It seems like the vintage sounding, duo powered, garagey-blues-rock format made famous by the White Stripes still has a lot to give to rock’n’roll. Brand new Brooklyn band (via Virginia) Winstons has been generating some buzz in town with that simple formula, enhanced by a truly wild live performance. The two hairy dudes started the project in January 2014 and in just twelve months managed to land rather hot bills in medium size venues like Rough Trade and Baby’s All Right. They will return to the stage of the latter tomorrow (01.15) to celebrate their first release (in appropriately "garagey" cassette format), entitled "Turpentine." If you can relate to blues, loud sound, and are in need of letting go of some frustration through a cathartic mosh pit, this band might do you some good. On the bill also ex Brooklyners (now Nashvillians) Clear Plastic Masks.

Paperhaus released a new single, "So Slow", through Alt Citizen yesterday. The third single (the first being "Cairo," the second "Untitled") off their forthcoming album, this one’s the prettiest, opening with a gorgeous reverb, and breaking into a mellow island jam, with low background vocals echoing and panning off the main vocal, and then gradually, and oh so subtly picking up with casual "oo-oos" before the fiery lead guitar and an organ lift a chorus out of the chill waves and into a sparkly sky of an indie-rock mid-section. "And if you want to feel emotion, then you need to stop thinking that you’re going slow." A life lesson, and an instruction manual to this delicate and intricate track. It’s my favorite so far.

The full album will be released Saturday, February 7th, at DC Music Download’s Third Birthday and Benefit for DC Punk Archive (with Deli favorites Loud Boyz, and Baby Bry Bry). –Natan Press

LATEST NEWS: NYC FINAL RESULTS! Porches – KANSAS CITY FINAL RESULTS! Bummer – PHILLY FINAL RESULTS! Sheer Mag – LA FINAL RESULTS! Dorothy – CHICAGO FINAL RESULTS! Zaramela – PORTLAND FINAL RESULTS! The Domestics – DC AREA FINAL RESULTS! Typefightrer – SF BAY AREA FINAL RESULTS! Down and Outlaws – AUSTIN FINAL RESULTS! – Löwin – NEW ENGLAND FINAL RESULTS! – Dark Rodeo – TORONTO FINAL RESULTS! – Teenage Kicks

For the full summary click…

When you go to see a band live for the first time, it is normal to expect them to sound like a better or (often) worse version of their "digital streaming" selves: in the case of Long Island’s BRAEVES (who coincidentially just qualified for out Best of NYC Year End Poll), this identity can be described as your "regular" melodic indie pop band. But a live show can quickly affect your preconceptions. Opening song ‘Guest of the Gun’ instantly hit us with a noteworthy emotional impact: the young band kept hanging on to that quality throughout the show; their stage presence and competent performance gave their songs an added strength, and the crowd of a sold out Pianos certainly helped create the perfect atmosphere. As they played “Talk like Strangers” (streaming), I was thinking about the tough week France had, especially my dear Paris (yes, that’s where I hail from), and then everything flew away for a while – which is exactly what I needed. The band’s melodies, full of emotions, are supported by Ryan Colt Levy’s clean, perfectly "pop" vocals. The crowd’s applause signaling the end of the show brought me back to earth, which suddenly felt like a better place. Isn’t that what pop music is for? – Maylis Personnaz

Thanks to all the artists who submitted their music to be considered for The Deli’s Best of Toronto Year End Poll for Emerging Artists.

After tallying our editors’ ratings for the Open Submissions stage, it’s time to release the results. Please note that to avoid conflicts no local editor was allowed to vote for bands in their own scene

Total submissions from Toronto: 15

Jurors: Natan Press (The Deli DC), Jordannah Elizabeth (The Deli SF), Paolo De Gregorio (The Deli NYC).

Acts advancing to our Readers/Fans Poll:

1. Kira May – 7.33

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2. Laura Cole – 7.16

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2. The Pick Brothers Band – 7.16

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4. Sun K – 7 

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4. Jessica Bundy – 7

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Honorable Mentions (scores above 6.5)

 

Clara Engel, The Gnarly Ones, Dear Blackwolf, Triangle & Seed, The Young Novelists.

