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The Hunts are the most recent of “family bands” to enamor PHILTHY MAG (The Last Bison; Mission Zero; The Staves; Haim; He’s My Brother, She’s My Sister…) The Chesapeake, Virginia-based band of seven siblings are set to release their debut album, Those Younger Days, on June 9th, courtesy of...
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Although Little May’s career may still been in its infancy, Hannah Field, Liz Drummond, and Annie Hamilton are lifelong friends. And despite the fact that the band is still kinda a new thing, they’ve already achieved some pretty lofty accomplishments: more than one million Soundcloud plays in just a...
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Before Hutch Harris and Kathy Foster became the punk rockers we know them as today, they wrote and recorded a self-titled, folk-inspired LP. While the LP was initially released back in 2002, Hutch and Kathy took a back burner as The Thermals took off. As part of Record Store...
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It makes me frowny that more people aren’t talking about ADVAETA… because they fucking RULE… The Brooklyn trio is comprised (in equal measures, a very important point) of Lani Combier-Kapel, Amanda Salane, and Sara Fantry. Last month they released Death and the Internet on Fire Talk Records. The LP...
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Kristyna Myles’ story is one that is getting more and more common in the current state of the music industry… Although whether that is ultimately for better or worse is hard to say… (Musically, definitely for the better, but it certainly doesn’t make artists’ lives any easier.) Half a...
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Although Arrow Video is perhaps best known for their restorations of films that fall into a category somewhere in-between horror “classics” and “must-see” B/C-movies, Nico Mastorakis’ Island of Death, out today, May 26th, on Blu-Ray and DVD in the US courtesy of the UK’s Arrow and our very own...
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Intergalactix has been exciting crowds with their funky microphone effects and head-bopping beats for nearly a decade. This multi-instrumental electronic duo, hailing from Sydney, Australia, consists of long-time friends Serg Dimitrijevic and Kristian Attard, who, after moving to the States, decided to combine visions and create music which they...
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Angelspit have been kicking out jams from the realm of cyberpunk and pretty-much-every-category-of industrial for more than a decade now… They’ve also been putting on a plethora of insane live anti-spectacles to accompany each of their releases… However, this past year or so they’ve undergone some major changes and...
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The last time we caught up with North Carolina Americana outfit Mandolin Orange was exactly one year ago this week. At the time the band, comprised of Emily Frantz and Andrew Marlin, were getting more comfortable than ever before. They were currently supporting Willie Watson as a duo (sans...
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Crystal Bright may not be a “storyteller” in a traditional sense, but she’s the most intriguing I’ve encountered in quite some time. Bright is the leader of Crystal Bright and the Silver Hands, a Greensboro, North Carolina band that whimsically (and at times abrasively) combines elements of dark cabaret,...
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Sóley has apparently been through a lot since we first met in November of 2012 (which I’ll let her tell you about). At the time the Icelandic singer/songwriter was supporting Of Monsters and Men on tour, who had a sold out show at The Tower Theater. She was touring...
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Sannhet are a Brooklyn instrumental trio who are more than slightly difficult to characterize (In fact, Pitchfork’s Brandon Stosuy recently published a featured interview entitled “No Words: Sannhet’s Uncategorizable Squall.”)… But that’s something that makes them happy. They’ve been called things like “post-black metal,” “post-rock,” and “experimental,” and they...
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This Wednesday, May 13th, Theatre of Living Arts will be hosting a one-off double-bill that will surely be talked about by those in attendance for decades (i.e. “You’ll never believe it, but this one time at the TLA I saw Ministry and Laibach double-headlining.”) Yes, for one night only...
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Remember Be Your Own Pet? Yeah, they were pretty great; their self-titled debut LP was like the best punk record since Dig Me Out and their live shows were on par with The Stooges and Refused (Remember when they played that house show in South Philly and got drunk...
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If I had to pick a favorite artist to emerge since my time as a music critic, I don’t know that it could be anyone other than Nashville’s Those Darlins (which shouldn’t be news to any regular PHILTHY readers). The band is the lovechild of Nikki Kvarnes and Jessi...
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In Philadelphia, you know summer is officially here when the Radio 104.5 Block Parties begin. The first of the summer series kicked off Sunday at the Festival Pier at Penn’s Landing with Bad Suns, Catfish and the Bottlemen, BANKS, and The Airborne Toxic Event. Check out photos below! The...
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While being a 30-year-old music journalist can be more than a bit frustrating (if not downright maddening) in the age of the largely non-paying blogosphere, being asked to cover a personal hero, who soundtracked my formative years, is still, admittedly, quite exciting and quite flattering… especially when they’re willing...
