The starry psychedelic, Jager-touting trio, 28 Degrees Taurus takes over Great Scott in Allston tonight to release their new EP. Supported by The Wandas, Where the Land Meets the Sea and Static of the Gods, this is definitely going to be an awesome show. See you there!

Set Times:

Where the Land Meets the Sea 900-940

Static of the Gods 955-1035

28 Degrees Taurus 1050-1130

The Wandas 1145-123

Stay tuned for the interview with the band...coming next week.

-Meghan Chiampa

Born on Flag Day,is Deer Tick's sophomore album and follow up to their 2007 debut War Elephant. was originally released in September '07 on FEOW! Records and sold out within half a year, leaving the band to burn their own copies to sell at shows. Luckily for fans desperate for a copy, in 2008 Partisan Records caught wind of Deer Tick's growing success and re-released War Elephant.Partisan also released Born on Flag Day

Frequently described as indie alt-country or folk, Born on Flag Day, is an exceptional example of this genre. The band names Hank Williams, Dylan, Nirvana and Springsteen as influences, as well as many others, and the influence of all these talented musicians is present on their follow-up album. Born on Flag Dayfollows in the country-inspired, alt-rock footsteps of War Elephant, and takes it a step or two further. The album opens with “Easy,” which builds up slowly with a thumping drum beat that is joined by crashing electric guitar work and McCauley's signature gravelly snarl. Following “Easy” is the much more subdued “Little White Lies,” a sweet and slow country song about trying to move on from a failing relationship, with lyrics pleading- Please let me be lonely tonight.“Smith Hill” combines the use of string instruments and female vocals to create a folky tune that showcases McCauley's gift for brutally honest and melancholy lyrics. Other notable tracks off Born on Flag Dayare “Friday XIII,” a duet about love gone sour, the rockabilly-inspired “Straight Into The Storm,” and “The Ghost,” a country track memorable for its harmonica solos and poignant lyrics -You're as lonely as a ghost on Halloween.The album ends with a live recording of a cover of “Goodnight Irene,” with McCauley's friends chatting and singing along in the background. “Born on Flag Day” showcases McCauley's unusual gritty voice and impressive vocal range and, with the addition of three new musicians, is much more musically ambitious than War Elephant.Born on Flag Dayand Deer Tick definitely deserve your attention. Deer Tick is slated to release their third album in late 2009.

- Kristin Cary

**We will be starting a new episodic quest of the best open mics in New England. Stay tuned to hear about new open mics you've never heard of or ones you'd love to conquer or explore in your musical journey.**

Rundown:
The sets are 16 minutes
Sign up is at 6:30pm. Show begins at 8:00pm.
It's 21 plus after 9:45. Younger kids can come if they play early.
The age gap for performers at the Burren Open Mic has gone from 7 years old to 68!
Odd tuesdays we pick the order out of a hat.
Even tuesdays we pick the order on a first come first served basis. Whomever gets to the pub first that day, picks first.
No cover, no prizes, great cameradery.
"Jamming is encouraged I love it when people join each other and rock out. We are in our 12th year
running. It has been a place where many performers have taken
the stage for thier very first time. As well it is a place where successful performers
still pop into when they are not on tour." - Hugh McGowan

The Burren
247 Elm St.
Somerville, MA
6:30 sign-up - 8:00 showtime

- Erin Yunes

In an old, sleepy town nestled deep in the woods of Maine, Loki (headliner) and Sinfist came together to offer the town of South Paris a night of passionate, heartfelt acoustic, metal music. Sinfist is well known on the local music scene in Maine. Energized by their newly recorded EP “House of Hides” they’ve been ravenously tearing up the local scene but on June 19th at Crazy 8's, Sinfist toned down and unplugged for the night.

Travis Everett, singer for Sinfist, let it all out: rage, pain, distrust, abuse, a life lived in hell.Chris “Willy” Weston, lead guitarist, took guitar playing to new levels. A master of his craft, a widely respected musician left his amp at home and came armed only with a very well seasoned acoustic guitar covered in stickers that tell the instrument's history. His guitar seemed to wail in pain at times, feeling the sorrow and anger each song contained.

