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.

To all of the faithful Deli readers, I apologize for the tardiness of this post, but between recovering from Sunday’s Boston Music Awards festivities and wrestling with some website issues, I have been unable to publish this article until now. I suppose the delay was a good thing though, because my head is finally clear enough to type out a few sentences about all that went down (or didn't go down) at the annual Boston music scene celebration. I struggled a bit in deciding the angle that I would take for this piece, considering most people just give a rote list of winners, peppered with a few choice adjectives. I've chosen to forego that list (you can find it on The Boston Globe or BMA website anyway), opting instead to give a one-sentence recap of the ceremonies, followed by a far more entertaining account of the best performance of the evening.   

The recap: I wasn't surprised by too much at the awards (Will Dailey and Bad Rabbits receiving more hardware was hardly a shocker), but I was excited to see The Sinclair take home Best Live Music Venue honors.

The story: The highlight of the night for me was Tigerman WOAH’s performance. They were slated to play one of the last sets of the evening, so I figured the BMA organizers and the Revere Hotel were anticipating the rowdy, awesome debauchery that comes standard with all Tigerman gigs, but I guess I was assuming too much. Halfway into their set, the Revere pulled the plug on the band due to numerous people throwing beers up, down and all around the stage. At least I think that was the reason--maybe they didn’t approve of everyone in the room shouting all of the lyrics to Tigerman’s songs? Apparently something about Tigerman’s genuine intensity, and the raucous enthusiasm and revelry that accompany their shows, didn’t align with the polished aesthetic of the hotel. Regardless, the band seemed to be having a good time at the show, passing around a bottle of bourbon among themselves and any audience member within arm’s reach of the stage.

Even with the abrupt stop their set, two things are indisputable: Tigerman always puts on one heck of a performance, and the BMA committee knows how to throw one heck of a party. - Dan McMahon (@dmcmhn), photoby Natasha Moustache @iamMoustache

The soulful vocals of Ally Khoury bring a fullness to the already layered sound of guitar riffs, creating a modern indie rock sound to The Northerners' new EP Virginia. The five-song EP is reminiscent of a modern adaptation of the traditional folk, blues, and swing eras. Their album is available on iTunes. You can see The Northerners live on their October Tour through Virginia. --Hannah Brady

 The Cowards Choir, the celebrated project fronted by DC's Andy Zipf since 2009, is set to release their new EP, Cool Currency, on October 4th at Iota. Cool Currency is Andy's first release since 2013's Reunion EP. Fans of The Cowards Choir will rejoice to hear yet another set of catchy, delicate, romantic guitar-pop. The production is immaculate, every evocative guitar tone seemlessly layered with other instruments, accentuating every idea and feeling in this gorgeous and emotional set. Four songs, each with sweet flavors baked delicately into a fulfilling whole, like a dessert-cart of perfect pastries, and each more tantalizing than the last. The Cowards Choir will be joined at Iota by Justin Jones, and you can get your tickets here. Check out The Cowards Choir performing "Soul Got Weight" for The Circus Life podcast last week below. --Natan Press

 Anyone who's seen Sean Barna live knows he's the most passionate performer in DC. Barna's new EP, Cutter Street, is a culmination of years of desire, experience, ambition and heart. Self-described as "slutty folk," Barna's music music reminds me most of the soulful and woeful Irish style, with a performance and lyrics reaching Van Morrison levels of exuberance, drama, and emotional honesty. Sean Barna, winner of the DC Area Deli Artist of the Month, is a force on stage, a delight in person, and a performer to watch at any given opportunity. You can go watch him for free, tonight (6/9), at The Lot (@ Atlantic Plumbing--behind the 9:30 Club), starting 7PM, in DC.  --Natan Press