Vandaveer, DC’s favorite roots act hailing from Kentucky, is going on a tour across the golden plains and through the dark mountains of America in support of their new album Oh Willie Please…, “a collection of traditional murder ballads and songs of self ruin” dug up from the faded graves and abandoned mines of Americana. Ravens croak cheerfully and everything smells sweetly of wildflowers, rawhide, burnt timber and blood. Good stuff.
In collaboration with the underground independent artist collective, Undead Music Festival, 5th Dimension at H&H building in downtown Baltimore is hosting an intimate night of experimental jazz on May 5th. Local bands Talking Points, Leap and Bombshelter are all ensembles of jazz aficionados who congregate as a multifaceted community of enthusiastic and talented musicians who play together as often as they can. Band members Chris Pumphy and Dan Ryan play in two out of three bands on the bill.
If you’ve never experienced downtown Baltimore’s buzzing young jazz community, the 5 Dimension loft space is a tucked away venue that will offer you the ambiance of a down to earth artist environment, and an intimate music venue that allows you to hear every note. -Jordannah Elizabeth
DC based indie rock band Bells and Hunters released their second LP Weddings and Funerals last month (check out a track below) and perform on the regular around the DMV. Having perfected their sound over the past five years they've been together, the fans have voiced that they are indeed our Band of the Month. We wanted to find out more about the quintet, so we got a hold of three members Kelly Ann Beaver (vocals,) Keith Fishcer (guitar/vocals,) and Eric Putnam (bass.) Here they talk about their upcoming music video, recording their 3rd album, and more. Now onto the interview...
Once again The Deli gives you the opportunity to be selected to play NYC's Rooftop Films' Summer Series 2013, which will run every weekend from May 10 until August, with special events in September.
The event couples films with live music on top of spectacular NYC roofs, and connects artists with audiences so that each event is unique and memorable. The Rooftop Film music programming staff will select some artists from those who applied through The Deli.
What began originally as an offer to provide music for a documentary about an influence from childhood (Calvin & Hobbes) eventually turned into We Were Pirates' full length score for Dear Mr. Watterson. Mike Boggs of WWP originally contacted the film's director, Joel Schroeder, about allowing the documentary to use some of his music. Over two years later, Schroeder reached out to Boggs about making the score for the entire film.
To be completely honest, I absolutely love this score. It is a vivid tapestry of piano riffs, jazzy percussion, and delightful melodies that remind me of the first time I heard Vince Guaraldi's score for Charlie Brown.
The soundtrack is available for purchase from iTunes now, and is also available for streaming from SoundCloud (But seriously, you should really buy it). -Karl Dobias
DC based rock band Honor By August's album Monuments To Progress was released today, joining their growing discography of 2 previous LPs and an EP. With this release, the band went a different route by reaching out to fans via a succesful Kickstarter campaign. “It was encouraging and humbling to see how much people believed in us and wanted to hear more music from Honor By August,” says frontman Michael Pearsall. An east coast/mid-west tour is planned to start this May, and they will be playing at DC's 9:30 Club on May 24.
The 9:30 Club wants to make sure that you are at this show, so they're offering a pair of tickets to a lucky Deli reader! All you have to do is email us by 3 PM on 5/1 and let us know your favorite Honor By August song. Please include your first & last name for guest list requirements. The winner will be emailed back to confirm. If you don't want to miss out, you can still get tickets here.
Harrisonburg, Virginia based band SURFING has just released a single from their upcoming 7 inch (coming this summer.) "Hollow Sparrow" is a treat for fans of shoegaze, indie, pop, or whatever else suits your fancy. Combined with Jordan Stern’s complex lyrics and haunting vocals, this song is a perfect addition to any playlist for ushering in the summer. -Karl Dobias
DC based indie rock project The Strangest Places ran a succesful Kickstarter campaign, so now we can expect the debut LP Premature Awakenings this July via Old Squid Records. Chris Howard (aka The Strangest Places) is pretty stoked on the artwork for the album created by PJ Smithey (as seen above) and and has said of it, "Jaws is my favorite movie, and it also terrifies me. But I love it. And sometimes I have some intense Jawsian dreams. Track one on the album is actually going to be called 'Amity' and is going to be a Jaws tribute of sorts."
As a thanks to all who helped with the campaign, Chris recorded an acoustic version of "Could Someone" mixed by Mat Leffler-Schulman of Mobtown Studios that you can check out below.
Last month we unleashed DC's indie pop artist Young Summer's single "Fever Dream." Since then, she (Bobbie Allen) has been featured on the soundtrack for Vampire Diaries, and has premiered this video for said single on Teen Vogue. The Fever Dream EP is due out 6/11.
Baltimore’s premiere psych rock band, The Flying Eyes have released two B-sides from their upcoming album, Lowlands, which is due out later this year. The new B- sides, Raise Hell and Break You Down are foreshadows of what is to come in regards to the The Flying Eyes full-length effort.
These tracks are intricately produced, and convey a more mature aesthetic that persistently and respectably reaches towards professional standards. Both songs are less about love and loss as their work has reflected in their past albums, and brings forth a darker, more complex side of the band by strongly and unabashedly conveying their long time quip and distaste for God and religion in the lyrics of Raise Hell, and a more in depth expression of pain and isolation in Break You Down. The Flying Eyes' instrumatation has also gone through a steady and noticable evolution without straying far from the band's foundational sound.
You can catch The Flying Eyes live, as they are playing a string of shows in the Baltimore area this Spring. –je
Local Dates:
April 27, 2013 – Guido’s Speakeasy – Fredrick, MD
May 10, 2013 - Golden West Café – Baltimore, MD
June 22, 2013 – Wind Up Space – Baltimore, MD
