There’s a big hoopla going on tonight: some guy from SF is in town and he brought his face paint and we’re all excited to see how the sweat washes it away. But there’s more than that… at the very same event there’s an evil lurking and a cat with a penchant for Mexican food, and that sounds very enticing.
The evil I speak of is The Young Evils, Seattle’s bittersweet rock-popsters. If The Cars spun out on the Vaselines and consequently drove straight into Wreckless Eric, The Young Evils would be on the sideline documenting it all to sell it to the tabloids later, and oh how they would revel in the drama!
The name Tacocat pretty much sums up the band. Some of their songs are about cats; some are about tacos, some just about being person in a world. While tacos explain themselves, and we deal with being a person everyday, cats are a much more complex subject. What exactly is a cat thinking? Does it want peace and harmony; dissent and chaos, or simply a warm laptop to sits on? Does the modern cat express empathy or is the cute cuddly persona merely a facade to cover up the deviant sociopath that lies underneath? Hear Tacocat’s sentiments on the subject tonight.
Brooklyn lounge rock band, Looms, are set to release their debut album entitled "Waking Days," and we are streaming here their first single, “Happiness.” The title is actually deceitful, since the song depicts happiness as the façade in a relationship. This is actually a break up tune, which comes in gentle on keyboards (electric piano is a signature sound here), then aggressively builds up in tension, exploding in a chorus filled with louder guitar power chords and vocals. The soul/rock-influenced quartet, which underwent a name change recently, has been at it since 2012 and plans on forging through 2015 with "Waking Days" in tow. – Robert Frezza
We all know that most New Yorkers don’t really like cowboys that much (a little too rough around the edges, and mostly global warming deniers), but put a young girl with a guitar under that hat and suddenly you’ve got a total charmer – not sure if that’s enough to say that sexism has some "better" sides to it, cowboys might not like that. But age and wide-brimmed hat are not the only strenghts Nashville via Brooklyn songstress Michaela Anne has to offer. Her country songs ring genuine, like this video for single "Ease of Mind;" her unaffected voice and simple guitar chords forge sincere songs about love and the uncertain future facing a young cowgirl, in a cow-less city. Which begs the question: would NYC be a better place if it had cows?
Michaela Anne will bring a ray of Nashville sun on February 19 at Rockwood Music Hall.
Our Year End Poll for Emerging New England Artists was – as usual – a painstaking (and somewhat excruciating) process, but we pulled it off with remarkable flair!
Heavy and earthy, Dark Rodeo applies a punk attitude and and song format to country lyrical themes and guitar tones. Congrats, guys!
Gym Shorts are threw some high-energy surf punk in our laps with last years record No Backsies. Check out their tune "Viberator" and take it to the slopes while we’re waiting for the snow to melt.
Nathan Ventura‘s back with a band, and released Pucker Up in February 2014. It’s definitely a weird one. Check out Nathan’s wild vocals and the band’s experimental garage feel. Definitely some novel sounds on every track of Pucker Up.
Honorable mention to Kid Mountain, for their killer free New Years Eve show in Brighton!
Here is how it all went down: first, we let the local bands submit their music (for free), and got our Deli editors to pick the nominees. Then we polled a list of 15+ New England scene experts (our jury) and asked them to nominate 3 more bands of their choice each. Then we polled our writers, then we polled our readers. We tried to keep things open for each single genre, from Indie Rock to Roots Music to Hip Hop.
If you are a geek interested in all the subtelties related to how this poll works, you can read its rules here (happy reading!). But if all you care about is the awesome new music New England produced in the year 2013, this list is all you need. Enjoy!
