Nashville

Show Alert: Great Peacock at The Stone Fox 8.2

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If it feels like it’s been a minute since Great Peacock has played Nashville, well, that’s because it has. The folk players trapped in a rock band’s body seems to have been giving love to all other points of the dirty South BUT Music City this summer, playing Hangout Fest in Florida and spending more time in Alabama than… George C. Wallace.  But that just means fans will be good and frothy for this long overdue show at The Stone Fox this Saturday.  Not only does absence make the heart grow fonder, but time on the road has likely heightened their already air-tight and heartfelt live show into temporary blackout territory.  Don’t bring your grandma to this one.  You’ll probably slap her.  -Terra James-Jura

Great Peacock will be joind by Belle Adair and Erin Rae.  The show begins at 9pm, and cover is $7. 

NYC

Bellows shares single ‘Funny Things’ from ‘Blue Breath LP’ + plays Silent Barn on 08.22

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Bellows is the project of Oliver Kalb (ex The Epoch) that features members of Frankie Cosmos’ band in the live lineup. "Funny Things” is the band’s preview single of the forthcoming album “Blue Breath”, which was “recorded in five bedrooms Kalb lived in over the course of three years”. If – from this premise – you expected a more subdued and lo-fi kind of music, you’d be only half wrong. The song stands in slight contrast with the rest of the album. It is voluble and soul stirring, and while it may seem more appropriate in a cathedral or even an open field, it remains personal, not quite the whispered words of other songs on the album, but individual and intimate nonetheless, an impassioned perspective from a cloistered bedroom. The full length ‘Blue Breath’ will be out on September 2, and the band will be performing at The Silent Barn on 08.22 and the release party at Shea Stadium on 08.29. – Emilio Herce

Philadelphia

Weekend Warrior, August 1 – 3

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The weather forecast this weekend predicts plenty of rain. Fortunately, you’ll be able to hide out inside at West Philly’s Golden Tea House or Nacho House for most of the weekend when OK FEST takes over the makeshift concert spaces. Johnny Brenda’s/DIY promoter Barrett Lindgren has put together a few sweet lineups for the fest’s inaugural run, which is anchored by some rising stars from our local music scene and beyond. On Friday at Golden Tea House, the stacked bill will be headlined by infectiously catchy, pop-punk trio Cayetana with support from the always impressive songwriting of Radiator Hospital, buzzing Siltbreeze signees Amanda X, Katie Crutchfield and Kyle Gilbride’s Great Thunder, The Ambulars, and Worriers. On Saturday evening at the beloved DIY space, there will be the one-two punch of Speedy Ortiz and Swearin’ along with Pile, The Holidays, Hound, Gunk, and Pinkwash. And for those who like to get an early start on their partying, Nacho House will be hosting a Saturday matinee with Mannequin Pussy, Sheer Mag, and Marge. Now, my only question is: Between all these rad bands and rabid indie music fans, how is everyone going to fit in both houses? I guess – come early and find out for yourself! OK FEST – Golden Tea House & Nacho House, (Please contact BarrettLindgren@gmail.com for more info.), 3pm (matinee) & 7pm, $5 (matinee)/$8 – $12 (sliding scale), All Ages – Alexis V.
 
Other places to hide out from the rain this weekend…
 
Johnny Brenda’s (1201 N. Frankford Ave.)  SAT Martha Graham Cracker’s 9th Anniversary Spectacular, Johnny Showcase
 
The Boot & Saddle (1131 S. Broad St.) FRI Juston Stens & The Get Real Gang (Record Release), Goodnight Lights, SAT Song Dogs, The Bigness, Cold Roses, SUN Sore Saints, Kids
 
Kung Fu Necktie (1250 N. Front St.) FRI Cardillo, Bird Watcher, Tin Horses, SAT The Plums, Momma Hankton, GRIP, SUN Beelzefuzz, Brain Candle
 
Union Transfer (1026 Spring Garden St.) FRI Noah Breakfast
 
Underground Arts (1200 Callowhill St.) SUN Tabor Rocks: Heavy Temple, The Nosebleeds, Wizard Eye
 
Bourbon and Branch (705 N. 2nd St.) FRI The Abandos, Twinks, SAT The One2s, The Black Market Opera, SUN AyeAye, Weekender
 
The Trocadero (1003 Arch St.) FRI (Balcony) David Hoagie and His Heroes, The Wanderers, Kingfisher, Tasty Face, SUN (Balcony) Sing, Bird of Prey
 
TLA (334 South St.)  FRI Suzann Christine
 
World Café Live (3025 Walnut St.) FRI Box of Rain, Pure Jerry (Upstairs) Lloyd Alexander
 
The Barbary (951 N. Frankford Ave.) SUN Our Waking Deception, Nations, Orpheus Sets Fire
 
The Fire (412 W. Girard Ave.)  FRI Dockument, Tippy and the Shy Guys, SAT Old Scratch, SUN Little Big League
 
