It's A Gift (29A Union Square across from the Citizen's Bank)  is in threat of being shut down due to finances. The store sells artwork and crafts by adults with physical and mental disabilities. During the Somerville Open Studios May 1st and 2nd, It's A Gift will have silk-screening in the store. Community members may bring in clothing or buy vintage clothing or a t-shirt ($5 or less) to have an image by one of our artists printed on them for $10.

In the evenings is where they need musicians to volunteer their time and talent to saving the store. It's a Gift will be having a Save Our Store fundraiser concert as a Somerville Open Studios after party. Starting at 6:30pm on May 1st and 2nd musicians can play a 30-45 min. set each. As an extra incentive for musicians, they can make a silkscreen of a band image/logo so that the musicians can make t-shirts,etc. If the image is brought in at the Somerville Open Studios they can have it ready with in a couple weeks.

For more info email the editor at: needitor@thedelimagazine.com

--The Deli Staff

Experimental rock duo Zorch has been making a name for themselves since they hit the Austin scene last year. And the buzz is only going to grow with their first full-length due out in the next month or so. Originating in Boston where Zac Traeger and Sam Chown attended school together at Berklee College of Music, the band started off as a couple of friends who would just rent practice space and rock out.

“We’d play for four hours straight, record it all, and then make little improvisational mixtapes. And then I moved back to Wisconsin where I’m from, Sam stayed here, and then after about a year we met up again in Austin,” Traeger said.

After some time, the two decided to take years of practice and friendship and form a band. They also decided that Austin was their city of choice.

“We didn’t necessarily want t live in New York or LA. At the time, my mom was telling me I should move to Austin, and I was getting a similar vibe from Zac, so it just happened,” Chown said.

With influences including Dirty Projectors and Animal Collective, Zorch’s self-described “experimental psychedelic electronic noise rock” is created with drums, percussion, omnichord, vocals, keyboards, knobs, computer, and vocals- making for an eclectic mix of tracks.

As far as their release, Traeger noted that the band is taking their time in order to create the best product possible and that they already have a number of songs to choose from. 

“Our latest songs are more vocal based. They’re not necessarily pop, but they’re coming from a more palatable place for everyone. And, we’re finding a good place musically to have seven to ten songs on an album that range from somewhere that anyone can appreciate, to somewhere that’s like this really crazy noise space adventure,” Traeger said.

Traeger and Chown, who both teach private music lessons outside of creating their own music, described their creative process behind their music as mostly improvisational.

“We’ll just play for extended amounts of time on end. And we record everything. Then we’ll make mixtapes out of them, and what these mixtapes are is that Sam goes and he makes up 10 to 20 three minute to ten minute tracks. We go and we listen to that. Some of the material we want to just recreate in a live setting, and some become very concrete ideas that turn into songs,” Traeger said. “A different way we go about it sometimes is since I use my computer in sampling a lot live, Sam or I will have certain ideas about ‘Okay, let’s sample this thing, this thing and this thing,’ and then create a world around it.”

Having just wrapped up their busiest month to date, including quite a few shows during SXSW, Zorch is only going to begin playing even more. 

“March has definitely been most intense month of our lives. It was a lot of fun; I loved it. We did New Orleans, San Antonio and Denton, and then it was SXSW. We played like 12 shows in a row in six or seven days,” Traeger said.

Zorch is also involved in a number of side projects, including a Rod Stewart cover band. Both Traeger and Chown said that they will release an additional eight to ten albums this year of side project material.

Check out what all the buzz is about. Catch Zorch this Friday (4/9) at Karibu Ethippian Restaurant & Bar at 1209 E. 7^th Street.

--Melanie Wolfson

For those of you not up for a weekend chock-full of free tunes, live music, and decent (ahem) “pretty good” dance moves, stop reading. This post is not for you. Those still with us are in luck. The Chicago-based (by way of New York) group, Pretty Good Dance Moves (Jimmy Giannapoulos and Aaron Allietta) has your impending social calendar mapped out for you.

It’s no secret the boys of PGDM share an appreciation for token female vocalists (the pair has worked with Company of Thieves’ Genevieve Schatz as well as Angelina Lucero). This time around, the duo has tapped into songstress (and former model) Lissy Trullie, to help provide that sultry jena se qua to their latest track, “Bad Habits.” You can download and stream the track below or head to Beauty Bar tonight (4/9), where PGDM are the evening’s featured DJs.

PGDM will also be dropping by Saturday’s CHIRP Record Fair, where they perform at 3pm (alongside DJ sets by Mannequin Men and the Disappears). The Fair, which spans the weekend, also features local vendors including Bloodshot Records, Grape Juice Records, and Goose Island Beer Co. Visit the Record Fair website for details. – Neph Basedow

Are you ready for the 8th annual CHIRP Record Fair & Other Delights, to be held on April 10-11, 2010 at the Chicago Journeymen Plumbers Union at 1340 West Washington Boulevard. The CHIRP Record Fair is the only record fair in Chicago proper, offering a gathering place for music and art enthusiasts to browse more than 80 tables of vinyl, CDs, posters, ‘zines, artwork and crafts. CHIRP welcomes new dealers as well as returning favorites to this year’s Record Fair. Dealers come from all over the country and range from genre specialists with rare records to generalists with something for everyone’s tastes. In addition to vinyl, dealers will also offer 8-tracks, cassettes, DVDs and other forms of media. An eclectic selection of arts and crafters, ‘zine writers and poster artists round out the vendor lineup, while food and alcohol will be available from local favorites like Chicago’s Goose Island Brewery.

Special guest DJs and live bands such as Judson Claiborne and The Loneliest Monk will perform throughout the weekend. A complete lineup is available here.