At one point Dre Babinski joked if The Satellite’s audience could tell all her songs were in 6/8. The singer-songwriter sat snugly in her throne, a pistachio wing-back that contrasted sharply with the fireburst guitar in her hands. Softened by the acoustic hum of Bedouine and slightly inebriated, fans and friends threw their reactions to the stage, but Dre was unaffected. Her cool composure and glaucous coordination spun webs from Steady Holiday‘s soon-to-be-released debut Getting There — it was hard to move while songs like "Your Version of Me" persisted, even for the photographers. And at each definitive end, the cheers and applause reinforced our belief that even the softest voice can speak volumes under the right light, even on a Tuesday night.

See Steady Holiday perform again at the end of this month for Bootleg Theater’s GIRLSCHOOL Fest and stay tuned for the slated release of Getting There. Check out pictures from the night on our Instagram @TheDeliLA. – Ryan Mo, photo by Michelle McCausland

It’s been a year since the release of their first full-length album, the eclectic Let it Beer, Richmond’s own Imaginary Sons put out a single to round out 2015. Taste The Waste is a departure from the previous releases, featuring light elements of thrash and garage rock instrumentality, but also having a feel of post with the somewhat ethereal vocals, which are somewhat reminiscent of Sigur Rós. Where Let It Beer was a delightful blend of heartland and psychedelic, this new single is a new step, keeping psych elements and incorporating some metal and garage flavoring. Through all of the high-speed guitar and drums, it’s exciting to see this band evolve so quickly. Catch their first show of the year at Strange Matter, 1/23, doors at 8.-Jonathan Goodwin

We continue churning out results for the Open Submissions to our Best of NYC Poll for Emerging Artists. Here are the ones who qualify to the next phase of the poll in the category "HIP HOP + OTHER."

Total submissions in this category: 11

Jurors: Cervante Pope (The Deli Portland), Ryan Mo (The Deli LA), Michelle Bacon (The Deli KC).

1. DAYAN – 7.33 (out of 10)

Dayan is Laura Dayan and Darko Saric.  Their indie-electronic Latin American folkloric funk is a swelling and pulsing exploration of the darkest corners of the dancefloor.  Laura’s voice beckons from an alternate universe with stories of magic and soul, while Darko maneuvers from House to Shoegaze.  The elements work together weaving a nostalgic longing for places unseen, rabbit holes, wishing wells, forgotten questions. – BrokeMc

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2. I.O.D. – 7.16

21 year old rapper I.O.D. a.k.a. Brownsvillian performed in front of thousands at the 2015 Brooklyn Music Festival, yet he has only six tracks on his Soundcloud.  This dearth obviously works in his favor.  From the raw candor of his “Grief Freestyle” to the spitfire Spanish and English “‘15 Originator (sida A),” I.O.D. demonstrates a fine balance between raw street spit and endearing quirkiness.  His style is still coalescing, but his skill is undeniable, and with Mtv and Hot97 vouching for him, his follow up to the critically lauded “11212” mixtape will only open him up to larger crowds and venues. – BrokeMc

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2. The Vagabondz – 7.16

The Vagabondz, a rap band and collective originating out of Beacon High School, don’t stray too far from Hip Hop’s roots.  Their debut album “Lessons” is an unpretentious, jazzy, trappy swarm of flows reminiscent of The Pharcyde and Project Blowed.  The production feels so authentically West Coast, it’s hard to believe The Bondz rep Manhattan, NYC.  Dropping references from Common to Black Sheep to Mark Morrison, their foundation is as solid as it gets.  Though they’ve matriculated to various colleges, The Vagabondz promise they’ll always find their way back home. – BrokeMc

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Honorable Mentions (score above 6): The Real Mike Wilson

Sophisticated Brooklyn pop band Starlight Girls is back with a new single – they released quite a few lately in preparation of their upcoming, self produced ‘Fantasm’ LP. Check out also ‘Hero,’ which is so delicious we decided to add it to our playlist of Best songs by emerging NYC artists! 

