Out in Riverside, Graeme Crane, the owner of the limited-run Salope Cassette label, has been busy for the past few years pushing out tapes of hard-to-find artists. It’s good stuff; local acts that don’t get nearly as much exposure as their PR-privileged peers, yet carry strong Internet cult followings.
Graeme’s also programming/vocals in the coldwave group Cruelty Code, with keyboardist Kevin Martin (ex-Apathean, Eisenhower), bassist Derek Page (The Victoriana), and guitarist Jack Montgomery (ex-Contraciel). Their aloof and meme-friendly Facebook demeanor tends to precede their sound. Listener be warned: this is harsh, ominous, and emancipating — a stereoscopic experience of 80’s dystopic overscoring and lo-fi recordings cut with adulterants. Mixed with acts like Ghost Noise, Band Aparte, Crisis Arm, and Michael Vidal, and you’re pretty much guaranteed a dissociative evening via sensory overload.
Catch them at the next hidden warehouse show with Crescendo and Foliage this Halloween. – Ryan Mo
Most pop and rock fans are struck by the passion for music in their teens or early twenties, years that are emotionally rich and normally infused with optimism, excitment and some degree of rebellion. That makes them the perfect time to get high on rock’n’roll. We don’t know if it’s possible for adults to enjoy music as much as their teenager selves – we doubt it – but this adorable new song and video by Brooklinite garage pop trio Big Quiet awakened the teenager in us, and… well, it felt great! The song, entitled "Maura & Dana" is a super-catchy and uptempo power-dream-pop tune (with unintelligible lyrics) that’s bound to set any indie fan’s body in motion. The video, which appears to be shot in super-8, beautifully tackles the summer activities of two music loving young ladies, during the most fun filled years of their lives. You can find other songs by Big Quiet in their self titled debut album, and you can see them live at The Deli’s Garage/Slacker Rock CMJ stage on Thursday 10.15 at Muchmore’s.
Natalie Mering of Weyes Blood and her incredibly haunting voice are back with a new EP on Mexican Summer entitled "Cardamom Times." She recently unveiled this video for single "In the Beginning."
There’s no shortage of self-released solo albums by backup singers and Broadway celebrities, two posts which Shayna Steele knows well. Rise is her latest release, recorded between stints with Bette Midler, Moby, and the revival of Hairspray. Mellow cuts recall ’80s Sade, though lively soul numbers like “Everybody’s Crying Mercy” (streaming) make a solid case for Steele’s own spotlight. Shayna will be performing at The Deli’s CMJ Roots/Soul stage at Rockwood Music Hall this coming Wednesday 10.14 – full schedule of our CMJ shows here. – Brian Chidester
El Tryptophan is themusical and visual project of Brooklyn based artist Gryphon Rue. The young man has at once folky and rather extreme experimental inclinations, and you’ll find these two influences blended together in his upcoming debut album ‘Guilt Vacation.’ We are premiering here single "Syntax Static" (streaming below), a song about the relation between lust and communication based on an unusual two quarter drum pattern, that’s regularly interrupted by choruses in four quarters that are – alternatively – sonically exploding and imploding. Like a more extreme Beck, Rue incorporates, constantly recycles and disposes of various sounds, genres and ideas, without ever venuring into pop territory, though. ‘Guilt Vacation’ will be released on November 20th. The release show is scheduled for November 18 at Trans Pecos.
They’re big and they’re brash. The Flavor Project, a funk and R&B outfit from Richmond, features nine members and a seductive sound that fits perfectly in a smoky music hall packed with dancing listeners. Drums and brass unite to form a transcendental rhythm while the guitar-playing creates a funky beat that creeps into your body and makes you move and the vocals blast right to your head and heart. They’re playing The Camel on 10/16 with Philly-based Ill Doots. Doors at 8, tickets for $7.-Jonathan Goodwin
It seems only yesterday that the Los Angeles trio Superhumanoids sculpted cane sugar citadels in the EP "Parasite Paradise", after their new wave adrenaline debut "Urgency" in 2010. When The Deli last spoke with the band, singer/guitarist Cameron Parkins admitted to indulging in "our more pronounced production traits," remixing tracks from Local Natives, Xiu Xiu, New Beat Fund, and more. Then in 2013, Superhumanoids went molecular and built tones from scratch in the charged LP Exhibitionists, only to mutate their sophomore game two years later with the confident electropop nightwalk Do You Feel OK? At this point it’s pretty clear that Sarah Chernoff’s voice goes well with everything — even copious amounts of gamma radiation.
So it’s not just that we like Superhumanoid’s diverse and uniquely superhuman sound.
We really like Superhumanoids’ shared devotion to secret-formula serums, and occasionally exposing their friends’ tracks to mutagenic chemicals.