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WHAT’S NEXT: These results end the first phase of the poll. We have already unveiled full list of nominees that also includes the artists nominated by our local jurors (see left column here). It’s now time for our readers to influence this Year End Poll for Emerging Toronto Artists with their vote!

—The Deli Toronto

Last week we started publishing the results of our picks from our Best of NYC Year End Poll’s Open Submissions for the genres Alt Rock/Power Pop, Songwriters/Rootsy Pop and Electronic. A bunch of categories are left, but it’s now time to go Indie-Poppy! Pop has been invading the NYC scene in the last decade with bands that retain NYC’s signature edgy sound, but blend it with more melodic and uptempo elements. Competition was fierce in this category, with an incredible amount of really good bands – darn, WHY can’t we let them all through? Who created this poll’s rules anyway? Anyway, this is what our jurors went for:

Total submissions in this category: 42

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

1. The Landing – 8 (out of 10)

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2. HEY ANNA – 7.83

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3. The Cabana Kids – 7.5

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3. BRAEVES – 7.5

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Honorable Mentions (scores above 7):

Éyal hai, Pink Murder, The Letter Yellow, Born Cages, Jonah Delso, Canon Logic, Rathborne.

Jurors: Jason Behrends (The Deli Chicago), Terra J. Jura (The Deli Nashville), PDG (The Deli NYC)

Stay tuned for more results from the open submissions, and then for the readers’ poll, and then the final chart!

The Deli’s Staff

Thanks to all the artists who submitted their music to be considered for The Deli’s Best of DC Area Year End Poll for Emerging Artists. After tallying the votes for the Open Submissions stage, it’s time to release the results. Please note that to avoid conflicts no local editor was allowed to vote for bands in their own scene.

Total submissions from the DC Area: 42

Jurors: Terra J Jura (The Deli Nashville), Michelle Bacon (The Deli KC), Paolo De Gregorio (The Deli NYC)

Acts advancing to our Readers/Fans Poll:

1. Avers (Psych Rock) – 8.16

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2. People’s Blues of Richmond (Blues/Psych Rock) – 7.83

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3. Andrew Aylward (indie Rock) – 7.33

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3. The Northerners (Folk Rock) – 7.33

Honorable Mentions (ranked above 6.5):

Caustic Casanova, Paperhaus, Exit Vehicles, Clones of Clones, Flo Anito, Classified Frequency, Jacob Ungerleider, Bencoolen, Red States, Harness Flux.

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WHAT’S NEXT: These results end the first phase of the poll. We will soon unveil the artists nominated by our local jurors, and we’ll let our readers and our writers influence the poll with their vote.

Keep creating, keep supporting, and stay tuned for your chance to vote!

— The Deli DC Area Staff

Richmond has one of the most exciting local scenes in the country, and this Friday, January 16th, two of Richmond’s most entertaining bands will play DC’s Black Cat mainstage, complimented brilliantly by DC local M.H. & His Orchestra, for what is sure to be one of the tightest, most energetic, and interesting lineups of the year.  

People’s Blues of Richmond (or "PBR") are already well known to many. They’re a psychadelic blues power trio, like (early) Led Zeppelin from the Dirty South. Crazy-tight and loud, they deliver the energy live, and their fans are wonderful and almost as entertaining. I saw them on a pirate boat on the Potomac a few months ago, and it was easily the best show of the year.

M.H. & His Orchestra is wild and chill at the same time. Like a lot of the music I love from Richmond, they mix the cheesy, the dirty, and excellent musicianship into weird pop perfection, making them the perfect group to sandwich between two bands from RVA. M.H. is psychadelia and lounge music and soundscapes and fearless arrangements. Every listen puts a smile on my face, and each song is a unique surprise.

Toxic Moxie describe themsevles as "disco punk," and, while apt, that description doesn’t express the balls-out freakshow awesomness of this band. Toxic Moxie‘s super sexyness sneaks up on you, ’cause they come at you super weird. I want to watch this band and dance and do unsavory things until the sun comes up. And they’re opening the show. Like booster rockets.

