CMJ 2012 Issue! - The Deli

the deli
the magazine about emerging nyc bands
FREE in NYC Issue #32 Volume #2 Fall 2012
$2 in the USA www.thedelimagazine.com
Young Magic Wildlife Control Blonds Il Abanico
Cuddle Magic EndAnd the last royals Railbird
The Everymen you bred raptors? Plume Giant
Laura Stevenson & the cans Anya Skidan New Myths
Modern Rivals Mal Blum Eytan & The Embassy
CMJ 2012 Issue!
Foxygen
Live at Pianos 10.19.2012
Stomp Box
Exhibit 2012
in W’burg, October 19 & 20
MS MR
Inside:
Guide to
The Deli’s
11 CMJ Shows

the deli
the everything magazine about the emerging nyc music nyc scene bands
Issue #32 Volume #2 Fall 2012
Editor In Chief: Paolo De Gregorio
Founder: Charles Newman
Executive Editor: Quang D. Tran
Senior Editor: Ed Gross
Art Director/Designer: Kaz Yabe (www.kazyabe.com)
Assistant Editor: Tracy Mamoun
Cover Photo: Angel Cellabos
Web Developers: Mark Lewis, Alex Borsody
Staff Writers: Bill Dvorak, Nancy Chow, Mike SOS,
Dean Van Nguyen, Meijin Bruttomesso,
Dave Cromwell, Ben Krieger, Mike Levine
In-House Contributing Writers: Christina Morelli,
BrokeMC, Ed Guardaro, Amanda F. Dissinger,
Chelsea Eriksen, Simon Heggie, Molly Horan,
Annamarya Scaccia, Tuesday Phillips, Corinne Bagish,
Christine Cauthen, Devon Antonetti, Jen Mergott,
Bob Raymonda, Brian Chidester, Joshua S. Johnson
The Kitchen: Janice Brown, Howard J. Stock, Ben Wigler,
Shane O’Connor, Matt Rocker, David Weiss, Gus Green
Stomp Box Exhibit Intern: Andrés Marin
Interns: Mijhal Poler, Kristina Tortoriello
Publishers: The Deli Magazine LLC / Mother West, NYC
Note from the Editor
Dear readers,
We booked 83 bands for the 2012 CMJ Music
Marathon - but it doesn’t mean we didn’t want to
book more! Here’s a list of artists we ALSO wanted
to book, but for various reasons, the stars didn’t
align: Beacon, Chrome Canyon, Clear Plastic Masks,
Clouder, Devin, Deathrow Tull, Eraas, High Highs,
Fergus & Geronimo, Generation Ohm, Hunters,
Io Echo, Jesca Hoop, Lucius, Magmana, Noosa,
Stone Cold Fox, People Get Ready, Quilt, Skaters,
Ski Lodge, Soft Spot, Spirit Family Reunion, Talk
Normal, Total Slacker, Water Knot, Wilsen, Zulus
- and many others that we can’t think of at this
time. They are all featured in our blogs at
thedelimagazine.com.
-Paolo De Gregorio
Read the past issues
of The Deli in PDF !!
www.TheDeliMagazine.com/PDF
The Deli Magazine is a trademark of The Deli Magazine, LLC, Brooklyn &
Mother West, NYC. All contents ©2012 The Deli Magazine. All rights reserved.
nyc.thedelimagazine.com
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• Enter your band for free in our charts
organized by genre and region.
• Find out about other like-minded
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Is your Band Good?
A
ny artist or band interested in
earning a living through music
at some point must wonder if
there is a chance that a considerable
number of people will like their
music when properly promoted to
the masses.
There is actually a simple way to
get a rather precise idea about
that: start looking for a PR person.
Depending on who you find, you’ll
have your answer.
Read the full article on
delicious-audio.com

The Deli Magazine’s
The Deli Magazine’s
Music Map
Music Map
Brooklyn & Manhattan
Brooklyn New York & Manhattan City
New October York City 16-20
October 16-20
TUESDAY 10.16
TUESDAY The Delancey 10.16 - $10 (free upstairs)
The R Delancey R Rootsy - Stages $10 (free(pg. upstairs) 6-8)
R R Rootsy Stages (pg. 6-8)
WEDNESDAY 10.17
WEDNESDAY Spike Hill - $7 10.17
Spike IP Indie Hill Pop - $7 Stage (pg. 10)
IP Indie AR Alt-Rock Pop Stage (pg. (pg. 10) 12)
AR Alt-Rock
The Living
Stage (pg. 12)
Room - $8
The
PC Post-Chestral Living Room - Stage $8 (pg. 14-15)
PC Post-Chestral Stage (pg. 14-15)
THURSDAY 10.18
THURSDAY The Delancey 10.18- $10
The
E Electronic Delancey - Stage $10 (pg. 18-19)
E Electronic
AP Avant Pop Stage Stage (pg. (pg. 18-19) 16-17)
AP Avant Pop Stage (pg. 16-17)
FRIDAY 10.19
FRIDAY Pianos 10.19 - $10/12 (free upstairs)
Pianos
P P Mostly - $10/12 Psych (free upstairs) Stages (pg. 20-21)
P P
Sidewalk
Mostly Psych
Cafe -
Stages (pg. 20-21)
(free)
Sidewalk AF Anti-Folk Cafe Stage - (free) (pg.22)
AF Anti-Folk Stage (pg.22)
SATURDAY 10.20
SATURDAY Delinquency 10.20 - $8 (suggested)
Delinquency
N Noise Rock - $8 Stage (suggested) (pg. 24)
N Noise Rock Stage (pg. 24)
Crazy & the Brains
12:00
Crazy & the Brains
12:00
R
R TUESDAY
DOWNSTAIRS
TUESDAY
R Backwords
DOWNSTAIRS
7:15
E
R Backwords
7:15
E
AP
AP
THURSDAY
THURSDAY
Ben Pagano Band
11:15
Ben Pagano Band
11:15
Ex Cops Ex Cops
11:30 11:30
Young Young Magic Magic Field Field Mouse Mouse
1:40 1:40 10:45 10:45
Tashaki Tashaki Miyaki M
Hundred Hundred Waters Waters 10:00 10:00
12:50 12:50
Mac Mac DeMarco DeMarco
Union Union Street Street
12:00 12:00
Preservation Preservation
Society Society 7:00 7:00
Sn
Thomas Thomas
Dust Dust Engineers Engineers
Simon Simon 7:00 7:00
7:45 7:45
Sewing Sewing Machines Machines
Shakey Shakey Graves Graves
7:40 7:40
The Reverend The Reverend 8:30 8:30
Cultfever Cultfever John John Delore Delore
8:20 8:20 8:00 8:00
Plume Plu
9:15 9
Railbird Railbird
9:00
Town Hall
American Royalty 9:00
Town Hall
American Royalty
8:50 8:50
7:00 7:00 Maus Maus Haus Haus
9:45 9:45
Swear Swe &
Modern Modern Rivals Rivals
9:40 9
7:50 7:50
Il Abanico Il Abanico
Lushlife Lushli
8:40 8:40
10:30 10
Conveyor Conveyor
9:30 9:30
THURSDAY
THURSDAY
Go
10
Dynasty Electr
11:
Dynasty Electric
11:15
Anomie Bel
12:0
Anomie Belle
12:00
Duc
Ducky 12:4
Drop 12:45 Electr
Drop Electric1:3
1:30

Go Love
10:30
Go Love
10:30
Love
:30
AF
Kung Fu Crimewave AF
Kung Fu Crimewave
7:30
AF
Kung Fu Crimewave 7:30
7:30
ctric
11:15
ic
15
Dinosaur Feathers
elle
2:00
le 0 ucky
ky
12:45
ectric 5
ic
1:30
0
Dinosaur Feathers 10:20
10:20
St. Lenox
St. Lenox
8:20
St. Lenox 8:20
8:20 Mal Blum
Mal Blum
9:00
Mal Blum9:00
9:00
Bird to Prey
9:45
Bird to Prey
9:45
Bird to Prey
9:45
Dinosaur Feathers
10:20
WEDNESDAY
WEDNESDAY
PC
PC
PC
FRIDAY
WEDNESDAY
FRIDAY
Wildlife Control
11:10
AF
Kung Fu Crimewave AF
FRIDAY
Doe Paoro
9:15 Cuddle Magic
Doe Paoro 10:00
9:15 Cuddle Magic
Doe Paoro 10:00
9:15 Cuddle Magic
10:00
Wildlife Control
11:10
Wildlife Control
11:10
FR
Industries of
the Blind 11:40
Industries of
You Bred the Blind Raptors? 11:40
10:50 Industries of
You Bred the Blind Raptors? 11:40
10:50
You Bred Raptors?
10:50
Bugs in the Dark
Bugs
1:50
in the Dark
Figo
Bugs 1:50 in
Figo
1:00 the Dark
1:50
Figo 1:00 N
1:00 N
N
WEDNESDAY
iyaki
Miyaki
:00
co
12:00
owmine Snowmine Snowmine
11:10 11:10 11:10
Moon Moon King Moon King King
9:15 9:15 9:15
s
Foxygen Foxygen Foxygen
Giant me Plume Giant Giant
10:20 10:20 10:20
:15 9:15
Robert Robert Delong Robert Delong Delong
8:30 8:30 8:30
JP & JP the & Gilberts JP the & Gilberts the Gilberts EndAnd EndAnd EndAnd Murals Murals Murals
10:00 10:00 10:00
ar Shake Swear & Shake & Shake
5:10 5:10 5:10
9:30 9:30 9:30
:409:40
XNY XNY XNY
10:45 10:45 10:45
The Everymen The Everymen The Everymen
Anya Anya Skidan Anya Skidan Skidan
ushlife Blonds
The Last
4:20
fe Blonds Blonds
The The Last Last
4:20 4:20
7:45 7:45 7:45
:3010:30
10:30 10:30 10:30
Royals Royals 10:00 Royals 10:00 10:00
The Luyas The Luyas The Luyas
8:40 8:40 8:40
New Myths
Friend
EULA
New Myths
yor Friend Friend
EULA EULA
New Myths
7:00
9:30 Roulette Roulette 8:30 8:30
3:30
7:00
Roulette 8:30
3:30 3:30
7:00
Ava Ava Luna Ava Luna Luna
7:50 7:50 7:50
Shy Hunters Shy Hunters Shy Hunters
Eytan Eytan & Eytan The & The Embassy & The Embassy Embassy
6:15 6:15 6:15
9:15 9:15 9:15
Laura Laura Stevenson Laura Stevenson Stevenson
Poor Poor Moon Poor Moon Moon
In One In One Wind In Wind One Wind & the & Cans the & Cans the 11:20 Cans 11:20 11:20
Ace Reporter Ace Reporter Ace Reporter
7:00 7:00 7:00
7:45 7:45 7:45
Everest Everest Cale Everest Cale Cale
8:30 8:30 8:30
12:10
aki i Miyaki DT Rotbot DT Rotbot DT Rotbot
12:10 12:10
7:00 7:00 7:00
Fast Fast Years Years Fast Years
7:45 7:45 7:45
Flying Flying Points Flying Points Points
7:00 7:00 7:00
King
Delong ng
Letting Up Despite
Great Faults 12:00
Letting Up Despite
Great Faults 12:00
Letting Up Despite
Great Faults 12:00
SATURDAY
SATURDAY
SATURDAY
Life Size Maps
Life
2:40
Size Maps
2:40
Life Size Maps
2:40
Santah
12:50
Santah
12:50
Santah
12:50
Ava Luna
Kiven
1:30
Kiven
1:30
Kiven
1:30
Port St. Willow
AR
AR Motive
AR
Motive 10:45
Motive 10:45
10:45
WEDNESDAY
WEDNESDAY
WEDNESDAY
WEDNESDAY
Starlight Girls
12:30
Starlight Girls
12:30
FRIDAY
FRIDAY P
FRIDAY
WEDNESDAY
Starlight Girls
12:30
Dangerous Ponies
1:15
P
DOWNSTAIRS
Dangerous Ponies
1:15
P
P
DOWNSTAIRS
IP
IP
Dangerous Ponies
1:15
P
P
DOWNSTAIRS
IP
Mother Feather
Mother 11:30 Feather
Mother 11:30New Feather Beard
11:30 New
12:15
Beard
New 12:15 Beard
12:15
Raccoon Fighter
Raccoon
1:00
Fighter
Raccoon 1:00 Fighter
1:00

tue
10/16 rootsy @ the Delancey (downstair
The Deli’s CMJ Shows ’12
7:15pm
Backwords
L
Backwords
o-fi psychedelic band Backwords
captures the spirit of the ’60s
through each of their four fulllength
albums. The group is mildly
obsessed with the hippie era, reflecting
on the Occupy Wall Street movement as
a nod to the love-and-peace generation
and infusing that amity into their music.
The Broolkyn-based outfit’s sound flows
seamlessly between surf and psychedelic
rock with wailing guitars and easy
pop rhythms, often in the same song.
They’ve received favorable comparisons
to the Beach Boys and Pink Floyd,
which is a fitting not only in referencing
their genre, but also in considering
their retro visual and sonic aesthetic.
However, Backwords doesn’t just imitate
the bands’ record collection though.
The group manages to evolve with each
album, transforming into some well-polished
hippies throughout their five-year
history. (Devon Antonetti)
Production Corner
By Paolo De Gregorio
Recording The Banjo
The banjo - this bizarre mutation of a guitar and
a snare drum - can be a difficult instrument to
record. The main challenge is to find a balance
between the very attacky but thumpy sound
audible near the center of the head, and the rest
of the instrument’s sonic components, which
- because of its complex harmonic structure -
range from mid lows fundamentals to the top
end side of the frequency spectrum. Condenser
or dynamic microphones are commonly used for
close miking the banjo, but this is an instrument
that can shine when at least one mic (normally a
large condenser one) is placed a little further from
the source - which is obviously something you
can’t do only if you are recording it separately
from the other instruments.
Try placing the close mic 6-12” away, aiming at
8:00pm
The Reverend
John DeLore
F
or several of the tracks off his
new album, Sweet Talk for Pretty
Daughters, the Reverend John
DeLore recorded his vocals in the room
where folk legend Gram Parsons died
in 1973. Clearly, the ghost of Parsons
was trapped in that space for almost
40 years waiting for someone to set
him free and refill the world with his
music. That’s one explanation as to
how DeLore creates such lovely folk
gems. A more likely explanation, however,
is the Reverend is an extremely
talented singer-songwriter who incorporates
his notable influences along
with his refreshing take on folk music.
Either way, surely Parsons would be
very proud, and DeLore should be too.
(Joshua Johnson)
the center of the head; if the
attack is too pronounced,
try moving the mic slightly
towards the outer edge,
towards the bridge and
south of the strings, and/
or experimenting with the
mic’s angle.
Different playing styles call
for different techniques - if
the player is using a pick or
his nails, you may not want
to go for the “full center”
position, which may instead
work better with a more
gentle style.
Also, always bear in mind
that dynamic mics are less
sensitive to attack than
condensers, and that, as
always, the best recordings
are tailored to the song
context they fit in.
8:50pm
Town Hall
he college kids of Town Hall
have a knack for combining a
Tpure sense of wonder with their
increasing presence in the adult world.
This dueling blend of the childlike hope
and adulthood reality is clear on the
band’s debut full-length record, Roots
and Bells. However, when you can create
gorgeous indie folk melodies like they
can, the mixture of emotions must be a
lot easier to manage. (Joshua Johnson)
11:20pm
Laura Stevenson
& The Cans
See feature on p.40.
12:10am
Everest Cale
S
Everest Cale
outh Carolina and Midwest natives
Everest Cale have a dream-like,
lulling quality - thanks to lead singer
Brett Treacy’s passionate crooning
throughout the group’s debut EP Beast.
With rich guitars and poised refinement,
the Brooklyn-based band manages to
find new life in a formulaic genre. Beast
was released in early September, with
the five-song album’s smoldering lyrical
and sonic intensity. Everest Cale’s bluesy
sound doesn’t come as a surprise, given
Treacy’s roots in the South, where he
met his bandmates through a “singer
wanted” poster. Though the band only
has a few songs behind them, the EP is
a promising beginning for the “grassroots”
rockers. (Devon Antonetti)

