S.T.S., Sugar Tongue Slim, just posted a rad new single, "$5000 Dolla Coat Shit," off his upcoming release WhiteGold: 215’s in My Trunk. The 8-bit-influenced track was produced by The Wurxs. It also features rhymes from Roots frontman Black Thought and a sample from the amazing Santigold.
Chicago
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Kid Sister is Jane Jupiter
Jane Jupiter is the secret or not so secret identity of Kid Sister and as Jane Jupiter she has released a new mixtape called Dusk2dawn. The video finds her dressed as a human disco ball and taking a on a more pop and dance friendly persona. The mixtape features contributions from Different Sleep, Dam-Funk, Bukkwheat Bill, and more.
Philadelphia
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New Music Video: “Wanting More” – Khari Mateen
Multi-talented Khari Mateen recently returned from a nine-month world tour with rjd2 and Cody Simpson. He has a new single, "Wanting More," a pulsating, panty-dropper, which he self-produced. Mateen also self-directed its video, and for both, he has kept things quite seductively minimalistic.
NYC
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Tigers Are Bad For Horses release new single “Recovery”
The track sounds “a lot like electronic and indie pop, but not” describes Tigers Are Bad For Horses pianist, Lyell Evans Roeder. When his rock and classical roots paired up with Mellen (Mary-Ellen) Funke’s folk-vocals, the duo created a sound all their own. Influenced by Bonobo, Alt-J, and Daft Punk, “Recovery” is a beautiful blend of Funke’s sultry voice and Roeder’s relaxing electro-jazz melodies.
Tigers Are Bad For Horses, a name created by Roeder’s "crazy-but-brilliant" Russian college roomie, have only been working together since April 2014, but already have a lot in the works. They are currently producing a second single, which they plan to release before the drop of their EP; both are expected this fall. The pair say they are dreaming big, but for now, they are looking forward to performing in the D.C. area in the next few months. If you haven’t already heard “Recovery” on Sirius XM Chill, take a listen below. –Sade A. Spence
Austin
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Smoking White play Beerland 9/17
Wednesday is the rebel of the week. Right smack in the middle it can be the turning point that leads to an epic week ahead or just another day to tick off the calendar. Get out of a mid-week slump and head to Beerland and check out Smoking White. The Austin foursome’s shoegaze-psychedelic sound is every bit present on their early summer release, Soft Chains. Available on cassette, yes a cassette tape, the distorted guitars and subdued vocals of Soft Chains will sound great as you contemplate life while listening to your Walkman. Go get your copy September 17 at Beerland, 9 p.m. There is also a digital version, but where’s the fun in that? -Allison Mayoral
NYC
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Lia Ices releases “ICES” + plays Mercury on 09.17
Lia Ices, one of our favorite NYC chanteuses (featured on the cover of the 25th issue of The Deli in 2011) is finally back with her long awaited sophomore album, and, well… it sounds nothing like the debut one that grabbed our tortured hearts. But change and experimentation are necessary in music, and in this record – entitled simply "ICES" – Lia abandons the spare, deeply intense ballad format that characterized her early career in favor of more lighthearted, lo(wer)-fi pop tunes that embrace many world influences, Caribbean ones in particular – we are thinking more about Calipso than reggae. The vacation related imagery in this new video for single "Higher" confirm how "ICES" can be filed under the ‘beach pop album’ category. Since it’s dropping at the end of the summer, it might help us extend the perception of the warm season through sound induced nostalgia, or maybe even make us dream of that trip through exotic lands we never took. Don’t miss her live tomorrow (09.17) at The Mercury Lounge.
Philadelphia
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New Vita and the Woolf EP Available for Streaming & Purchase
Vita and the Woolf just released their debut eight-song EP Fang Song. You can stream and purchase it below. Led by the confident, sultry vocals of Jennifer Pague, the group will be honoring its release this Saturday, September 20 at Ortlieb’s with Bondage & Discipline and Canon Logic.
Chicago
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Ryan Powers and The Secret Weapons
The latest single, "Mr. Sunshine", from Ryan Powers and The Secret Weapons is super catchy and is accompanied by a well-shot video.