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It’s hard to believe that Finnish cello metal savants Apocalyptica are already on their third decade… But this year marks their 22nd as a band and last week saw the release of their eighth studio album, Shadowmaker. The album marks a new chapter in the band. Although they’re known...
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Every in-the-know music snob and postmodern sonic geek knows Martin Bisi and his BC Studio for being a major player in Brooklyn’s post-punk, hip-hop, and avant-garde scene of the 1980s, producing, engineering, and recording records for the likes of Fab Five Freddy, Herbie Hancock, Afrika Bambaata, Sonic Youth, Swans,...
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About three and half years ago I was falling in love hard with the music of Madi Diaz, a singer/songwriter — who grew up in Bucks County and went on to be a star pupil of Paul Green’s School of Rock – who had recently shifted her aesthetic from...
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Not that I’m necessarily the best person for prophesying these kinds of things, but Zella Day definitely deserves to be the next great pop star… And not only that, but the next pop star that is actually worthy of your attention. The songstress, who hails from Arizona but resides...
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As far as band names go, Los Angeles’ Gothic Tropic is the best interface I’ve come across in quite some time. Although characterized as psych-pop, there is something distinctly beachy about their sounds… intermingled with the playfully morose aesthetic of some of the ‘80s best and most subversive stars...
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I wonder if my students even know what a boxset is… Unfortunately, it seems to have become yet another lost art form of yesteryear… Sure we have “digital box sets”… whatever that means… And every so often indie mega icons will re-release their entire back catalogue on vinyl for...
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I honestly don’t know where to start with this review. Not because it was bad, it was fucking amazing. But it was so good I’m almost at a loss for words. Dan Deacon shows are somewhat expected – a good, sweaty, fun-filled time, with crowd dance competitions and weird...
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Every person experiences pain, but life is about accepting and being able to release that pain. Sufjan Stevens is an artist who has never been shy about his pain. From anger, guilt, to memories of absence, Sufjan has poured out his heart into beautiful melodies. After a hiatus from...
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Evoking the soulful, funky psychedelic sounds of the late 60’s and early 70’s by capturing the vibe and the energy of the genre but with a unique feel for the present and expression all their own, Monophonics, a six-piece from San Francisco, celebrate the release of their new LP...
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Dan Deacon is nothing short of an electronic mastermind. Creator of infectious compositions and compelling melodies, Deacon became a household name in the electronic world after the success of 2008’s Spiderman of the Rings. In 2012, Deacon released America, which led to a new direction for the producer, using...
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My early, yet confident, prediction for Philly’s best concert of 2015 is between Belle & Sebastian, June 9th, at The Tower Theater, and The Ting Tings, this Friday, April 10th, at Union Transfer. While kings-of-twee Belle & Sebastian are, admittedly, my favorite band of all-time, Katie White and Jules...
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This past Friday Twin City power poppers Sick of Sarah announced the release of their upcoming EP, Anthem, due out June 30th. The EP is their first self-released effort, and while it was long in the works and displays a maturity and evolution in the band’s process, it maintains...
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In 2013 I was excited by no other artist more than Brooklyn-based Aly Spaltro, AKA Lady Lamb the Beekeeper, more recently known as simply Lady Lamb. The singer/songwriter was preparing the release of her debut LP, Ripely Pine, which hit shelves in February of ’13, which I described as...
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The last time Jolie Holland played Philly (at Milkboy) was her both most intimate and badass appearance in the City of Brotherly Love and Sisterly Affection in quite some time. Holland was supporting the 2014 release of Wine Dark Sea, an album that saw the artist, best known as...
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I’m not going to lie, I’m really glad that Dom La Nena and her latest album, SOYO, turned out to be quite amazing, because my initial interest in agreeing to cover her stemmed primarily from hearing that, in her late teens, she had toured with Jeanne Moreau, the actress...
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Like the recently profiled Whirr (but, perhaps, different in every other way), Tess Henley isn’t exactly a Philly artist (She’s based on the West Coast. Seattle, to be precise.), but I would consider her to be an honorary contributor to the music scene in the City of Brotherly Love...
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Although we at PHILTHY MAG aren’t necessarily interested in mainstream tastes or predicting trends in the listening habits of college students, it is nice to see friends do well for themselves… and our friends in The Last Bison, whom we first met in 2012, have come quite a long...
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Fortunately, if it can be called that, the more our culture seems to be becoming entrenched in spectacles that inform us of how we should be approaching our own lives – through life-like (or possibly more like “life-mildly-resembling”) media narratives, the more people seem to be calling “bullshit” on...
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“It’s just a rock show. Bring your drinking shoes!” Hardy Morris, best known as a founding member of alt. country psych rockers Dead Confederate, is telling me what to expect when his Diamond Rugs kick off their upcoming tour at the hyper-intimate – and even more divey – Ortlieb’s...
