To experience the next wave of Brooklyn music full blast and to grasp its weird complexities, one can’t do much better than Cultfever’s first single, “Knewyouwell.” The swelling of electronic chaos, motorik rhythm and shoegaze-y backing vocals wrap Tamara Jafar’s lusty soul leads in a kind of gothic disco whole that is greater than the sum of its many influences. Their self-titled debut album (released November 2011) sticks pretty close to this formula throughout; only towards the end do Cultfever break out of the club-like feel with the closers “Boys, Girls” and “Collector,” each boasting a more aspirational tone, replete with big choruses and fist-pumping declarations like “Hey darlin’, sticks and stones would make our homes if we were anyone, anyone else!” – See Cultfever at Mercury Lounge on Friday September 28 with Emanuel & the FEar, and at The Deli’s CMJ Electronic Stage at The Delancey on 10.18 with Dynasty Electric, Lushlife, Maus Haus, Anomie Belle, Railbird and a few more. – Brian Chidester
Dear Mister Manager on the Ground Zero Bill this Saturday
Dear Mister Manager are playing the Ground Zero in Bellevue, WA this Saturday, September 29th with Postmadonna, Special Explosion, and Chung Antique.
The band has a motley bunch of demos streaming right now…from the future! It is a pretty exhilerating venture into the year 2017, too. The four piece’s scrutiny for detail reveals itself from the get-go, most vividly in their dynamic construction of songs. They know when to go low, and when to swing the curtains high and push passionately with soaring choruses.
"The Big Easy" summons, among other comparisons, the names of post-hardcore darlings like The Fall of Troy and Circa Survive. The vocals pulse powerfully and cleanly, foregoing the sheer aggression and muscle of screaming for emotionally-potent wailing.
"the Id and the Ego" features some technically adept stop/start segments whose math rock origins tango comfortably with their sound’s nexus: heartfelt rock music with musical iterations that flirt with progressive rock and post-rock.
Dear Mister Manager’s music works equally well for pumping you up or spinning your inclinations inward; energetic and bombastic, or pensive and reflective. Check them out this weekend at Ground Zero, the lineup is a compatible group of inspiring live bands. Doors at 7:30pm with a $6 entrance fee. Listen to "The Big Easy" below and move along to their bandcamp to hear the whole set of demos available.
– Cameron LaFlam
People Get Ready streams new track from full length debut
We wrote so often about People Get Ready in the last couple of month we won’t even bother singing their praises again – you can find it all here anyway. What you want to know though is that the NYC band/performance collective has just posted a new track from their upcoming full length debut on The Nationals’ label Brassland – to be released on 10.23. Also, they announced a series of performances entitled "Specific Ocean," scheduled during the CMJ Music Marathon at the New York Live Arts.
When Eric Biondo goes center stage: Beyondo
The saying ‘always the bridesmaid, never the bride’ doesn’t apply to songwriter/producer/trumpeter/Awesomeface Eric Biondo. Not content to back up musicians from bands including TV on the Radio and Passion Pit, Biondo has carved a unique alias for himself with his ongoing project Beyondo. From towering vocalist and cornetist, Eric reveals himself a master of merging divergent genres from Baroque classical to Ivory Coast afrobeat.
Now coming off his unexpectedly ambitious full-length ‘Siren Science’ from earlier this year, he returned early August with a new single ‘Come Around’ that leaps off a walking bassline, showcasing a round of vocals suitable for any cookout/fireside jamboree. – Mike Levine (@Goldnuggets)
On a ride with NYC’s Sins Of The Loose Buttons
Anyone wondering what’s coming next for Brooklyn might take a look at the kids from Sins of the Loose Buttons. A high-energy quartet able to bring the party with them from Santos Party House down to last year’s Miami Music Festival, Loose Buttons wants nothing from their career but to give some of this energy back to anyone out there looking to bounce a beach ball the next show you head out to. Their debut ‘Silent Snow’ has all the potential of a group of dudes barely twenty, already tackling enormous harmonies and in some cases, complicated choreography.
The group should be announcing new dates soon. Download their record from iTunes in the meantime, and check out the band take the city by music and bicycle in their video for ‘Retrobox’ below. – Mike Levine (@goldnuggets)
Interview with M.H. & His Orchestra: DC Deli’s Artist of the Month (September)
Virginia crooner Max Holiday lends more then just a voice to DC’s music scene… he has a literal big band combining genres like orchestral pop and trip hop to back him up; his orchestra! His debut album The Throes (check it out below) shows off this talented composer’s skills and adds a refreshing new sound to our mostly folk/electro/hardcore scene that’s been dominating. And they were all voted as Band of the Month, so we got a hold of Max to find out more about this ever growing group. Here he tells us about vials of rakia, Patsy Cline’s backyard, and jazz bands in DC. Now onto the interview…
Catch them live at the Velvet Lounge on Oct. 5, as part of the Sweet Tea Pumpkin Pie Festival.
