New Music, Emerging from your Local Scene
AM | "Christmas Time Is Here"
Today’s "rain" is about as close as we can come to feeling the winter-y side of the holiday season. Fortunately, tomorrow locals can feel a little closer to a White Christmas by heading out to the Hotel Cafe to hear singer/songwriter AM sing selections from his holiday EP Holiday Happiness & Cheer. Sara Lov joins the wintertime bill.
Historic Filipinotown’s main courtyard will get its ass severely kicked this Saturday night with the grand "opening" of FMLY‘s new venue. 60-Watt Kid will be opening the night’s festivities, and if that isn’t enough reason to go (LET’S BE HONEST, IT SHOULD BE), read what else FMLY have to offer. It’s going to be a good one.
Paper Zoo | "Paper Zoo"
It’s not every day you hear the words "self-titled track from their self-titled EP," but, alas, today’s one of those days. Just days after having finished a long string of dates with Roger freaking Daltrey, Linda Perry-mentored and local psych rockers Paper Zoo aren’t taking a day off. Check them out this Wednesday night at the Viper Room where they’ll be showcasing new material for locals who haven’t had a chance to see their live set yet.
Starting tonight at Midnight, Smashing Pumpkins will make available the first song from their epic 44 track album Teargarden by Kaleidyscope. The song is called “A Song For A Son” and it encompasses Billy’s thoughts and fears about Fatherhood and why he has not become a father yet. As he has said about the album, which will be released one song a time until all 44 tracks are out: “Each song will be made available absolutely for free, to anyone anywhere. There will be no strings attached. Free will mean free, which means you won’t have to sign up for anything, give an email address, or jump through a hoop. You will be able to go and take the song or songs as you wish, as many times as you wish.” Billy feels that this track is emblematic of the entire collection of music and that as whole this album is a return to the classic Smashing Pumpkins sound. You can find out if that is true or not tonight at Midnight on at the new Smashing Pumpkins website.
Joe Pug has announced the detail of his forthcoming album, Messengers. The album will be released on February 16th and features 9 new songs along with an electric reworking of “Speak Plainly, Diana” which first appeared on the Nation of Heat EP. He also announced plans to release a vinyl edition of Nation of Heat around that same time. Joe will be touring this Spring with Justin Townes Earle, and will be playing here at Lincoln Hall on Feb. 27th. He will of course be heading to SXSW again this March.
Your 33 Black Angels: "Lovers Limbo" from Benji Kast.
Your 33 Black Angels just released their third album, PAGAN PRINCESS with a show at Mercury Lounge on 12.03. The album will be available on both CD and vinyl. The release comes one year after the band’s double-album melancholic opus, Tales of My Pop-Rock Love Life and 2007’s Lonely Street, an album deemed "…one of the year’s treasures…" by Rolling Stone magazine Senior Editor David Fricke. This is the video from the single "Lovers Limbo" (as posted in The Deli’s Open Blog – post your band’s entries, videos, and Mp3s here).
The Delfields self-released their third album on December 1st; a seven song EP titled "Sooner Than You Think". This release comes on the heels of their free digital EP "Twilight Town". Recorded on and off over the past year, the album is a pastiche of an eclectic number of influences ranging from C86 artists to mid 60’s art pop and psychedelia. The video for Madeline was filmed in The Delfields’ hometown of New Brunswick, NJ and was directed by William Kaufman who also directed a video for their first LP "Ogres". The EP is available for sale on The Delfields’ website under the buy section. – (as posted in The Deli’s Open Blog – post your band’s entries, videos, and Mp3s here).
NYC-Montreal Disco revivalists Chromeo have just released this video entitled "Night by Night" – some kind of chauvinistic phantasy about a guy who goes to a party where he’s the only boy and all the girls (which are curiosly all very hot) are waiting in line to dance with him. He actually gets to choose them! Keep on dreaming…
How does a young pop-rock band Chicago get 160,000 hits on youtube in one week? Mock Miley Cyrus of course. You can download this hilarious track at The Fold’s website. The Fold are playing at Elk Grove Center (200 Reverend Morrison Blvd, Elk Grove Village) with I Fight Dragons on December 12th and at Metro with Lucky Boys Confusion on December 26th.
Catherine “It’s No Lie” from their 1994 release Sorry! on TVT Records.
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.
Hey Champ has released a mixtape that is very aptly titled. Winner’s Circle finds the group basically recapping the incredible year they’ve had. Hey Champ received their big opportunity in the Summer 2008 when Lupe Fiasco took notice and took the group on tour. Over this past year they have been able to remix some biggest names and make noise on their own with “Cold Dust Girl”. They are truly approaching the “Winner’s Circle”. The magnetic cast of artists involved on this mix includes Mike Posner, The Cool Kids, Passion Pit, The Sounds, French Horn Rebellion, 80’s Kidz, Priors, and Moneypenny. With the recent disbanding of Lupe’s FNF record label, Hey Champ will continue to move forward and continue to energize audiences around the world while preparing their forthcoming, independently released, debut album in the Spring of 2010. In the meantime, Hey Champ encourages new fans to make their way into the "Winners Circle" where the band displays all of the creative shine that put them on blast in the first place.
Hey Champ will be playing at Metro on December 19th with Kill Hannah.