The Deli NYC #40 - CMJ 2014, Sunflower Bean, Posters in Rock, Brooklyn Stompbox, Shilpa Ray

Issue #40 Volume #2 Fall 2014

CMJ + CBGB Fests Issue Brooklyn Stompbox Exhibit Kayrock Screenprinting, Shilpa Ray, She Keeps Bees, Margaret Glaspy, Walking Shapes, WOLVVES & more.

New i-Series. New song.

iOne™

iTwo™

Tracked on her iPad® with new Capture™ Duo. Beamed wirelessly to her laptop and mixed with Studio One® Artist.

Available for sale to her fan base the same day via Nimbit®. The iOne and iTwo are the only 96kHz USB 2.0 interfaces with a seamless suite of easy-to-use software that encourages your creativity. ©2014 PreSonus Audio Electronics., Inc. All Rights Reserved. iOne, iTwo and Nimbit are trademarks or registered trademarks of PreSonus Audio Electronics, Inc. Capture and Studio One are trademarks or registered trademarks of PreSonus Software Ltd. All other marks are property of their respective holders. Except any smudges you get on this magazine. Those marks are solely your property.

Full info and videos at… www.presonus.com/i-series

ROCKWOOD MUSIC HALL

WEDNESDAY 10.22

STAGE 1 - ROOTS/ALT ROCK Cariad Harmon 5:00 Bridget Davis & The Viking Kings 6:00 Margaret Glaspy 7:00 Inland Traveler 8:00 The Nepotist 9:00 Son of an Illustrious Father 10:00 Motopony (Seattle) 11:00 Girl Pilot (Austin) 12:00 TBA 12:00 Laura Cole Band (CAN) 1: 00

SPIKE HILL

THURSDAY 10.23 - $5 DIY/GARAGE/PSYCH NoPop 6:40 Bailiff (Chicago) 7:30 The New Tarots 8:20 The Teen Age 9:10 Charly Bliss 10:00 Low Fat Getting High 10:50 Le Rug 11:40 Juniper Rising 12:30

SPIKE HILL

SATURDAY 10.25 $5 INDIE POP Fly Moon Royalty (Seattle) 6:45 Hani Zahra 7:15 DREAMERS 8:00 Cantina 8:50 Fancy Colors 9:40 Flashlight s(FL) (FL)10:30 10:30 Walking Shapes 11:20 Catey Shaw 12:10 The Prettiots 1:00

STAGE 2 - ROOTS + ALT ROCK/POP ABSTRAKTO (LA) 5:00 The Family Crest (SF) 6:00 She Keeps Bees 7:00 Darlingside (MA) 8:00 Animal Years 9:00 Secret Someones 10:00 Stone Cold Fox 11:00 Lazer Cake 12:00 HITS 1:15 STAGE 3 - SONGWRITERS/ALT FOLK TBA 6:15 Maggie Rogers 7:15 Caitlin Canty 8:15 Anthony D’Amato 9:15 Jack and Eliza 10:15 Totara Jack 11:15

PIANOS

FRIDAY 10.24 DOWNSTAIRS STAGE: INDIE + ELECTRONIC Girlpool (LA) 7:00 Waltz 7:45 Shilpa Ray 8:30 The Yum Dee Days 9:15 MOTHXR 10:00 Baby Alpaca 10:45 Bo Ningen (Japan) 11:30 11:30 Sunflower Bean 12:20 Glass Gang 1:10 WOLVVES 2.00 UPSTAIRS STAGE: ELECTRONIC Fielded 7:00 Vandana Jain 7:45 AltoPalo 8:30 Fascinator 9:15 The Flag 10:00 The Flavr Blue (Chicago) 10:45

the deli

music and art from the the nyc nyc music underground everything about scene Issue #40 Volume #2 Fall 2014 Paolo De Gregorio Charles Newman Editor: Brian CHidester executive Editor: quang d. tran Art Director: Kaz Yabe (www.kazyabe.com) Cover design: aneta wegrzyn comic art: Juliette Lê Staff Illustrators: JP Peer Michael Zadick Michael Sincavage Editor In Chief / Publisher: Founder:

Jillian P. Dooley Web Developers: Mark Lewis Alex Borsody mike levine Distribution Coordinator: Kevin Blatchford Contributing Writers: ben apatoff Corinne Bagish Francesca Baker jp basileo Dave Cromwell Bill Dvorak Jason Grimste Michael Haskoor ben krieger Mike Levine brescia mascheretti Kenneth Partridge jake saunders Dean van nguyen Jillian P. Dooley Emilio Herce Assistant Editor:

The Kitchen: Ryan Dembinsky Nathan Smith Mya Byrne Grayson Fiske Intern: Sammie Spektor Publishers: The Deli Magazine LLC / Mother West, NYC

The Deli Magazine is a trademark of The Deli Magazine, LLC, Brooklyn & Mother West, NYC. All contents ©2014 The Deli Magazine. All rights reserved.

Notes from the Editor The original CBGB needs no introduction, but here goes anyway. The club opened in 1973 at 315 Bowery, where, from 1975-77, it played host to the greatest collection of punk acts in the United States. By the time the College Media Journal (aka CMJ) launched its bi-weekly trade magazine aimed at college radio programmers in ‘78, CBGB regulars like Blondie, the Ramones, Television, Patti Smith and the Talking Heads were already legends.

Both CBGB and CMJ now host annual festivals this month in NYC. Despite the physical club closing in 2006, CBGB continues as a brand-name for alternative culture, with its Music & Film Festival happening October 8-12th in clubs around Lower Manhattan and Brooklyn. The Deli takes part in booking an evening of the festival at Pianos on the LES. We also host several nights of official CMJ Music Marathon shows, which, for those unaware, this year runs October 21-25th. It’s been going on annually since 1980, and The Deli has booked CMJ shows for eight years now.

With all that said, this issue is devoted to both festivals, with reviews and blurbs galore on all the acts playing The Deli’s bookings, as well as our usual coverage of the newest artists all over NYC. One of the most promising young bands is Sunflower Bean, who turned our heads this summer on the strength of just three singles. Enough so that we gave ‘em the cover. And for those few who actually pay attention to mastheads, this is my second issue as the new editor of The Deli. It was a thrill to take the reigns for the magazine’s 10th anniversary issue this past summer. Hopefully I can (with Paolo still being chief) continue to deliver the high-calibre of scene coverage the mag is known for, while adding new surprises with each issue. There’s no shortage of music media in this city. So we’re glad you chose us to get yours.

thedelimag.com/charts

Brian Chidester, Editor, October 2014

The Deli’s database of emerging & established artists - organized by city, popularity and genre

Read about guitar pedals on pages 44-54!

- explore and rate new bands - enter your band for free!

thedelimag.com/charts The Deli’s database of emerging & established artists • organized by city, popularity and genre • explore and rate new artists • enter your band for free!

delicious-audio.com The Deli’s Blog for DIY Recorders & Stompbox Lovers • bands in the studio profiles • issue-related recording tips • stompbox news and reviews

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the deli Fall 2014

nY nY sbe sbe2014 “bringyour yourguitars!” guitars!”

2014 “bring Main Main Drag Drag Music, Music, OctOct 25-26, 25-26, FREEFREE

Amzel Amzel Electronics, Electronics, Analogman, Analogman, BigBig EarEar NYC, NYC, Black Black CatCat Pedals, Pedals, Cusack, Cusack, Devi Devi Ever, Ever, DigiTech, DigiTech, Dwarfcraft Dwarfcraft Devices Devices EarthQuaker EarthQuaker Devices, Devices, Ernie Ernie Ball, Ball, Eventide, Eventide, Flametubes, Flametubes, Greer Greer Amps, Amps, Henretta Henretta Engineering, Engineering, Ibanez, Ibanez, Main Main Ace Ace FX,FX, Metal Metal Pedals, Pedals, Mod Mod Kits Kits DIY, DIY, Moog, Moog, Outlaw Outlaw Effects, Effects, Randall, Randall, RAT, RAT, Red Red Panda Panda Lab, Lab, Red Red Witch Witch Pedals, Pedals, Shoe Shoe Pedals, Pedals, SolidGold SolidGold FX,FX, Source Source Audio, Audio, STISTI Technologies, Technologies, Strymon, Strymon, T-Rex, T-Rex, TCTC Electronic, Electronic, Walrus Walrus Audio, Audio, Wampler, Wampler, WMD. WMD.

thedelimag.com/sbe thedelimag.com/sbe

by michael by michael sincavage sincavage

The Stompbox Exhibit’s Essential Accessories The Stompbox Exhibit is - of course - all about guitar pedals, but it couldn’t happen without some crucial “ancillary” equipment provided by our sponsors. Here’s a list of these helpful instruments and devices:

PreSonus HP4 Headphones Preamp For the totally unaware, a precious bit of info: headphones cannot be connected directly to pedals, so... a preamp is necessary to feed those cans! Louisiana-based PreSonus - a leading manufacturer of audio interfaces, digital mixers, studio monitors and... preamps - kindly supplied one HP4 headphone preamp for each pedalboard at our show. They have four outputs so if you bring extra headphones you can test the pedals with a friend or three.

Shure SRH440 Headphones Known worldwide for their microphones, Shure in recent years has also produced a very successful line of studio and in ear headphones. Each board at our Broklyn Stompbox Exhibit will be connected to a pair of Shure SHR440s, the Chicago manufacturer’s entry level studio headphones.

D’Addario NYXL Strings

Rock On Audio Rockon Cable

Long Island string manufacturer D’Addario recently launched a new line of guitar strings that proudly features the letters “NY” in its name: NYXL. The set represents a complete redesign from the ground up, that reportedly allows the new product to be stronger, more durable, more easily bendable, and less likely to go out of tune than the regular nickel-plated steel string. They’ll be mounted on some demo guitars.

With their Rockon cable, Rock On Audio provided us with a less intrusive way to connect headphones to preamps, so that all cables stay out of the way when you are plugging in your guitar to try the exhibit’s boards. The Colorado manufacturer specializes also in flexible in-ear monitor preamps that allow you to customize your mix on stage as well as protect your ears from sudden bursts of volume with a built in limiter.

T-Rex The Fuel Tank Junior Power is a precious thing at our stompbox exhibit, and many thanks are due to T-Rex for providing it for our mixed boards through their Fuel Tank Jr.

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the deli Fall 2014

Stompblox Modular Pedalboards The modular pedalboard concept introduced by Stompblox is perfect for those guitarists who can’t help but keep adding pedals to their chain. At 12.5” wide by 8.5” deep, the basic stompblox unit is perfect for a 3 pedal starter setup. Add a second unit, attach it to the other one on either side, and you get space for 3-4 more pedals - and so on and on. A series of other attachable elements provide guitarists with an innovative, flexible and functional format.

©2014 Juliette Lê Ilustrated by Juliette Lê (follow her on Instagram: @lulastella). Written by Brian Chidester and Juliette Lê. Lyrics by Paul McCartney.

NEW HD8 DJ Excellent sound reproduction across the audible range thanks to Sennheiser’s proprietary acoustics system

NEW HD7 DJ Impressive sound quality and powerful, accurate bass to help keep you in the groove all night long

Crafted from durable, high quality metal parts to guarantee years of use

Constructed of rugged, lightweight parts built to withstand years of heavy-duty use

Ear cups can be rotated 210 Degree for easy one-ear monitoring and storage

Ear cups can be rotated 210 degrees for easy one-ear monitoring and storage

Two Kevlar-coated cables (one straight and one coiled) are included and can be attached to either the left or right ear cup, allowing you to swap to your preference

Soft, durable ear cushions ensure a comfortable fit, even over extended periods of use

95 ohm impedance for optimum compatibility with DJ equipment

95 ohm impedance for optimum compatibility with DJ equipment

NEW HD6 MIX Designed to cater to the needs of the professional sound technician Rugged, lightweight parts and built to withstand years of work in the studio Accurate, balanced sound reproduction suitable for mixing and monitoring Soft, durable ear cushions ensure a comfortable fit even over extended periods of use 150 ohm impedance for optimum compatibility in the studio

Developed with DJs. Built with passion.

