Philthy Mag
  • Live Events
    “What’s Yr Take on Opening Night of Le Tigre’s Reunion…
  • Arts
    SYSTEMIC: A Retrospect of Americana Artwork by Leta Gray (June…
  • Band Interviews
    Babygirl: “Pop music is the best!” (6/15 at The Foundry)
    Philthy Mag
      • Band Interviews
        • SYSTEMIC: A Retrospect of Americana Artwork by Leta Gray (June…
          SYSTEMIC: A Retrospect of Americana Artwork by Leta Gray (June…
        • Babygirl: “Pop music is the best!” (6/15 at The Foundry)
          Babygirl: “Pop music is the best!” (6/15 at The Foundry)
        • K. Flay: “One of the things I’ve always experienced in…
          K. Flay: “One of the things I’ve always experienced in…
        • Getting to Know Moon Walker (5/31 at KFN)
          Getting to Know Moon Walker (5/31 at KFN)
        • Flashing Back with Indigo De Souza (5/23 at UT)
          Flashing Back with Indigo De Souza (5/23 at UT)
        • The Sisters Of Mercy’s Ben Christo: “I’m very excited for…
          The Sisters Of Mercy’s Ben Christo: “I’m very excited for…
      • Music Reviews
        • “What’s Yr Take on Opening Night of Le Tigre’s Reunion…
          “What’s Yr Take on Opening Night of Le Tigre’s Reunion…
        • MUNA Get Gayotic in Philthy
          MUNA Get Gayotic in Philthy
        • Bikini Kill Finally Play Franklin Music Hall, This Friday!!! (Reacquaint…
          Bikini Kill Finally Play Franklin Music Hall, This Friday!!! (Reacquaint…
        • Maddie Zahm Shares the Stories of the “Fat Funny Friend”…
          Maddie Zahm Shares the Stories of the “Fat Funny Friend”…
        • Weyes Blood, Between the Opera and the Amphitheatre (Two Sold-Out…
          Weyes Blood, Between the Opera and the Amphitheatre (Two Sold-Out…
        • Big Thief Fans Loving [Mainly] The New Stuff at Franklin…
          Big Thief Fans Loving [Mainly] The New Stuff at Franklin…
      • “What’s Yr Take on Opening Night of Le Tigre’s Reunion Tour

        izzy
        May 31, 2023
        The first time I ever saw Le Tigre was in 2002 at The Black Cat in Washington DC.  It was opening night of the band’s tour behind Feminist Sweepstakes, and their first show to ever utilize their DVD player (used to convert their famous manually operated slideshow into the...
      • SYSTEMIC: A Retrospect of Americana Artwork by Leta Gray (June 1st-30th at PhilaMOCA)

        izzy
        May 31, 2023
        This past Friday afternoon I found myself hanging with local artist Leta Gray at The Woodlands cemetery in West Philthy.  Although perhaps best known as a tattoo artist and musician, this June (1st-30th) PhilaMOCA will be hosting SYSTEMIC: A Retrospect of Americana Artwork by Leta Gray.  This Thursday, June...
      • Babygirl: “Pop music is the best!” (6/15 at The Foundry)

        izzy
        May 30, 2023
        The last time we caught up with Toronto duo Babygirl – comprised of Kiki Frances and Cameron Bright – was in November of 2021, when they were on the road supporting Jeremy Zucker, which included a stop at TLA where Babygirl stole the show.  During our chat I discovered...
      • K. Flay: “One of the things I’ve always experienced in Philly is the intensity and the passion!” (6/4 at Franklin Music Hall)

        izzy
        May 23, 2023
        “This next body of work is, I think, the strongest body of work of my career.  I created it in the wake of enormous change, and I was set free in a lot of ways, and untethered myself from a lot of expectations,” says multi-platinum, two-time GRAMMY-nominated artist K....
      • Getting to Know Moon Walker (5/31 at KFN)

        izzy
        May 22, 2023
        “I don’t care about surprising people.  I don’t care about anything other than having a song in me and getting it out that day,” says Harry Springer, the composer, producer, and performer behind Brooklyn-based Moon Walker, his alter-ego, who has already released two full-lengths since the start of the...
      • Flashing Back with Indigo De Souza (5/23 at UT)

        izzy
        May 17, 2023
        Next Tuesday, May 23rd, Indigo De Souza will make her fourth attempt at headlining Union Transfer, after shows in January, May, and October of last year were postponed…  Although the previous three dates were to have the Asheville-based singer/songwriter supporting her sophomore LP, Any Shape You Take, just last...
      • The Sisters Of Mercy’s Ben Christo: “I’m very excited for people to see this show that we’ve put together.” (6/3 at The Fillmore)

