Philthy Mag
  • Band Interviews
    PUP & Jeff Rosenstock’s A CATACLYSMIC RAPTURE OF FRIENDSHIPNESS: “We’re…
  • Live Events
    The Brian Jonestown Massacre Return to Union Transfer (9/10 w/…
  • Band Interviews
    Daisy the Great Talk Creating Worlds and Dream Worlds for…
    Philthy Mag
      • Band Interviews
        • PUP & Jeff Rosenstock’s A CATACLYSMIC RAPTURE OF FRIENDSHIPNESS: “We’re…
          PUP & Jeff Rosenstock’s A CATACLYSMIC RAPTURE OF FRIENDSHIPNESS: “We’re…
        • Daisy the Great Talk Creating Worlds and Dream Worlds for…
          Daisy the Great Talk Creating Worlds and Dream Worlds for…
        • shower curtain’s Victoria Winter Talks Highlights of LP #1 (9/9…
          shower curtain’s Victoria Winter Talks Highlights of LP #1 (9/9…
        • Frankie Cosmos Bring Their Best Sounding and Most-Equipment-Having Show Ever…
          Frankie Cosmos Bring Their Best Sounding and Most-Equipment-Having Show Ever…
        • Youth Code Bring “a god tier lineup of solid music”…
          Youth Code Bring “a god tier lineup of solid music”…
        • The Pogues (and friends) Bring Rum Sodomy & The Lash…
          The Pogues (and friends) Bring Rum Sodomy & The Lash…
      • Music Reviews
        • “Make my tattoos melt in the heat”: My Chemical Romance…
          “Make my tattoos melt in the heat”: My Chemical Romance…
        • Modest Mouse Keeps It Cool at The Mann
          Modest Mouse Keeps It Cool at The Mann
        • The Warning Bring the Rock Spectacle to a Theater Near…
          The Warning Bring the Rock Spectacle to a Theater Near…
        • The City of Brotherly Love and Sisterly Affection KNOWS Katie…
          The City of Brotherly Love and Sisterly Affection KNOWS Katie…
        • Lauren Mayberry’s Return to Union Transfer
          Lauren Mayberry’s Return to Union Transfer
        • Adrianne Lenker Brings the Bright Future Era to a Close…
          Adrianne Lenker Brings the Bright Future Era to a Close…
      • Friko Gets Headlining (3/4 at The Foundry): “We’re trying to combine the raw energy and bombastic-ness with subtleties…”

        izzy
        February 28, 2025
        The last time I spoke with Chicago indie rock duo Friko – comprised of vocalist/guitarist Niko Kapetan and drummer Bailey Minzenberger – was in November of 2023.  They’d just announced their signing to ATO Records (home of phriends of PHILTHY like Deer Tick, Honey Harper, Joseph, Margaret Glaspy, Neal Francis, and Pink Mountaintops),...
      • Morgan St. Jean Brings Her One-Woman Show to the City of Brotherly Love and Sisterly Affection, 2/28 at KFN w/ Neriah

        izzy
        February 26, 2025
        “It’s like a sleepover party every night!” jokes Morgan St. Jean about her current tour, which kicked off last night in Washinton DC and will find the feminist pop artist playing a rare all-ages show at our very own Kung Fu Necktie this Friday, February 28th.  The jaunt has...
      • Stephen Day: “I wanted to fuse these two worlds of music that I love, but it’s ultimately just me.” (3/1 at MilkBoy)

        izzy
        February 26, 2025
        “I’ve played MilkBoy before and it was one of the best nights of the tour!  People in Philly are the best!” proclaims modern crooner Stephen Day, before going on to characterize the City of Brotherly Love and Sisterly Affection as having some of the best energy of any city. ...
      • Lauren Mayberry’s Return to Union Transfer

        izzy
        February 21, 2025
        Lauren Mayberry’s Vicious Creature Tour is highly competitive.  It’s currently in competition for Most Wall-to-Wall Bangers in a Headlining Set, Most Tear-Inducing Cover (a timely take on The Verve’s “Bitter Sweet Symphony”), and Most Impressive Solo Performance From Someone in a Huge Band of 2025.  Although the CHVRCHES frontwoman...
      • Make Them Suffer: “We are coming to fuck shit up. Bring positive vibes and rock out with us.” (3/2 at Brooklyn Bowl)

