Having been hard at work on their new LP for the past few months, Alpenglow is getting ready to stretch their wings and debut a full set of new songs in a mini tour of the Northeast. The new album, which is being produced by Sam Cohen (of The Yellowbirds), promises for an even trippier, more insightful continuation of their lonesome-traveler, psych-folk sound, drawing from the essence and experience of perhaps one too many New England winters, and translating their move to Brooklyn into audible incentives by which to live. The psych-soul underlining of Cohen’s vision will introduce only the most effectual tonal brilliance to Alpenglow’s already established soul-searching sound. The tour stops at Rough Trade on February 19, with support from Barsuk Records’ Laura Gibson and Wild Leaves . –JP Basileo

Deli Nation,

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

Heavy and earthy, Dark Rodeo applies a punk attitude and and song format to country lyrical themes and guitar tones. Congrats, guys!

Gym Shorts are threw some high-energy surf punk in our laps with last years record No Backsies. Check out their tune "Viberator" and take it to the slopes while we're waiting for the snow to melt. 

Nathan Ventura's back with a band, and released Pucker Up in February 2014. It's definitely a weird one. Check out Nathan's wild vocals and the band's experimental garage feel. Definitely some novel sounds on every track of Pucker Up. 

Honorable mention to Kid Mountain, for their killer free New Years Eve show in Brighton!

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+ New England scene experts (our jury) 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 New England produced in the year 2013, this list is all you need. Enjoy!

BEST OF 2014 POLL FOR EMERGING NEW ENGLAND ARTISTS ****** FINAL RESULTS ******

ARTIST J OS W R TOT   1 Dark Rodeo 5.5     0.005 5.505 2 Gymshorts 4.5   1 0.003 5.503 3 Nathan Ventura & The Buttercups 5.5     0.001 5.501 4 Kid Mountain 3   2 0.003 5.003 5 Suitcase Junket 2     1.5 3.5   Smooth Antics 3     0.5 3.5 7 Derive 3     0.096 3.096 8 Particulars 3     0.041 3.041 9 Jake McKelvie & the Countertops   3   0.034 3.034 10 Hayley Sabella 3     0.025 3.025 11 Guerilla Toss 2   1 0.017 3.017 12 Elison Jackson 3     0.011 3.011 13 Alpenglow 3     0.008 3.008   As the Sparrow   3   0.008 3.008   Violent Mae 3     0.008 3.008 16 Butcher Boy 3     0.006 3.006 17 Mal Devisa 3     0.005 3.005 18 Biscuits & Gravy 3     0.004 3.004 19 Anchors Away 3     0.003 3.003 20 Paper Castles 3     0.001 3.001   Rye Pines 3     0.001 3.001   samuel james 3     0.001 3.001 23 Grundlefunk 1     2 3   Miss Geo   1 1 1 3   Ben Knight 3     0 3   Michelle Chamuel 3     0 3   Sirens 3     0 3 28 Clara Berry 2     0.085 2.085 29 And The Kids 1   1 0.064 2.064 30 BLKBX 2     0.061 2.061 31 Abbie Barrett and The Last Date 2     0.044 2.044 32 Daphne Lee Martin 2     0.031 2.031 33 Mosey Greams 2     0.017 2.017 34 Ports of Spain 2     0.009 2.009 35 Elephant 2     0.006 2.006   Neon Fauna 2     0.006 2.006 37 Pile 2     0.005 2.005 38 Moron 2     0.004 2.004   Notches 2     0.004 2.004 40 Dinnersss 2     0.003 2.003   Fire in the Field 2     0.003 2.003   Mini Dresses 2     0.003 2.003   The Hotelier 2     0.003 2.003   Tredici Bacci 2     0.003 2.003 45 Downtown Boys 2     0.002 2.002 46 Andy California 2     0.001 2.001   Bell and the Bees 2     0.001 2.001   Eric George 2     0.001 2.001   Humanbeast 2     0.001 2.001   Mendition Of The Quay 2     0.001 2.001   My Fictions 2     0.001 2.001   Somos 2     0.001 2.001 53 Annie Brobst 2     0 2   Eljebel 2     0 2   Life on The Sideline 2     0 2   Pours 2     0 2   Rabbit Rabbit 2     0 2   Rosie and the Rosies 2     0 2   Tom Kovacevic 2     0 2 60 Andre Obin   1.5   0 1.5 61 Pat and the Hats 1     0.091 1.091 62 Miss Fairchild 1     0.063 1.063 63 Jet Black Sunrise   1   0.053 1.053 64 Sarah Blacker   1   0.04 1.04 65 Doug Tuttle   1   0.023 1.023 66 Marina Evans   1   0.017 1.017 67 Radclyffe Hall   1   0.014 1.014 68 Plums 1     0.013 1.013 69 Joe Young 1     0.012 1.012 70 Tell Stories 1     0.007 1.007 71 Gracie 1     0.005 1.005 72 Zayde Buti 1     0.004 1.004 73 Blessed State 1     0.002 1.002   Couples Counseling 1     0.002 1.002   Madaila 1     0.002 1.002   Mister Happy Cloud 1     0.002 1.002 77 No Evil Star   1   0 1   Plains 1     0 1   Salitter 1     0 1   The Backyard Committee 1     0 1   The Coincidental Hour 1     0 1   We Were Astronauts 1     0 1 Legend: J = Jurors, W = Deli Writers, R = Deli Readers, OS = Open Submissions