Do it. Friday January 16th, Black Cat. Doors at 9. $12 adv/$15 day of.  –Natan Press

Milk Dick are not the first rock band to refer to sperm in their name (Pearl Jam and Thin White Rope come to mind, which had slightly more subtle monikers). But subtlety of course is not what Milk Dick is about. Compared to their 2012, five minute/four song long debut EP, The Brooklyn trio’s debut full length "It grows on you" (released in September 2014) refines their lo-fi comedy-rock in a more mellow psychedelic and at times even folky direction, without diluting the fun. Taking cues from Ween’s hilarious early years, Butthole Surfers mad first records, and – of course – Pavement’s "Slanted and Enchanted," Milk Dick incorporates a fair amount of swearing, moaning, laughing and even burping in their lyrics, which unexpectedly tackle all sorts of dark content, ranging from the paradox of religion (‘Rhythm Rock‘) to the fear of growing up (‘Cry When You Are Young‘) to the self-inflicted pains of body image problems ("Makeup Makeup"). If you like provocation as much as we do, you should check these guys out. Look out for a video and a new album in 2015.

NYC’s Millsted – a band we discovered in our Year End Best of NYC Poll open submissions – are something else, dabbling in the NYHC scene but really embracing shoegaze and noise rock through and through. Their latest record, ‘Harlem,’ is a self-proclaimed "attempt to aggressively break the ice of censored social commentary." Listen to the record’s highlight track ‘Coyote’ below, which seems to take a lesson or two from Mars Volta, Fugazi and Rage Against the Machine, with an even more aggressive vocal approach. The vocals and percussion throughout the album pack an in-your-face punch that not even last week’s freezing 9 degree NYC weather could match. Things will get heated at The Gutter in Williamsburg on February 21.  – Michael Haskoor (@Tweetskoor)

Thanks to all the artists who submitted their music to be considered for The Deli’s Best of New England Year End Poll for Emerging Artists.

After tallying our editors’ ratings for the Open Submissions stage, it’s time to release the results. Please note that to avoid conflicts no local editor was allowed to vote for bands in their own scene.

Total submissions from New England: 43

Jurors: Jurors: Juan (The Deli LA), Maylis (The Deli NYC), Paolo De Gregorio (The Deli NYC).

Acts advancing to our Readers/Fans Poll:

1. As the Sparrow (Rootsy Pop) – 8 (out of 10)

1. Jake McKelvie & the Countertops (Indie Pop) – 8

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3. Andre Obin (Electro) – 7.83

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4. Miss Geo (Electro-Pop) – 7.66

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5. Marina Evans (Songwriter) – 7.5

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5. Doug Tuttle (Psych Rock) – 7.5

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7. No Evil Star (Avant-Indie) – 7.33

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8. Radclyffe Hall (Electro-Pop) – 7.16

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9. Jet Black Sunrise (Alt Rock) – 7

9. Sarah Blacker (Folk Pop) – 7

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Honorable Mentions (ranked above 6.5):

Streight Angular, Little Ugly, Ed balloon, The Symptoms, Ponybird.

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WHAT’S NEXT: These results end the first phase of the poll. We will soon unveil the artists nominated by our local jurors, and then let our readers and our writers influence the poll with their vote.

Keep creating, keep supporting, and stay tuned for your chance to vote!  

—The Deli New England Staff

 

 

“No this ain’t conspiracy. We know we ain’t equal. This the revolution, motherfucker; this the sequel!” In the video for their song “#,” OSHUN, Niambi Sala and Thandiwe (18 and 19 respectively), resurrect the tattered spirit of Public Enemy with eloquence and vehemence. Though they flaunt the fashion and the shibboleth of Afrocentrism, there is a greater complexity to their locus. The mission of “empowering women and all people, instilling confidence, cultural pride, and self-respect… within a re-emerging movement of cultural realignment, awareness, and creativity” is represented clearly and concisely throughout their repertoire. Regardless of how they may be labeled or categorized, OSHUN’s music is vast and deep, communicating fluidly from subtle ripples to massive crashes. – BrokeMC