s)
9:40pm
Swear and Shake
rontwoman Kari Spieler has a soulful bedroom drone
that fits perfectly between the strumming banjo in her
Fband Swear and Shake. Speiler started the folk-tinged
outfit in 2010 after performing on the demos of her bandmate
and fellow vocalist Adam McHeffey. Swear and Shake,
which also features Shaun Savage on bass and Thomas
Elefante on drums, finished their debut LP titled The Maple
Ridge in late 2011 releasing the final product earlier this
year. The album came after a successful Kickstarter campaign
that exceeded the band’s goal, and the record was eventually
recorded inside of a barn and former B&B in Cambridge, New
York, which penetrates each song with an Americana magnetism
and fervent charm. (Devon Antonetti)
Interview at: thedelimag.com/artists/swear-and-shake
1:00am
The
Bottom
Dollars
his band pulls
together a wide
Trange of sounds
from southern rock
to blues, mixing-up
an all-American highimpact
burst of indie
rock. The ideal mix
to end this deli-rious
night of roots music.
10:30pm
Blonds
T
he members of Florida duo Blonds first
set up shop in New York to work on
the follow-up to their 2011 EP Dark
Roots, putting the finishing touches on their
full-length album The Bad Ones earlier this
year. The group - made up of real-life couple
Carie Rae and Jordy Asher - headed up north
with their moody, indie-pop songs in hopes
of fine-tuning their sound with Rare Book
Room producer Nicholas Vernhes, who has
worked with everyone from Fischerspooner
to Deerhunter. The Bad Ones was released in
August and highlights the band’s dramatic,
lovesick lyrics with Rae’s unforgettable, soulful
vocals. (Devon Antonetti)
Interview at: thedelimag.com/artists/blonds
the deli Fall 2012 11

ootsy @ the Delancey (upstairs)
Plume Giant
jP and The Gilberts
1. Regina Spektor
2. Cat Power
3. Devendra Banhart
4. Theophilus London
5. Norah Jones
6. Ingrid Michaelson
7. Jenny Owen Youngs
8. Titus Andronicus
9. Antony and
the Johnsons
10. CocoRosie
11. Ron Pope
12. A.A. Bondy
13. Citizen Cope
14. Sharon Van Etten
15. Adam Green
16. Khaled
17. Warren Haynes
18. Punch Brothers
19. Deer Tick
20. Daniel Merriweather
Rootsy
Top 20
The Deli’s
Web Buzz Charts
7:00pm
Union Street
Preservation
Society
A
dopted by many music fans and
musicians as some kind of antidote
to the “pretentiousness”
of Brooklyn’s “Hipster Rock,” roots
music is slowly but surely invading the
NYC scene. Union Street Preservation
Society is an emerging Americana
string band from Brooklyn, mixing folk
with bluegrass and blues with early
jazz. Their music is full of spirited
harmonies, fresh new melodies and an
authentic energy, combining to create
the ideal soundtrack to your wildest
old timey day dream. (Leah Tribbett)
7:45pm
Dust Engineers
D
ust Engineers started as a figment
of leader Zachary Meyer’s
imagination, an early idea to
record a life soundtrack as a westwardbound
South Dakota teenager. Not
wanting to end up exposed like the
infamous writer James Frey, caught
up in lies and fantasy, Meyer decided
instead to “keep it real,” and reveal
Dust Engineers as a hard-working,
’90s-influenced folk outfit. The band
is part of the No Horse Town collective,
giving musicians and visual artists
an avenue to collaborate on live
performances and multimedia events.
In between side projects like books
12 the deli Fall 2012
of poetry and the occasional acoustic
shows around the city, Dust Engineers
are back at work recording their next
set of country rock tunes.
(Devon Antonetti)
8:30pm
Shakey Graves
(Austin)
hakey Graves, a.k.a. Alejandro
Jose-Garcia, delivers an intimate
Sguitar-and-vocal performance punctuated
by subtle harmony and precious
silence - lo-fi folk candy.
9:15pm
Plume Giant
P
lume Giant is a trio of multiinstrumentalists/vocalists
who
recently relocated to the city
after graduating from Yale. From their
theatrical grace to their retro-fitted
instrumentals and rich vocal harmonies,
they’re not really like anyone else
in the city. They bring a refreshing
finesse to the table and a lot of fun
to the stage. With Calithump and its
magnetic a capellas and swaying ways
of a ’60s summer daydream, Plume
Giant easily charmed their way into
the hearts of the NYC music scene.
Probably the most endearing act to
join the local folk parade this year,
they’ve earned themselves a warm
welcome to their new home.
(Tracy Mamoun)
10:00pm
JP &
The Gilberts
T
he Brooklyn trio JP & the Gilberts
sound like a mixture of intoxicating
bluegrass and rousing folk
melodies. Frontman JP Gilbert, with his
distinctive drawl, also performs with
the metal band J.A.C.K. and experimental
math rockers Abacus, but finds traditional
Americana melodies with the
Gilberts. The band released their debut
album “Introducing…” last December,
which pays homage to a broken marriage
and the heavy drinking that often
follows. For a band steeped in metal
and progressive influences, JP & the
Gilberts have a firm grasp on the bluegrass
aesthetic. (Devon Antonetti)
10:45pm
XNY
Check out our
self-generating online charts:
thedelimagazine.com/charts
ust about every young urbanite
has those loud next-door neigh-
who host band practices way Jbors
too often throughout all hours of the
night. Fortunately for the duo in XNY,
the music on the other side of the wall
worked more as an audition, bringing
together singer-songwriter Pam Autuori
and drummer Jacob Schreiber. The two
started playing their reflective garage
rock in their native Boston before heading
to Brooklyn. The group’s appropriately
titled full-length debut Through
The Wall was released in June, drawing
favorable comparisons to The Kills and
Broken Social Scene, falling somewhere
in-between the art rock groups.
(Devon Antonetti)

wed
10/17 indie pop @ spike hill
Fast Years
The Deli’s CMJ Shows ’12
Eytan and The Embassy
7:00pm
Flying Points
See Music Building feature on p.44.
7:45pm
Fast Years
et the good times roll. Like a
name that could have come
Lstraight from a James Dean quote,
Fast Years plays fast, fun indie pop that
gets right to the point and stays at that
mileage until the end. Making it their
mission to re-ignite Ramones-style party
anthems, the quintet plays through
their riffs like a rock mission statement,
while incorporating doo wop and beat
influences in their sound. These guys
are also getting a reputation for being
one of most smiling bands in the NYC
scene (probably only second to Matt &
Kim), which never hurts - with girls in
particular. (Mike Levine)
8:30pm
Ace Reporter
ne thing Ace Reporter, a.k.a.
singer/songwriter Chris Snyder,
Ois not, is a slacker. As a youngster,
he lent his voice to movies and
television. More recently in 2010,
Snyder took it upon himself to write,
record, and publish an original song
every single day. That’s right - EVERY
SINGLE DAY. While he came out of that
experimental year with 4 EPs worth
of material (released over the course
of 2011), Snyder has yet to drop fulllength
album, but a LP, Yearling, is in
progress. In the meantime, he will be
playing several CMJ dates including
The Last Royals
the Deli Mag showcase. Don’t miss his
pop-amplified indie folk and well-honed
vocals. (Corinne Bagish)
9:15pm
Eytan and
The Embassy
E
ytan Oren could probably be
accused of many things, but
unmotivated would not be
one of them. In his latest video for
“Everything Changes” (which has
received 420,000 views in just one
week), Eytan and The Embassy
express an appeal to adaptation, set to
music that vaguely references “Cruel
to be Kind.” The video goes through a
startling 18 costume changes with no
editing. As one insightful YouTube commenter
remarked: “Damn you got such
a distinctive face, but still manage to
show off so many different personalities!”
Indeed. Eytan wears a lot of
hats in this band - both musically and
literally. His new record The Perfect
Breakup, finds the Brooklyn singer constantly
reinventing himself. From the
consoling dance fever of opener “No
Reason to Cry,” to the mid-tempo “Good
Morning Marilyn,” Eytan has a knack
for reclaiming classic rock and pop
styles as his own. (Mike Levine)
10:00pm
The Last Royals
F
The Deli’s
Web Buzz Charts
1. Fun.
2. Lana Del Rey
3. Sufjan Stevens
4. freelance whales
5. Friends
6. MS MR
7. MGMT
8. Twin Sister
9. Vampire Weekend
10. Santigold
11. The Drums
12. Cults
13. Hospitality
14. Beach Fossils
15. Broken Bells
16. Chairlift
17. Lenka
18. Oh Land
19. Rufus Wainwright
20. Savoir Adore
Check out our
self-generating online charts:
Indie Pop
Top 20
thedelimagazine.com/charts
or a band apparently inspired by
non-glamorous, gritty urban living,
Brooklyn’s The Last Royals
sure pack a lot of general appeal. Indie
pop plus clever lyrics and attention
to detail - driving beat, claps, spoken
lines - make for a listening experience
that doesn’t fade to the background.
The duo dropped the single “Only the
Brave” in mid-August, and are gearing
up to release a 3-song EP in October followed
by the full-length Twistification,
slated for a January release. If “Only
the Brave,” a positively soaring anthem,
is any indication of what’s to come, I’d
say we’re in for some great (and danceable)
heights. (Corinne Bagish)
14 the deli Fall 2012

the deli Fall 2012 15

wed
10/17 alt rock @ spike hill
The Deli’s CMJ Shows ’12
10:45pm
Motive
D
espite the whole Romney video
buzz, neither “Nobody Eats My
Dinner” nor any of the EP or
follow-up single had much to do with
politics - what;s to be retained here is
some great quality indie rock, and the
story of some twenty-something dude’s
existential doubts, the same one we
meet two years later picking up his pace
and mood for double A-side “What’s So
Bad”/“Lay Some Light”. (Tracy Mamoun)
11:30pm
Mother Feather
G
lam’d up in cabaret-punk flash,
Ann & Lizzie are the two fierce
frontwomen of this self-defined
pop cock-rock five-piece - Mother Feather
- probably one of the most flamboyant
bands on the local scene. Packed with
sexuality, self-assurance and strength,
their self-titled EP dishes out its cheeky
pop, tramp-o-licious outbursts, powerhouse
rock songs to anyone in need of a
little pick-me-up. (Tracy Mamoun)
Mother Feather
12:15am
New Beard
N
B’s latest album New Bird City
proudly welcomes you to its
galant parade of new sounds,
to which have been invited strings and
winds, flutes particularly prominent
and contributing to the eeriest corners
of NBC. Down most roads though, it’s
delightfully festive; as the anachronistic
carnival unfolds, bringing together
courteous orchestration and pop sensitivity
- we’re meeting the NEW New
Beard - sophisticated, still charmingly
nuts. (Tracy Mamoun)
The Deli’s Web Buzz Charts
1. Brand New
2. The Dirty Pearls
3. Sol Ardour
4. Generator Ohm
5. Andrew W.K.
6. Alberta Cross
7. We Are Scientists
8. Steel Train
9. The Hold Steady
10. Ted Leo and
the Pharmacists
Check out our self-generating online charts:
thedelimagazine.com/charts
Alt Rock
Top 20
11. Straylight Run
12. Wakey!Wakey!
13. Rhett Miller
14. Semi Precious
Weapons
15. Stereo Skyline
16. Morningwood
17. At Sea
18. The Willowz
19. Atomic Tom
20. Black Taxi
1:00am
Raccoon Fighter
C
ourtesy of Raccoon Fighters, here
comes raw rock and roll repackaged
for the post-everything generation
- exploring ’60s garage, blues
rock, grunge sounds in a manner that
stands at reasonable distance from faithful
revivalism and anything formulaic.
How? Complete incoherence and a soft
contemporary frame. They’ve well-understood
that it isn’t one particular aesthetic
we’re after but an energy altogether.
Those who are expecting monster rock
are at the wrong door, but for the others,
a tasty mouthful of dirt. (Tracy Mamoun)
16 the deli Fall 2012