Jesse Merrill on rhythm guitar played deep, bluesy tones that perfectly accompanied his fellow guitarist Weston. These two harmonized well; a partnership in music that can’t be stopped.

James Hides on drums, put the sticks down and picked up brushes for that night. Hides played with a little less intensity than a plugged in show but all the normal energy. Hides delivered a beautiful array of beats and rhythmic fuel that blended seamlessly into the acoustic dream that Sinfist’s set was that evening.

Mike Scarpo (5th Freedom) played bass so funky you could smell it, tones so thunderous you'd think the sky was falling and notes so deep and dark the audience quivered at every thump.

Jack Broderick played piano and was brought on for the acoustic show. Broderick’s musical prowess truly brought out the finest in Sinfist. A gorgeous composition, rivaling that of the classical masters.

I have to say the performance was unparalleled on the local scene. Many hard rock/metal acts have gone the acoustic route, but just couldn't bring out the raw, unbridled passion Sinfist did. At times the connection with band was so great, it was as though the audience was in a trance. Normally, a six man band would be muddled and overdone acoustically. These guys brought together the perfect mixture of chemistry and musicianship that enabled them to deliver a show that, to all who attended, felt privileged to have been a part of. If you haven't checked out Sinfist yet, you should. These guys continuously deliver performances that leave you craving more.

- Jason Sanborn

Dudes,

We just launched The Deli's Portland branch!

Another awesome community of musicians is now covered by The Deli - hurrah!

Check it out here.

The Deli Staff

Hallelujah the Hills offered up an eclectic musical experience opening up for The Fiery Furnaces at the Middle East Downstairs last Saturday night. Faced with a diverse audience, the Boston based sextuplet successfully generated head bops and toe taps all around with a relentlessly energetic performance. The bands enthusiasm was undisputedly contagious, but the evening wasn’t just all poppy beats and bubbly lyrics. On occasion, HTH got quiet and sentimental with tunes that even provoked some fans to slow dance- think awkward 7th grade dance flashback (yes, it was awesome).

The group seemed to fall victim to faulty sound mixing as many of the horn parts and other auxiliary instruments were nearly inaudible at times. As a result the set became flat and repetitious a few times throughout the night, but the audience for the most part appeared unaffected by this setback and remained engaged with the band’s performance. HTH finished up with an older tune with a grand finale complete with a cacophony of instrumental improvisation (all of which could finally be heard). Be sure to check out their new album Colonial Drones, which is set to be released on September 22nd

- Sheena Dorci

Hallelujah the Hills’ Ryan Walsh talks about their new album, POTUSA, and the end of the world. Please check out their show Friday the 12th at the Middle East Downstairs in Cambridge, MA with The Fiery Furnaces and Bodega Girls.

Deli: I love your sound and the amazing variety that you incorporate into each song. I would consider it a mesh of Arcade Fire, Postal Service (their less techno-y stuff) and The Kinks, And cryptic, bouncy Elliot Smith-esque lyrics, but you definitely have your own sound - Where do you gather your influences?

Ryan Walsh: I was obsessed with the imagination-enhancement ability of music starting at about age 7. We didn't have MTV in our house. Every song suggested a series of images for me. The more music I heard the more movies ran in my head. Who doesn't love movies? So, I just kept collecting and listening to more and more music. I made a mix tape every week for a couple of years. If our albums are sequenced in a pleasing manner I'd credit the mix tapes for that skill. You can't help but be influenced by the history of music in your head when you write a song but, for me, I try not to think about other bands or other songs when I write something new. I've heard that someone said that we can't evolve into a world we cannot describe. I think all art is an effort to describe new worlds that we might transform into. The more art, the more options we have. Pop music is a beautiful Trojan horse though. It can take on that hoity-toity notion while also making you want to dance, raise up lighters into the air, and flirt with other humans.

Deli: What in New England (musically or not) has inspired you musically the most?