The first track of Riala’s recently released debut album, Be Here | Be There, is immediately reminiscent of the kind of emotional math rock that made bands like Circa Survive so beloved. The vocals, passionate and echoing, mirror the strengths of the instrumentals and resonances that make this band so unique. Feeding my nostalgia for the sound, I dove in headfirst and listened as the track “Aether” gave way to “We Need More Land,” which led to my personal favorite track, “Poseidon.” This lengthy 7-minute song builds to an anthemic explosion of instrumentals around the 5-minute mark that will unavoidably cause some head-banging.
The rest of the 7-track album carries on with the band’s enjoyable mixture of atmospheric rock instrumentals (similar to Explosions in the Sky at some points) and the kind of shoegaze sounds that are impossible to sit still to. The eerily distorted track “Sun Blinks Out” melts into the final track “Captain (Dredge),” which is arguably the loudest in terms of intensity. It proves to be a perfect closer for this expressive album.
Riala consists of Nick Turner (guitar/vocals), Kalo Hoyle (bass guitar), and Morgan Greenwood (drums). The group met at the UMKC Conservatory of Music and Dance and has joined their similar talents and interests to create this electric debut album. Be Here | Be There was recorded at Element Recording Studios where the album was engineered, mixed and mastered by Kansas City’s Joel Nanos, who has proven to be quite successful in various aspects of the music industry. Riala’s album as a whole is no exception to Nanos’ abilities. The album is incredibly moving and dark in all of the best ways. If given the opportunity to catch them live, do not miss out!
—Lindsey Alexander
Lindsey is a writer who loves live shows, Reddit, and really good tacos.
Jesse Harris has been entrenched in Kansas City’s Americana music scene since discovering it as a teenager at BB’s Lawnside BBQ. He has brought that approach to his songwriting, along with a soulful country edge. He has found success as a solo artist and with his band, The Gypsy Sparrows. But after several years of playing and touring, the group has decided to call it quits. This Thursday, they will play a farewell show. We talk with Harris about the group, his music, and what’s in store for the future.
The Deli: Down and dirty: one sentence to describe your music.
Jesse Harris: Songs that are true to the soul that tell tales of both triumph and tribulation.
The Deli: Give me some background on your music; talk about your solo material and The Gypsy Sparrows. Why have you decided to end The Gypsy Sparrows?
Harris:I found the blues in my early teens and luckily, living in Kansas City, the blues scene was at my fingertips. Once I started to write songs, my blues roots really became evident. My songs tend to be on the depressing side but I promise there are a few upbeat ones too. The Sparrows really came together as naturally as possible. I had been writing songs for a few years and playing out in KC with Sean DeCourcy sitting in on harmonica. I got word that Jeff Perkins had recently moved back to Kansas City from New York. Sean and I had both worked on earlier projects with Jeff and we both were eager to get him involved with what we were doing. Crazy to think about but that was almost 10 years ago.
As the frontman for The Sparrows, I started getting booked often for song swaps and singer-songwriter nights in venues around the Midwest. These were new to me because song swaps in Kansas City were almost nonexistent. I got hooked on them. They were organic and lent room for stories and camaraderie between the performer and the audience. The more I did, the more I loved them, and I began to write songs that would fit that type of show. That is how my solo album As I Am came to be.
We decided to call an end to The Gypsy Sparrows for many reasons but mainly just one big reason. We had a great run, wrote some great songs, shared millions of laughs, only a few fights, traveled near and far and we did it all just how we wanted to. It was our way or no way at all and in true Gypsy Sparrow fashion we wanted to be the one who said we were done. We didn’t want to fade away or burn out, just simply say farewell.
The Deli: What inspires your music and songwriting?
Harris: My inspiration almost always comes from real-life events. For me, to write the song I have to feel the meaning, emotion, or the story. I feel connected to my songs like they are a part of me. Even if they have been fabricated to fit the song better, I can still tell you how the lyric came about. I feel that is what makes a song true, and truth is what I look for in any song.
The Deli: What is your songwriting process?
Harris: My process varies. Sometimes I’ll come up with a melody on my guitar and go from that, but every now and then I’ll start with lyrics first. If I start with lyrics first, it’s almost always right after a long drive.
The Deli: What have been your greatest musical accomplishments?
Harris: I went and saw a band play at Knuckleheads Saloon a year or so before I started to play music live and I remember how great the venue was. Everything about the show was perfect and I remember telling myself how great it would be to play a show there. A year after forming The Gypsy Sparrows, I finally got my chance to play there, and it was everything I had hoped for. Two years after my first appearance, my solo CD release show sold out Knuckleheads’ Gospel Lounge, and that winter I was asked to host a songwriter night there, called The Troubadour Sessions. Those are definitely top accomplishments to me, and I’m honored to be back this winter to host The Troubadour Sessions again!
The Deli: Tell me about your latest solo album As I Am. What can we expect?