MilkBoy Philly (1100 Chestnut St.) FRI KeN, Howling Fantods, SAT Phreak N’ Queer Arts & Music Festival: Icon Ebony Fierce, Gin Saint Germaine, H.I.M. Lee SUN The Pretty Greens
 
Ortlieb’s Lounge (847 N. 3rd St.) FRI Man About a Horse, Midwestern Exposure, Matt Spitko
 
North Star Bar (2639 Poplar St.) FRI Hannah Zaic & The Damaged Goods, Chalk & The Beige Americans, boog, Solus Rex, SAT Molly Rhythm, Ang & The Damn Band, Wonder & Fury, The Loud Company
 
Tin Angel (20 S. 2nd St.) FRI Andrea Nardello
 
The Legendary Dobbs (304 South St.) FRI (Upstairs) Melissa Clampferr, John Dutton/Dark Continent, Tree Rats (CD Release), SAT Andrew and the Rhythm Hounds, SmoKe/Joe Corabi, Mark Evans, SUN Paul Kurrey, Laura Cheadle, Valentina & The Vanishing Points
 
Connie’s Ric Rac (1132 S. 9th St.) FRI Reckless Dodgers
 
Voltage Lounge (421 N. 7th St.) SAT Herostreet, De Tierra Caliente
 
2nd Street Festival (Germantown Ave.) The Quixote Project, The Late Saints, Hennessey Bonfire, The Downtown Shimmy, Lovers League, No Good Sister, The Hello Strangers, New Sound Brass Band, (Fairmount Ave.) Shape Breaker, Needle Points, Pine Barons, Joe Sweeney & The Long Hair Arkestra, DRGN King, Mock Suns, TJ Kong & The Atomic Bomb, Weird Hot, Black Landlord, (Piazza) Natalie Chapkis, School of Rock, Mach 22, All Volunteer Army
 
The Grape Room (105 Grape St) FRI Catullus, SAT Buddy Roc, Adam Travis, Joshua Popejoy
 
Ardmore Music Hall  SAT Somewhere South, The Golden Monkeys
 
The Pharmacy (1300/02 S. 18th St.) FRI DRONEZ
 
Little Berlin (2430 Coral St.  FRI Cars Will Burn, Fade Sunshine, Bananas Symphony, Bennett Daniels
 
Nacho House (Please contact one of the acts or venue for more info.) SAT OK Fest Day 2: (Matinee) Mannequin Pussy, Sheer Mag, Marge
 
Milhouse (Please contact one of the acts or venue for more info.) FRI Post Season, Bad Heat
 
A House Named Virtue (Please contact one of the acts or venue for more info.) SAT Jay Purdy
 
1427 Frankford Ave. SUN Gretchen Lohse
 
NYC

Midnight Masses return with LP ‘Departures’ + play two NYC shows in August

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Brooklyn/Austin based, interstellar rock group Midnight Masses, a brilliant Trial of Dead spin-off we celebrated back in 2010 with this feature (which made our print issue) announced its return with sophomore album, “Departures,” released on July 22. This is an introspective, audible incarnation of loss, wonder, and longing. The group, which began as Autry Fulbright and Jason Reece of …And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead, came from the necessity of a creative outlet shortly after experiencing the deaths of family members and close friends, and the bereavement, emptiness and bafflement of such losses are still present in each song. Some songs will make you move in drone-beat synth, while others will move you, with spatial, helicopter-like tremolo, all while making you think about life and death, and the beyond. Midnight Masses plays Union Pool on August 20th, and Mercury Lounge on August 21st. Check them out then, and in the meantime, watch the video for “Broken Mirror,” which Fulbright refers to as “a ghostly love song.” – JP Basileo

Philadelphia

The Deli Philly’s August Record of the Month: Sea When Absent – A Sunny Day in Glasgow

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Sea When Absent (Lefse Records) opens like a shoegaze-y car crash. The latest album from A Sunny Day in Glasgow doesn’t bother gradually layering melodic elements; they get right to business from millisecond one, hitting you with reverberating electronic tones, orchestral violins, and the crooning vocals of Jen Goma and Annie Fredrickson. It’s a weirdly aggressive move for such an intensely soulful LP, but it’s pretty emblematic of how the record works as a whole. For an album as focused at creating moments of subtle beauty, Sea When Absent doesn’t have the time to let you gradually pick up on it on your own. A Sunny Day in Glasgow is the rare type of band that takes beauty and emotional resonances and waves it around like a chair in a bar fight.
 
In the strictest possible sense, this is a shoegaze-psychedelic-electronica album with a particular emphasis on vocals. But the more you listen; the more you start to discover what a diverse series of musical influences are rattling around in there. Mixing the electronica stylings of Flying Lotus and Saltillo with the indie-pop elements of bands like Death Cab and Phantogram, the basis is a percussion of grungy electronic tones, topped with a combination of guitar and synth, adding just the right balance, while being mixed in with a cavalcade of classical instruments and outlandish effects.
 
