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This Monday, August 13th, Sparta (led by At The Drive-In alum Jim Ward) are playing a surprisingly cozy show at Johnny Brenda’s (Sorry, it’s sold out), after taking quite the hiatus (They’ve released a couple of songs in the past year, but their last album remains Threes, released way...
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This Saturday, July 14th, local punk rock hero James Alex is returning to the City of Brotherly Love and Sisterly Affection for an extra special hometown show. Although best known as the vocalist and guitarist for raucous rockers Beach Slang, earlier this year Alex released Everything Matters But No...
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It’s been nearly a year to the day since the City of Brotherly Love and Sisterly Affection last saw indie poppers Now, Now. Last July the Minneapolis duo went on tour and played a super-duper-sold-out show at Boot & Saddle, after a hiatus that lasted nearly half-a-decade. Fans lined...
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TOMI may have just released her second EP, but she has been writing and playing music for the vast majority of her life, since she was a child. Earlier this year the Brooklyn-based songstress released What Kind Of Love on RCA Records, the follow-up to 2017’s debut EP, Used...
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Last Sunday a super-sold out Johnny Brenda’s was feeling extra nostalgic (for a time prior to the births of the vast majority of the capacity audience). Headlining the evening was Austin quartet White Denim, who kicked out a two-hour, 23-song set of their extra-jammy, prog-infused, Southern Rock (the majority...
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Caroline Rose has been a dear friend of ours (and mine, personally) for quite a few years now… However, for the majority of our friendship, she was known for Americana balladry and roots rocking, which normally placed her at World Café Live. However, about a year ago I got...
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Although Oklahoma-born singer/songwriter Parker Millsap is best known as an Americana musician; blending blues, roots rock, and country; for his latest effort, Other Arrangements, he made the decision to make a pop album. The album, his fourth (which, at the age of 24, seems quite the accomplishment… in addition...
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Irish folk singer/songwriter Ciaran Lavery is set to kick off his latest US tour this Wednesday, June 20th, at our very own Boot & Saddle, when he double-headlines our favorite former-honky-tonk with duo Cicada Rhythm. This April Ciaran released his third album, Sweet Decay, arguably his most accomplished yet. ...
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So, although most of the major problems with Ticketfly and the ability to actually use the tickets that you paid for have been resolved, I realize that most venue’s still have websites that are pretty fucked up and not particularly welcoming or likely-to-be-good-at convincing to get you out to...
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Last month Brooklyn-based blues punk singer/songwriter Shilpa Ray (also, notably former madame to the Happy Hookers, Bad Seed-backing-singer, and Drexel University student) released her Nihilism EP, the follow-up to 2017’s Door Girl LP, her sophomore full-length as a solo artist. Although Shilpa Ray has only officially been a solo...
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It hasn’t been long since The City of Brotherly Love and Sisterly Affection has heard from This Is The Kit. Just last December the Paris-residing folk songstress (Kate Stables) opened the Kimmel Center for The National, as a quick follow-up to a headlining date at Johnny Brenda’s in late...
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Although Philthy was supposed to spend 4/20 with Scottish singer/songwriter Nina Nesbitt, when she opened for Clean Bandit at the Trocadero, when that tour was cancelled the dates that ensued allow us an even better opportunity to experience the self-described soul pop artist. Nina Nesbitt is wrapping up about...
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Former member of Joy Division and New Order Peter Hook and his band The Light return to Philadelphia to perform the legendary Joy Division and New Order compilation albums Substance live, sequentially and in their entireties, on April 26th at Union Transfer. Originally intended to be played in the...
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So, Kate Nash hasn’t exactly been missing, but it has been a while since we’ve heard from her… musically, at least. Last month the British singer/songwriter released Yesterday Was Forever, her first full-length since 2013’s Girl Talk, and earlier this month she kicked off her first US tour in...
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We’ve always been big fans (and we’d like to think “friends”) of Nashville singer/songwriter Tristen Gaspadarek (although usually known simply as “Tristen”). We fell in love with 2011’s Charlatans At The Garden Gate, one of the best Americana albums of the century, and we were equally as charmed with...
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Although XPN essentially panned As The Crow Flies’ Philadelphia debut last Wednesday at the Electric Factory as Chris Robinson’s Black Crowes cover band, lacking the chemistry and musicianship that he long had with brother Rich and drummer Steve Gorman, and having the audacity to play a set chock-full-o-hits (something...
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Although North Carolina Americana quartet Mipso have just been making music together for a little more than half a decade, April 6th saw the release of their fourth full-length studio album, quite a feat in the age of iTunes and digital-only EPs. The album is Edges Run, which would...
