NYC

Buzz Alert! Sunflower Bean plays every couple of days: Baby’s All Right tomorrow (08.30)

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Oh Sunflower Bean, you pretty little rock and rollers, you… What are we gunna do with you?  You’re all so fashionable, so fresh and so clean, but your music brings as much color as your look (thank god) – and also some sweat and dirt.  I’ve attended a good handful of Sunflower Bean shows, and I have to say I’m very glad they released this track out of the bunch in their repertoire.  ‘Tame Impala’ is undoubtedly their favorite band, so much they named a song after them.  "You always say what’s on my mind," shreaks Julia Cumming; well Tame Impala is on Sunflower Bean’s mind.  The tune contains one of my all time favorite Sunflower Bean breakdowns; about three minutes in, the song slows down and the bass booster on Nick Kivlen’s pedal board makes his guitar sound like a synth until the song rides into a wave of psychedelic chaos of noise.  As of late the band has been hitting NYC venues once a week, often selling out places – check em out tonight (08.03) at Baby’s All Right and on 09.03 at Bowery Electric. – Jake Saunders

We added this song to The Deli’s playlist of Best Psych Rock songs by emerging NYC artists – check it out!

Philadelphia

Liz & the Lost Boys EP Release Show at JB’s Aug. 29

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Baroque-pop outfit Liz & the Lost Boys have been gaining some acclaim – thanks in part to the whimsical lyrics and lush harp chords of Liz Giavolino, with their music merging elements of folk with classical jazz. The group debuted their latest two-song EP As If/Explain this week, and will be celebrating its arrival with a performance at Johnny Brenda’s tonight. They’ll be joined by Maitland, who have recently released a new track themselves via Sofar Sounds and have also been jamming as part of gypsy-dance rockers King Tivoli. Rounding out the lineup will be West Philly folksters Silverton. Johnny Brenda’s, 1201 Frankford Ave., 9pm, $10, 21+ (Photo by William Lukas) – Bill McThrill

NYC

Soulful electro pop act Ayer releases ‘Fight Your Fire’ + plays Mercury on 9.10

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Just last week, Brooklyn-based electro-soul one man band AYER released his latest single “Fight Your Fire” (streaming) a midtempo track laced with Danny Schmittler’s smooth alto (borderline male soprano actually!). Schmittler has teamed up with various producers to craft a series of undeniably catchy soul-pop tunes pushed along by swift-moving synths and a steady beat reminiscent of the 70’s disco tracks we all know and love. While the AYER project may still be in its infancy, it’s already grabbing a lot of attention, and should maintain its momentum with a debut EP release scheduled for the winter. Be sure to catch him at Mercury Lounge on September 10th — the man has a great live energy and positive vibes all around. – Jillian Dooley

Philadelphia

New Music Video: “Runaways” – Work Drugs

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Work Drugs already have plans for a new record release. The group dropped the LP Insurgent this past spring, and they’ll be making their new album Runaways available October 7 via The Record Stache. You can check out the title track and its accompanying music video below. It’s the third single that they have shared from the forthcoming record.

Nashville

The Grayces Release Single “Do It To Me”

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The October release of The Grayce’s full-length album "Westing" is drawing near.  We had the opportunity to get an advanced listen to it this spring, (read the full review here), and this prolonged awareness has only served to make time creep by. Granted, this is an album that makes perfect sense nestled in amongst goblins and all things Halloweenie, but damned if we don’t want the rest of Nashville to get the full run of their unapologetic grunge rock. Until then, The Grayces have been keeping their fanbase plied with a steady trickle of shows, videos, and singles, the latest of which it "Do It To Me." Take a listen only if you like it when things get a little wierd.  -Terra James-Jura

 

NYC

Coming up: the 10th Annual Crossroads Music Fest

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Next Saturday, September 6, the 10th annual Crossroads Music Fest will be held in the Crossroads Arts District in Kansas City. The annual event, presented this year by KKFI 90.1 FM, will feature over 30 performers on seven stages. Visit cmfkc.com for a complete schedule and ticketing info.
 
These musical acts will be featured at Crossroads KC at Grinders, The Brick, Czar, The Tank Room, Mercy Seat Alley, Collection, and Green Lady Lounge. Highlights will include a reunion set from Onward Crispin Glover, who has not performed since 2003; showcases curated by The Record Machine and Money Wolf Music; and a diverse collection of rock, jazz, roots, and indie sounds representative of the Kansas City music scene.
 
From noon to 5 pm, the Kansas City Volunteer Lawyers and Accountants for the Arts (KCVLAA) will present the third annual Legal Bootcamp for Musicians at Czar. Topics will include copyright law, licensing agreements, band agreements, and other essential topics for the business-minded musician.
 

Tickets are $15 in advance or $20 at the gate. Individual venues will charge a lesser fee. Tickets can be purchased at Vinyl Renaissance (the 39th St or Overland Park location), Crossroads KC or Grinders, The Bottleneck, or at this link. Facebook event page.

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Philadelphia

New Music Video: “Kites” – Literature

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Indie-pop quartet Literature premiered a new music video today, over at Stereogum, for the track "Kites," off their latest full-length album Chorus (Slumberland Records). The kaleidoscopic imagery was directed by Erik Smith. They’ll be heading out on an U.S. tour this fall in support of the new LP, and will be making a stop in Philly for a record release celebration on September 15 at Underground Arts with The Drums and Beverly.

NYC

Tiger Dare’s inescapable calm

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There’s something strangely hypnotic about Tiger Dare’s sound. It’s floating on water, where every song feels like a breath of fresh air – and God knows we need some fresh air in this city.  Their songs feel good for the soul, often building towards wonderfully uplifting crescendos without losing the mellow.  Lost in a sea of reverb, lead vocalist Henry Freedland captures a personal nostalgia with "Morning After Morning" (streaming):  "When he’s lonely he’s so hopeless/When he’s hopeless he’s so boring/When he’s boring it’s just morning after morning".  The songs take the form of soundscapes, and under the distance there is a calm nostalgia to it all. The Brooklyn band’s debut EP ‘Wires Over, Wired In‘ has been gathering a fair amount of attention, and CMJ just announced them in the official lineup of the upcoming Music Marathon. – Jake Saunders

We added this song to The Deli’s playlist of Best mellow songs by emerging NYC artists – check it out!

NYC

Dead Leaf Echo keeps touring + appears on The B-Sides NYC Sessions tonight

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Keeping up what can only be described as an impressively relentless touring schedule, Brooklyn’s Dead Leaf Echo are taking a break of sorts to appear on television. You can catch the Premiere of Episode 4 of The B-Sides NYC Sessions featuring the Brooklyn dream pop quartet today (8/28) on NYC Life and anytime after that online here.

Filmed at Littlefield in Brooklyn, the hit cable show features interview by Host Kristen Korvette. Additionally, select music videos are presented that reflect the common sound and vision of our scene. Dead Leaf Echo then will continue their rigorous touring schedule which takes them through Pennsylvania, New York, Boston, Ohio, Milwaukee and Chicago before heading to the west coast for more dates. Their latest EP "true.deep.sleeper" has been getting rave reviews and the band has now begun work on their second full length album. The current 10" EP which is available now on Moon Sounds Records benefits from the sonic touches of Monte Vallier (Weekend, Wax Idols,) and mastering engineer Joe Lambert (Deerhunter, School of Seven Bells). Fellow New Yorkers can catch them live at Pianos on 9/3. – Dave Cromwell