RW: I might be unqualified to answer this because it's all I know. Like interviewing a fish about water. Just those words make me drift off into imagination. New. England. We're a copy of some original England but we're distorted, the dimensions aren't right, and we've had this fun-house mirror thing going from the moment that name was chosen. Our new album is called Colonial Drones, which has about a half dozen interesting meanings/connotations for me, but one image it summons up for me is a pilgrim, on the beach, just coaxing awful feedback waves out of a guitar and amplifier.

Deli: You guys have really made a name for yourselves since your debut a few years ago. When was the last time you played Boston? I've been out of town for a while. Do you have any plans for future shows other than the P-town show? Also, how do you feel playing with the genius POTUSA ?

RW: We played Boston 2 weeks ago. We play there again tomorrow. Then probably not again for awhile. We need a little nap before the album is released. I remember enjoying POTUSA's 1st album when it came out (I was in high school). It was silly music but they were being taken fairly seriously. I enjoyed that. Provincetown. I get dizzy thinking about being on the tip of that little Cape Cod arm, you know? It's so slim! Think about what you look like on a map in the place you stand when you stand in Provincetown. Someone sneezes across town and everyone hears it. This self-contained aspect of Provincetown, and places like it, seem to be highlight connectivity (which gives me a mental boner).

Deli: I noticed on the bio on your site your band is planning on making 33 albums, how's that going for you?

RW: It's going good. This is album #2 but release #3 (if you count our EP last year). I haven't decided if we'll count EPs yet. I just outlined album #14 which is sort of a spoken word country album. This promise may be void, however, if the world does indeed end, restart, or drastically redraft itself on December 22 2012 as some believe it will.

Deli: Anything else you want to share with the folks with home? What does the summer hold for HTH?

RW: The album is in the label's hands now. We need to make some music videos. I used to be a film maker. I went to school for it. Now that I need to make movies again I feel all nostalgic. Like when they coax the safe-cracker out of retirement at the beginning of a heist movie. We also will probably get to reveal where the phrase "Colonial Drones" comes from if I can clean up the old tape and digitize it. There will also be trips to Dairy Queen and a radical rethinking of how we might get out of this world alive.

- Interview by Meghan Chiampa

Rock n' Roll in the Queen City was the Deli's Burlington mantra, and this Saturday the Queen is back.

Alice Austin is coming to The Monkey House to release her newest album To a Star in the Yard. For all of you pining for Burlington's early-90's heyday, let's go back and look at Alice's history within this city. Now based in Boston, Austin was once a tour de force in Burlington, as one of the founders of the all female powerhouse rock band Zola Turn.

But, back to the future. To a Star in the Yard was completely created and recorded by Alice herself. She played every instrument and wrote each knife-edge lyric.

On Saturday, she brings a full band with her - The Stark Raving Mad. Alice on guitar and vocals, Julia (her sister) on bass, Franklin Butkus on drums, and former Red Telephone/Venus Envy axman Sean Toohey on lead guitar and lap steel

Tapis Bleu sets the stage at 9:15, and Lendway will close down the house. This will be an epic night of local music.

Ana Pardenik & Co. hit the road with other local musicians in their veggie fueled bus to launch the Vermont Joy Parade.

farm from Enosburg, Vermont is an experimental folk/rock/pop/jazz band with a sound drenched in creativity and starry, surprising melodies. Members, Joshua Givens, Ben Maddox, Jedd Kettler, and Bryan Dondero are known for instrument swapping, genre-bending and using household items to create music. The Deli is proud to announce farm as New England’s Band of the Month winner.

farm: We're anxious to get into recording a new album. Over the winter, after releasing The Cave, we stopped playing those songs and began writing and working on new songs. We've been bringing songs in as individuals and writing even more as a group. We have nothing against The Cave songs, we're just excited to play new stuff. And even more excited to record it. Playing live can be fun, but writing and recording is really what we like to do and we don't want to lose momentum.
That said, we're not forsaking live shows altogether. We'll be playing on the green in Fairfield on July 25th at the Jig in the Valley and perhaps other dates will appear as autumn sets in.

farm: We eliminated all other words. We prefer 'farm' as a verb. And an insistent one.

farm: This is a hard call. Monsterbuck. How To Stay Alive In The Woods. The Breaking In. Lendway. The Cush. Others. All very fun shows, good bands and good people. If you offer us beer in a parking lot, or bacon and eggs in the morning, or just make us laugh uncontrollably at how great your music sounds and we'll love your band forever.

farm: On the contrary, we're about to start working harder than ever on a new record. We'll be in the Cave of Legends through the summer and winter. We've also got tentative deal going that would allow us to record in the Enosburg Opera House. Go to our website where you can listen to both of our albums. There's also some live stuff on our myspace.