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Missy Mazzoli has been called “Brooklyn’s post-millennial Mozart” by Time Out New York. She’s written work that’s been performed by The Detroit Symphony, New York City Opera, and Minnesota Orchestra, among many noteworthy others. She’s currently working as Composer-in-Residence with Opera Philadelphia on an opera adaptation...
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Today sees the Blu-ray and DVD release of Michael Armstrong’s Mark of the Devil, a film that was sadly missing from my teen years. The 1970 tale of witch hunts (… and eventually rapes, tortures, and mutilations) in 18th century Austria may be most famous to its US release, accompanied...
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Critically acclaimed painter, rock musician and poet, Joseph Arthur brings his synergistic live performance to the Arden Concert Gild on Saturday, March 21st at 8:00 pm for a WXPN Welcomes show. Joseph Arthur’s influences span from a variety of sources from Jimi Hendrix to Picasso. His music catalog is vast...
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Brighton-based, London-born composer and performer Poppy Ackroyd is a beautifully postmodern entity of polarities. Classically trained in piano and composition, she lends herself to interdisciplinarity within the fine arts. In addition to her own “releases,” she often writes soundtracks to experimental video projects, theatre, and dance pieces; she is,...
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Since we last heard from Reno, Nevada’s Swahili they have become Portland, Oregon’s Swahili… And the lo-fi, avant-garde, highly-dissonant band with roots seemingly in the No Wave scene, have gone on to become somewhat of a pop group… Well, maybe more of a long-winded (The eight songs on their...
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Charming Disaster fall into that very charming category of old-friends-in-new-circumstances for us at PHILTHY. The duo is comprised of Sweet Soubrette leader Ellia Bisker and Kotorino leader Jeff Morris. The two have each become known for, all on their lonesome, balancing and orchestrating their “expandable and collapsible” Vaudeville-inspired, jazzy...
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“I’m an awkward person so it’s hard for me to deal with any reactions to my existence,” says Jessica Lea Mayfield, laughing slightly, but undoubtedly with complete sincerity. I had just asked her about her favorite responses to her latest project, which has the indie singer/songwriter — best known...
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On Sunday night, Union Transfer became a magical land packed full of tigers (with the exception of one llama)… well, according to one mystery man in a cape. Sound strange? Maybe. But for those who were in attendance for of Montreal’s concert… completely normal. As much as the night...
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San Francisco-born Moon Duo released their third LP, Shadow of the Sun, earlier this week on Sacred Bones. And while the record, which I would characterize as “psych rock with an ‘80s post-punk edge,” has been receiving praise as their best yet, the comparisons it’s been getting are somewhat...
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There is definitely a hyper-sensual quality to My Body’s brand of electro-pop… My Body are Jordan Bagnall and Darren Bridenbeck and they recently released their 6 Wives, EP, a collection of songs dripping with postmodern sonic eroticism, seeming to draw inspiration from the ‘90s sexiest kinds of R&B, dream...
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Northampton, Massachusetts rockers And the Kids characterize their sound as “conscious noise pop,” resenting the ambiguity of “indie rock.” Their Facebook page places them in the genre of, “unconscious, accessible, existential, indie, glitter, popsicle, crisis.” And their Twitter reveals that they’re fans of Belle & Sebastian, Purity Ring, MGMT,...
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The last time PHILTHY MAG caught up with Los Angeles’ Milo Greene was just last fall. The band; who have characterized themselves as “cinematic pop,” with the ultimate goal of scoring film and television; and who have all four members sharing lead vocal duties; were presently on the road...
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Despite being named after a presumably lame American road movie; whose only real cred comes from boasting cameos from the likes of Flea, Michael Pollard, and Garrett Morris; Russia’s Motorama is quite the cool Rock’N’Roll band. Next Tuesday, March 10th, the band are set to release their third LP,...
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When I first met Melissa Ann Sweat, better known as Lady Lazarus, she was quite enigmatic, with little available biographical information and very few photographic representations, yet she was very willing to open up to me in our chat which appeared on PHILTHY in September of 2013. She’d recently...
The Hunts are the most recent of “family bands” to enamor PHILTHY MAG (The Last Bison; Mission Zero; The Staves; Haim; He’s My Brother, She’s My Sister…) The Chesapeake, Virginia-based band of seven siblings are set to release their debut album, Those Younger Days, on June 9th, courtesy of...
Although Little May’s career may still been in its infancy, Hannah Field, Liz Drummond, and Annie Hamilton are lifelong friends. And despite the fact that the band is still kinda a new thing, they’ve already achieved some pretty lofty accomplishments: more than one million Soundcloud plays in just a...