Album of the Month: APE! “1991”
APE! has come from the past to save our future. 1991, their newest release, with a blurb labeling the band as a NASA time travel project gone wrong, is ripe with proto-punk sleaze and grit. In all honesty, 1969 might have been a better title, were it not already taken. Their newest release is self-produced, and available digitally or on 12" vinyl.
Straddling genres can be a messy business, but APE! handles their time-hopping seamlessly, by combining classic rock riffs with hardcore screams and the aforementioned proto-punk attitude. The eponymous title track is a blissed out instrumental nod to psychedelia, while "Vile English," which appears later on the album, is a noisy clamor of aggression, heavy metal guitar work and frenetic drumming.
The conjoining thread of the album is energy and a refusal to take themselves too seriously. Which, in this day and age, is a sentiment that is often hard to come by. -allison
Taking lessons from The Happy People Band
Happy People may have just written this year’s Brooklyn anthem. The song of the same name, while encouraging you to find love wherever you can, is really an ode to the kind of love only our city’s residents are really capable of experiencing. The band equally paints this anthemic heart into their latest video for APT’ from their self titled EP. Only this time it’s not so much an ode to the ciyt, but a montage to hard work… and long, drawn-out kisses. Happy People Band is an exciting feast of noise and turbulence, bringing soul to the otherwise challenging experiences of urban life. Check out their latest video below and see what it takes to get the girl. – Mike Levine (@Goldnuggets)
Fort Lean releases new EP + plays Glasslands 11.1
Fort Lean’s newest single ‘Sunsick’ comes crashing against you like the mysterious characters confronted on Williamsburg’s beach in the song’s new video. This is a band with all the tell-tale makings of the ‘next big indie thing.’ Surf-ready, psychedelic anthems = check. Renowned producer (Patrick Wemberly of Chairlift) = check. Expertly dyed lead singer hair = check. Lead singer Keenan Mitchell not only has shiny locks, but a soaring tenor to match, and new EP ‘Change Your Name’ should be a good indication of things to come for the still young group. Check out Keenan’s bizarre hangover in the video below, and see them when they come to Glasslands November 1st for the EP release party. – Mike Levine (@Goldnuggets)
Fort Lean – "Sunsick" Video from stereogum on Vimeo.
Artists on Trial: The Lucky
Though The Lucky is a relatively new Kansas City band, the group is already working hard to play on larger local bills and begin recording. We sit down with the duo, Jason McKee and Camilla Camille, to find out more about who they are and what they have going.
The Deli: Gun to your head, 1 sentence to describe your music. What is it?
The Lucky: Indie-garage-punk-pop-riot revival with a beat you can dance to.
The Deli: Let’s talk about what you have coming up. What can we expect?
The Lucky: Jason McKee: We’re playing with The Sexy Accident at the recordBar this Friday and with Drew Black and Dirty Electric at Coda on Saturday. We’ve added some new songs to our set.
Camilla Camille: We have a Kickstarter campaign starting this Friday and we are going to record a CD with Pat Tomek. And we have a show with Schwervon! on September 28 at The Riot Room; it’s their record release party. They just moved here from New York. And you can expect lots of fun music, laughter, theatrics, maybe some stage drama, some choreography, perhaps, some hoofing, and an all-around good time.
The Deli: What does "supporting local music" mean to you?
The Lucky: Camilla Camille: It means going out to shows and buying local bands’ CDs and t-shirts. Generally banging your head in the audience, screaming "yay!" and "woohoo!" while they’re playing. And talking to them afterwards telling them what you liked about their show.
Jason: Going to shows is important, and a worthwhile investment if you’re a music lover, but I also think if a band puts on a good show, it’s important to tell them afterward that I liked it and what I liked about it. And when I see a band I really like, I try to tell other people about it so they can experience it, too.
The Deli: Who are your favorite "local" musicians right now?
The Lucky: Jason: Jonathan Thatch, our Friday night drummer. Brian Jewell, our Saturday night drummer. Pat Tomek, who’s sitting in on drums for the September 28 show at The Riot Room. I love the show The Beautiful Bodies always put on. Cherokee Rock Rifle. Deco Auto. Drew Black and Dirty Electric. The Cave Girls. The Bad Ideas. Schwervon!.
Camilla Camille: You, Michelle Bacon. And The Cave Girls. Robin Powell Campbell. And The Bad Ideas. And The Beautiful Bodies. And Deco Auto. And Drew Black and Dirty Electric. And The Quivers.
The Deli: Who are your favorite not-so-local musicians right now?
The Lucky: Camilla Camille: Right now I have been listening to Devo, Bad Religion, Spank Rock, The Black Keys, The Cramps, and The Dollyrots.