- Meghan Chiampa

Dear New England Music Peoples,

I am writing to introduce myself, (Hello, I’m Meghan Chiampa, nice to meet you, the pleasure is mine.) as the new editor and let you know what is happening with the Deli. I’m stationing myself in Cambridge, MA to get the ball rolling. I travel a lot and will not leave Burlington, VT’s kickin’ music scene behind.

The Deli will cover major hubs and happenings around New England. Music stuffs and bands in Boston, Providence, West Mass and even Portland, Maine will be interviewed, reviewed, shouted out and noticed, along with Vermont.

I am a long-time supporter and lover of independent and local music, start-ups and the little guys. I understand that the best friend a new musician can have in the biz and the buzz is someone talking about them. This is where the Deli comes in. I have gathered a team of writers and photographers together to present you with the choicest quality of music coverage of New England. Also I will be covering independent “house” shows in lofts, warehouses and studios.

The rest is up to you. Read. Vote. Let me know what is going on. If you are a musician and have a show coming up, CD release, or want an interview send me an email at – MeghanMChiampa@gmail.com.

If you are a writer and/or photographer and lover of music also send me an email if you want to contribute. I love to meet new people so don’t be afraid of introducing yourself or “friending” us on MySpace or becoming a fan of our page on Facebook.

The transition will probably take a few weeks. So, please excuse our appearance during construction. It’s going to be awesome and welcome.

Love, Meghan

You may have wondered where we've been lately - well, big changes are on the way!

Burlington music lovers and makers - Thank all of you for your support of The Deli, Burlington in its first year of life. I have met so many great people while working on this project.

Over the next month, we will be transforming the Deli Burlington blog into the Deli New England blog. Though I realize this will diffuse the Burlington focus, it will also more easily connect bands and writers from Vermont, Mass and even Maine. The Deli has also recently started an Austin branch.

I will continue to write, but I am not longer able to manage the branch between my other two jobs, sadly. This is where I welcome, Meghan Chiampa, the new associate editor for the New England branch!

Meghan can make the Deli her priority right now, which is what it deserves! She'll be helping me make the transition - I do not want Burlington to lose this valuable outlet for sharing its music.

If you would like more info, contact Meghan at meghanmchiampa [at]gmail[dot]com. Again, thank you so much for the support, I'll talk with you all again soon!

Adena @ The Deli

The Deli Austin is up!

Delicious Ladies and Gents,

It was right about time that we opened a branch in the southern US capital of indie rock. The Deli Austin is up, check it out here!

** The layout is shiny, new and clean - the other Deli's will look like this soon!

That Toga Band, one of Burlington's jazzy gems is playing two shows in the next two days. I know it's short notice, but tonight, May 14th, they are headlining at Manhattan's Pizza.

On Friday May 15th, That Toga Band plays Parima for the first time. Take my word for it, they are worth your while. If you're looking for something different, come dance crazily or simply listen and contemplate this fantastic music.

- Meghan Chiampa

Steve Hauschildt is a prolific solo artist out of Cleveland, Ohio. His analog synthesizer based compositions combine dense analog synth drones with progressive and new age inspired riffs.

Raglani is up from Saint Louis, MO. His dark, ambient electronica travels through "mysterious or tumultuous landscapes" of inner feeling.

Greg Davis, a Burlington native you may know and love, will also take the stage. He's always striving to create and explore new sounds. It will be a night of inner exploration through electronic music.

Join them at North End Studio on Monday, May 18th at 9 p.m. The show is all ages and $7.