Lurvely Deli Readers,

We are proud to introduce you to our Winter 2016 issue of The Deli NYC, featuring on the cover Brooklyn songwriter, producer and multimedia artist Brittany Campbell, portrayed by NYC comix artist Lale Westwind. Inside the issue – besides dozens of talented emerging NYC bands and artists – you’ll also find a feature about the undiscovered genius of Captain Baby and the ongoing saga of Manhattan DIY art space and venue ABC No Rio. 

READ IT ONLINE HERE! It will be out in print around January 15.

Two months ago, New Jersey-based musician Donna Missal released the instantly memorable “Keep Lying” (streaming below). Roped through with breaking guitars, the bluesy song truly impresses thanks to the singer’s voice and delivery. A deeply strong howl-yelp – it surges forth just when a stop or fade seems sensible – Missal’s desire to not learn of her addressee’s true feelings is so impassioned that nothing will get in the way. Such ferocious suspense gives "Keep Lying" urgency, as Missal sounds out the blues with raw heat. Donna just announced a show for Communion Music on February 2nd at Rockwood Music Hall – if soul is your thing, do not miss, there is obviously a lot of potential here. – Zach Weg

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

Far Rockaway, Queens resident Tall Juan wears his Ramones influences well on the most recent EP “Why Not.” Moving from his home in Buenos Aires, Argentina to NYC’s borough that gave birth to the original garage rockers shows an admirable level of devotion. Though Joey Ramone may be the obvious initial point of reference, there are elements of Richard Hell’s vocal inflections sprinkled throughout the tall young man’s songs. In keeping with that era’s proto-punk ethos, all songs are approximately a minute and a half in length: opening track “Why Not” may reflect Johnny’s quick chord change progressions, but are delivered instead on an acoustic guitar. “It’s True” (streaming) channels the buoyant rhythm of “Sheena Is A Punk Rocker” with lyrical content closer to “The KKK Took My Baby Away.” Third track “I Don’t Know What To Do” clocks in at barely over a minutes and leans a bit closer to Hell’s legendary and overlooked Voidoids. Final track is a cover of the Dee Dee penned “Chinese Rock” that playfully interprets its lyrics. Tall Juan will be playing one more show in New York at Berlin on January 9th, before heading out on a European tour that will continue on through the month of February. by Dave Cromwell

Up until a few years ago, many NYC "indie" venues didn’t book hip hop acts – it still happens in many Manhattan ones. DIY Brooklyn has always being more open to the genre, so much so that this year Bushwick spot Aviv booked a bill of mostly local hip hop artists for their New Years Eve party (together with noisy avant-punk trio Show Me the Body, which isn’t completely foreign to the genre). Wiki (of Ratking) will headline the night with a solo set, which – knowing the character and his talent – is bound to be entertaining. He released his debut solo album "Lil Me" earlier in December. Opening NYC trio Jaguar Pyramids will complement and to some extent exacerbate his dark and tense sound with their nightmarish grooves – check out their 8 track debut album here. Brooklyn quintet Gloss Gang will also be of the party; their recent single "Money, Hoes and Fashion" (streaming) shares the other acts’ suspenseful, unconventional sonics and has become a small SoundCloud hit in just one month. Listening to these three tracks, there seems to be enough evidence to state that NYC hip hop is going through a creative renaissance. Maybe more local venues should open their doors to it.

The two song, uber lo-fi debut demo from Katie Capri’s brainchild, Fern Mayo, might have been a blip on the music radar of 2014 (even though the band made our Best of NYC list that year), leaving early lovers desperately in need of more. The October release of the (now) trio’s Happy Forever EP (streaming below), further honed a craft of raw emotionality and glum combined with surfy melodic grooves, while exploring sudden rhythmic changes and fuzzy chord rage. The addition of bassist Nicholas Cummins’ moody backing, and Charlie Bueno’s raw but eclectic drumming contribute to a sound that’s now more full and mature. The seven song EP (plenty of bang for your buck here) rips through the human psyche of want and loss, hammered home in Capri’s harrowing wails, “we’re all just trying to be happy here,” on the track, “Chomping at the Bit.” Their recordings place all focus on the feelings derived from instruments and voice, though one can only imagine the increased intensity of a live performance – and they’ve been doing a lot of that this year, as recently noted by OhMyRockness. You can see Fern Mayo at Silent Barn on January 14th. –JP Basileo

Airhorns were ablaze yesterday as residents of Mabase crowded The Airliner’s upstairs venue in search of warmth and sound. There was a call for sci-fi inspired outfits, but we saw mostly dyed hair, pastel colors, and some frill — we spotted at least one well-done cybergoth, though! Screened with geometric visuals and scenes from Doubutsu no Mori, Playing Tourist Forever pummeled the second-floor bar with aggro-boss battle music, followed by bitpop trio Paladin Shield with songs from their 2015 self-titled debut. New York’s Knife City was Famitracker-free, but dished out strong drum & bass remixes for fans to go hard. Bedroom producer Slime Girls ended the night with a two-part set of heavy chiptune from the recent "NO SUMMER NO CRY" and abrasive ska-punk of earlier days, with covers of Undertale‘s "Dating Start" and of Japanese idol group BiS’ "PPCC".