        izzy
        February 19, 2025
        The City of Brotherly Love and Sisterly Affection has become pretty well acquainted with Australian deathcore band Make Them Suffer over the years, with more than half a dozen shows since the release of 2015 sophomore LP Old Souls, most recently with an April 2024 stop at Theatre of...
      • Movements Drop “Where I Lay” as They Prepare for Their Return to The Fillmore, 3/15

        izzy
        February 19, 2025
        Today California post-hardcore outfit Movements released their latest single (and accompanying visualizer), “Where I Lay,” courtesy of longtime home Fearless Records.  “It’s really emotionally vulnerable and it had me revisiting places with my writing that I hadn’t explored in a while.  It’s for anyone else out there who feels...
      • Molly Grace: “For those who saw the last Philly show, it’s gonna be a level up!” (2/21 at The Foundry)

        izzy
        February 5, 2025
        “I do a lot of thinking about when people come to a Molly Grace show, like ‘What do I want them to take away from it?’  The goal is for people to feel empowered,” says the Nashville-based, always sparkling, queer pop artist, before quickly clarifying that it’s just as...
      • The Second Chapter of Sextile: “We’re a whole new band, almost as if we started over.” (2/12 at FMH w/ Molchat Doma)

        izzy
        February 5, 2025
        “Some bands make the best shit in the beginning, but I feel like we’re the opposite,” laughs Melissa Scaduto, co-founder of LA-based trio Sextile.  Sextile are currently amidst a nearly two-month tour, playing the biggest rooms of their career as support for Sacred Bones labelmates Molchat Doma, which will...
      • Ari Abdul: “Every show is super exciting because I get to bring all the music to life.” (2/11 at The Met w/ Nessa Barrett)

        izzy
        February 4, 2025
        Last March, the God’s Watching Tour had emerging alt-pop heroine Ari Abdul (alongside Isabel LaRosa) headlining The Foundry.  At the time, Ari was touring behind 2023 sophomore EP CCTV, the follow-up to the previous year’s Fallen Angel, which featured debut and breakthrough single, “BABYDOLL.”  A year and a handful...
      • Anya Marina: “It feels like the perfect time to take a leap.” (2/8 at JB’s w/ Matt Pond PA)

        izzy
        February 3, 2025
        Singer/songwriter Anya Marina has spent the past half-decade opening sold-out comedy shows for BFF and former roommate Nikki Glaser in theatres across America.  Although I’m picturing drunken bachelorette parties talking over Marina’s indie pop as they fall into their seats, she tells me during a recent phone chat that...
      • Rubblebucket Make Their Underground Arts Debut (2/6): “We’ve got a lot of tricks up our sleeves, as usual!”

        izzy
        February 3, 2025
        A few weeks ago, Brooklyn based, funk-infused, psychedelic indie-dance pop legends Rubblebucket released a cover of The Moldy Peaches’ “Anyone Else But You.”  The song — which opens with the line, “You’re a part time lover and a full time friend” —  seems like the perfect fit for the...
      • Molly Lewis on How to Be a Professional Whistler (1/31 at World Cafe Live)

        izzy
        January 22, 2025
        “Molly Lewis, professional whistler,” (as she’s characterized by NPR) is likely not quite a household name at this point, but there’s a reasonable chance that you saw Lewis last summer opening The Mann for Beck with the Philadelphia Orchestra or perhaps supporting Weyes Blood for her two nights at...
      • Jordana Brings Opening Night of the Lively Premonition Tour to Johnny Brenda’s, 1/24: “I love it there!”

