Founded in 2012 by Jayk Gallagher, Hobart W Fink describe themselves as slightly nerdy, ironic indie rock with a soupçon of grunge. The band’s co-lead singers, Gallagher and Marie Bollinger, blend razor sharp harmonies atop their eclectic stew of rock influences. Their debut single, “Hundred Dollar Bill,” is gutsy, grungy, and raw. A fast-paced and edgy rock tune that never takes itself too seriously. The band has a release show at The Satellite May 30 followed by an EP release in July at Casey’s Pub. - Jacqueline Caruso
Last week we fired off an email blast to all the NYC bands in our email database in search for a man/woman with a van who could help us distribute the Spring 2013 issue of The Deli. After a careful analysis of each band's music and van, we decided to go for Brooklyn lo-fi poppers Yankee Bang Bang and their 2006 Dodge Grand Caravan! Not too old + perfect size to fit 8k copies of The Deli + chilled dudes (we imagine).
The band will be releasing a new EP on June 12 with a show at Grand Vicotry. In the meantime, enjoy this track from an older rlease.
Smith Westerns have released another track, "3am Spiritual", from their forthcoming album "Soft Will" out June 25th on Mom + Pop. The band's sound still has elements of surf rock, but they seemed to have toned down the garage and lo-fi components completely. This new track is a wonderful departure from their sound with it's light, pop-filled melody.
Fort Frances released their new ep Harbour late last month, and have now released a very cool cover of Ryan Adams' track "New York, New York". The track lead up to a show last weekend in The Big Apple. The trio, lead by vocalist David McMillin, play a passionate brand of roots rock.
Alex Longoria is the frontman for Cold Blue Kid and is also involved with Hidden Era and Bright Ships. Cold Blue Kid is planning a full length release for the end of summer and have released a video for the new album's first single "Now You Wake".
Below is a new music video from emcee/producer/La Salle basketball player Taylor Dunn for the track "Water," which appears on his sophomore mixtape On The Contrary. It was directed by Rob Haffey with fellow Drexel University student Mike Koziel as his cinematographer.
The next step in hot rod hard rock is here. Dirty Fences have combined the joys of smoke-filled biker bars into songs that last at most 2 and a half minutes. New EP 'Too Kind to Kross' is two jams designed especially for speed and abandon. This is the kind of sunset strip metal that celebrates the roots of hardcore, and the future of good old fashioned, dirty ass hard rock is here. Grab the new record here, and if you missed your show at Irvin Plaza last Saturday (opening for Turbonegro), check them out when they head back to NY for shows later this year. The band will play three gigs in the West coast in late May/early June. - Mike Levine (@Goldnugets)
YVYNYL, a.k.a. Mark Schoneveld, continues his curation of this month’s Tuesday Tune-Out at PhilaMOCA tonight with a one-two combination of lesser-known, talented local artists. Neighborhood Choir is the dream-pop project from Bennett Daniels, who is the bassist for Laser Background as well as a number of Philly acts such as Brendan Codey, Hippy Johnny, etc. Avery Rosewater is an impressive fledgling band led by Julien Rossow-Greenberg (formerly of Arches). This evening will be a good opportunity to hear the groups’ yet-to-be-released material and how their tunes transfer over into a live setting. Daniels has also chosen the film that will be screened after their performances so stick around for that too. PhilaMOCA, 531 N. 12th St., 8pm, $5, All Ages (Photo by Tiffany Yoon) - H.M. Kauffman
I can’t vouch for the former, but this three-piece Boston outfit is certainly pretty-- their latest, Golden Rules for Golden People, has been slowly gaining critical acclaim that their long-standing Beantown fans can cheer for. Often compared to early new wave from Elvis Costello to Squeeze, don’t listen to the blogs that tell you Pretty and Nice are merely influenced performers. In their single “Hibernate”, you hear snippets of the Kinks and a snatch of electronic, but the blend is completely unique to the group. Holden Lewis and Jeremy Mendicino have been playing the New England scene since 2004 and are finally gaining some clout in the community. Golden Rules is terrific, but for even more Pretty and Nice fun take a listen to their earlier recordings-- their current sound is a careful blend of everything they’ve done to date, and it’s a cool journey to take. Catch them at the Sinclair on Thursday with the Thermals. - Jamie Loftus
West Philly's Grandchildren recently performed at Glasslands in NYC on May 15, 2013 as part of the celebration for the release of their latest LP Golden Age (Ernest Jenning Recording Co.). You can listen to their entire set below, and download it for free HERE. Special thanks to NYC Taper for sharing.