        izzy
        May 16, 2023
        The last time I encountered Ben Christo, guitarist and bassist of legendary post-punk outfit The Sisters Of Mercy, was in April of 2006 at the 9:30 Club in Washington DC, a gig which Christo tells me he has both fond and slightly embarrassing memories of, during a recent phone...
      • Halocene’s Addie Nicole Amick on, “Outsourcing our decision-making to our fans.” (6/5 at KFN)

        izzy
        May 15, 2023
        “We don’t have a label.  It’s like our fans are our record label!” says Addie Nicole Amick, vocalist for metalcore trio Halocene, alongside husband and guitarist Bradley Amick and drummer Joseph Polizzi.  The band, whose Maleficent EP drops this Friday, May 19th, have been making music since 2008, but...
      • Cobra Man: “Expect mayhem.” (5/13 at Underground Arts)

        izzy
        May 12, 2023
        There are a lot of big concerts this Saturday night in the City of Brotherly Love and Sisterly Affection, but I seriously doubt that anyone else will be able to bring the party quite like LA-based Power Disco 7-piece, Cobra Man, led by Andy Harry and Sarah Rayne, who...
      • PONY: “I think you can expect that we will all look really cute and we will put on a great show!” (5/20 at UT w/ Superheaven)

        izzy
        May 12, 2023
        Next Saturday, May 20th, local contemporary grunge heroes Superheaven will be playing a SOLD-OUT show at Union Transfer to celebrate the 10th anniversary of their debut LP, Jar.  However (I probably shouldn’t say this…), we at PHILTHY are even more excited about self-proclaimed “glitter power pop” duo PONY, who...
      • MUNA Get Gayotic in Philthy

        izzy
        May 11, 2023
        Yesterday MUNA announced the new season of their podcast, Gayotic, with an episode in which Katie, Naomi, and Josette chatted with queer icons Tegan and Sara about, “sharing hotel rooms during tour, secret high school girlfriends, feeling like the Phantom of the Opera, and, of course, our therapists and...
      • Taleen Kali: “I love punk as much as pop and goth as much as psych…” (5/16 at KFN)

        izzy
        May 11, 2023
        Taleen Kali and I have been Twitter buddies for a few years now, so I was super bummed to have to miss her debut performance in the City of Brotherly Love and Sisterly Affection when she played Ortlieb’s last October…  However, she and her band will be back in...
      • The Blue Stones’ Tarek Jafar: “I want them to get something different out of the live show…” (5/18 at Underground Arts)

        izzy
        May 10, 2023
        “It’s so important to me that people listen to the album, fall in love with it, and then come see the live show and fall in love for completely different reasons.  I want them to get something different out of the live show than just what’s on the album,”...
      • Harriette: “The biggest thing for me is just being myself.” (5/17 at WCL w/ Joan)

        izzy
        May 9, 2023
        This Saturday, our new favorite TikTok-sensation-turned-formidable-indie-pop-singer/songwriter, Harriette, kicks off her very first US tour, as support for Arkansas duo Joan, which will have her at The Lounge at World Café Live next Wednesday, May 17th.  Last month Harriette released her 8-song debut EP, i heart the internet (courtesy of...
      • Sorry Mom: “We’re really proud to tell people that we are a DIY band.” (5/19 at MilkBoy)

        izzy
        May 5, 2023
        Today NYC femme punk trio Sorry Mom dropped “Teeth,” the third single from their debut LP, babyface, out next Friday, May 12th.  The band kick off a US tour in a few weeks, with a headlining show Friday May 19th at our very own MilkBoy and a super huge...
      • Church Girls’ Mariel Beaumont on Philly, Live Music, and “Girls” Bands (5/6 at MilkBoy)

        izzy
        May 5, 2023
        I can’t remember the last time I had a lineup make me prouder to reside in the 215 than this Saturday’s (5/6) show at MilkBoy, featuring the “shoegazey/dreamy fuzz pop” of Puppy Angst (whose Alyssa Milman we chatted with this February), the “Rain Boot Core Twee” of Grocer, and...
      • Caroline Rose at Union Transfer

        morgan
        May 2, 2023
        Caroline Rose has been a favorite musician of mine for a few years after I first heard their third album, LONER. Their synthy and punchy instrumentals alongside their funny, sardonic, and sometimes heartbreakingly honest lyrics have always inspired me. But their most recent album release, The Art of Forgetting,...
      • Against The Current’s Chrissy Costanza: “We’re such a live band!” (5/14 at UT)

