The Virginia based band Avers has been making waves recently since their performance at SXSW which got the attention from listeners and critics alike. Their roots are ingrained in psych rock but have recently been delving deeper into indie rock territory. Their recent release, OMEGA/WHATEVER, boasts an amalgam of tracks ranging from quiet, droney tunes exploring the loss of innocence as we grow to more bluesy garage rock tunes with powerhouse guitar riffs and tender vocals. With reverb laden guitars, cackling feedback and plenty of distortion to spare, texture and depth are abundant creating a sense of grandness in their music. Catch them performing at DC Nine on August 3. - Adriana S. Ballester

 Avers has released a new video via Nylon for "Evil," off their debut album Empty Light. It's a sinsiter track, full of hooks, with distorted vocals hovering above pounding drums, a driving bass, and screaming guitars. Like all of Empty Light, it's all analog and masterfully produced. The video is a crazy Carnivalesque basement party, drowned in drugs, and not everyone is having the best of times.

Avers is back on tour this month, heading down through the southeast before taking a right towards SXSW. You can catch them tonight in DC at Black Cat Backstage with Nashville's ELEL to wiish them luck. --Natan Press    

Thanks to all the artists who submitted their music to be considered for The Deli's Best of DC Area Year End Poll for Emerging Artists. After tallying the votes for the Open Submissions stage, it’s time to release the results. Please note that to avoid conflicts no local editor was allowed to vote for bands in their own scene.

Total submissions from the DC Area: 42

Jurors: Terra J Jura (The Deli Nashville), Michelle Bacon (The Deli KC), Paolo De Gregorio (The Deli NYC)

Acts advancing to our Readers/Fans Poll:

1. Avers (Psych Rock) - 8.16

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2. People's Blues of Richmond (Blues/Psych Rock) - 7.83

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3. Andrew Aylward (indie Rock) - 7.33

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3. The Northerners (Folk Rock) - 7.33

Honorable Mentions (ranked above 6.5):

Caustic Casanova, Paperhaus, Exit Vehicles, Clones of Clones, Flo Anito, Classified Frequency, Jacob Ungerleider, Bencoolen, Red States, Harness Flux.

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WHAT’S NEXT: These results end the first phase of the poll. We will soon unveil the artists nominated by our local jurors, and we’ll let our readers and our writers influence the poll with their vote.

Keep creating, keep supporting, and stay tuned for your chance to vote!

— The Deli DC Area Staff

Don't miss an incredible DC Area show tomorrow night, Wednesday, July 9th, at Rock and Roll Hotel, when three of the DMV's best bands join together for an amazing bill, complimentary and cohesive, yet covering a wide range of sound and style. Richmond's Avers, on tour in support of their gorgeous psyc-rock debut album Empty Light, headlines the night. They'll be joined by Pree's lo-fi alt-folk, and Wanted Man's guitars-on-fire rock and roll (check out Wanted Man's new single, "I'm Gonna Go Out With the Planet," released on DC Music Download yesterday). It's a sure-fire non-stop excellent time for anyone who's a fan of indie-rock and local music. Doors at 8:00pm. $12.

Watch a live version of Avers' "The Only One" recorded for Overcoast Sessions (Overcoast Music) below. --Natan Press

Richmond's Avers won our Band of the Month Poll for the first half of April, and it's no surprise. Their debut album, Empty Light will be officially released on April 22nd (this Tuesday!), and it's a fantastic kaleidoscope of sound, light and psychedelia. The lead single, title track "Empty Light," is a gorgeous summer morning (something we've all been waiting for for far too long), and Avers' rocking live shows, skillfully played electric guitars, tasteful pedal-work, and pounding drums, have amped a growing fan base that's become impatient to take home a piece of the band. They're everything you want out of hard-rocking and hard working indie-rock. I spoke with Adrian Olsen about the band's formation, the Richmond scene, and the future, and you can read the interview here.

Avers is going on a short tour in support of the release, starting with a show on Wednesday, April 23rd, at the Black Cat backstage (with The Jackfields and The Beanstalk Library).