Channeling the energy of LA’s rowdiest hard rock acts, New York’s Vagina Panther is (suprise, surprise) a band with all the wound-up teenage male fantasy you can take. Whether discussing female curves or cheeseburgers, the band doesn’t mince words so much as it crushes good times and hard nights to little bits with their power chord rapture. The quartet’s latest EP ‘Judge‘ will compliment any manner of debauchery, and something tells me that’s exactly what you need. Their next show will be during the CMJ Marathon, on October 17th. – Mike Levine (@Goldnuggets)

This week-end, courtesy of Heard, Paper Box is partying itself into fall with two sweet six-act line-ups in two days – nice one! After a hip hop showcase on Friday, you get as Saturday’s (9.29) headliners Brooklyn’s notorious art-punk duo Japanther  (who, on Halloween, will be opening for The Misfits!), sharing the spotlight with recent Deli NYC ‘Artist of the Month’ Team Spirit, and Unstoppable Death Machines, another mighty pair, who came crashing onto the radar in August with the release of their full-length ‘We Come In Peace‘. Also on stage that night, Cool Serbia and Malcom, as well as New Jersey’s The Static Jacks who were added to the bill a little later. If some you’re not familiar with, check out Heard’s Youtube mix teaser – everything else you need to know, you’ll find here. 

If Animal Tropical’s whimsical songwriting sure makes for some puzzling twists of a melody, the band’s precise execution ensures that the ensemble doesn’t get too dispersive – and, bonus: stays danceable. But if a Carribean beat feels right under two other out-of-sync layers, this band will let that happen, whichever bizarre dance that might inspire. Three rhythms at a time? Sure. Here’s A Virgin Lot. Two years down the road, the troop having relocated from Miami to NYC, we find ourselves with a little collection of extravagant art-pop frenzies, sharing ground with locals Vampire Weekend, certainly, but nowehere near as twee. After a few recent NYC dates, they’ll be heading to Boston next week – new dates should be announced soon. – Tracy Mamoun

(Photo by Lippe)

–-Terra Peal

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On September 14, all current and former members of Federation of Horsepower gathered at The Brick for an hard-hitting evening of rock ‘n roll. Check out our photos here:

All photos by Todd Zimmer. Please do not use without permission.

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(Photo by Chad Cogdill)

Recently, we caught up with Scott Chaffin, the manic musical mind behind Chocolate Velvet, Vitae & the Pale Horse, and The Black Bullet Promise. He also writes and edits for another awesome local music blog called Kill Your TV KC. Here are his thoughts on one of his latest musical releases (Humans by Chocolate Velvet), a Beefheart-Beethoven marble sandwich, and mistake-free art.

The Deli: Gun to your head, 1 sentence to describe your music. What is it?

Scott Chaffin: It’s trashy bedroom pop and indie funk played by a man raised on classic rock, new wave, early hip-hop, and old-school punk.

The Deli: Let’s talk about what you have coming up. What can we expect?

Scott: Humans is my newest album which is part of a bigger work unofficially titled The Monster Trilogy. It is the final installment of the three LPs. The first two installments, Vampires and Zombies, were released this year as well. Each album was written around a concept/story and each hopefully expresses some social or existential relevance. The basic sound of the LPs revolves around a genre of music I refer to as trash pop. Trash pop, for me, is the culmination of decades of music ingested and then regurgitated through DIY standards and passion. I can use pieces of hip-hop, classical, classic rock, punk… whatever fits the song, and then remodel it as trash pop. A few close fans have expressed that The Monster Trilogy is my finest songwriting to date. It certainly is the songwriting I’m currently most proud of. A listener will hopefully experience real moments of unfiltered emotion colliding into deeply personal and weirdly one-of-a-kind songwriting.

The Deli: What does "supporting local music" mean to you?

