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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...
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Having formed in 1992, this year Japan’s most legendary experimental rockers turned 25. This July saw the release of Dear, Boris’ 23rd studio album. The record was intended to be the band’s farewell… However, during the writing process they wound up with three album’s worth of material and decided...
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This July, England-born, Paris-residing songwriter Kate Stables – better known as This Is The Kit (the band is rounded out by a gently revolving cast of her closest musical friends) – released her fourth studio album, Moonshine Freeze. The album is the band’s first for Rough Trade Records and...
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This January Tommy Stinson treated the City of Brotherly Love and Sisterly Affection to one of his most intimate local shows in ages. Instead of the mega-stages he found himself on when his legendary Replacements reunited, or those even bigger, where he played in his years in Guns N’...
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If we’re voting on favorite pop cultural entities of the past week, mine is going to have to go to French electropop duo Yelle’s latest single, and accompanying video, “Romeo,” which premiered last Thursday via V Magazine. “Romeo” is the third single the band has released since their third...
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So, word on the street (and, actually, also from a few quite credible, inside sources) is that X’s show this Friday, September 22nd, at Underground Arts (part of their 40th Anniversary tour) is just about sold out… So if you wanna chance to congratulate Exene, John, and crew on...
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Is it just me… or was pop culture allowed to be weirder in the ‘60s and ‘70s? Not necessarily better (although, let’s be honest, it was that, too), but weirder… This Friday, September 9th, Eagle Rock Entertainment is putting out 1975 ABC TV special Alice Cooper: The Nightmare on...
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We at PHILTHY MAG have been big fans of Beverly for quite some time (Well, since their start around 2013…) The Brooklyn band blend the kind of sunshine punk of Best Coast and Beach Day with the the ’90 alt-isms of Kim Deal and Liz Phair… They began as...
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We first met soulful, synthy, alt-pop chanteuse VÉRITÉ last May, prior to a headlining performance at Boot & Saddle, which would leave those of us in attendance believing that there’s no way the songstress (Kelsey Byrne) wouldn’t be massive in the very near future… Since then she’s played shows...
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Last Wednesday, August 2nd, Blondie and Garbage brought their Rage and Rapture Tour, which Shirley Manson fittingly referred to as, “the best summer camp ever,” to the Mann Center, in Fairmount Park. And although neither band are exactly in their prime (Debbie Harry turned 72 last month and Butch...
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Although one of our favorite singer/songwriters, Nashville’s Tristen Gaspardarek (better known simply as Tristen), seems to be constantly on the road and hitting up the City of Brotherly Love and Sisterly Affection (from the North Star, to upstairs at World Café Live, to Johnny Brenda’s, Bourbon & Branch, and...
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Brilliantly charming Minneapolis indie pop duo Now, Now, recently dropped their first new recording in half a decade, serving as the follow-up to their 2012 sophomore album, Threads, of which I wrote, “The synth-very-heavy album sounds along the lines of a pleasantly mellow trip on Jupiter. It’s quite dark,...
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It hasn’t been long since The City of Brotherly Love and Sisterly Affection got a chance to catch up with Arc Iris. Just last September the Rhode Island indie poppers headlined Boot & Saddle, while on tour supporting their sophomore LP, Moon Saloon, which I characterized as, “likely the...
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Local songwriter Alex G, or (Sandy) Alex G, has been kicking out lo-fi experimental pop since about 2010, but there’s a decent chance he didn’t hit your radar until the past two years or so. Fall of 2015 saw the release of Beach Music, courtesy of Domino Recording Company...
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For the past year+ New York-based indie singer/songwriter Mitski has been riding a wave of critical acclaim and packed shows surrounding her fourth and latest LP, Puberty 2, released last June on Dead Oceans. The album received glowing reviews from the lofty likes of The Guardian, Pitchfork, and Spin...
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Upstate New York folk poppers The Sea The Sea are currently working on a new album, with a slightly new sound… Although it’s looking like that won’t likely drop until 2018… However, the band are currently nearing the end of a string of live dates, which will have them...
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It’s been quite some time since we’ve heard from Elizabeth Powell and Land of Talk. Last month they released Life After Youth on Saddle Creek, their first LP since 2010’s Cloak and Cipher. And they haven’t played Philadelphia since November of 2010, when they headlined Johnny Brenda’s. However, we’ve...
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Bent Knee’s Land Animal may best the most accessible art rock record of the 21st century… and that’s not a bad thing… The Boston band; known for their abrasive blending of baroque pop, metal, and avant-garde; is set to release their fourth LP on June 23rd, courtesy of InsideOutMusic/Sony. ...
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It’s hard to imagine many people are having a cooler year than step-sisters Kelli Mayo and Peyton Bighorse (along with recent addition Kurtis Mayo, Kelli’s brother), better known as Skating Polly. The post-riot grrrl, alt-rocking power-poppers recently wrapped a batch of dates supporting X, they’re preparing to join Kate...