        izzy
        January 20, 2025
        “I’m gonna have rehearsal every day for a week, so I’m gonna sound great for ya!” Jordana Nye, best known simply as Jordana, playfully proclaims during a recent phone chat.  This coming Friday, January 24th, Jordana will kick off the monthlong Lively Premonition Tour at our very own Johnny...
      • Three Reasons: Soccer Mommy Returns to Eraserhood (1/25 at Union Transfer)

        izzy
        January 20, 2025
        Congratulations to those of you who got the Criterion reference in the title!  It seemed fitting, as Sophie Allison has recently been rebranded (on some scale) as not only the woman behind Soccer Mommy, but a part-time cinephile and potential film critic in the making…  Prior to a feature...
      • Half Waif’s Nandi Rose on Bringing Communal Healing, Connection, and Grief Rituals to the Road (TONIGHT at MilkBoy)

        izzy
        January 10, 2025
        We’ve seen Nandi Rose, AKA Half Waif, a lot in the City of Brotherly Love and Sisterly Affection over the past decade or so, from shows at PhilaMOCA and Everybody Hits, to opening Boot & Saddle for hovvdy and Land of Talk, and providing support for both Julien Baker...
      • Puzzled Panther Comes to Philthy on the Casa Gogol Holiday Tour (12/30 at Brooklyn Bowl)

        izzy
        December 24, 2024
        “You can expect an unhinged, ganza-tronic musical experience full of all kinds of artists of different genres…  It’s definitely a family affair, a lot of surprise guest situations.  We’re all friends and we all genuinely love to collaborate,” says Puzzled Panther of the Casa Gogol Holiday Tour, this year’s...
      • Kelsy Karter & The Heroines: “We don’t make music to be some fast and viral moment…” (2/13 at The Foundry)

        izzy
        December 21, 2024
        If you’re someone who thinks it’s been a little too long since we’ve had a great rock opera, then Kelsy Karter & The Heroines’ sophomore full-length, Love Made Me Do It, just might be your first favorite album of 2025…  The band – comprised of Aussie frontwoman Kelsy Karter...
      • The Felice Brothers Return to Brooklyn Bowl, 12/28: “They are great places to play… And if you get bored, you can go bowling.”

        izzy
        December 21, 2024
        “I was worried it’s like cheating, releasing something like this, but if the material is good, and it sounds good, there you go,” jokes James Felice of folk rock/country rock outfit The Felice Brothers during a recent chat.  He’s referring to Valley of Abandoned Songs, the group’s latest full-length,...
      • Greywind’s Philthy Debut: “You can expect theatrical moments, fun and lots of emotion!” (12/14 at FUC w/ Tiny Moving Parts)

        izzy
        December 13, 2024
        The time of year for live music is nearly gone, but there are still a handful of great shows coming to the City of Brotherly Love and Sisterly Affection before 2024 calls it quits…  Tomorrow, December 14th, Irish brother/sister emo duo Greywind will make their Philthy debut when they...
      • Karina Rykman: “It’s gonna be an old school Philly throwdown!” (TONIGHT at The Foundry)

        izzy
        December 13, 2024
        “It’s been such an insane whirlwind of a year.  I’ve hardly had a second to catch my breath…  When you’re swept up in it, it’s hard to reflect and put a bow on it,” says singer, songwriter, bassist extraordinaire, and phriend of PHILTHY Karina Rykman when I ask about...
      • Cryogeyser Comes to The Church: “I feel like all my songs are prayers to a higher power…” [12/8 w/ Wednesday (solo)]

        izzy
        December 7, 2024
        This summer LA’s Cryogeyser dropped their first new music in almost three years, with a trio of singles (“Sorry,” “Blue Light,” and “Fortress”) that dropped in July, September, and October, respectively.  The singles are the first music to feature the band’s current lineup, which has guitarist/vocalist/mainperson Shawn Marom joined...
      • Alisa Amador: “Playing big stages and festivals is exhilarating, but I honestly love playing in smaller rooms.” (12/7 at WCL)

        izzy
        December 6, 2024
        Last March Alisa Amador graced the stage of The Lounge at World Café Live alongside Emily Scott Robinson and Violet Bell, who were touring behind Robinson’s 2022 Built on Bones EP, a collection of songs written for the Witches of Shakespeare’s Macbeth which features Amador and Violet Bell on...
      • Chelsea Wolfe on Playing Churches, Stripping Down, and Drawing the Right People In (12/7 and 12/9 at The Church)

