If you haven't heard, Christopher Pappas of The Everyday Visuals has put together a glorious side project, Forest Fires. They release their debut album, Hark! And Other Lost Transmissions on the 15th. In celebration of the release Forest Fires has a residency at the Armory (Where the Deli Showcase #2 was at) featuring some of New England's best folk and rock musicians. I'm not just saying this to be nice. This is one of the more epic residencies I've seen in a while. Take a look.

April 1st:
Tom Janovitz AKA Sodafrog(8PM)
Josh Buckley (The Guilded Splinters) (8:50PM)
Forest Fires (9:40PM)

April 8th:
Michael Wheeler (8PM)
Lady Lamb the Bee Keeper (8:50PM)
Forest Fires (9:40PM)

April 15th: (Official release!!!!)
Laura Cortese (8PM)
The Everyday Visuals (8:50PM)
Forest Fires (9:40PM)

April 22nd:
Oranjuly (8PM)
Will Dailey (8:50PM)
Forest Fires (9:40PM)

April 29th:
Rasmyth (My dad's band!) (8PM)
Jesse Gallagher (Apollo Sunshine) (8:50PM)
Forest Fires (9:40PM)

http://www.artsatthearmory.org/ - 191 Highland Ave - Somerville, MA - Take the Red line to Davis and it is like a few blocks.
--The Deli Staff

Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling is a duo consisting of Sophia Cacciola and Michael J. Epstein. Self-described as, "loud, arty, minimalist rock working in the realm of proto-punk/new wave/no wave bands", Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling has an authentic energy and sound that is rarely seen around town that often.

They will be celebrating the release of their debut EP, The New Number 2 Saturday the 3rd at Church. Get more info HERE. The EP is stuffed with creative angst. I recommend this EP if you are sick of all the same old crap. It also is inspired by a sci-fi series, The Prisoner. Can't get more awesome than that. Cacciola, Epstein and Epstein's mustache had the time to answer a few Q's about where the unique inspiration came from.

Deli: The new EP, The New Number 2 is based on/inspired by an old sci-fi show, The Prisoner. Can you tell as more about what inspired your take on the project? Why is The Prisoner so important to Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling?

Sophia Cacciola: Once I saw The Prisoner, I couldn't stop thinking about it. I first saw it right at a time when my writing was getting a little less introspective and more about exploring a murky, cinematic world centered around a moralistic, dark, strong-willed yet desperate character. Patrick McGoohan's Number 6 fit this mold perfectly. The themes of the show: Big Brother, societal distrust of individuality, totalitarianism, the meaning of escaping, the construct of imprisonment, and identifying who actually dictates fate, are all topics that feel ever-urgent and worthy of thinking and writing about. So from there it just became obvious that this was what I wanted to do with the band. The rest, the visual imagery (black coats with white piping, etc.) as well as the name of the band, all just fell right into place.

Read more HERE

--Interview by Meghan Chiampa

Movers & Shakers, Boston’s prodigies of all good-things Americana, performed a tight nine song set at the Middle East Downstairs on Thursday, March 25th. Movers & Shakers’ music encapsulates some of the best elements of Americana: A fusion of rock, country and blues that form a fluid, sometimes gritty, simultaneously mournful and uplifting sound that hits as comforting and familiar even when it’s brand new. Their vocals are strong, at times melancholy and always imbued with a playful twinge of country twang that lends itself to both rambling rock songs and slower, mournful ballads. The balance of alt-rock lamentations and bluesy warbles blend harmoniously to bind the songs to each other, creating a cohesive overarching feel to the music that allows the group to shift focus to different styles ingrained in their work.

The instrumental work is strong: Rambling country-rock guitar sounds break into darker crescendos as effortlessly as they spin into freestyle breakdowns that showcase elements of bluegrass and jam bands. Drum work is tight, forceful without being overpowering, a solid and deep rhythm while the use of symbols adds a layer of metallic dissonance that comes across as being a necessary punctuation to the music. These musical layers inter-weave to create songs that ring as comforting, enjoyably familiar and accessible without being a rehashing of previous styles.

Movers & Shakers have carved their name through their catchy Americana offerings, energizing songs that draw equally from rock and country, bluegrass and rambling jams that all sounds fresh without sacrificing the portmanteau essence of the genre. Indeed, stepping into their music is a homecoming of sorts, a return to the classics ingrained in our musical consciousness that simultaneously challenges the audience to experience those classics in new ways. Movers & Shakers consistently re-examine the roots of American music to create glittering songs that blend dynamic vocals, talented guitars and solid rhythms to create the unique sense that their music is not something heard but something remembered.

--Meghan Guidry

I just want to take a moment and thank one of our writers for her time. Nicole Soriano will be moving to the great city of Austin, Texas tomorrow. The great thing about Nicole is that she truly loves the Boston and Cambridge music scenes. She is a devoted fan of many wonderful bands and musicians and got the word out about shows. She attended probably more live shows than you have. It is sadly rare to know a fan who cares so much about music that they spend their days soaked in it and cultivating it. We are losing a trooper, one of our best. Not just on the Deli, but in Cambridge and Boston. We all need to go see live music more often to make up for the lack of her presence.

Come back soon, Nicole. Miss you already. And thank you.

You can take the Nicole out of Camberville, but you can't take the Camberville out of Nicole.

--The Deli Staff

Freezepop will be performing a rare all ages show at Café 939 on Boylston Street in Boston this Saturday at 4:00. Even if you don’t immediately recognize the name, if you’ve been around any media in the last decade, chances are you’ve heard Freezepop. This Boston based electro-pop group has featured their music in television series (MTV’s The Hills and PBS’s Arthur, to name a few) and have contributed music to video games such as Rock Band, Guitar Hero and Dance Dance Revolution. The band has slowly been making their mark in the US and Europe through songs like “Frontload,” and “Less Talk More Rokk,” which took the #4 spot in iTunes top dance/electronica songs of 2007. Freezepop made their musical mark by blending pop song structures with electronica to create a sublimely dance-able sound that resonates with hipsters and rock aficionados as much as it does with dance crowd. Vintage DJ/VJ gear, phenomenal stage presence and Freezepop’s infectious electro-pop songs ensure this show is not to be missed.

--Meghan Guidry