the deli Fall 2012 17

wed
10/17 post- chestral @ the livin
The Deli’s CMJ Shows ’12
7:00pm
DTRotbot
D
TRotbot’s latest single
“Lily” opens like a
Zappa or Captain
Beefheart classic that never
was. Going through more
changes in its first two
minutes than many artists’
entire records, it’s exciting
to hear an artist exploring
this oft-ignored nether region
of pop music’s experiments
- spoken word and sound collage
come together in one
backyard. For those fans
looking to find a cheap way to ascend
to Mars without the aid of too many
dangerous drugs, DTRotbot should be
all you need. (Mike Levine)
7:45pm
In One Wind
B
ands like In One Wind, seem to
hail from some unknown country
with a newly discovered set of
music traditions that help us digest our
modern landscape in instruments both
foreign and familiar. On their debut EP
Lean, the group nearly invents their
own folk tradition here, especially
when reinterpreting stories by the
Brothers Grimm (“Golden Sphere”)
and re-working modern legends like
Roy Lichtenstein for the transient “Oh,
Brad.” Theirs is an ambitious journey
that welds a surprisingly coherent
narrative thread to a complex set of
Baroque pop numbers. (Mike Levine)
8:30pm
Friend Roulette
here’s a perfectly hummable
sentiment somewhere in Friend
TRoulette’s “Sailing Song” that
keeps working its way back to the surface,
but only after first progressing
through all manner of uneven meter
changes, brass fanfare and incidental
thematic adventure. At times stepping
boldly into a space usually exclusive to
the imagination of score composers like
Danny Elfman, the group essentially
writes baroque pop pieces for an imagined
Brechtian musical, casting its talented
singers/songwriters Julia Tepper
and Matthew Meade as the show’s
unlikely protagonists. After moving
Doe Paoro
Photo: Betsi Ewing
through so much sonic landscape, you
might think it reasonable that you’d
eventually get a good idea about how
this band operates. But like an old noir
film, Friend Roulette never gives away
the plot. (Mike Levine)
9:15pm
Doe Paoro
W
hen Brooklyn-based outfit Doe
Paoro, led by Sonia Kreitzer
who used to sing in the collective
Sonia’s Party, takes the stage,
there’s bound to be demons in the
room. Having garnered comparisons to
artists like Lykke Li and James Blake,
Kreitzer describes the kind of music
that she performs as “ghost soul” (i.e.
“a sound that echoes the resurrection
of a choir of ghosts who haven’t
completely detached from the human
experience”). We’ll also add that those
ghosts have a beautiful soulful voice,
and the benefit of classical influences
that she was exposed to in her formative
years. (Amanda Dissinger)
11:40pm
Industries
of the Blind
or those of you sick of being
lazy at the beach and ready
Fto get back to some epic jams
to get into the swing of things, look
no further than post-rock ensemble
Industries of the Blind. Lifting off
to planets only visible to bands like
Mogwai or Sigur Ros, the instrumental
nine-piece includes three guitarists,
an industrious drummer, and two very
hard-working violinists. This is a band
that starts at 10 and keeps hashing out
an idea until it clears your skull of all
misgivings. (Mike Levine)
12:30am
Starlight Girls
D
espite the name, Starlight Girls
is actually two ladies & two
gentlemen. Sharing a taste for
eerie synth-laden atmospheres with
Magazine’s Formula, making playful
use of the flute and keys, they can shift
their dark concoctions straight from
the realm of pop artists like Belle &
Sebastian into a theatrical symphonie
des oddities. Following the self-titled
EP they released in April, watch out
for their new single, to be released in
November, which features a collaboration
with Xiu Xiu’s Jamie Stewart.
(Tracy Mamoun)
1:15am
Dangerous Ponies
(Philly)
T
Starlight Girls
his pop-infused, gang vocals adorin’
circus masquerade rock is
the type that morphs you into a
high-octane gale on the dance floor, do
not miss live.
18 the deli Fall 2012

g room
10:00pm
Cuddle Magic
uddle Magic, a ten-piece avant-pop
orchestra split between Philly and
CBrooklyn, offers an array of soothing
instruments (including glockenspiels, toy
piano, and various strings and winds) along
with the more standard guitar, bass, and
drums. At once playful and haunting, their
latest album Info Nympho thrives on the
dual male and female vocals spinning intricate
counter-melodies, mastering an impressive
musical vocabulary, ranging from classical
counterpoint to math rock influences,
without disdaining occasional jazz chords
and electronic elements. With their beautiful
melody and organic arrangements
featuring almost any instrument you can
imagine, this is a record that manages to
be original, moving and memorable - what
else can you ask for? (Bob Raymonda)
Interview at: thedelimag.com/artists
/cuddle-magic
10:50pm
You Bred
Raptors?
P
art-time residents of the subway’s best busking
spots, playing their sets to Time Square’s
puzzled commuters, You Bred Raptors? (the
name is from a line out of Jurassic Park) is an
instrumental trio from Astoria, NY with a taste
for strange performances. The band deploys a
rich catalogue of experimentations ranging from
unique orchestrations to ambitious takes on some
familiar patterns as varied as funk, metal or even
celtic rhythms - all served by a cast of drums, cello,
8-string bass and the occasional keys, bearing freakish
masks from ghostface to grimacing jester. A
tastefully weird, out-of-time local gem straight from
the city’s underground. (Tracy Mamoun)
Interview at: thedelimag.com/artists/you-bred-raptors
Production Corner
Using a
Frequency Spectrum
Analyzer When Mixing
By Paolo De Gregorio
Mixing - an art that takes years to learn and a lifetime to
refine - can be a frustrating experience, in particular when
there are many tracks to deal with. The most infuriating
thing about it is that our mixes sound completely different
through different sound systems, and often not in a good
way. Beside poor recording and mixing techniques, what
causes these dramatic differences is often due to the
fact that, in these times of home recording madness,
most musicians mix their songs in environments that are
somewhat flawed, and with equipment either cheap or
badly set up - or both.
A big component of the art of mixing is balancing audio
frequencies, and to properly do that the engineer should
be able to hear the budding mix in a
completely neutral way (what audio nerds
call “flat response environment”). This is
something that is absolutely impossible
to achieve in any generic space without
investing tens of thousands of dollars. Yes
because parallel walls in any room create
“standing audio waves” (google it) which
heavily affect how the low end is perceived
in that particular space. This distorts our
perception of specific low
frequencies - which we
will be inclined to wrongly
cut or boost in the mix to
compensate.
This is why having a
frequency spectrum analyzer
plug in on the master insert of
your mix can be very helpful.
The analyzer can’t be your
only reference for mixing of
course, but when in doubt it
provides an impartial, “live”
visual representation of the
frequencies in your mix.
Looking at the frequency
spectra of other professionally
recorded songs similar to the
one you are working on, and
A/Bing their sound with yours
can be literally an eye and ear
opening experience.
Post-Chestral
Top 20
The Deli’s
Web Buzz Charts
1. Sufjan Stevens
2. Beirut
3. St. Vincent
4. One Ring Zero
5. Emilie Simon
6. You Bred Raptors?
7. Superhuman Happiness
8. aloha
9. Industries of the Blind
10. Miracles of
Modern Science
11. Clare and
the Reasons
12. Birthmark
13. Kayo Dot
14. Aarktica
15. Botanica
16. Bryan Scary
17. Luff
18. Elk City
19. The Lisps
20. stereobird
Check out our
self-generating online charts:
thedelimagazine.com/charts

thu
10/18 avant pop @ the delancey (down
The Deli’s CMJ Shows ’12
7:00pm
American
Royalty
(Los Angeles)
merican Royalty provide
sweet soul, guitars
Aand psychedelia meet
wild electronics in a dynamic
torn between inviting patterns
and invasive layers.
7:50pm
Modern Rivals
ost of five-piece Modern
Rivals have been buds
Msince the awkward years of
middle school. While they’ve grown
up together, and moved from the
‘burbs to big bad Brooklyn, their EP
Sea Legs tells of another journey. In
fact, creating this most recent effort
(released in May and mixed by Chris
Coady who has worked with the likes
of Beach House and Grizzly Bear) was
a journey in and of itself. True to the
title, it was very much about getting
sea legs for their own sound - developing
something that was uniquely
theirs. They managed to do just that;
this EP is gorgeous and whimsical,
but very much cohesive. Binding elements
like floaty layers, playful keys,
plus a generous heaping of oohhs and
woah-ohs define shared harmonies -
positively pleasant and oh-so catchy.
(Corinne Bagish)
8:40pm
Il Abanico
ransplants Nicolas Losada
and Julianna Ronderos have
Tbrought the vibrant colors of
their native Colombia from their
country, to our backyard. The duo has
made Brooklyn their new home, and
just might make things here a little
more con vida for the rest of us. From
the balloon-toting, floor tom-stomping
bear in their latest video “Keep
Calling,” to the bilingual inventions of
lead singer Juliana, the group’s new
EP Crossing Colors weaves a cultural
rainbow of shapes and sounds together
that you won’t need a passport to
experience. (Mike Levine)
Conveyor
Modern Rivals
9:30pm
Conveyor
G
et off the plane, and you’ll find
you’ve landed in an entirely
new kind of space, occupied by
polyrhythmic chants and otherworldly
acoustic strumming. Conveyor does
that rare thing where an entirely
unique musical universe is sculpted
from the abbreviated tendencies of
cultures from all over the world. Their
palette places FM drones beside zither
strumming in “Mane,” and the sunny
cheerfulness of four-part harmonies on
tracks like “Mukraker.” No matter how
many bizarro instruments they pull
into their mix, the sound is still entirely
their own. So, once you do leave for
your flight...you’ll find a very large
country to explore. (Mike Levine)
12:00am
Letting Up
Despite
Great Faults
(Austin/Los Angeles)
S
hoegaze-pop four-piece Letting Up
Despite Great Faults keeps things
upbeat, never getting too dark or
artificial, knowing how to lift you up
and bring you down at once.
12:50am
Santah (Chicago)
ush pop/rock where synth and
guitar melt into one dreamy coat
Lto wrap around the vocals. Santah
are three McConnells for a six-piece,
with an album to come.
1:30am
Kiven (Los Angeles)
K
Il Abanico
iven is magnetic trio fitting
fire and refinement in a swiftly
orchestrated back and forth
between generous textures and
explosive build-ups.
20 the deli Fall 2012

stairs)
10:20pm
Dinosaur Feathers
inosaur Feathers have been active in the NYC
scene for quite some time now, but their peculiarly
Dcolorful pop hasn’t lost any of the exuberance of
their beginnings. Single “Untrue” (off their latest record
Whistle Tips) is something Franz Ferdinand might have
made if they spent some time surfing in Mali. The album
as a whole feels like the band mic’d a barbeque and
recorded the site live. Another standout from the record
is the groove-a-licious “Fantasy Memorial.” The track is so
much fun - you’ll feel like you just met the woman of your
dreams (who happens to surf in...Mali!). (Mike Levine)
Interview at: thedelimag.com/artists/dinosaur-feathers
11:10pm
Wildlife Control
here’s nothing subtle about Wildlife
Control. For anyone missing the simple,
Tstraightforward sounds of slickly channeled
pop-rock the way I remember it before the freaks
screwed with our sense of direction, this band
has got you covered. Miss analog? Check out
“Analog or Digital.” Love music? “Melody” could
be your new jam. This is a band for the here and
now with two brothers (Neil and Sumul Shah)
celebrating how great we have it already, served
up with the kind of energy and heart that could
only come from a band of siblings. What could be
simpler than that? (Mike Levine)
Interview at: thedelimag.com/artists/wildlife-control
The Deli’s
Web Buzz Charts
1. Grizzly Bear
2. Animal Collective
3. Dirty Projectors
4. Yo La Tengo
5. Yeasayer
6. Gang Gang Dance
7. Tyondai Braxton
8. Kaki King
9. Department of
Eagles
10. Delicate Steve
11. Rubblebucket
12. Mice Parade
13. Marnie Stern
14. Son Lux
15. Elysian Fields
16. Rasputina
17. Foxygen
18. Avey Tare
19. The Fiery Furnaces
20. NewVillager
Check out our
self-generating online charts:
Avant Indie
Top 20
thedelimagazine.com/charts
Production Corner
By Paolo De Gregorio
Acoustic Guitar as a
Resonant Microphone
If you like the words “avant” and “experimental,” you probably
like to record your music in ways that are not entirely
ordinary. One way to add a new, intriguing layer to any loud
instruments (like amped electric guitars or drums or even
horns) is to use the pickup of an acoustic guitar as a microphone
– and no, you don’t need to take it apart.
Since the sound source isn’t reaching the pick up directly
but reflected through the guitar’s hole, this technique will
obviously create a rather dark and reverb-like sounding take
of the main instrument. But also a brighter sound will
be picked up: the one produced by the acoustic guitar’s
strings vibrating sympathetically to the notes of
the main instrument.
This phenomenon is called “sympathetic resonance”
and happens when passive strings respond to external
vibrations of harmonic likeness – i.e. the acoustic
guitar’s A or E strings will independently start vibrating
when – respectively – a loud A or E note is played
somewhere near.
These “induced” vibrations can therefore be controlled
to some degree by tuning the acoustic guitar strings
to match some of the notes played by the main instrument
– or even by tuning the snare drum or the toms
to match a guitar note.
When mixing, you can add this atmospheric track
“behind” the main instrument or just use it heavily
effected as an entirely new sound.

thu
10/18 electronic @ the delancey
Railbird
Ducky
The Deli’s CMJ Shows ’12
7:00pm
Thomas Simon
T
homas Simon creates positively
dark spaces with echoing electro,
ghostly guitar, and muttered
lyrics gliding underneath the surface.
He’s very theatrical: gothic at times.
Accordingly, he knows how to set the
mood well. He’ll get your skin crawling
and add just the right amount
of this and that (electric djembe, for
example) to send you spiraling into the
depths. Unsurprisingly, Simon recently
composed a feature film score (La
Redempcio Dels Peixos) set for release
in the fall 2012. (Corinne Bagish)
7:40pm
Sewing
Machines
ewing Machines is songwriter
Max Horwich and acolytes (vary-
in number), on the road to Sing
what may seem to be a “new American
weirder.” If Bodies of Water was
already an impressive record, with its
hypnotic interactions of folk ensemble
and electronics, then the last couple
of releases have seen Horwich take a
turn into improbable confines of his
“cosmic” realm, with the EP February
far more electro-based and Parks and
Parking Lots since which frankly, all
bets are off. Auto-tuned vocals over discordant
country? A bit of a long shot,
isn’t it? And yet somehow, it works.
(Tracy Mamoun)
8:20pm
Cultfever
T
o experience the next
wave of Brooklyn
music full blast and
to grasp its weird complexities,
one can’t do much better
than Cultfever’s first
single, “Knewyouwell.”
The swelling of electronic
chaos, motorik rhythm
and shoegaze-y backing vocals wrap
Tamara Jafar’s lusty soul leads in a kind
of gothic disco whole that is greater
than the sum of its many influences.
Their self-titled debut album (released
November 2011) sticks pretty close to
this formula throughout; only towards
the end do Cultfever break out of the
club-like feel with the closers “Boys,
Girls” and “Collector,” each boasting a
more aspirational tone, replete with big
choruses and fist-pumping declarations
like “Hey darlin’, sticks and stones
would make our homes if we were anyone,
anyone else!” (Brian Chidester)
9:00pm
Railbird
Cultfever
ailbird is the kind of band that
doesn’t mind sharing their
Rsecrets with you, even if some of
these details might make you a little
uncomfortable. Singer Sarah Pedinotti
seems to whisper these tell-all remarks
with a mysterious honesty requiring
a certain amount of courage on both
sides of the microphone. This isn’t an
easy-going ride, but is certainly worth
the time. Their latest video “Jump
Ship” plays with these conflicted feelings,
bouncing between intimacy and
moodiness amid kaleidoscopic bubbles
and cameo appearances from Sean
Rowe and Phantogram’s Sarah Barthel.
(Mike Levine)
9:45pm
Maus Haus
(San Francisco)
S
uper-fun synth-rock rollercoaster
of odd noise, whimsical beats,
’60s psychedelia and more held
on by the four dexterous SF musicians
of Maus Haus.
10:30pm
Lushlife (Phily)
equencer virtuoso and emcee
Lushlife, signed to Western Vinyl,
Swho went semi-viral with Choice/
Cuts, a live performance and interview
in-studio video series, presented by The
Deli Philly back in July. Do not miss!
22 the deli Fall 2012