“Drawing on our success based around the HD 25 and extensive experience in high-end audio, the DJ range applies Sennheiser’s proprietary acoustic system to answer the needs of different performing and production applications” - Ivan Kuan, Head of Product Management, Sennheiser Consumer Electronics

Check out the NEW HD6 MIX, HD7 DJ and HD8 DJ www.sennheiser.com/dj-headphones

Soundbites I Revival Rock

nyc revival rock Top 20

Full Deli Web Buzz charts: thedelimagazine.com/charts

1) The Last Internationale 2) The Parlor Mob 3) Nude Beach 4) Slim Wray 5) Locksley 6) The London Souls 7) Endless Boogie 8) Screamin Rebel Angels 9) The Arkhams 10) The Post 11) Richard Barone 12) The Blackfires 13) Jane Lee Hooker 14) The VeeVees 15) Jeremy and The Harlequins 16) Hidden Fees 17) The mOrgans 18) Jesse Kinch 19) The End Men 20) The Dead Exs

The Deli’s Stage at the CBGB’s 2014 Music Festival Pianos on 10/10/14 No one can deny the crucial role CBGB’s (the venue) played in the development of legendary NYC bands and artists, such as Television, the Ramones, Patti Smith and the Talking Heads (but to name just a few). This year, The Deli decided to take part in the festival that carries on the venerable club’s name with a bill of bands that rock-out in vintage ways. On this page you’ll find all the details of The Deli’s first CBGB’s Festival show.

11:10 pm

The Veevees

NYC’s VeeVees recently added lead vocalist Sophia Urista to what was formerly a White Stripes/Kills/Black Keys-style act. Now its founding members, Garrett Cillo (guitar/vocals) and Andrea Belfiore (drums), can take things in the more epic direction of, say, Cream or Led Zepplin.

(No shit?) If nothing else, Urista’s addition creates more sex appeal and a deeper leap into the belly of the blues. (Dave Cromwell)

10:20 pm

Jeremy & the Harlequins

Feeling nostalgic for the retro sounds of surf music, rockabilly, and blues-rock? Enter Jeremy and the Harlequins. With a barebones sound that includes passionate, heavily delayed yelps, and a devotion to live rock, the quintet recorded their first record in only a few (analog) live takes. Incredibly, they’d only played together a handful of times before going into the studio. (It shows.) That’s their charm. (JP Basileo)

7:50 pm

High Waisted

High Wasted is not shy at all about their drug use, or its role in their music.

We’ll let their own description of the jam, “Acid Tape Vol. 1” do the talking: “We went to Nashville, hung a mic in the room of a haunted house, took acid, and hit record on an old reel to reel. This is what happened.” The result is a psyched-out surf rock extravaganza. The recordings may be lo-fi, but the energy is vibrantly sang-froid. (Jake Saunders)

7:00 pm

Baby Acid

With songs direct and forceful, Brooklyn’s Baby Acid marry girl group vocals to alt-shoegazey distortion. Driving bass guitar powers the trio through progressive drum patterns and fluid guitar fuzz. With songs about pheromones, getting high and not being sorry, a playful vibe is gleaned throughout, and a sonic line from Suzi Quatro and Joan Jett through to Courtney Love is easily detected. (Dave Cromwell)

Non NYC bands we also booked for this show: 8:40pm Heavy Glow (LA), 9:30pm Immigrant Union (AUStin) 12

the deli Fall 2014

Soundbites I Roots/Songwriters

She Keeps Bees rockwood 2 (7:00pm, wed 10/22)

She Keeps Bees’ new record “Eight Houses” explores America’s hidden past via tracks like “Greasy Grass” and “Breezy,” which brim with rage for the plight of the Native American. A change-up in production from home recording to a more produced sound adds to the band’s complexity this time around. “The Deli” recently discussed these and other new paths with Bees’ Jessica Larabee.

New tracks like “Owl” and “Is What It Is” contain rich instrumentation, including horns, choral shouts, and even a cameo from Sharon Van Etten. It’s a lot different from what came before. What other changes can we expect to hear from “Eight Houses”?

We decided to use a studio and producer for this record.

Andy [LaPlant] didn’t have to be the engineer worrying about mics and technicalities. It allowed us to get uncomfortable; [to] break songs down and build them back up. It was fun to play with layers.

Have most of your stories happened to you personally? Or are some fashioned stories you’ve overheard or conjured up yourself?

The songs mirror [both] personal journeys and lessons. I spent time researching early American history while driving through the US on tour in 2012/13. The more I read, the more I realized this was a universal story of “progress” — the western world enclosing on indigenous people, taking their natural resources, destroying their sense of self through assimilation. I kept asking myself, How can there be understanding and healing if the truth of our history is not told?’

I know Andy hails from New Orleans, but you have spent a lot of time in NYC. What about NYC has helped you two find a home for your music, and do you have a favorite local venue?

Andy is actually originally from Green Bay, WI, but he went to school in New Orleans. [New York’s] energy is addictive even in the struggle; it’s life carving.

(Mike Levine)

Margaret Glaspy

rockwood 1 (7:00pm, wed 10/22) California native Margaret Glaspy pairs bluesy guitars and melancholic lyrics with a vocal style as devastating as it is enchanted.

Her 2012 EP, “If & When,” was a charming collection of short stories on love lost that has anti-folk fanatics clamouring for what she’ll come up with next. “The Deli” sat down recently to see what Glaspy has been up to.

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Photo: Sasha Arutyunova

Your lyrics contain very direct images. Where does your lyrical inspiration from?

Different songs want or crave certain words or association, and I try and rely on instinct. One of my favorite writers is Elliott Smith. He’s always using unexpected metaphors, and breaking my heart with them.

What is your favorite part of the recording process?

I adore sitting in my room and making demos. I love finishing a demo of a song and then rearranging it completely to see if it has even more potential. Working on it at home has always allowed a margin of error that encourages beautiful mistakes and gives songs more of a heartbeat. I’ve actually spent more time in the studio singing on other peoples’ records than I have on my own, and am gearing up to make my first full length in the next few months.

Coast music scene after your move from California?

I’d wanted to be on the East Coast since I was young and getting here felt like a real step in the right direction. The hardest part at times can be going out to see a show and realizing that I’ve got more work to do than I thought. It can be sobering to witness a hard-working artist play a killer set and often makes me go right back to the drawing board.

New York is also too expensive.

What has been your biggest hurdle in adapting to the East

(Jillian Dooley)

the deli Fall 2014

nyc roots Top 20

Full Deli Web Buzz charts: thedelimagazine.com/charts

1) American Authors 2) Hiss Golden Messenger 3) Deer Tick 4) The Pierces 5) Devendra Banhart 6) The Hercules and Love Affair 7) Nick Hakim 8) Phosphorescent 9) Lucius 10) CocoRosie 11) Theophilus London 12) Citizen Cope 13) Sharon Jones and the Dap-king 14) Hollis Brown 15) A.A. Bondy 16) Oh Honey 17) Antony and the Johnsons 18) Luluc 19) The Lone Bellow 20) She Keeps Bees

Jack

and

eliza

rockwood 3 (10:15pm, wed 10/22)

caitlin canty

rockwood 3 (8:15pm, wed 10/22)

Bands that last are often tied by bonds developed during their high school years (or earlier). New York natives Jack and Eliza have been chums since childhood, which explains the genuine warmth of their two-way harmonies. The folk-pop duo released a few songs online earlier in 2014, which produced over 100k in plays over just a few months.

Their style is simple: two electric guitars and male/female voices, all blending in the most natural way imaginable. Two singles available on Soundcloud – “Secrets” and “Hold the Line” – channel the relaxed, “beachy” atmosphere of Real Estate in a folkier, sparser approach. (paolo de gregorio)

Caitlin Canty’s wispy folk tunes bring personal stories of gritty, working class Vermont to the urban snarl of her adopted homeland in Brooklyn. Upcoming record “Reckless Skyline” pulls together this landscape in what may be her finest effort yet. Produced by singer/songwriter Jeffrey Foucault, “Skyline” showcases Canty’s inexhaustible energy and infectious optimism. Sneak peaks of tracks like “Get Up” and “Enough About Hard Times” show the artist still with plenty of gas left in her tank, which is just what she’ll need to burn on a lengthy, Kickstarter-funded tour across America. She’ll be back home in New York at Rockwood Music Hall next month too. (Mike Levine)

maggie rogers

Totara jack

Maggie Rogers is a quirky twentysomething who considers her songs to be creatures and her banjo a trusty sidekick. Fueled by movement and loss, Rogers’ music has grown up alongside her, each album more sophisticated than the last. Where “Echo,” her 2012 debut, was less acquainted with heartbreak and the art of profanity, the latest – titled “Blood Ballet” – is a near-perfect articulation of full-bodied pain, the kind that makes for some lovely sounds. (Jillian Dooley)

Totara Jack is the New York-based solo project of the New Zealand-bred Cameron Deyell. Prior to his move to the Big Apple, Deyell lived in India, where he spent over two years writing songs and forming his signature sound. With recent help from producer Lachlan Carrick (Gotye), Deyell polished his distinct haunted sound, took up the name Totara Jack (the nickname of his grandmother’s great-grandfather) and delivered an unforgettable debut EP titled “Rescue Flight.” (Brescia Mascheretti)

rockwood 3 (7:15pm, wed 10/22)

rockwood 3 (11:15pm, wed 10/22)

Roots continued on next page.

the deli Fall 2014

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Soundbites I Roots/Songwriters

bridget davis

inland traveler

Following the release of their debut EP “Trouble Comes in Threes” (2012), Bridget Davis + the Viking Kings have since released a three-track titled “January” and a stand-alone single, “Bloodbuzz Ohio.” With vocals said to feature a “subtler form of devastation,” Davis continues her intimate assault on the classic folk sound. (Jillian Dooley)

Brooklyn-based Inland Traveler’s newest single, “Paths Are Frozen,” is gorgeously layered and infectious to boot. Alt-country in tone and instrumentation, it measures time through summers, both transient in the present, and forever cemented in the past. Like its subjectmatter, “Paths Are Frozen” bears revisiting. (Emilio Herce)

the nepotist

Anthony D’amato

Who says you can’t find gritty rock/soul in New York anymore?

Pairing Delta blues with the down-home, hard-hitting rock of the Black Keys, family duo the Nepotist boast airtight grooves that come from many years of working together. The brothers’ convincing cover of Bill Withers’ “Ain’t No Sunshine” is but one example of their natural bond. (mike levine)

Anthony D’amato is best known for soft-spoken, sepia-toned folk tunes. More recently, though, he’s added a few vibrant hues to this sonic palette. From the facepaint gobs flecked onto his suit for the cover of the upcoming “The Shipwreck from the Shore,” to an unexpected symphonic vision on several new cuts, D’amato is determined this time to add everything, including the kitchen sink. The Jersey artist comes closest to Springsteen’s anthemic reach on “Was a Time,” but manages elsewhere to keep things intimate on sleepers like “If It Don’t Work Out.” With a little help from friends like Matt McCaughan (Bon Iver) and Sam Kassirer (Langhorne Slim), he’s brought in all the the hard artillery.

