With so many fine musicians in Slow Six, members often dedicate their talents to other ambitious musical endeavours. Redhooker‘s Stephen Griesgraber, one component of the aforementioned collective, does not stray away from the electroacoustic music that Slow Six fashions. Two years in the making, Redhooker’s “Vespers” is a contemplative and complex follow-up to “The Future According to Yesterday” that leans on the more experimental side of contemporary classical music.
“Trip and Fall,” a cascading piece with prominent strings, made its debut in late 2007 on the group’s MySpace page, granting an early preview of the material. Griesgraber’s strength lies in his ability to breach the excess of instruments and create profound songs with precise tones and mood. On the transformative “Presence and Reflection,” the piece begins with a sparse, tense cacophony only to develop into a beautiful, comforting serenade. Experience Redhooker’s new set of atmospheric tunes on Sunday at (Le) Poisson Rouge. Tickets are $10. – Nancy Chow

Recent victors of The Deli’s Open Contest in the Alternative Rock/Metal category and this month’s nominees for the Emerging NYC/NJ Artist of the Month, The Shake shook down Crash Mansion at a semi-secret show on January 5. There was "a whole lotta shakin’ goin’ on" while the quartet highlighted several top tracks from their month-old release, “The Shake Go Crazy.” Consistently an ear-catching and energetic band, The Shake stood out with their on-stage chemistry, witty inter-song repartee, raucous guitar solos, and rebellious vibe evident in their volatile “Merry Musket,” fiery “Galleries,” and explosive “Timebomb.” An a cappella intro transitioned into a rousing “Your Idols,” that was followed by a galvanizing “Pop Goes the…” The Shake added a bit of disco flare to their penchant for rock ‘n roll, covering only the best, The Bee Gees’ “Stayin’ Alive,” before closing the show with the soulful “Got No Soul.” –Meijin Bruttomesso

Rockers, Folkers and Poppers of all ages, sexes and hair colors,

The Deli’s regional Year End Best of Polls for emerging artists are finally over and it’s time to have a quick look at what’s going on outside your local scene. Here’s a recap of the winners of our nine polls with links to overall charts and readers’ polls results:

AUSTIN – Winner: Stereo Is a Lie
Overall Chart – Readers Chart – list of jurors

CHICAGO – Winner: I Fight Dragons
Overall Chart – Readers Chart

LOS ANGELES – Winner: Local Natives
Overall Chart – Readers Chart

NASHVILLE – Winner: Those Darlins
Overall Chart – Readers Chart

NEW ENGLAND- Winner: Mean Creek
Overall Chart – Readers Chart – list of jurors

NYC – Winner: Talk Normal
Overall Chart – Readers Chart – list of jurors

PORTLAND – Winner: Explode into Colors
Overall Chart – Readers Chart – list of jurors

PHILLY – Winner: Reading Rainbow
Overall Chart – Readers Chart – list of jurors

SF BAY AREA – Winner: Girls
Overall Chart – Readers Chart – list of jurors

The Deli’s Staff

The winners of our Best of NYC 2007 Poll Yeasayer (currently #21 in The Deli’s Web Buzz NYC Top 300 Chart) keep building momentum towards the release of their sophomore album, entitled Old Blood and scheduled for release on 02.09.2010 under Secretly Canadian. The band just announce a second free mp3 from the album, which can be downloaded from their homepage. Yeasayer two New York shows this February have been sold out for months, but you can still catch them perform on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon on February 10, 2010 (honeslt, we would have preferred to see them with Conan O’Brian but, hey…) Yeasayer will also appear at the Coachella Music Festival on April 16th, and have added another New York show at Webster Hall scheduled for May 4th.

Jessica Larrabee (guitars/vocals) and Andy LaPlant (drums) come from the no-frills school of rock basics. It’s where a nasty blues riff and a backbeat come together to turn up the hairs on the back of your neck. They’ve been at the local circuit for a few years now playing showcases, and they have a release out on UK label Names Records. She Keeps Bees (currently has received press already from The Guardian and NME. The Deli spoke to Jessica while her band was overseas in Ireland. – read the interview by Simon Heggie here.

