Fresh from honing her craft as a member of Here We Go Magic, creative force Teeny Lieberson embarks on a more personal project with all female group TEEN. After releasing their debut full length in 2012, in March the band unveiled a new single titled "Carolina" from the upcoming EP by the same name, slated for a late May release on Carpark Records. The track showcases an impressive artistic growth, striking a very personal balance between eastern sounding melodies, detuned synth lines and guitar parts that flirt with the golden days of prog rock (think early King Krimson). We predict a good year for TEEN, which is currently on a European tour. –Dave Cromwell recently interviewed the band for The Deli here.
This track was added to our SoundCloud playlist of emerging NYC artists here.
Steve Tulipana has been one of the commanding forces of the Kansas City music scene for years. As a member of several prominent local bands and a co-owner of recordBar, Tulipana has more than made his mark in the community. Two of his bands, Roman Numerals and Thee Water MoccaSins, will be appearing at Middle of the Map Fest next week.
The Deli: Down and dirty: 1 sentence to describe your music. What is it?
Steve Tulipana: Roman Numerals: Post-post-punk.
Thee Water MoccaSins: Electro-psych fractal pop.
The Deli: What other artists are you looking forward to seeing at MotM?
The Deli: It always amazes me to watch either of the bands perform since Billy Smith (Smith lives in NYC) isn’t in town often to rehearse. How do you make it work?
ST: We’ve all known each other a very long time and have very similar tastes so yeah, I guess it just gels easily.
The Deli: It’s always a big celebration when either band has a chance to play in town. Do you guys have any releases coming up?
ST: Roman Numerals: Probably not, though I wish there was a proper release for the last stuff we did.
TWM: Most definitely. Still hoping to release our album (From the Rivers of Missouri and The Banks of Fear, The Deli KC’s #1 album of 2012) on vinyl. I just finished a new “found footage” video I should be releasing any day now.
The Deli: Anything special planned for either of the bands for MotM?
ST: Roman Numerals is playing with our original drummer Pete LaPorte. We’ve not played with him in about 5 years. We’ll also be playing material from the first record, which we haven’t played in a long time. Probably will be some Joy Division tunes thrown in there too.
The Deli: What does supporting local music mean to you?
ST: It’s second nature to me. It’s vital. It’s air and blood. Without it I’m dead.
The Deli: Who are your favorite local musicians right now?
Both of these bands will be playing at Middle of the Map Fest next week, and since they don’t play often, you won’t want to miss them. Thee Water MoccaSins will be playing Thursday, April 4 at recordBar at 11:00 pm, and Roman Numerals will be playing on Saturday at 5:00 pm on The Outdoor Stage.
As one of the artists of Kansas City’s Money Wolf Music collective, Dead Ven brings a rough-edged, socially conscious folk approach to the local music scene. We talked with frontman Ven Smith about what the band has in store for the year, including its upcoming appearances at Middle of the Map Fest and Center of the City Fest.
The Deli: Down and dirty: 1 sentence to describe your music. What is it?
Dead Ven: Street-folk, positive anthems of discontent for the working class. Woody Guthrie meets OI! a la Angelic Upstarts…? Damn. It all sounds so pretentious.
The Deli: What other artists are you looking forward to seeing at MotM?
Dead Ven: Besides all my Money Wolf Music family and all the great KC bands I see all the time? The Whigs—I’m a sucker for ’90’s, ‘00’s alternative, stoked to see White Lung and a lot of other bands I haven’t gotten to experience yet!
The Deli: Let’s talk about something you have coming up this year. What can we expect?
Dead Ven: Dead Ven has an ultra-limited 7" pre-order coming out in the next month or so on Money Wolf Music with punk legend Kevin Seconds of 7seconds. It’s a dream for me, growing up listening to 7seconds and all the the great hardcore-punk of that era—plus he’s a great guy and his singer-songwriter stuff is incredibly passionate and well-written.
The Deli: So, you guys are playing Center of the City Fest too? Busy!
