro Tan are masters at doing and their new single, "HYFY," further proves it.

"HYFY" premiered on Impose this last Thursday and what the track stands for (presumably "hell yeah, fuck yeah") is exactly the excitment it brings. Jazzy tendencies playfully circle around distorted guitars and an intriguing drum beat, while party-like lyrics bring a lighthearted air to the track. 

The trio just took off for a West Coast tour and return September 4 for a show at Rontoms, but let "HYFY" be your hell yeah, fuck yeah anthem as this Saturday night cools down. 

Portland

The Empty and Their Full Indie-tronic Sound

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Our latest winners of our AOTM poll, the Empty, produce a sound that is anything but musically void. The trio, comprised of Bobby Dezfulli, Sean Dant and Jacob Schmitt, have crafted their distinct balance between mood, melody and rhythm over the last 10 years that they’ve been in Portland’s music scene.

Reverberated guitars, analog synths and beat machines lay the foundation for spurts of fuzzier vocal tones that all come together to create a mesh of indie, electronica and rock that is pleasurable to the ears both in headphones and live. 

The Empty have already dropped a few tracks (and a couple accompanying music videos) from their upcoming post-summer release, which will be acting as the followup to their Lost Levels album from 2014. 

Dive into our most recent winners and peak into our Fall release with "Inside Edition" below. Congrats on the win, guys!

Philadelphia

Busy Bee Abuzz at Tralfamadore Aug. 20

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Arcadia student Deb Gilmore, a.k.a. Busy Bee, negotiates intriguing lyrical hikes. Instrumentally led by peacefully calm, acoustic guitar/mandolin, which can make round about moves, changing course in short order after establishing the presumed line, Gilmore makes unique narrative decisions, mixing metaphors in a playful manner, while still engaging in the inherently personal folk spectrum. That ability to cut an image or thought down to its essence or conversely cast an uncommon means of comparison gives her songs a familiar yet refreshing point of view. With a knack for gathering and harnessing emotive momentum that spills forward in an energetic release, Past Life enters the fray at Tralfamadore. The sultry yet haunting vocals of Kelsey Cork and the eerie, ambient experimentions of Gravers Lane aid in shaping this evening’s billing, which is completed by Brooklyn quartet The Rizzos. Tralfamadore (Please contact one of the acts or venue for more info.), 7:30pm, $6, All Ages – Michael Colavita

NYC

Our band picks from the Long Island Indie Rock & Pop Festival

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With over 40 bands set to play before the Long Island Indie Rock & Pop Festival is through, you might be more than a little inundated with all the bands there are to see. Well, have no fear because we’ve picked a couple of our favorite groups that we think you should be listening to right now.  

Astronauto seamlessly blends strong soul-bearing folk sensibilities with space-y synths that sound plucked from Jupiter.  The result is dynamic songs that swell and breathe but feel sincerely introspective–edging toward the stratosphere but never truly leaving earth. Listen to their set 8/21 at 89 North.

A New Bug delivers high-energy garage punk with old school vibes. Lackadaisical vocals ooze reserved, New-York cool, but are dotted by flashes of unbridled wildness. The band’s vox are pitted against fuzzy, driving instrumentals that make it near irrestiable to shake something. Mark A New Bug down as your perfect companion for the next time you’re up to no good, and see them play on 8/20 at O’Brien’s. 

It Came From Space is maybe the gateway drug for listeners yet to add math rock tunes to their heavy rotation. The band lays down highly acessible instrumental tracks that unfold in scope right before your ears, and sneak narrative dreamscapes behind your optic nerves. The tracks are consistently sweet sounding, and the band holds solid grooves that never get stuck anywhere for too long. Check out their set 8/22 at Portside.-Olivia Sisinni

Philadelphia

Weekend Warrior, Aug. 19-21

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Treat Y’r Self Fest returns to PhilaMOCA this Saturday for its second year. The benefit for the annual March to End Rape Culture (co-presented with Pussy Division) will be hosting a day of rad activities to create a safe, inclusive space that is accessible for all ages. Throughout the day and into the evening, you’ll find local favorites like Dreambook, Swanning, and Motherwhore coming together with artist from all over the country to donate their talents to help unify a community for an important cause. Punk legend Alice Bag (of The Bags) will be headlining the music showcase with a new album in tow! And for the first time, Treat Y’r Self Fest will be screening a documentary; Stories From the She Punks was directed by Helen Reddington (The Chefs) and Gina Birch (The Raincoats), and it chronicles “stories of women musicians from the punk-inspired bands of the 70s.” Music critic and author Jenn Pelly will be introducing the film. Kevin Attics (Mercury Girls, Literature) will also be spinning between sets, and Samantha Gurry will be creating some dope hand-cut animated visuals. So come out & TREAT Y’R SELF! PhilaMOCA, 531 N. 12th St., 1pm – 11pm, $10-$12 (sliding scale or donation), All Ages – Alexis V.
 
