Blackened Hands - the New Highway Hymnal from Tim Oxton on Vimeo.

The New Highway Hymnal have been at it for around a year now and they’re a great group of musicians. Comparisons to Black Rebel Motorcycle Club are called for, but unjustified. The throbbing garagey rifts are there, but lead singer Hadden Stemp is channeling some Mick Jagger-cool here in its primordial phase. Last year, I wrote something along the lines of “Good job guys, but spend a little time playing shows and getting confident,” (I would look this up but it’s not that important) but hot damn if they haven’t gone above and beyond that.

Bassist Amelia Gormley has progressed nicely and totally plays the shy babe. I chatted briefly outside PA's Lounge with guitarist Lukas Goudreault on Friday night at Deep Heaven Now 5. It’s so awesome to talk to someone who is so passionate and enthusiastic about playing, as opposed to the too-hip disaffected musician. Drummer Travis Hagan does a damn good job of tapping out solid, sometimes poppy, most times firmly danceable-yet-dirty a la smokey lousiana blues club. Smoosh this whole sound through some reverb and it makes for some solid whiskey drinking tunes.

They join national garage giant Mark Sultan, and local giants Bent Shapes (née Girlfriends), Banditas and the BFs this Saturday, May 12, at PA's Lounge in Somerville.--Chris Saenz

Head over to the MIddle East Upstairs tonight, May 7, for an indie rock show featuring three local bands and one from Florida. It might be a Monday, but this show will melt away those back to work blues and get your week off to a good start.

Blueprint For A Riot
Empty Phrases
Gospel Music (FL)
High Diner

18+, $9, Doors 8pm

Al Polk (Streight Angular, Polk Records) is hosting Cinco de Polkfest, tomorrow, May 5 at All Asia in Cambridge's Central Square. Starting at noon, bands will perform every twenty minutes or so (line-up below).

$5 suggested donation. This event is sponsored by Narragansett Beer.

BANDS:
12:00 School 4 Robots
12:20 Freeze-Up
12:40 Fang Noir
1:00 New Highway Hymnal
1:20 Nick Ratking
1:30 Hillary Barleaux
1:45 This Building's On Fire
2:20 Letterik
2:40 Chris North
2:50 Changeling
3:10 All Eyes on Me Now
3:20 The Vegans
3:40 Light.Sweet.Crude
4:00 Mei Ohara
4:20 Mirror Neurons
4:40 Young and Old
5:00 Andrew Mello
5:15 Death Waltz 76
5: 35 Congress of the Sloth
5:55 Onslo
6:15 Personal Finance
6:35 Streight Angular
6:55 Radio Astronomer
7:15 Four Points Restraint
7:35 Crazy People

--The Deli Staff

Having recently announced their signing to Hollywood Waste Records, Boston's Lions Lions has announced the release of their debut album for the label, To Carve Our Names, on June 19.  Produced by Shep Goodman and Aaron Accetta [Bayside, Four Years Strong, Get Scared, Forever The Sickest Kids], the band's music is already grabbing the attention of post-hardcore veterans and the screamo crowd alike. A new track, "The Undertow," is currently available on the band's Facebook page.

Following a run of dates with Comeback Kid this May, Lions Lions will join Our Last Night, Crown the Empire, Set it Off, Palisades and Alive in Standby (on select dates) on the The Freedom Isn't Free Tour. A full list of dates can be seen below.

Tour Dates with Comeback Kid:

5/12/2012 - DeKalb, IL @ House Café

5/13/2012 - Indianapolis, IN  @ Emerson Theatre

5/14/2012 - Nashville , TN @ Rocket Town   

5/16/2012 - Toledo, OH @ Frankies Inner-City     

5/17/2012 - Pittsburgh, PA @ The Smiling Moose            

5/18/2012 - Lemoyne, PA @ Champion Ship   

5/22/2012 - Danbury, CT @ Heirloom Arts Theatre         

5/24/2012 - Syracuse, NY @ Lost Horizon

5/25/2012 - Buffalo, NY @ Broadway Joe's

5/26/2012 - Howell, MI @ Hartland Performing Arts Ctr - Bled Fest 

"The Freedom Isn't Free" Tour Dates:

