Deep summer is a good time for music in Texas. That weird auburn heat that comes down, part the blonde of summer and part the brunette of fall means you can actually get out about in the summer sun and take walks and drives and hang on patios and listen to some goddamned music without wondering if you’re gonna die if you don’t stay perfectly, freakishly hydrated. Change is comin’, and I dunno, maybe I’m alone in this, but it feels like a time when certain tracks and types of music fit the general mood of the earth that don’t always fit at the same time. It’s a pretty nice vibe.

Speakin’ of, here’s what we’ve got for you to vibe to for the end of the month’s Artist of the Month poll, and why we think they’re the shit. This poll is ending quite soon, tomorrow in fact, but we thought we’d give a little last bit of edge to the competition by dropping it all right here for you to gander at, compare, and choose your own personal victor. Put your ears under the tap and let it flow in, and then take that imbibed energy and convert it directly into a vote upon the voting block at your right, if you have not yet and are so inclined. We’ve got a couple early-fall appropriate electronic rock bands, and an introspective hip-hop act appropriate for that change-is-coming feeling, and an indie band that will soundtrack those last golden dyin’ days of the summer just perfectly for ya, so let’s dig in to this month’s selections.

Boss Battle

Boss Battle has just one track available online right now, but they are a band in the process of dropping hard onto the scene. They’ve only been around since 2014, but this first single “Ride” (which just officially dropped 8/31/2015, but which has been kickin’ around the net for a while) is some hard pounding electronic-heavy rock good times. As they call it, the “megapop dual lead vocals” dominate and drive this track that’s got a Mindless Self Indulgence pop/hard/electronic/weird thing goin’, but which is more trying to nail the good pop song instead of just weirding people out. Well-thought of and known Ohm Recording Facility producer Chico Jones provides one half of said vocals, giving this band his 28 years of recording experience and a notoriety boost off the bat, and a slew of recent shows and the looming release of EP “Attack Time” get Boss Battle their nod for this edition of the Artist of the Month poll.

The Nimbus

The hype on The Nimbus is a little early, but well deserved- the band is on the eve of a 7” releasing on September 17 at a show at one of Austin’s best and most underrated clubs, The North Door on East 6th and I-35, but we thought we’d nominate them now because of just how excited we are for more from this band. The Nimbus’ own take on electronics drenched rock music is stylistically, in turn, steeped in the 80s new wave and gothic styles, with clear dramatic vocals over layers and layers of melancholy electronics, heavy thudding beats and droning guitars. The upcoming 7’ and supporting shows along with the just-so-enticing teaser video released for the new record get The Nimbus some deep support here at The Deli, and the early but definitely warranted Artist of the Month nomination. Check out the teaser below.

Tone Royal

We profiled Tone Royal a few weeks ago just after the release of his damn solid debut album Rushing Greatness, and since even that short time ago, it seems like this man’s star has risen considerably. Right now he’s up for not just our Artist of the Month, but also is promoting himself in the San Antonio Music Awards poll and is climbing the charts at Reverb Nation. He was also recently featured in a My San Antonio article on emerging twenty-something’s from the area, and he’s got a big show lined up at The Korova (8/19). He was also set to be a feature at Weird City Hip-Hop Fest until its quite damn depressing cancelation about nine hours before this posting, but despite that sadness (that’s really a blow to the whole area’s hip-hop scene, and not just Tone Royal), this young man is making waves with the smart delivery on his new album, which you can read more about in our recent review here, and which you can listen to in full below.

The Villas

It’s pretty hard to make an impact with just a few songs available, but like Boss Battle above, The Villas have done just that with three lovely tracks from upcoming record Long Player. The Villas do a thing that’s very rooted in the traditional indie rock formula of the 90s and 2000s with little electronics, a punk-gone-nicer feel and big and/or surfy guitar chords over some twangy bass and beats that change-up pretty frequently. Vocals that equally snarl and smile and lyrics like stand-out track Julie’s that say “It seems to me/You’re the apple on the tree/Waiting for the sun/It’s my time” that hearken back to indie rock’s roots in approachable suburban-era good if a little cynical feelings make these three tracks stand up as some of the best Austin indie of the year, and make this young band quite intriguing indeed.

We're giving two pairs of tickets away to foodies who support fresh produce and farm sustainability! Farm to Fork SF will host a VIP afterparty featuring drink specials and live entertainment from stic.man of the influential hip hop group, Dead Prez, plus more!

Email us at: sfeditor@thedelimagazine.com to win your tickets to Farm to Fork San Francisco!

Farm To Fork San Francisco is gathering advocates and lovers of food in an effort to raise awareness around sustainability issues and showcase the best farms, artisan food producers, breweries, cideries, distilleries and wineries in the Bay Area.

