Philip Lassiter is a master band leader with a resume to die for, and he’s taking the fabulous funk and soul scene in DC to a new level. For the last few years, Philip Lassiter has been the section leader and horn arranger for The New Power Generation. Yes, you read that correctly. Prince’s horn man is in DC, and he’s set to go crazy and tear the roof off the sucker. These horns are the product of Philip’s talent, and his very own band of locals is bringing that talent to the streets and clubs of DC.  

He’s already written and produced two full lengths this year. In February Phil dropped Philthy, followed quickly in June by DreamZzz.  Both albums are chock full of top-of-the-line funk. Relentless rhythms drive the walls of sound to boogie. Horns, keys, guitars, choruses, blips and bloops, beat-boxing and scratching; anything and everything combines into a non-stop party. Listening to tracks like this, you can’t imagine anyone else being Prince’s horn man. 

Despite being a horn man to the stars, and a rising star himself, Philip is totally down to earth. He just released a totally adorable video for the track STRUT off DreamZzz. Check it out below, and keep your eyes peeeled for news of upcoming shows. –Natan Press

It’s that time of the year folks!

Submit your band for The Deli’s Best of NYC 2014 Poll for Emerging Artists – who wins gets the cover of our Spring Issue 2015! (And other prizes to be announced…)

ENTER HERE!

The Deli’s Staff

An unobvious mesh of Adrian Galvin’s folk sensibilities and Luca Buccellati electronic production, Yellerkin’s hybrid sound is incredibly succinct despite drawing inspiration from two polar opposite corners. Cut in the duo’s Bushwick bedrooms, their music is the result of a wholly collaborative process and each track is carefully constructed, often over a lengthy period of time. But even with the synthetic pallet and impressive attention to detail, tracks like ‘Solar Laws’ and ‘Tomboy’ boast a real rootsy, fireside feel, rounded out with Adrian’s cabin-in-the-woods vocals. Having put out a self-titled EP earlier this year, the group have quickly followed it up with the release of new single ‘Tools’ and will continue to filter out their music, one track at a time. See them at Bowery Ballroom on January 16. – photo by Jimmy Shirley

We added this song to The Deli’s playlist of Best songs by emerging NYC artists – check it out!
Read Dean Van Nguyen’s interview with Yellerkin.

 This is such a great week for DC music. So much for us to be thankful for. There is a cornucopia of music tumbling and pouring out of this city, and none of it more fulfilling than Jake Starr and the Delicious Fullness‘ new full length Tastes Good! 

When your family’s gathered together next week, and the tensions rise before dinner, break out the alcohol and drop the needle on this record (available on purple vinyl in the US, red or pink in Spain, white in Japan on Nov. 20th). Your grandparents will shake their hips and flail their arms, reliving their glory days at the Whiskey A Go-Go (who knew Grandma could move like that?). Your parents will ask you to pull out your stash and hot-box the sun-room. Your significant other will think your family’s the coolest. This album will baste you and broil you, mash you and boil you. Tastes Good! is a feast of freakbeat revival, and you’ll be in a food-coma before the turkey leaves the oven.

We get by by the Grace of Mod. Thank you, Jake Starr. Thank you. –Natan Press

Wanted Man is vicious. So much rock and roll. So much swagger. If they made a gum out of this EP it would be a bite-sized chew with a flavor that lasts forever and blasts your teeth off through the back of your head. And you’d just keep chewing, cause it’s soooo good.
Back in college, my friends and I would listen to The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion on our headphones as we walked to class, and marvel at how we just couldn’t keep from strutting. If you listen to this EP walking down the street, the passersby will stare as the strut breaks down into a jiggly dance, the weight of the guitars crushing your bones to mush, leaving nothing but a puddle of gelatin to ooze into your seat. WHY ONLY THREE SONGS?? It’s cool. It’s on repeat, and I was already exhausted after one listen. –Natan Press

 DC’s Young Rapids are back! "Melt," the lead single off their forthcoming second LP Pretty Ugly (on DC’s Chimes Records), is an epic psychedelic trip. A majestic collection of tones, sparkly and dirty, smooth and gnarly, all folding on each other and pushing the next along in waves. Guitars, organs, Beatlesy tape sounds, walls of shimmering metal and light necessitate repeated listens, as each instrument’s unique sonic journey takes the listener to a different place. Dream guitar-pop with a heavy dose of Magical Mystery Tour era Beatles, and Soft Bulletin era Flaming Lips. Excellent.

Don’t miss Young Rapids live, November 22nd, at Black Cat with Drop Electric and Cigarette. –Natan Press

Fresh from playing multiple showcases at both the CBGB and CMJ festivals in October, the newly dubbed PARLOUR TRICKS (formerly Lily and the) have recently released new material. Their latest single "Lovesongs" (streaming) reiterates an already established reputation for appealing harmonies and compelling songwriting. Produced by Emery Dobyns with mixing by Michael Ilbert and mastered by Joe LaPorta at Sterling Sound, the track emphasizes melody and vocal purity over any kind of artificial digital enhancements. Meanwhile, their live show presents a visual and auditory experience that comes together with a seamless professionalism. The band will be playing live at The Mercury Lounge for their early show on Saturday, December 13th with Rocket & The Ghost. – Dave Cromwell

Ladies and gentlemen, winter music is here, perfectly timed with a fuh-reezing November morning… Recently signed by local label Paper Garden Records, Sabila Sabila is a young Brooklyn based songwriter with a knack for entrancing ballads, that are at least in part reminiscent of The Deli’s favorite Wilsen. First single "Settle In" (streaming) dropped this past October, quickly carving an online audience of 10k listeners through Soundcloud, while "Stars Under My Skin" is being released today. The new single reveals a slightly twangier approach in the tradition of Cowboy Junkies, probably the mellowest band of all times. You can see Sabila Sabila live at The Stage at Chelsea Market on Friday December 5th.

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

From their records, it sounds like Ice Balloons are trying to be the Sonic Youth of the digital age, or maybe the Suicide of the new millennium – both pretty fascinating ideas: electro-lofi-noise-rock madness! The band released their debut, self titled album about one year ago, and it’s… insane. But not necessarily impossible to appreciate, in particular when the vocals and the bass follow some kind of discernable song pattern, like in our favorite song "Dragonfly," streaming. On the other hand there’s nothing discernable, ever, about the digital noise created by their keyboards, whose granular wall of sound is like a permanent, rough sonic sea in which the other musical element alternatively drown and float. The guys have TV On The Radio’s Kyp Malone as an occasional band member, and enjoy wearing costumes live. Their show at Baby’s All RIght on November 26 should be fun – with earplugs.

With those vocals filtered, heavily effected and drenched in never ending reverbs, Brooklyn’s Nicholas Nicholas on record sound like the ghost of a band from the ’80s. Chris Masullo (pictured, the creative force behind the band) obviously enjoys using a heavy hand on his voice and most other sonic elements, a trait common to many creative producers and arrangers. The band will be opening for High Highs on Tuesday November 11/18 with Fascinator and Gold Lake. On the bill also two other Brooklyn bands: electro-crazy one man band Fascinator and dream rockers Gold Lake.

A band blessed with the gift of seriously rocking (we know that because we booked them for one of our NYC B.E.A.F. Fests), Brooklyn Bugs in the Dark are back with a new album of dark, brooding rock’n’roll, entitled "Cross My Heart Little Death." They’ll be celebrating this release with a show at Union Pool on November 21, check out single "Red Lines" below.