        izzy
        December 4, 2024
        The last time we saw Chelsea Wolfe at the First Unitarian Church was in 2013, when the singer/songwriter played two beautifully haunting acoustic shows in one night at the ultra-intimate Chapel of the historic church and venue.  However, this coming Saturday (12/7) and Monday (12/9) Wolfe will return to...
      • Rachel Bochner Opens Underground Arts for girli: “If you are a clinically insane lovergirl, you do not wanna miss it!!!” (12/5)

        izzy
        December 3, 2024
        Rachel Bochner is currently our phavorite burgeoning queer pop icon in the making.  We’ve been Twitter mutuals for a little while and I found out recently that she’s besties with likeminded queer pop phenom Xana, who we got to know earlier this year.  The two actually played Philthy mini...
      • Uniform’s Michael Berdan on American Standard, The 215, and His Favorite Music of 2024 (12/4 at JB’s w/ Pharmakon)

        izzy
        December 2, 2024
        “I remember playing Stalag 13 in 1998 felt like playing Madison Square Garden, and there were probably 10 people at the show,” says a laughing Michael Berdan, vocalist for NYC noise outfit Uniform (whose demeanor is far more lighthearted than Uniform’s sounds would suggest).  For those unfamiliar, Stalag 13...
      • Xeno & Oaklander Wrap 2024 in Philthy (12/21 at MilkBoy)

        izzy
        December 1, 2024
        “I’m most definitely really excited to play in the middle of the desert in Joshua Tree, California,” says Liz Wendelbo, one-half of synth-pop duo Xeno & Oaklander, who kicked off a tour mid-November, which on December 10th will have them playing Landers, California’s Retreat Center, to which she refers. ...
      • Adrianne Lenker Brings the Bright Future Era to a Close at Union Transfer

        izzy
        November 29, 2024
        “I’m not gonna play another show for 11 months, which is awesome for me… and my nervous system… but it’s bittersweet,” says Adrianne Lenker two songs into her second sold-out performance at Union Transfer in as many nights.  The vocalist, guitarist, and primary songwriter of indie folk icons Big...
      • GAEREA Drop By Tattooed Mom Before Kicking off Their Biggest North American Tour Yet, 11/23 at UT (w/ Zeal & Ardor)

        izzy
        November 20, 2024
        Last year masked and anonymous Portuguese extreme metal outfit GAEREA played two packed shows in the City of Brotherly Love and Sisterly Affection.  And this Saturday, 11/23, they’ll be playing their biggest local date yet at Union Transfer, with opening night of avant-garde metal band Zeal & Ardor’s North...
      • Sun June Returns to Johnny Brenda’s (11/21): “We’re gonna be dustin’ off some old ones.”

        izzy
        November 19, 2024
        “I know we can kind of have a sweet sound to a passerby, but it’s got some hurt, too, much like Philly has,” says Laura Colwell, frontwoman of Austin, Texas-born (but currently spread out) outfit Sun June, whose sound the group have long referred to as “regret pop.”  Despite...
      • Get to Know yunè pinku, Wednesday (11/20) at Union Transfer (w/ Caribou)

        izzy
        November 18, 2024
        This August, Canadian composer and musician Caribou performed a free pop-up DJ set at our very own Bok Bar Rooftop, prior to the October release of his Honey LP (via Merge Records and City Slang) and his subsequent headlining tour, which kicked off earlier this month and will find...
      • Orla Gartland, As Intimate as it’s Gonna Get

        izzy
        November 17, 2024
        Johnny Brenda’s has hosted several exceptionally quick sell-outs of soon-to-be superstars this year, notably hyperpop chanteuse Hannah Diamond and queer country icon CMAT.  However, none have seemed to be quite as destined for superstardom as Dublin-born, London-based singer/songwriter Orla Gartland, who played an immediately sold-out show on her immediately...
      • Midwife’s Life on the Road (11/25 at Underground Arts w/ Blood Incantation)

