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This Monday saw my generation’s simultaneously noisiest and dreamiest shoegazers, Blonde Redhead, play to an unfortunately sparse crowd at Union Transfer. Despite the lack of a turn out, the New York City band’s set far from unimpressed, including a cross-section of the band’s catalogue throughout the past twenty years...
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In nearly every piece of press they’ve received, September Girls’ sound has been characterized as “noise pop,” in addition to a seemingly obligatory, “Jesus & Mary Chain, but with_____.” Comparisons to The Cure and MBV have also been aplenty. However, their latest EP (the follow-up to the band’s debut,...
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2014’s most pleasantly surprising home video release is undoubtedly Eagle Vision’s release of Feast of Friends on DVD and Blu-ray this Tuesday… The short documentary, shot in 1968 and produced by and about The Doors, is the quintessential cinematic documentation of the band at their peak of success… which...
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Although I’m hearing about her for the first time this past Halloween… Apparently Grumpy Cat is a already pretty big deal… Grumpy Cat is an endearingly crabby kitty who went viral on YouTube and has, over the past two-and-a-half years, been featured on the covers of The Wall Street...
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Brooklyn artist, Rush Midnight, took the stage on this cold and windy night where fans were in for a treat on South Street in Philadelphia on Sunday, November 2 at The Theater of Living Arts as openers for Canadian pop stars, Lights. Former talented Twin Shadow bass player, Russ Manning...
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One of my most pleasant musical surprises of 2014 was when Michigan’s Frontier Ruckus took the stage of Boot & Saddle this August… The band has been together for slightly over a decade now, churning out folksy, bluegrassy, country-shaded Americana roots rock… something I’ve become quite a fan of...
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Earlier this Fall I experienced my first arena show in more than six years… It turned out not to be something I had missed… However, sometimes I do crave a live experience with an icon of my youth… someone unlikely to find themselves on the stage of Johnny Brenda’s...
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Toronto’s The Rural Alberta Advantage have always held a special place in my heart. They were one of the first acts that I ever properly “covered” as a “music critic” and I still have the self-released DIY edition of their debut LP, Hometowns… in addition to the “official” version...
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It’s no secret that PHILTHY is a major fan of the sounds of Tennessee. However, while we’re generally most focused on Nashville-based acts, our favorite Tennessee artist at the moment is Nots, based out of Memphis. The four-piece is comprised of Natalie Hoffmann (guitar), Charlotte Watson (drums), Madison Farmer...
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Every so often I have an incredibly touching and meaningful interview and it isn’t because it’s with someone who was necessarily a personal idol of my adolescence, but because I get to chat with an undeniably admirable musician, who actually really seems to open up to me about their...
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Brooklyn indie folk pop outfit Oh Honey began just last year, yet they’ve already, in a sense, come full circle. The quartet, whose core of singer/songwriter Mitchy Collins and vocalist Danielle Bouchard are rounded out by drummer Robbie Ernst and guitarist Ian Holubiak, was named for Collins’ favorite episode...
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If you’re a gen Yer who’s recently entered your third decade on the planet, I suspect that these November “From the Vault” releases of classic Rolling Stones performances might be the absolute perfect Christmas gift for your very favorite Coors-light-drinking uncle (who likely recently entered his sixth decade on this...
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Ex Hex ROCKS: Plain and simple. There is no holding back the urge to jump around and play “raucous” air guitar and drums with a bit of glitter thrown in. My first connection with this power pop punk band, Ex Hex, was earlier this year fronted by Mary Timony...
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Over the past few years Norway’s Highasakite have become some of PHILTHY MAG’s favorite musical acts, international or otherwise. I’d like to think we’ve also gotten to know them quite well. We first chatted with vocalist Ingrid Helene Håvik in April of 2013, and then got the chance to...
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Whether you’re planning on dressing up like a Basic Witch (The cutest costume idea I’ve heard all season, dreamt up by our lovely friend, Cristina Black.), a black-denim-and-leather-clad member of a girl gang (as I plan to dress), or a beloved character courtesy of Wes Anderson (as our LZ...
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The Arden Concert Gild will host two emerging indie rock bands this Saturday night October 25th at 8:00 pm, Fiancé and Soil & the Sun at The Gild Hall in Arden with opener, Maiden Names. The night is sure to be highlighted by some chill producing, updated and rocking...
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Although I rarely leave Center City Philadelphia, the fondness I’ve had in recent years for Americana revivalists apparently suggests that I may actually quite like what’s currently going on in Tucson, Arizona. I recently had the pleasure of meeting Tucson five-piece Run Boy Run… albeit on an unfortunately technologically...