        izzy
        May 2, 2023
        “I’ve always loved dark clothes and leather and harnesses and stuff like that.  My dream wardrobe could double as an assassin’s outfit,” says Chrissy Costanza, who does often look as though she could be a comic book anti-heroine…  However, the primary reason we love her is because she’s the...
      • Lael Neale on Finally Touring, Working with Tape, and Music Aficionados of Britain (5/7 at The Dolphin)

        izzy
        May 2, 2023
        “A lot of reviewers in the UK seem to really get what I’m going for, to move out of the female singer/songwriter thing and more into the Joy Division/Velvet Underground thing,” says Sub Pop recording artist Lael Neale during a recent phone chat.  For instance, The Guardian says, “Half...
      • Daisy the Great: “We really have no rules when it comes to style or genre…” (5/10 at The Foundry)

        izzy
        April 30, 2023
        “We love Philly!” says Kelley Nicole Dugan and Mina Walker, better known as Daisy the Great, who played the City of Brotherly Love and Sisterly Affection twice last year, with a March Date opening for half•alive at Union Transfer and a December date supporting The Happy Fits at Theatre...
      • Gary Numan: “I’m not interested in nostalgia or the ‘80s or anything like that.” (5/4 at Franklin Music Hall w/ Ministry)

        izzy
        April 30, 2023
        “We’re going on before Ministry, so we won’t be doing any ballads.  We’re gonna keep it as hard as we can,” gothic/industrial/dark wave legend Gary Numan (who is far more light-hearted than you’d imagine) tells me during a recent phone chat.  Numan is currently on a tour that has...
      • Bikini Kill at Franklin Music Hall

        morgan
        April 27, 2023
        Beloved 90s Riot Grrrl band, Bikini Kill, first announced their comeback US tour in 2019, with the Philly show originally scheduled for May of 2020. But due to the pandemic, all shows were postponed not once, but three times over the last three years. I was afraid the show...
      • Overcoats: “It’s important to be the most uniquely you that you can be.” (4/25 at JB’s)

        izzy
        April 22, 2023
        This February New York indie pop duo Overcoats (JJ Mitchell and Hana Elion) brought a preview of their third LP, Winner, to The Music Hall at World Café Live for a WXPN Free at Noon Concert.  Well, the album officially dropped April 7th, and Mitchell and Elion are already...
      • Marissa Nadler: “I like a dark room and dimly lit lights.” (4/24 at MilkBoy)

        izzy
        April 22, 2023
        This Monday, April 24th, Sacred Bones recording artist and friend of PHILTHY MAG, Marissa Nadler, will be in the City of Brotherly Love and Sisterly Affection for a particularly intimate evening of music, when she kicks off her solo headlining tour at our very own MilkBoy.  I recently got...
      • Kristine Leschper on Being a Solo “Chamber Prog” Artist and Bringing Her Live Show Back Home to JB’s (4/30)

        izzy
        April 21, 2023
        “It feels like a reclaiming of self, or an assertion of self.  Releasing music under a moniker was always a way to distance myself,” says Kristine Leschper, previously known as the person behind Mothers, but who last year released her official solo debut, The Opening, Or Closing Of A...
      • Elizabeth Moen: “We are gonna do our best to rock your socks off.” (4/26 at MilkBoy)

        izzy
        April 21, 2023
        Chicago-based Americana singer/songwriter/guitarist Elizabeth Moen seems to be familiar with a lot of friends of PHILTHY…  She’s shared stages with the likes of Margaret Glaspy, Lissie, and Buck Meek, and even performed as a guitarist for Squirrel Flower in 2021…  And last year Moen released Wherever You Aren’t, her...
      • Fucked Up’s Mike Haliechuk: “We’re trying to be a little less crazy and a little more musical.” (4/27 at JB’s)

        izzy
        April 21, 2023
        “We’re adapting to a sort of different energy just because we’re older , and things that we’ve had to do because of the pandemic.  We’re trying to be a little less crazy and a little more musical,” says Mike Haliechuk, guitarist, songwriter, and producer for Canadian hardcore punk legends...
      • Bella White: “I thought people would be upset that it wasn’t another bluegrass record!” (5/2 at The Loft at City Winery)

        izzy
        April 19, 2023
        “I think on some level I’ve been surprised by the lack of acknowledgement about the change in sound.  I thought people would be upset that it wasn’t another bluegrass record!” jokes singer/songwriter Bella White of her sophomore LP, Among Other Things, which drops this Friday (4/21) on Rounder Records...
      • Ruston Kelly: “We try to make the setlist bangers only.” (4/22 at TLA)

