Born from two ribs of The Kickdrums, Fake Guns is the Manhattan based, electro pop/rock project of Alex Fitts and Chris Wall. They only have two songs streaming on their Soundcloud page (plus two remixes for singles by Mainland and Swimm), but it sounds like there will be more coming soon – we are streaming them both below. Fake Guns will be performing live at The Mercury Lounge on February 7th.

A noteworthy NYC artist we completely missed in 2016 (and 2015! – probably because she seems to tour the experimental circuit, rather than the rock/DIY one) is Queens based Eartheater, the solo project of multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Alexandra Drewchin. Propelled by impressive confidence and multi-disciplinary talent (she is also a dancer), Alexandra creates music that’s experimental and textural at heart and, in its most accessible expressions, could be described as a more abstract version of Cocteau Twins, bordering on Dead Can Dance’s arcane desolation. Streaming video for 2015 single ‘Homonyms’ (from LP ‘Metalepsis‘) reveals a bold and articulate artist blessed by the gift of uniqueness. Eartheater’s shows have often an original coregraphy (yep, she does that too…) and recently caught the attention of The Wire, which is why we have the feeling that those who dig art that’s "out there" might enjoy her upcoming show at The Kitchen on February 9th.

P.S. Clever name! is it "Earth Eater" or "Ear Theater"?

It’s the end of January, and if you’re like most people, the enthusiasm behind those New Year’s resolutions are slowy starting to melt away. Though we can’t help you with that new gym membership losing its initial allure, if "seeing more live music" happened to chart on your New Year to-do list, you’re in luck. Deal Casino, a hard-working, indie rock four-piece from industrious Asbury Park, is coming to a venue near you, and we totally recommend catching them live. The band utilizies a mixture of minimalist sounds and hard-hitting riffs to create grooves that are as infectious as they are instantlly compelling. Their latest release, The Cannonball EP, features tunes like "Panama Papers," a timely state of the nation track, and "Purple," a wistful song that seems to capture the general, 20-something maliase. Catch the band live at theire Arlene’s Grocery residency (playing alongside Gillian on 01.31) and stream single ‘Panama Papers below. – Olivia Sisinni

Looking at their social media pages, Stringer seems to be having a blast. They are playing shows, traveling, dressing up, and enjoying the company of cute dogs (yeah, even rockers have their soft spots). The quartet released debut EP “Dead Ass” back in 2015. The album consists of six tracks overflowing with distorted guitars, grounded in ’90s influences ranging from grunge to slak rock. These guys are also living it up (the DIY way) on March 4th when they play Shea Stadium with No Parents, Surfbort, and Plain Dog. – Jocelyn Huggler

If music is language, Delicate Steve‘s mother tongue is electric guitar – with an assorted stompbox accent. Few contemporary guitarists master the six strings’ vocabulary the way he does, unafraid as he is to experiment with tone, effects, and parts. The NJ based musician made ears turn in 2011-2012 with two instrumental records (‘Wondervisions‘ and ‘Positive Force‘) that showcased his imaginative, world music infused compositions. After a lot of touring, and a live album dated 2015, Delicate Steve is about to return with his third full length, entitled ‘This is Steve’ and scheduled for a January 27 release on Anti Records. Don’t miss the show at Bowery on February 3rd!

Our friends at Delicious Audio asked Steve a few questions about his sound. Read what he had to say here.

On February 1st, The Deli will be start sponsoring Le Poisson Rouge’s "On The Rise" series, which is focused on outstanding local, emerging artists. We’ll be curious to see live again two artists we booked a few years ago and that have had the patience to hone their skill and grow throughout the years (rare thing in the band business): we are referring to hybrid, avant-indie quartet Lip Talk, and psych rock turned psych pop band Dinowalrus. Noteworthy singer songwriter Raia Was will round out a night of great music made in NYC.

Check out each artist’s latest single below, and buy tickets here – there will be free magazines for all!

Dear Deli Readers,

Every year, in the early months, The Deli polls several local music enthusiasts/experts to ask their opinion about the best emerging Austin-based artists that got them excited in the previous twelve months. We, therefore, list these artists on our local homepage, in a Readers’ Poll, whose results contribute in deciding The Deli Austin’s Artist of the Year.