We are glad to see our CMJ 2014 babies Sunflower Bean take things to the next level in 2016: they just announced the February release of their debut album ‘Human Ceremony’ on Fat Possum, and a tour spanning two continents (Europe and the US) and two and a half month, also starting in February (the NYC stop is at Bowery Ballroom on 02.25). Check out their album’s preview single "Easier Said," which sees dreamyness and poppiness back into their often more muscolar psychedelic sound.

NYC duo paris_monster is certainly the most self-disciplined band with the name "monster" in it we’ve ever stumbled upon. Like a precise, complex and sophisticated mechanism, their music chugs away, seemingly imperturbable, through bars, verses and choruses, its obvious horse power (read: a monstrous instrumental technique) controlled by infallible superior forces: as we all know now, "with great power comes great responsibilities," and the duo never abuses of it – that’s what good musicianship is. New single "Had Damon Caught His Sloane," a song we are premiering here in preview of their Mercury Lounge show tomorrow (01.07), gives us the impression of a Ferrari running at 25 miles per hour – always a great look when you are not in a hurry stuck behind it. The track’s production, with its clean electronic and industrial references, brings to mind memories of Peter Gabriel (from the "SO" years) and the poppier early Nine Inch Nails records, artists and a genre that have been a little forgotten in the recent years’ obsession with sloppier genres like surf, slacker rock, dream pop and post punk. paris_monster brings those sonic references back to life with an updated sound, thoroughly enjoyable songs, and powerful live presence. 

Happy New Year, Deli-rious seekers of new, exciting, emerging music!

If you’ve been following us for a while, you should know that January is the month when our regional Year End Polls for Emerging Artists are in full bloom!

The first leg of our poll is called "Open Submissions," and, in it, we allow all local artists (in this case NYC ones, since you are reading the NYC blog) to submit their music for consideration. After a screening process involving three of our editors or writers, we pick a few per genre – here are the first results for the Songwriter/Rootsy Pop category!

Total submissions in this category: 18

Artists qualified to the next stage (i.e. the Readers’ Poll, starting around 01.20):

1. Pam Steebler – 7.87

We are rarely entranced by bluesy pop/rock, maybe because – to be pulled off properly – the genre requires monstrous chutzpa, as in… "the balls of those who are really good at something." But we’ve got to concede to Pam Steebler that her "Give In" EP’s two opening songs are… "da bomb." "Mind Reader," in particular (streaming below), has the power and the beauty to light a flare of soulful passion even in the heart of the most unflappable of indie rockers.

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2. Laura & Greg – 7.5

Curiously enough, the second placed band in this chart couldn’t sound more different from the first – how are these two acts in the same category? The answer is in the word "pop" and "roots" – elements these artists shares, but with different approaches. Laura & Greg’s folk pop is gentle, intimate, sparse and DIY. Their peaceful harmonies and placid atmospheres refer back to the folk-pop explosion of the ’60s, revising and adapting it to our DIY days.

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2. Afternoon Men – 7.5

Afternoon Men’s song and video for single "Parking Lots and Basements" (streaming) has an edge that screams "Manhattan" – you know, that borough offering the "bourgeois" kind of fun. (Oh yeah, you can say that about Williamsburg too!). Whoever wrote that song, certainly knows how to navigate that scene, where sophistication and charm can go farther than good looks – at least with the smart ladies who can support a broke musician! This (besides their obvious talent) is why this band may have a future.

Honorable Mentions: Caitlin Mahoney, The Next Great American Novelist, The Bone Chimes, Ashni, Bill Bartholomew, Diana Zinni, Frank Bell.

Jurors: Michael Colavita (Deli Philly), Cody Wright (Deli Toronto), PDG (Deli NYC)

Stay tuned for more results, and then for the readers’ poll!