NYC
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Synth-pop from NYC: Una Lux plays Glasslands on 09.18
Led by singer Kelso Norris, NYC emerging synth pop quartet Una Lux constructs dark melodic songs that land somewhere between Depeche Mode’s digestible industrial pop and Goldfrapp’s lush and layered romanticism. They released their first single ‘Simon’ in mid August, and just unveiled its video (streaming below). The band is scheduled to play Glasslands Gallery on September 18.
Nashville
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Congratulations to Earl Burrows, Our New Artist of the Month!
Earl Burrows may be one of Nashville’s most under-the-radar supergroups. Founded by Mark Watrous as a vehicle for the songs he had been banking while working as a touring member for acts including The Shins, Racounteurs, Karen Elson and Brendan Benson. Backing him is a crew of musicians with similarly impressive resumes: guitarist Carson Medders is a member of The Non-Comissioned Officers The Medders and Fox Bear Snake, drummer James Freshwater played for Lovedrug, and brother/bassist Joel Watrous played for DC’s Dance Imperative and Mu Meson. Together they perform what the band describes as "music for thinkers by thinkers;" ie: impeccably executed compositions with decidedly left-of-center origins. They’re sharp and intelligent, but don’t let their wit get in front of the 70’s-flavored pop fun or ability to spin a yarn. True to their dark horse nature, Earl Burrows has been appearing as a supporting act on consistently great bills for the past year they’ve been together, and are building up to an early 2015 release of their debut full-length album. For the interim, check them out live at The Basement on October 2nd, and dig into their available music online here. -Terra James-Jura
NYC
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Spotlight on Plaza Art Fair artist: The Project H
(Photo by Aaron Linscheid)
This week, we’ll be highlighting some of the artists playing INK’s stage at the Plaza Art Fair this weekend, September 19-21.
Most people know that Kansas City is steeped in a rich jazz heritage that continues to this day. One of the groups that has helped carry on the city’s vibrant jazz scene is The Project H, who has taken the music’s tradition to a modern level. Though still tasteful to listeners of jazz standards, the band incorporates a range of influences and abilities, creating music that is relevant and colorful. Ryan Heinlein, the band’s trombonist and songwriter, answers a few questions for us about the group.
The Deli: Down and dirty: one sentence to describe your music.
Heinlein: Doesn’t matter if you want to dance to it or analyze it, you’re going to be singing it for a while after you hear it.
The Deli: Give me some background info on The Project H. How long have you been together? How did it all come to be?
Heinlein: The band started in 2007 when I lived in Wichita. It took a year or so to get the band up and running when I moved to KC in 2008. The lineup is: drums, bass, keys, guitar, trombone, trumpet, and tenor sax, but we have a lot of people sit in. Everyone in the band freelances and makes most of their money playing other gigs so I use a lot of subs. That’s the thing about the KC jazz scene though, the talent pool is deep enough that I can call quite a few people on any instrument before there is a drop off in musicianship.
The Deli: What have been your greatest accomplishments as a band?
Heinlein: I think there’s something to be said for releasing three independent records with a band like this. Getting freelance musicians to commit their time and creative energy to a project like this is definitely an accomplishment, and the fact they still wanted to do another one was a win for me! Gig wise, we covered Beck’s “Song Reader” in its entirety (20 songs) last year with our friends Mark Lowrey, Shay Estes, and Jeff Harshbarger. Selling out the recordBar is always fun.
The Deli: The band has done educational clinics for schools in the area. What benefits have you seen it have on students, and also for yourselves as musicians?
Heinlein: Yes, we usually book them in bunches once or twice a year. I think it’s safe to say that we wouldn’t be the musicians we are today if it weren’t for music education. The day-to-day activities of being in a high school band or being a music major in college tend to run together but, for me at least, the lasting memories were the clinics that were provided as well as the performance opportunities. So I guess it’s just a “pay it forward”-type situation. The students get to see a group of younger guys making a living doing by being creative and doing what they love. And for us, it’s an easy way to let younger audiences hear us. We feel that we have an opportunity to attract people to more straight-ahead jazz if they hear our not-so-straight-ahead jazz. Basically we function as a gateway drug for jazz!
The Deli: You just released your third studio album, We Live Among the Lines. What can we expect from it?
Heinlein: A lot of layers and textures. The rock influence really sticks out to me on this record, probably because we added guitar to the group about a year and a half ago. I think there’s a commonality among the songs but at the same time, every song can stand on its own. I honestly think there’s something for everyone on this record.
The Deli: What does supporting local music mean to you?