Dead Ven: Wow, you noticed. Yeah, I think we’re the only band playing the "fest" and the "anti-fest,” haha. Dead Ven was asked back to return to Center of the City after playing the inaugural fest last year and prior to Money Wolf Music being given a stage at Middle of the Map. There’s a lot of backstory in there, but we’re happy as hell to be participating in anything and everything that supports Kansas City and all the music and arts contained therein. I think in the end, that’s what everyone involved in both is really going for: growing the scene.
The Deli: What does supporting local music mean to you?
Dead Ven: Go to shows. Buy the records. Eat/drink Boulevard at the bar. Tell people about shows and bands you like. Make something cool happen. Be excellent to each other.
The Deli: Who are your favorite local musicians right now?
Dead Ven: Wow, so many. Of course all my (obligatory self-promotion) Money Wolf Music labelmates— there’s so much talent there, but recent discoveries? I just saw The Electric Lungs and they put on a hell of a show, The New Riddim made me "skank" for the first time in a decade, love Bent Left, Smash the State and The Rackatees (Lawrence) bros and their ethic about making stuff happen. I also just had a chance to play a stripped down set with Gregg Todt; that dude is so intensely good.
The Deli: Who are your favorite not-so-local musicians right now?
Dead Ven: Bob Fucking Mould put out a new record this year. Bruce Springsteen put out a new one last year. Also, I could list about a hundred more punk bands that are currently slaying. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention how much I still love Tim Armstrong and Chuck Ragan and Hot Water Music.
The Deli: What is your ultimate fantasy concert bill to play on?
Dead Ven: The one where all my best friends spend part of the show in the crowd and part on stage and we all sing along with each other’s songs. Also, if I could play claves for The Foo Fighters.
The Deli: Would you rather spend the rest of your life on stage or in the recording studio?
Dead Ven: Stage, all stage. I’ll never be a “recording artist.” That’s not my jam; I’m in it for the community, the experience of sharing with good people. I greatly prefer hearing the noise of a show over myself in some earphones, plus I get tired of my songs really easily.
The Deli: A music-themed Mount Rushmore. What four faces are you putting up there and why?
Dead Ven: Neil Young, Ian MacKaye, Bruce Springsteen. No explanation, but god that makes me feel old. And… Fred Durst. Yeah, Fred Durst for sure.
The Deli: All right, give us the rundown. Where all on this big crazy web can you be found?
The Deli: Always go out on a high note. Any last words of wisdom for the Deli audience?
Dead Ven: RISE ABOVE. STAY WILD. FOREVER TRY.
Dead Ven is:
Ven Smith
Nathan Long
Ethan Taylor
Justin Penney
Dennis Hinaris
Check out Dead Ven at Middle of the Map Fest next Friday, April 5. They will be playing the Money Wolf stage at 8:00 pm at Westport Coffeehouse, followed by Dollar Fox, The Latenight Callers, and The Hillary Watts Riot. They will also be playing at Center of City Fest at The Black & Gold Tavern (formerly The Newsroom) on Saturday evening at 9:15 pm.
"A band of staggering depth" – this is the kind of self-defined superlative that The Great American Novel freely applies to themselves. Indeed, I’ll admit I am quite jealous of their tremendous confidence. You can’t really blame them though. A band whose biggest problem is girls like "Holly" who can’t be convinced that their relationship should be more than just a friendship, is certainly bound for bigger things. Their new record Kissing covers these issues over the kind of jukebox rock ‘n’ roll you might imagine your parents listening to when they first met. – Check out the band’s recent single "This Song Will Make You Love Me" streaming below, andRead Tracy Mamoun’s Q&A with the band here.
If you’ve ever watched Gumby and wondered aloud why this show ever went off the air, you need to watch The Middle Eight‘s new video (streaming below).