(Jeepers! That’s a lot of metaphors!) (mike levine)

rockwood 1 (6:00pm, wed 10/22)

rockwood 1 (9:00pm, wed 10/22)

Cariad Harmon rockwood 1 (5:00pm, wed 10/22)

NYC-based Londoner Cariad Harmon is a singer-songwriter whose sparse songs are fueled by vulnerability and honesty, feelings brought to life by way of airy melodies that develop without haste. Her delicate, almost whispered soprano works as the music’s binding element, giving Harmon’s mixture of classic jazz and blues a graceful fluidity. (paolo de gregorio)

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rockwood 1 (8:00pm, wed 10/22)

rockwood 3 (9:15pm, wed 10/22)

Non NYC bands we also booked in this genre: The Family Crest (SF), Darlingside (MA), Laura Cole Band (Toronto), Motopony (Seattle)

nyc alt rock Top 20

Full Deli Web Buzz charts: thedelimagazine.com/charts

1) Born Cages 2) Andrew W.K. 3) Mother 4) Rhett Miller 5) Morningwood 6) Alberta Cross 7) Atomic Tom 8) Sainthood Reps 9) Cycle of Pain 10) Chameleon 11) Slothrust 12) Jesse Malin 13) Black Taxi 14) Active Bird Community 15) Damn Glad 16) NGHBRS 17) Papercut 18) The Killing Floor 19) The Loose Teeth 20) Cosmonaut

Photo: Reid Rolls

Soundbites I Alt Rock

Sons of an Illustrious Father rockwood 1 (10:00pm, wed 10/22)

Sons of an Illustrious Father’s initial recordings were vaguely altcountry, as if exhumed, dusted off, and brought down from the mountain. The vocals on these songs were breathy and cigarettestentched, with drums playing lithe shuffles underneath banjos and echoes of electric guitar. The Sons, in its current iteration, has also noticeably evolved. Their latest two singles — “Very Few Dancers” and “Strange Home” — carry influences as disparate as folk, psychedelia, and contemporary hip-hop, with heavy doses of electric instrumentation. Still present though is that singular voice, which hopefully the band never outgrows. (Emilio Herce)

Animal Years

rockwood 2 (9:00pm, wed 10/22) Animal Years is a project spearheaded by solo artist Mike McFadden, whose move to Brooklyn demanded a full band for his live set. The act’s debut LP, “Sun Will Rise,” is a passionate work fueled by expansive guitars and McFadden’s expressive vocals. “Let Go of Your Head,” the album’s high-point, offers the kind of deceptively catchy chorus that’ll stick with you long after it’s over. (JAKE SAUNDERS)

Secret Someones rockwood 2 (10:00pm, wed 10/22)

Combining the formidable forces of three quality female singer/ songwriters, Secret Someones brings solo artists Bess Rogers, Hannah Winkler, and Lelia Broussard together with drummer Zach Jones to form a unit of classic Americana roots. The title track from their Cherrytree/Interscope Records debut EP “I Won’t Follow” presents crystalline vocal intonalities in both individual and blended cascades of harmony. Look out for a full-length debut in early 2015. (dave cromwell)

stone cold fox

rockwood 2 (11:00pm, wed 10/22)

Expanded to a full band for their 2014 album, “Memory Palace,” Brooklyn’s Stone Cold Fox deliver a collection of songs that’re like the early Strokes in both sonic texture and easygoing vocal phrasing. (Elsewhere, there are hints of Bob Dylan’s lyricism and the emotional drama of the Killers.) All of these influences from across the decades are made fresh by the band’s intimate keyboard flourishes and succinct sound design. (dave cromwell)

Non NYC bands we also booked in this genre: Motopony (Seattle), ABSTRAKTO (LA).

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nyc garage/psych Top 20 1) The Antlers 2) The Raveonettes 3) TV on the Radio 4) Bear In Heaven 5) Beach Fossils 6) Panda Bear 7) woods 8) Amen Dunes 9) LVL UP 10) Crystal Stilts

Photo: Haley Jane Samuelson

Soundbites I DIY/Garage/Psych

low fat getting high

spike hill (10:50pm, thu 10/23)

The name may suggest a play-on-words (or perhaps a “fuck you” to dietary and image standards), but the music that Brooklyn’s Low Fat Getting High puts out is no joke. The trio punches tremendous blasts of anti-establishment sound. Dronish moans slip seamlessly into grotesque hurls of agitation, each song finishing with a barrage of pure guitar rage. A self-titled debut full-length comes out November 11th on Money Fire Records.

(JP Basileo)

le rug

spike hill (11:40pm, thu 10/23) Le Rug lead singer/guitarist Ray Weiss puts all himself into the music, and what more can you ask for from anyone who practices their art seriously? Sometimes his songs are ridiculous, sometimes they’re angry, sometimes they’re 20 seconds long, but, invariably, the energy is there and it never falters. Weiss and friends recently released a Le Rug compilation titled “Press Start (The Collection)” on Fleeting Youth Records. It’s 32 songs of fuzzy maddnes that covers three albums, two EPs, and singles never released. (Jake Saunders)

juniper rising

Charly Bliss

Juniper Rising is western-styled blues from deep in the heart of, well, Brooklyn. Don’t be a cynic. It’s plenty convincing enough to conjur the shimmering nightime stars of Texas. Don’t believe me?

Try their full length debut on Burger Records next month, then tell me I’m wrong. “I don’t care what the people say/I ain’t waiting for my wedding day,” sings Holly Overton over a spaced-out prog/country jam. Live Juniper is absolutely delightful too. Kevin Faulkner plays a mean table stell slide-guitar that wraps each track in warm, western blankets. Catch the band at the record’s release October 3rd, or for any one of their East Coast dates starting in late September. (Jake Saunders)

Though lead singer Eva Hendricks’ high-pitched vocals might come across a little shrill on first listen, they eventually catch up to Charley Bliss’s onslaught of punk-ridden overdrive. “Urge to Purge,” from the band’s new EP “Soft Serve,” catches Hendricks shrieking: “You know we’re both so far from sane/Picking fights to let you know I’m glad you came.” Through a series of epic climaxes, Charly Bliss manage to tranform any hint of negative energy into posy-vibes and pure joy. (Jake Saunders)

spike hill (12:30am, thu 10/23)

spike hill (10:00pm, thu 10/23)

DIY/Garage/Psych continued on page 22.

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the deli Fall 2014

Full Deli Web Buzz charts: thedelimagazine.com/charts 11) White Hills 12) Psychic Ills 13) baked 14) teen 15) Obits 16) Sabbath Assembly 17) Aye Nako 18) Slow Warm Death 19) naam 20) Shark?

Photo: Barrett Sweger

Soundbites I DIY/Garage/Psych

glass gang

waltz

Brooklyn trio Glass Gang employ heavy drones and cavernous reverb to create a lo-fi sound both spacious and ambient. Think of the experiments of Mum, with a dollop of shoegaze and a horror movie soundtrack fetish, and you’re getting close. These are amongst the more intriguing new sounds NYC has to offer these days. (paolo de gregorio)

WALTZ’s music is a gloomy rock recalling, at times, Nick Cave and Xiu Xiu. Washed in a bed of reverb and distortion, exploring textures that bring an industrialism to the bold mix, each of their three songs on their upcoming self titled EP is a little bit different.

Yet each has a sullen mood; “Ice Skating” sounds like a twised dream-pop song, while “Horses & Horses” is a slow-building psychedelic jam. They’re certainly not a band to miss live either, as their recent shows have included a team of performance art body builders. (Jake Saunders)

pianos (7:45pm, fri 10/24)

Photo: Phillip Van Nostrand

pianos (1:10am, fri 10/24)

The Teen Age

nopop

The Teen Age creates some of the very best locally-sourced, fuzzed out garage-rock brewed in Brooklyn basements. What sets them apart is an ability to incorporate styles like doo-wop and surf punk into their sound. Songs about an extended adolescence and displacement may not be the anthems of a lost generation, but they definitely speak to one waiting one for that next band to sweep them off their feet. (Full disclosure: The Teen Age’s bassist Bill Dvorak is also a regular contributor to “The Deli.”) (Emilio herce)

Skillfully recreating the famous “Loud/Quiet/Loud” motif of ‘90s alt-rock, NoPop’s music is riven with light dissonance. Disjointed, crunchy guitar riffs soar over thick basslines. Horror-show-like vocals from Oscar Rodriguez and Rachel Housle make the duo sound at times like dear old Black Francis and Ms. Kim Deal, meaning fans of the Pixies’ “Doolittle” can once more find unpretentious, unpredictable, wildly explosive and absolutely memorable new music. (paolo de gregorio)

spike hill (9:10pm, thu 10/23)

spike hill (6:40pm, thu 10/23)

Non NYC bands we also booked in this genre: Bailiff (Chicago), Bo Ningen (Japan)

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traditional, digital and out of the box pr and events 646 560 0062 104 w29th st. 11th floor ny ny 10001

golightlymedia.com the deli Fall 2014

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Soundbites I Electro

mothxr

pianos (10:00pm, fri 10/24) Early in 2014, NYC electro-soul act MOTHXR (previously known as MOTHER, an ungoogleable moniker destined to be challenged in court) dropped a doozy of a first single, titled “Easy.” It’s a fog-fueled, intricately percussive, and harmonicallyspiraling package of goodness. Industrial at times, beachy at others, it boasts Gossip Girl’s star Penn Badgley behind the mic for extra glamour. Two more singles followed, each reiterating the group’s gothic style, dominated by Badgley’s soulful tenor, and supported by a lineup of solid musicians also active in Lolawolf, Reputante and No. (Mike Levine)

Fascinator

pianos (upstairs) (9:15pm, fri 10/24) If you’ve never heard the name Fascinator before, don’t feel clueless. With barely an online presence and their latest musical offering nearly a year old, they’ve crusied along mostly under the radar. This may soon change.

As a side-project for Children Collide’s frontman Johnny Mackay, Fascinator debuted in 2012 with a track titled “Sexuality Mystery.” Mackay initially kept his name off the project, but revealed involvement with the release of a second video, “Mr. Caterpillar,” in 2013. A five song EP titled “Earth” collects dancy, dark, electro-psych tunes, with influences by Ariel Pink, early Beck and Connan Mockasin trickling through tracks like “Girl I Want” and “River Legs.” All deadly. (Brescia Mascheretti)

wolvves

pianos (2:00am, fri 10/24) There must be a reason why electro bands are more prone to embrace bleakness than, say, acoustic ones. Maybe it’s the feeling most humans have when they hear electronic instruments for the first time: puzzlement, incredulity, fear of a future dominated by robots! Of course, in 2014 we’re way beyond all that, though tons of electro bands keep making music that ranges from the suspenseful to the apocalyptic. That’s exactly where uber-stylish Brooklyn twin trio WOLVVES find their comfort zone.

Indeed, they have no problem admitting on their Bandcamp page that their debut EP, “Feed the Hand That Bites,” is “inspired by darkness, predators, loneliness, ghost twins and the eternal wistfulness of platonic love.” Fear the next full moon. (paolo de gregorio)

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nyc electro Top 20

Full Deli Web Buzz charts: thedelimagazine.com/charts

1) Blood Orange 2) Bleachers 3) Betty Who 4) Sinkane 5) MSMR 6) Nicolas Jaar 7) wet 8) Haerts 9) Gramatik 10) Ryn Weaver 11) Young Magic 12) The Juan MacLean 13) Duck Sauce 14) St. Lucia 15) Cibo Matto 16) Panama Wedding 17) astr 18) LCD Soundsystem 19) Santigold 20) The Knocks

Altopalo

fielded

Brooklyn-based Altopalo’s latest singles, “Picchu Machu” and “Chagrinning,” offer the kind of genre-mashing experimentations that feel oddly familiar, even if they’re incredibly hard to explain. (Let’s try anyway.) “Picchu Machu” is dizzyingly down-tempo, its house beats pogo-ing into breakdowns that border on ambience. It totally works.