        izzy
        November 13, 2024
        Last week Midwife (moniker of Madeline Johnston), purveyor of what she describes as “Heaven Metal,” hit the road for a month of dates supporting Denver death metal outfit Blood Incantation.  Johnston is touring behind Midwife’s fourth studio album, No Depression In Heaven, which dropped in September courtesy of longtime...
      • Pond Returns to Eraserhood: “We’re feeling very tight at the moment, so we’ll bring the ruckus.” (11/14 at UT)

        izzy
        November 13, 2024
        Australian psych rockers Pond have had quite the busy 2024, dropping their first-ever double album (Stung!) this summer and releasing a full concert video (Live at the Lodge Room) last month, chronicling the conclusion of the band’s tour of the US this May.  (Although, releasing 10 studio albums in...
      • SASAMI on Trying Pop: “I’m always trying to learn as much as I’m trying to create.” (11/15 at UT w/ Destroy Boys)

        izzy
        November 11, 2024
        “Hausu and Japanese horror were really big inspirations for Squeeze, whereas for the new one it was Thelma & Louise, denim, and big ‘80s hair,” Sasami Ashworth, better known mononymously as SASAMI, tells me of her upcoming third solo LP (She’s a former member of Cherry Glazerr.), Blood on...
      • Odie Leigh: “Every night is just a new opportunity to push ourselves and have as much fun as possible.” (11/16 at The Church)

        izzy
        November 10, 2024
        “I’m not really a concert person.  I honestly usually find it boring,” confesses Odie Leigh during a recent phone chat.  However, the Louisiana-born, Detroit-based singer/songwriter has been on the road pretty steadily for about a year and a half now, and has been touring behind her debut LP —...
      • Alice Phoebe Lou Drops “Better” as Clairo Tour Winds Down

        izzy
        November 8, 2024
        This past Friday and Saturday Clairo put on her biggest shows ever in the City of Brotherly Love and Sisterly Affection, with two sold-out nights that filled the cavernous (almost Factory-like…) Franklin Music Hall with fans whose adoration of the bedroom-pop-icon-turned-her-generation’s-foremost-purveyor-of-soft-rock bordered on Beatlemania.  The performances had the 26-year-old...
      • Meet Coco & Clair Clair’s “baby girl,” 11/7 at Theatre of Living Arts

        izzy
        November 5, 2024
        The last time we saw Coco & Clair Clair in the City of Brotherly Love and Sisterly Affection was April of last year, when the Atlanta rap duo headlined the 450-capacity Foundry.  However, this Thursday, November 7th, they’ll be headlining Theatre of Living Arts, the legendary South Street venue...
      • MARIS on Playing the Vibe Captain (11/8 at Brooklyn Bowl w/ Melt)

        izzy
        November 4, 2024
        “There’s choreography, I have a lot of crowd work, I love feeling like I’m the vibe captain, bringing people together and facilitating energy,” says burgeoning queer pop star MARIS, who’s currently nearing the end of a tour supporting NYC indie-soul group Melt, which will have her at our very...
      • Louisa Stancioff: “Get me a feeling” (A Playlist) (11/6 at JB’s w/ Blitzen Trapper)

        izzy
        November 3, 2024
        PHILTHY MAG has gotten to know Yep Roc recording artist Louisa Stancioff pretty well throughout the course of 2024.  We first chatted with the Maine-based indie folk singer/songwriter in April, prior to the release of debut LP When We Were Looking, and we last spoke to her just last...
      • Atta Boy, On the Road for the First Time (TONIGHT at World Cafe Live)

        izzy
        October 30, 2024
        Atta Boy took eight long years between their first and second LP… so it’s not entirely surprising that it was more than a decade into their career before the Americana-tinged indie pop outfit embarked on their first proper tour…  The L.A.-born quartet formed in high school and released their...
      • Allie X Talks Fans, #feelingX, and, “pushing culture forward and pissing off the assholes.” (11/1 at The Foundry)

