The music of Queens-based musician Tall Juan frequently eludes genre-descriptors, ever the joyful amalgamation of sounds contemporary and classic, performed in a manner that’s wholly unique. His new single “Irene” is representative of this wide-breadth of influences; a freak-folk instrumental provides the backbone for a modern interpretation of Caetano Veloso’s 1969 track, wherein Juan Zaballa’s vox leaps and bounds with energy reminiscent of his previous garage-rock efforts, albeit this time decidedly more acoustic. Such an approach is demonstrative of Zaballa’s ethos for his forthcoming LP Atlantico, a collage of differing sounds and languages that ultimately pays tribute to the influence of African music in South America. Give it a listen below, ahead of Atlantico’s release next week on May 11th. Photo by Matthew James-Wilson

Tall Juan’s psych-garage rock has been a consistent presence within the New York D.I.Y. scene of the last five years, but on new LP TALL JUAN PLAYS CUMBIA, the enigmatic artist exchanges guitar pedals for auxiliary percussion, opting for a more genre-specific album that retains all the charm and quirks of his existent releases. Single “Vienes y Te Vas” is a sunny cover of a cumbia staple, and while a departure from the fast and rough sound we’ve come to associate with Tall Juan, feels instantly familiar. Coupled with tongue-in-cheek video of the artist playing music on the beach and the occasional superimposed sappy imagery, and you’ve got an alt-latinx bop tucked away for warmer months. Watch it below, and catch Tall Juan at Knitting Factory tonight.

In life, there are some things that we can almost always be certain of. The sun will rise, the commute will take longer than expected, and the weekend will not be long enough. Tall Juan is likely one of those things. His pace is quick, his songs are simple, and he rarely strays from his core influences. His latest EP, Joya Nedo, continues his peppy punk homage to The Ramones with four lo-fi tracks fated to make heads bob. The EP is out now digitally and Brooklyn Bazaar will host Tall Juan’s release show on December 17th. We are premiering here single "Out of Town." – Cameron Carr, photo by Audrey Del Piccolo.

Maybe you’ve been thinking “wow, there are a lot of bad things going on in the world right now—like the hurricane damage to Puerto Rico—I wish I could do something about it.” Or maybe you’ve been thinking “what my life needs is a band that sounds like The Ramones, but isn’t The Ramones, and maybe features acoustic guitar and occasional Spanish.” Either way you should probably be watching Tall Juan at the Que Lio! Fundraiser show for Puerto Rico on November 5th.

Sometimes it’s just hard to figure out how to do good and contribute to a cause, but being part of a benefit makes it easy. Sometimes it’s just hard to listen to The Ramones—actually, no it’s not, if you feel like it’s hard to listen to The Ramones I cannot offer sincere understanding... But that’s beside the point. Tall Juan’s Joey Ramone-esque vocal delivery and incessantly bopping rhythms clearly pay tribute to the early NYC rebels, but there’s also a garage rock, almost lo-fi sensibility to his taste and style (Mac DeMarco recorded his debut album). It’s a sound true to New York from The Ramones, to The Strokes, to that band you saw a couple weeks ago in Brooklyn that sounded way better live than on Bandcamp.

Below, you can watch his new video for “Time Bomb”—a Ramones cover that sounds even more Ramonesque than the original—featuring shirtless Tall Juan, skateboards, and hip little dance moves. And don’t forget to stop by the Que Lio! fundraiser at Baby’s All Right. It’s a donation-based daytime show (12-4 p.m.) on a Sunday, so no excuses. – Cameron Carr, photo by Audrey Del Piccolo.

In advance of the May 5 debut album release “Olden Goldies,” Argentinian-born Queens resident Tall Juan (profiled in the Summer 2016 Deli Print Issue 47) has released first single “Getting Cold” (streaming below).  Using his nylon-stringed classical guitar, deliberately strummed, unaccompanied chords introduce the track slowly at first, before building in speed. That intro serves as segue for the full stomping progression where Juan wails “I was all alone, I even wanted to try and kill myself.”  Channeling original punkers Joey Ramone and Richard Hell’s vocal stylings in tone and delivery, an instant connection is made with fans of early NYC punk and garage rock.  Despite the relative structural simplicity (something punk rock is celebrated for) there are enough chord changes and rhythmic turns to keep it all careening forward.  The upbeat progression lightens angst filled lyrics like “all I ever wanted was some love, but all I got was my body getting cold.”  Olden Goldies is available for pre-order via BUFU Records now. - Dave Cromwell