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Dream pop-rock pioneers, The Ocean Blue streams into The World Café Live at the Queen in Wilmington, Delaware on Thursday, October 23rd with Cliff Hillis opening and then at World Café in Philly on Sunday, October 26th with opener Riverside. Having spawned several “modern rock” hits from the late 80’s to...
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I can’t deny that the “surprise” appearance of Jackson Browne and Fiona Apple at Blake Mills’ performance at World Café Live Last week was one of my musical highlights of 2014. However, it wasn’t the tentative possibility of seeing the legendary singer/songwriters, in a 200-capacity setup, that drew me...
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Helen Croome, better known as Gossling, is another one of those actually delightful musical entities that has come to us not via the pages of NME or as a recommendation courtesy of our favorite songstress, but via the soundtrack to the likes of So You Think You Can Dance,...
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As a music critic who often gets bored with contemporary sonic trends and, in actuality, much prefers the world of cinema, Los Angeles’ Milo Greene is quite refreshing. The band characterize themselves as “cinematic pop,” and have claimed that the primary goal in putting the band together was to...
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PHILTHY readers may realize I first became smitten with Leeds’ Black Moth about a year ago… quite smitten in fact… albeit “smitten” would seem an odd word to describe a rowdy group of lads and a lass who regularly don torn and studded black denim and leather and kick...
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Do you have any idea how difficult it is for a radical leftist, genderqueer, humanities professor not to champion people like Lætitia Sadier? So yes, a fondness for the French, postmodern, Marx-influenced chanteuse and composer may be a bit obvious, but I think it’s more than warranted. Although best...
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Lia Ices and Phantogram may be the most perfectly suited odd couple on tour all year. The former, in the support slot, a whimsically ethereal, electro-leaning, beat-making singer/songwriter. The latter, and headliner, a full-blown electro-pop spectacle. The former is best suited for endearingly awkward summer makeout sessions… The latter...
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NYC trio New Myths strike a pretty profound existential chord for me for a few reasons… Not only is their debut LP, Give Me Noise, out on my very own 30th birthday, October 14th… but their morbidly danceable, often-synthetic, sounds remind me of my most lovely angsty teen years,...
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We’re a humble, modest lot here at PHILTHY MAG… We know that our taste might not necessarily hold much sway… but we’re quite the fans of Sweden’s Little Dragon… and so are Damon Albarn, Pharrell Williams, and our very own Questlove, who proclaims them to be his favorite band. ...
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Slothrust are the kind of power trio that you’d assume had played the second stage at Lollapalooza in 1994… The jams they kick out run the gamut from chaotic power pop to lo-fi, introspective art rock… yet they also have a background in jazz and blues. They have both...
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Philthy Mag is proud to announce the 10/3 National Realty Gallery opening reception for the PHL project, designed by local Philadelphia Artist Monica O. O, a graduate of Temple’s Graphic Design program has garnered a lot of attention for her design work that is based on local Philadelphia architecture....
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Is it just me or is there something sexy going on right now where many of music’s hippest entities are returning to their popular sonic loves of childhood in the 1990s? It seems that so many of my favorite bands of recent years are exploring sounds reminiscent of those...
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Erika M. Anderson, better known as EMA, has a somewhat schizophrenic sonic bibliography. She first came into the indie music spotlight as a guitarist for experimental rockers Amps for Christ. She later went on as a member of Bay Area avant-garde folk group Gowns. However, for about half a...
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In a time when I find myself tripping and face-planting over the sheer number of bands evoking the sounds of the ‘90s on a daily basis, it’s nice to hear an artist yearning for an aesthetic of a different era. Portland, Oregon duo Pure Bathing Culture, comprised of Dan...
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Black Rebel Motorcycle Club will always hold a very special place in my heart. I first saw them in 2001, two weeks before their debut album was out (I have a T from that gig that I still wear to this day.) To see them since earn their title...
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Despite a radical socio-political resentment toward the husband/wife dynamic, you’ve likely noticed that we at PHILTHY MAG are actually quite the fan of a number of husband/wife musical duos (Maybe I should re-think my cultural politics.)… And for the past half-decade or so, few have been more both prevalent...
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Coves are the kind of classical rock band (not a “classic rock band,” which are all lame as shit) that you can’t not love. Clad in tight black leather and Victorian pea coats as they churn out fuzzy, intellectual psychedelic sounds that could be equally at home at Andy...
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Coming from an art school background (literally), I’ve always been taught to pay special attention to art that responds to (or compliments) another work of art (especially of a different medium)… i.e. Black Francis’ odes to cinema, Godard’s critique of popular music, etc., so I find AroarA to be...