BEST OF 2014 POLL FOR EMERGING
NEW ENGLAND ARTISTS
****** FINAL RESULTS ******
If you wonder how on earth a band with a name like Surfbort and recordings like these can headline a bill at Brooklyn’s venue-of-the-moment Baby’s All Right (on Wednesday 02.03), the answer is: a fun live show, songs that resonate beyond their grittiness, and lots of friends as young as they are. The band describes their music like "a union of anarchy and despair," displaying a remarkable level of self awareness. Channeling the nihilism of the Sex Pistols, the intentional sloppyness of the slacker bands of the 90s, and at times even some noise rock madness, Surfbort’s music has the power to transform the negatives of teenage frustration into fun – which is precisely the reason why Greek God Dionysus sent to earth his son Chuck Berry to spread the sound of Rock’n’Roll to the masses. Don’t miss out on the catharsis opportunity!
In school teachers try and cram as much info into our heads as possible through monotony. However, a lot of this never really seems to stick because we never understand the context, reason or passion behind it. Dance music acts in a similar way instructing us to move with a repetitive onslaught of rhythm, except where school lacks passion, dance music indulges in it, and we soon are overcome with knowledge (sometimes carnal) and succumb to the movement. Patternmaster takes us on a forward thinking quest for knowledge, using modular squelches and incessant kick drums to guide the way -we learn the value of just being in the moment. And just as the last moment passes a new one begins and thus is the cyclical pattern of Patternmaster.
For a those on a constant quest for knowledge check out Patternmaster at Kremwerk on February, 5th for the 21st edition of MOTOR, Seattle’s monthly experimental electronics revue.
Those who like us were teens in the 80s, and into alternative music, will always have a soft spot for the dark genres ranging from New Wave, Post Punk and Goth Rock. Brooklyn trio Second Still offers the menacing sound of bands like Wire or early Cure, modernized through a guitar tone that occasionally borrows from shoegazer, and sweetened by Suki’s Siouxie-sque airy vocals. The band will be playing tomottow night (02.03) at The Flat in Brooklyn. The show will also be featuring – among others – Wigourney Seaver and a DJ appearence by Food Stamps. Superstitious types will be able to get a glance at their future, thanks to Tarot readings, and art lovers will enjoy live paintings by Lulu Chiper.
Sound, being the ever expansive beast that it is, sometimes demands to be quantified and the musician acts as the magician stirring the alchemical pots of sound and time to create something cohesive yet unique. Leatherdaddy are such magicians who do an exceptional job of reaching into the aether to present us with golden ratios of sound. Take equal parts sludged-out guitars, odd timings, a penchant for the "post" sound of 90’s bands like Unwound and Black Heart Procession, and a dash of shoegaze and you might have something close. But even with all the right parts we would probably never come close to what Leatherdaddy sound like, so it’s best to leave them to what they do best.
Even if rock ‘n’ roll’s been declared dead for the millionth time since the new millennium, psych-trio Sunflower Bean don’t pay it any mind. After a year that saw them – with just three singles under their belt – sell out several NYC venues and get the cover of The Deli’s fall issue, the band is finally about to release their debut EP entitled "Show Me Your Seven Secrets," which features the three aforementioned singles and four more tracks, including "Rock & Roll Heathen," streaming below. Celebrations are scheduled for tomorrow night (10.31) at Baby’s All Right.
Listening to Brooklyn band The Highway is a little like getting a 60’s music treatment involving heavy doses of both vintage psychedelia and acid folk, fortunately without those genres’ annoying prolonged and self indulgent spaced-out jams. Their van also emanates similar vibes – and probably fumes (see picture). Their debut LP "Forest People" could have possibly left a young Caleb Followill feeling a little jealous, while their new album "Enter to the Exit," due in April, is perfectly in line with their mission to carve out a niche for their sound, and bring a tripped out vibe to the DIY Brooklyn scene. Check out the preview single "All You Do," streaming below. The band was probably the last one ever to play a residency at now defunct Brooklyn venue, Spike Hill. – Robert Frezza
Westside Royal, the new musical offering from She’s A Keeper, is out now on the Internet [the music IRL is at a party on Saturday at Davey’s Uptown, $6, 10:30]. The five new songs wash over with confidence and calm. It’s a professional and creatively successful piece of work that the band has offered up for critical review by The Deli KC.