        izzy
        April 19, 2023
        Last week Ruston Kelly kicked off The Weakness Tour, following the April 7th release of his third full-length, The Weakness, on Rounder Records.  The LP had No Depression saying, “Ruston Kelly created an album that turns his own experiences and the layers of his own existence into a universal message...
      • MAUVEY: “YOU CAN EXPECT EVERYTHING I HAVE TO GIVE AND A LITTLE MORE.” (4/21 at MilkBoy w/ July Talk)

        izzy
        April 13, 2023
        “Mauvey really, really is head and shoulders above the crowd… the music is absolutely fantastic,” says BBC Radio 6 Music of the postmodern-leaning Canadian/British singer/songwriter who blends pop, rock, punk, alternative, and electronic into something as profoundly uplifting as it is danceable.  Tomorrow (4/14) MAUVEY drops a brand new...
      • UPSAHL: “I’ve just been loving these headlining shows!” (5/3 at The Foundry)

        izzy
        April 13, 2023
        “Honestly, just the past year of touring has been a literal dream come true…  I’m down to live out of a suitcase for the rest of my life,” says UPSAHL.  I first met the emerging alt-pop star – who I’m chatting with over the phone from the studio –...
      • Scout Gillett: “You can expect to get to know me and my band a bit.” (4/19 at MilkBoy w/ Sarah Shook & The Disarmers)

        izzy
        April 13, 2023
        We first met Brooklyn-based indie folk singer/songwriter Scout Gillett last summer, prior to the October 28th release of her debut LP, no roof no floor, an album she recorded in an actual barn with Ellen Kempner of Palehound, David Lizmi of MS MR, and producer Nick Kinsey.  The album,...
      • altopalo, “excited to freak people out in a very short amount of time.” (4/28 at Brooklyn Bowl w/ Covet)

        izzy
        April 11, 2023
        “I feel like with math rock audiences, you can kind of throw a lot at them and it’s fun to see how they react to stuff,” says Mike Haldeman, guitarist of altopalo, an experimental, indie-electronic quartet of veteran NYC studio and touring musicians.  Last week, altopalo kicked off a...
      • Flashing Back to 2014 with Worriers (4/6 at JB’s)

        izzy
        April 5, 2023
        This Friday, April 7th, will see the release of Warm Blanket, the fourth full-length from Worriers, the musical outlet of LA-based punk rock singer/songwriter and visual artist Lauren Denitzio, who recorded and mixed the record entirely on their own, despite no proper training in audio recording.  The album, which...
      • Bodywash on Getting Darker and More Cohesive (4/18 at The Fire)

        izzy
        April 4, 2023
        Montreal shoegaze duo Bodywash are preparing for the release of their sophomore album, I Held the Shape While I Could, which drops April 14th on Light Organ Records.  The album is the follow-up to 2019’s Comforter.  However, during a recent phone chat with Rosie Long Decter and Chris Steward,...
      • Hello Mary Is More Than Just a “‘90s” Band (4/5 at Underground Arts w/ Deerhoof)

        izzy
        April 4, 2023
        This Wednesday, April 5th, legendary indie rockers Deerhoof come to Underground Arts.  However, we’re equally excited for immediate support, Hello Mary, a Brooklyn all-female trio who dropped their self-titled debut LP last month on Frenchkiss Records.  You may have seen Hello Mary – comprised of Helena Straight (guitar, vox),...
      • Black Belt Eagle Scout on Her New Album, Returning Home, and Rock Camp For Girls (4/17 at JB’s)

        izzy
        April 4, 2023
        Here at PHILTHY MAG, we’re big fans of Saddle Creek Records, home to Ada Lea, Big Thief, Indigo De Souza, Land of Talk, and The Rural Alberta Advantage.  And last month I got a chance to get to know Katherine Paul (or KP), better known as Black Belt Eagle...
      • Laura Stevenson’s Wheel Turns 10. Come Celebrate 4/14 at World Café Live.

        izzy
        April 2, 2023
        This past week, in an interview for Paste, singer/songwriter Laura Stevenson – who you may have most recently seen performing Neil Young covers at the First Unitarian Church, alongside fellow former Bomb the Music Industry! member Jeff Rosenstock – admitted to being a big fan of local celeb. M....
      • Bikini Kill Finally Play Franklin Music Hall, This Friday!!! (Reacquaint Yourself with Their Releases, Ranked!!!)