Elsewhere, “Chargrinning” undulates synesthetically, the focus shifting from whispered vocals to sparse and airy piano interludes, culminating in a raucous instrumental section of clashed drums and 8-bit guitar acrobatics. Most impressive is that they do this as a live act too.

(Jake Saunders / Emilio Herces)

LA/Chicago/NYC-based one woman band Fielded is the project of producer Lindsay Powell (originally one-half of sister duo Festival, and part of experimental prog project Ga’an). She creates loop-based music that boasts random percussive sounds, synths and several layers of modulated voice. Latest single “Reign” (from an upcoming EP titled “Universally Handsome”) sounds truly genreless. Vaguely African, resolutely pop, it is unlike anything else in the electro landscape. (PAOLO DE GREGORIO)

Vandana Jain

The Flag

After dropping a debut full-length titled “Anti Venus” in ‘13, Vandana Jain brought her Eastern-inflected electro sound to a larger audience that included a live appearance at Highline Ballroom this summer.

Single “Ecstatic” is the album’s strongest track, emphasizing distant percussive mechanical clicks and whirrs that evoke sci-fi atmospheres like Pink Floyd’s “Welcome to the Machine.” Forboding (yet warm) analog synth notes pulse and rise from distant ethereal mists, while lyrics like “You freak/You make me ecstatic” become central, singlular lines, with addictive vocal hooks to boot. (Dave Cromwell)

The Flag is the brainchild of Ted McGrath, former member of defunct NYC noise band These Are Powers. Blending the darkest post-punk attitude (think Wire meets Throbbing Gristle) with the occasional EDM trill, 2011’s “Wear the Vest of Wealth” sounds more like stylistic loblolly than fully-formed experession. A more recent single, “Alpha 60 Punch Out,” however, shows rays of poppiness. Further hints at a melodic future come in the form of a cover of Peter Gabriel’s “No Self Control.” Its bizarre arrangement and lo-fi effects are borderline nihilist, making even McGrath’s lightest moments as bleak as shit. File under: stimulating music for those who don’t fear depression. (JAKE SAUNDERS)

pianos (upstairs) (8:30pm, fri 10/24)

pianos (upstairs) (7:45pm, fri 10/24)

Non NYC band we also booked in this genre: The Flvr Blue (Chicago)

pianos (upstairs) (7:00pm, fri 10/24)

pianos (upstairs) (10:00pm, fri 10/24)

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Soundbites I Indie Pop

walking shapes

spike hill (11:20pm, sat 10/25) Walking Shapes have been around since early 2013, a relatively short time for a band, but they’ve already proved super-prolific, putting out two records (a mix-tape and an LP). “The Deli” was fortunate to get an email Q&A with the electro-psych quintet.

Is there anything you learned in previous bands that helped speed up this project’s process? Anything to avoid?

Our first show was February 2013 actually at Glasslands, so coming up will be our 2 year birthday. Fortunately we’re able to create together regularly. We’re working on a follow up to our last album, “Taka Come On,” now. As far as learning from past projects, it’s really about the vibe of what you’re laying down. It’s gotta have feeling that speaks to listeners more than meticulous precision. That’s not to say you don’t need to know your shit and play well.

Was a mixture of rock and electronic dance music always the idea the band was going for? Or did it generate more organically?

We want to make the music that’s in us and that we like. We love keyboards, arpeggiators and toys of the like.

You guys identify as a New York band. Are there any venues that you consider a home base? That you feel really comfortable playing?

We all live in New York, and love our city and friends living here, but other than that, what does a New York band sound like exactly? The city is so diverse, there are a ton of artists here that are sick, so it’s great to be a part of that allencompassing family. We love the spot Niagara, it’s a really intimate room with great history.

You recently played a residency at Baby’s All Right with Sons of An Illustrious Father. How was that experience?

We played a residency there in January. Sons are our some of our best friends, and one of our favorite bands. It was a real treat being able to work with them on that.

Your video for “Horse” portrays a bunch of kids taking back a playground from bullys who had run them out, and features imagery from “Lord of the Flies,” and, if I’m not mistaken, “A Clockwork Orange.” Does the video represent a band philosophy? A take on US foreign policy? Or am I just reading too much into it?

The video was directed and shot by Monster Films, which is Eamon O’Rourke and Rafe Scobey-Thal. We sat down and spoke about the idea behind the lyrics, and they made it visual. The meaning behind the song is vague, since being active about the change you want in your life is as well. Each life is a very powerful and fleeting moment, so use it to its fullest. Don’t waste time feeling insignificant.

Everyone has their own concerns and issues, so from here you can fill in the blanks.

(Brescia Mascheretti)

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nyc indie pop Top 20

Full Deli Web Buzz charts: thedelimagazine.com/charts

Photo: Christopher White

1) The Drums 2) Julian Casablancas 3) Friends 4) Vampire Weekend 5) Mutual Benefit 6) Catey Shaw 7) Nada Surf 8) MisterWives 9) Oh Land 10) St. Vincent 11) MGMT 12) Beirut 13) lenka 14) Broken Bells 15) Grizzly Bear 16) The Front Bottoms 17) Drowners 18) Sufjan Stevens 19) Matt and Kim 20) Salt Cathedral

catey shaw

baby alpaca

Catey Shaw was pilloried for her debut video, “Brooklyn Girl.” Viewers bellowed it as the final nail in the coffin of the borough’s underground cool. Screw them. Shaw makes unabashed pop that opens itself up to being trivialized, which, is sorta like blaming the artist for being herself. “The Brooklyn EP” revels in similar plasticity, which audiences will likely snicker at too, even if they secretly can’t stopping singing along.

(Francesca Baker)

The first track on Baby Alpaca’s debut EP, “Wild Child,” acts as a mission statement, with its sympathetic opening couplet, “You said I was a loser.” The song takes the term “indie” quite literally, as Chris Kittrell repeatedly wails the lyric, “Don’t need a hand to hold.” Hushed guitar tones and almost non-existent beats bolster the ache of the vocals, which remain the star throughout.

(JP Basileo)

pianos (10:45pm, fri 10/24)

Photo: Kirstin Roby

spike hill (12:10am, sat 10/25)

dreamers

fancy colors

Rising from the ashes of their previous incarnation as Motive, Brooklyn’s DREAMERS — Nick Wold (vocals, guitar), Chris Bagamery (drums, backup vocals), and Nelson (bass, backup vocals) — release a debut full-length, “This Album Doesn’t Exist,” on November 18. First single “Wolves” is boy-pursues-girl from the hunters point of view.

(Its amusing video references noir-ish rural dramas like “Twin Peaks” and “True Blood.”) Follow-up single “My Little Match” features more explosive guitar, full power chords and a chugging rhythm, whose time signature shift from straight 4/4 to a 1-2-3 waltz is both lilting and dream-like. (Dave Cromwell)

The product of a collaboration between members of CHAPPO and Jupiter One, Fancy Colors plays a particular brand of “sophisti-pop” (think Roxy Music’s “Avalon” and Brian Ferry’s solo albums), which crosses mid-tempo crooning with subtle, cabaret atmospherics. Their debut album “Near Equator” was two years in the making. It is said to evoke an experience co-founder Zac Colwell had one night when his “psyche had melted with the critters” sleeping under his room’s floor, which led to him sharing some of their dreams, and which — after listening to the record — must have been rather beautiful. (Paolo De Gregorio)

spike hill (8:00pm, sat 10/25)

yum dee days

spike hill (9:10pm, sat 10/25)

pianos (9:15pm, fri 10/24)

So we entirely missed Yum Dee Days’ debut EP when it came out in July 2013. Though it must be said that these guys don’t seem too interested in promoting their music anyway. “It’s All Happening” is one of those lazy records that entertains and charms in gentle ways, with subtle inflections of psych-rock (“Everybody Knows Nobody Cares”), and ‘60s-style crooning (“The Future Is a Drag”). Come to think of it, we can’t expect a band with songs bearing these kinds of titles — add to that list “Hangin Out for Days” and “King Slacker” — to be remotely interested in self promotion or taking press photos, can we? May a chill wave then carry them far! (Paolo De Gregorio) Indie Pop continued on next page.

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Soundbites I Indie Pop

hits

lazer cake

NYC band HITS is readymade for a time when MTV was new, and peacock-haired acts fought everything from world hunger to apartheid in a series of sentimentally pompous anthems. Maybe we’ve reached that time again? Keyboardist Erik Tonnesen’s deep bass synth is slathered all over the band’s self-titled debut EP, particularly the feverishly-driven “Madness.” Other cuts, like “Veins,” benefit from a clean chugging guitar sound, while “Singularity” echoes the cadence and feel of early Talking Heads.

Twice in a lifetime. (Snap!) (dave cromwell)

There’s no shortage of music with an eighties tinge these days, but that’s not to say there isn’t room for more. Rhythmic synths throb under exultant melodies and chiming beats, resulting in a twitchy nervousness readymade for the indie dancefloor.

Earnest vocals from Lazar singer/drummer Robby Sinclair are backed by dynamic washes of synth via Alan Markley, swaying guitars from Tom Deis and Grant Zubritzky’s punchy bass.

New romanticism under stress becomes pure expression.

(Francesca Baker)

rockwood 2 (1:00am, wed 10/22)

rockwood 2 (12:00am, wed 10/22)

The prettiots

cantina

The Prettiots are a self-described “indie-girl-pop-but-not-shitty” band that formed officially in New York last year. Lead singer Kay Kasperhouser, along with cohorts Rachel Trachtenburg (drums) and Lulu Prat (bass), premiered the Richard Kern-directed video for “Boys (I Dated in Highschool)” earlier this month. Supercute songs boast sugary sweet vocals, dirty bass lines, and provocative, candid and downright hilarious lyrics that celebrate female pleasure with a wink and a diabolical grin. “My lyrics are completely honest,” Kasperhouser says. “They aren’t particularly flowy or poetic, but they’re 100% true to my thoughts at any given moment.” (Brescia Mascheretti)

Cantina is the Italian word for “cellar,” the dark and rather cold place where time, wood, air and silence magically transform tedious grape juice into inebriating, delectable wine. Cantina is also the name of Renata Zeiguer’s growing musical project, a band so quiet that its flirtations with silence are dreamy and often magic. Their seven-track debut EP “Horizons” opens with the airy ballad, “When Your Eyes,” which sounds like an irresistible siren call coming from an old wooden gramophone. All we can gather of a lyric is: “... and if you ask me to...,” which is really all a siren should say to a hungover NYC-life sailor. The rest is atmosphere. (paolo de gregorio)

spike hill (1:00am, sat 10/25)

spike hill (8:50pm, sat 10/25)

hani zahra

spike hill (7:15pm, sat 10/25) Hani Zahra’s charismatic vocalist adds a dynamism often missing from a genre (indie-pop) shy in the singing department. The single “Roll Roll Roll” is particularly enjoyable, with its mangled, plodding organ and cheeky vocals, landing somehwere between Wall of Voodoo’s decadent ‘80s posture and the theatrical antics of, say, Ian Dury. A video of the dreamy, melancholic single “Planet of the Apes” showcases the sped-up, make-up-induced devolution of man back into ape. (It went viral this past summer.) Hani Zara just released a sophomore album, “Cereal,” on 09/27. (Paolo de gregorio) Non NYC bands we also booked in this genre: Fly Moon Royalty (Seattle), Flashlights (FL)

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Feature I The Art Scene

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A Different Kind of

:

Kayrock Screenprinting on the Art of the Rock Poster

By Brian Chidester As the rock poster’s promotional praxis dims, so its new function – perhaps foreseen by Rick Griffin’s all-seeing, all-knowing eyeball that surfed through the flames of San Francisco’s Summer of Love in 1967 – is to be the art of its age.

