We just e-stumbled upon Foley Stewart, a young NYC songwriter who is having a residency at Pianos in April, and we really enjoyed his intimate, intense songs that are in equal parts reminiscent of Jeff Buckley and Elliot Smith. We definitely see a lot of potential here, you may want to check this guy out at Pianos at 7 pm on April 7 or one of the following Sundays.

Brooklyn based Tiny Victories play an interesting, rich brand of electro-pop. Floating on several layers of synths, electronic sounds, and steady drum patterns, their songs are luscious in the arrangement department and properly structured. The vocals add sobriety to the mix, through minimalistic melodies sung with very little emotion, in the classic "brainy pop" tradition inaugurated by Brian Eno. The band will play a series of shows at SXSW and then come back to NYC to release their debut CD on April 2 at Pianos. Check out the dates here.

Here’s the cover of the 1st issue of The Deli Austin. Click on the cover to access the pdf file. 5,000 copies of the magazine will be distributed in Austin during SXSW MUSIC 2011.

Deli Readers,

Check out the new Deli SXSW channel,  featuring (on the right) a nifty aggregator of SXSW related news from the main music blogs out there.

The Deli’s Staff

Brooklyn and Toronto based female group Blues tied for the 105th spot on the Deli’s Best NYC Emerging Artists of 2010 poll with fellow Brooklyn band Blondes (the full results of the poll can be seen here). Their music, indeed, features occasional bluesy elements, although their overall sound fully belongs to the "Brooklyn DIY Lo-Fi/Avant-indie" scene, equally influenced by Vivian Girls’ casual drone pop, Beach Fossils’ infectious sloppy-pop and Animal Collective sonic experimentalism. With a less fun approach than your average lo-fi band, Blues create psych rock that sounds current and – at the same time – is remeniscent of the original psychedelic atmospheres of the late 60s, carrying overtones of drug infused beachside bonfires and late-night road-trips with friends. Mid-March and it already feels like we’re halfway through July… in 1967. – Leah Tribbett

Somehow both light and heavy, Conversion Party possess an accessible garagey/alt sound. Like a good boxer, this band is quick on its feet- but also quick with the punch. Songs like "Island Dream" are a clear example of this, the vocals settling on top of driving instrumentals like oil on top of water. Other songs pick a side, like "Awake" (delightfully heavy, but still catchy) and "Ron", which is almost Beulah-esque in its lightness. Originally of New London, Connecticut, some of Conversion Party’s members call Brooklyn home. Their all-ages gig has already passed, but there is still time to catch their 21+ release show at Pianos. Pick up their that record while you’re there, I bet you won’t regret it. – allison levin

For the past few months, New York’s The Shake have opened their rehearsal space, “The Red Door,” and welcomed a multitude of bands to perform at their monthly party, “The Shakedown.” Saturday, February 12 was the “Valentine’s Day Edition” of the underground-meets-VIP-meets- fraternity-style get-together. The crowd is a mix of fans, friends, and people in search of a good time, who ultimately become fans once they are face to face with the live music. Performers for this month Shakedown, happening on March 12 at The Red Door (140w 24th St) will be psych rockers The Living Kills, Philly’s Deli favorite Penrose, and hosts and rock ‘n rollers, The Shake. – Read Amanda Schupak’s interview with The Shake here.

With a knack for making nostalgia-tinged, popped-out indie rock that’s alternately loud and/or mellow(ish) in all the right places, Diehard offer oft-distorted, yet still somehow pleasantly shiny, guitar rock with male-female vocals. The band’s two EPs — “Oh So Premier,” released early this year, and the just-released “Ultimate Heartthrob” — do a great job of capturing the energy of the quartet’s live show and offer the promise of more goodness to come, in form of a full length the band is currently trying to fund through a Kickstarter campaign. – Read Stereoactive NYC‘s interview with The band here.

Meet the strange and wonderful Lawrence and Leigh. When I first saw photos of this group, I thought.. "…another Brooklyn folk duo." 30 seconds into "Glow", these preconceptions were immediately abandoned. One thing they’re not is a typical folk duo. Whatever magic these two share together as singer-songwriters is matched equally by an intense interest in studio trickery. Complimenting their soaring harmonies with collage effects bordering on musique concrete, Lawrence and Leigh’s sound is brimming with ideas that keep obvious categorizations at bay. The music of Andrew Kalleen and Kristin Stokes seems to reinvent itself after every listen, so be prepared to spend some time with these tracks as they move from bare acoustic arrangements to electronic 4-on-floor grooves and back again in epic and rewarding proportions. Head on over to their myspace where you can stream all tracks from their newly released 6 song EP Odyssey Vol. III: Hills and Masts. No, you didn’t miss anything… they have decided to release the third volume of this odyssey before releasing the first two. That’s just something these arty musicians are into. See them at SXSW at Revolution Bar on 03.17 – Mike Levine (@goldnuggets)

Object is a Brooklyn based duo of noise rockers sort of in the vein of Dinosaur Jr., and they took the opportunity of their EP release party to invite other interesting noisy and loud local acts to open for them, tonight (03.09.2011) at Death By Audio in Williamsburg.

Here’s the full bill, doors are at 8:
Digamy

On Saturday, March 19, Glasslands Gallery will be hosting the Roadside Graves, Natureboy, GunFight! , and Wagers (in the picture). For those folks not attending SXSW this year, this show will hopefully help them forget that they’re not partying in sunny Austin, TX (at least for a few hours). For the show GunFight! will be performing “Cadaver Dog” with Natureboy’s Sara Kermanshahi, off of their LP, Frontier Land.

Doors 8:30, $8
1 Wagers (in the picture) 9pm
2 GunFight! 10pm
3 Natureboy 11pm
4 Roadside Graves 12am

You can also catch GunFight! and Natureboy at the Brain-Cave Festival at Shea Stadium on April 9th with Dinowalrus, Mr. Dream, She Keeps Bees, Dpony (mems Hooray for Earth), Shark?, Data Dog and more…

Civilian is the third album from Baltimore’s indie-folk duo Wye Oak, a collection of heart-wrenching tunes that singer/guitarist Jenn Wasner says are about "aloneness (the positive kind), loneliness (the horrible kind), moving on, and letting go (of people, places, and things.)" Every track paints those feelings vividly with Wasner’s dreamy vocals and multi-instrumentalist Andy Stack’s layers of echoing swirly melodies, fusing noise and fuzz at all the right times.

The album cover, a still of a cannonball diver submerged in dark water, sets the mood beautifully for these songs that are ready to boom from a summer-time lake side stereo. Like "Holy Holy" and it’s wailing guitar intro that returns triumphantly throughout, blending melodic rhythms and fuzz that recall the classic 90’s alternative edge.

"The Altar" is a rollercoaster of sound, building you up with a soft beginning before letting you loose in the chamber of loops, 60’s boardwalk/beachy keys, echoing dual vocals, and one hell of a super groovy guitar strum.

The title track "Civilian" is another killer track showcasing everything that Wye Oak is known for. Completely powerful in every way from the lyrics down to the scuzzed-out feedback, it’s another soft starter with a boom that kicks in with an uprise of everything they’ve got from a church organ that gives it a hint of southern gospel flair to a screeching guitar solo that’s ready to pull a Hendrix. This was the track that won me over fast.

Civilian was released 3/8. Check out the killer title track below, and also catch Wye Oak live at the Black Cat this Friday 3/11. –Dawn Wye Oak – Civilian by cityslang