Day 2 began – oh, how unexpected! – on Ludlow Street, where Prince Rama were set to play the Cake Shop shortly after five. Getting there just pas four, I got to squeeze my way to the counter, pick up a beer and some Blue Ribbon swag (guilty as charged), and mainly, best part of all, catch NYC rapper Mykki Blanco (pictured) for half an hour of raunchy slams and menacing ‘acid punk’ raps, some freaky, most straightforward vulgar.. but oh, yeah, should have mentioned: when played right, that’s great in my books; none of that ‘positive’ buzzkill, just one hell of a slimy frantic performance backed up by the DJ every now and then, but taking on a fair few a cappellas. Glad I turned up a little early. – Read Tracy Mamoun’s full report here – pictured and streaming: Prince Rama.

My CMJ Wednesday began rather inauspiciously since the first band I wanted to see was nowhere to be found five minutes before its scheduled set time. I grumpily left the Alphabet Lounge as I realized I wasted about an hour that could have been spent checking out the Jack White-sponsored Rolling Record Store, which was parked outside Santos Party House throughout the night. Oh well, I guess Mr. White will just have to wait another day for me to blindly throw money at him. – Read Josh S. Johnson full report here – In the picture and streaming, Starred.

Frankly, this first day of CMJ went a billion times better than I expected. What did I expect? To get lost, for sure, having not been in the city that long. To miss half of the bands I’d listed on some meticulous schedule/map scribbled in my notebook the night before. To be drinking far too much. Ok, maybe that did happen. It’s one thing I had to learn, I guess: do not say yes to every drink that is handed to you, because people will be handing you PLENTY of them – that’s what happens when you run a Marathon right? – Read Tracy Mamoun’s full CMJ report here – In the picture and streaming, Foxygen.

The second best thing about the CMJ Music Marathon, after of course the opportunity to see tons of great bands for five straight nights in the greatest city for music, is the process of sorting through the seemingly endless list of bands in order to meticulously plan your personal schedule down to the minute. That feeling of invincibility concerning the laws of time and space is an awful like the one you get when you develop grand plans to start exercising and working out. That brief sensation of euphoria lasts right up to the minute you told yourself you were going to start. Then you realize you already walked something like three flights of stairs that day, so really there’s no need to exercise. – read the full report here. – (in the picture, Blonds)

Thrill seeking and cutting loose is the central theme of Chappo’s latest video and song “5-0.” Behind steady snare drum flams and properly reverbed crunch guitars, three rocked-out young adults snag some cash, jump behind the wheel of a sweet Mustang Ford and head out for some weed-fueled adventures. While the vocals tend to segue somewhere between Jack White and Joe Walsh (with verses delivered in the cadence of Bob Dylan’s “Subterranean Homesick Blues”), the overall rhythm comes closer to Duff McKagan’s "Loaded." This momentary carefree youthful abandon on display masks the songs deeper lyrical content of wishing to be “older.” But for now it’s “all for the run” – the quick, cheap thrills – as they “build it up just to tear it down.” Included is a surprisingly lovely trippy instrumental break which takes things to almost prog-rock territory – before the rock stomp crunch returns. See Chappo at CMJ on 10.16 at the Bell House and 10.18 at XPO 929. – Dave Cromwell

DETAILS ABOUT THIS SHOW + STREAMING COMPILATION OF ALL 14 BANDS HERE.

The 2012 Deli’s CMJ festivities will be kicking off on Tuesday, October 16th at The Delancey, with an extensive showcase of some of the city’s best rootsy acts. This year, we’ve booked fourteen artists, most of them local, who’ll be giving us a good taste of folk music beyond the run-of-the-mill, split between both floors of the Lower East Side venue. 

Headlining the main floor we’ll have the magnetic concoctions of dream-roots duo Blonds and rootsy-pop ensemble Laura Stevenson & The Cans (pictured), amidst a farandole in which everyone should find a flavour that suits them – check out Town Hall, Swear & Shake, and The Reverend John Delore, who will be releasing a new album that night.

