Don’t let the matching shirts throw you off—Brooklyn’s The YeahTones are not here to be gimmicky, they’re here to serve you loud, unpretentious guitar-driven rock. Their new video for “Believe” (streaming below) provides a nice cross-section of who they are as a band; the three-piece shreds across unapologetically bluesy riffs that even your dad can’t turn his nose up at. The YeahTones kicked off their tour last night in NYC at Belle Reve. They’ll head down south, where their music belongs, and then make it back on August 25th fora homework show at The Hall at MP. – Lilly Milman
Philadelphia
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Weekend Warrior, July 28 – 30
Over the next three days, the musical fulcrum will largely focus on XPoNential Music Fest. A balanced assemblage of established and emerging talent from near and far settle onto the waterfront. Unfortunately, inclement weather may wash over Hurry’s set. However, Friday still has plenty on its tab – the encompassing reverberating power/ease of Angel Olsen coupled with the emotionally-exposed, energy-expelling rock of Hop Along and the stellar storytelling of Conor Oberst and Wilco. Saturday will culminate with local stalwart Amos Lee digging in with Preservation Hall Jazz Band. However, the meditative reverie of The Dove & The Wolf usher in the day, while Strand of Oaks roots itself in earnest, endearing narratives that blossom and flourish, gathering anthemic reach. On Sunday, the genre-melding hip-hop collective of Hardwork Movement and the Americana trio of No Good Sister help shape the day, reinforced by the bright Americana of Hurray For The Riff Raff and the rugged alt-country of Drive By Truckers. – Michael Colavita
More places to chill out this weekend…
Johnny Brenda’s (1201 N. Frankford Ave.) FRI DJ Lainedee, SAT DJ Emynd, Bo Bliz, SUN Power Animal, Telepathic, Queen Jesus
Boot & Saddle (1131 S. Broad St.) FRI Dark Thoughts, SAT Jo Kusy, Illiminati Sequence
Kung Fu Necktie (1250 N. Front St.) FRI Oso/Grimace Federation, Tektonic, Crouse, SAT Crazy Bull/Stateschoolgirl, Ultraviolet, SUN The Lot/Geniverse
PhilaMOCA (531 N. 12th St.) SAT On The Water, Geb the Great Cackler, SUN Boosegumps
Underground Arts (1200 Callowhill St.) SAT Violent Society
Bourbon & Branch (705 N. 2nd St.) SAT The Chris Paterno Band, The Last Generation On Film
Electric Factory (421 N. 7th St.) This Is Hardcore: FRI Eaten Alive, SAT Jesus Piece, Year of the Knife, SUN Activate
World Café Live (3025 Walnut St.) FRI Breakwater, SAT (Upstairs) Don McAvoy & the Great Whatever, Germany Hill/(Downstairs) The Core, Brown Sugar
The Fire (412 W. Girard Ave.) FRI Blasphemous, SUN Sunchoke
MilkBoy Philly (1100 Chestnut St.) FRI Carroll
Ortlieb’s Lounge (847 N. 3rd St.) SUN Mark Lanky (Record Release), Sad Actor, White Lighters
The Barbary (951 Frankford Ave.) FRI Final Showcase, SUN Resilient, Alright Junior
Silk City (435 Spring Garden St.) SAT DJ Deejay, SUN Juice Wax (Album Release), Cookie Rabinowitz
Fergie’s (1214 Sansom St.) SUN Rusty Cadillac
Connie’s Ric Rac (1132 S. 9th St.) FRI No One You Know, Jason Jeffries and the Tall Trees, Rootsetters
Morgan’s Pier (221 N. Columbus Boulevard) FRI DJ Beatstreet, SAT DJ Jason Weiss, SUN Thomas Curtis
The Grape Room (105 Grape St.) FRI Knightlife, Andorra, The Stone Eye, Shots Called, Mike Nappi, SAT Brendan Johnson, Kate Says
Ardmore Music Hall (23 E. Lancaster Ave.) SAT Splintered Sunlight, Steal Your Peach
The Pharmacy (1300 S. 18th St.) FRI Man Like Machine, Something Like A Monument, Dweeb, SAT Honeytiger, Mavis The Dog
Trash House (Please contact one of the acts or venue for more info.) SAT CMBC, Soft Idiot, Who Loves You
All Night Diner (Please contact one of the acts or venue for more info.) FRI Abi Reimold, Tutlie, Curtis Cooper
The Sound Hole (Please contact one of the acts or venue for more info.) Sun Organ
Camden Waterfront (2 Riverside Dr.) Xponential Fest: FRI Hop Along, Hurry, Swift Technique, SAT Amos Lee, Strand of Oaks, Dave Hause & The Mermaid, The Dove & The Wolf, Cliff Hillis, SUN No Good Sister, Hardwork Movement
NYC
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Jon Worthy brings fun country rock to Mercy Lounge 7.28
Nashville-based Jon Worthy creates the type of feel good folk-driven alternative pop-rock you can just imagine yourself listening to while driving down an empty interstate. There’s even a song about taking off called “Down The Road.” With electric guitars, harmonica, and heart-on-his-sleeve lyrics, the newest release May You Live Happily Ever After is immensely charming—and more importantly, it’s so very Nashville. His next show is July 28th, playing Mercy Lounge’s Friday Night Special. – Lilly Milman
Listen to our favorite track “Can’t Help But Feel” streaming below.