        izzy
        April 2, 2023
        After more rescheduled dates than any of us can remember, this coming Friday (4/7) Kathleen Hanna, Kathi Wilcox, and Tobi Vail’s Bikini Kill – co-founders of riot grrrl, arguably the most important musical movement of the ‘90s – are finally bringing their reunion tour to Franklin Music Hall for...
      • Have a “SO SEXY” Saturday at The Foundry with Coco & Clair Clair (4/8)

        izzy
        April 2, 2023
        “I feel like we’ve been playing shows since we had like one song.  And we were playing shows, and we would do cover songs to fill up the time.  I feel like the shows came first, and then really diving into the music making process has been a slow...
      • Wild Child’s End of the World: “It’s kind of the record that we didn’t think we’d make.” (4/16 at Underground Arts)

        izzy
        March 31, 2023
        Last September I was chatting with singer/songwriter Kelsey Wilson about her funk outfit Sir Woman, who were currently on the road, and she casually mentioned that her band Wild Child were actually preparing to drop a new album, their first since 2018’s Expectations.  Well, today...
      • Donovan Woods: “I love to play anywhere the feeling is good, and even sometimes where it isn’t good.” (4/13 at WCL)

        izzy
        March 30, 2023
        Next week Donovan Woods and Henry Jamison kick off The Husbandry Tour, a tour which is apparently more or less just an excuse for the two singer/songwriters to hang out and develop a friendship under the guise of “working.”  And Thursday, April 13th, will bring Woods and Jamison (along...
      • Stacey Ryan: “I’ve honestly been having the time of my life!” (4/9 at The Foundry w/ Jake Wesley Rogers)

        izzy
        March 29, 2023
        “I’m gonna be totally honest, I had never gone on a tour this long, and I wasn’t sure how my mental health was gonna be, but I’ve honestly been having the time of my life!” says budding pop star and Island recording artist Stacey Ryan, who’s been serving as...
      • Draag on Embodying the Intense and the Blissful (4/23 at MilkBoy w/ Cryogeyser)

        izzy
        March 28, 2023
        Today LA shoegaze outfit Draag released “Demonbird,” the second single from the band’s upcoming debut LP, Dark Fire Heresy, out April 28th.  The song (and accompanying music video) – like the full-length’s first single, “Mitsuwa”— has Jessica Huang exploring and coming to terms with the religious abuse of her...
      • Lunar Vacation, Becoming Regulars in the 215 (3/23 at Brooklyn Bowl w/ Rubblebucket)

        izzy
        March 22, 2023
        Although Lunar Vacation aren’t quite personages of Pitchfork just yet, they have certainly been making a name for themselves recently, especially around the City of Brotherly Love and Sisterly Affection, where they played three shows last year.  Last February the Georgia indie rock band opened a sold-out show for...
      • Maddie Zahm Shares the Stories of the “Fat Funny Friend” at World Café Live

        izzy
        March 22, 2023
        “I’m really excited to overshare and laugh and cry with you tonight!” said Maddie Zahm, one song into her performance from the semi-stage of The Lounge at World Café Live this past Saturday night.  The 24-year-old singer/songwriter sold-out the 220-capacity space in less than an hour (faster than Billie...
      • Tennis Talks More Than a Decade of Touring: “A lot of these rooms are bucket list rooms…” (3/31 at The Fillmore)

        izzy
        March 21, 2023
        Denver-based husband-wife indie pop duo Tennis (with whom we last spoke in January of 2018) have played many of our favorite Philly venues over the past 10+ years, although not necessarily in a logical order…  They’ve headlined Johnny Brenda’s, Union Transfer, Underground Arts, MilkBoy, Underground Arts again, and Union...
      • Caroline Rose: “If you wanna see the whole shebang, come to Union Transfer!” (4/11)

        izzy
        March 21, 2023
        “Izzy, I’m so excited for the light show!” says indie pop singer/songwriter Caroline Rose, who embarks on their biggest headlining tour yet at the end of this month, which includes an April 11th stop at Union Transfer.  I first met Caroline Rose in January of 2014, when they had...
      • Elise Trouw on Collaborating, Music Videos, and Bringing Her Music To Life Live (3/29 at WCL)

        izzy
        March 17, 2023
        Earlier this week, impressively eclectic 23-year-old singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Elise Trouw had a bit of a milestone when she returned to The Fox Theatre in Boulder, Colorado.  “The last time I was there I was the opening act, so it’ll be cool to be back at the same place...
      • The Rural Alberta Advantage: “We thrive as a grubby, bar band!” (3/25 at JB’s)

        izzy
        March 17, 2023
        “I just love playing shows anywhere…  With every tour it’s a combination of, ‘Oh, wow!  We haven’t been here in a long time,’ or, ‘Hey!  This city has always been so great to us!’” says Nils Edenloff, lead vocalist and guitarist of folky indie rockers The Rural Alberta Advantage,...
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      Philthy Mag
      • Band Interviews
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