Victor Moscoso, another ‘60s psychedelic poster artist, put it this way: “What happened with the psychedelic poster is what happened with the Art Nouveau poster, is what happened with the Japanese woodcut.

Throwaway art was not thrown away. Ephemera did not ephemerate.”

Karl Larocca (aka Kayrock) puts it more simply: “No one makes them now unless they have a tour, or need merchandise.”

As a screenprinter going on twenty years in New York City, Kayrock has been around for most of the industry’s recent sea-changes. His current studio is in an industrial warehouse in Greenpoint, near the Newtown Creek and Pulaski Bridge that cross from north Brooklyn into Long Island City, Queens.

A normal day has Kayrock arriving about 10am, by which time a number of artisans are already working away at the studio’s latest deadlines. Off in a side-room, a young male in hoodie and ski cap, immersed in his headphones, works on layouts for a short-run screenprint book by street-art duo FAILE. In the main room, Zach, bearded and easygoing, runs a spider-like contraption that hydraulically presses silkscreened t-shirts. Today, its a B&W pic of Seth Rogan, naked, printed to a few hundred white tees. Brooke, red-haired, young and lithe, uses an Oswego Works Cutter machine from the 19th century to trim small art booklets a few at a time.

Tasks are charted on dry-erase boards in several areas of the studio.

Kayrock himself lays them out in stages, putting an “x” with a circle around each as the next stage is completed. This week he’s finishing a print job heralding the “Save Cooper Union” lawsuit, aimed at keeping the old Manhattan art school tuition-free. Other jobs include tote-bags for the Brooklyn Rail, new prints for the NY Art Book Fair, and half-

a-dozen others unchecked on the board. No one seems particularly frazzled. Least of all, Kayrock.

Tall, with grey eyes, square jaw and light brown hair which he pushes out of his eyes frequently, Kayrock’s dress – skinny jeans, black t-shirt and running shoes – are a casual patois befitting his mellow demeanor.

Originally from Philadelphia, Kayrock moved to NYC in 1995. His aunt, an architect, preceded him, though he says he knew he wanted to live here from a young age. He studied studio art and creative writing in college, then took an internship at the Fabric Workshop & Museum in Philly, which gave him the basic skills of screenprinting.

By the late ‘90s, he started a small print operation at 184 Kent Ave. in Williamsburg, which doubled as a live-in situation.

At first, says Kayrock, he printed mostly posters for indie bands. “I was friends with Matthew [Caws] of Nada Surf,” he recalls, “also the guys from Oneida. I did tons of posters for those guys over the years.”

He moved to a small studio at N. 12th Street and Kent, where the operation ran steadily until, in ‘02, a third move happened. This time it was to Monster Island, Williamsburg’s most famous collection of DIY art spaces, located at 210 Kent. Kayrock says it was Erik Zajaceskowski of Secret Project Robot who secured the lease and worked feverishly to repair the warehouse’s leaky roofs and other assorted damages. In short order, Monster Island became thee hub of creative energy in the Brooklyn Renaissance, and Kayrock found himself at its center.

He made silkscreens for every major indie band of the aughts, both as master-printer and designer. A deal with the Knitting Factory afforded Kayrock opportunity to craft a number of gig posters that, in hindsight, captured the intellectual and experimental spirit of the scene evocatively. In one example, a turquoise ball of yarn unravels against a shiny black background, forming the same radio-wave pattern employed

by Peter Saville for Joy Division’s Unknown Pleasures album of 1979.

Yet, where the Saville was angsty and foreboding, Kayrock’s version is loose and unabashedly handmade. The unraveled yarn becomes almost a metaphor for the democratizing effect DIY had on the arts, especially where music was concerned. Kayrock himself was that rare printer who also happened to be part of the scene.

Silkscreening, as an art form, goes back to 10th century China. It became popular in the West sometime in the late 18th century, but only really took hold during the 1910s. It is a printing technique that traditionally employs woven mesh to transfer ink through a stencil onto a substrate, be it a sheet of paper, a t-shirt, vinyl, wood or other materials. A printer will fill the mesh cut-out area with ink or paint by moving a squeegee across the screen, which wets the substrate one color at a time. This type of layering is what gives silkscreening its alluring, tactile

Kayrock

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quality, unlike any other form of printing. Those who’ve tried it often swear by the process to the end.

At the beginning, Kayrock worked part-time as a bartender to support his creative endeavor. He also played bass in the band Night Station, and drums in Roxy Pain.

“With Roxy,” he recalls laughingly, “we got a number of calls from the lawyer of the actual artist Roxy Paine, who told us to stop using the name or he’d sue us. I told him one time, ‘I can’t think of anything better for a band than to get sued.’ That was the end of the calls. We sort of fizzled out of our own accord.”

Eventually, as the Brooklyn scene went international, Kayrock’s commissions became increasingly demanding. Over the years, he’s added new, and better, equipment to the original three pieces he’d purchased for $1500 from an old printer who left town when Kayrock first arrived on the scene. (The old vacuum exposure unit that he originally purchased remains in use, however.)

When Kayrock finally left Monster Island in 2010 (after the landlords refused to renew the lease), he moved operation to its current location in Greenpoint, though not before parting ways with Jeff Shark (aka Wolfy), his collaborator-in-print for 11 years. He also found himself with less time for pet projects.

“When it started,” he reflects, “I had just myself to support. Now I have a daughter and a bunch of different people who work here.” More and more of them filter in by noon. A local artist named Justin Amrhein recently commissioned Kayrock to do a print run of 150 posters for a work he’s created mapping the insides of a cicada/locust as though it were a machine, replete with pipes and a combustion engine. He’s been waiting six months for a slot with Kayrock to open up. Today’s the day.

In fact, Kayrock and I had discussed doing our own small print for this article, which I’d document step-by-step for readers interested in having their own prints made. In the end, we ran out of time. Standing back and observing things over the past few days, it’s not hard to see why. Jobs keep rolling in. Kayrock sits at his computer screen, pricing out new proposals. He hands me a custom stompbox designed by Wayne Coyne of the Flaming Lips, which Kayrock printed the face-label for, as well as an accompanying comic-strip poster, where Coyne mixes exploding sci-fi colors with an homage to Bill Watterson’s Calvin & Hobbes.

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When he does do a rock poster these days, Kayrock knows it needs to be built to last. He tells the story of a recent print done for a Mouse on Mars show in Forest Hills, where 350 copies sold out within an hour.

“The artist then got his 50 AP copies,” remembers Kayrock, “which he put up online for sale, and within a few hours they were all gone too.”

“They’re more like a memory or a record of what happened now,” he concludes.

Along the way, Kayrock Screenprinting too has veered away from its former primitivism. He recalls an Oneida tour where a thousand posters were printed with each sheet being hand-fed one at a time. “It took forever,” Kayrock laughs. “I don’t miss those days.”

Despite his many successes, Kayrock remains accessible. He rarely turns anyone away, and is willing to work with selffunded artists to keep prices low. Asked if he still designs his own prints, he says it’s rare these days. A small framed print in the studio hangs next to a washroom. It reads: “Go running everyday” in silver text over a background of gradient, rainbow colors. The simplistic message seems almost cliché. Kayrock says it’s his homage to word-art icon Ed Ruscha. Justin, the artist working on his insect screenprint, asks if he runs everyday. “I used to,” Kayrock retorts, explaining that he hasn’t in the last two weeks, as he injured himself training for a marathon. Other marathons are setting in.

By the afternoon, at least six projects are in varying stages of completion. An order by phone puts another commission up on the board. The “Save Cooper Union” posters are trimmed and boxed up. Tote-bags for the Brooklyn Rail are nearly finished, and the race to the finish line for the Art Book Fair promises to be touchand-go. Kayrock doesn’t look worried.

There are a number of master-printers throughout the five boroughs of NYC that do great work. Where Kayrock differs is his keen instinct for what the DIY artist wants. Even as DIY, Handmade, Makers (or its variety of other labels) reaches pop mainstream, Kayrock retains its scrappy nuance by virtue of his own history within the original movement.

As he mixes a vat of blue/grey paint to slather onto the semiautomatic printing press for another job, I ask him one final question before taking off. Does he have any advice for young artists just starting out? He doesn’t overreach. That wouldn’t be his style. “I recommend finding a project,” he says after much reflection, “and doing what you want with it.” d

All photos by Brian Chidester, all posters by Kayrock, ©2014

NYC Poster Designers I Best of the Best

(2)

(3)

(1)

(4)

(5)

(6)

(9)

(7)

(8)

(1) Rob Coradetti, (2) Kayrock, (3) Kayrock, (4) Kayrock, (5) FAILE, (6) Mike Joyce, (7) James Flames, (8) Ivan Minsloff, (9) Rob Coradetti the deli Fall 2014

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Feature I Cover Story

(L to R): Julia Cumming, Jacob Faber, Nick Kivlen, aka Sunflower Bean

Even if rock ‘n’ roll’s been declared dead for the millionth time since the new millennium, psych-trio Sunflower Bean don’t pay it any mind.

At least that’s what guitarist Nick Kivlen says.

Just out of high school, the band downplays their ambition (Kivlen: “Nobody wants to be a rock star anymore”), and their determination (“The popular counter-culture is all about EDM and shit”). But in truth, they live and breath rock ‘n’ roll.

Over the past year, the trio has released four singles as Sunflower Bean, along with two music videos, and played dozens of live gigs all over Brooklyn. They also toured California, where they opened for BK retro-rockers Foxygen this past summer. Kivlen downplays that too: “L.A. doesn’t have the evil and grit that we love so much about New York.”

On a recent weekday night, I sat around Sunflower Bean’s place of dwelling – a Bushwick apartment on Troutman Street – sipping beers, and listening to King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizards, one of their current fave psych-rock outfits from Australia. Drummer Jacob Faber waxes philosophical about the 16-minute long anthem “Head On/Pill,” which is something of a rarity for drummers (the waxing philosophical part, not the 16-minute jam). But then I guess all three Sunflowers are nothing if not opinionated.

Bassist and vocalist Julia Cumming was originally one-fourth of Supercute, an all-girl, anti-folk act that mixed topical wordplay with high-minded artiness. (Cumming told Nylon Magazine that Supercute’s songs are “ukelele rock operas.”) Unlike Kivlen, Supercute’s drummer Rachel Trachtenburg was unabashedly ambitious, telling one reporter: “We want to change the world.” The band disbanded last year. That’s when Cumming joined Sunflower Bean.

Kivlen and Faber hail from Glenhead, Long Island, where they first jammed in their basements as Turnip King. A shoegaze band who has played together since 2011, Turnip released one album (2013’s Moon Landing), describing their dynamic as “fuzzy basement soundz, ambiguous vocals, kind lyrics, improv, and rad times.” Sunflower Bean officially formed in August 2013. They’ve been playing regular live gigs from the get-go.

