In just about one year Soapbox Army has managed to make quite a few ears pay attention. The NYC band plays rather reflective alt rock with a mellow, existential attitude. Their self titled debut album showcases Dan Tucker's crisp vocal tone and his talent for unconventional pop melodies. A tight band of 7 (Dan's guitar included) backs the vocalist with multifaceted arrangements including keyboards, electronic effects and a cello. The band will play Santos Party house on July 11, and you may want to be there.

The Brooklyn based group Spanish Prisoners have had a lot on their plate lately. After a quintessential debut “Songs to Forget, Exit Stencil”, the group have been gigging and interviewing compulsively for the last year generating quite a buzz for themselves. Led by vocalist Leo Maymind, Spanish Prisoners blend bubbily psych pop with dark telltale vocals and daydream guitar textures.
Some of their tunes are quite haunting, some are more poppy then some are melodic with a hint of a country influence. Recently the band has played shows with the likes of Daniel Johnston, John Vanderslice and Foals. Shortly after their debut Spanish Prisoners expanded with keyboardist Amberly Hungerford, who also shares in the vocals and gives their music even more diversity. They have recently released the “Los Angeles Guitar Dream” EP to a mass of good press. This hype has led to the band being invited to do a monthly residency at Cameo Gallery in Williamsburg. During the month of July Spanish Prisoners will perform on the 12th, 19th and the 26th alongside a score of other talented and diverse local bands. This event is being presented by the Music Slut and Deli Magazine (yes, that's us!). In the meantime the “Los Angeles Guitar Dream” EP is available completely for free at their website an on their Myspace page. - Lindsey Lawless

On March 5, 2009, professional guitarist, bassist, and keyboardist, Jon Wiley awoke without feeling or mobility in his arms and legs. He was subsequently diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and incurred more than $30,000 worth of medical bills for his week-long hospital stay. After a lengthy recovery process, Jon has regained most feeling in his limbs and has gone on in recent months to record and perform with Lightspeed Champion, Adam Green, and his solo project, SpaceCamp. However, he is still without the means to afford his own healthcare. A circle of Brooklyn-based friends have joined together to throw a benefit for him. We Are the Wiley: A Benefit Concert for Jon Wiley will feature Adam Green, Lightspeed Champion, DJ Johnny Tropical, and Chairlift at The Shank—an art space and concert venue in Williamsburg, Brooklyn—on Thursday, July 9, 2009 at 8PM. This is a concrete opportunity to help a man who, like so many artists and musicians in the United States, lack affordable healthcare. Tickets $15 - all proceeds go to Wiley's medical bills.

The Drums are JezebelMusic.com’s July Feature Artist. With support from Living Days, Zambri, and Kordan, The Drums headline the July FEATURE SHOW at Public Assembly tomorrow, Thursday, July 9.

Best friends since childhood (minus a brief hiatus after spending all their time together on tour and getting sick of each other), Jonathan Pierce and Jacob Graham are a remarkable music making team. With their band, The Drums, they write songs inspired by the straightforward, unforgettable melodies and lyrics of 50s, 60s, and 80’s pop. “I think what it really boils down to is that we think that really simple melodies are the best melodies,” says Graham. Pierce adds that they “have no problem writing a song where everyone can relate to it and enjoy it. And when you have a perfect lyric and a perfect melody together, when that happens, it’s the most magical thing.”

Performing live, The Drums roll up their sleeves and harness that magic through uplifting melodies and danceable beats. It’s a party on a stage, and the band works hard to make sure the audience joins in on the fun.

For show details, click HERE. And click HERE to read more about The Drums. – Dan D’Ippolito

In the past few years, New York City's music scene has been stirred up by the musical output of Glint. So far, numerous terms have been used to describe their kind of music, but this band successfully resists any narrow-minded categorization of their sound. "Psych-Rock", 'Pop" and "Electronic" are genres frequently assigned to them, often mixed with terms like "Space" and "Cosmic", which reveal the intense dimension of their tunes. "Sound in Silence", their second album that was released in 2008, evoked very positive responses, not only from their fans, but also from music critics in general. Currently they are working on a new album which is eagerly awaited by their supporters and which will be released soon. Their musical impact is not restricted, however, to American stages. Glint - which are Jase Blankfort, Mateus Tebaldi, Alon Leventon and Dave Johnsen - will be touring Europe, starting with rocking London on July 22. - read Susi Muhr interview with the band here.

Brooklyn based four piece Suckers have been building momentum for a couple of years now. In the spirit of bands such as Animal Collective, The Walkmen and Fleet Foxes, The Suckers blend mellow jam sessions with lush guitar climaxes that echo and expand the barriers of my psychedelic comfort zone. The group signed to IAMSOUND Records earlier this year and in April released their debut self-titled EP which was produced by Yeasayer’s Anand Wilder and Chris Moore (TV on The Radio, Yeah Yeah Yeahs). The bands credibility was made even more fierce last year when member Quinn Walker released a double solo album on CocoRosie’s Voodoo-Eros label to rave reviews. Just this past June The Suckers made Rolling Stones’ ‘Hot List’ alongside MGMT and Sonic Youth. The Suckers whimsical wall of sound is great music to chill out to and the group has earned themselves a Thursday night residency at the LES hotspot Pianos for the month of July beginning on the 9th. The lineup for the first night also features Gates of Heaven, Hears of Darkness and Etta Place and will be hosted by Toilet Cobra. - Lindsey Lawless. Read Cameron Hull's interview with the band here.