(upstairs)
11:15pm
Dynasty Electric
W
ith their teeth cut from Portishead and
Goldfrapp’s school of heavy romanticism
flung over throbbing nightmare beats,
Dynasty Electric offers an enthusiastic response to
any question you had about staying up all night.
To this end, singer Jenny Electrik offers several
compelling reasons to stick things out on your
neighborhood dance floor this evening. Tracks like
“Automatic Ecstatic” and “Feel It in Your Body,”
from their latest self-titled full-length, provide all
the ammo you need. Like an energy drink with a
side of pheromones, Dynasty Electric are lighting
up Brooklyn’s otherwise shoegazer venues with
an overdose of action, coupled with a nod to New
York’s artsier set. (Mike Levine)
Interview at: thedelimag.com/artists/dynasty-electric
12:00am
Anomie Belle
(Seattle)
W
ith her marriage of synthetic
backdrops, organic flourishes
and haunting vocals, Anomie
Belle creates an aesthetic that is at once
eerie, melodious and - at times - a little
disconcerting, but invariably unique.
12:45am
Ducky
rooklyn’s Morgan Neiman
(a.k.a. Ducky) has a new EP,
BThe Whether, continuing her
assault on gooey soul-pop by playing
sultry, understated vocals against tinny
electro beats and homemade dubstep
basslines. The four-song affair (clocking
in at under 12 minutes) recalls The
Cardigans, minus the joy, re-imagined
instead as a dream-like transmission
broadcast from an undisclosed underground
bunker. Her latest video is the
stuff of that unabashed decadence that
first brought attention to Williamsburg
over a decade ago. In the hands of the
frivolously-monikered Ducky, it feels like
a sort of homecoming. (Brian Chidester)
1:30am
Drop Electric
(Washington DC)
his collective generates gorgeously
slow paced, droney and
Tmystic songs that reference a
niche sound of the mid ’80s which
preceded and informed the shoegazer
wave, producing bands like Dead Can
Dance and This Mortal Coil.
The Deli’s Web Buzz Charts
1. Twin Shadow
2. Ratatat
3. Body Language
4. Win Win
5. 6. Memory Tapes
Black Marble
7. FaltyDL
8. El-P
9. Telepathe
10. LCD Soundsystem
Check out our self-generating online charts:
thedelimagazine.com/charts
Electronic
Top 20
11. Scissor Sisters
12. Beacon
13. Nicholas Jaar
14. Sleigh Bells
15. Bikini
16. Neon Indian
17. Blondes
18. A-Trak
19. Discovery
20. Mindless
Self Indulgence
the deli Fall 2012 23

fri
10/19 mostly psych @ pianos
The Deli’s CMJ Shows ’12
Downstairs
7:00pm
Poor Moon
(Seattle)
laying a of bucolic brand of
acoustic pop that could be
Pdescribed as the sonic transposition
of Magic Realism, Poor Moon
draws from disparate but always gentle
influences like ’60s folk pop, lounge
music, and dream pop.
7:50pm
Port St.Willow
P
ort St. Willow is the solo work of
Brooklyn singer-songwriter Nick
Principe. The band’s recent fulllength
debut “Holiday,” recorded in
Portland, Oregon, where Principe was
previously based, plays like one long
dream, with ambient vocal whispers and
ethereal melodies bleeding into each
other. Tracks like “Amawalk” and “Five
Give Two Five” stand out with sounds of
echoes in a howling wind, both chilling
and soporific. (Devon Antonetti)
8:40pm
Ava Luna
F
eatured on the cover
of the winter 2012
issue of The Deli,
Ava Luna plays - in three words - experimental
soul music. Brainchild of failed
Deli intern Carlos Hernandez, this band
perfectly incarnates the dichotomy of his
geeky looks and unbelievably soulful singing.
Roots African American music and
experimental indie rock have rarely been
as promiscuous as in Ava Luna’s clangily
expressive, bizarrely ardent, unpredictably
smooth tunes. (Paolo De Gregorio)
9:30pm
Murals (Kentucky)
M
urals brings tingling echoes of
jangle-pop that are part-nostalgic
and part-psychedelic from
the south with the softest folk tones
and plenty of layers to get lost in.
10:20pm
Foxygen
See feature on p.36.
11:10pm
SNOWMINE
E
ntirely composed
of
top notch
musicians (some
with classical backgrounds),
the former
Deli cover boys
(appearing on the
front of our summer
2012 issue) produce a textured sound
that could be described as their own,
very personal version of dream pop.
Frontman/composer Grayson Sanders’
confident pipes and seraphic melodies
are the closest thing to the singing of a
(male) angel you’ll ever hear. Witness
this band live to be enchanted and
(probably) purified from within.
(Paolo De Gregorio)
12:00am
Mac DeMarco
(Los Angeles)
M
ac DeMarco is heading down
a long road if he keeps trying
every flavor of rock ‘n’ roll
there is. And by the sounds of the new
album, he is.
Anya Skidan
12:50am
Hundred
Waters (Florida)
C
omplex encounters of soul, folk
and neo-psychedelia, impressively
orchestrated into multi-dimensional
atmospheres, is what you’ll find
in the music of Hundred Waters.
1:40am
Young Magic
See feature on p.42.
Port St. Willow
upstairs
6:15pm
Shy Hunters
band for the minions who enjoy
darkness, Shy Hunters is a
A Brooklyn duo devoted to musical
intensity delivered through imaginative
soundscapes referencing influences from
early prog-rock to the post-punk period.
Dominated by female lead singer Indigo
Street’s haunting personality and downright
ghostly vocals as well as the pulsat-
24 the deli Fall 2012

Shy Hunters
The Deli’s
Web Buzz Charts
1. Diiv
2. Woods
3. TV on the Radio
4. The Antlers
5. School of Seven Bells
6. Twin Sister
7. Exitmusic
8. The Raveonettes
9. Real Estate
10. The Stepkids
11. Frankie Rose
12. Panda Bear
13. Bear In Heaven
14. The Pierces
15. Caveman
16. Asobi Seksu
17. Snowmine
18. Widowspeak
19. High Highs
20. Teen
Check out our
self-generating online charts:
Psych Rock
+ Dream Pop
Top 20
thedelimagazine.com/charts
ing rhythms of Sam Levine’s tight, clean
drums, Shy Hunters are a promising
product of that “dark side” of the NYC
scene that gave us bands like Interpol
and Yo La Tengo. (Paolo De Gregorio)
7:00pm
New Myths
ike the ethereal howls heard
from bands like The Cranberries
Lor Babes in Toyland, New Myths
clears the room of any unnecessary noise
before starting their sermon, telling stories
of love lost and battles won through
the towering grooves of drummer Rosie
Glassman and Marina Ross’ marching
bass lines. Think of the way the Pixies
cut through their listeners making sure
that you listen to one idea at a time and
driving that notion home until leaving
its mark deep inside your skull. Lead
singer Britney Boras and her harmonizing
trio are employing the same set of
knives, executing a finely carved set of
New Wave rock in songs like the fastdriving
“False Gold.” (Mike Levine)
7:45pm
Anya Skidan
A
Field Mouse
nya Skidan is a young Brooklynbased
singer-songwriter who’s
not afraid to charge her tunes
with melancholy and sadness. Heavy
with emotion, her eerie voice - at times
reminiscent of a darker Kimya Dawson
- floats on a layer of sparse, dreamy
tracks, telling impressionist tales full
of spirituality and subtle feelings. Her
debut album Shine the Brightest sounds
like a prolonged electric lullaby where
disparate influences - from Hidden
Treasure’s gorgeous dream pop to Soft
and Gentle’s hawaiian rhythmic session
- work together to grant the listener a
rather restless sleep. (Mike Levine)
8:30pm
Robert
DeLong (Los Angeles)
t’s nice to walk away from the
downer tunes once in awhile, and
Ijust have some fun, which solo electronic
artist Robert DeLong is “happy”
to provide. (Taylor Lampeda)
9:15pm
Moon King
(Toronto)
rom power-pop to the mellow
end of the spectrum, all turns to
Fsparkle and haze in the hall of the
Moon King.
10:00pm
Tashaki
Miyaki (Los Angeles)
F
emale-led trio Tashaki Miyaki creates
plaintive, early-eighties feedback
meshed with intricate vocal
tonality evoking the golden days of
Britpop and a touch of arty Warholian
sensibility.
10:45pm
Field Mouse
I
n the last few years, we witnessed
Field Mouse progress from a regular
singer-songwriter project to a
full blown dream pop band, and their
recent single “How Do You Know”
represent another step towards the
most pillowy and ethereal of musical
genres. NYC shoegazers, stargazers,
daydreamers - and pure and simple
girl-starers - seem to have found a new
darling in the band’s lead singer Rachel
Browne, who could be easily baptized
the “Scarlett of the NYC scene.” Isn’t
she what boys (and some girls) dream
about after all? (Paolo De Gregorio)
11:30pm
Ex Cops
ike being exhausted by a hot
sun, Bryan Harding and Amalie
LBruun’s dream pop sways slow
and nonchalant; carelessly, it wraps
itself around jangle-pop melodies and
vaporous synths, lost in a hazy confusion
where layers mingle, melt into one
another, and a voice echoes from afar,
barely there. Sure, we don’t know much
of Ex Cops so far. They’ve only been
around for about a year, and have to
this date only released a single, and a
few tracks circulating online. But with
their album coming soon, we should be
hearing more of these two: What’s not
to like when an act shamelessly plays all
its cards to make itself as comforting an
experience as possible? (Tracy Mamoun)
the deli Fall 2012 25

fri
10/19 anti- folk @ sidewalk cafe
The Deli’s CMJ Shows ’12
Bird to Prey
7:30pm
Kung-Fu
Crimewave
D
efiantly unpolished in the spirit
of old Guided By Voices, Luke
Kelly helms this witty rock
fiasco that includes family members
Joanna and Neil Kelly, Preston Spurlock,
and Deenah Vollmer. Anthemic, with
a penchant for sing-along choruses
about unlikely subjects (burial grounds,
robots, monster combat, etc.), the
group has been known for making highend
PA systems sound awful (this is
meant as a compliment). (Ben Krieger)
8:20pm
St. Lenox
S
t. Lenox validates all those emotions
that thoughts of your hometown
bring up and which you
think are too sappy to reveal. Maybe it’s
rides on Greyhound buses, or maybe
the refrigerator notes of lost lovers, or
the images of crucifixion that pop up
now and then in our dealings with the
world. Envision a golden-throated jazz
crooner singing mercurial melodies over
skittery, electronic FruityLoops compositions
played off an iPhone. St. Lenox sits
on a stool, bathed in the pale blue stage
lights, sounding like a beautiful robot
from the future. (Ben Krieger)
9:00pm
Mal Blum
al Blum’s whimsical, melodic
songs have been garnering
Mher a devoted group of followers
over the past several years. Like
many songwriters of her caliber, Blum’s
strength lies in her words. She’s willing
Mal Blum
to name-drop Harry Potter, toss a nod
to vegans, or place her character in the
throes of seafood poisoning - always
with engaging lyrical imagery. While
the songs themselves rarely address
gender empowerment issues in an overt
way, the discerning listener can pick out
the themes. Blum’s shows often serve
as bonding experiences for fans with
similar social concerns. (Ben Krieger)
9:45pm
Bird to Prey
ird to Prey (Sarah Turk) is the
Sidewalk’s true country crooner,
Bwith an unstable quaver in her
voice and commanding stage presence
that somehow manages to avoid that
whole “girl with a guitar” stereotype.
For her set, the Australian-born songwriter
will be releasing her album
Saved by the Storm on Such a Punch
Recordings. (Ben Krieger)
10:30pm
Go Love
G
o Love is an anti-folk collective
founded by an elder statesman
of the scene, Ray Brown.
Personnel lineups include a vast array
of new and veteran anti-folk musicians
that, according to constant member
Morgan Heringer, Brown picks “while
drunkenly perusing Facebook in the
wee hours of the morning.” Past members
have included Sarah Stanley, Beau
Alessi, Sonya Gropman, Jon Roche,
Rachel Laitman, Charles Mansfield,
Rachel Meirs, JJ Hayes, and “a woman
Ray met on the subway who plays the
harp.” The CMJ show will surely feature
Brown, Heringer, Alessi, Gropman, and
other anti-folk guests (including, possibly,
the harp woman). (Ben Krieger)
St. Lenox
1. Regina Spektor 11. Jaymay
2. Cat Power
12. Charlotte Sometimes
3. Norah Jones 13. Mike Doughty
4. Ingrid Michaelson 14. Jolie Holland
5. Jenny Owen Youngs 15. JBM
6. Ron Pope
16. Sydney Wayser
7. Sharon Van Etten 17. Mike Wexler
8. Adam Green 18. Laura Cantrell
9. Rachael Yamagata 19. Dawn Landes
10. Brendan James 20. Allison Weiss
11:15pm
Ben Pagano
Band
en Pagano’s band has been
described as “jazz/funk/space pio-
and that’s probably very Bneers,”
close to what they are. Wacked-out keyboards,
during which Mr. Pagano may
seem transported to another world.
Prepare to be befuddled and mystified
by the sounds that come out of this
cherubic young man’s mouth and mind.
And don’t forget to bring your dancing
pants! (Ben Krieger)
12:00am
Crazy &
The Brains
C
The Deli’s Web Buzz Charts
Check out our self-generating online charts:
thedelimagazine.com/charts
Singer Songwriter
Top 20
razy & the Brains haven’t been on
Saturday Night Live yet, although
their song says they want to be.
They may make it yet. Downstroke
guitars and xylophone make them
sound like The Ramones meet The
Violent Femmes, with no evident irony
and more energy than any amount of
Adderall could control. Constant touring
has only strengthened the performance
of this good-time punk rock outfit of the
highest order. (Ben Krieger)
26 the deli Fall 2012

