Led by Danielle Sullivan's gentle and compassionate voice, Portland's indie pop outfit Wild Ones sounds anything but wild, although they do enjoy experimenting with sounds, which - in a sense - is kind of wild! Their music has the ability to sound at once warmly intimate and somewhat cerebral. This is must be the product of the fusion of the creative minds and talents of Danielle and keyboardist Thomas Himes. Our sister blog Delicious Audio asked them a few questions about their gear and compositional process. Link to the interview below. The band just released a new EP entitled "Heatwave," they'll be playing Mississippi Studio tonight (08.14).

LINK: Delicious Audio's Interview with Wild Ones.

We added this song to The Deli's playlist of Best songs by emerging Portland artists - check it out!

After having overcome some recent life challenges, last month Wild Ones re-released their debut album Keep It Safe through Topshelf Records.

Danielle Sullivan’s writing reflects some of the tensions leading to growth, tapping into lucid thoughts of pure connection and how letting go is easier for some than others. Her vocals are high and clear, and the formula of each song is still sweet and synthy. But what stands out most from the instrumentation of their previous EP, You’re A Winner, is the breadth of electronics, the new drumming of Seve Sheldon, and the guitar styling of Nick Vicario who transitioned from bassist to guitarist in the band. 

This album is bound to narrate upcoming summer excursions. Slower songs like “18 Mile Island” carry intricate guitar solos behind breezy soundscapes and lyrics of “make believin’ is the only thing i do.” “Lion Heart” begins beefed up with a heavy riff over drum beats, then hops and skips lightly into pop and intricate keyboard, before finishing with a rock guitar wail. There is a lot of crystalline electronic looping as well on tracks such as “Row,” and the final, title track “Keep It Safe,” which is perhaps a promise to stay wild, stay strong, and let all that hard work pay off.

- Brandy Crowe

Lying within 25 miles of Seattle, the resurgence of a music scene is inevitable, though building any community is a slow process. Led by the Everett Music Initiative, the Fisherman's Village Music Festival is finally bringing recognition to Everett, Washington as being part of the thriving music culture in the region. The event features an intriguing lineup over the course of two days, Friday May 16th through Saturday May 17th. Performances will be at four venues: the Historic Everett Theatre, an outdoor theater called the Shipyard, the Cannery and the Bait shop at Kroakers. The bands listed cover all genres, providing a one size fits all for sound preference while maintaining an authentic Pacific Northwest flair. General admission for the weekend is under $70 and well worth the investment. 

Deli Nation,

Our Year End Poll for Emerging Portland Artists was - as usual - a painstaking (and somewhat excruciating) process, but we pulled it of with remarkable flair!

Kudos to nocturnal psych-rockers Genders (pictured) for winning it! Thumbs up to ethereal dream poppers WL and to sugary indie pop maestros Wild Ones.

Here is how it all went down: first, we let the local bands submit their music (for free), and got our Deli editors to pick the nominees. Then we polled a list of 15+ Portland scene expert (our jury, list at the bottom) and asked them to nominate 3 more bands of their choice each. Then we polled our writers, then we polled our readers. We tried to keep things open for each single genre, from Indie Rock to Roots Music to Hip Hop.

If you are a geek interested in all the subtelties related to how this poll works, you can read its rules here (happy reading!). But if all you care about is the awesome new music Portland produced in the year 2013, this list is all you need. Enjoy!

BEST OF 2013 POLL FOR EMERGING PORTLAND ARTISTS ****** FINAL RESULTS ******

ARTIST J W R OS TOT   1 Genders 9 2 0.012   11.012 2 WL 9 1 0.006   10.006 3 Wild Ones 9   0.002   9.002 4 Sama Dams 5 2 0.022 1 8.022 5 The Ghost Ease 6 2 0.004   8.004 6 Grammies 5 2 0.003   7.003 7 Your Rival 6   0.004   6.004 8 Fanno Creek 5   0.007   5.007 9 Rags and Ribbons 4   0.5   4.5 10 Tango Alpha Tango 3 1 0.039   4.039 11 Wooden Indian Burial Ground 2 2 0.007   4.007 12 Natasha Kmeto 3 1 0.004   4.004 13 Adam Brock     1 3 4 14 Bearcubbin 3   0.027   3.027 15 A Volcano 3   0.011   3.011 16 Bevelers 2 1 0.008   3.008 17 Magic Mouth 2 1 0.005   3.005   The Autonomics 3   0.005   3.005 19 Sun Angle 3   0.004   3.004 20 Holy Grove 3   0.003   3.003 21 Modern Kin 2 1 0.002   3.002 22 Magic Fades 3   0   3   She's Not Dead 1   2   3 24 Just Lions     1.5 1 2.5   Manx 2   0.5   2.5 26 Adventure Galley     0.051 2 2.051 27 The Cabin Project 2   0.035   2.035 28 Grandhorse 2   0.016   2.016 29 Melville 2   0.012   2.012   Souvenir Driver 1 1 0.012   2.012 31 Hungers 2   0.007   2.007   Grandparents 2   0.005   2.005 33 The Ecstatics 2   0.003   2.003 34 The Moonshine 2   0.001   2.001 35 Dresses 2   0   2   The People Electric 1 1 0   2 37 Coma Serfs     0.025 1.5 1.525   Shy Girls 1   0.015   1.015 39 Mister Tang 1   0.008   1.008   Summer Cannibals 1   0.006   1.006 41 Big Haunt 1   0.005   1.005 42 Rare Monk     0.004 1 1.004 43 Litanic Mask 1   0.003   1.003   The Suicide Notes 1   0.003   1.003   The We Shared Milk 1   0.003   1.003 46 Soft Shadows     0.002 1 1.002 47 There Is No Mountain 1   0.001   1.001 48 The Last 45's 1   0   1 Legend: J = Jurors, W = Deli Writers, R = Deli Readers, OS = Open Submissions

List of jurors: Matt King (Mississippi Studios) James Dineen (Sessions From the Box) Rochelle Hunter (PDX Pop Now!) Nick Gattman (Alhambra Theatre) Chris Young (Oregon Music News) Cassandra Bryant (Lippop Booking) Theo Craig (Smoke Signals Booking) Louie Herr and Aaron Colter (Banana Stand Media) Michele Motta (Club 21) Nalin Silva (Kelly’s Olympian) Chris Cantino (Into the Woods) Mark Dilson (PDX Pick) Hollister Dixon and Yousef Hatlani (Faces on the Radio) Rachel Milbauer and Elizabeth Elder (Party Boyz) Dennise Kowalczyk (KZME) Gustav (94.7 too) Ashley Jocz ( RIP City Review) Jared Amon (KINK)

Hope you'll find some awesome new artists you weren't aware of!

The Deli's Staff