Our ears were busted and the night was cold, but that was a hell of a show to end 2015. More pictures of the night on our Instagram @TheDeliLA. – Ryan Mo, photography by Michelle McCausland

Being asked to play a cool New Year’s Eve party, and getting paid to do so, must be one of the best gigs any can land on December 31st… Being on stage, with everybody watching… everybody drinking…  In NYC, not many places are cooler than Brooklyn’s Rough Trade. The Williamsburg records store/venue will host a New Year’s Eve party headlined by Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, and featuring two promising local openers. Monograms (pictured) plays fast paced indie pop with psychedelic, new wave and garagey overtones. The trio debuted in 2014 with the dreamy "Fader" EP, which was almost entirely performed by singer/guitarist Ian Jacobs); the record offered a sound featuring smooth melodies within a semi-DIY production enamoured with dirt and distortion. This past December new single Downer (streaming) saw the light of day, with the announcement of an upcoming EP scheduled for early 2016.

Surf Rock is Dead – a dream-pop duo with a surf accent that was highlighted already twice here in 2015 – has been getting a lot of attention in blogs lately, finding their way to many year end playlists, and hearts of fans of other surf-dreaming bands like Real Estate and The Drums. Their 2015 EP "SRiD" is charmingly catchiy, appropriately drenched in reverb, and strictly mid-fi. Check out our favorite track Zan A, streaming below.

At the end of each year, our friends at OhMyRockness.com have the habit to make a list of NYC’s Hardest Working Bands – i.e. the ones that played the most shows, at least according to their database (they don’t list every single show played in NYC, it would be impossible since there are a lot of unofficial gigs and improvised venues). Even though obviously limited to indie and punky acts, this is definitely an interesting chart, because, in NYC, only artists who have the rare ability to consistently draw a decent crowd get booked more than a couple of times per quarter – and all of the bands in this list played an average of two to three shows per month! Topping the list is post-punk-with-sax quartet Pill, who played THIRTY NINE (!!!) shows in 2015 (with a stunning average of more than three show per month in NYC alone!). The band released their self titled debut EP on local label Dull Tools in March, and then single "Hot Glue" (streaming below) on Mexican Summer in August. They already have FOUR shows scheduled for January 2016… evidently, they are trying to best themselves!

P.S. Tall Juan and Acid Dad share the OMR’s list podium, full list with 21 names here – congrats to all!

Considering they had their first digital single out just about one year ago, NYC rockers Acid Dad built an impressive amount of buzz in 2015, through a powerful and fun live show, and a series of multifaceted releases ranging from the more garage oriented early single "Graveyard Kid" to the droney developments of latest single "Grim," which flirts with the dreamy and droney sound of the UK scene from the early ’90s. And then there’s this, which is always a good sign. The quartet doesn’t seem interested in letting your attention slip away in 2016: they recently announced the release of their debut EP with a show at Baby’s All Right on January 22, with Total Slacker and AMFMS. We have no idea if it will be just a collection of their previous singles or entirely new songs or a mix of the two. We suggest you find out in person! Check out single "The Digger," streaming here. – photo by Sonic Highlark

A chilly, dark Saturday on the other side of some tracks in Baltimore found this writer attending a killer show at The Warehouse, a small venue with the perfect amount of sketchiness and featuring cheap beer, plenty of graffiti, and a working toilet. First onstage was Western Star, a four-piece heavily influenced by alt and classic rock. High octane riffs, croony vocals, and evocative lyrics, the band is equal parts Modest Mouse and Van Zant Band in their musicality. Frontman Max Jeffers brought great energy to the stage, hair flying, and the instrumentals were fantastic, recalling the stylings of Jimi Hendrix.

The Milestones are quickly becoming an establishment-worthy act in the Baltimore scene. Cobbling together an indie style with dance-worthy melodies, the band put on a fantastic show, gripping the audience’s attention immediately and not letting it go until the last guitar note faded on the amps. A particular standout song, UFO (see below) was great live, with expert guitar pieces and crashing drum segments. The band recently put an EP called Honey and listening is highly recommended, especially for a highway playlist.

Closing out the night was rap-reggae-rock fusion group Edjacated Phools. A band of seven, they surprised with their rap skills and seamless reggae techniques. Slick guitars, sick, booming vocals, and melodic keyboard playing brought together an exciting and fun performance and their audience interaction was on point. With semi-political and feel-good verses, the Phools are reminiscent of Sublime and Dirty Heads, yet distinctive in their own right.

We wonder if Brooklyn based producer Obey City‘s stage name is intended as a way to describe the Big Apple – which wouldn’t be a very rock’n’roll view of our city, although probably a quite correct one: New Yorkers tend to comply (or – to put it more positively – are great team players!!!). Probably not, since his real name is Sam Obey, which is fitting indeed: you can’t be a producer without being a diplomatic person. He operates mostly in the electronic/experimental RnB realm and he’s keeping himself busy, churning out tracks and remixes on a weekly basis – one of the most popular was the song entitled Rewind he co-produced for emerging LA via DC soul diva Kelela. He also co-owns "record label/blog/party" Astro Nautico (it sounds like a great business model). Earlier in 2015 Obey City released a three track EP entitled "Merlot Sounds," featuring again a collaboration with Kelela in the synth-ballad "Airy" – streaming below. Check out also single Waterbed. He’ll be bringing the party at Palisades on New Year’s Eve, if soulful EDM is your kind of thing, you don’t want to miss it.