New Music, Emerging from your Local Scene
We have drummer, bassist, solo artist, emcee, reverend, and jack of all trades Amy Farrand in the hot seat this week. She tells us about her longstanding drumming career in this city, along with her penchant for toy drum kits. Catch the beat right here!
On The Beat is typically brought to you by Sergio Moreno, but has been overtaken this week by drummer and The Deli – Kansas City editor-in-chief Michelle Bacon. This weekly interview features some of the many talented drummers in the area.
(Photo by Jessica Keller)
The Prolific has released the first single from its upcoming album Social Movement. "Take Me Down (Lucy)" showcases the four-piece group’s talent and dedication to a solid studio recording (mixed by Chris Cosgrove), with a pleasantly surprising horn section that propels the song forward. Jesse Thompson puts her soulful vocal pipes on display, accompanied by three musicians who have a clear awareness of one another’s abilities: Joshua Veach, Walt Powell and Stephanie Williams have collaborated in other projects since 2005. Veach’s crunchy guitar riffs provide an abrasive but complementary counterpoint to Powell’s smooth, jazzy bass lines and Williams’ tight, compelling beats.
We look forward to hearing more from The Prolific when its album drops in late September or October.
–Michelle Bacon
| Michelle Bacon is the editor-in-chief of The Deli Magazine – Kansas City and she likes bacon. |
Equal parts art and music, People Get Ready is one of the most engaging and interesting new Brooklyn based bands. The quality and fun of their dance-ready jam sections in tracks like ‘Uncanny’ and the breathtaking launch of ‘Cathedral’ off their latest self-titled EP should be enough to make anyone want to join in their unique cross-genre, globe-hopping, head-tripping dance party. We asked them a few questions about their recording process – read the interview on Delicious Audio – The Deli’s blog about recording and Guitar Pedals.
Photo Source: Baby Island
This Thursday, August 23rd, Baby Island will play a set at The Vera Project for The Believer Love Songs for Lamps Cassette Release. A big kaboodle of artists are due to perform, including but not limited to Calvin Johnson, Broken Water, Shana Cleveland and the Sandcastles, and Happy Noose.
The four piece group released their debut album – which is self-titled – back in February of this year. Baby Island’s quaint, solitary name captures the minitature worlds that revolve in their songs. Rarely eclipsing the three minute mark, each creation embraces their gentle psychedelic grip. Fans of ’60’s and ’70’s pop music with a twist will respond well to the material.
The Beatles, Beach Boys, The Zombies, Love – these are undeniable pop pillars of yesteryear that draw reasonable comparison. After all, Baby Island’s record cover is a clear homage to Love’s classic 1967 LP Forever Changes. For whatever weight they pull from decades past though, the outfit also contributes a modern indie rock vibe with tracks like "Backwards and Forwards" and "Live With It."
"Woke Up" catapults itself into catchiness with precise licks and a soothing, rhyme-ready singer. Faint warbles of psychedelia begin to shake themselves into the mix as the singer’s voice echoes and spirals out into the distance.
With over ten bands featured at the show – every band that appears on The Believer magazine’s cassette compilation – this is not one to be missed. The show costs $9, with doors at 7:30pm. Check out "Woke Up" from Baby Island below, and then visit their bandcamp to hear the rest of their eponymous record. Digital copies are available for $5, and on cassette for $7.
– Cameron LaFlam
Allegedly The Men don’t care much for labels, but so far they’d remained close to the punk arena – even the title track of their new record ‘Open Your Heart‘, if nothing as rough as what we found on their two previous albums, still races feverishly along the lines of an ‘Ever Fallen In Love’ with more angst, fast and deliciously enthusing. ‘Candy‘ though – which you can download for free below, courtesy of the band – is a different story. A laid-back twangy alt-country jam picked up only by its steady drumbeat, unfamiliar echoes and strange backing vocals merely reaching the surface; a sweet song it its own awkward right, confirming that the Brooklyn quartet isn’t intrinsically hostile. Just determined to stay away from any routine. The band will be setting off on tour at the start of September, from West Coast to Europe (check their blog for dates) with Buffalo, NY as a first stop back on US soil on November 8th
As a rule, I very much dislike covers. I do not like playing them, I do not like listening to them, I often irrationally feel somewhat slighted when I find out a song that I really enjoy is actually a cover. Despite my rational brain, I just have a personal distaste for hearing someone butcher another person’s art by half-ass learning it just to get a huge round of "woos" when it comes around to chorus that everyone knows.
Now, before you get all twisted, I also know there are many, many exceptions to this. I know how pop music works. I understand the game. I really do. I actually have a long-standing conspiracy theory that the pop music industry is just some elaborate Wizard of Oz-esque hoax. Just one tired old mindless robot of a man hunched over in a room with no windows cranking out the next "Call Me Maybe" or "Starships." But, I’ll save that for another blog post.
Regardless, when a cover is pulled off correctly, it accentuates and elevates the original piece of music. It tips its hat to the original spirit while bringing in a new and exciting flavor. I suppose I can even make myself admit that covers can be an art unto themselves.
For a recent compilation by our friends over at Kill Your TV, James Christos and Wurm & the Madness surely reinforce that. The track is called "Revolt (Off the Wall)." Originally performed by James Christos (James D’ Conqueror) featuring Ava Bella, it is 3 minutes and 35 seconds of high-energy, sub-busting, dance-infused hip-hop. Christos’ precise and cutting verses lay a solid groundwork upon which Bella fiercely drives the hook with a soulful, sassy and scalding vocal that jumps off the track. It is lively, fun and accessible, even for a whiter-than-white-bread boy like me. I will freely admit I don’t often listen to a lot of hip-hop, but I would if it all sounded as good as this.
So, along comes Wurm & the Madness. They describe themselves as an art rap outfit. Philosophical and/or indie hip-hop would be another good descriptor. Revolt is a pretty straight forward party song, so I was certainly intrigued to hear what they would do with this track.
Driven by a verby and textured acoustic guitar, their take on the song wanders towards the Portishead or Soul Coughing direction. However, it’s not all folk and mirrors, as the track is accompanied by a most definite electronic percussion element and what I’m guessing is a distorted bass. Wurm’s verses drip with piss and vinegar, gradually building an aura of distress and tension. Kitten, the female half of Wurm & the Madness, handles more vocally than just hook duties and is often paired with Wurm’s half-spoken/half-sung vocals to great spooky effect.
The duo manages to transform the party song into a slow anxious stumble down a dimly-lit hallway, the masked killer certain to prey from the shadows at any moment. Occasionally the hook comes around to provide a strip of light to see by, but then quickly back into the dark and psychological. Wurm & the Madness’s version is the Saw trap that the original song got put into.
Both versions of "Revolt (Off the Wall)" are phenomenal in their own right. Even beyond that, both of these artists are certainly worth checking out. Christos may be one of the hardest working music people in this town.
In addition, Kill Your TV KC has a whole compilation of covers in the works. Locals covering locals. Keep your ears open as that gets updated. I hope all the efforts that come out of it are as good as these.
Other songs on the Kill Your TV KC Cover Up Series currently include:
–-Zach Hodson
| Zach is a lifetime Kansas City resident who plays multiple instruments and sings in Dolls on Fire and Drew Black and Dirty Electric, as well as contributing to many other Kansas City music, art, and comedy projects. He is very fond of edamame, treats his cat Wiley better than he treats himself, and doesn’t want to see pictures of your newborn child (seriously, it looks like a potato). |
Natureboy does that impossible thing that people cutting their teeth exclusively on kosher diets of classic rock n’ roll will never be able to understand: re-imagining rock into something that sounds entirely new. Natureboy is the brainchild of Sara Kermanshahi, a first generation American of Iranian descent. None of this matters when you listen to the music of course, but it might help explain some of the magic that Natureboy brings.
On new record ‘The Sweep,’ Kermanshahi channels her border-crossing background toward ecstatic delivery, guiding her spirit through erupting waves of vocal intensity in tracks that cover all the bases, from ‘Blow to the Head’ to ‘Head to Toe.’ On this record (and especially when seen on stage), it’s obvious Natureboy means every word. As proved by this artist, sometimes you only need to listen to someone outside your Spotify playlist to understand what’s really possible for music. You can see her when she plays Joe’s Pub on September 16th – Mike Levine (@Goldnuggets)
Like some kind of critical exercise, or perhaps only for the aesthetic nuances, Howth took their music to three different spaces, from the studio to ‘Blake’s place’ to the stage, to expose through the recording of their latest EP Secret Goldmine the differences in textures, effects and ambiances that occur from one environment to the next. A heartfelt declaration may seem somewhat sterile when compared to the intimacy of a home recording, the sound of the live will lose in depth as it bounces further away, etc. Every track finds its own strength. Having spent the last month on the roads, touring the US to promote this new record – their second EP, closely following a second album they released in May – the band will soon be heading back to Brooklyn, where you can catch them for their homecoming show at Cameo Gallery on Saturday (8.25).
Emerging Bands and Artists living in Deliland (i.e. the 12 local US scenes we cover),
Like ever year, The Deli is going to give you the opportunity to play at one of its CMJ Music Marathon parties.
This time we have booked a bunch of shows in the Lower East Side and Brooklyn, and as usual we’ll have stages for all major musical genres (see last year’s schedule here). See flyer above for the list of venues booked this year.
We are looking to book 5 or more artists for these shows – last year we ended up booking more than 10 from the submissions!!!
To be considered, all you need to do is to apply here – good luck!
Submission deadline: August 30, 2012.
The Deli’s Staff
thedelimagazine.com
Has New York stumbled upon our own verson of The Swell Season? A City On A Lake is taking a stab at providing us with that special dialogue particular to the young and in love. A soft meditation on lessons learned and love found, Alex Wong’s latest song ‘Oceanside‘ will gently rock you back and forth through its lilting violins, lullaby harmonies, and moonlit rhythms. For the song, singer/songwriter Wong recruited Mexican rocker Ximena Sariñana to provide the tune’s opposite voice, and the pair perform beautifully together. Check out the new video below & see him play this Thursday (8.23) at Rockwood Music Hall – Mike Levine (@Goldnuggets)
Featured in our latest Deli NYC print edition (here!), art pop quartet Conveyor released a couple of weeks ago a first self-titled full-length album; one of those rare records that can display so wide a range of sonic experimentation without ever seeming to find the process self-sufficient, Conveyor is a deliciously rich combination of lush harmonies and offset rhythms, flowing gracefully whilst leaving you on a constant vital edge. Any second the tingling melody could turn to roaring freakout, an acoustic introduction could pull you suddenly into a shimmering fusion of electronic sounds… Long story short (you can find out more in a recent Deli interview with the band here), to watch the magic happen on stage, don’t miss them tomorrow evening (8.22) for their homecoming show at Brooklyn’s Glasslands Gallery!
Looking back, The Due Diligence‘s debut album ‘I Will Wreck Your Life‘ seems like a delicate mise en bouche for what the band had in store, a raw power (so to speak) they unleashed as they let their music flow harsh, unpolished on the five tracks of their follow-up EP ‘Let It Be Already‘, which they released mid-July. Harsh perhaps, but no lo-fi soup, none of that ‘noise for the sake of noise‘; instead, a jam-like tease of a rock’n’roll record, casually swaying over soul and folk undertones, one to get you hooked at ease on the screeching guitars or the dandy, hiccupy rhythm of a boogie, just rough enough to strike below the waist; after all, rock’n’roll… it’s about getting the crowds off, isn’t it? Speaking of which, any new shows coming our way guys? – Tracy Mamoun
