Ron Gallo's new song "Always Elsewhere" translates all kinds of anxiety and existential dread into a wild blend of janky guitar riffs, a drivin' drum kit, slightly absurd lyrics, and an almost exasperated vocal timbre. The combination of textures is at times so overwhelming that I wanted to press pause, but the flipside of that effect is also that you can't tear yourself away. "Always Elsewhere" is just too interesting. "No time to feel what's real" is a repeated lyric throughout the song, which becomes Gallo's battle cry, if you will. Without giving too much away- the video features the artist in a white, workman's one-piece, carrying a cardboard box labeled "SELF" in various locations. This song and video are a real treat. Ron Gallo is back from tour at the Basement East on 11/17. -Geena Kloeppel

2017 was a year of plenty for Nashville's music scene. So we decided to make a Spotify playlist to celebrate all the excellent music and hard-working musicians that call Music City home. From Americana to grooving funk, from indie superstars to the fairly obscure, here are 100 tracks we enjoyed this year from our Nashville neighbors! Be sure to follow the playlist AND follow The Deli Nashville on Spotify for more playlists in the future. And of course, please share with your friends! - Chris Thiessen

Philadelphia-to-Nashville expat Ron Gallo might not even be done unpacking all the boxes in his apartment, but he’s got a chest full of musical treasures that he’s more than ready to start showing off. For his first act as a Tennessean, he’s released a video for “Young Lady, You’re Scaring Me,” a wooly-as-a-mammoth, jittery-as-a-jumping-bean little number off his forthcoming long player Heavy Meta. Ron stays cool and detached over it all with a rambly, hiccup-prone cadence not unlike Grinderman-era Nick Cave after a liter of cognac, and he’s got the literate, coarse lyrics to match.

Watch the video right here, and stop by The Basement tomorrow night (02.05) to catch Ron with Diane Coffee. Give him a warm Tennessee welcome for us, would ya? -Austin Phy

Ron Gallo and his former band Toy Soldiers will always be a part of The Deli Philly's history. It feels not so long ago that they headlined our very first presented showcase in the city. We held it at what seemed to be a plastic bag factory across the street from Kung Fu Necktie. A rather large stage was built for a Valentine's art and music showcase, which turned into a rager with about five hundred Temple students and Fishtown natives breaking all types of laws. Unfortunately, the space was short-lived - only hosting about one or two more shows before it was shutdown, but the memories certainly live on. Tonight, after nearly a decade of calling Philly "home," Gallo will bid farewell to friends and fans as he begins his next journey in Nashville, Tennessee, a fitting new home for the blues/folk "song and dance man." He'll be joined this evening at Boot & Saddle by old collaborative pals Coin Purse and Hidden Lights. Bon voyage, Ron! Boot & Saddle, 1131 S. Broad St., 8pm, $10, 21+ - H.M. Kauffman

The dimly-lit Arlene's Grocery may have been rather empty yesterday afternoon (tough to fill up a NYC venue on an early Tuesday pm!) but it held several intriguing, strangely beautiful acts, booked by NYC promoters Siren Sounds. First up was the Brooklyn six-piece Captain Baby whose heavy guitars and warbled vocals conjured a darkly electric atmosphere, like something out of Gotham City. The Asher Rogers-led band also displayed a warmer side, though, their drum-pulsed last track (presumably from their debut album 'Sugar Ox') being catchy and even sexy. Next to take the disco ball-fronted stage were fellow Brooklyners Rosy Street. Down to frontman Kyle Avallone's skinny black jeans and deep vocal rasp, the rock quartet was something out of filmmaker Jim Jarmusch's universe, its ominous yet serene tracks of thin guitars and tumbling drums creating a spectral warmth. Afterwards came Henry Hall, a beguiling singer-songwriter whose hometown on his Facebook page amusingly states: "JFK//LAX." Along with his bassist Robby Caplan and drummer (apparently Nate Mondschein), Hall broke into the guitar-fuzzed songs (off his eponymous EP released earlier this year) that intriguingly sunk mellow R&B in hard rock, his virtuosic voice at times recalling Jack Black and at others Destiny's Child and always commanding the room. Philadelphia-based rock trio Ron Gallo closed the afternoon with classic rock force, its thunderous guitar cuts (off a forthcoming album) fondly recalling Led Zeppelin and Cream while proving, as many of the songs from the previous groups did, that thrilling, committed music can occur at all hours of the day. - Zach Weg