Sat
10/20 noisy @ Delinquency
The Deli’s CMJ Shows ’12
1:00pm
FIGO
T
here’s a lot happening
on FIGO’s debut
album; from pure
dance to spiteful punk rock
and just about every degree
of fusion in-between, Put
It All In Black (released
in September) is not in
any way trying to pass for
coherent. It’s just there as
a sample of what the band
can do. Fact is, they’ve
been at it since 2006 – which means
plenty of time to try out different ways
of getting the crowds sweaty - so in
these eight tracks, amidst thick bass,
pounding beats and raucous vocals,
you’ll find a little of how they do it; and
that’s not en finesse. (Tracy Mamoun)
1:50pm
Bugs In The Dark
reeping down the back alleys of
the ’90s indie landscape, Bugs In
CThe Dark is a ticking time bomb,
unloading its discontent in its earliest
days in sounds from PJ Harvey on a
bad day to full blown rage à la Bikini
Kill. But Hang It On The Wall, released
last year, was, more menacing than
any uproar. The cadence was slower,
beat imperturbable, guitars exchanging
riffs in a courteous back and forth,
building up a truly heavy atmosphere.
An eerily calm setting for this trio,
quite possibly announcing the storm to
come. As Karen Rockower would roar
on “Paranoia,” we “don’t know [her] at
all.” (Tracy Mamoun)
2:40pm
Life Size Maps
I
EndAnd
n a year, Life Size Maps have made
some giant steps towards creating
a string indie pop identity of
their own. From Magnifier to Weird
Luck, they’d ventured into more ambitious
use of frantic noise bursts and
dissonant layers, trying new ways
to deconstruct a song. For Excavate,
they’ve taken an entirely new direction.
Channelling flows of swarming electronics
into the natural stream of each
track, they speed up and down a continuous
glowing tunnel. Far more coherent,
the record linearly works its way
through one single aesthetic
- finding in this exploration a
new dynamic to their sound.
(Tracy Mamoun)
3:30pm
EULA
I
f someone ever dared
Alyse Lamb and her
gang to take a stab
at something different,
Maurice Narcisse must have
been their answer. Kicking
off from their comfort zone
to some fuzzed-out punchy
bubble gum post-punk tangled up
in thick sticky basslines, the band
subtly drifts towards a soft side so
far untapped, surprisingly at ease on
every step of this decrescendo, which
led to the intimacy of a “Hollow Cave.”
There, voices are whispers; walls made
of cotton. It’s only one song - two at
most - but the conclusion to the record
unveiled a new dimension to this band
you once knew sour and vindictive.
(Tracy Mamoun)
4:20pm
The Everymen
omething in The Everymen’s
DNA, be it to do with the lads-
ratio or the New Jersey Sto-lady
air, probably a bit of both, means that
you’re never too far from the rough
energy of their debuts, however heartfelt
or slow the songs may get. And on
those fronts, ‘New Jersey Hardcore’
went all out. As they’ll show with a second
take on “Dance Only, Only Dance”
(from their first EP), if ‘NJHC’ is a big
step forward in terms of production,
their recipe hasn’t changed since day
The Everymen
one - a bit of grit, a whole lot of soul, a
sax and a couple o’ six packs for some
generous garage punk that’s only getting
tastier with age. (Tracy Mamoun)
5:10pm
EndAnd
W
1. Matt and Kim
2. A Place to Bury
Strangers
3. Swans
4. Gung Ho
5. Cult of Youth
6. Thurston Moore
7. Black Dice
8. Screaming Females
9. Japanther
10. Star Fucking Hipsters
Garage/Punk/Post Punk
Top 20
The Deli’s Web Buzz Charts
11. Fergus & Geronimo
12. Talk Normal
13. Oneida
14. Parts & Labor
15. The Terror Pigeon
Dance Rev
16. Wyldlife
17. Swearin’
18. EULA
19. Pterodactyl
20. Skaters
Check out our self-generating online charts:
thedelimagazine.com/charts
ith one album to their name,
a second in the making, and
already a sizeable fan base,
EndAnd are the outsiders to keep an
eye on. Thoughtfully split between polished
recordings and DIY methods, their
Adventures of Fi in Space cross the
paths of bands like Nirvana or Queens
of the Stone Age, finding on their way
this tricky balance between aesthetic
satisfaction, pop sensibility, and a dedication
to hard rocking. Pulling through
power chords and sharp-edged weirdness,
they’ve managed to reach some
unexplored confines of ’90s heritage,
off the beaten tracks, where everything
you thought you knew just suddenly
sounds a little peculiar. (Tracy Mamoun)
Interview: thedelimag.com/artists
/endand
28 the deli Fall 2012

10/16 CMJ Pizzaroo @ The Music Building
10/16 The Dust Engineers @ Mercury Lounge
10/17 FIGO @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
10/20 @ Delinquency
10/17 FLYING POINTS@ Spike Hill
10/17 SCREENTESTS @ Fontana’s
10/18 KILLCODE @ Webster Hall
10/19 THE BLACKFIRES @ Paperbox Theater
10/19 PHILLSTOCK + SPINCLOUD PRESENTS
@ Fontana’s, Featuring:
BODYFACE
SOCIAL HERO
VINYETTE
10/20 BACKLIGHTS @ Pete’s Candy Store
F#CK
WITH US
www.musicbuilding.com
facebook.com/themusicbuilding

From top left to bottom: TV on the Radio, The Stepkids, MS MR, Friends, Body Language

Bring It on
Home to Me
How Soul Music Found
A Permanent Spot
In The Indie Scene
By Brian Chidester
Illustration by J.P. Peer
At 10pm, the nightlife inhabitants at the
Knitting Factory, former location of the
Luna Lounge on Metropolitan Avenue
in Williamsburg, are restless for action.
Suddenly, beneath the heavily scaffolded stage,
out from the cushy modernist couches and jampacked
bar area, the sound of psychedelic soul
music begins to boom. Sun-drenched guitar
spills out over the constant thud of slap bass
and funky drum rolls, as tripped-out projections
blanket the band in kaleidoscope washes. The
audience is a mix of hipsters, alternative finks,
suave burlesque girls, sandy skate rats and
veteran soul fanatics. They have come to hear
The Stepkids - a three-piece band originally
from New Haven, Connecticut.
From seemingly another stratosphere, soul music has
found a new home.

Over thirty years after its disappearance from
the mainstream, soul has been reclaimed
by independents and arty punks taken with
its Stone Age lustiness and groove-oriented
backbeat. Bobby Womack, the raspy soul singer/
songwriter that gave us early ‘70s classics such
as “Lookin’ for Love” and “Across 110th Street”
(the latter used in Jackie Brown), is suddenly
in-demand on an international level. Womack first
reemerged on the music scene singing on Damon
Albarn’s 2010 Gorillaz album, Plastic Beach. Then
more recently recorded an Albarn-produced solo
album that sent vintage fetishists proclaiming it
the senior soul man’s best in decades.
“Soul,” relates public radio DJ Robin Tomlin, “is the
world’s most exciting music, because it’s about real
life. It’s designed to lift you up, not to highlight
your alienation, your depression or your narcissism.
It emphasizes community and all shades of love
and affairs of the heart.”
In the Beginning
During the formative years of rhythm & blues
(1941-59), three definitive voices defined the
style commonly known as soul music: Ray Charles,
Sam Cooke and Bobby “Blue” Bland. The first
two crossed-over to white audiences, while the
third remained mostly a footnote in the larger
movement that included protégés such as Wilson
Pickett and Otis Redding.
The 1960s saw the advent of hugely popular
Phil Spector girl group singles and factory-made
Motown hits, while English rockers like the
Animals, the Rolling Stones and the Yardbirds
owed such a huge debt to African-American
blues and R&B artists that it’s impossible to even
consider ‘60s rock ’n’ roll without them. During
the psychedelic Summer of Love, Jimi Hendrix,
Booker T. & the MGs and Sly & the Family Stone
boasted interracial bands that fused genres, as
classic rockers like Creedence Clearwater Revival
and Led Zeppelin kept right on ripping through
soul and blues material during the 1970s.
The seeds of the current revival were also planted
almost immediately following the dissolution of
disco in 1979. New Wavers in the UK re-imagined
the Jamaican R&B sound of ska as “Two Tone”
during the halcyon days of punk rock, c. 1977-79,
while English culture mavens began collecting
American soul 45s (a.k.a. Northern Soul) as if it
were their birthright.
To be certain, soul music continued right through
the 1980s, subsumed into the larger music industry
with mainstream acts like Luther Vandross and
Teddy Pendergrass who seemed less like the
continuation of a movement and more like a
product of it. The real thing went subterranean.
Through the
Grapevine
(Soul Music and
the Underground)
In America, Go-go - a syncopated funk music based
around dotted jungle rhythms and call-and-response
vocals - became an underground sensation during the
early-to-mid-‘80s to largely black nightclub audiences
in the Washington D.C. area. Excessive PCP use on
that scene assured that it never escaped regional
popularity, yet to this day live Go-go shows in D.C.
remain the best soul music experience in existence.
Still, by the end of the ‘80s, the dominant style in
African-American music was no longer R&B/soul, but
rather hip hop. 1989’s 3 Feet and Rising by De La
Soul and Paul’s Boutique by the Beastie Boys were
both sample-heavy hip-hop albums that rendered
soul as one part of the psychedelic grab bag, and
from 1990-95, hip-hop acts sampled funk breakbeats
with such ubiquity that a new generation became
interested in vintage soul as a means of tracing their
favorite rap artists’ influences. The die was cast for
soul music to be reborn.
In the early ’90s, prominent artists like Massive
Attack, the Fugees, DJ Shadow and later even white
hipsters like Beck and the High Llamas reached deep
into the well of soul and funk obscurities to cement
the notion that soul music was more than just
sample-ready: New stuff could now be made.
Brooklyn's
Indie Soul
In NYC, at the turn of the millennium, Brooklyn’s
TV on the Radio brought soul music into the larger
context of the (previously predominantly “soul-less”)
neo-post-punk and electro sound that wafted through
the air of basement studios around Williamsburg
during its azimuth moment in the sun. “The heaviest
concentration of indie soul music,” notes Tomlin,
“is happening in NYC. Has been now for about a
decade.” Need evidence? Just walk out your door
any night this week, and you’ll find along Bedford
Avenue half a dozen DJs spinning vintage soul and
funk 45s for a blissed-out youth contingent. It was
into this environment that Daptone Records and its
prime-acts, the Budos Band, Antibalas and Sharon
Jones & the Dap-Kings, emerged.
“Sharon Jones felt a bit like an arrival,” relates Jim
Thomson of Brooklyn’s CSC Funk Band and owner
of Electric Cowbell Records. “There was a deliberate
retro vibe, [but] what was refreshing about her was

"Over thirty years after its disappearance from the
mainstream, soul has been re-claimed by independents
and arty punks."
that she actually sounded real, not contrived.”
Thomson’s band, as well as the Daptone Records
stalwarts, are part of the Deep Funk Revival,
a cultish underground obsessively devoted to
re-creating the lo-fi hard grooves of ‘70s funk
bands like the Meters and Lee Fields, the latter
of whom Sharon Jones recorded some of her first
vocals with for Desco Records in 1996. Desco was
an independent Brooklyn-based label pre-dating
Daptone that gave us such Deep Funk talent as the
Soul Providers, The Daktaris and The Sugerman
3. The scene reached its apotheosis when the Dap-
Kings backed UK soul-singer Amy Winehouse on her
landmark Back to Black album in 2006. Since then,
a host of mainstream R&B singers such as R. Kelly
and Rafael Saddiq (of Tony! Toni! Toné!) have tried
their hand at recording vintage soul with varying
degrees of success.
The aforementioned Stepkids, whose members
previously backed mainstream acts like Alicia Keys,
50 Cent and Lauryn Hill (and who graced the cover
of The Deli in our CMJ 2011 issue), fit neatly into
this genre. Their self-titled debut album (from
2011), being a fusion of falsetto ‘70s soul vocals
set to West African funk rhythms, elongated into
perfectly-stoned jam-band grooves.
“I respect the commitment to preservation,”
concludes Thomson, “and to a great degree the
act of preservation is culturally important and
significant, but it also can beg the question of
practicality. Is an obsession with a musical style
forged some 40 years ago healthy? Is it a reaction to
a crowded marketplace of MP3s, downloads, digital
gadgetry? Believe me I get both the obsession
with the past and the possibilities available to us
by all the modern gadgets, but above all I long for
sincerity and community over authenticity.”
One Thing Leads
to Another
Community is a topic on the lips of seemingly
everyone in the current Occupy Wall Street
environment, when the very existence of a
middle class seems eminently threatened. A new
single by the shadowy NYC band MS MR, titled
“Hurricane,” captures the moment with stunning
results. Lyrics like “Make cash and leave the dust
behind/Lady Diamond flashing in the sky” are
sung with such regret that the band’s anonymous
female singer turns the artiness of Lady Gaga
and the dusky elegance of Adele into a kind of
dramatic soul-punk anthem.
MS MR released “Hurricane” on July 2, and have
since revealed their faces with a series of live shows
and a menacing in-studio performance for the web
series Yours Truly, filmed in Jimi Hendrix’s Electric
Lady Studios. Playing footsy with practically every
member of the music press, the band (a pink/blue
haired chanteuse and two scruffy male hipsters
on drums and keyboard) revealed a bit of their
inspiration in a letter to Yours Truly that promised
some eclectic mischief:
“Let’s make a day of it - spend an afternoon
smoking in the park, lying on each other’s laps and
finding animals in the clouds, then whisky gingers
at Lucky Dog, a midnight screening at Nighthawk,
all topped off with some late night karaoke in
Chinatown (what’s your guilty pleasure poison?)
Please say you will.”
Elsewhere in NYC, acts like flower-power soul singer
Luss have been wowing audiences in the South Bronx
at the Rebel Diaz Arts Collective on the first Fridays
of each month, while over in Brooklyn, free-spirited
bands such as Body Language, AVAN LAVA,
Friends, Lucius and Ava Luna have been rolling
around in a variety of soul-inflected source material.
Body Language, an interracial chillwave band,
reworks one of the most underrated (and
overlooked) styles from the ‘80s transition: electrofunk
(or what was considered at the time breakdance
music). The genre originally signaled soul music’s
acquiescence to New Wave, with androgynous
glam-man Prince’s mix of disco rhythms, icy synths
and sexed-out lyrics, along with other artists like
Newcleus, Jonzun Crew, Herbie Hancock, etc., found
blaring out of boomboxes when battle lines were
drawn and recycled cardboard pieces laid down
on the concrete. Afrika Bambaataa from the Bronx
and Cyberpunk from Detroit both sampled German
synthpop pioneers Kraftwerk during the early ‘80s,
setting the stage for a generation of breakdancing
kids to move their bodies like a pack of dancing
robots. It was the kind of shoulder-padded, peacock
hairdo-wearing plastic soul that made purists (then
as now) cringe. But in the hands of Body Language
(as exemplified during their recent gig at Afropunk
Fest in Brooklyn), audiences with no memory of the
epoch of its origin dance unfettered to its celebratory
rhythms and bucolic choruses.