Philadelphia
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The Deli Philly’s Featured Artist(s) Poll Winner: Past Life
When perusing through the members of Past Life’s interview answers, it’s easy to see how a musical gravitational force could have pulled Anthony Massucci, Alyssa Milman, Brandon Bauer, Justin Sterchele, and Dash Williams together. After all, the foundation had already been laid at an early age for most of the gang. With supportive music-friendly environments, providing influences that were tastefully far and wide, the band’s debut EP Triple Nothing provides a good jumping-off point for the fledgling indie/alt-rock outfit bent on taking in and giving back to a city that has already provided them with so much support and inspiration. You can find out more about our Featured Artist(s) Poll Winner HERE.
NYC
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Fruit & Flowers release new single ‘Drug Tax,’ play Jersey City Cemetery 7.29
If you are feeling in the mood for surfy sonic fun with garagey and psych overtones, we’ve got a band for ya: they are called Fruit & Flowers, they hail from Brooklyn, NY, and just released a deliciously droney single entitled . The four-piece is technically skilled, with fast-paced and fleshed-out guitar parts (as heard in tracks like “Pick Fairy”) backed by a tight rhythm section, which too often is the missing link in emerging garagey bands. To top it all off, they layer dreaminess all over their tracks through lead vocalist Caroline’s saccharine soprano (and a fair amount of reverb, not too much though!). Our friends at Delicious Audio heard the ladies dig guitar pedals, so we thought to ask them a few questions about them and other matters at the link below! – Lilly Milman
Q&A with Fruit & Flowers about gear and the creative process.
We added this song to The Deli’s playlist of Best psych songs by emerging NYC artists – check it out!
Philadelphia
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Debut Shy Boyz LP Available for Streaming & Purchase
About a month ago, Shy Boyz released their debut album 2 Horses (and 2 Naked Boys). Injecting elements of strange into a foundation of soul/R&B, the ensemble creates groovy waves of oddly silky tunes. That capability, to streamline musically while never taking themselves too seriously, creates a playful dynamic. Shy Boyz will be holding their record release show next Saturday, August 5 at PhilaMOCA, as part of lineup that also includes Ali Wadsworth (whom contributed backing vocals on the album) and Charley Coin. (Photo by Craig Fineburg)
Austin
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Float Fest Beat the Heat
Float Fest is a bold endeavor that has paid off once again. Bringing thousands of music-loving Texans to the Cool River Ranch in San Marcos, in the middle of a scorching deadbeat Summer, has liability written all over it. However the festival founder, Marcus Federman, along with his crack team have pulled off another spectacular festival weekend for the fourth year in a row.
The festival, which has grown larger every year, hit a new high this year in terms of the lineup, attendance, and overall production. While an increase in ticket pricing, long entry lines, and scorching weather threatened to stem the flow of attendees- those setbacks were overshadowed by the impressive lineup and galvanizing atmosphere that made the slight inconveniences worthwhile.
The lineup of music acts were split down the middle, with half of them local and the other half national headliners:
Best 3 Local Performances:
Sweet Spirit – Fresh off the road on their national tour, Sweet Spirit crashed back into the Austin crowd with a raucous performance on Sunday afternoon. Lead singer, Sabrina Ellis, showed her trademark spunk while guitarist, Andrew Cashen, smashed guitars. Tearing through a hit list of songs like “The Power”, “Baby When I Close My Eyes” and “Rebel, Rebel” their performance was a refreshing shot of energy on a torrid day.
Walker Lukens – Playing with his band that looks straight out of a modeling agency, Walker Lukens proved his eclectic pop prowess while wearing a white suit in 100 degree heat on Sunday afternoon. The emotive songwriter captured the crowd with emphatic songs like “Every Night” and “Lifted” while charming the pants off everyone simultaneously. Walker’s charisma and music skills make his appeal undeniable and his songs make his future bright.
Ume – While this local hard rocking trio played at the peak of heat wave on Sunday, they still managed to rattle the audience’s skulls in a good way. Lead singer, Lauren ‘LL’, demonstrates that big things can come in small packages with her whirring guitar and banshee-like vocals. These Austin veterans continue to impress with their dedication to devastatingly awesome music and their longevity in making it.
