This Saturday, September 18th, Bisco Smith and brokeMC have put together a great night of hip hop culture. From 2004-2008 the FALLDOWN parties had their home at the original Bushwick DIY venue, Asterisk. Now they bring the same energy and diverse sounds to the new Brooklyn DIY venue Shea Stadium off the Grand St. L stop. Expect a slew of amazing painters slathering canvases right in front of your eyes, live screen-printing of shirts and bags and whatever you bring by Werdink.com, killer DJs, and some amazing local hip hop acts including Bisco Smith (pictured), Deathrow Tull, Rosetta Stoned and True Theory. If you never made it to a FALLDOWN party before, now is your chance to make up for it. $7 (Ladies free before 11pm), 18+, doors at 9:30pm.

Crystal Stilts was (probably) the band that started the whole "nu-surf-psych-punk" trend – and we liked their debut CD "Alight of Night" so much that we gave them the cover of our 17th NYC issue. The Brooklyn droners just announced the upcoming release of a new single (you can stream the two songs in it here and here) and of a full length album scheduled to hit our ears in early 2011. The band will play live at The Rock Shop in Gowanus on 10.29 after a long time – mark dat calendar of yourz!

Waking Lights‘ orchestral psych folk sure doesn’t lack in originality, character and good songs. And variety! These guys have the rare gift of sounding rootsy and innovative at once – a gift they share with The White Rabbits and Motel Motel. We really dig the song "Only the Sex", with its exotic sounding strings and Doorsy organ parts. The song’s overall psychedelic atmosphere (and the rousing chorus in particular) are reminiscent of our good old friends The Occasion (cover of Deli issue #5). In the band’s other tracks you’ll find some aggressive bluesy numbers and several folk-ish songs with "telephoned" vocals floating on a controlled carpet of – alternatively – acoustic guitars, keyboards, feedback and strings. The NJ/Brooklyn based band will celebrate the digital release of their latest record ""The Rabbit Hole" 7” on September 17 with a show at Maxwel’s in NJ – highly recommended!

Around for 7 years now, NYC heavy psych rockers La Otracina are about to release their fourth album and tour the US in the fall. Recorded in bass player Evan Sobel’s home studio and the band’s rehearsal space over two years (Sobel also recorded/produced NAAM’s s/t debut LP recently released on TeePee Records), "Reality Has Got to Die" blends classic hard rock, early-metal, and prog, but also includes forays into free-jazz, cosmic synthesizer music, and even folk. This is a band that you want to see live – don’t miss the CD release party at Union Pool on September 16.

Dive Index is the collaborative, cross-genre project brainchild of NYC producer/musician Will Thomas. The sophomore album "The Surface We Divide" (out on 10.12) features vocals by Joseph Arthur, Cat Martino, and even former Ride vocalist Mark Gardener, and instrumental appearances include cello by Julia Kent (Antony & the Johnsons) and drums by Kevin O’Donnell (Andrew Bird). They recently released this video featuring Cat Martino on Vocals.

We will soon write a little more in depth about  Emil & Friends (you know how Friday is right for a blogger, right? You feel like you used all the words already…), but for now we’ll just say that we really like them – they sound a little like a folky version of Dirty Projector with less weird melodies. No upcoming show announced, but several promising signs (a sold out vinyl and a new EP released on Cantora Records, which lauched MGMT and now Bear Hands and… a custom super hero suite!!!).

Brooklyn-based singer/songwriter Jessi Robertson is set to release her first full band album "Small Town Girls" in February 2011, but "Half Moon," the album’s first single, will be available through iTunes, CD Baby and most major online outlets beginning September 16, 2010. In addition, "Half-Moon" is currently streaming at MySpace. The song showcases Jessi’s electric folk sound while lyrically exploring the loneliness and alienation that have become haunting themes in her work. See her live at Bar4 (444 7th Ave. Brooklyn) on September 16. – (as posted in The Deli’s Open Blog – post your band’s entries, videos, and Mp3s here).

Without a doubt, Darlings are currently the NYC band that better carries the torch of the carefree guitar indie pop of the 90s (fans of Pavement, be advised). This group of former NYU college mates has been enjoying a growing buzz in the last few months and we wouldn’t be surprised if they were one of the "it" bands at this year’s CMJ Music Marathon. Darlings just announced the digital release of their first single on PopMatters, and announced the release of an EP in the fall. See them at Union Pool on 09.10.

Branded as New Wave in their myspace profile, NYC based Translations is a little more complex than that. The band knows how to use reverb, clanging drum machines and lo-fi tricks in ways more interesting and sophisticated than your average Bushwick bedroom project. Most importantly, they can write good songs, and have found a strong signature sound in Andrew Fox’s dark and thoughtful vocals. In this band’s tracks you’ll find ambient noise, rock’n’roll, great melodies, as well as alcohol-heavy inflections. The self-titled EP opener, "The Wanderer" – an electro-pop and punk mash up filled with lots of range and vocal harmonies – stands out as the album’s best track. The brand new single "Tarantella" (recorded with the help of Jeff Curtin from Small Black, not in the EP), with its evocative vocals, sudden empty breaks and a highly addictive "revolving chorus", takes us back to the summer of 1998, when everybody was in love with The Beta Band (which one year later committed artistic suicide with one of the ugliest albums ever). Check out Translations live at The Woods on September 15 and a week later at Coco66.

The Willowz sprouted out of Anaheim, California in 2002 and soon after, lost their Orange County leaves and became NYC transplants where they have sowed their punk, soul, and garage rock seeds on their newest album, “Everyone.” Bluesy and psychedelic vibes saturate each track, and overlay Richie James Follin’s searching, howling vocals, William-Lewis Mclaren’s (guitar/vocals) continuously bending and ringing riffs, with relentlessly speedy rhythm section of Jessica Anne Reynoza (bass/vocals) and Loren Shane Humphrey (drums). The band’s signature sound blossoms on slide-guitar guided “I Know” and a vibrant title track “Everyone,” as “Way it Seems” plays with a variety of tempos. Album standout, “Repetition” embodies the best of The Willowz’s gritty roots, and jaunty “Destruction” surges forward with wailing vocals and guitars. The Willowz’s “Everyone” certainly branches out to something for everyone. – Read Meijin Bruttomesso’s interview with the band here.

Read Alex Daly’s interview with Holy Ghost here.

We’ve always been huge fans of Callers – their debut album was our CD of the Month about 2 years ago. The duo (recently turned trio with the addition of a drummer) will celebrate the release of their sophomore album with a show on 09.08 at Zebulon in Williamsburg. Listening to the free single streaming here, the signature soulful female vocals and understated guitar work are now integrated with more pronounced jazz elements as well as an interesting percussive component brought by the drums. The record, entitled "Life of Love" will be released under Western Vinyl – home to Dirty Projectors, Glass Ghost and Here We Go Magic among others. Callers will also play Littlefield in Park Slope on September 19.