"At the turn of the millennium, Brooklyn's TV on the Radio
brought soul music into the larger context of the (previously
predominantly "soul-less") neo-post-punk and electro sound."
Dance to the Music
(Upbeat Is the
New Downbeat)
On a Deli-organized June show at Williamsburg’s
Cameo, a club on North 6th Street, local band AVAN
LAVA sent the crowd into an absolute frenzy when
they launched into their summer 2012 anthem,
“It’s Never Over.” Formed by Fischerspooner multiinstrumentalists
Michael “Le Chev” Cheever and Ian
Pai, with new heartthrob singer Tom “TC” Hennes,
AVAN LAVA blasted purple lasers and confetti over
the audience, whilst on-stage dancers shimmied
and shook in celebration of the band’s unabashed
upbeat electro-pop. Mixing Prince with Rick Astley
and Wham!, things never veer into irony, rather the
entire affair feels both arty and jubilant in a way
not often experienced in a live setting.
Unlike George Michael, who spent years in the
closet, Hennes is open about his homosexuality, yet
doesn’t want it to define him. “I still feel hesitant to
say, ‘I’m a gay artist’,” Hennes wrote recently in a
Huffington Post blog. “Not because of the prejudice,
but because I don’t think my identity as a performer
needs a qualified description. I am an artist. The
most appealing part about AVAN LAVA is that we
have no overt political or social agenda.”
“Being energetic and upbeat,” concludes Cheever
definitively, “is the new counter-culture. We’re not
trying to make these kinds of angsty indie-rock
songs... the point is to create a massive show where
everyone is having fun.”
“Live is where the magic happens,” agrees Hennes.
“I think that’s what’s always made [this kind of]
music such a thrill.”
34 the deli Fall 2012

the deli Fall 2012 35

Foxygen
A Psychedelic Sky
By Dean Van Nguyen / Photo by Angel Ceballos
The Deli’s CMJ Shows ’12
A
lifetime spent absorbing the greats
of ’70s rock can be heard right
through to the bones of Jonathan
Rado and Sam French’s music.
Under the moniker Foxygen, the young
duo extensively draw upon rickety garage
rock, intense psychedelica and the earliest
seeds of punk and glam to help form their
throwback sound. But to acknowledge the
band simply for their dead-on recreation
of a bygone era would be a disservice to
them, as on their latest EP Take the Kids Off
Broadway, the band display accomplished
musicianship, effervescent imagination and
first class rock ‘n’ roll songwriting skills.
The origins of Foxygen actually date back to 2004, when
Jonathan and Sam were performing in a Doors-influenced
band called The Fionas. Sam was a creative force in
the group, and with Jonathan the only fellow member
seemingly on the same wavelength, the duo chose to
split. Both grew up in the Los Angeles suburb of West
Lake Village, and sharing a mutual love of classic rock,
the two 15-year-old high school freshmen formed Foxygen
in 2005, going on to home record 10 albums - primarily
distributed to their receptive classmates.
After high school, both went their separate ways to
attend different colleges, with Sam remaining out west
and Jonathan moving to New York. Having spent a few
unsatisfying stints performing with other musicians, the
band reformed to cut their latest release. “We recorded
Take the Kids Off Broadway when we were living together
in New York,” Sam France told The Deli’s Mike Levine last
summer. “We share a psychic vision of the album - I make up
the title, we think of the album cover, and go from there.”
Take the Kids Off Broadway is a pure psychedelic
firestorm of old school sounds and effects. Their recordings
are rough and lo-fi, with an overabundance of sonic
treats embedded into the arrangements. Having pulled
inspiration from Ondi Timoner’s savage rockumentary
Dig!, and specifically the unhinged flair of The Brian
Jonestone Massacre’s frontman Anton Newcombe who
claimed to play up to 75 different instruments on his
band’s spot on reconstruction of ’60s rock, the raw
power and unusual rhythmic flutters of Foxygen can be
Newcombe-esque, and just as gritty. “I wouldn’t say we’re
dedicated to a lower fidelity,” said Rado about the EP’s
often coarse presentation. “Take the Kids Off Broadway
was supposed to be a really clean album - like an ELO
album or something. We did that to the best of our
abilities. We just didn’t really know what we were doing.”
Maybe he’s being modest. Gloriously unpolished, Take
the Kids Off Broadway is a stunning listen. At their most
melodic - like on “Waitin’ 4 U” and “Middle School Dance
(Song for Richard Swift)” - the jangly guitar lines and
Jagger-esque vocals recall the Rolling Stones, while tracks
like the scuzzy, 10-minute opus “Teenage Alien Blues” are
reminiscent of the Velvet Underground. The ghosts of David
Bowie and Brian Ferry also appear almost randomly. It’s a
lot to take in, and it requires multiple listens to truly soak
up all the record’s subtle nuances. Even the band seems
confused on what has been omitted from these multifaceted
tracks. “We record all the stuff, there may have
been a few Charles Manson jams that we sampled, but I
can’t remember if that made the cut,” said Sam before
being interjected by Jonathan: “Oh, they’re in there.”
Written while Jonathan and Sam were apart, the EP
is a product of a long-distance song writing process,
something that’s largely picked up and glorified on many
blog write-ups, but the band refutes any interpretations
that this seriously bled into their sound. “A lot has been
made of us being a ‘bicoastal’ band, but the truth is
36 the deli Fall 2012

Live at Pianos
on 10.19
“We share a psychic vision of the album — I make up the title,
we think of the album cover, and go from there.”
-Sam France
that we’re not doing a Postal Service thing or anything,”
asserted Rado. “We live in different places, but we always
record and play in the same place.”
LA natives - they may be, but there are certainly more of
New York’s cold, steel streets to be heard in the band’s
grooves than the sun-kissed city that they call their home.
As well as the music being Velvets-esque, the band shares
Lou Reed’s attraction to gritty poetry. “I walk around, I
watch the children play down on Broadway/But sometimes
I think, I can’t even take that anymore,” sings France on
“Make It Known,” a desperate stroll around late night
Manhattan. Kids on Broadway again crop up on the title
track, an unexpected ode to a fallen celebrity, according to
Sam. “I think we wanted to have a sort of anthemic sort
of theme song or something. Maybe it’s a protest song
against child stars, like they all get effed up like Lindsay
Lohan, just take ‘em off the stage, and let them have their
childhoods. But we are all like Lindsay Lohan in a way.”
Take the Kids Off Broadway saw release last summer on
influential indie label Jagjaguwar, a major boast for a band
searching for an audience. Their reputation has since been
pushed along by a hectic touring schedule and numerous
favourable online write-ups. For a duo who sounds as
though they have fallen through a crack in time, coming
straight out of 1973 and landing in the new millennium,
2013 could very well be the year Foxygen’s psychedelic
grooves permanently mark the indie landscape.
Artist Equipment Box
PAiA Stringz ‘n’ Thingz
We had this cool old
string synth called
a PAIA Stringz n
Thingz - it was a like
a build-it-yourself
thing from the
’70s. It’s on almost
every song in some
capacity. It’s broken
now. The top register
shorted out.
the deli Fall 2012 37

MS MR
Live at Bowery Ballroom
on 10.18
Who’s Afraid of Pop? By Mike Levine (@goldnuggets) / Illustration by J.P. Peer
Everyone needs superheroes: those
otherwise normal people who don
masks, capes and alter egos, and are
suddenly capable of great things.
Whether these superpowers include abilities
like flying, x-ray vision, or making pop
music cool again, the rule remains the same:
These are the people that do the impossible.
Now, I may be in the minority on this, but I think real
superheroes don’t lose much power by their unmasking.
If anything, it can sometimes make you appreciate their
powers even more. Such was the case when I found
out that the dynamic personality behind the immensely
fascinating new pop outfit Ms Mr was none other than
Neon Gold Records co-founder Lizzy Plapinger.
In case you haven’t heard, this is that mysterious
buzz band everyone’s talking about, and no one knows
anything about. Around for just over a year, the band’s
music is already distributed through indie purveyor and
London label Chess Club (Mumford & Sons). While we’ve
seen artists build their reputations on stage and in the
studio, after years of repeated tours and supporting
releases, open their own labels, eventually beginning to
sign artists of their own choosing, it’s much less often you
hear of musicians doing this dance in reverse.
For Ms Mr, the unlikely back-story of the band’s
mysterious members has produced this almost impossible
outcome: A group responsible for helping to release some
of the most talked about indie pop singles of the past
several years finds themselves in the unlikely position of
“buzz band.” How does someone get this lucky?
The Perfect Pop Single
For Lizzy Plapinger and collaborator Derek Davies, their
journey to the music biz began at a tender age.
“Lizzy and I have been friends since we were
kids. We used to vacation every summer at
Martha’s Vineyard together. So, we sort of grew
up together. And our mutual interest in music
defined our friendship.”
-Derek Davies, Interview Magazine
But things didn’t really take off until college when they
found themselves crossing similar paths in neighboring
schools. Davies was a film major at NYU; Plapinger was a
38 the deli Fall 2012

senior majoring in media studies
at Vassar. Both wanted to start a
label focused on a very particular
mission.
With Neon Gold Records, Lizzy
and Derek’s mission is to reclaim
pop music as the domain of the
young, hip and indie. They’re
blurring the line between fans of
Katy Perry and fans of Marina &
the Diamonds, without making
any apologies for creating
danceable, accessible pop music
that happens to be cool too.
“We wanted to celebrate
the idea of the perfect
single. The pro-pop
aesthetic we’re now
associated with almost
happened by accident, but
we welcome it.”
-Derek Davies,
Interview Magazine
For years, that’s exactly what
they did. Pressing early singles
for now-renowned artists like
Passion Pit, Gotye and Ellie
Goulding, to name a few.
Following this early success,
another signee, Marina & The
Diamonds, is now taking off,
landing international tours and
becoming a household name
throughout her hometown of
London (and soon to blow up in
the States).
Of course, while all this was going
on, who would’ve thought that Lizzy’s next move might
be to launch her own band? I wish I could provide an easy
answer here. The band’s success has proven just as unique
a journey as the label’s story.
Having only released a series of demos (Ghost City USA),
a single (“Hurricane”) and a nostalgic-for-the-’90s Tumblr
photo page, the band already finds themselves at the top
of buzz lists from Hype Machine and Brooklyn Vegan (not
to mention The Deli Mag), to overseas tastemakers like
Time Out London.
The sound? Ms Mr sound haunting and barnstorming at
the same time. While much of the percussion is canned
and contained, this provides a clear runway for Lily’s
powerhouse vocals. When you hear the tortured hook in
“Hurricane,” (“welcome to the inner workings of my mind,
so dark and foul I can’t disguise”) you know you’ve been
taken out to far deeper waters than most pop music. It’s
like Portishead meets Lana Del Rey meets Florence and
the Machine meets My So Called Life. So basically you just
need to hear it for yourself.
Gossip Girl
When you hear about this kind of overnight success after
understanding something of the band’s background,
you might find yourself experiencing a cynical knee-jerk
reaction: “Well, of course, the band’s getting buzz… they’re
promoting themselves on their own label!”
Please suppress this reaction if you can. While this
comment might have made sense back in the ‘90s, when
label imprints were essentially local versions of larger
parent labels (Geffen Records, Virgin Records, etc.),
today the opposite is largely true. Many large labels don’t
even sign artists anymore, acting instead as distribution/
promotion arms for local scenes. Instead of global music
being imported to local record shops, local bands are being
exported out to the world.
Like entrepreneurs/songwriters before (i.e. Jack White
and David Byrne), pioneers like Lizzy Plapinger and Derek
Davies are redefining the pop landscape in no small terms,
utilizing a full industry apparatus toward their artists and
their own music, and selling a lot of records while doing so.
Especially with the group’s latest project, Plapinger
comes to a place where she’s brought her songwriting
and label leadership together through an interesting and
characteristically creative series of ongoing song releases
via the band’s Tumblr. Sure to generate buzz with each
subsequent single release, the band intends to release
a new track, remix and video every week, under the
affectionately titled Candy Bar Creep Show. All this is
looped around an idea: to have fans remix the record’s
stems and submit these back to the band. The submissions
that Ms Mr enjoy the most will have a chance to be
included as part of an upcoming album release. Here, the
band is doing something that generates both fans and
future label-mates at the same time.
It’ll be interesting to see where the band heads from here.
I hope that we see a full-length out from them soon, of
course. Right now, the band is continuing their European
tour opening for signed act Marina & the Diamonds,
where the crowds have reportedly sold out several shows
of the tour. A recent video where the band appears live for
a Yours Truly session has already generated over 35,000
hits, and in their most obvious nod to popular culture yet,
the band’s latest single “Hurricane” has been featured on
an episode of Gossip Girl.
Most groups take years to reach these markers. Ms Mr
have done it without even revealing the members of their
group. Rather than selling out, this band has begun their
careers by unapologetically buying in, dissolving tired
notions of credibility, and calling into question sacred
boundaries between pop and indie rock - controversial to
be sure. Perhaps that’s the reason the band hides their
identities. Or maybe it’s because this is the kind of pop
music that speaks for itself.
Artist Equipment box
Ms and Mr MS MR are not
very keen to answer the
questions music journalists
pose to them (they rarely
concede interviews), but at
their live show we couldn’t
help but notice that their
keyboard of choice is a
(rather awesome) Korg
VS-1, an 88 weighed key
vintage keyboard simulator.
Korg VS-1
the deli Fall 2012 39