Harris: As I Am was a challenge to myself. I wanted to give a true perspective to my sound as an individual musician. As I Am is the best representation of that. Nothing was altered, auto-tuned or digitally changed at all. This is me and my guitar. I am sometimes off-key, my guitar buzzes at times, and I even change lyrics on the fly. It is not perfect because I am not. The songs of the album cover many topics. From heartbreaking loss in “Love, Money, & Redemption” to songs of hope and guidance in “Boots On,” you are bound to find at least one song you can relate to in some way. That is what I was shooting for anyway.
The Deli: What does supporting local music mean to you?
Harris: The local music scene in KC has been growing like crazy over the last few years. When I started out, there were hardly any venues that supported original songwriters. We have been very lucky that the trend is ending. Venues like the recordBar, The Westport Saloon and The Tank Room have really made a name for themselves in the local music community. For me, supporting local music means supporting the venues that host and pays local musicians. This is just a hobby without those venues that pay their performers.
The Deli: Who are your favorite local and non-local musicians right now?
Harris: Local: John Goolsby has the voice of an angel and has written some great tunes. Also a new favorite is Tyler Giles, who is a regular at The Westport Saloon.
Non-local: Jason Isbell is a must in my CD rotation. A newer songwriter to my favorites is John Moreland. I played before him in Tulsa and have been hooked ever since! Both of them are the most truthful lyricists I’ve heard in a while.
The Deli: What is your ultimate fantasy concert bill to play on?
Harris: Alive: Jason Isbell, Amos Lee, St. Paul and the Broken Bones, The Black Crowes, Willie Nelson. Dead: B.B. King, Ray Charles, Levon Helm, Jerry Garcia.
The Deli: A music-themed Mount Rushmore. What four faces are you putting up there and why?
Harris: Willie Nelson – A true road troubadour.
David Gilmore – Got me hooked on the sound of the guitar.
Robert Hunter – Because songwriters get little credit.
Levon Helm – Had a true passion and heart for music.
The Deli: What does the future hold for you as a musician?
Harris: I am heading to the recording studio to record my second full-length solo album this winter. I have some of the best songs I’ve ever written in hand and a fresh (and sober) new perspective on love, life and music. I’m not sure exactly where music will take me, but I know it’s going to be a great ride!
Echo Bloom aka Brooklyn-based orchestral folk musician Kyle Evans takes a desperate yet ultimately sweet journey on his keys-sprinkled new single, "Leaving Charleston" (streaming below). With the warm vocal drawl of a country song and the drum-racing jubilance of a Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band track, "Leaving Charleston" engagingly sets a somewhat ominous tale of uncertain travelling lovers against sunny instrumentation, the hope of a bright future carrying the characters forward. The South-hailing Evans, whose Echo Bloom moniker derives from a term used to describe the offspring of baby boomers, doesn’t just intriguingly use counterpoint with "Leaving Charleston" but crafts a simply pleasant, warm cut. While he doesn’t seem to have any New York shows coming up, Kyle Evans will play at Philadelphia’s Xfinity Live this Saturday (10.10) and then go on an extensive tour of Germany from late October through all of November. – Zach Weg
For those times when your heart and soul need some musical rejuvenation, you’ll find solace and tranquility in Richmond-based folk band Luray. Their music is soft, yet invigorating, rife with plucky banjoing and deeply resonant vocals. Give Luray a listen and let the worries of the world melt away with their homey vibe and optimistic beats. You can enjoy their sweet, lurid sounds at the Baltimore Folk Fest on 10/24. -Jonathan Goodwin
Get ready for a new, comfy night of NYC lady-made music, this upcoming Monday October 12 at Greenpoint’s Manhattan Inn. For the un-initiated, the Deli-sponsored series (organized by Hypnocraft) is called "The Hum" and features female NYC musicians in a collaborative setting. On Monday you’ll see in action one of our favorite NYC singer songwriters, Tamsin Wilson of the band Wilsen, who graced the cover of our NYC magazine back in 2013. Tamsin will be performing a set with singer, actress & dancer Katrina Cunningham and (in normal circumstances) one-woman-band Idgy Dean.
The second set will involve two Latinas from bands who also got recent love from us, both in print and online: Gabi Jimeno, drummer of Balancer, and Juliana Ronderos, singer of Salt Cathedral. Yo, Balancer will also be playing at our CMJ Pop Stage on the following Saturday, BE THERE!!!
The third set, quite appropriately curated by Tom Tom Magazine (a rag entirely focused on female drummers), will feature Mindy Abovitz (Chica Vas, Taigaa), Mickey Vershbow (Mal Blum), Cati Bestard (Doble Pletina), and Maia Macdonald (Mirah). With 50% of the musicians on stage being drummers, you can expect a rather percussive performance!
This is a free event, hope to see you there!
The Deli’s Staff – (in the picture, White Prism and Half Waif at last Monday’s event – photo by David Andrako)