Heinlein: I don’t get out as much as I wish I could with family and working on a doctoral degree but just getting out and seeing as many shows as I can. I don’t worry about genres, I like a lot of music and it’s pretty easy to find a good concert to go see when I do get out.
The Deli: Who are your favorite local musicians right now?
Heinlein: This answer would be different for every member of the group so I’ll just give you mine. In no particular order: The Grisly Hand, David Hasselhoff on Acid, Peter Schlamb, and Katy Guillen & The Girls… there’s seriously a lot of really good music in this town!
The Deli: Who are your favorite non-local musicians right now?
Heinlein: Becca Stevens, Jose James, Tigran Hamasyan, Jaga Jazzist, and I have always had a soft spot for Dillinger Escape Plan.
The Deli: Who are you most looking forward to seeing at Plaza Art Fair?
Heinlein: Aside from a couple groups I mentioned earlier, The Phantastics and My Brothers & Sisters on Friday, Eddie Moore & the Outer Circle and Diverse on Saturday.
The Deli: What is your ultimate fantasy concert bill to play on?
Heinlein: Oh man, something really diverse. I wish Mr. Bungle were still around. Maybe have a classic jazz group like the Jazz Messengers or Weather Report. P-Funk would be awesome too!
The Deli: A music-themed Mount Rushmore. What four faces are you putting up there and why?
Heinlein: This question is pretty much impossible so I’ll give you one based on my musical influences.
Mike Patton: His ability to explore and push the boundaries of music, no matter what genre he is doing.
James Brown: C’mon! He’s the Godfather of Soul! The pocket in his bands…
Bobby Watson: He’s pretty much responsible for igniting this jazz renaissance in KC. His playing and writing is the perfect combination of technique and soul. I owe him so much… Everyone in the band does too.
JJ Johnson: My influence, as far as trombone players are concerned, changes a lot. Right now I’m on a JJ kick. He’s just so soulful when he plays.
The Deli: What other goals does The Project H have for 2014, and beyond?
Heinlein: We are starting a collaborative series starting next month at the Westport Coffee House Theater where we act as a backing band for different KC musicians. October will be with Kelley Gant, December will be Emcee Reach and next February will be Lauren Krum. We are also talking with Julia Haile and Jorge Arana for later in 2015. I’d like to play some festivals outside KC, continue to support this record, and just expand our audience. I’d also like to do a Project H big band show…I have a lot of writing to do I suppose!
The Deli: Where can we find you on the web?
Heinlein: https://www.facebook.com/theprojecthkc
The Deli: Always go out on a high note. Any last words of wisdom for the Deli audience?
Heinlein: Get out and listen to a group you may not normally follow, or go to a club that you’ve never been to. Don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort zone. There are great things happening in our city, let’s celebrate it!
The Project H is:
Clint Ashlock: trumpet
Ryan Heinlein: trombone
Brett Jackson: tenor saxophone
Matt Leifer: drums
Andrew Ouellette: keys
Dominique Sanders: bass
Jeff Stocks: guitar
The Project H will be playing on INK’s stage at Plaza Art Fair on Sunday, September 21 at 2:00 p.m. The stage is located at Ward Parkway and Pennsylvania Avenue, next to Gram & Dun and Plaza III. Facebook event page.
–Michelle Bacon
Michelle Bacon is editor of The Deli KC and plays in bands.
Nashville
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Video Release: Sound & Shape, “Venus”
Eight years is just drop of pig’s blood in the bucket, and this September is prom night for Sound and Shape. The band’s fourth album, “Bad Actors” will be released the 23rd of this month, and signifies a band weathering several years to hit their stride. They’ve teamed up with accomplished prodcers Matthew MCauley and Casey Wood to create something with such abnormally high levels of prog that it would be a disaster in less accomplished hands. Luckily the band’s tendency to temper some of the heavier thrashing with a sense of urgency and a very rock’n’roll bird-flip to tradition makes it very easy to listen through an album and reach for the next. There’s little doubt that "Bad Actors" will be more of the same. Artistdirect premiered their video for single “Venus” this Tuesday, and while we would have loved to see vocalist Ryan Caudle’s vision for a “three-part space opera” executed, watching the misadventures of a fallen angel was still pretty entertaining. The Sound & Shape’s next Nashville show will be at The End Sept. 26th. -Terra James-Jura