Jurors List: Sam Potrykus (Boston Hassle), Erich Hagan (Harlem Globetrotters), Ellie Molitor (Great Scott), Greg (The Oak and the Ax), Ryan (Salty Speakers), Lionel Train (Mid East Club), Conrad Benjamin, Jacob Nathan (AS220), Paul Mayer (Cafe Nine), Nicholas Firine (The Space, CT), Alex Lalli and Quillan George (Signal Kitchen), Joe Adler (Radio Bean, VT), Cresta (The Red Door, NH), Mariam Saleh (Fat Creeps), Noah Britton (The Deli), Erich Hagan, John Fleming (John Fleming Enterteinment), Nick (Deep Thoughts JP), Luke O'Neil (Alternative Press), Joseph Graham (NE Music Awards), Adam Tercyak-Morgan (Surviving the Golden Age), Daniel G. Kuhn, Perry Eaton, Malcolm Tent (Trash American Style).

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

The Deli's Staff

If you’re looking for a little fiddle, banjo, and soul on Valentine’s weekend, Folk-pop septet Haint Blue is coming to the Velvet Lounge in Washington, D.C. on February 13th. This band’s sound is alive, with bluegrass fiddle and banjo, powerful harmonies, and melancholy lyrics. One lyric in “Company of Ghosts” (the title track to their newest album) is, “Promise myself I’d retire much older, but I still abide,” hauntingly beautiful due to the sparse instrumentation and seamless harmonies that go along with the words. Though the album is only seven tracks, it feels cohesive and complete, due to the range of emotion and sound of the songs. “Father Abraham” is an upbeat, foot-tapping song with spiritual lyrics, while “Wherever You Go” is a cynical, slower, and darker song with lyrics that are not afraid to surprise the listener. This band promises energy, passion, and musical finesse.

The show on the 13th is a must-see, with Big Hoax and Dear Creek joining them at The Lounge. If you have to miss it, though, Company of Ghosts is on sale on iTunes and Bandcamp. They are also playing closer to their Baltimore home the next night at Cafe Nola in Frederick, MD on February 14th. --Nancy Macmillan

Deli Readers,

The Deli New England's Best of 2014 Readers and Fans' Poll for local emerging artists is over, thanks to all those who cast their vote in support of the emerging local bands and artists in our list of nominees.

Here is the top ten, and streaming track of the top three bands - which we congratulate!

1. Grundlefunk

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2. Suitcase Junket

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3. Mixx Geo

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Here's this poll's top 10 chart, full results can be found here.

BEST OF NEW ENGLAND 2014 - READERS' POLL RESULTS   Artists Votes   1 Grundlefunk 366 2 Suitcase Junket 261 3 Miss Geo 231 4 Smooth Antics 193 5 Derive 96 6 Pat and the Hats 91 7 Clara Berry 85 8 And the Kids 65 9 BLKBX 61 10 Jet Black Sunrise 53

Stay tuned for the composite chart, to be released soon, which will include details about the point nominees accumulated from the jurors and Deli writers' votes, and will crown The Deli's Best EmergingNew England Artist of 2014.

The Deli's Staff

To appreciate the brilliance of Beat Happening's "The Fall" or "In My Memory," one must look past their trademark lo-fi production, off-key singing, and simple song structures. Puppy Problems will probably elicit the same confused judgments BH did at first, and that's a real shame, because Sami Martasian's lyrics often hit the listener in the gut halfway through a seemingly simple story about getting lost or celebrating Christmas.

Puppy Problems plays Tuesday at Midway Cafe with Sports Coach, Nathan Ventura, and ACLU Benefit.