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Boundless indie rock excitement is coming to Arden, Delaware. Philadelphia’s own, Strand of Oaks, a special welcoming by WXPN will take over The Arden Gild Hall in Arden, Delaware this Thursday evening, September 18 at 8:30 pm with opener Christopher Denny. The indie folk rock local mastermind,Timothy Showalter (a.k.a. Strand...
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St. Louis-residing, Chicago-born Sleepy Kitty are yet another delightful band of recent history that has repositioned a hero of ‘90s alt rock as a contemporary and fresh musical force to be reckoned with… at least for those with taste. Sleepy Kitty is comprised of former Harvey Danger drummer Evan...
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Teach Me Equals are one of PHILTHY’s rarely explored acts that’s actually from Philadelphia… sort of. Teach Me Equals are comprised of New Jersey native Greg Bortnichak and Florida native Erin Murphy, who currently claim Sarasota, FL and Philly to have joint custody of their talents. Teach Me Equals...
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Late last year I caught up with Maya Miller, drummer and one-half of hyper-gritty Canadian garage outfit, The Pack A.D. Miller and musical partner Becky Black were preparing to release their fifth full-length, Do Not Engage, which hit US shelves courtesy of Nettwerk on January 28th. The album, which Maya...
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There are two things I absolutely love: sick house parties and (two) drops of X. Better known as Jamie XX, Jamie Smith gave plenty of both at his September 4th show at Union Transfer. With an engulfing bass line and dreamlike layers of steel drums and echoing vocals, Jamie’s...
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Orlando’s Flashlights are yet another band rampantly gaining comparisons to ‘90s alt rockers. Built to Spill, Neutral Milk Hotel, Sebadoh all seem to be in the mix of critical characterizations. However, with so many bands actively admitting that the ‘90s are, indeed, their one true love, in a recent...
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PHILTHY (in addition, to Philly) is a well-documented friend of Nashville. Some of our favorite people come from “Music City”: Nikki Lane, Those Darlins, Tristen, Lindi Ortega, Heavy Cream, The Ettes… And we’ve recently befriended yet another Nashville act, yet they’re pretty much miles away from anything garage or...
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I first met Sandra Vu a little more than a year ago. She was currently learning how to transition from drummer to frontwoman in SISU and she admits it was a bit scary. SISU’s debut LP, Blood Tears, has been out for almost a year now and has garnered comparisons...
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London trio Flowers first came together when Rachel Kenedy responded to an ad that stated, “In search of a singer to make music like Madonna through a broken tape machine.” The ad was placed by Sam Ayres, a guitarist with equal affection for pure pop of the 1980s and...
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HT Heartache’s latest record, Sundowner, apparently isn’t a sad album… but that sure is hard to tell while listening to it. HT Heartache is the project of Los Angeles-based musician Mary Roth, whose genre she describes as “Down Tempo, Gothic, Country”… which is about right. The album embraces, a...
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While PHILTHY loves Beach Day, Philly has failed to show the Hollywood, Florida band too much brotherly love or sisterly affection… Sadly, none of the girl-group-inspired garage surf rock outfit’s three Philadelphia appearances last year were welcomed with especially inspiring attendances. In fact, in my most recent chat with...
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LA babes are cool. LA’s Babes are also a cool group of musicians. Their rallying cry is, “We’re horny. And we’re sad,” the two emotional states that they find to produce the most profound works of art. They are comprised of siblings Zack Leigh, Aaron Leigh, and Sarah Rayne...
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I’ve been musing on it for the past hour and I’m delighted and frustrated to say that I can’t think of a single musical collaboration since Lou Reed and John Cale rekindled their relationship to record 1990’s Songs For Drella to strike me as being as profound as Jenny...
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Apparently when The Rosebuds rolled into town last week for their August 7th show at Boot & Saddle they were expecting a hater or two… According to vocalist/guitarist/programmer Ivan Howard the last time the band was in town, which had them performing Sade’s Love Deluxe in its entirety at...
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Buddy is a guy who’s as likeable as his name would imply. Buddy is also not simply a guy, but a band… but also still a guy… Like nearly every outfit I’ve interviewed this summer (seriously, just look at the site), Buddy began as a singer/songwriter, but evolved into...
This Monday saw my generation’s simultaneously noisiest and dreamiest shoegazers, Blonde Redhead, play to an unfortunately sparse crowd at Union Transfer. Despite the lack of a turn out, the New York City band’s set far from unimpressed, including a cross-section of the band’s catalogue throughout the past twenty years...
In nearly every piece of press they’ve received, September Girls’ sound has been characterized as “noise pop,” in addition to a seemingly obligatory, “Jesus & Mary Chain, but with_____.” Comparisons to The Cure and MBV have also been aplenty. However, their latest EP (the follow-up to the band’s debut,...