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Although I’m still adamantly opposed to telephones that get the internet… or any phone that costs more than $50 but, I must admit that, there was one good thing that came of last fall’s unveiling of the iPhone X… a mass introduction to electro duo Sofi Tukker (Their song...
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The last time we caught up with Halo Circus they were on a crowd-sourced tour, promoting their debut LP, Bunny, a hard rock record with an obvious nod to ‘90s alt rock. At the moment, they’re touring behind their recently released follow-up full-length, Robots And Wranglers, a fashionably abrasive...
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Despite having a relatively modest 6,500 “followers” on Twitter, Houston trio Khruangbin has already sold out three pretty massive Philadelphia shows in 2018. The band, who uniquely blend world music with soul, psych rock, and nearly countless other genres and scenes (Thai music of the ‘60s and ‘70s are...
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The last time we spoke with Toronto-based musician Tamara Lindeman, perhaps better known as The Weather Station, was just over two years ago. Lindeman was in the middle of extensively touring her third LP, Loyalty, and preparing to play her second show at Johnny Brenda’s in a sixth month...
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Last October electropop chanteuse Billie Eilish played an alarmingly packed show upstairs at World Café Live, selling out the 200-capacity months in advance. For the next leg of her Don’t Smile at Me Tour she was booked at the 600-capacity Coda… Well, her booking agent is obviously still a little...
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This Saturday, March 31st, The Pretenders will play their first area headlining show in a decade when they take the stage of the Tower Theater. And, if setlist.fm can be trusted, their set will contain a number of tracks from their latest record (2016’s Alone, produced by The Black...
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S. Carey is undoubtedly best known as the drummer for Bon Ivar, he should perhaps be equally acknowledged for having exceptionally excellent taste in support acts. The last time he was in town, April of 2014 at Boot & Saddle, he brought with him ineffably delectable art pop chanteuse...
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LA-based artist/producer Elohim is yet to release her first full-length, but her musical career has already had a plethora of big moments… including a few in our vicinity. Last year she played the Firefly Festival shortly before a spot supporting Alison Wonderland at the Factory. Elohim is currently preparing...
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For those looking to go out this Saturday, but refrain from indulging in green beer, green Mardi Gras beads, and miniature plastic top hats, also green (And I hope that’s all of my readers.), Boot & Saddle just might have a good reason for you to hit the town. ...
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Tonight the City of Brotherly Love and Sisterly Affection will welcome back Beth Ditto for her first area live appearance in nearly a decade, when she’ll be headlining Union Transfer. We best know Ms. Ditto as frontwoman for Arkansas-born, Olympia-bred pro-queer, post-riot-grrrl punks, The Gossip. I first met Beth...
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Last October we were all anxious to hear the local live premiere of Jessica Lea Mayfield’s latest work at Boot & Saddle… However, an unfortunate lingering injury from a car accident forced the singer/songwriter to cancel all of her October shows. However, she has rescheduled and will be headlining...
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Although dear friends of PHILTHY He’s My Brother She’s My Sister have parted ways (at least for the time being), vocalist/guitarist Rob Kolar and Lauren Brown, their world famous tap dancing drummer (a real-life married couple), have been writing, recording, and performing as KOLARS for two years now. Building...
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So Black Rebel Motorcycle Club put on one hell of a Rock’N’Roll spectacle last week at Union Transfer, the best the city has seen in quite some time… But there’s something about seeing a Rock’N’Roll show in a cramped and sweaty dive bar that is far more satisfying than...
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Although singer/songwriter Hannah Wicklund, frontperson for blues rockers Hannah Wicklund & The Steppin’ Stones, is just 20 years old, she’s already more than a decade into her career. Last week saw the release of the band’s self-titled LP, produced by Sadler Vaden of Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit....
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Arc Iris have certainly not been strangers to The City of Brotherly Love and Sisterly Affection in recent years, and we’re quite thankful for that… In Fall of 2016 the Providence-based trio played Boot & Saddle, touring behind their sophomore LP, Moon Saloon, which I characterized as, “A quirkily...
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The turn of the century saw a pretty profound plethora of great neo-psychedelic shoegaze bands… However, none seemed quite so promising or managed to deliver to the same degree as San Francisco garage rockers Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, or B.R.M.C.. It’s now officially been 20 years since they began...
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It’s not exactly like LA-based singer/songwriter Inara George has been in hiding in recent years… Her folk group, The Living Sisters; comprised of herself, Becky Stark, Eleni Mandell, and Alex Lilly; have put out a number of records, and 2015 saw the release of Recreational Love, the fourth full-length...
