Kelly Ruth was mentioned here early this past spring, as she took up a residency at the East Room, and subsequently transformed it. She had a hand in involving a number of local artists that we love (Honey Locust and Phantom Farmer, to name a few) for the month of April, and has earned a place in our hearts for that, because beneath our thin candy shell runs a neverending reel of new and emerging artists. She’s been playing her sweetly vintage folk rock around Nashville since, with her next performance this evening at fooBar as part of Palaver Records weekly showcase. The evening’s well-curated lineup also includes Juliana Daily and Midnight Pilot; it’s going to be a great show. Watch Ruth perform "Blue-eyed Lover" below and get a concentrated hit of her throwback style (and see if she doesn’t rival Zooey Deshanel in adorable dissaffection.) Tonight’s show starts at 9pm, and cover is $5. -Terra James-Jura
Philadelphia
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New Track: “Pure Love (Endless Love)” – Les Professionnels
Philly production trio Les Professionnels (consisting of Drew Kramer, Daniel Reizes, and Christopher Schor) just announced that it has signed to NYC label Nurvous Records, and will be releasing an EP entitled Pure Love (Endless Love). You can check out the record’s title track below. They’ll also be performing on Friday, August 1 at Morgan’s Pier opening for LA’s Goldroom, a.k.a. Josh Legg. (Photo by Shadowscene)
L.A.
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Stream: Castro, “Why Don’t You Find Out?”
Castro are a trio of transplants who first began writing and recording together at a rehearsal space in Glassell Park. After sharing a likeminded sonic vision, the band quickly began recording a number of songs that would eventually become their first EP, Castro EP, a brisk ten minutes of smoothly layered new wave that relishes the more jaunty, tuneful side of eighties bands like The Cure. The track that kicks off the EP, "Why Don’t You Find Out?", sparkles with a nimble hook that’s all the more slick with the heavily-affected vocal delivery of singer Vincent Venturella. There’s been a good amount of bands that have given new life to the eighties in the past few years, specifically revisionist-leaning labels like Captured Tracks, but Castro mostly keep things simple by focusing on keeping the songs light and the melodies laser-sharp instead of drowning them with scuzzy reverb. You can check out Castro next week on August 1st at El Cid. And you can listen to Castro EP on their official sonicbids page.
NYC
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Stream The Gradients Most Recent Track, “Growing Pile”
There is a growing connection between the up and coming grunge rockers out of New England and a select few New York City bands. Artists like Krill, Ovlov, and Pile have been taking and doling out influence from and to NYC bands like Bluffing, Big Neck Police and the focus of this review, The Gradients. The last time I saw The Gradients was at the Living Gallery in Brooklyn last summer, so when I witnessed the solid crowd of followers that the band had amassed at Hot 97.4 this past weekend I was excited to see how their sound had evolved. Indeed The Gradients have come a long way; their songs contain powerful, driving melodies complete with an exciting, New York City-themed frustration. Their use of lazy harmonies is especially effective on their new single, "Growing Pile," where the chorus becomes layered in raspy vocals of that good, sweet teenage angst we all know and love. You can check out The Gradients next week on July 29th at Palisades with Washer, Palm and The Doozies. – Jake Saunders
Nashville
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Majestico Release Video for “Gimme Love”
Majestico, featuring Graham Fitzpenn (AKA the jungle king of Nashville) has released this video for "Gimme Love." The track is off their debut full-length, "When Kingdom Come," which came out on ATO Records this March. The video channels the same hazy, feral vibe originally hatched behind the Grassmere Zoo; you’ll want to fist pump when Fitzpenn’s headdress makes its first appearance. May the gods smile upon this garage band with a tribal soul. The next chance for some of Majestico’s ju-ju to rub off on you is August 8th, where they will be part of the Tomato Art Fest’s lineup. -Terra James-Jura
Portland
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Rigsketball 2014: Rock ‘N Roll ‘N Basketball
It would be hard for someone to argue against the statement that Portland has its quirks. When you throw in creative individuals who desire a strong sense of community, you get magic. You get someone like Bim Ditson. He’s gone on to be one of the stand-out innovators in the Portland music and arts communities. His invention? Rigsketball (and lots of amazing music and chainmail accessories).
You might’ve seen Rigsketball before, especially if you hang around local music venues. There’s only one brightly-painted van with a hoop attached. The game is seriously defined as "a yearly bracket style basketball tournament played between Portland bands at locations across the city on a regulation height hoop attached to the back of a van." What happens next? Music.