Upfront, let’s be clear: I like this album. I’d like-button this album, probably, but that’s not the point. After over a dozen streams or so I hear plenty of good stuff, great stuff, and yet—and always—there are compositional choices inevitably worth questioning. Today this will be me, tomorrow it will be someone else, ultimately it is you. There is something really nice about being critical of material that strives for and achieves a certain level of quality. We get to dig a little deeper and talk about the little things, the details. So thanks for the new stuff, guys, and allowing us to pick apart this awesome EP a little. Let’s get into it…
Album opener is “Wannabe.” Great opener. A strong sense of longing in the mood and lyrical content creates magnetism. The music is lively and progressive with great drum work and a really nice piano feature midway. The whole track blossoms and just feels good. The only part that sticks out to me as a missed opportunity is the lack of sonic interest after the piano section. It’s a transitional period in which the band hits a wall (a sequence all in unison) that serves to de-escalate the intensity of the building momentum. What it lacks is some sort of textural context, some color to complement such a straightforward approach. It’s a standard technique and is cultivated by the dynamics of a live show. For a recording it might be more effective to provide a sound to either carry the listener’s attention as an auditory focal point, or as an embellishment to the simple, homophonic texture of the band.
And, of course, once I criticize the band’s use of color I have immediate cause for praise. The second track, “Staying Up” is my favorite kind of song: refreshing, reflective, organic. From the immaculate roll of the opening chord, the music unfolds with elegant gravity. Imagine leaves falling. Jangly guitars fit snugly in a vibrant mix and are accompanied by tasteful and highly complimentary banjo picking. This is one of the most unique moments on the album; Keeper finds a place to reside comfortably and welcomes the listener to a sound of its own. The vocal work at the end is really cool and extremely well done. Because I like this track so much, I wish there was more to bite off lyrically, but I think this is a minor smudge in light of the track’s overall magnificence.
The first tidbit of attitude we get comes immediately with the onset of “I Won’t,” a cool, breezy, kinetic track lushed out quite beautifully. The egg shaker, for instance, is a breath of fresh air. The drums are built logically and done with precision. The dirty guitar would contribute more with a more vibrant tone, maybe more chord definition. But, the clean guitar work is spot-on. I love the tone and the slinky riff that carries the groove and harmony. I am looking forward to experiencing this song live. It seems honed by interaction.
On “Dead Serious” we get the most intriguing literary premise and the lyrics have more color, a wider vocabulary, and more devices. This sort of lyrical craft is a great complement to Keeper’s instantly amicable sonic stylings. We also get a cool, augmented, kinda hypnotic chord structure bringing in some welcomed harmonic struggle in the midst of the album’s overall consonance. The outro feels fresh and playful with that augmented bit making a delicate return.
“Pennsylvania” closes the EP nicely. It’s a sentimental ballad about a far off place, a far off time. My initial thought is a harsh one: Do we need more of these? The track goes down easy… maybe too easy, but again, Keeper does it well. The band stays concise and resists the urge to include a four-minute chant section that helps keep the song lean and honest. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a gorgeous melody and the style is executed with great skill, I just can’t help but wonder if the band could have been a bit more adventurous in its closing statement. I am being quite critical of a track that is, for all intents and purposes, flawless. This is food for thought. Here is a band that has a great following, great instincts and musicianship: Do we have the faith to follow them into unknown territory?
Finally, here’s my dilemma with the piece and the EP in general: while the band packs a little too much sugar in their recipe sometimes, the music ultimatelyleaves a good taste in my mouth. It also leaves me with an undeniable sense of peace and closure. Which, damn it all if that’s not the point.
Overall, it’s obvious that She’s A Keeper is a group of talented musicians who know how to make a solid recording. Due credit must also be given to engineer/producer Joel Nanos at Element Recording, where the project came to life… which is just down the street from what I can only assume is our mutually local liquor store of which the title may have been adopted (my hunch).