5/30/2012 - Manchester, NH @ Rocko's

5/31/2012 - Providence, RI @ Fete's

6/01/2012 - Poughkeepsie, NY @ The Loft

6/02/2012 - Danbury, CT @ Heirloom Arts Theatre

6/03/2012 - Nutley, NJ @ Radiant

6/05/2012 - Richmond, VA @ Kingdom

6/06/2012 - Springfield, VA @ Empire

6/07/2012 - Greensboro, NC @ Greene Street Canal

6/08/2012 - Jacksonville, FL @ The Pit

6/09/2012 - Orlando, FL @ Bombshell's Tavern

6/10/2012 - Douglasville, GA @ The 7 Venue

6/12/2012 - St. Louis, MO @ Fubar

6/13/2012 - Indianapolis, IN @ The Emerson Theatre

6/14/2012 - Joliet, IL @ Mojoe's

6/15/2012 - Detroit, MI @ I Lounge

6/17/2012 - Kent, OH @ The Outpost Concert Club

6/18/2012 - Piqua, OH @ Mote Park

6/19/2012 - Pittsburg, PA @ The Hideout

6/20/2012 - Allentown, PA @ The Crocodile Rock

--The Deli Staff

Boston-based rock band A Do has released a music video for the song "No," a single off their 2011 self-titled release. Striking vocals and energetic guitar riffs make this a song you'll want to be blasting as you drive down the highway or maybe blasting out the speakers as you dance around your apartment. A new album is slated to be released later this year.--The Deli Staff

Riding the wave of what can be dubbed as the "nu-funk movement," CT based Kung Fu have a been tearing up NYC's Brooklyn Bowl every Monday in April for their weekly residency appropriately dubbed, "The Bowl Sessions." On April 16th, installment two kicked off with sounds by Sonic Spank and Biodiesel. The latter featured the thumping live electronic beats of drumming legendry Johnny Rabb and Brothers Past bassist Clay Parnell. Kung Fu took the stage for a powerful funk dance party with highlights including a take on Weather Report’s “Teen Town" - with Weather Report's own bassist Victor Bailey, who stayed on stage for a raging take on Billy Cobham’s “Red Baron,” also featuring Rabb. Next, the super group welcomed Dopapod drummer Neal “Fro” Evans on Jeff Beck’s “Come Dancing.” Just when fans thought Kung Fu had pulled out the last of their heavy hitting guests, The Heavy Pets guitarist Jeff Lloyd joined the band for a cover of Stevie Wonder’s “Black Man". - Alex Borsody

Next weekend brings the Spring 2012 edition of Deep Heaven Now. Continuing the bi/semi-annual tradition of the original Deep Heaven festivals of the 90s in Boston and featuring the best of the local and national ambient,experimental, psychedelic and shoegaze scenes.

The fifth installment of Deep Heaven Now is a two day event on Friday, May 4 and Saturday, May 5 at Precinct and PA's Lounge in Somerville's Union Square. One $10 admission fee gets you access to both venues for that day.

Highlights from night one include east coast psych/shoegaze veterans from DC Screen Vinyl Image performing the first of two different sets that weekend as well as psych rockers Lead Stones from NYC. The New Highway Hymnal (pictured), the deli's Best Emerging Band of 2011, will also be performing.

Night two brings Thrushes (Baltimore), Nights (Cleveland), Is/Is (MN featuring Sarah Nienaber of Gospel Gossip), as well as local favorites Night Fruit and Velah (featuring two former members of Static of the Gods).

This event is sponsored by Narragansett beer and WZBC 90.3 Flyweight.

For more information, including set times and complete line-ups, check out the festival's facebook page.--Chrissy Prisco

On Saturday, May 19, and Sunday, May 20 the School of Rock Boston is leading a brigade of the best Southern Rock artists of all time, including ZZ Top, The Allman Brothers, Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Marshall Tucker Band, and more. The show will take place in Cambridge, MA at TT the Bears.

The cast and crew of rock school students, ages 8-18, take the stage after three months of preparatory rehearsals under show director Bassam Habal and assistant director Anderson Mar for a wild celebration of Southern Rock, a subgenre of rock music that was developed in the Southern United States from an amalgamation of rock and roll, country music, and blues, and is focused generally around electric guitar and vocals.  In the Boston scene, this genre is usually tagged as “Americana”.

This show is all ages. Tickets are available for $10 in advance by calling 617-923-3434 during School of Rock business hours, or can be ordered online by going to http://sorock.eventbrite.com ; there will also be tickets available at the door day-of-show at the price of $12 per person.--The Deli Staff

Deli: How did the band start?

James Newman: Martin and I started the band in '05 with Suzanna and Jorge. The owners of the rehearsal studio we practiced at invited us to record an album, but unfortunately that band fell apart during the sessions. So, Martin and I wound up handling all the instrumentation while we searched for a new singer. Eventually, we found Kathryn, finished recording and then pieced together a band to play out while we mixed.

Where did the band name Plumerai come from?

Eliza Brown: I'm convinced the Newman brothers had no idea what it meant before I came along, but they say I'm rude to say that. It's a verb that comes from a French children’s song called "Alouette, je te plumerai"...

Click here to read the rest of the Q&A with Plumerai.