Cumming’s wispy vocals add mystique to the band’s swirling ocean of colors and textures. Kivlen is a pro with the pedal board, composing as much out of mood as exact chord structures. “I Want You to Give Me Enough Time” is a moody slice of indie-pop, combining the gothic graininess of Sonic Youth with the sweet mysticism of the Beach Boys.

A guitar freakout three-quarters into the song both breaks the mellowness and delights in its unexpectedness.

Sunflower Bean is also great looking, almost intimidatingly so.

Cumming and Kivlen, in fact, both model for St. Laurent. Such a natural sex appeal should easily recommend them to promoters and booking agents. True to form, however, the band remains nonchalant.

“We get a lot of fashion press,” says Kivlen, “but we don’t want it to overshadow the music.” He doesn’t think fashion and music should be kept separate (are they?), nor should people look down on models in music, because “rock music is a culture, and fashion is a part of any culture.”

The Zoolander-like sentiment sounds vainglorious, though I suppose without such posturing the band’s rock-star flair might not be so alluring.

Their music speaks most easily to millennials, especially in the video for the song “2013.” Filmed with several generations of iPhone, it is scattered with images of emojis, internet symbols and icons, often framed by chat windows and v-chat screens. “It was our friend Kyle Hiedacavage’s artistic interpretation,” recalls Cumming. “I think that’s what 2013 meant to him; it’s a time capsule piece.” It also seems like the band is having fun, as Kivlen echoes each of Cumming’s coo’s from a cropped small screen inside the larger screen.

“It’s a song about the future,” Kivlen quips back. “It’s also a song about the present day, because we live in the future. It’s about exponential time. Everything is moving quicker now than it used to.” That may be so, but “2013” creeps along lazily as if it has nowhere particular to be. Such casualness is, in fact, the band’s greatest strength.

Elsewhere, they name-drop their biggest influence into the title of their new single “Tame Impala,” where the Sunflowers pay tribute to the Aussie psych-rockers of the same name, who themselves cut a rock-geek paean titled “Led Zeppelin” back in 2012. “You always know what’s on my mind,” Cumming shrieks over “Tame”’s muddled, driving track. It’s one of those flowing songs that keeps sailing upwards until it’s just gone. The bass booster on Kivlen’s guitar sounds eerily like a synth, and around three minutes in, it boasts another unexpected breakdown that proves Sunflower Bean’s penchant for the musically confounding.

As my interview with them concludes, I can’t help noticing a large calendar above the kitchen table. It has color-coded markers next to the dates, which are littered with club gigs and photo shoots for the coming month. It’s hard to believe summer is already over, with predictions of another long, bitter winter. Regardless of how they’ll spend it, Sunflower Bean promises to devote themselves to rock ‘n’ roll – in sound, attitude, and lifestyle. Thank god for small comforts.

As Nick Kivlen likes to say: “When a band walks into a restaurant, everyone looks at ‘em funny.” Funny “ha-ha”, or funny “hmmmm,” it depends on where you’re sitting, I suppose. d

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Feature I Interview

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The Open-Ended with Shilpa Ray

By Ben Apatoff

Shilpa Ray glares. The image of her is cut, like a reflection in broken glass, left of the printed words IT’S ALL SELF FELLATIO on the cover of her most recent EP. Ray’s ferocious expression, coupled with a black background and white lettering, gives the image the air of an old horror movie poster, a sharp contrast to the flowery current Brooklyn scene. When I ask Ray – the harmonium-playing bandleader of Beat the Devil, Shilpa Ray & Her Happy Hookers and the current Shilpa Ray Band – how she stands out, the answer is surprisingly basic.

“I don’t think I do,” she replies. “Most people are just shocked that I’m still around. That Indian chick that plays that weird instrument, blah blah blah…”

For “Mother is a Misanthrope,” an ominous number from her latest EP, Ray says she envisioned the earth wreaking havoc on its inhabitants.

Its progressions land somewhere between Marvin Gaye’s “Hitch Hike” and the Velvet Underground’s “There She Goes Again.”

“It was a fun song to write,” she quips, “I used the ‘world going to hell in a hand basket’ theme as the backdrop.”

A lack of self-consciousness shines through Ray’s records and performances, where she stands bold and mesmerizing, an unpredictable interpreter. Few modern singers could have the audacity to perform Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht’s horror tale “Pirate Jenny” from The Threepenny Opera, particularly after Nina Simone’s near-definitive version. But Ray did just that for the compilation album Rogue’s Gallery: Pirate Ballads, Sea Songs, and Chanteys, rephrasing the vocal melody into a haunted new rendition that more than stands out from tracks by artists as accomplished as Lou Reed, Bryan Ferry and Bono.

“Hal Wilner was doing a compilation of pirate songs and messaged me about singing ‘Pirate Jenny’,” recalls Ray. “I felt really close to the lyrical content, so I was really excited to cover the song. Nick and Warren play on it as well.”

Nick and Warren, as you might have guessed, are Nick Cave and Warren Ellis of the Bad Seeds, whom Ray eventually toured with as an opening act in Europe and North America. Cave also oversaw and released It’s All Self Fellatio on his own Bad Seed LTD label.

did however take me a while till I wrote my first song. Bands like the Make-Up, Royal Trux and Patti Smith — those were ones that made me want to perform on a stage. Those were some of the first shows I went to in my late teens.”

In particular, Ray saves some fond words for Arthur Lee, the late frontman and songwriter of cult ‘60s folk-rockers Love. “I saw him perform on his last tour before he died of cancer,” she notes. “He had the most wild stage presence. A 62-year-old man in snakeskin boots, dancing up a storm, giving a ‘fuck you’ to death. He made every twentysomething frontman look rigid, and weak. He was just a natural badass. No gimmicks. No props. Greatest show I’ve ever seen, besides the Bad Seeds.”

Raised in New Jersey under a strict household, Ray’s early musical education included the harmonium and classical Indian voice lessons. But a visit to the Lawrenceville Public Library introduced her to the aforementioned Velvet Underground. It was a copy of Velvet Underground and Nico, which she brought home and immersed in Lou Reed’s stories of the NYC underbelly.

“I always wanted to live in New York,” says Ray. “It was the magical place my parents brought me to since I was a kid. I have memories of the graffiti covered subways, the constant smell of hotdogs and my mother covering my eyes when we’d pass a porn shop/arcade in Times Square. I remember cutting class and riding the train up knowing that it was dangerous to hang in Alphabet City. I wanted to be character in Andy Warhol’s Factory. That was my dumb pretentious dream. Of course when I finally moved out here the reality was way different. I worked a series of minimum wage jobs, couch surfed, got my heart broken a bunch of times and learned how to make music. I never knew how much stamina and strength one would need to accomplish something till I moved to NYC.” In Brooklyn, Ray has perhaps made her biggest splash as the leader of the now-defunct Happy Hookers (“I changed the lineup and dropped that part of the name. It left things more open-ended,” is how Ray addresses the split.) She has thus far survived lineup changes on the sheer force of her songwriting and performances, where the fiery frontwoman consistently whips her audience into a frenzy.

“I was introduced to him by Larry ‘Ratso’ Sloman,” (the co-writer of tomes including Howard Stern’s Private Parts and Mike Tyson’s Undisputed Truth) Ray states. “Nick stopped by a shop where I worked with his twin sons. I remember shaking a lot and staring at the floor. I was terrified. A pen exploded all over my hands.”

“I love it when people scream at back at me,” Ray reflects. “I remember playing this show at Pianos where I was ranting at the audience about how much I wanted their money. ‘Screw art! All I want is your goddamn money!’ So everyone in the audience proceeded to chuck money at us. Coins and bills. I believe I got some loosies, a metro card and a condom wrapper out of it too! It was all so exciting!”

Ray counts Cave among a varied list of influences. “I’ve been playing and singing since I was young, but I didn’t have a desire to write my own stuff until I listened to Velvet Underground for the first time,” she claims. “All of a sudden I found something I could disappear into. It

It’s an excitement that is likely to continue with Ray’s upcoming album, reportedly due early next year. Ray is hesitant to give details, but fans of her work should be pleased. “It’s raw,” she promises. “It’s dark. It’s a fuckin’ Shilpa Ray record.” d

Shilpa Ray photos (left) by Ebru Yildiz ©2014 the deli Fall 2014

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Fresh Buzz I New Artists Porches It’s fitting that Porches’ name is in plural form, as there are two distinct sides to this New York-based band — one for the recording studio, another for the stage. On record, lead singer(songwriter) Aaron Maine flows like water in a stream. His jangly Danelectro re-issue pairs perfectly with the twentysomething’s baritone voice, which transcends musical boundaries. On more recent recordings — and on tour — Porches were joined by singer/bass player Greta Kline (aka Frankie Cosmos), whose harmonies with Maine are a polyglot of youthful experience unique to Brooklyn. (sAm kogon)

beverly Brooklyn duo Beverly — signed to Kanine Records — is a collaboration between Frankie Rose and Drew Citron. A debut single titled “Honey Do” presents rough-hewn guitars and sugary sweet vocals that bring to mind ‘90s shoegaze pioneers Lush. Rose’s status on the scene goes a long way towards explaining this band’s alreadymature sound. However, it is relative newcomer Drew Citron who takes the lead here, exhibiting an impressive ability to capture the genre’s otherworldly charms. (dave cromwell)

mainland Brooklyn’s Mainland recently unleashed a sophomore EP titled “Shiner.” It features four chorus-heavy, guitar-based tunes, including the noteworthy single “Savant,” an upbeat and semi-epic gem bearing sonic overtones ranging from spaghetti western to the irresistible punk-folk of the Pogues. They’ve now caught the Bowery Present’s ears, which is enough to elevate them to the status of “NYC buzz band.” (Jake Saunders)

Photo: Andre Wagner

nick hakim

Singer-songwriter Nick Hakim’s sophomore EP “Where Will We Go Pt.2” (released on his own label Earseed Records) is a carefully crafted nod to the soul kings – Marvin Gaye, Jimi Hendrix and Al Green. The 23-year-old says he formed his sound while studying at Berklee College of Music. “Lift Me Up” is a perfect example, with a melodic core expressed by Hakim’s hauntingly beautiful vocals, sparse keys and honest lyrics. (Brescia Mascheretti)

rivergazer

Rivergazer is the moniker of songwriter Kevin Farrant (also guitarist in Porches), who enlisted producer Hunter Davidsohn and musician Kolson Pickard to craft “Random Nostalgia,” an album worthy of road tripping and soul searching. Meaning it’s dreamy in tone. Farrant’s earthen vocals, however, and his heartbroken lyrics, and a recurring twangyness set this terra-firma in alt-folk territory. (Jillian Dooley)

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More new artists on page 42.

featured artists at

BLACKFIRES How would you describe your music? What are its influences?

Our style is a mixture of some of the best 70’s hard rock bands like Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Queen, Aerosmith etc… plus Guns N’ Roses and The Darkness.

You recently opened for Aerosmith. Tell us about that experience.

It was a dream come true show. We played in front of 20,000 people in the biggest stadium in Moscow. We played really well and the audience embraced us. We won them over for sure. A knockout gig. Brad Whitford watched our set from the side of the side.

What’s next for The Blackfires?

We’re completing our first EP with the new lineup. Then we’ll be touring California, playing CMJ at the Gibson Showroom and the CBGB fest in October.

Website: theblackfires.com Facebook: facebook.com/theblackfires

ERIC FRISCH How would you describe your music?

My music is like taking a walk on the sunny side of the street.

What are your main influences?

I like a lot of 60s music. The Beatles, the Beach Boys, the Kinks, Dusty Springfield, Smokey Robinson, the Rolling Stones, anything Motown.