The Deli’s CMJ Shows ’12
Laura Stevenson
and The Cans
Live at The Delancey
on 10.16
Evolution of Sound (and Wardrobe) By Devon Antonetti
Before finding her voice as an indie-pop songstress, Laura Stevenson had to sift
through years of musical transformations and a diverse set of influences to reach
her current, delicate signature sound.
The Long Island native boasts an impressive musical
lineage, with a grandfather composer most famous for
“The Little Drummer Boy” and a grandmother who was a
singer for jazz bandleader Benny Goodman. But her time
in a few Long Island punk rock acts also played a major
role in her evolution, allowing her to charge through her
accessible melodies with unrelenting ferocity.
Discussing her beginnings, Stevenson admits her family had a
lot to do with her decision to give a career in music a chance.
Her dad enrolled his young daughter in music lessons, and
on the weekend, he would take her to see live performances,
which included greats like Neil Young and Chrissy Hynde.
Fifth grade marked the discovery of “over-driven guitars,”
an experience that would have a lasting impact on
Stevenson: “I probably thought it was rebellious, but I’m
sure my dad was into it.” With a growing taste for the
edgier side of music, she took to the notoriously loud
Long Island music scene, spending middle school and high
school on the local circuit. It was there where she first
met the members of Arrogant Sons of Bitches, who were
prominent in the area at that time.
Started as a two-piece playing Green Day covers, the
Bitches later morphed into a full band and began to
write their own ska-punk material. After breaking up in
40 the deli Fall 2012

“getting caught working on music is ‘worse than
getting caught jerking off’”
2004, band member Jeff Rosenstock started Bomb the
Music Industry! (BtMI!), and turned to Stevenson for
keyboards. Laura - who as most rockers wasn’t exactly a
model student - had just gotten kicked out of school when
approached with the offer, so the decision was practically
made for her: “It was kind of perfect timing. I picked up
and went on my first tour.”
Her new found role in the Long Island and national music
scenes didn’t prevent Laura from feeling curious about
the artists that were making waves in the neighboring
New York City scene. The über-cool bands of that time,
including more notably The Strokes, had a significant
impact on the burgeoning songwriter, which is still
apparent in her work today.
Stevenson still lists Is This It as one of her favorite albums
of all time, even though she found the band’s shows
a little “strange” because of their overt trend factor.
“Coming from someone who went to a lot of ska shows,
we did not dress cool,” she noted. Though those Long
Island bands may not have had the “Downtown New York
style,” their music had - to Laura’s ears - the same edge
and alternative aesthetic.
While playing in BtMI! in her early music career,
Stevenson started writing her own songs and performing
solo in between gigs. Her supporting band grew
organically around these shows when she asked a few of
her bandmates to start joining her on stage, later dubbing
them The Cans. The group was shortly settled with Mike
Campbell on bass, Alex Billing on trumpet, Peter Naddeo
on guitar, and Dave Garwack on drums.
Her work with The Cans is firmly grounded in rootsy pop
territory, from her debut album A Record, to last year’s
Still Resist, and though her soft, feminine vocals may
resonate with a wide audience, her punk cred opens her
to more niche listeners, just as much as her personal,
remorseless melodies do.
When not working on her own material, Stevenson still
spreads herself across her friends’ bands, playing with
everyone from Andrew Jackson Jihad, to Maps and
Atlases, to her continued collaborations with BtMI!
Her rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle causes her to uproot often, but
Stevenson’s favorite place to write music is still in her
bedroom, wherever that happens to be at the time. The
singer even compares her songwriting experience to
the intimacy of self-pleasure, saying that getting caught
working on music is “worse than getting caught jerking
off,” a fair description for music so personal and distinct as
the woman who writes them.
In between an East Coast tour throughout fall and
appearances at various festivals and CMJ showcases,
Laura Stevenson and The Cans will be locked away in a
barn in upstate New York, working on the band’s third
full-length album, bound to be released on New Jerseybased
Don Giovanni Records, who put out records by The
Ergs! and Screaming Females. But for Stevenson, one
of the biggest things that she has to look forward to is
seeing different bands performing live along the way, and
of course, getting to see her favorite bands and friends
from the road.
With her perfect mix of fervent, satisfying pop melodies
and unpredictable sense of surprise, Laura Stevenson has
gone in a few years from NYC scene spectator to NYC
scene hero, headlining Bowery Ballroom and other major
local venues.
How much this process was triggered by the influence the
music of the Big Apple had on her songwriting, or by the
fact that her wardrobe has in the meantime gotten more
in line to the NYC “standard,” is hard to know.
Artist Equipment box
2007 Apple MacBook’s Mic
For recording I often use a 2007 MacBook
with garage band and no external mics.
We have used some of those recordings
on full lengths and 7”s because the
internal mic on that model is so awesome.
It distorts sometimes but it’s nice and
warm. I love it so much that my computer
has been on the outs for over 2 years and I
just keep getting it fixed rather than buying
a new one. The newer models aren’t as
good - there’s this weird decay that I hate.
the deli Fall 2012 41

Young Magic
NYC’s Wizards from Oz
By Dave Cromwell / Photo by Kaia Willow
The Deli’s CMJ Shows ’12
Jingling bells on sticks, rattling chains,
single struck congas and thundering
toms all share significant time in the
mix. Interlocking guitar patterns gently
move through progressions as dominant layers
of percussion rise to the forefront. With
the release of their debut album Melt this
past February, New York-based trio Young
Magic has staked a serious claim on the ever
evolving psychedelic dream-pop landscape.
Isaac Emmanuel and Michael Italia began playing together
in their native Australia back in 2007. The duo first met
Indonesian-born Melati Malay in 2009, but didn’t start
working together until last year. Michael explains, “We had
just finished recording a bunch of songs for an album but
we never put it out. I remember having this huge drive to
be making music, but I couldn’t find anyone to collaborate
with in Melbourne. I kind of grew a little tired of trying to
form bands and get everyone in one place. So I bought a
Macbook and set up a little studio and just started making
beats and experimenting with sounds in my bedroom.
Isaac was doing the same thing, and actually started the
Young Magic name at that time. Isaac then left for Europe,
and I went to the US. We eventually met in New York and
rented a room in the East Village where we’d spend all day
hunched over our laptops just making music and sharing
sounds. Looking back, we were both really just learning
how to use everything at that point. About a month later,
I left for Europe. I was only planning on a two-week trip,
but somehow I ended up in South America, and 5 months
later I resurfaced in New York in the dead of winter. During
that 5-month period, we had all been working on a bunch
of material. Melati, Isaac and I then rented a warehouse
in Brooklyn above an old Cabaret theatre with our good
friend, Trent Gill (a.k.a. Galapagoose). It was February,
and New York had just been hit with a huge snow blizzard.
It was so brutal. Our place didn’t have any heating, and I
just remember huddling up together for long cold nights,
sharing all the music we’d been making during our travels
and trying to keep warm. This is when the idea of Melt
actually came together. We suddenly realized we had all
this music, and began piecing together everything we’d
been working on. We did most of it in New York. Then Isaac
and I went back to Australia to mix the record with Trent.”
The track “Slip Time” takes a more experimental approach,
building its angular repeating hook around a shrieking
synth line. More than a few robotic bleeps and blips can be
heard before recognizable vocals make their way into the
fray. It’s all cascading layers of voices until more stabilizing
handclap percussion emerges at the end. Michael describes
how the compositions evolve: “It’s definitely a joint effort,
and I think it works best this way. We all bounce ideas off
one another. Sometimes months will pass where we’ve all
been writing separately, and then we’ll get together and
show all the songs - sketch ideas we’ve come up with. Then
share ideas and send the tracks back and forth, and it kind
of just builds from there.”
Other cuts like “You With Air” pulse along a jumpy
keyboard line while harmonized voices repeat the titular
phrase. This drone sets the tone for the verses to be
presented in half-talk, half-chant manner. Michael shed
additional light on the band’s origins and influences:
“I grew up in a musical family. My Grandfather was a
musician and so was my father. We actually had a studio
at my house when I was growing up in Melbourne.
Looking back, it was pretty dope. My Dad built it and
ran an independent record label from an office space in
our backyard. There were always a lot of instruments
lying around the house, and I think that’s where I started
to pick it up. I remember I’d always sit in on recording
sessions in the studio, and try and sneak something
on the recordings. But my Dad was predominately a
guitar player, so I grew up playing mostly guitar and
experimenting with all of the percussion lying around.
I remember in primary school, there were a group of us
that would sneak into the music hall during lunchtime
and experiment with all the gear they had lying around.
I started playing in punk bands quite young, and by the
time I was in high school was playing in these crazy avantgarde
experimental psychedelic bands, with horn sections,
cheap synths, a Theremin and all type of self-indulgent
42 the deli Fall 2012

Live at Pianos
on 10.19
“I’ve always really liked
combining electronic
beats with more live
organic percussion.
We all have pretty
eclectic music tastes
and listen to a lot of
music that came out of
Africa and Turkey in
the ’60s and ’70s.”
stuff. I met Isaac when I joined a band that was looking for
a guitar player. We ended up recording enough material for
an album together, but never put it out, and the band split
up. It was at this point that I kinda grew a little tired of
playing in bands, and began producing my own music. Isaac
was actually doing the same thing. And after about a year
of all three of us writing individually, we met in New York
and started to play shows as Young Magic.”
Melt came together over the course of about one year. The
band members were all traveling separately and writing
their own songs on the road. Not until they all got together
in New York and began sharing songs with one another
did they really start thinking about how they wanted it to
sound. “It was an interesting way to do it because, looking
back, we had such an eclectic bunch of songs recorded.
We had to find what we wanted the album to sound like,”
notes Isaac. “It was quite difficult because there were some
songs that we really liked, but were just far too obscure or
stylistically different to include with this album. I don’t think
that’s a bad thing though. But we’ve put them in the vault,
so who knows, we may still put a lot of that material out.”
The band starts the songwriting for most of the songs with
a beat and builds on top of the rhythm. “I’ve always really
liked combining electronic beats with more live organic
percussion. We all have pretty eclectic music tastes and
listen to a lot of music that came out of Africa and Turkey
in the ’60s and ’70s. Artists like Selda, Ersen and Erkin
Koray have such amazing rhythms. But I don’t think it
was a conscious decision to make the percussion sections
sound a particular way. Most of the time, we’d be sitting
around working on a song, and one of us would just pick
up something and start taping on it. Then we’d record it.”
“When I listen back to the album or when we play it live,
it’s very nostalgic. All these memories come flooding back;
I’m reminded of all the places we recording in, the people
we met and the amazing experience we got to share
during that time. It’s almost like reading over a journal,
except it’s a sonic journal that reminds me of the sights,
smells and colors of South America, Europe and New York.”
Artist Equipment box
Electro-Harmonix
Cathedral Stereo Reverb
My favorite pedal is the Electro-Harmonix
Cathedral Stereo Reverb. The tone from this
pedal is so dreamy, it sounds like long feathers
and silky clouds. I like that there are so
many ways to meddle with its effects parameters;
you can tailor it to suit your particular
sound. The other thing I love about it is that it
has an infinite switch that you can stomp on if
you need to carry on dreaming. -Melati
the deli Fall 2012 43

The bands featured on this page rehearse at The Music
Building in Manhattan. If you rehearse there, submit
your info to be covered in the next issue of the deli at:
www.thedelimagazine.com/musicbuilding
ous sessions’ left-aside material of their B-Sides
EP, but here we go - a record’s on its way!
By Tracy Mamoun
F
flying
points
A lot of your songs are about a girl — do they
come from one man’s story or do you all contribute
to writing the vocals?
It’s all pretty much me, and typically the
songs are more about the event rather than
the person. It’s true that a lot of the songs
revolve around a boy and girl dynamic - but
as is typical, the meaning of certain songs has
changed over time. Songs like the “Process,”
which started out as being about chasing an
older woman, has become more about growing
up and taking on more responsibility.
“Where We Started” is the story of a friend of
mine and some very strong and life altering
decisions he made a few years ago. Right now,
the four songs we are about to release are still
very specific.
Since “No Safe Word,” almost two years have
passed — what has this time lapse brought to
your music?
I think we’ve become more comfortable with each other
and ourselves as musicians. I’ve learned a lot about where
I want to sing - it’s great to be able to stretch your range,
but there is an area where I am at my best, and going
forward I am trying to make the most of that. I think the
sound of this EP will chart some new territory for us - there
is “Part Time Everything,” which you could say is in the
same vein as “Process” or “Sex Toys,” and then there is
“Take It Slow,” which has a dirtier, punk influence to it.
rom two friends jamming, Flying Points found its
path as a four-piece in the footsteps of Killers, Kings
of Leon & co., playing some beaming synth-laced pop
rock that talks about heartbreaks, summer romances and...
well, mostly relationships. 2011 actually came with a pretty
bold move, in a set of four dance remixes of their early song
“Being Nice.” Two years have now passed since they last
released “new” material - their latest output being the previtye
trybe
(“Shine Them Shoes”) and a hint of Latin roots (“Spanish
Romance”) - and dive shamelessly into their classics to
bring back a little of that not-so-long-lost kick. All in all, it’s
about sharing their love for “the old school aesthetic.”
A little about where you guys are from, i.e. the Bronx and
Harlem. In which ways do you think the music surrounding
you as you grew up contributed to what you’re out to offer?
We were all surrounded by the same culture/scene, or lack
thereof, in the neighborhoods we grew up in. We decided
that we didn’t want to get stuck in the same mentality as
everyone else, so we all searched for something different
and found blues and rock and roll. Our surroundings had an
adverse effect on our playing, and what our music is about.
By Tracy Mamoun
Y
ou’ve heard the story a thousand times - three young
guys seeking a getaway from boredom. What do
they do? They start a rock and roll band. Bred from
the sounds of sixties psychedelic/blues rock, The Tye Trybe
add to the patterns that they cherish - a little retro kitsch
Are your songs, like “Spanish Romance” for example,
based on true stories?
Basically, “Spanish Romance” is not a specific memory or
true story. It’s a dirty novella about a man meeting a girl at
a dance, and she leaves him the morning after - penniless
(definitely not a true story, haha). However, some of the
songs do tell real stories, and there’s a lot of hidden quotes
from our favorite authors in our songs.
In terms of recording — do you guys admit to any ‘retro’
fetishism?
We don’t really have any preferences regarding which
recording gear to use. If we can score some time at a great
studio, that’s fantastic. If we had our old Talkboy recorders,
we might still use that.
44 the deli Fall 2012