Scott: Seeking out the talented musicians in the area in which you live and downloading their music, going to their shows, and buying their merch. I complained and whined about the community of local musicians for a long time because I really felt that the community was either nonexistent or grossly elitist. Then I had an epiphany; if I really felt that there was no community then I should help create a community. If I really felt that the community was elitist then I had to help bring the smaller, talented projects to the forefront. So, I muscled my way into Kill Your TV and declared myself the unofficial music editor. Now, I spend my time seeking out local bands on Bandcamp and other Internet sites (I prefer Bandcamp), contacting them in an attempt to implore them to help me form a more inclusive and definable Kansas City music community. It won’t hurt the more known local acts to embrace the smaller ones. We need Kansas City audiences to get even more interested in ALL KC music and really pour their support into their favorite bands and take chances seeking out new local bands.

The Deli: Who are your favorite "local" musicians right now?

Scott: Oobergeek, The ACB’s, Grenadina, Ddean Cassidy, Merriweather, Kitten Tits, Dolls on Fire, Deco Auto, Elsa Rae, Man Bear, Calvary Kevlar Calvary, Let’s Talk, Sports, The Quivers, Molly Picture Club… I’m sure I left someone out! After really delving into the local music scene I have found that KC could really be the next "it" town. What would it take? All of these great local musicians elevating each other! Showing the world we have a real community that values good music over precious egos.

The Deli: Who are your favorite not-so-local musicians right now?

Scott: Tom Waits, Guards, Hospitality, Monster Rally, Harlem, feel alright, The Roots, Beach House, Mayon, Service:Fair, Radiator Hospital, and I LOVE Karen Dalton (weeps a bit when he types her name).

The Deli: What is your ultimate fantasy concert bill to play on?

Scott: I don’t think of that to be honest. I have recently come to the realization that each and every performance is my ultimate fantasy. I put every part of myself into my music and performances. Wherever I’m playing I hope that the audience will be able to feel all the raw emotion that I feel. That the audience will experience the rush of energy and want their brains to explode into a thousand pieces exactly like my brain is exploding playing the music! If that answer doesn’t suffice then I would say an all day FREE KC local music festival featuring bands hand-picked by me!

The Deli: Would you rather spend the rest of your life on stage or in the recording studio?

Scott: Recording studio. I prefer to be where music is made. The stage, IMO, is where music is interpreted and sold through performance. I love performing but I almost never see it as creating music. When music is performed, people remember the spectacle. When music is recorded, it’s archived and distributed for the interpretation of the listener. Therefore, I see recording as a purer form of the ultimate message because of its portability and unfiltered construction.

The Deli: A music-themed Mount Rushmore. What four faces are you putting up there and why?

Scott: Bob Dylan. Johnny Rotten. Captain Beefheart. Beethoven.

Each one was an innovator, a poet, and they were all most likely deeply understood. Dylan did it with words. Johnny Rotten did it with attitude. Beefheart did it with imagery. Beethoven did it with emotion.

The Deli: All right, give us the rundown. Where all on this big crazy web can you be found?

Scott: Chocolate Velvet: www.chocolatevelvet.bandcamp.com
Vitae & The Pale Horse: www.vitaeandthepalehorse.bandcamp.com
The Black Bullet Promise: www.theblackbulletpromise.bandcamp.com
And you can read my reviews/stories and listen to compilations of my favorite KC artists at www.killyourtvkc.com.

The Deli: Always go out on a high note. Any last words of wisdom for the Deli audience?

Scott: Buy a guitar and make your own music and post it online for free! Send it to Kill Your TV KC! Don’t think about HOW it should sound! Make it sound the way you feel! There are no mistakes in art. Just be yourself and as long as you don’t hurt anyone, be exactly as weird as you feel! You only have one life: use it.

Scott’s a busy guy. He recently released Moan with Chocolate Velvet, an EP of unreleased songs from The Monster Trilogy. His newest project, Slum Party, will be making its debut on Saturday, December 15 at the Kill Your TV Awards show at Club 906 in Liberty.