But the crown jewel of the album is Goma and Fredrickson’s understatedly gorgeous vocals. They play off, sometimes bizarre, instrumentations perfectly, complimenting them while also adding a fulcrum of relative normalcy to Sunny Day’s outside-the-box compositions. This is what really gives the album its sense of slick melancholy, creating an ambience of stylish vulnerability in tracks like “Byebye Big Ocean (The End),” where there is a sense of crooning sorrow, while “Oh I’m A Wrecker” sees them go much farther into the indie-pop paradigm.
 
While this record maintains the complexity and delightful weirdness of past A Sunny Day in Glasgow albums, it also comes with a newfound sense of clarity, in great part due to the outside production of Jeff Zeigler (of The War on Drugs and Kurt Vile fame). Zeigler is able to successfully piece together the moving parts of this bi-continental band, with mastermind Ben Daniels orchestrating things from the other side of the world in Australia, making the album’s abrupt left turns from spacey psychedelics to grounded punk-pop a little easier to digest. The wealth of ideas rarely feels busy or forced. Sea When Absent is ultimately proof that weird doesn’t necessarily have to mean messy.

NYC

From The Deli Submissions: Divining Rod

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Divining Rod is a project lead by Miuki Furtado, a multi-instrumentalist who operates in the New York and Baltimore scenes.  The A side off their recent single, "Those Were The Dais," is a wonderfully epic jam, packed with drawling, Lou Reed-esque vocals, not-too-pretentious guitar solos, and a great nod to the 60’s and 70’s vibes with references ranging from Simon and Garfunkel to Bert Jansch. Stream the single Below.  -Jake Saunders

This band submitted their music for coverage here.

Philadelphia

Juston Stens and The Get Real Gang Record Release Show at The Boot & Saddle Aug. 1

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How do you top an incredible music experience like playing drums for a critically acclaimed indie-rock band like Dr. Dog? You travel across the country on a motorcycle to record music with members of bands like Wilco, Spoon, and Apollo Sunshine. That’s exactly what Juston Stens did for the past few years when he wasn’t collaborating with the rotating cast of contributors in The Get Real Gang. The end result of that is the new documentary film I Lay Where I Fall, which documents his bold and exciting journey. And in the spirit of that adventure, he also recorded a new LP, Share the Road, that was nearly half a decade in the making. It showcases his collaborations with the likes of Jessica Lea Mayfield, David Vandervelde, and members of his former Dr. Dog family. The album release party is happening this evening at The Boot & Saddle, where Stens will be jamming with his Get Real crew. They’ll also be joined by pals Goodnight Lights, who most recently released their 3rd full-length, As Far As The Moon, and a music video for the track “Yardwork.” The Boot & Saddle, 1131 S. Broad St., 8pm, $10, 21+ (Photo by Gwen Aucoin) – Bill McThrill

Portland

Introducing: GIRLFEST NW – Words With The Organizer

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As a young woman, musician and music journalist, Madison Sturdevant recognized a need to strengthen the support mechanisms in place for female musicians in her community. To that end, last year she decided to found a non-profit organization dedicated to just that, and is now poised to hold their first event. Behold, GIRLFEST NORTHWEST 2014: an evening of six radically different girl-powered bands and solo acts, at the now all-ages Lola’s Room at the Crystal Ballroom on August 2. This one-day benefit music fest encourages men and women to come out and support girls making noise in the community, and it is just the beginning of Madison’s non-profit plans. The Deli got a chance to ask Madison a few questions about her cause. 

Read the interview here. Buy tickets to GFNW here.

– Brandy Crowe

San Francisco

Scary Little Friends The Saucy Jacks LaCerca and Brian Kelly Play The Starry Plough – 8/1

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San Francisco based folk band, Scary Little Friends will play The Starry Plough in Berkely tomorrow night. The rest of the awesome line up will include: Bay Area based power pop band, The Saucy Jacks, Tuscon based LaCerca and Brian Kelly of Oceanography, who will be performing solo. This lively group of musicians will take over the Bay Area’s favorite college town. Not all cool shows are in San Francisco, you can find great music in the East Bay as well.

With that said, Scary Little Friends will be hosting the August Tuesday Residency at Amnesia in the Mission District of San Francisco! Amnesia is one of the best places to hear live music in general, so enjoy the fact that you’ll have a few chances to check out this cool band throughout August. Take advantages of the opportunities!

L.A.

Amoreux release debut EP Never Young as Tonight

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Bassist Holiday J and drummer Nicole Turley came together in the heat of L.A. to create a unique and dynamic group called Amoureux. With smooth saxophones, violins, tribal drums and lo-fi synths, Amoureux offers something inspiring with every single song. Defining minimalism to its smallest form, there are simple and few elements used to create a maximum effect. The complexity in their hypnotic effects combined with their unconventional character entanglements give this album a lasting impression. They hit the nail on the head with using so little, to make so much in their music. The limited vocals add to the rawness of the orchestra, which creates this band’s style. Never Young As Tonight was released on July 29 via Neurotic Yell Records. – Kayla Hay