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This Friday songstress/guitarist virtuoso Laura Marling returns to Philadelphia for a performance at Theatre of Living Arts. However, support act Valley Queen, who has spent the past month on the road with Marling, is equally worth getting excited about. The LA-based band, fronted by Natalie Carol, boasts a blend...
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Although you don’t generally think of a Rock’N’Roll road show as the ideal setting for a married couple, Atlanta-based, psych-leaning, garage rockers Gringo Star and Shantih Shantih think otherwise… Nicholas and Peter Furgiuele of Gringo Star are currently on tour alongside their wives, Julia Furgiuele and Anna Barattin, who...
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It seems like just yesterday seminal Scottish alt rockers The Jesus & Mary Chain were taking the stage of Union Transfer in celebration of the 30th anniversary of their legendary debut album, Psychocandy (To be fair it was just September of 2015.) Well, the Reid brothers are already back,...
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Next week sees the live debut of our newest favorite duo… emerging from the ashes of one of our favorite trios… After the recent disbandment of Brooklyn indie poppers Little Daylight, Nikki Taylor and Eric Zeiler, 2/3rd’s of the outfit, return as Me Not You. As a duo, Me...
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I’m guessing that a number of you are, at the moment, eagerly anticipating Bishop Briggs’ first ever Philthy headlining show this Friday, May 5th, at Union Transfer… And, if you’re anything like me, I’m guessing you generally like to take your sweet ass time getting ready and show up...
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It’s hard to imagine a more perfect lineup for an ultra-sweaty Saturday night at Philthy’s favorite former honky-tonk than The Wild Reeds and Blank Range. This Saturday, April 29th, the two bands, who have already been on tour together for much of the year, will be playing Boot &...
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Psych-rocking post-punks Moon Duo are currently between the releases of the two volumes of their fourth album, Occult Architecture (on Sacred Bones Records), a wonderfully heady album that explores the dualities at the core of our culture, such as lightness and darkness, maleness and femaleness, and nature and spirituality. ...
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About a year ago we first met Kelsey Byrne, aka VÉRITÉ, whom I characterized as the ultimate embodiment of “alt-pop”: “A popular chanteuse (not diva) who has integrity and a soul… equal parts ‘90s R&B, 21st century blue-eyed soul, and synth pop revivalist.” At the time she had released...
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Last Friday hyper-quirky experimental, Austin-based, indie poppers The Octopus Project released their sixth LP, Memory Mirror. The album is the band’s first on Robot High School and also the first to feature new full-time member, multi-instrumentalist Lauren Gurgiolo, formerly of Okkervil River. Although the album maintains the spacy/fuzzy/dancy elements...
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It can be hard to assume what’s coming next from composer/producer/multi-instrumentalist Emily Wells. Although the Brooklyn-based singer/songwriter was originally best known for her work on violin, her live shows often have her playing live drums, guitars, analog synthesizers, beat machines, cello, and viola (which she generally handles all on...
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Philthy’s own Grandchildren (perhaps known better to some of you as the Danger Danger crew) spent the second half of March touring the sounds of their forthcoming fourth album across the southeast. The album, which is yet to have a title or release date, see the electro-orchestral post-folk poppers...
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Although Oakland-based singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Melina Duterte – better known by her musical moniker, Jay Som – is merely 22, her young musical career could already easily qualify as a success… Last year Polyvinyl Records re-released a collection of her early DIY recordings, titled Turn Into, which led to touring with...
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If you’re currently navigating your way through Austin, attempting to spot the next super cool indie pop artist among the ineffably profound plethora of other likely-pretty-fucking-cool indie pop artists, I would recommend looking for Melbourne-based Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever, who have a handful of performances scattered throughout the city...
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Although ultra-doomy rockers King Woman are still in the early stages of their career, they’ve already achieved some of their most significant and specific goals. I ask frontperson Kristina Esfandiari in a recent phone chat what she considers to be the highlights of the band so far and she...
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Although Vanessa Carlton is still perhaps best known for her 2002 pop mega-hit “A Thousand Miles,” her musical identity has taken a major turn in recent years. Not only did she wed and start a family with Deer Tick’s John McCauley (whose music is of the rambunctious punk and...
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Tonight our very favorite punky power-poppers, Potty Mouth, return to The City of Brotherly Love and Sisterly Affection for the first time since the charmingly haphazard re-opening of The Fire, and they’re bringing with them their super cool buddies, PARTYBABY. The two bands are about a third of the...
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The last time Philthy saw Jesca Hoop was from the mega-stage of Union Transfer (surrounded by an overwhelming onslaught of lamps), when she and Sam Beam (Iron & Wine) put on an epic, two-hour set comprised of their respective histories, in addition to the songs they collaboratively composed for...
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The last time I saw Brooklyn trio Slothrust was two-and-a-half years ago, noteworthy for being my very first show as a “thirtysomething.” The band played the cramped upstairs stage of Kung Fu Necktie, touring behind their sophomore LP, Of Course You Do, an album taking a lot of cues...
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...
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. ...