Formed in Brooklyn in 2007, and founded by former members of Philadelphia's Asteroid #4 and psych-pop ensemble Three Four Tens, Himalaya is making its hallucinogenic mark on NYC with its signature sound, and a self-titled debut that packs a psychedelic punch. Employing deep drones, ghostly melodies, and spacey, noisy waves of guitar, Himalaya calls to mind their influences - from Spiritualized and Spaceman 3, to the Jesus and Mary Chain and Pink Floyd. Himalaya's self-titled debut is a collection of nine songs that embody the band's distinct voice, unrelenting style, and sonic spaciousness.

Whether it’s writing calculatingly smooth softrock jams that land on the Kanye-West-Blog, or holding court over sold-out audiences at the Bowery Ballroom with his signature charismatic falsetto, dancemaster-in-command Francis Farewell Starlight (of Francis and the Lights) runs a tight ship that would make James Brown cry angeldust-tinged tears of joy. Given Francis’ general proclivity (or addiction, depending on who you consult) for precision, it should be no surprise that he maintains an equally firm grip on his offstage persona. While any attempts to mine personal information should be filed under NYC’s Most Effective Methods of Wasting Time, 2009, there remains one element that is completely transparent: his day-to-day expenses. Upon visiting www.francisandthelights.com, one can view detailed captain’s log of every expense paid by this otherwise clandestine performer. And just in case you were wondering, the tuna melt at the Chicago O’hare Airport on his way back from SXSW somehow managed to set him back $27. Be on the lookout for a new EP in the near future, but in the meantime you may have to settle for a light re-reading of Francis’ cash-flow statement. - Charles Davis - Full list of Best of Emerging NYC artists 2008 here.

Silk Flowers have only been around for about a year but they’ve already gathered a lot of attention in the press and the blogs. The band, encompassing one half of Car Clutch (Swan) and former members of Soiled Mattress and the Springs (Cohen, Schuette), creates a sound that bears little resemblance to the musicians’ past efforts. Their extremely lo key (and lo fi) approach to electronics descends directly from the tradition of bands like Suicide, although their mostly instrumental tunes, rather than Alan Vega's terryfing nightmares, sound more like slowly evolving, slowly deforming Lynchean dreams (let's call them "almost nightmares"...). The sparse appearences of Aviram Cohen’s baritone voice manage to amplify the horror to dangerous levels, and deserve alone a "Rated R".

Keygrip blends melodic Brit-pop with hints of 80’s influence and modern lush indie-rock and release their debut EP vis-�-vis on July 28, 2009 on RRMC Recordings. They’ll be celebrating the album with a CD RELEASE PARTY on Thurs, July 30th at DON HILL’s in NYC at 9:00pm.

Werewolves, who are currently touring the country with Soft Black, wrote and recorded two new songs in four hours while enjoying a day off on an avocado grove in Santa Barbara, California. You can check out those songs and several new tunes from their upcoming LP 'DANCE RAINCOAT GLASS' here. Catch Werewolves, Soft Black, Eyes, and Shilpa Ray & Her Happy Hookers at Death By Audio (S. 2nd & Kent) Thursday July 23rd! - (as posted in The Deli's Open Blog - post your band's entries, videos, and Mp3s here).

You know that feeling when you’re stuck on a hike with nothing but a bottle of warm water and your skin is sticky from sweat, yet dry from the dirt being kicked up from the trail? This is how listening to Gladshot makes me feel. A bit uncomfortable and just waiting for it to end so I can breathe at the top of the hill (or the end of their album) and eat a sandwich. Gladshot is a bit too country for my taste, but despite their melodies which are at times formulaic, Gladshot surprises you with vocalists Debbie Andrews sweet voice reminding everyone that hikes can be fun.

Chewing Pics features former America’s Next Top Model competitor Naima Mora as frontwoman. On the show she stood out as a bit different from some of the other models, and her band is a testament to that. Chewing Pics combines elements of punk and delay-soaked post-rock with the manic vocals of bands like Mika Miko and Erase Errata. On the band’s Tarantula EP the songs “Neves Orez” and “The Matter of Glass” tear through the speakers with rapid fire urgency and ferocity while Mora belts out aggressive vocal jabs, and “Cursed String” displays a penchant for melody and dissonant, experimental musicianship. There’s also what appears to be a new song on the band’s myspace, “Capitulo Del Mago,” that demonstrate’s Mora’s soaring vocal range, and builds with ominous polyrhythmic drumming and guitar texture. If this EP is a sing of things to come, Chewing Pics are headed in the right direction. - Full list of Best emerging NYC artists of 2008 here.

After each Buke and Gass show, it is quite common to see a line of guys (mostly guitarists and engineers) queueing in front of Aron Sanchez to ask him one simple question: "How the heck do you get that crazy tone?" When they approach him on the stage, they normally realize two things: 1. He doesn't play a normal guitar, but what he calls a "Gass" 2. That kick drum he also plays while strumming the Gass not only has a tambourine attached to the outer skin but there's also a... snare inside it!

What prompted the invention of the Gass? I wanted to make more sound with one instrument. For a long time I'd been thinking of making an instrument that would replicate how Aston Barrett sounded on the Bob Marley records, he would double his bass lines with muted guitar. I never got around to making that instrument, but the last band I was in, Proton Proton, I was the only string player for awhile, so I began to develop the Gass, which has become a lot more versatile than my original idea. - Read Paolo De Gregorio's full interview with Aron Sanchez here.

Check out this new (non) video by Harlem Shakes, they sold out the Bowery last night. Here's a (very) old Deli interview with the band.