City Center (currently #6 in our Avant Indie NYC Web Buzz chart) formed in 2007 as the side project of Fred Thomas and Ryan Howard of Saturday Looks Good to Me. After just dabbling and recording over the past couple years, the duo recently released their self-titled full-length City Center. The album is beautifully diverse and swims with sound and experimental electronic loveliness. With brief guest appearances by Mary Pearson from High Places, other friends, as well as tons of sampling, City Center takes sounds that would typically be dubbed as noise or strange and makes something so much more fluid and meaningful. Their raw textures and busy electronic orchestration creates a watery, floating feeling and the vocals are clear, yet soft and blisteringly sweet with harmonies. The duo also has a really entertaining blog, which is apparently how the whole band began in the first place. – read the full interview here.

Hesta Prynn should know by now that you DON’T lick the snare on a freezing day!!! The singer – formerly of the hip-hop group Northern State – is putting the final touches on her first solo album due out later this year. Hesta’s new sound pits euphoric beats and distorted basslines with punkish guitar overlays to create and energetic, edgy sound. New Yorkers will have another chance to catch her live this Wednesday, January 27th at Pianos.

Third Border is the name of the band formed in 2003 by Ben Miller, a veteran of the alternative scene who pioneered psych-rock in the fecund late ’60s Ann Arbor scene, and later teamed up with Stooge Ron Asheton and Michael Davis of the MC5 in the seminal art punk outfit Destroy All Monsters. The band’s new album, Return Return, was recorded in 2008 at The Kennel Studio in East Williamsburg Brooklyn by NYC underground producer Wharton Tiers (Sonic Youth, Dinosaur Jr, Helmet). Those who love noisy rock music shouldn’t miss their CD release party at Pianos on Saturday 01.30.

Top Ten Lovers Say: "We love, hate, and aren’t sure about…owl caricatures, buffalo hunting, Betty Davis, people that need a lot of attention, Paul Westerberg, perfect hair, Tom Waits, hangovers, trains, fog and steam, Dwight Yoakam, TV, Television, indecision, heartache, Sly Stone, Velvet underground, J Lindeberg, Woo, catching wild animals with your hands, loud-ass guitar amps, falling in love, Mark Bolan, Sleep Dirt, THE CLASH!!! staying for one more, Scott Walker, non-guys, Russian Animation, burgers, stealing cigarette lighters, beating on the brat, Brooklyn, late night jams, Sexy beast, revolution, drumbo, the shaving of the widows peak, Silver apples, Adidas, computers, coffee, war, Leonard Cohen, hurricanes, fire places, secrets, black clouds of smoke, automatic weapons, the smell of dead leaves, Daniel Johnston, Joe Tex, Mitch Mitchell , Dave Davies, hey buddy deli phone chat, mods and rockers, blues hammer, empty socks, carrying stress in the jaw, chick chat, Hasil Adkins, Hudson river,The War on Drugs, pop culture, dropping out, Townes Van Zandt, tape machines, sleeping late, distant cousins, fugazi, a sharp knife, a deck of cards, mass media, drones, sheep, and their behavior, fingerino, hillbilly junk, texas, panic, scroungers, peepers,stoners".

Iranian-born rockers, turned New Yorkers via Los Angeles, Hypernova, are set to release their debut album “Through the Chaos” through Narnack Records this spring. Raam (vocals/guitar), Jamshid (bass), Kami (drums), Kodi (guitar), and Poya (rhythm guitar) have endured the chaos and limits of Tehran and the competition of the music scene in American metropolises only to emerge on top. The quintet masters rollicking and bright guitars, accompanied by forceful, syncopated drums, and an interchange of tormented and hopeful lyrics about their struggle, journey, and fortitude. The group’s fast-paced, dark dance-rock fits comfortably into the New York groove; and with the new album on the way, these determined gentlemen are sure to fulfill their American and rock n’ roll dreams. – Meijin Bruttomesso

Some may say that by the sheer sound of their music, Brooklyn based trio – CHILDE – was born out of the side of a dragon’s fiery head or perhaps the hairy gut of a bearded gypsy. But reality has proven that the strangely heroic and poetic rock of this new band stems from the wit and spit of their hard work. CHILDE has sprouted a surprising new sound – something earth shattering and soul satisfying – a solid sense of proportion and passion amidst the vast vagueness of music in our culturally over-saturated contemporanea. A fiery blend of stoned-out punk rock and psychadelia with a pop sensibility to make any music lover feel they are on the edge of a great vastness with no strings attached. – (as posted in The Deli’s Open Blog – post your band’s entries, videos, and Mp3s here).

This show packed with NYC based artists (including Deli Best of NYC #34 The Paper Raincoat) will be at City Winery next Monday 01.25. The gig starts at 7PM. Each artist will get 15 minutes to get on stage, perform, and get off stage (roughly 3 tunes). Don’t miss!