Good Kids Sprouting Horns is a genuine alt-folk band.  The "genuine" part is worth noting because while many bands approach the folk genre with determination and, often, some degree of kitsch, Good Kids Sprouting Horns seem to belong there.  Despite their humble format (guitar, drums, and a small fleet of retro keyboards), they push folk to its boundaries, with quiet, reflective passages, momentous climaxes, engaging licks and harmonies, and song structures that lean on anything from pop to post-rock as much as folk.

If you haven't caught them live yet, here's your chance - the band embarks on a summer mini-tour on July 23rd.  You can see them off tonight at the SPACE Gallery or on the 23rd at Slainte, both in Portland, before they hit the road.  (Good luck with North Carolina in August, guys!  I'm sweating at the thought.)

7.23 Portland, ME - Slainte
7.24 Winooski, VT - The Monkey House
7.26 Somewhere in NY - House Show
7.27 Rochester, NY - Boulder Coffee Co
7.29 Pittsburgh, PA - Howler's Coyote Cafe
7.30 Richmond, VA - The Triple
8.1 Durham, NC - The Pinhook
8.2 New York, NY - Pianos

Find more information at the band's myspace.

- The Deli Staff

The sun was blazing down on the hill of Powderhouse Park but the music was decidedly chill. Townies and Tufts kids lounged in the shade around the temporary stage that hosted the opening day festivities of Joe’s Blues and jazz festival for Somerville.

Rising star Brendan Hogan played some trouble-in-mindful original folk-styled tunes from his new release, Long Night Coming, early in the afternoon. A few jam bands and jazz outfits later, Peter Parcek woke up the park with some authoritative, hot electric blues. Parcek didn’t try to hard to work the sparse and scattered crowd but, backed by bassist Marc Hickox and drummer Steve Scully, he dominated an electric guitar. Sounding particularly good on the recent Dylan tune, Beyond Here Lies Nothing, the band also pleased with the title track from their latest release, “The Mathematics of Love.” I was glad to discover these guys who have been around for a while.

After Parcek’s crew, the Ben Powell Quartet kept things moving with some Grapelli-esque jazz-fiddle and the Camelia Latin Jazz Quartet finally get the languid sun-baked crowed to its feet for some dancing. Salsa resolved itself into stomps and sways when Boston native, “The Undaunted” Professor Harp took the stage with his band and blew some Chicago style jump blues to close out the day.

While the event was as small and laid-back as a festival can be, it made me remember that Powerhouse Park existed, reanimating its virtues, and introduced me to some pretty solid bands in the company of my neighbors.

Events continue throughout the week and indoor venues around town.

--Jason Rabin

--Photos by Allison Stroh

The Deli - New England will be holding our 3rd showcase at the House of Blues - Front Room on July 1st. We'll be featuring three of Massachusetts' finest. Vostok 4, a unique pop-rock band with the elastic creativity and sound of the Talking Heads. Ghost Quartet's new album is currently our featured album of the month, they hail from Western Mass. Trip-rockers, Those Wolves Actually Happened sound like Modest Mouse in outer space. Most importantly, this show is FREE! So you have no reason not to come. Take the train to Fenway. There is no Red Sox game, so if you are driving you can find parking, I'm sure.

See you there.

July 1st - House of Blues - Front Room - 15 Landsdowne St. Boston, MA - FREE - 21+

--The Deli Staff

Marie Stella's six song Trust starts with a distorted guitar creeping around and ends with a decaying synth line and in between is 20 minutes of joyful experiments in building and breaking crescendos. The twisting warp and weft of Bryan Bruchman and Matthew Erickson's zipping guitars, the interplay of female vocals (lead: Sidney Bourke, accompaniment: Katherine Hulit), Derek Gierhan's crashing drums (he sat in on the recording, now it's Max Heinz) weave a powerful tapestry. Marie Stella is fluent in dynamic range. Blue Blood starts off simply with Sidney singing over all-or-nothing instrumentation. Guitars, bass and drums kick on and off. She sings "I don't need a lover to bring me down" and the song changes moods, increasing the energy with a steady beat and then, as she affirms her identity, the song kicks into high gear and becomes a thumping, driven machine. The hook grabs, as the band builds into an energetic melee. Bryan's mean guitar cuts a wandering scar on "Taken", which builds itself out of an atmospheric soup into a sinister cacophony of frenzied drums and adrenaline bass. Guitars and synth bounce off each other in a sonic mosh pit... finally resolving into a sincere declaration: "No more shenanigans." Then turns for the chaotic as Sidney and Katherine belt out a punchy chorus. Ron Harrity recorded, mixed and mastered the album at Forest City Studio. He captures the twin interplays of voices and guitars with aplomb. What could be noisy and muddy is instead a beautifully crafted and wonderfully dense soundscape. The interweaving vocals and guitars create two strong cords that Marie Stella climbs and builds on. It's woven with deft complexity and it's worth losing your hearing for. You can check out Trust streaming on their bandcamp page.

--Krister Rollins writes for [dog] and [pony]