Check out She’s A Keeper online and join us on Saturday, January 31, to see them LIVE at Davey’s Uptown with Organized Crimes. Facebook event page.
—Jerad Tomasino
Jerad is a musician and human being local to KCMO since 2005. He studied Music Composition at the Conservatory at UMKC, is a founding member of Golden Sound Records, The Crossroads Summer Block Party, and has been active as a writer/player/producer for bands, including his own Everyday/Everynight (KCMO) and Nifty250 (Omaha).
Music—writing songs that resonate with people, observing snapshots in time, and reconciling emotions in one’s head—can be cathartic and somewhat serious business. Out of a conversation with Hembree singer/guitarist/songwriter Isaac Flynn, you get very little of that. The guy is just really nice. He says early in the conversation that they “want to make fun music.” New Oasis, Hembree’s eagerly awaited debut EP, does just that. In spades.
From the ashes of Lawrence/KC group Quiet Corral rose Hembree. This quintet—the remainder of the QC members after vocalist/guitarist Jesse Roberts departed—took stock of its situation and instead of going their separate ways, they seized—as Flynn tells it, the “opportunity to create something totally different.” Take a liberal dose of supremely fresh Americana and add to it a couple scoops of vintage keyboards and beats and you’re beginning to get the idea.
New Oasis is, from front to back, a journey of gritty and honest vocals, dreamy and ethereal harmonies, beautifully constructed guitar layers, a near perfect rhythm section, and killer keyboards that provide a yin to the roots rock yang. The lyrics come from the heart as well; all drawn from, as Flynn asserts, “my life experience and those close to me.” He fills pages, his mobile phone memo app, and has even inundated the memory in his car’s onboard voice memo storage with lyrics he sings aloud to remember tune ideas that randomly pop into his head.
“It’s like an ‘80s band decided to become an Americana band but forgot to tell the keyboard player,” he explains. Well said.
The feel of New Oasis is poppy but real. Many of Hembree’s musical influences such as Tom Petty, Hall & Oates, and Tears For Fears can be heard, but with a definite modern freshness. Hembree has taken these filters and molded them into a remarkably cohesive sound that literally anyone could listen to and find a slice that inspires them and leaves them wanting more.
The opener, “Whistler,” is a longing introduction that sucks you in with an Alan Parsons-ish vibe and is followed by the hopeful title track, which seems to spell out the bright outlook of this group that—in spite of their losses—sees only promise for the future. “Subtle Step” is a downright infectious number (I’ve had it in my head for literally days) that would be perfectly placed on the soundtrack for Real Genius or Weird Science. “October” is that perfect, lovely mixture of the Americana/synth compound: Equal parts Tom Petty, a wide-open Midwestern twang, and OMD. “Walk Alone” is a modern and somewhat lonely song that belies its outwardly upbeat meter. The hooky and interplaying vocals, dynamics, and immaculate guitar riffs make this one as strong as any cut from the record. “Six Years” closes it out with greater guitar fuzz and an earnest entreat: Meet me on the other side / Where there’s time to learn this life.
New Oasis has focus, it has balance, and it has integrity. My only complaint about the record is that it’s too short. As to Hembree’s goal of making “fun music”? Check that one off the bucket list, guys.
Hembree is:
Jim Barnes: Drums, vocals
Garrett Childers: Guitar, vocals
Eric Davis: keys
Isaac Flynn: Guitar, vocals
Matt Green: Bass
—Jeff Stalnaker
Jeff Stalnaker plays in a local band and can open a beer bottle with his wedding ring.
Hembree will be celebrating the release of New Oasis in Lawrence this Saturday, January 31, at the Granada Theater. It’s an all ages, free show sponsored by KJHK, with special guestsPaper Buffalo,Ebony Tusks, andThe Phantastics.Facebook event page.