–-Zach Hodson

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“Black Camaro,” the new single by Brooklyn self defined "Death Grunge" trio GHXST, immediately runs roughshod over our ears with a wave of muscular guitar blasts. Its power and pulse shares a sonic kinship with bands like A Place To Bury Strangers or perhaps even Helmet, with vocals reminiscent of the more controlled expressiveness of vocalists like Allison Mosshart of The Kills – but completely drenched in reverb. “Doomgirl” continues this mode, with a slithering groove and sexy come-hither-to-my-junkie vocal performance. “Shallow” stomps mid-tempo as the sensual vocals purr how “I love what you do, my baby.” Snaking slide guitar ride over a solid foundation of fuzz bass and power chords. Its sex music for jaded thrill seekers. – Dave Cromwell

On Friday(9.28), Bushwick’s Meadow Street spot Paper Box will be lending its stage to a showcase of six local distillers of rock/hip hop blends, with as headliners colourburst party-makers Shinobi Ninja . Just like Wordspit, also on the bill, they’ve been in the studio for a while – that is to say… new music to be expected here. The evening, hosted by comedy/hip hop act We Stole The Show, will also be the opportunity to cacth Xombie, self-defined "hood metal" five-piece, just back from the first stretch of their ‘Apocalyopse’ tour, who’ll be back on the roads from the following week. OXYMORRONS (whose collaboration with Wynter Gordon was released last week) & Small Axe will be completing the line-up; loads to celebrate, and apparently, free beer from 8-9! You can find all the details here. 

Split between Austin and Greenpoint (Brooklyn), Captured Tracks’ signees Heavenly Beat (led by Beach Fossil’s John Peña) show this geographical dichotomy in their sound. The band’s serene and spacious melodies are rendered in a semi-claustrophobic way in their electro-orchestral arrangements. There’s definitely something heavenly at work here, but the heaven in question, rather than an angelic explosion of fanfare, is crammed in a small Greenpoint bedroom where a few musicians (or maybe just one) quietly record their imaginative songs. Heavenly Beat have a few singles under their belt, the latest – entitled "Messiah," is streaming below. They’ll be playing at Webster’s Marlin Room on 10.16 with Teen Daze and Delicate Steve. 

D.T.Rotbot’s latest single “Lily” (streaming below) opens like a Zappa or Captain Beefheart classic that never was. Going through more changes in its first two minutes than many bands’ entire records, it’s exciting to hear an artist exploring this oft-ignored nether region of pop music’s experiments – spoken word and sound collage come together in one backyard. For those fans looking to find a cheap way to ascend to Mars without the aid of too many dangerous drugs, D.T.Rotbot should be all you need. The duo will be opening a night of post rock and "prog-chestral" bands headlined by Cuddle Magic and You Bred Raptors? on Octover 17 at The Living Room. – ML

Chainwave (formerly indie rock duo and Deli Magazine artist of the Month The Wicked Tomorrow) has just released a music video for new single “Bloodhounds”. Shot entirely with iPhone camera’s, the video was directed and edited by frontman Ian Jacobs. “Bloodhounds” and it’s accompanying B-side “Both Hands” sees the band (Ian Jacobs – vocals/guitar and Michelle Feliciano – vocals/drums), now a trio with the recent addition of longtime producer Ben Rice on bass, expand upon their brand of dark and melodic rock and roll, infusing it with surfy undertones and psychedelia. The new material has garnered early comparisons to Primal Scream, Deerhunter and Black Rebel Motorcycle Club. Chainwave plays The Rock Shop on Friday 9.28, as well as Cameo Gallery in Williamsburg on 10.4 (with Jangula). Check out the new video below. (as posted in The Deli’s Open Blog – post your band’s entries, videos, and Mp3s here). The Deli NYC Open Blog is powered by The Music Building. 

Conveyor is one of the most intriguing emerging Brooklyn bands – pulling off their intricate sound on record obviously requires a good knowledge of the music production process. We asked them a few questions about their latest record and their favorite pieces of audio equipment here.