In the free-of-charge exhibitor section of the multi-level event, attendees will have the opportunity to purchase products, view demonstrations, engage in interactive exhibits, and sample complimentary items from some of the Bay Area’s top food and beverage producers.

The expo will also host a ticketed conference featuring speaker panels from a diverse lineup of thought leaders in food justice and sustainability, as well as a keynote presentation from Ron Finley, “Guerilla Gardening” pioneer and former TED Talk presenter.

If you haven’t heard of Tone Royal yet, now would be a good time to catch up with the artist, as he’s just released his debut album and like the title says, he very much is Rushing Greatness. With a few rap contests and live shows under his belt, Tone Royal has started to take Austin by storm, as have the local Austinites featured on the album like Phillip Wolf and others. As if that wasn’t enough, he’s also studying at UT to become a sports journalist, and acting as co-host on Korey Coleman’s entertainment website doubletoasted.com where he’s better known by his real name, Ray Villarreal. The album, Rushing Greatness, provides a wide variety of styles that at its worst sound like Mac Miller, and at its best, George Watsky. But unlike some of Mac Miller’s work, most (perhaps not all) of Tone Royal’s lyrics are quite meaningful, especially on the songs that are more spoken word than actual rap, like “Want You Back” and the end of “Clark Kent.” If nothing else, Tone Royal’s album proves that great rappers are still out there putting their stuff up online for free, in the hopes that their name will get bigger, so be part of the process and listen below.

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by Nicholas Augusto Gomez Fullerton

@feedbackjunkies

Portland's annual festival celebrating the local music scene, PDX Pop Now! returns this weekend for three days of all-ages adventure at Audiocinema (under the Hawthorne Bridge). Check out the full schedule here, plus The Deli's top picks for the weekend below:

Balto: Daniel Sheron's psych-Americana project is lyrically driven and big and melodic. His first record Call It By Its Name is a diverse mix of country, folk, and pop that sounds like Blitzen Trapper's love child with a dash of outlaw thrown in for good measure. Catch them at 6:40 p.m. on Friday.



Golden Hour: Portland's tender-hearted garage group Golden Hour are like the younger sibling in a cool band that you never had but always wanted. Their catchy, relatable lyrics and upbeat, declarative songs will linger with you long after you hear them--in the best way possible. Don't miss their set at 4:10 p.m. on Saturday.

 


Hands In: Bedroom psych favorite Erick Crosby brings his dreamy tunes to the stage Saturday evening at 6:50 p.m. Hands In provides the perfect soundtrack to your angst, your dance mood, or general party attitude. 

The Last Arful, Dodgr: A new voice in the Portland hip hop scene, Dodgr brings a fresh sound to the festival and holds it down for lesser-represented genres in the local music scene. Don't miss her breakout set at 6:10 p.m. on Saturday.

The Stops: These self-described "five girls playing punk" do not mess around. Their fast, hard, sorry-not-sorry songs are sure to get the crowd moving at this weekend's festival. Representing the all-ages scene, their debut album Nameless Faces is a dirtier, grittier version of local favorites Summer Cannibals. Get down to Audiocinema early on Saturday, The Stops play at 2:10 p.m.

These and many more perform Friday through Sunday at Audiocinema. The music festival includes a street fair, beer garden, and plenty of opportunities to get immersed in the Portland music scene. 

-Zibby Pillote

Unless I'm entirely mistaken in my drunk memories of seeing bands in Austin when I wasn't really plannin' on it (you know that happens a lot in this town), I first heard Austin hip-hop group Magna Carda when I was vending used books at the now-defunct but formerly-the-shit goods market the Wonder Sale back in early 2014. I was stashed in a corner of a backyard off Cesar Chavez amongst a fuckton of real ATX folks vending real ATX-made objects right by the table where the sponsored and free Shiner was kept (of three types, though one was that not that great non-bock plain Shiner shit you see here and there). Regardless of my own band-hearin' experiences and whether they are real or entirely dreamed up on 10+ Shiners worth of imagination, Magna Carda is definitely a crew I've seen live at some point, and they're also defintely one that kills it straight dead from the hip-hop perspective. In fact, they just picked up a residency at the sadly soon-to-be-defunct Holy Mountain (Remember when Beauty Bar closing was a bad sign? Yeah, shit is worse now.). They've been releasin' some damn fine hip-hop lately too, like the coolness defining "Banger Jones" that takes some diamond-sharp rapping to instrumentals that kinda sound like somethin' you'd hear in one of those lava-and-ghost Mario levels in a way that is solid all the way from one piece of the production through to the whole rest of the track. Go see a live-produced Austin hip-hop group that's as killer and grassroots as it gets July 9, 16, 23 and 30 at Holy Mountain, a bar that's going the way of the buffalo on October 1, before Austin music just gives the fuck up and moves to California in retaliation.