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About a week and a half ago I got a chance to chat with Alaina Moore, one-half of indie-popping husband-wife duo Tennis (Patrick Riley plays the role of husband and musical other-half.) The pair had just kicked off their current tour with a hometown show at the Ogden Theatre...
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“We always describe ourselves as, ‘danceable grunge,’” Claire Evans tells me, laughing, after I tell her that “Look Alive” reminds me of, “a synth pop appropriation of ‘90s alt rock balladry, like a synth pop take on a Luscious Jackson ballad.” “I can’t wait to tell Jona that, he...
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Although the majority of emerging bands of the “hard rock” persuasion have seemed largely stale and dated in recent years, LA rockers Dorothy have offered a ray of hope with their sleazy brand of ultra-heavy blues, reminiscent of the most Rock’N’Roll of Rock’N’Roll bands. The band boasts super-sexy Southern...
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The touring season is coming to a close, however, there are still a small handful of upcoming shows in the City of Brotherly Love and Sisterly Affection that are well worth braving the snow and cold. This Monday, December 18th, singer/songwriter Chris Pureka will be headlining Boot & Saddle. ...
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Montreal experimental rock trio BIG|BRAVE are wrapping up a pretty big year. This September they released their sophomore LP, Ardor, on Southern Lord, and they’re finishing out the year with a short tour. They’re currently on a batch of dates as direct support for noise rock legends Unsane. Their...
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If Wagner were to go glam rock or Hansel and Gretel were to do acid, as Voigt's label Kompakt describes, this would be the place to hear it....
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I’m guessing many of our readers are currently counting down the hours to indie rock royalty Angel Olsen’s two-night stand this Tuesday and Wednesday at Union Transfer. Hopefully you’re also concerned about the perfect duds for bearing the bitter cold because, in addition to being one of the most...
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So, if you’re anything like me (broke and highly solitary), I’m guessing you haven’t even considered December holiday gifts thus far… And, if you’re really like me, you likely still appreciate a good, hard copy of your audiovisual materials (Don’t worry, I’m pretty sure most of these come in...
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QTY’s debut full-length drops this Friday, following-up a headlining show at our very own Boot & Saddle this Thursday, December 7th. However, Dan Lardner and Alex Niemetz, the core of the NYC outfit, have been making music together for about a decade now, since they were teens. In a...
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I’m hoping many of our readers are more than a little excited for Synth-Rock innovator and legend Gary Numan to take the stage of our very favorite mega-venue (Union Transfer) this Wednesday, December 6th, armed with his recently-released, twenty-first studio album, Savage (Songs from a Broken World). However, I...
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As we all know, the touring season is winding down, but there are still a handful of pretty amazing Philthy shows well-worth getting excited about in the next couple of weeks. And I can guarantee you that none are more worth getting excited about this week than Deer Tick’s...
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Although I’m hoping most of my readers are pretty adamantly anti-Black Friday, it is worth noting that the best rock doc of the year hits shelves today: Gorman Bechard’s Who is Lydia Loveless? Earlier this week I recommended that BFF check it out, to which she replied, “Dude, there’s...
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So, it might seem like this Tuesday at Boot & Saddle is a ladies-only affair, headlined by Chloe Chaidez’s New Wave revivalists, Kitten, and opened by the current queen of electro sass pop, Sizzy Rocket. However, the band sandwiched in-between the two, LA-based Rad Horror, is just as… well,...
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So, I’m guessing some of you are unhappy about not being in the bought-tickets-ahead-of-time club for shoegaze legends Slowdive’s show this Wednesday, 11/15, at Union Transfer. However, fans of the latest generation of musical badassery (whether you made it into the show or not), should be happy that hyper-groovy...
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Tonight, The Dears return to Philadelphia for the first time in more than six years. The Montreal indie-poppers (who’ve been at it since 1995), led by husband-and-wife Murray Lightburn and Natalia Yanchak, are touring in support of Times Infinity Volume Two, released earlier this year. The album is the...
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This Monday, October 30th, Willie Watson, co-founding former member of Old Crow Medicine Show, will be headlining Boot & Saddle in support of his recently released sophomore solo effort, Folk Singer Vol. 2. However, it’s the opening slot that we’re most excited about. Kicking off the evening will be...
This Monday, August 13th, Sparta (led by At The Drive-In alum Jim Ward) are playing a surprisingly cozy show at Johnny Brenda’s (Sorry, it’s sold out), after taking quite the hiatus (They’ve released a couple of songs in the past year, but their last album remains Threes, released way...
This Saturday, July 14th, local punk rock hero James Alex is returning to the City of Brotherly Love and Sisterly Affection for an extra special hometown show. Although best known as the vocalist and guitarist for raucous rockers Beach Slang, earlier this year Alex released Everything Matters But No...
