While the word "emo" – when applied to music – has been getting somewhat of a bad rap because of some overly produced, unbearably pompous break out bands, there are still a lot of great, authentically punk emo bands out there, and Brooklyn via Wisconsin Rainer Maria is one of them. Not new to the scene, this trio churned out records for a decade starting from their formation in the mid 90s, and, after an eight year hiatus, re-banded at the end of 2014 with a New Year’s Eve show at Bowery Ballroom. You’ll have a chance to see them live at St. Vitus on July 2nd: anticipate that mosh pit inducing experience by checking out the impeccable live version of "Anyone In Love With You," streaming below.

The brainchild of guitarist and songwriter Bryan Kane’s, Bone Gunn is an excercise in defying musical labels, in most cases without venturing outside the ‘rock music’ umbrella. While listening to their repertoire you’ll find songs (and sections of songs) influenced by psychedelia, electronica, ambient, hard rock, but also stumble upon mellow ballads and moments of pure cacophony. You’ll have a rare opportunity to see them live at Bar Matchless on June 10.

Pretend are as haunting and majestic as the verdant monoliths of their home in Thousand Oaks. Members Luke Palascak, Timothy Ramirez, Michael Russell, and Joel Morgan have played together since 2005, and in winter of 2007/2008 they spread laid their roots and branched out in every direction, with shades of Slowdive, American Football, Sonic Youth, and Prefab Sprout influencing, but never overtaking their creations.

Melodic counterpoint, cymbal swells, and calculated dynamicism will bring listeners to their knees with reverence, hands outstretched and grasping. Songs are atmospheric and epic, so masterfully produced that fans of Owen, Caspian, and This Town Needs Guns will think it a travesty that Pretend are not more well known. They released the debut LP Bones In The Soil, Rust In The Oil late 2010, and have been quite secretive, but despite their lack of social media presence the group’s emotive shows in Westlake, Sherman Oaks, and Ventura have gained a cult following throughout Los Angeles and around the world.

Pretend will be performing the final night of Young Lovers’ residency presented with DKFM Radio at Pehrspace with SHEER and Nick Reinhart (Tera Melos) & Eric Gardner (Dot Hacker) — definitely a night you don’t want to miss. Their newest album Tapestry’d Life will release October this year. Listen to "Patternless Tide", part of a 2014 compilation from San Diego’s Topshelf Records. – Ryan Mo

LA County’s kickoff festival is here: Make Music Pasadena is happening tomorrow, June 6th, with over 150 bands playing at the heart of downtown Pasadena! Along with main stage big-timers like Kishi Bashi, How To Dress Well, Sir Sly, Nick Waterhouse, and rising stars Jr., Kera & The Lesbians, and Autumn in June, music & arts collectives around the county will also curate some of the tastiest home-grown acts. The main stage activities end with Pasadena Symphony & Pops’ grandeur performance, but these side venues will be going strong late into the night.

You can find the complete schedule here on MMP’s site, and we definitely recommend hitting up these side-stages below:

All Scene Eye presents two live stages at Armory Center for the Arts: check out Kat Myers & The Buzzards, The Electric West, Draag, Holland Belle, Tashaki Miyaki, and more.

Sherpa Music MGMT, One Question Sessions, and De La Vie TV presents at Old Towne Pub: DARK FURS, Crystales, Sanglorians, LA Takedown, Le Cos, and more.

For Friends Of Sound presents at Der Wolfskopf in the evening: OYLS, Kid Bloom, Slow Graffiti, GDNA, and more.

Montecito Music and Media presents at Shoppes at Stats: Shattered Skyline, Cool Face, The Wild Reeds, Valley Queen, bed, and more.

Open Kanvas presents at Club 54: Veteran Assassins, Noah V, Kennis Clark, Born Allah, and more plus a surprise headliner.

Remember: this music festival is FREE and starts at 11 AM. Parking structures are dotted across the city, but will definitely fill up soon, so make it out early! – Ryan Mo, photo credit: Chris Molina

We rarely post cover versions on this blog, but in the case of Brooklyn’s Ritual Humor, their reinterpretation of Alien Sex Fiend’s ‘Dead and Buried’ really sounds like a different songs: if the original’s rough edges are smoothed out by Celeste Carballo’ warm voice, the bony, tribal, and droney arrangement keeps the track in  pure post punk territory. Mathew Petronelli’s grating synth sweeps add an interesting electronic feeling to the song, without ever compromising its "dirtiness" – but actually adding to it. Ritual Humor is playing tonight at Alphaville with Bambara.