Latest LP ‘Strange Loop’ brings the band’s penchant for classically arranged pop grooves to a new level of sophistication. In addition to some pretty insane kaleidoscopic artwork, new tracks ‘Love; Pass It On’ and ‘Everyone is an Addict’ portray the group in a deep-thinking, socially-conscious state of affairs. The band’s just released their video for ‘Latter Days,’ containing clay animals, monsters, and audio speakers that simultaneously destroy and rejuvenate, animated by director Matt Christensen (Bjork), you’ll want to play with clay all over again. – Mike Levine (@Goldnuggets)
“Lusty,” the first single by NYC’s Azar Swan (# 56 in our Best of 2012 Poll for Emerging NYC Artists, previously known as Religious to Damn), defies easy categorization. A toxic blend of jungle rhythm and technopunk aggression provide the sweltering backdrop for singer Zohra Atash’s ominous gothic vocal style. What makes “Lusty” (streaming below) so visceral, however, is the way its beastial lyrics burn with a kind of sexual frustration that feels both dangerous and pornographic. Beware Azar Swan, and look out for a new single coming soon on Pendu Sound . – Brian Chidester
The Aputumpu Festival is a musical showcase featuring more than two-dozen rising bands comprising a cross-section of the burgeoning Brooklyn music scene. Much like the Amputumpu fruit – sweet on the inside, but rough on the outside – these bands exhibit raw, noisy, in-your-face performances, in contrast with the deep and often heartfelt sentiments expressed in their music. The bands’ rough, DIY aesthetic will be displayed over the course of four days, spread across some of the best venues in Williamsburg and Manhattan. Full schedule here.
One of the most enjoyable folk pop duos NYC has to offer is back at it with a seven track EP called "The Escape," scheduled for release in mid April. Themes of freedom, childhood and travel are the lyrical core of the music of The Whispering Tree, serving as a starting point for the singer Eleanor Kleiner’s search of deeper philosophical meanings. With Eleanor’s composed, confidently blue vocals, and the tasteful input of multi-instrumentalist Elie Brangbour, preview single "No Love" is a moody folk rock tune about the feeling of being away from home – surely something most New Yorkers can relate to. Album Release party at Sidewalk Cafe on 04.19. – Tina Aita
This track was added to our SoundCloud playlist of emerging folky NYC artists here
Niall Connolly has been based in New York for six years (a small achievement in itself for any musician) and has single-handedly corralled some of Brooklyn’s finest songwriting talent into a noteworthy musical posse known as Big City Folk. From a man whose listening tastes vary from Pavement to Cohen to Ger Wolfe, Niall has never tried to emulate his heroes, preferring to carve his own identity and style. ‘Samurai’ – the single from his upcoming sixth album – continues in this rich vein of a songwriter totally comfortable in his own skin. See Niall live at his release show at Rockwood Music Hall on April 13. – (as posted in The Deli’s Open Blog – post your band’s entries, videos, and Mp3s here). The Deli’s NYC Open Blog is powered by The Music Building.
When you’re down in the dumps, nothing quite beats a good pop melody to lift the old spirit. (Well, okay, vodka too). But here, nascent alt-pop artist Radio Musik (a.k.a. Jordan Hall) delivers a new video so decadently over-the-top that it’s unclear whether he’s being genuine or tongue-in-cheek or a little of both. The song is a tight, sexy production that has the added flair of being smart to boot. Yet the lack of a truly memorable chorus seems to embody the way Hall thirsts in the video for a can of “Pop” soda that he never actually gets to drink. It’s good stuff that, with the right hook, could have been transcendent. – Brian Chidester
Baltimore based psych band Fractal Cat a bill with born and bred psych soul artist Jordannah Elizabeth (who plays rare shows) and KR-3 at Joe Squared this Saturday, March 30th. This eclectic space rock line up highlights different variations and interpretations of psychedelic sounds, and will prove to be an invigorating and unique music experience. Stay to have a slice of Joe Squared’s legendary pizza pie. This show is FREE!
After years spent (like most bands out there) devoting too much time to finalize their songs, Brooklyn based electronic duo Sophie Weiner and Russ Marshalek (aka Silent Drape Runners) decided it was time to try to make the process less time consuming – adopting a system which could be described as the musical equivalent of "espresso" coffee: the duo gave itself a six hour limit to finish one track – and while at it also shoot a documentary about it and have a banh mi meal. Inspired by 80s TV documentary "Cosmos: A Personal Voyage," the resulting track "Starstuff" is a laid back, ambient influenced collage of vocal samples from the show, electronic sounds, and eastern-style chants (inspired by the banh mi, we guess). With this new formula we can now expect a gazillion songs from these guys in the next year. See them live at Cameo on March 28 within the Aputimpu Fest – a four day festival featuring Brooklyn bands only.
