Bryan Scary is the most fun you can have without a guitar. The man bangs the piano like a runaway train, utilizing the kind of deft skill usually associated with Elton John concerts and West Village piano bars. Scary packs the soul of Mark Ronson together with the vocal reach of Freddie Mercury… if the two of them decided to write a musical together about umbrellas and gamblers.

His debut record, ‘The Shredding Tears,’ was a breath of fresh air back in 2006, and since then, Scary and his glam-fabulous band have done everything they can to live up to their electro-goth-burlesque persona: From touring the country to readying their latest release.

With Scary’s latest ‘Daffy’s Elixir’ (stream it here) due April 24th on the forward-looking Brooklyn indie label Paper Garden records, it’ll be exciting to see how his mission is extended to include a "Western set during the Industrial Revolution, with an assorted cast of bandits, con men, hucksters, phonies, and all-around bad fellas." His words… not mine.

See the mad man himself when he plays Brooklyn Bowl to celebrate his album’s release, on April 24th. – Mike Levine (@Goldnuggets)

Brooklyn electro duo Jonka is back with a brand new single and music video called, "Every Other Day". From their forthcoming album, "Pinks and Blues". A lo-fi beat slowly evolves into a soaring rhythmic landscape, while TV on the Radio-esque "oohs" introduce the dreamy melody.Filmed around Manhattan, the video is a montage of New York City street art and the living, breathing city itself. – (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. 

Spirit Family Reunion (#26 in our latest Best of NYC Emerging Artists Year End Poll) is one of those bands seen playing in the subway, in the back of noisy bars, or on busy street corners, going unnoticed to bright lights and mobs of listless pedestrians with their earbuds at full blast. Or at least that’s what their cracked and weathered sound would make you believe. Their songs are drenched in soul and the twang of the banjo, taking the Brooklyn band far beyond the ordinary bluegrass rock group. Traveling as far south as they do north, Sprit Family Reunion are a gospel-infused reminder of everything that makes roots music great. The band ill make their Newport Folk Festival debut this summer but you can catch them in their hometown on May 12 at Mercury Lounge, playing songs from their forthcoming debut album, which they’re mixing as we speak. – Devon Antonetti

Spring has sprung for well-coiffed 23-year-old Devin (the artist previously known as Devin Therriault). After catching a lot of attention in 2010, the young man took a year off to work on his new record, which was released under the title "Romancing" on April 10th via FrenchKiss records, home to bands such as The Hold Steady, The Drums, and Passion Pit. Unlike the majority of today’s Brooklyn based artists, Devin’s not about "the indie rocks" – and nothing about him is understated. His boisterous rock n’ roll certainly features very NYC garage-rock influences, but retains an old school charm to it. His dapper wardrobe plus the aforementioned hairdo evoke some sort of young Elvis. The details add up: a look which screams late 50s, an energy-packed live performance (backed by a band), a video (streaming below) featuring a lady moving her pelvis, while Devin sings on the vintage mic made famous by many photos of Presley. And, like Elvis, this Brooklyner is not without sex appeal – and neither he’s afraid to talk about the ladies. In promotion of this album, he’ll be touring Europe in May, and will hopefully be back for a show in NYC in the summer. – Corinne Bagish

Brooklyn-based post-rock outfit LUFF will be releasing their new EP, "Maybe It’s Just Sleeping," with a show at Cakeshop on Monday 16. Written in the aftermath of a series of tragic losses suffered by the band members, the EP is a grievous love letter to the lost. The guitars’ elegant interplay, often building towards shoegaze-style sonic "expansions", supports Sheila Sobolewski’s intense vocals and suggestive lyrics.

Freshly formed (and pictureless) LES band Diavel (local Bolognese dialect for “devil”, pronounced Dee-ah-vel) have named themselves after a Ducati for good reason. With just 2 basses and a set of drums, these 3 jazz trained musicians rip instrumental music fast and tight, weaving through musical genres with ease and skill. Having recently returned from SXSW last month (where they played the Deli’s own party at Gypsy Lounge with Reptar and Body Language) they now return to Brooklyn this Monday with a show at Glasslands Gallery on 289 Kent Ave. – Simon Heggie

Lately we’ve been giving a decent amount of exposure to NYC based singer songwriter Charlene Kaye, who showed impressive artistic growth in the last year or so. We are happy to hear that she will be leaving for her first national tour in May. Check out bellow her latest single, "Dress and Tie," a duet with her frequent collaborator, Glee’s Darren Criss.

It’s a great (and rare) feeling when an emerging artist we followed and tried to help with some exposure suddenly produces new material that makes us drop our jaws. This can be said for Saadi, who’s been a regular in the Deli’s pages/blog since she was playing in an indie rock band called Looker. Saadi, just released a 7" and video of the single "Snowyman," which is by far the best track we’ve heard from her this far, and it’s also featured in the single in a series of remixes (including ones from Delicate Steve and Prince Rama). The video is gorgeous too, illustrating an ancient Indonesian tale of love and deception and the resulting forlornness that ensues from this deceit.

There’s something wildly fantastic about Slowdance and their stylish EP, “Light & Color”. Whether it’s their distorted trots through neo-new wave pars or their smoldering struts through retro French-pop standards, the young Brooklyn indie quintet knows exactly how to entice and bewilder listeners at the same time. – Read Annamarya Scaccia Q&A with the band here.

Recently featured on the cover of The Deli Austin 2012 issue – distributed for free at SXSW – electro-soul outfit Body Language channel a lifetime’s worth of music fandom into their own hybrid sound. Citing everyone from Bill Withers and The Beach Boys to Animal Collective as influences, the group is a fine example of the modern Brooklyn indie scene, with music-obsessed artists drawing inspiration from a variety of eclectic sources.

Music fans will have a variety of opportunities to catch the band live in April, since they’ll be playing a string of 3 shows in the NYC area: Bowery Ballroom on 04.14, Bowery Hotel on 04.17 and Brooklyn Museum on 04.19. – Read Dean Van Nguyen’s feature on the band here.

Double release on Sunday April 15 at The Studio at Webster Hall for two promising folky NYC bands, Flearoy and Town Hall.

Town Hall (top picture) describe themselves as an "adventurous indie pop band", although their music betrays a strong folk component, with frequent jazzy tinges. In the past few months they released a weekly, DIY cover video of songs like "Always On Time" by Ashanti & Ja Rule and "The Middle" by Jimmy Eat World. This past January, they released their EP "Sticky Notes & Paper Scraps" and recently released their first official music video, "Good Boy".

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Flearoy‘s Americana carries influences ranging from Booker T & the MG’s to the Beatles to Destiny’s Child (whom they recently covered in a tribute set in December). The band has earned an always welcome reputation for their raucous and fun live shows, but can also be moving in an intimate kind of way, since they master the art of the country ballad.