And Buddy Holly (that’s 50s).

Tell us about your next project (ie. Video, release, etc).

I’m currently working on a new EP that’s a little more electronic than anything I’ve done in the past. While my last album had a certain retro (even 50s) DIY feel to it, this next record takes a lot of my older influences like the Beatles and Buddy Holly and merges them with more modern indie productions like Two Door Cinema Club.

I’m really excited about it!

If you could write a song with anyone in history, who would it be and why?

Tough question! I’ll say Beethoven with John Lennon because I think those two could blend very well together. Unless Beethoven was mad about the song “Roll Over Beethoven.”

Website: ericfrischmusic.com Facebook: facebook.com/ericfrischmusic

*Lease must be signed before December 1, 2014

Fresh Buzz I New Artists Told Slant

Told Slant unceremoniously dropped their 10-song LP “Still Water” on Bandcamp two years ago, garnering little response.

The bedroom punk act thought it deserved better, and this year officially re-released it on Broken World Media. Sorrowfully beautiful, the album trickles along at a slow pace, allowing the listener full immersion into Felix Walworth’s dark, searching poetics. Each song honestly and artfully explores love, depression, confusion and the human condition. (Chaos, clocks and watermelon too.)

(Brescia Mascheretti)

joya bravo

Joya Bravo’s punchy vocals stretch and writhe around the chaotic opening track of her eponymous album, “Nice ta Meet Cha,” like a purring anaconda. It’s anti-pop, island-tinged, indie-noise, and hip-hop all at once. A familiar face in the subway-busking scene, “Nice ta Meet Cha” brings Joya closer to her audience than ever via a production style which leans more toward pop-marketability than Bushwick basement. These are songs to sing in the shower, or on the way to work — empowering dance grooves, hood-hustle anthems, or just, well, soul. (Jason Grimste)

Tidal arms

Brooklyn psych-metal band Tidal Arms isn’t just another Sonic Youth devotee creating their idea of what metal sounds like. It is For-UsBy-Us metal. On their self-titled second album, the band supply piledriving riffs that are mathy enough for engineer Alan Douches’s (The Dillinger Escape Plan, Converge) mastering, and stoned enough to make you stop wondering about a Kyuss reunion. Dip in to “Gooski’s Ladder” or “Molasses,” and hold on to your senses. (Ben apatoff)

live city

Live City — nee Ethan Bruno and Jake Weinstein — unleashed their latest single, “Slingshot,” on Brooklyn Fire Records, Tommie Sunshine‘s experimental Electro-House imprint. Employing heavy bass loops, sequencer crescendos, and grinding guitar samples, the platter breaks into raging frenzies every half minute or so, making it dirty as hell and eclectic to boot. (brian chidester)

amour obscur

Regulars at NYC steampunk haunts like the Way Station in Prospect Heights and the annual Mermaid Parade in Coney Island, Amour Obscur are one of the better acts on the current cabaret scene.

Compared to other cities like Portland, L.A. and Boston, however, NYC’s landscape is decidedly barren. Yet with one EP (released in 2011), and a growing repertoire that includes everything from Brecht to Waits to Lesley Gore, Amour Obscur are poised to take off should the scene ever do the same here. (brian chidester)

Records of the Month Crying Get Olde - EP NYC trio Crying is the latest “bit-rock” act to hit the underground. Following cult-stars Anamanaguchi, who mesh indie guitars with old Nintendo samples, Crying’s latest EP, “Get Olde,” removes all kitsch-factor. The result is that the songs sparkle despite their schtick. Crying’s vintage video-game of choice by turn is the Game Boy, tweaked effortlessly by guitarist/nerd Ryan Galloway. That basic-but-so-much-fun handheld device conjures up memories of innocence that perfectly match to Crying’s cute pop songs. (“Rat Baby” has them looking back to their old high school days forty years in the future.) “Get Olde” was self-released last year, and recently picked up by Run For Cover Records. Its seven songs — averaging about two minutes each — show Elaiza Santos coo-ing deadpan here, tenderly there, and sensually throughout. Most impressively, there isn’t a weak cut on the record. (paolo de gregorio)

baked Debt

Last year Baked came out with a tape called “S/T Cassette.” Two songs short, it sufficiently blurred the band’s identity under a landscape of woozy jams. On “Debt,” their debut album from Exploding in Sound, Baked still melts, but is guided by flow this time around. R.J. Gordon’s vocals still take a back seat to indulgent washes of reverb. Hints of Martin Hannett-style echo and gloom, as well as epic crescendoes that build over an entire song (think early Simple Minds or even Arcade Fire), testify to the compatibility that psychedelia and goth have secretly shared all along. On “Mick Jagger,” Yoni David is left to mark time while the rest of the band float around in zero gravity, and we the listener feel, well, fuckin’ baked. (Jake Saunders)

Skull Practitioners st1 - EP

Skull Practitioners’ hurling, harsh guitar tones whir with the kind of amplified delirium the Butthole Surfers left back in the Eighties. Indeed, the NYC trio’s “st1” EP is bleakly intense, and trippy as hell. Its cover is right out of the Buttholes’ playbook too. “Nelson D,” the EP’s second track, is a live recording, just as psychedelic and grungey (and well-recorded) as anything else here. Drums pound, basslines throb, guitars thrash wildly. They switch gears effortlessly into incongruous (but oh-so-welcome) classic rock guitar solos. With different vocalists featured on its four short tracks, there may be difficulty establishing a frontman, or leader, or... well, does it matter? The whole is easily greater than the sum of its parts. “st1” is available for download via Bandcamp, or as a purple cassette. (JP Basileo) 42

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making the world a better sound ing place.

10 jay street suite 405 brooklyn, ny 11201 (718) 797-0177 www.joelambertmastering.com

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kitchen I stompbox news T-REX QUINT MACHINE Octave Pedal The good folks at Denmark pedal manufacturer T-Rex Effects have released a new Octaver called the Quint Machine. Presumably taking the name from the fact that in addition to having optionality for “octave up” and “octave down,” the Quint Machine also has a “fifth up” option, which adds more harmonic texturing relative to straightforward octave layering. Interestingly, each of the three options has a volume control of its own, so the pedal gives flexibility and functionality for each of the settings, independently, as well as for mix setting. Harmonic-enhancing pedals like the Quint Machine are finding their way into more and more new music as they can do quite a lot for the guitar tone, like providing serious beef to a power chord, adding fatness to mid range riffs, creating a spacey synth feel to a jam, or even serving as an organ replication. The Quint seems to handle all of these roles quite well, and it does so without asking much from the user.

The various knobs give some control, but basically all you need to know how to do is turn it on and off to get some cool new tones. (Ryan Dembinsky)

Strymon BigSky Strymon released their BIG reverb stompbox BigSky last year, just days after the 2013 Brooklyn Stompbox Exhibit. We were sad we didn’t get the chance to give you the chance to try it at our show. But, hey, the pedal will be at this year’s show in all its glory, so let’s get you ready for it with a brief intro. The Californian company has gotten us used to releasing incredibly organic sounding digital pedals, and since reverb is probably the most challenging effect to get right digitally (also because of the enormous amount of DSP it requires) they surely had their work cut out for them. Like its siblings Timeline and Mobius, this pedal intends to be the “do-it-all” of reverb pedals, featuring 12 different reverb types (called also here “machines”), from your regular “Room” and “Plate,” to more intriguing sounding “Bloom,” “Cloud” and “Magneto.” The controls seem refreshingly simple for such a powerful unit, featuring all the important reverb settings like Decay, Pre-Delay, Mix and Tone directly accessible through dedicated knobs. Five other knobs let the user to control deeper settings, while three footswitches allow preset navigation and special effects when held down, like Freeze and Sustain. Not happy with tackling reverb in full, the Strymon engineers also implemented a speaker cabinet emulation system, for direct-to-PA gigs or recording applications. (Gus Green)

EarthQuaker Devices The Afterneath Fresh from EarthQuaker’s world headquarters in Akron, Ohio comes a new adventure in reverb: The Afterneath. The Afterneath offers fine-grained control over the reverberations it produces. It features six controls (aside from the footswitch). Mix and Length are pretty familiar — they control the mix between the dry/wet signal and the decay of the reverb, respectively. Where it gets interesting are the oh so close to alliteratively named Diffuse, Dampen, Drag and Reflect. Diffuse “adjusts the spread” of the reverb. In the demo video, it swings between a replication of the dry signal that retains a similar attack, and more of a flat drone. Drag seems to be like the “time” control you might find on a delay pedal. It extends or quickens the time between reverberations. Dampen is a type of tone shaper, according to the EarthQuaker Devices site, sweeping between bright and dark. Reflect controls reverb regeneration, or how many copies of copies will propagate. (Nathan Smith)

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kitchen I stompbox news DigiTech The Drop The Black Keys and White Stripes share some suspicious similarities. Both are two piece acts. Both have “the color + plural noun” band names. Both went from Midwestern garage-rock to become bands that you mom downloads from iTunes. There is another similarity that musicians may notice: both like to use octave shift effects. That intro riff to “Lonely Boy” where it sounds like Dan Auerbach is giving his tuning peg a purple nurple?

Octave Shift. “Seven Nation Army”? Octave Shift. The Drop from DigiTech is a new polyphonic drop tune pedal. It features a cutting edge algorithm for doing digital shifting. It also offers fine-grained control over the amount of the shift, from a single semitone to an entire octave and every semitone between. Perhaps best of all, there is a “momentary” mode. Engaging this mode turns on the effect only when the footswitch is actively pressed. This can be used to drop a single note in an otherwise unshifted passage, which opens the door for some wild, “roller coaster” solos and riffs. Now all you need to do is find a drummer and you are guaranteed to win like 100 Grammys. (NATHAN SMITH)

Devi Ever FX Big Distortion Sound Machine Devi Ever FX’s newest, crazy concoction is the aptly-titled Big Distortion Sound Machine (BDSM). Conceptually similar to the ill-fated Console Cartridge modular pedal system — a lack of funding earlier this year led to the namesake founder parting ways with her company, and selling the assets to the fine folks at Dwarfcraft, who had previously licensed and built her branded effects on occasion — the BDSM is essentially two discrete fuzz pedals in one. It offers the unique opportunity to run both in stereo and/ or in parallel. A range of combinations are promised from the unique squarewave buzz saw of the Gainer side meeting the sick distorto-gain of the TP side. I’m certain that, unlike some double overdrives, this handmade box will not just be a one-trick pony, or too much to handle. We haven’t gotten much information yet on this device, but we are eagerly anticipating putting this stallion through its paces. (Mya Byrne)

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kitchen I stompbox news Analogman Seminar Sunday October 26 at The Living Room (134 Metropolitan Ave, Brooklyn) - a few blocks from Main Drag Music At The Analog Man Guitar Effects Seminar,company owner AnalogMike Piera will discuss many issues related to the guitar effects business and focus on several technical aspects of the stompboxes.

The 90 minute panel will cover the history of Analog Man and other boutique effects manufacturers, and how the internet radically changed the business. The history and details of pedal modifications will be discussed in depth, together with all the aspects of running a pedal manufacturing small business.

Other topics will include pedalboard design (board types, power supplies, cabling, remote switching, debugging) and demonstratipon

of a full pedalboard. Some of the focus will be on technical issues like True bypass, Buffers, using a blind dual loop box for testing, but more generic topics like Effects order and stacking will also be tackled. There will be lots of demoing of course, with clean, boost and other pedals fed into clean and distorted amps. Fun will be had, hope to see you there!

$15 Voucher + 10% Discount on Participating Pedals!