kitchen recording equipment news
Brought to you by
Brainworx
bx_saturator
Review by Gabriel Lamorie
The bx_saturator, by Brainworx, is a mid/side
multiband saturation plugin that excels in
several respects. Being as it is a multiband
M/S processor, users have control over separate
mid-high and mid-low sections as well as side-high
and side-low sections – four “XL units” in total with
individual “Solo,” “Gain,” “Drive,” and “XL” controls.
The master controls located at the top of the plugin greatly
helped me understand the audible qualities of this effect:
experimenting to find a balance between cranking and
dialing down the Master Drive along with the Master XL,
after applying some basic settings to all of the XL units,
was a good place to start. Bypassing the XL Active switch
made the process even easier to evaluate the two different
audible qualities.
After getting a basic understanding of how the plugin
worked, the thought of saturation on drums crossed my
mind. Distorting the acoustic drums in a rock mix delivered
typical results one might expect, but the bx_saturator’s
distortion sounded a bit more defined compared to other
plugins I cross-referenced. Even when exaggerated
distortion was applied on percussion, vocals or guitar, it
always produced very “defined” results.
One test that further reinforced my trust in the plugin
was placing it at the top of the signal chain on an acoustic/
ambient master track. The vocal distortion at the end of the
track wasn’t as present as it should have been but after a few
simple tweaks, they popped and sounded very natural against
the accompanying instruments without cluttering the mix.
The bx_saturator is great at being very transparent when
you need it to be, but cranking it up to heavy distortion also
sounded good on everything I put it on. It provides straightup
saturation that sounds crisp and clear.
Etymotic MUSICPRO 9-15
High Fidelity Electronic Musicians Earplugs
Review by Jacqueline Smiley
Etymotic continues to stay “true to the ear” with
its new Music•PRO 9-15 earplugs for the price of
$399 a pair. The MP•9-15 was designed for all
who want to hear naturally but also need protection
from sudden-impact noise and/or loud sound that is
sustained for an extended amount of time.
As sound levels increase, the earplugs provide the option
of 9 or 15 dB sound reduction with the flick of a switch.
Adaptive attenuation lets the user hear naturally as if
nothing was in the ears, until sound exceeds safe levels.
In this way, the MP•9-15 earplugs offer an unprecedented
capability in that it acts both as an electronic earplug and a
personal hearing device.
I tested the MP•9-15 at three different music venue locations
in and around NYC – an indie rock show at the Bowery
Ballroom, an outdoor DJ show at Neptunes Beach Club in the
Hamptons and KD Lang at a Performing Arts Center.
The result: These earplugs made a big difference in the way
I heard the music.
For more reviews, visit www.SonicScoop.com!
46 the deli Fall 2012

kitchen local business news
Brought to you by
NYC Studio News
Chung King Studios Reopens
Chung King Studios – the NYC recording institution that
birthed the earliest Run DMC, Beastie Boys and Def Jam
releases – has returned, opening new studios in the former
Skyline Recording Studios on W. 37th Street.
The 6,000-sq. ft. space encompasses two studios including
the centerpiece “Empire Suite” which features CK’s
Musgrave-modified Neve VR72 console, Augsperger mains,
Pro Tools 10 HDX with all the new trimmings such as UAD
and Softube plugins, a comprehensive collection of outboard
gear, and a vast collection of classic tube mics from the past
and present. A palette of available tape machines is also on
hand, for those purists who crave the sound.
Braund Sound:
A Studio In The Round
Producer/engineer Erik Braund’s new Greenpoint facility
known as Braund Sound is a 1,600 sq. ft. one-room studio inthe-round
– offering plenty of room to create, and collaborate.
“The biggest benefit of a studio-in-the-round is
communication,” says Braun, who’s worked with A Place To
Bury Strangers, Shapes and Bowerbirds among others. “You
have constant eye contact, and you can take your headphones
off and talk to each other, instead of the fishbowl effect of
pressing the button and saying ‘Go’ from another room.”
Braund has packed a great deal into the space – to
accommodate production, recording, mixing and multimedia
projects. Gear-wise: Two racks of Distressor-dominated
dynamics, API/Neve-flavored mic pres and effects are
connected via 32 channels of Aurora Lynx A/D/A into a
“vintage” Digidesign Pro Control 24-fader work-surface
running Pro Tools HD2. Genelec, Yamaha and Mackie
monitoring are available, with a Dangerous Monitor system.
A Penthouse Full of
Recording Studios
in Murray Hill
Ten years ago, many of the producers and engineers who
currently keep the studios humming at 23 East 31st Street
were working about a dozen blocks away – at the old Sony
Music Studios over on West 54th Street. When Sony closed,
a number of its engineers and mastering engineers set up
smaller facilities around town – including Gabriel Schwartz,
who opened Fireplace Studios, which became the flagship
room in a penthouse full of independent recording studios.
Fireplace, which is equipped with an ample live room and
racks full of API preamps and vintage Urei compressors, is
home to “a network of engineers around the city,” including
Chuck Brody (Bear Hands, Phantogram, J.Lo). This main
studio has hosted sessions for Pixar, Spoon, Ted Leo, Ad
Rock, Theophilus London, The B-52s and Peter, Bjorn and
John, among others.
Just across the lobby from Fireplace, another Sony veteran
William Garrett keeps his own production room called
Electracraft, where Mark Foster of Foster The People, and Jack
Antonoff and Andrew Dost of FUN have recently recorded.
Two more private production studios round out this mini
recording-complex – including producer Fredro Ödesjö’s
personal room, Rattlebrain Productions, where he works
on tracks with hit songwriters like Claude Kelly and Aplus,
and artists like Sinead O’Connor and Maxi Priest. The four
music spaces share a long, L-shaped lounge that’s lit by
over 100 feet of skylights set high up in the lofty ceilings
of the penthouse. A tidy kitchen stands in the elbow of the
room, and a snack machine guards a back door that opens
out onto a Manhattan rooftop with a view of the Empire
State Building.
Find more news about NYC based music businesses on www.SonicScoop.com!
making
the world
a better
sounding
place.
10 jay street
suite 405
brooklyn, ny 11201
(718) 797-0177
www.joelambertmastering.com
48 the deli Fall 2012

the deli Fall 2012 49

kitchen recording equipment news
Strymon Flint Review by Arthur Fleischmann
Stomp Box Exhibit
October 19&20
at Main Drag Music
Try these pedals!
200 + pedals displayed!
or Strymon’s own Favorite switch to alter or recall settings
on the fly hands free. A+ all around as nearly all personal
preferences and functionality are accounted.
Lovingly crafted in the USA, the Flint is feeling tour
ready and crams a multitude of both trem’ and
‘verb into a package just barely wider than my foot.
The ins and outs of the Flint are handled up top. Selectable
stereo input and stereo output as well as a multi-featured
“EXP” make it easy to work this pedal into a slew of different
set ups. A standard, 9v adapter powers the pedal with no
noise or hum. Additionally, the switching is handled by a
relay which makes for quieter, gentler switches without pops.
While powering up the Flint the user can set the function of
the “EXP” jack via the small toggles on the units face. This
allows access use of an expression pedal, tap tempo pedal,
With three available tremolo types and three very distinct
and different reverb styles to choose from, at first glance the
Flint can seem slightly intimidating. In use however positive
results are alarmingly simple to achieve. Tremolo controls
select between harmonic band filtering, power tube bias and
photocell algorithms written to emulate popular amplifier
tremolos of the 1960’s. Additional controls for Intensity and
Speed take you from pulsing blues twang to aggressive hard
chopping effects and everywhere in between. The reverb
controls select between a ’60s style spring tank, ’70s style
solid state plate, and an ’80s rack style digital hall all of
which are expansive and lush. Adjustable Mix, Decay and
Color controls make it super easy to add any variation from
a little springy splash to an almost infinite ambient pad like
hall. Need more editing? While holding both foot switches
down you can add a +/- 3 dB boost or cut to either or both
of the effects as well as change the tap subdivision for the
tremolo and even flip the order of the two effects.
What’s best is that it all sounds great. The pedal is fun to
play with almost anything plugged into it, even line level
instruments like keys and drum machines. Super low noise
A/D and D/A converters and 32 bit processing are all but
barely audible, and when you are only using the reverb
section the dry path is completely analog, offering you super
high quality sonics in a compact form. The Flint streets for
$299 USD and given its flexibility and sonic detail it’s worth
checking out hands down.
EarthQuaker Devices Tone Job Review by Shane O’Connor
The Earthquaker
Devices Tone
Job is a simple
three band EQ and level
booster pedal meant to
add subtle tone shifting
qualities. Unlike other
guitar EQ pedals, the
tone bender is subtle and
broad. I can liken the top
and bottom boosts to that
of a Pultec equalizer used
on guitars in the studio.
The top end can be
pushed to the maximum
and still provide a usable,
chiming guitar sound.
Similarly, the low band
can be cranked with the
top band attenuated for a smooth muted tone without
unwanted resonances and distortions.
I tested the Tone Job in conjunction with the EarthQuaker
Devices’ Speaker Cranker and Hoof Fuzz pedal, using it to push
the Cranker into distortion in a similar manner to how the
preamp section of a guitar amp would do with the power amp
and speaker cone. With the EQ set at unity, the level control
provided a secondary clean boost in the signal chain that was
ideal for crunchier sounds. More impressive was the boost
that the pedal provided with all three EQ bands at maximum
and the level control boosted as well. This setting allowed
the Speaker Cranker to create new harmonics and types of
distortion that I was not previously able to get on my pedal
board. In a town like New York City where guitarists are often
gigging with club backline, having these two pedals would
solidify your tone, regardless of what amp a venue provides.
The Tone Job was also useful as a gain stage before the
Hoof Fuzz. Although the Hoof has a very broad range of
fuzz possibilities, the creative EQ possible with the Tone Job
allows for a new set of distortions that can bring the Hoof
into a territory of ambient and washed out fuzz instead of
basic and “usable” fuzz that the pedal is known for. This
combination was great for layers of reverb and fuzz soaked
open chords on the chorus of a song that I have been
working on. I used the mid and treble bands of the Tone Job
to hit the Hoof Fuzz extremely hard while leaving the low
end out of the way to maintain root note clarity.
I found the mid band control to be most useful in cutting
when guitar sounds became too honky to fit into a mix. With
other pedals, the mid range can often blur guitar parts or
vocals. The mid band on the Tone Job pulled just enough
2kH in a subtle manner that did not interfere with the
integrity of the guitar signal.
50 the deli Fall 2012

SPINDOCTOR 2
The next generation of the legendary T-Rex
Spindoctor tube driven pre-amp
We’re pleased to introduce SPINDOCTOR 2, the next generation
of this legendary T-Rex tube-driven preamp/stompbox.
Four channels of T-Rex tone with adjustable and programmable gain, tone and output controls.
Motorized knobs move like faders on a studio mixing board as you call up different
channels, providing mission-critical visual cues that let you monitor your settings at a glance.
A full spectrum of analog gain in a single knob. Plus a Lead button to blast off into
the stratosphere of world-class overdrive.
Not only a killer distortion pedal – it’s also a complete guitar preamp. Plug it directly into a
power amp, or use the speaker-simulation output to connect to a mixer or computer.
t-rex-effects.com

kitchen recording equipment news
T-Rex
Junior Roommate
Review by Gus Green
Stomp Box Exhibit
October 19&20
at Main Drag Music
Try these pedals!
200 + pedals displayed!
This blue, rugged pedal is a
digital reverb featuring four
different modes: Spring,
Room, Hall and LFO. It includes a
stereo out and a useful red LED to
indicate clipping if present, and it’s
very straight forward in operation.
The only knob that really affects
the reverb is the Decay knob,
while the other ones are dedicated
to giving you the right mix of
signal going to your amp.
The Spring mode is very familiar
to most guitar players, since spring
reverbs are featured in many amps.
This is a rather good recreation and
with the Decay knob all the way up
it reminds me of the spring models
of the 60’s. What I like about having
a digital Spring is that it is way less
noisy, temperamental, and dirty
sounding than a real Spring. Having
control over the Decay is what makes
this digital recreation very useful,
since this setting can’t be adjusted on
most amp springs. The Room mode
is a very subtle reverb. It adds just
enough effect to make the signal
not sound totally dry. That said, I
really like the Room mode on this
particular pedal. It has a nice “slappy”
characteristic that’s very usable.
The Hall mode is an imitation of how
the signal would sound in a large of
various sizes depending on how the
Decay knob is set, and gives you a
natural yet big and deep reverb sound.
This mode has again a nice sounding
tone. The LFO mode is not your
traditional reverb tone. The manual
describes it as reverb embellished with
chorus, perfect for acoustic guitar. I
am not much of an acoustic musician
these days so my use of this mode
would be pretty limited, but for those
seeking a warmer, feel good reverb
tone for a Sunday morning brunch this
is the go-to mode.
The Roommate Junior definitely
sounds better then a lot of digital
reverbs for guitar I’ve heard. I
appreciate the minimal interface and
simplicity of use. I ran my ES-335
knock off through this pedal into my
stock Blues Junior and got pleasing
results. I also tested it on vocals,
drum machine and real drums. I
mainly wanted to hear how the Spring
mode reacted to these alternative
sources - ands was very pleased. As
the dynamics increased, the springs
became more present and jangley. I
would firmly recommend this pedal
to anyone looking for a digital stomp
verb. It’s as good if not better then
pedals costing much more.
Check out the deli’s
stomp box blog!
www.delicious-audio.com
52 the deli Fall 2012