More things to do before summer ends…
 
PhilaMOCA (531 N. 12th St.) FRI Broken Beak (Record Release), Harmony Woods, SUN Power Animal
 
Johnny Brenda’s (1201 N. Frankford Ave.) FRI Shelf Life, SAT Northern Arms, My Son Bison
 
Boot & Saddle (1131 S. Broad St.) SAT Venice Sunlight (Record Release), The New Connection, The Way Home, SUN Dreamswell, Grim Sleepers, Bad Mood Randall
 
Kung Fu Necktie (1250 N. Front St.) FRI Meddlesome Meddlesome Meddlesome Bells/Watery Love, Sparrow Steeple, SAT The Madeleine Haze/Whiting, The Lunar Year/Matthew Law, The Bul Bey, DJ Ferno, SUN Heavy Temple, Hex Inverter
 
The Foundry (1000 Frankford Ave.) FRI Dayne Jordan, DJ Ferno, SUN Tim Williams (EP  Release), Matt Spitko
 
Bourbon & Branch (705 N. 2nd St.) SUN Curtis Lexx, Killer Whale
 
World Café Live (3025 Walnut St.) FRI (Upstairs) Loose and Alright, SAT (Upstairs) The Striptease Orchestra
 
The Fire (412 W. Girard Ave.) FRI Endless Taile, Resilient, Too Lonely For Standards, The Way, SAT Urban Shaman Attack, SUN Seraph in Travail, Cadaveric Spasm, Booklegger
 
MilkBoy Philly (1100 Chestnut St.) FRI Muscle Tough, Johnny Showcase & The Mystic Ticket, Satellite Hearts, SAT Cold Roses
 
Ortlieb’s Lounge (847 N. 3rd St.) FRI PHNTMS/Suburban Living (DJ Set), Hillary Wallace and the Death, Duffy’s Cut
 
Silk City (435 Spring Garden St.) FRI Bo Bliz, Low Budget, SAT DJ Deejay, SUN Reef The Lost Cauze, Caliph-NOW
 
Voltage Lounge (421 N. 7th St.) SAT Pedro Fresco, Rex The Rager
 
Morgan’s Pier (221 N. Columbus Boulevard.) FRI DJ Beatstreet, SAT Mr. Sonny James
 
Frankie Bradley’s (1320 Chancellor St.) FRI Rasputin’s Room, SAT Ed Christof/WWE Summer Glam Burlesque Tribute
 
Festival Pier (Columbus Blvd. & Spring Garden St.) SUN Ween
 
The Grape Room (105 Grape St.) FRI-SUN Liberty Music Fest
 
Ardmore Music Hall (23 E. Lancaster Ave.) SAT HMFO, Brothers & Sisters
 
Old Pool Farm (1323 Salford Station Rd. – Schwenksville, PA) 55th Annual Philadelphia Folk Festival
 
The Pharmacy (1300/02 S. 18th St.) FRI Buster, Only, SAT Podacter, Easy Creatures, SUN Goddamnit, Pauline
 
Hubbub Coffee (3736 Spruce St.) SUN Pinkwash, Preen
 
Everybody Hits (529 W. Girard Ave.) SAT Ghost Gum, Shannen Moser, Sun Organ
 
LAVA Space (4134 Lancaster Ave.) FRI Dog Tears (Record Release), Distant/Damage
 
Planet Vegeta (Please contact one of the acts or venue for more info.) FRI Supine
 
Birdhouse (Please contact one of the acts or venue for more info.) SAT Arthur Shea, Fred Beans, McGarnagle
 
Second Empire (Please contact one of the acts or venue for more info.) SAT Psychic Teens, Humanshapes
 
Tralfamadore (Please contact one of the acts or venue for more info.) SAT Past Life, Kelsey Cork, Busy Bee, Gravers Lane
 
Chicago

skul.kid

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skul.kid is the lo-fi bedroom pop of Chance Wall. He just released a new single, "Car Crash, September 2015", via Oakland’s Other Coast Records.

NYC

Retail Space: “Getting Older” video premiere

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Blending catchy synth pop arrangements and sweet vocal harmonies, Retail Space delivers a song ripe for the dog days with "Getting Older." The video, premiering exclusively on The Deli, serves up classic summer vibes and provides the perfect counterpoint to the lyricism, which explores the bittersweet experience of aging. "Getting Older," manages to capture the fleeting nature of not only summer, but the bliss of youth. Despite the weight that the theme may carry, the video manages to explore this in a way that never dwells too long in melancholic territory, and instead provides a postive narrative that lives in the moment and soaks in the sunshine. Watch video premiere below and check out Retail Space’s LP In the Lotia here. – Olivia Sisinni

Philadelphia

Broken Beak Record Release Show at PhilaMOCA Aug. 19

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Melancholy and dissonance merge with post-punk rhythms and an almost folk sense of lyricism to produce songs that grab you by the scruff of your neck and force you to listen. There is an honesty and abrasion that are both beautiful and haunting, which endures from the opening acoustic plucks and kitchen-sink noises to fading strums and a grinding halt on Broken Beak’s new release, Some Nerve. Beau Brynes, along with bandmates Brendan Lukens (Modern Baseball), Evan Clark Moorehead (Weller), and Jeff Malt, will be celebrating its release tonight at PhilaMOCA, as part of their 2016 summer tour. They’ll be joined by Portland, OR outfits Blowout, a powerhouse of sound and fury, and Walter etc., a folk-punk collective that is not afraid to have fun, and drag you kicking and screaming along. PhilaMOCA, 531 N. 12th St., 7pm, $8, All Ages – Keith Kelley

NYC

Slight bring their fuzz soaked power pop to Silent Barn on 8.21

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While the members of Slight have been busy playing in Painted Zeros, LVL UP, and Normal Person, the trio has managed to find the time to drop two EPs and a single in the span of a year. In the fall of 2015 they released their sophomore EP Hate The Summer, which improved on of their 2014 single Run, soaking their catchy power pop melodies in guitar fuzz. In title-track Hate the Summer the band’s fragile vocals, somewhat reminiscent of The Lemonheads, draw memorable pop hooks, while exploding guitars in the choruses channel the raw energy of rock’n’roll. Slight will be playing the Silent Barn on August 21st. – John Honan, photo by Stephanie Griffin

We added this song to The Deli’s playlist of Best songs by emerging NYC artists – check it out!