Jason: I listen to a lot of The Libertines and Babyshambles. The Black Keys, Jack White’s various projects. Lately, I’ve been getting into The Germs. I listen to The Clash a lot, too.
The Deli: What is your ultimate fantasy concert bill to play on?
The Lucky: Jason: Us with Cream, The Sex Pistols, the Libertines. Or, since this is fantasy, maybe letting Mozart, The Beatles and The Rolling Stones open for us.
Camilla Camille: Well that would require that we time travel because I would really like to open up for The Cramps, but since Lux is dead, that’s impossible. Otherwise, The Lucky could open up for the Black Keys or go on tour with Jack White, either The Raconteurs or The Dead Weather, or his solo project, or a reunion with Meg White for a White Stripes tour. But it would be kind of cool to time travel.
The Deli: Would you rather spend the rest of your life on stage or in the recording studio?
The Lucky: Camilla Camille: I would say I would like to spend the rest of my life on stage. However, it would be really neat to sleep in a recording studio, like if my bedroom was a recording studio. I would have a bed in there, a dresser, and a desk, but it would also have a stage area. I could combine both of them and have a stage in the recording studio and just live in there. That would be great. And of course there would be videos of the stage performances in the recording studio, which would be my bedroom.
Jason: It would definitely be on stage because performing for people and interacting with them gives me a rush I don’t get anywhere else. Plus, I have little patience for hearing playback of myself over and over.
The Deli: A music-themed Mount Rushmore. What four faces are you putting up there and why?
The Lucky: Jason: John Lennon because he’s John Lennon.
Eric Clapton: "Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs" made me want to be a guitar player.
Lou Reed for having his own vocal and lyrical style and breaking away from what everyone else was doing.
Kurt Cobain for bringing soul and meaning back to rock music after it had been overtaken by cheesy hair bands.
The Deli: All right, give us the rundown. Where all on this big crazy web can you be found?
The Lucky: Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/
Reverbnation: http://www.reverbnation.com/
Bandcamp: http://thelucky.bandcamp.com/
The Deli: Always go out on a high note. Any last words of wisdom for the Deli audience?
The Lucky: Camilla Camille: Face your fears, stand up for yourself, look at the colors, embrace nature, write poetry, eat your vegetables, be grateful what you have, and tell your boyfriend how much you love him.
Jason: As the Butthole Surfers said, "It’s better to regret something you have done than to regret something that you haven’t done." And tell your girlfriend how much you love her.
You’ll have plenty of opportunities to catch The Lucky in the next two weeks. Tonight, the band will be at recordBar with The Sexy Accident, Crush, and John Harrison and The Harrisonics (FB event page). Tomorrow, it’s Coda with Drew Black and Dirty Electric (FB event page). Next Friday, The Lucky will be at The Riot Room for Schwervon!’s record release party with them, Folkicide, and The Conquerors (FB event page). Now you have no excuse but to make it to a show.
–Michelle Bacon
| Michelle is editor-in-chief of The Deli – Kansas City. She also has a weekly column with The Kansas City Star and reviews music for Ink. She plays with Deco Auto, Drew Black and Dirty Electric, and Dolls on Fire. She played piano for about 8 years straight and can’t seem to remember much of it now. Ho hum. |
Spotlight: Midwestern Audio – A Local Compilation CD Release Party
This Sunday, Midwest Music Foundation will be presenting a local compilation CD release party at the recordBar, featuring a sampling of Kansas City’s hottest bands.
We sat down with MMF’s Brenton Cook, who compiled the CDs, to find out more about the compilation and the bands he’s excited to highlight in it.
The Deli: What gave you the idea for making a compilation?
The Deli: Were there any bands you thought of immediately when thinking about putting this together?
The Deli: Any surprises in here? Bands/songs that we might not be familiar with? Any unreleased material?
The Deli: What new local bands are you most excited about?
The show begins at 7:00 pm at the recordBar this Sunday, September 23. $10 will get you in the door and you’ll be able to take home a free double CD. Gemini Revolution takes the stage first, followed by Reach (with Diverse), then Grand Marquis, Antennas Up, and Everyday/Everynight. 18+. Facebook event page here.
Also sponsored by Ink Magazine.
–Michelle Bacon
Savoir Adore plays free Mercury Lounge show 9.22
Savoir Adore’s new album is on the way; ‘Our Nature‘, set to be released on October 16th, was introduced at the end of last year with their single ‘Dreamers’. As we got closer, the Brooklyn duo recently revealed a new track off the record, ‘Regalia’, electro – pop/rock jam as delicious as its title sounds with some groovy basslines and generous layers, danceable rhythmics along the lines of Dreamers, but where that one was… well, dreamy, this is ensemble coming on with twice as much of a kick. An inviting teaser, for sure. Before they hit the road to promote their new album throughout the month of October, Savoir Adore will be playing a free show (!) at Mercury Lounge this Saturday (9.22), sharing the bill with Montreal’s Stars.