Best 3 Headliner Performances:
Cage the Elephant – This bluesy rock band form Bowling Green, TN is the embodiment of the rock n’ roll spirit. Lead singer, Matt Shultz, parades around the stage like Jagger in his prime. The passion, urgency, and exuberance of each band member creates a synergistic explosion of unparalleled proportions. This young sextet stole Sunday night from Weezer and MGMT, as their brilliance couldn’t be contained.
Passion Pit – Michael Angelakos might be stepping away from music for a hiatus but his Saturday night performance showed that he and his band are still at the top of their game. Crushing songs like “I’ll Be Alright” and “Lifted Up” are the nectar from which pop hook-loving millenials feed. Angelakos is a great example of a veteran artist who doesn’t take anything or any show for granted by giving his all on every song.
Mac Miller – While I have to admit, I was not a fan of Mac Miller prior to seeing his live show, the Pittsburgh rapper is persuasive in his power to impress. Commanding a large crowd that hung to every lyric, Miller weaved in popular samples to his music that created something like a block party. While there might be more talented musicians and rappers in the world, no one can say that Mac Miller doesn’t know how to throw down.
3 Performance Let-Downs:
MGMT – Uninspired and mopey, MGMT came out flaccid and flat-lined in front of a crowd the desperately wanted to dance with them.
Mike Jones – The Houston rapper dropped the ball for the second year in a row. Jones seemed out of it and passed the mic to his posse for the majority of the show.
Neon Indian – More of a personal preference, but Alan Palomo chose to play all of his newer tracks, which aren’t bad, but refuses to acknowledge his Chill Wave roots that got him there.
Float Fest still remains a favorite for campers, tubers, and vibers who find reasons to attend that are not directly related to the music. Expect more stages, bigger headliners, and more extra-curricular activities as this atypical festival continues to blossom. Kudos must be paid to a team that somehow found a way to succeed in the Texas Summer in a city dominated by ACL and SXSW.
NYC
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Dirty Denim plays Rickshaw Stop 07.27
Bay-area garage/punk band Dirty Denim will be playing Rickshaw Stop on July 27th. On their self-titled demo, the four-piece is at once playful and attitudinal. The three-song demo incorporates elements of punk, surf, new wave, indie and even hints of Motown. Yet, Dirty Denim’s sound is very much their own, and it’s instantly catchy. Chances are, you’ll be humming "Meant to Be" for a few days after one listen. –Ethan Ames
NYC
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The New Catastrophes play Bottom of the Hill 08.06
San Francisco pop-punk band, The New Catastrophes, will play Bottom of the Hill on August 8th. On their 2016 full-length release, Your One Regret, the band deftly carries the torch of ’90s and early 2000s emo/pop-punk in the vein of Brand New and Green Day with tight song structures and high-energy angst. –Ethan Ames
NYC
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PREMIERE: KA-TYA’s “Beautiful Faces” blends jangle pop with Kate Bush
Soviet-born KA-TYA channels Kate Bush and 10,000 Maniacs through her own jangling indie pop composition, "Beautiful Faces", which you can hear in this Deli premiere. The songwriter’s music has touched all sides of the world, from Australia where she grew up to Southeast Asia and then to New York, where she now resides and continues to release her songs. "Beautiful Faces" makes for a dance-friendly mid-summer track about strained love; it’s sure to get you swaying even on a hot subway platform. And if you’d like to dance to this song live, KA-TYA will perform "Beautiful Faces" and more of her tracks at her single release party at Bowery Electric on August 23rd. – Will Sisskind
NYC
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From the digital submissions: young talent Ice Cream Orphan
Ice Cream Orphan, a Boston-based project that started out with vocalist Cam Pulaski and evolved into a full-fledged, three-piece indie band, just released their sophomore album Things From My Mouth this June. This often upbeat LP takes cues from early Death Cab, providing sad songs you can dance to, like “10th Anniversary” (streaming below), with its deceptively fast-paced and catchy chorus (“But you’re the only one that I could ever hold / And now I need you, though I left you months ago”) and “You Just Wanted to Feel Loved” with its trombone part. Their next show will be on August 5th at a house show in Tewksbury, MA. – Lilly Milman
NYC
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Airpark opens for Tennis at The Basement East on 8.7
Featuring previous members of The Apache Relay (the Ford Brothers), Nashville’s Airpark is a minimalistic force to be reckoned with. Their subtle, groove-driven atmospheric alt-pop is easy to listen to, but it is not garish or cheesy. It’s an ambitious project for the brothers, using a much more stripped down approach than their last project. It’s also technically demanding, as both brothers act as songwriters, multi-instrumentalists, and co-producers on the EP Early Works, Volume 1. They’ll be opening for indie pop darlings Tennis at The Basement East on August 7th. – Lilly Milman
Watch the official music video for their song “Plenty To Pine For” below.