He has a raspy voice, a guitar, and knack for storytelling through song, so naturally Stephen Lee is a perfect fit for the Baltimore music scene. With his unique brand of Americana mixed with alternative flavoring, the music evokes images of smoke-filled bars by railroad tracks and old factories, filled with beer-swilling listeners and stomping feet. Lee’s sound is similar to that of Lucero, stripped down to near lo-fi status and backed by a steady beat from his guitar. If you’re looking for common man verses without airs, give his recent release West of Twenty-Three a listen or catch him opening for Noble Giants and Throwing Wrenches at the Villain and Saint in Bethesda, 1/10. -Jonathan Goodwin

The sound of NYC’s outfit Wall (featuring members already active in like-minded local groups Finally Punk, Keepsies, and Fergus&Geronimo) recaptures the early days of post punk, the first rock’n’roll movement openly promoting DIY as a creative choice – and a superior one for that matter. Those were the years when The Velvet Underground’s droney, bony records with Reed’s maudit lyrics were rediscovered, and many young artists radicalized that sound by stripping it of any melodic aspirations. This is pretty much what Wall does in their self titled debut EP, with their semi-atonal defying vocals, bare bone instrumentation, and DIY sounding recordings. Of the three songs currently available, our favorite is "Milk" (streaming below), which reminds us of the best early Sonic Youth tracks, slowly building through a combination of Vanessa Gomez’s evocative tense vocals, the subtly evolving guitar chords and the varying speeds of the rhythm section. Check out also their most popular, more aggressively punk single "Fit the Part." The band will be celebrating the EP’s release at Union Pool on January 15, you can preorder it here.

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

Cure your case of the Mondays by moonlighting at these venues with up-and-coming artists. Indietronic duo Magic Bronson kicks off their January residency at The Satellite, while Omar Velasco rekindles the Laurel Canyon flame at the Bootleg. Silverlake Lounge hosts Silver Snakes for two weeks, before the band’s release of upcoming album Saboteur, and The Echo opens its stage for Florida’s ethereal rock transplants SWIMM. Check below for residency line-ups. – Ryan Mo

Magic Bronson at The Satellite:

Jan. 4 — with Holy Cow, Booty, Rywolf, Dadon
Jan. 11 — with Kid Cadaver, Coyote, Psychic Love
Jan. 18 — with Nicky Blitz, Grit, Dadon, Ramonda Hammer
Jan. 25 — with Kingdoms, Slugs, Trickster Guru, Dadon

Omar Velasco at Bootleg Theater:

Jan. 4 — with PEARL CHARLES, Moke Hill
Jan. 11 — with Jenny O, Max Kasch 
Jan. 18 — with Leslie Stevens, Alex Siegal
Jan. 25 — with Odessa, Janitor

Silver Snakes at Silverlake Lounge:

Jan. 11 — with Flames of Durga, Vow, Sketch Orchestra
Jan. 18 — with The Ambient Light, VIS, Why We Use Knives

SWIMM at The Echo:

Jan. 4 — with Sam Setzer, Part Friend, and Green Gerry, DJ set by Kevin Bronson (Buzzbands)
Jan. 11 — with Golden Suns, Beach Party, and Gentle Pony
Jan. 18 — with Annuals, Andy Clockwise, Wolf Prize, DJ set by Kat Corbett (KROQ)
Jan. 25 — with Good Graeff, Told, New Electric Sound

They may only be three-strong, but Joint Effort have the musical chops and talent of a dozen. With guitar riffs supplied by Neil Durr, the musicality has strong similarity to the jams of Jimi Hendrix or Stevie Ray Vaughan, capturing some of the essence of blues and blending it with their rock and hip-hop bedrock. Flawless bass lines from the hands of Durr’s brother Evan tie together the sick string work with the lyrically-rich verses spilled by vocalist Eric Means. Laying down equal parts philosophy and commentary, Means freestyles are as poignant and evocative as Flobots or Lupe Fiasco. You can catch this fantastic trio take the stage at the Tree House Lounge, 1/22, with Mary El and Edjacated Phools. -Jonathan Goodwin