        izzy
        October 28, 2024
        “Personally, I haven’t celebrated Halloween in quite a while… because I’m, you know, considered witchy and gothy.  I always get associated with Halloween,” says Allie X during a recent Zoom chat, laughing.  However, this Thursday, October 31st, is a big occasion for the Canadian synth-pop savant, who will be...
      • Hinds’ Ana Perrote: “Being on tour is what keeps me sane!” (10/25 at WCL AND First Unitarian Church)

        izzy
        October 21, 2024
        It’s been more than six years since we’ve seen Spanish alt-rockers Hinds in the City of Brotherly Love and Sisterly Affection…  But this Friday, October 25th, you’ll have two chances to see the Madrid-based duo in the 215, when they’ll be playing a midday set at World Café Live...
      • Anna Shoemaker Talks Moving, Moving On, and Full Circle Moments (10/24 at WCL and 12/6 at BB)

        izzy
        October 20, 2024
        “I feel like every time I come to Philly now is a full circle moment,” says indie-pop singer/songwriter Anna Shoemaker, who is currently New York-based, but hails from the City of Brotherly Love and Sisterly Affection.  The last time we spoke — in celebration of her last official stop...
      • Flashing Back to 2022 with Boris and Starcrawler (10/19 at UT)

        izzy
        October 15, 2024
        For the second year in a row, Boris are giving us a massive Fall “classic album” tour!!  Last year we saw the Japanese experimental metal legends doing Heavy Rocks (2002), alongside Melvins, who were doing 1991’s Bullhead, featuring Boris’ namesake.  And this year the Tokyo band are taking it...
      • Lauren Calve: “These songs came out of these introspective, deep moments…” (10/21 at City Winery w/ John Douglas)

        izzy
        October 13, 2024
        “I’ve been transitioning into maybe an indie shift in the singer/songwriter genre.  I mean, a blonde woman playing acoustic guitar doesn’t really resonate like it once did .  Not that there’s anything wrong with that,” says blonde singer/songwriter Lauren Calve, laughing.  Calve admits to growing up listening to a...
      • Daffo Talks First Unitarian Church Debut: “DIY shows are just the best!” (10/17 w/ illuminati hotties)

        izzy
        October 13, 2024
        The last time we spoke with Daffo was just six months ago, when the Brooklyn-based singer/songwriter (who resided in the City of Brotherly Love and Sisterly Affection not so long ago) was on their very first tour, supporting alt-rockers Sir Chloe, which included a stop at The Foundry.  However,...
      • Louisa Stancioff Reflects on Debut LP: “I think it’s finding the people that it needs to…” (10/16 at MilkBoy AND 11/6 at JB’s)

        izzy
        October 13, 2024
        “You can expect lots of harmonies, lots of silly stage banter, and lots of fun arrangements of sad songs,” says Maine-based indie folk singer/songwriter Louisa Stancioff of her first of two upcoming appearances in the City of Brotherly Love and Sisterly Affection.  On October 16th Stancioff, Molly Parden, and...
      • Stars Celebrate 20 Years of Set Yourself on Fire @ Union Transfer

        payton-jade
        October 7, 2024
        Last month, Canadian indie-rock icons Stars celebrated the 20th anniversary of their breakthrough album, Set Yourself on Fire, by playing the entire record in full at Union Transfer.  It was an amazing night – the band sounded as tight as ever, adoring fans sang along to every song.  The...
      • The Sisters Of Mercy @ The Met Philadelphia

        payton-jade
        October 7, 2024
        Last month, English post-punks The Sisters of Mercy played their second show in the City of Brotherly Love and Sisterly Affection is as many years, after a 14-year gap.  This time around they found themselves at The Met, which felt significantly more like a casual goth/industrial dance party than...
      • Dying Wish Return to The Church: “There is so much history in that room and you can really feel it.” (10/28)

        izzy
        October 7, 2024
        Tonight, Portland metalcore outfit Dying Wish kick off a nearly monthlong double-headlining jaunt with Long Island, New York hardcore band Pain of Truth (where they’ll be joined by support acts Outta Pocket and Balmora), which will feature Dying Wish’s third show at First Unitarian Church on October 28th.  In...
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      Philthy Mag
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