Semifinals and finals will occur in the parking lot of The East Portland Eagles Lodge this Friday, July 25th at 5pm. Live performances by six of our favorite Portland artists, Bearcubbin’, Sons of Huns, The Ghost Ease, And And And, Talkative and Old Age and they can be experienced between two stages. Everything is free. Everything. See you there.
For further inquiries, check out a rad writeup that VICE recently did on the subject, here, or check out this video.
– Colette Pomerleau
NYC
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BUHU 4-Track Cinemat Releas
Releasing an EP is a classic step for new bands to get their name on the scene, but the electro-pop trio BUHU decided to up the ante. Each of the four tracks on their new release went through a lengthy creative process, with every part staged, recorded and filmed separately. What we get from their labor of love is a four-part audio-visual dance party. They opted to spread the release out over their July residency at Swan Dive, bringing in other great local acts and releasing a video from the project with each week’s show. The fourth and final video is set to premier there this Friday, July 25th, along with performances from SIP SIP, Total Unicorn, and Slomo Drags. To put it simply (because BUHU won’t), you can expect a good time. –Written by: Marie Meyers
Philadelphia
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New S.T.S. EP Available for Streaming & Purchase
"For those that follow S.T.S., you probably know his 3 favorite things, WOMEN, WEED, and what to WEAR." Well, with his latest seven-track EP We Can Talk Politics & World Affairs, Sugar Tongue Slim tackles such topics and more that we tend to shy away from in public conversations. The different look at one of Philly’s finest emcees was produced by Grammy-nominated, multi-talented Khari Mateen with a feature from S.T.S.’s favorite collaborative partner, DJ BearOne.
NYC
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Cookies plays Rough Trade with Avan Lava on 07.31
Following the disbandment of avant-pop trio The Mobius Band, Brooklyn based singer songwriter/producer Ben Sterling started Cookies in 2012. The project basically channeled solo material he had been working on since around 2009. On July 31st the band will be performing at Rough Trade (together with that unstoppable EDM machince known as Avan Lava) and unveil new material off the upcoming debut record entitled ‘Music for Touching,’ scheduled for a September 9 release. The record features Colin Stetson (Arcade Fire), Aakaash Israni (Dawn of Midi), Tom Vek, Rebecca Zeller (Ra Ra Riot), the Magik Magik Orchestra, and the voices of Melissa Metrick, Areni Agbabian and Ashley Giorgi, who serve as the female counterpoint to Sterling’s baritone. Listen to the title track below.
NYC
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Animal Years releases new album + plays Brooklyn Bowl on 07.31
Animal Years is a project spearheaded by Mike McFadden, who primarily was a solo artist until he moved to Brooklyn, where he gathered a full band for his set. Their debut LP, Sun Will Rise, is anthemic and powerful; a passionate work of thrilling crescendos fueled by bright and expansive guitar and McFadden’s lyrical prowess. His vocals are firm and expressive, charging through each song with an impressive force. "Let Go of Your Head" has an electrifying energy, chiefly when the chorus kicks in; infectiously catchy, it stands out on the album as a high point. Stream the song below and you can watch the video for their song "Forget What They’re Telling You" here. You can see them live at the Brooklyn Bowl on Thursday, July 31st where they will open for Bronz Radio Return.
We added this song to The Deli’s playlist of Best Alt Rock songs by emerging NYC artists – check it out!
Philadelphia
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Hurry Opening for Hospitality & Ex Hex at JB’s July 23
With their second LP Everything/Nothing on the horizon, the Matthew Scottoline (Everyone Everywhere) led trio, Hurry, heads into Johnny Brenda’s this evening. Bookended by cousins Joe DeCarolis (Psychic Teens) and Rob DeCarolis (Univox), Hurry’s songs almost immediately assimilates to one’s ear. There’s an easy-going nature to Scottoline’s semi-spoken vocals, melding with crisp snap and pop instrumentation, which are given an additional texture by the presence of fiery fuzzed guitar. As we await the new release (whose contents could be showcased tonight), Hurry effectively hovers the threshold of pop-rock, capturing a smoothness that makes your head bob, while retaining a harder edge that keeps listeners on their toes. DC pop-punk trio Ex Hex, who will release their debut LP Rips via Merge Records, bridges the gap to headliners and fellow labelmates Brooklyn-based pop trio Hospitality. Johnny Brenda’s, 1201 N. Frankford Ave., 8pm, $12, 21+ – Michael Colavita
Chicago
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New Oceans
The punk trio New Oceans released their scorching new EP, What’s The Use, last month. The EP is now available for free download on the band’s bandcamp.