Guitarists in the NYC area, You may want o get to Main Drag Music early on Saturday 25 or Sunday 26 for our Brooklyn Stompbox Exhibit (the show starts at 12pm). Yes, because this show is beyond free... we’ll actually give you some spending cash!

Check out the list of accumulative discounts offered to attendees: • $15 discount to the first 30 attendees who will be making a pedal purchase on each day of the show.

• 5-10% discount (depending on the manufacturer) on all pedals participating in the show, throughout the weekend.

This should get you a darn good price on anything you are itching to buy. Careful though! Discounts only apply to models manufactured by companies present at the show!

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35 Years And Still

TS80835TH: A Return To The Original Since its initial one-year run in 1979, the TS808 Tube Screamer has earned its place in the pantheon of pedals and is coveted by electric guitarists of nearly every genre. This built-in-Japan limited edition 35th Anniversary reissue is faithful to the original in every detail.

The Limited Edition TS808 35th REISSUE • Original Narrow Box • Hand-Selected JRC4558D IC chip • Flying Fingers side graphic • Flat back plate • Limited run (1500pcs in USA) • Individually Serialized

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the deli’s Brooklyn Stompbox Exhibit Oct. 25 & 26 Reverb

Red Panda Lab Context • It produces classic reverb sounds including room, hall, cathedral, plate, and gated reverb.

• Minimal signal path features Burr-Brown op amps and WIMA film capacitors.

• 100% analog dry signal path.

• An internal switch lets you select between true bypass and letting the reverb trails ring out.

SolidGold Fx Surfrider • Authentic sounding spring reverb simulation pedal.

• The controls are designed to simulate the range and versatility of a vintage stand-alone reverb unit.

• The Tone knob allows for darker “warm” tones or the bright ones of the ’60s surf classics.

• The Resonance knob fine tunes the length of the reverb signal, simulating a long, medium and short spring reverb pan.

Delay

Analogman ARDX20 • True Analog Delay with 650ms of delay time, no power-robbing digital chips.

• Two identical sets of controls (time, feedback and level) for 2 separate delay settings.

• Effects Loop jack allows running various effects on the wet delay signal only. Delay time jack allows expression pedal control or use AMAZE0 controller for tap tempo, presets, and modulation.

Cusack Tap-a-Delay • A gritty and very analog sounding 750mS digital delay with modulation options from subtle to sci-fi.

• The Delay time can be set with the knob or by pressing the Tap Speed switch twice - the Divide toggle then switches between 1/8, *1/8, and 1/4.

• The Mode switch decides how the brake function works: Left: holding the brake will alternate slowing down and speeding up; the Middle position will either slow down or speed up (depending on how you set it up), while the Right position will do the same as the previous mode, except the tempo slides back to the original tempo slowly.

Walrus Audio Descent • A three modes reverb system (hall, reverse and shimmer) it excels at creating ambient textures of sound, from thick and endless hall reverbs to symphonic shimmers.

• In each mode, the user has the ability to feed +1 and -1 octaves into the reverberated signal.

• Eight knobs for fine tuning the tone + one expression pedal input that allows you to control one or more parameters.

• An optional auxiliary momentary switch allows to switch the pedal on/off and/or save presets remotely.

Ibanez ES2 • A 30ms-1000m delay with tap tempo.

• Combines analog sound quality with digital-like flexibility.

• Oscillation mode adds 15dB of gain to the feedback loop for psychedelic effects.

Malekko Spring Chicken • A great sounding tiny spring reverb emulation with true bypass.

• “CLUCK” nob is the wet/dry reverb mix amount, while the side knob “DWELL” controls the reverb feedback.

• Expression pedal in can control the reverb amount.

Looper

TC Electronic DITTO X2 • Like the original Ditto with an added Start/Stop button and extra looping features like Stop, Reverse and Half Speed.

• It allows you to import/export loops and backing tracks.

• Feedback control, pitch modulation and a depth control function offer a wide range of sonic possibilities.

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the deli’s Brooklyn Stompbox Exhibit Oct. 25 & 26 Overdrive / Distortion

EarthQuaker Devices Palisades • EQD’s take on the evergreen TS808 overdrive with 2 gain channels: A (lower gain) and B (higher gain).

• 6 different clipping voices determine how transparent and open or tight and crunchy the distortion is.

• 5 bandwidth settings set the frequency response of the distortion from thin to fat.

Metal Pedal JH3 Johnny Hiland • A versatile Overdrive sporting a powerful active 3 Band EQ. • The distortion design provides a authentic amp sound that works great for overdrives with single coils and over the top aggressive high-gain.

• Proprietary noise reduction toggle for the high-gain player.

Flametubes NOD_1

Mod Kits DIY The Aggressor

• A warm, touch-sensitive, no transistor preamp using 4 NOS (New Old Stock) Russian Nuvistor Triodes tubes.

• A high gain distortion pedal kit that you need to build yourself.

• The first Nuvistor tube Overdrive pedal working at high voltage in a small enclosure.

• True bypass, LED indicator and a versatile tone control with a scoop/bump switch that shifts the mid-frequency response.

• Gain and Volume controls, anda one-knob Tone control for fine-tuning.

• The distortion goes from subtle break-up to over-the-top at maximum gain.

• Foot switchable volume, normal/bright switch and buffer on/off switch offer a incredible amount of options.

T-Rex Vulture • Provides a throaty distortion with a nice bite to it • Low-Boost and FatBoost knobs allow the player to shape the low end and low midrange.

• Even with silly amounts of low end the distortion stays tight, not muddy.

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Wampler Clarkside Delta OD • Wampler’s take on the Screamer clone has a wider set of tonal options and doesn’t “fizz out” as much.

• A 3 band EQ (Bass, Mids, and Treble) allows for a more tailored tonal palette.

• The Lift/ Smooth switch allows the tone to either sit in the mix or stand out in the mix for lead parts.

Big Ear NYC Frank • A pleasant sounding LED based Boost/ Low Gain Overdrive utilizing a Burr Brown op-amp for a transparent amplike drive.

• Internal body clip trim pot allows fine tuning of the drive’s voicing.

• With the Gain knob all the way down it behaves like a sparkly clean boost.

Greer Amps Southland Harmonic Overdrive • Building on Greer’s Lightspeed light to mild overdrive platform.

• Features

more

gain

(two

stages of clipping), a focused midrange, and a bit of presence on top of the signal, to help cut through the mix.

• A very touch sensitive pedal that responds to pick attack and the dynamics of the performance.

McSystem NKM Dynamic Drive • A full analog drive with an interesting twist: two separate level and gain knobs controlled by two footswitches.

• McSystem’s own V-Switch technology gives you access to two gain settings depending on how hard you stomp on the left switch.

• The other switch (Alternate) allows you to boost or cut the volume.

Try these and 200+ other pedals at Main Drag Music on 10/25 & 10/26 — FREE!

MOOG MF Drive • Filter-based overdrive pedal that employs a Moog Ladder Filter, boutique FET amplifiers, and classic OTAs in its drive section making it highly reactive to input gain and picking dynamics.

• The Peak switch allows the filter to add a low, mid, or high frequency boost.

Randall Facepunch

Amzel Electronic Cheshire Cat • A non conventional analog distortion that allows a wide range of innovative adjustments

• An overdrive pedal with Punch, Frequency and Smooth functions - just try it!

• A high-quality filter allows to adjust frequency and resonance • Accent knob allows fine tuning of attack and sustain.

Ibanez TS808DX • Two pedals in one: A true TS808 Overdrive, featuring the JRC4558D IC for that signature soft, subtle clipping sound, and a boost circuit, capable of adding up to 20db at the tap of a switch.

• Both circuits feature true bypass switches, allowing them to be used separately or in conjunction with each other.

• With Peak switch on connecting an expression pedal connected controls the filter cutoff, adding tonal and dirty wah options.

• A toggle switch allows for the choice of placing the Boost Pre or Post the Overdrive section and a rear panel switch offers the option of 9-volt or 18-volt operation.

Fuzz

Dwarfcraft Devices She Fuzz • While the She Fuzz does do a couple familiar sounds, a nice beefy powerchordy type of fighitn’ fuzz, and a snotty octave up, it’s much more exciting to get odd sounds out of it.

Shiva squeels and motorboats and has some suboctave powers too! A lot of these sounds can be switched on via the starve switch on the right.

Main Ace FX She’ll Shock • Ortenzia style fuzz on one side, variable speed range tremolo on the other. Wildly fuzzy, super versatile, and extremely user friendly.

• Originally conceived as a custom project for Stephen Brodsky (Cave In / Mutoid Man), • Foot-switchable speed ranges make it possible to move between fast and slow trem speeds on the fly.

ProCo FAT RAT • It gives you a choice between the original or a new MOSFET clipping circuit (smoother smoother upper midrange)

Shoe Pedals Ancient Astronaut • It’s a two knob fuzz stompbox dammit... just play with it!

• Stock/Fat switch lets you enhance the low res frequency response.

• Support 9-18 volts for extra headroom, and sports a socketed op-amp, so that you can switch the chip.

the deli Fall 2014

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the deli’s Brooklyn Stompbox Exhibit Oct. 25 & 26 Compressor

Strymon OB.1

Wah

Henretta Orange Whip

Black Cat Pedals Deluxe Mona Wah

Filter

Source Audio Effects Stingray

• Studio quality optical compression ranging from subtle and transparent to vintage squash.

• A musical, tiny compressor based on the popular Dan Armstrong Orange Squeezer circuit.

• This wah’s pot features a new taper and redesigned gear which yield a great subtlety of expression.

• 12 filter effects including low pass, high pass, single peak, multi peak, as well as 2 phasers.

• Saves space on your board by combining compressor, clean boost, and treble booster.

• Internal trimmers control the bias (mild adjustments to amount of compression) and output volume.

• Its unique new design allows for a totally smooth, even sweep that covers the entire range of the pot.

• At 2” x 2” it can squeeze its way onto any pedal board.

• Designed with the help of DIY guru and wah master, Joe Gagan.

• Each filter can be controlled with a forward or reverse envelope follower (a.k.a. “autowah”) or with any of the 4 LFO wave shapes.

• Integrated foot-switchable Clean, Treble and Mid boost.

• Internal DIP switches allow selection of the Treble and Mid boost frequencies.

Volume

Ernie Ball MPV • A volume pedal with an added overdrive.

• Minimum volume control allows for the heel position to be set at zero up to 50% for any rhythm level.

• Gain control allows for the toe position to be set at 100% up to a boosted 20+ decibels of gain for powerful lead levels.

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the deli Fall 2014

• LFO speed can be controlled by the Tap Tempo function.

• DRIVE knob goes from a warm overdrive that perfectly accentuates the filter to full-on octave fuzz.

Bit Crushing

Multi Effect

Bass

WMD Geiger Counter

Eventide H9 Harmonizer

Red Witch Factotum

• Takes your signal and destroys it with math using a tiny computer.

• The guitar signal is bit reduced and run through a semester’s worth of highschool algebra.

• What’s left on the other side is up to your imagination.

• Run all of Eventide’s stompbox effects.

• First release of a range of effects for bass.

• Fully controllabel through oneknob user interface.

• Two analog effects in one, controlled by separate switches: sub-octave and ultra dial-able bass overdrive.

• Connects wirelessly to iPods, iPhones and iPads for creating and managing presets, live control and in-app algorithm purchases.

• Each effect has a wet/dry mix knob that allows to blend the effected sound with the dry sound.

MAIN DRAG MUSIC WELCOMES ROLAND TO OUR GROWING FAMILY OF NEW GEAR

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Small, 3-string guitars.

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