Orchestral pop/soul quartet Feathers + Eyes have released the first single from their first and upcoming 8-track EP, ‘Beauty for Ashes’. “Haze” is a powerful handshake as far as musical introductions go. Alisha Roney’s lyrical narrative suggests influence from realms of performance poetry and R&B. Her dramatic lines ring out amidst synths, crackling beats, and patches of orchestral arrangements. When playing acoustic shows, baritone ukulele, cajón drum, and electric bass flesh out the sound. This may be the band’s first release, but they’ve been playing all around NYC for a while at venues like The Bitter End, Arlene’s Grocery, and Black Bear Bar. They’ve explained that their curious name is a reference to the cherubim depicted in Ezekiel – singing four faced angels who are covered in eyes and move like wheels within wheels; when they are overwhelmed by beauty they cover their many eyes with their many wings. – Leora Mandel

Riding the wave of heavy but melodic guitar rock reminiscent of the grunge/slacker rock era, Brooklyn’s LVL UP in 2014 delivered their sophomore album ‘Hoodwink’d,’ one of the best received in this 90s inspired movement. On the heels of that release, the band has announced a summer tour that includes dates with The Sidekicks, Glocca Morra, The Front Bottoms, Big Ups, Upset, and Basement. Full dates can be found here – you can see them at Irving Plaza on August 17. Check out their recent video for single ‘DBTS,’ streaming below.

P.S. In November 2013 LVL UP released a split 7" with the band currently on the cover of The Deli: Porches.

For ten years Tom Phonic has been hitting New York with his vibey electro-funk, usually in the realm of instrumental techno. His new MDSMPLS EP is his first all-collaborative album featuring impressive vocal stylings from BK’s Jack Wilson, Seattle’s IfThen, and NY’s Vanessa Boyd. It’s a solid boom-bap release appropriate for both head nodding and reserved twerking. If this is his first step into working with vocalists, one can only speculate the dopeness he’ll drop once he reaches full stride.

Sweet and sanguine, the Los Angeles-raised Tara Harris might be the sister Karen O wishes she had. Too bad though; she’s already got her mates Cliff Frelix (guitar), Nicky Kamrava (bass), and Tammy Hirata (drums) in their year-old lo-fi fuzz baby: Blood Candy.

Black Tambourines and The Jesus and Mary Chain comparisons aside, Bloody Candy leaves a metallic taste in your mouth and a ring to your ears that lasts an entire weekend. In the short amount of time they’ve been together, the four have worked with Joe Cardamone of The Icarus Line, graced LA’s one-and-only Part Time Punks, and played with the likes of Tashaki Miyaki, King Woman, and The Stargazer Lilies.

Bloody Candy will support the neo psychedelic rangers The Warlocks at The Wayfarer in Costa Mesa on June 10th, and again at The Bootleg Theater on June 13th with Magic Wands. You can also catch them at Tennis System’s Echo residency on Monday the 15th. Listen to "Heart Attack" below and watch for the digital release of their debut album "Dead Moon" tomorrow! – Ryan Mo

This past April, New York-raised singer/songwriter Lindsey Cohen released ‘Distance Makes Me Sensitive,’ an enjoyably impassioned five-song EP of relationship difficulty set to sharp guitars and gentle pianos (the record follows 2014’s EP ‘Grace Under Pressure’). Cohen, who started writing songs at fourteen and is currently enrolled at Columbia University, tells moving stories of interpersonal drama and individual struggle, while pleasantly recalling such icons as Stevie Nicks and Fiona Apple. On what appears to be the latest single from the album, “Unhappy Ending,” for example, the musician sardonically yet sensitively (“Blame it on a misunderstanding,/Welcome to my unhappy ending,” goes the chorus) details a dissolved romance over a frenetic instrumentation reminiscent of Apple’s “Fast As You Can.” Cohen just unveiled a new video for single ‘Exhausted,’ streaming below, which reads like a celebration of her hometown. – Zach Weg

We’d like to invite all the NYC scene lovers to join The Deli’s staff at the Manhattan Inn in Greenpoint tonight (June 8th), for Hypnocraft‘s first appointment with a new monthly music residency called "At the Inn" (music starts at 8.30pm)

There – among other things – you’ll be able to:

1. Read the new issue of The Deli (it’s the "best of NYC 2015" one!)
2. Listen to live music by four great (mostly) local artists.

Here are our favorite songs by the performing artists: