NYC

Album of the Month: Fire and the Wheel S/T

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“Well, that was not what I expected to hear.” That was my first thought as the brand new, self-titled LP from Fire and the Wheel started playing in my headphones. You are immediately pulled into layers upon layers of a wall of sound that marries an electronic rock groove with a bold trumpet declaration reminiscent somehow of an American western; an aura of Clint Eastwood, if you will.

And then, out of nowhere, the beat takes a groovy turn that makes you want to get up and dance and you’ve moved into the second track of the album without even noticing the change. This pattern continues, each song blending seamlessly into the next. To me, it’s very refreshing to hear an album written for listeners to digest as complete body of work in today’s world of iTunes singles.

The album is relentless and is meant to be listened to over and over, beginning to end. There’s a lot to appreciate in the musicianship and care that went into each of these songs. The influences on this record are many and I could try to list them all, but the truth is that as the record plays, instead of a particular artist, what you will hear is a homage soundtrack to many of the fundamental creations that have made rock music great for the last several decades. (With no shortage of epic drama, to be sure.)

To me, that’s exactly the spirit I would hope for from a band whose name reflects those fundamental inventions that first put humanity in place to take over the world with greatness. –Jarrett

Catch Fire and the Wheel live on Thursday 6/14 at the 18th Street Lounge @8 PM for DC Flag Day!

NYC

NYC punks Dirty Fences play Mercury on 06.24

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Dirty Fences‘ rock’n’roll makes us want to get drunk and sweaty and nasty. Their brand new self-titled EP features five new tracks with that kind of straight forward crunch that can resurrect anybody’s dormant trouble-making instincts. The band’s choruses offer furious but catchy Clash-style chants that will get you screaming along – and they aren’t even afraid to venture into occasional chill inducing guitar solos. They stopped by Cake Shop last Saturday to play with Threats, Fine Spoils, and Evil Child, but if you missed that opportunity don’t fret, you can get your shirt wet on Sunday June 24 at Mercury, when they play with Grand Rapids. – Bob Raymonda

NYC

LC Fest ended on Saturday with WYATT, Heidi Sidelinker and Luke Wesley

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WYATT (pictured), Heidi Sidelinker and Luke Wesley are among the 12 NYC artists who performed on the last night of the four-night-long, Deli sponsored 6th Annual LC Fest, organized by independent music community Local Correspondents at Bar4 in Park Slope, Brooklyn (444 7th Ave.).

WYATT, who released their debut EP last summer, is an upbeat folky ensemble effort fronted by NYC singer/songwriter Maddy Wyatt, while Heidi Sidelinker, who just spent the past five years with the NY-based indie rock band Lowry, is hard at work on her own solo effort, and tapping into her singer-songwriting roots and on twelve-string guitar. Luke Wesley plays immensely catchy piano pop rock, deftly blending the sounds of ’60s pop and ’90s college radio.

NYC

Album review: Appropriate Grammar – Lies and Stories

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There’s some music that’s intricately intertwined with the feeling you get from a weekend whiskey binge. From the initial burn of the first drink to the last sip of the bottle, the emotions and thoughts that drive that binge are have long been subjects for great storytelling and songwriting. Appropriate Grammar’s release Lies and Stories is the musical equivalent to a weekend whiskey bender, if there was a universe where you could drink whiskey all weekend and still speak with eloquent clarity.

This 10-song set rambles on like the smartest heartbroken drunk you’ve ever met. Lyrically speaking, this is one of the better releases I’ve heard in awhile, so much so that I stopped during some songs to go back and catch a line again. With varied stories of fighting all night with a significant other ("Lover’s Quarrel") to dealing with an existential crisis ("Chosen Children"), the lyrical palette of this album reflects a wandering spirit coming to terms with the human experience. And it rocks.

Fast-paced shuffles by drummer Steve Gardels and jangling, well-placed guitar hooks by Alex Dunsford provide an inspiring platform for Nick McKenna’s cool and seemingly calculated vocal delivery. Bassist and vocalist Claire Adams adds color to many of these songs, particularly "High and Lonely," which gives the album some breathing room with a beautiful duet. In a weekend binge scenario, this is the song you’re listening to when the bottle runs dry, it’s time to go to bed, but you have no idea where you are or how to get home.

Not many bands can pull off rollicking, melodic songs that are emotional, smart and fun without coming off as being pretentious or downright aggravating, but Appropriate Grammar seems to have a formula down that works well for what they are doing, like an Old-Fashioned served with just the right amount of bitters.

-Mike Tipton

Mike is a KC native that enjoys new music and playing with his band, Molly Picture Club. He also enjoys people watching and documentaries by Ken Burns.

 

NYC

Show of the day: Signal To Noise Presents An Evening with the Music of The Beatles

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8:00 pm, All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church, 4501 Walnut, Kansas City, MO. $10 at the door. 

A number of talented Kansas City artists will be on hand for a benefit for KKFI 90.1 FM tonight to present the music of The Beatles. This is the second year in a row this fundraiser has been done, with great success last year. The evening’s musicians include some of the most talented in the area. From Back To Rockville

"The house band will comprise Alan Wellman (bass), Darrell Lea (lead guitar), Eric Melin (drums), Dan Mesh (guitar) and Nate Holt (keyboards). Also performing: the local Beatles tribute band Vera Chuck and Dave, Kasey Rausch, Kim Rausch McClaws, Elaine McMilian, Mark Smeltzer, Jason Beers, Chad Rex, Joey Skidmore, Kirk Scott, Fast Johnny Ricker, JoJo Longbottom, Steve Wilson and “a special surprise” from Cody Wyoming."

The show is being presented by Barry Lee, host of "Signal To Noise" on KKFI Sunday nights.

NYC

Shannon Pelcher, Robert German and Bryan Dunn perform at 3rd evening of the LC Fest at Bar 4

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Shannon Pelcher, Robert German and Bryan Dunn are among the 12 NYC artists performing on the third night of the Deli sponsored, four-night-long 6th Annual LC Fest, organized by independent music community Local Correspondents at Bar4 in Park Slope, Brooklyn (444 7th Ave., bar4brooklyn.com).

Shannon Pelcher, who blends Tin Pan Alley, 1960s folk and experimental acoustic, just released her self-titled debut EP, "Shannon Pelcher and the Iron Threads" earlier this year. Robert German fuses folk, jazz, blues and lyrical storytelling with vocal acrobatics, and second album, ‘Sunrise at the Speakeasy’, is due out later this year. Bryan Dunn (pictured) blends classic rock with Texas twang, and his latest album, "Sweetheart of the Music Hall," was just released in April 2012.

Shows are free, doors open at 6 p.m., and performances begin at 8 p.m. For a complete schedule of all four nights (from June 6 through June 9), go here.

NYC

DC Locals to play Adams Morgan Summer Concert Series 2012

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The Adams Morgan Summer Concert Series showcases a wide variety of locals, and is back for 2012. It was kicked off last week with DC Americana-rock band Kid Goat  taking over the plaza of BB&T. This Saturday June 9, get there by 5 PM to check out the next act in this summer series, DC based post-punk Dot Dash (pic above.) Their album Spark Flame Ember Ash is now available, featuring the track "Learn How To Fly" as heard/seen below.

And over the next several Saturdays, stop by the plaza to check out: 6/16 the Black Sparks (previous DC Deli Band of the Month!), 6/23 Down Tyme, 6/30 Batuque, and 7/7 the Honeyguns (previous DC Deli Band of the Month!)

Saturday @ BB&T Bank Plaza, Corner of 18th St & Columbia Rd. 5-7 PM, FREE!

NYC

NYC band on the rise: Viva Mayday plays Pianos on 06.09

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Bear with me here… if there was a way to merge the Arctic Monkeys with Red Hot Chili Peppers, you might be in the ballpark of Viva Mayday‘s sound. Like Alex Turner, singer Jafe and company perfectly convert his sadistic protests to anthemic screams on the catchy new single ‘Monster.’ Here, an otherwise perfectly catchy rock tune is turned on its head by exploring devilish thoughts while riding a dance groove.

A relatively young and stripped down three-piece, with only a couple tracks released so far (check out the equally catchy ‘Bay of Pigs’), the band has already warranted several remixes, and promises a debut LP later this year.

Sweat and shout with the group tomorrow night (06.09) when they play Pianos with The Yes Way & IAmDynamite. – Mike Levine

NYC

Show of the day: Hospitality/Spirit is the Spirit/Monster at The Jackpot

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 Tonight, The Jackpot scores another big show with Brooklyn band Hospitality, Lawrence band Spirit is the Spirit, and KC band Monster

Though Hospitality is from Brooklyn, lead vocalist Amber Papini originally hails from Kansas City. Check out their style of indie pop here.

Spirit is the Spirit (from The Record Machine) just completed a successful Kickstarter campaign last week, raising over $4,000 to buy a van to begin a US tour. Though the 6-piece band has only released one EP (Mother Mountain), they’ve found great success with an ethereal and harmonic, yet accessible groove. Spirit is the Spirit was recently featured in Secret Handshakes, a 12" collaboration between The Record Machine and Golden Sound Records, with a track called "Pillows." Check out the video below.

Kansas City/Lawrence band Monster opens up the show.

Spirit Is The Spirit // Pillows // Music Video from Micki Hadley on Vimeo.

NYC

Interview with stereosleep: DC Deli’s Artist of the Month (June)

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DC based indie rock band stereosleep dominated our last poll and were rightfully crowned Band of the Month. So we got a hold of Alexandre Jeanty (guitar), Billy Wood (drums), Bruce Fulton (bass), and Donny Ray (vocals/guitar) to find out more about what goes into the sound they’ve created. Here they tell us about Craigslist roots, headlining the Black Cat, and the power of a pen. Now onto the interview…

NYC

Deli Shows: [Mostly] Electro Stage at Northside with Avan Lava, Computer Magic, Saadi + more

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We are extremely proud to announce The Deli’s "[mostly] Electronic Stage" at the upcoming L Magazine Northside Fest. Check out this lineup and come to party on Father’s Day (06.17) at Cameo Gallery in Brooklyn!

10.30 AVAN LAVA
9.40 COMPUTER MAGIC
8.50 SAADI
8.00 PAPERTWIN
7.10 SPACECAMP
6.20 OSEKRE & THE LUCKY BASTARDS

Facebook EventTicketlink

The Deli’s Staff

P.S. Sorry for the above par flyer, our awesome illustrators are off today!