We booked NYC duo Blonds two years ago for our CMJ 2012 Rootsy Stage - we remember the band complained that they weren't really a rootsy band. Well, maybe they weren't, but we must have detected some of those soul influences that are now pouring out of the band's male half Jordy Asher's new solo project BOOTS. (For the record, soul music belong to the roots music umbrella). The young musician and producer suddenly rose to relevance (rather than fame) when in  2013 he signed to Jay-Z's entertainment company and Sony Music Entertainment imprint, Roc Nation, and produced the big majority of Beyoncé's self-titled fifth studio album, released in December 2013. He's now focusing on his solo material, which - from single Mercy (streaming below) - sounds extremely soulful and intensely mellow. Boots will be touring with FKA Twigs in November, see him at Baby's All Right on Tuesday 10.28.

The members of Florida duo Blonds first set up shop in New York to work on the follow-up to their 2011 EP Dark Roots, putting the finishing touches on their full-length album The Bad Ones earlier this year. The Bad Ones was released in August and highlights the band's dramatic, lovesick lyrics with Rae's unforgettable, soulful vocals. Recently their single "Time" was aired on an episode of MTV's "Underemployed."

Devon Antonetti asked the couple leading the band a few questions here.

Josh run The Deli's CMJ Music Marathon last weeks (consisting in blogging about 26 emerging bands based in The Deli's 12 local scenes - but mostly NYC). Here's his top 3. We'll have a list of honorable mentions tomorrow.

WARNING: Josh was our "guy/mellow/folky" runner. Tracy - the "girl/upbeat/punky" marathoner - was covering noisier bands, stay tuned for her selection.

1. Wilsen "When the forlornly whistling of the lead singer, the eponymous Wislen, coincided with striking crash of a cymbal, I can’t imagine there was a spine in the room left sans-shivered".

2. Blonds "With their commanding take of an already strong catalog, Blonds proved to be the highlight of CMJ Tuesday."

3. The Nightmare River Band (pictured) "The Nightmare River Band played a great set filled with some rather awesome rock n’ roll songs."

The second best thing about the CMJ Music Marathon, after of course the opportunity to see tons of great bands for five straight nights in the greatest city for music, is the process of sorting through the seemingly endless list of bands in order to meticulously plan your personal schedule down to the minute. That feeling of invincibility concerning the laws of time and space is an awful like the one you get when you develop grand plans to start exercising and working out. That brief sensation of euphoria lasts right up to the minute you told yourself you were going to start. Then you realize you already walked something like three flights of stairs that day, so really there’s no need to exercise. - read the full report here. - (in the picture, Blonds)

DETAILS ABOUT THIS SHOW + STREAMING COMPILATION OF ALL 14 BANDS HERE.

The 2012 Deli's CMJ festivities will be kicking off on Tuesday, October 16th at The Delancey, with an extensive showcase of some of the city's best rootsy acts. This year, we've booked fourteen artists, most of them local, who'll be giving us a good taste of folk music beyond the run-of-the-mill, split between both floors of the Lower East Side venue. 

Headlining the main floor we'll have the magnetic concoctions of dream-roots duo Blonds and rootsy-pop ensemble Laura Stevenson & The Cans (pictured), amidst a farandole in which everyone should find a flavour that suits them - check out Town Hall, Swear & Shake, and The Reverend John Delore, who will be releasing a new album that night.

Upstairs, for a free (!) show, you'll find bluegrass trio JP & The Gilberts, energetic singer folky duo XNY, and the enchanting recent additions to the NYC scene Plume Giant (pictured) - who've been getting some well-deserved attention since the release of their debut album 'Callithump' - on a night filled with talent in which everyone, even those country detractors out there, should find a reason to cheer. Check out the full details of the line-up here.