Upstairs, for a free (!) show, you’ll find bluegrass trio JP & The Gilberts, energetic singer folky duo XNY, and the enchanting recent additions to the NYC scene Plume Giant (pictured) – who’ve been getting some well-deserved attention since the release of their debut album ‘Callithump’ – on a night filled with talent in which everyone, even those country detractors out there, should find a reason to cheer. Check out the full details of the line-up here.

Indie pop trio Yellow Ostrich has released the title track off its upcoming EP, “Ghost.” The EP will be released digitally on October 22nd. While listening to “Ghost,” one can immediately tell this is the work of Alex Schaaf, the band’s singer, guitarist, and chief songwriter. Most notable are Schaaf’s signature vocal harmonies, which gently float over the peaceful instrumentation. In support of the new EP, Yellow Ostrich will embark on a month-long fall tour, culminating in a hometown show at the Bowery Ballroom on November 14th. Listen to “Ghost” streaming below.

Queens-born Alex Kelly takes the singer/songwriter genre to a personal level with her power-pop/electro ambiance. This past June, Kelly released her debut record, “Orange Circle,” which showcases her clear, free-wheeling vocals backed by energetic beats, grungy guitar riffs, and evidence of an array of influences. Opening and title track, “Orange Circle” seduces listeners who are drawn in further by the sultry, reggae-tinged beats of “Veil.” “Magnet” and “North Star” feature hard rock guitar licks interweaved with danceable rhythms, and the dark mood continues on “Love Light” with nightclub pulsations and the haunting “Splendor-Solis.” Kelly’s single, “Catalyst,” highlights power-pop qualities with dub-step undertones. The album decelerates into “Eros,” an erie, heavy elecro-rock track. Catch Alex and her band on Tuesday, October 16 at Sullivan Hall and on tour through November with fellow New Yorkers, pILLOW tHEORY. –Meijin Bruttomesso

For several tracks off his new album “Sweet Talk for Pretty Daughters” – whose release is going towill be celebrated tonight at The Deli’s CMJ Rootsy stage at The Delancey), the Reverend John DeLore recorded the lead vocals in the room where folk legend Gram Parsons died in 1973. Clearly, the ghost of Parsons was trapped in that room for almost 40 years waiting for someone to set him free and refill the world with his music. That’s one explanation as to how DeLore could create such lovely folk gems. A more likely explanation, however, is the Reverend is an extremely talented singer-songwriter who incorporates his notable influences along with his refreshing take on folk music. Either way, surely Parsons would be very proud of DeLore’shis music, and DeLore should be too. The band will take stage downstairs on the main floor at 8pm. – Josh S. Johnson

DETAILS ABOUT THIS SHOW + STREAMING
COMPILATION OF ALL 14 BANDS HERE.

It took us a couple of weeks to come up with a title for this Deli official CMJ show. On Wednesday October 17 at The Living Room we’ll have a fair amount of orchestral instruments on stage, from You Bred Raptors’? frantic cello to Cuddle Magic’s gentle winds and xylophone, without forgetting the sparse piano lines of Doe Paoro and Starlight Girls‘ retro flute. But even though all these instruments are borrowed from the classical tradition, all the artists on this bill have a forward looking, at times even experimental attitude. This is why in the end we settled with the label "Post-Chestral", which is a term we are happy to notice nobody used before – at least not since Google was invented! This of course implies that we are either geniuses or terrible-new-word creators…

Early that evening we’ll have the noir chamber pop of Friend Roulette , In One Wind‘s orchestrated experimentations, and DT Rotbot intricate post-rock. Later at night we’ll be enterteined by the cinematic and atmospheric music of Industries of the Blind followed by cheerful Philadelphia based collective Dangerous Ponies. (in the picture, Cuddle Magic and You Bred Raptors).

The 32nd issue of The Deli NYC is out in the streets people, but if you don’t like the streets you can still read it online here (flash version) or download it in pdf here.

Also, also! The Deli’s Stomp Box Exhibit at Main Drag starts in a week – more info here.

The Deli’s Staff