In an effort to give you more time to check out all the nominated bands, this year we have decided to stretch the readers’ polls a little, and instead of posting a huge list of artists all at once, we will activate one genre-related poll every five days or so.

The first poll of the series is all about electronic local acts! You can find it at the top right of our homepage, and you can cast your vote HERE.

We see our yearly polls as a fun way to engage our readers and the artists involved, and we hope that everybody involved will get to discover new local acts who deserve attention.

Much love,

The Folks at The Deli

P.S. To group all artists in these categories, we had to "stretch" things a little for a few of the artists that didn’t precisely fit any of the wide musical umbrellas most other acts fell under – we hope that we can be forgiven for that.

The Casey Hopkins Duo has a huge sound for a two man project. The Brooklyn-based band plays unapologetic, bluesy rock ‘n’ roll with a brazen swagger and an eye to psych bands of the late 60’s. Their latest release, Touch EP, was recorded to tape and has all the warmth and crackle of an old rock record, but the addition of some sinisterly fuzzy guitars keeps the band sounding unlike classic-rock, copycat acts. That and singer Casey Hopkins’s crazy charismatic vocals make The Casey Hopkins Duo a must-listen. Stream them below. – Olivia Sisinni, Photo by Sacha Lecca

In a city known for punk and hip-hop anthems, DC’s Drop Electric makes epic, pathos ridden, slow jams. Relying on heartbreaking harmonic progressions, dramatic instrumental timbres, Sigur Rosian slow grooves, and show-stopping delivery by lead singer Anya Mizani, Drop Electric is fearlessly taking its unique sound to the DC scene. Check out Drop Electric with Staycation and Sunbathers January 27th at the Rock & Roll Hotel.

Dear Deli Readers,

Every year, in the early months, The Deli polls several local music enthusiasts/experts to ask their opinion about the best emerging Portland-based artists that got them excited in the previous twelve months. We, therefore, list these artists on our local homepage, in a Readers’ Poll, whose results contribute in deciding The Deli Portland’s Artist of the Year.

In an effort to give you more time to check out all the nominated bands, this year we have decided to stretch the readers’ polls a little, and instead of posting a huge list of artists all at once, we will activate one genre-related poll every five days or so.

You may have noticed that we started last week with bands in the Indie Pop category (that poll is now closed but you can still find it here)! You can find the poll at the top right of our homepage, and you can cast your vote HERE.

We see our yearly polls as a fun way to engage our readers and the artists involved, and we hope that they will get both to discovery new local acts who deserve attention.

Much love,

The Folks at The Deli

P.S. To group all artists in these categories, we had to "stretch" things a little for a few of the artists that didn’t precisely fit any of the wide musical umbrellas most other acts fell under – we hope that we can be forgiven for that.

Deli Readers,

Every year, in the early months, The Deli polls several local "scenemakers" to ask their opinion about the best emerging NYC based artists that got them excited in the previous year. We therefore list these artists on our local homepage, in a Readers’ Poll whose results contribute in deciding The Deli NYC’s Artist of the Year.

In an effort to give you more time to check out all the nominated bands, this year we have decided to stretch the readers’ polls a little, and, instead of posting a huge list of artists all at once, we will activate one genre-related poll every five days or so.

We begin today with bands in the Garage/Punk category! You can find the poll on the top right of our homepage and you can cast your vote here.

We see our yearly polls as a fun way to engage our readers and the artists involved, and we hope they will get both to discover new local bands deserving of attention.

The Folks at The Deli

P.S. To group all artists in these categories we had to "stretch" things a little for a few ones that didn’t precisely fit any of the wide musical umbrellas most other bands belonged to – we hope we can be forgiven for that.

Alexander F is electric, loud, and something that you’re not likely to forget, and from the opening bass hits of new single "Swimmers," you can tell that they’re here to get rowdy. The Brooklyn-based garage pop band offers wild musings on the absurdity of life, but serve it up with a side punk snarls and raucous beats–yeilding a sound that’s as fun and unhinged as it is utterly catchy. Check them out at Baby’s All Right 2/11 alongside Total Slacker, Exhibition, and Really Big Pinecone for their new record release, but do yourself a favor and stream them below in the meantime. – Olivia Sisinni