Philthy Mag
  • Band Interviews
    Daya Talks Merging Genres, Her First Decade in Music, and…
  • Band Interviews
    Liz Cooper Talks New Day: “The whole purpose was to…
  • Band Interviews
    Flashing Back to 2018 (and 2016) with BRONCHO (Double Vanity…
    Philthy Mag
      • Band Interviews
        • Daya Talks Merging Genres, Her First Decade in Music, and…
          Daya Talks Merging Genres, Her First Decade in Music, and…
        • Liz Cooper Talks New Day: “The whole purpose was to…
          Liz Cooper Talks New Day: “The whole purpose was to…
        • Flashing Back to 2018 (and 2016) with BRONCHO (Double Vanity…
          Flashing Back to 2018 (and 2016) with BRONCHO (Double Vanity…
        • Peter Silberman Talks Two Decades of The Antlers (4/22 at…
          Peter Silberman Talks Two Decades of The Antlers (4/22 at…
        • VALÉ Comes to Kung Fu Necktie: “The really small, intimate…
          VALÉ Comes to Kung Fu Necktie: “The really small, intimate…
        • trauma ray come to The Church: “I’m hoping to get…
          trauma ray come to The Church: “I’m hoping to get…
      • Music Reviews
        • David Byrne, Three Nights at the Opera
          David Byrne, Three Nights at the Opera
        • “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
      • Isa Holliday on the Diversity of Slow Crush (9/5 at The Foundry)

        izzy
        August 22, 2025
        The next two Fridays have big things going on for Belgian shoegaze quartet Slow Crush…  Well, the second is primarily for those of us in the City of Brotherly Love and Sisterly Affection…  Next Friday, August 29th, the band will drop third full-length (and first for Pure Noise Records)...
      • Dream, Ivory Brings LP #2 to Eraserhood’s Biggest Stage (8/23 at UT w/ Wisp)

        izzy
        August 21, 2025
        “Touring with Wisp will be so great.  That kind of tour allows us to play these larger rooms… which is exciting, but nerve-racking ,” jokes Louie Baello, primary lyricist/vocalist and one-half of Los Angeles duo Dream, Ivory, with brother Christian Baello serving as primary producer and other half.  Dream,...
      • Spacey Jane Bring Their Full Show to the US for the First Time… and Tickets are Almost Gone… (9/6 at The Fillmore)

        izzy
        August 21, 2025
        There are still currently tickets available for Spacey Jane’s September 6th show at The Fillmore Philadelphia… which cannot be said of the Aussie indie rockers’ show the following night at Paradise Rock Club in Boston, or their following show, 9/9 at 9:30 Club in DC… or 9/14 at Studio...
      • David Wax Museum Return to Johnny Brenda’s, “one of [their] favorite venues in the country.” (8/28)

        izzy
        August 19, 2025
        Those of you who caught the August edition of Philthy Radio, my monthly show for Y-Not Radio, heard me wish the Summer of 2025 a fine farewell with a block of summertime jams, including 2023’s “Summer Wrapped in Gold,” by David Wax Museum.  The self-proclaimed “Mexo-Americana” outfit – at...
      • “Make my tattoos melt in the heat”: My Chemical Romance at Citizens Bank Park

        izzy
        August 18, 2025
        Our Philadelphia Phillies spent this past swampy summer weekend in Washington DC, where the President of the United States has deployed the National Guard to police the nation’s capital.  And, in a fitting dystopian twist, this past Friday night, the Phillies’ home of Citizens Bank Park hosted My Chemical...
      • Flashing Back to 2022 with Hiatus Kaiyote’s Paul Bender (8/17 at Franklin Music Hall)

        izzy
        August 15, 2025
        The last time we saw Australian neo-soul outfit Hiatus Kaiyote in the City of Brotherly Love and Sisterly Affection was June 29th of last year, when they played to a packed Franklin Music Hall the day after the release of their fourth, most recent, and best yet LP, Love...
      • Tea Eater’s Tarra Thiessen Talks Tarot, Twitch Movie Nights, and Taking Over the World (8/13 at Nikki Lopez)

        izzy
        August 12, 2025
        “You can expect a trio of clam aliens screaming about butter,” says Tea Eater songwriter and frontperson Tarra Thiessen (also of Gustaf, Sharkmuffin, and MamajoeVramajoe) when I ask what’s in store for those who come out to the self-assessed “weirdo art punk” band’s show tomorrow, August 13th, at Nikki...
      • Modest Mouse Keeps It Cool at The Mann

        izzy
        August 8, 2025
        This past Tuesday, August 5th, The Mann Center hosted the summer shed spectacle of the year, starring co-headliners The Flaming Lips and Modest Mouse, two legends of alternative rock whose histories with the Fairmount Park amphitheater are equally storied.  In addition to previously sharing the stage of [what is...
      • Golden Apples’ Russell Edling Talks New Album, Collaboration, and Community (8/7 at PhilaMOCA and 10/17 at UA)

        izzy
        August 5, 2025
        “With this record, I was like, ‘I’m gonna make this song and I’m gonna see who’s around to help out,’” says Golden Apples’ Russell Edling of Shooting Star, the Philadelphia indie rockers’ fourth full-length, which drops September 19th on their longtime home, Lame-O Records.  The album was recorded across...
      • Taylor Bickett on Going Viral, Connecting with Fans, and Shifting Her Sound (8/9 at The Foundry w/ Charlotte Lawrence)

        izzy
        August 2, 2025
        While Nashville singer/songwriter Taylor Bickett may not exactly be an everyday marquee name just yet, there’s a good chance that you’ve heard Zoomer anthem “QUARTER LIFE CRISIS,” which dropped in 2022 and quickly went viral, inspiring nearly half a million fan-made videos on TikTok, in addition to more than...
      • Jasmine Rodgers on bôa’s Return to the Studio and the Road (8/8 at Union Transfer)

        izzy
        August 2, 2025
        This afternoon, UK alt-rock outfit bôa – who headlined The Foundry at The Fillmore last September amidst their sold-out North American reunion tour – are playing possibly their biggest show ever at this year’s Lollapalooza, 2:30-3:30 on the Bud Light Stage.  Last year, the trio – consisting of vocalist/guitarist...
      • Kelli Mayo on the First Decade and a Half of Skating Polly (8/2 at Nikki Lopez)

        izzy
        July 29, 2025
        “Our live show is always very happy, even if it is a bit rowdy.  My anger that I express is cathartic, I don’t ever point it at the audience…  It’s a place to let out the anger,” says Kelli Mayo, co-founder and co-frontwoman of self-professed “ugly pop” (their own...
      • Amy Jay: “With each project, there’s just a little more of myself.” (8/12 at Silk City)

        izzy
        July 24, 2025
        “This feels the most like me, in this moment, sonically and lyrically.  I spoke more on how I thought the songs should go, giving myself permission to take up space and reflect how I feel and own that, and advocate for myself in small ways…  I think there’s a...
      • The Warning Bring the Rock Spectacle to a Theater Near You (After An Exceptionally Intimate Stop at Union Transfer)

        izzy
        July 22, 2025
        Just yesterday, sister trio The Warning announced the theatrical release of The Warning Live from Auditorio Nacional, CDMX, a feature-length concert film which documents the band’s February headlining performance in Mexico City, which will play at a plethora of local venues on August 21st, before a double live album...
      • Madeline Kenney, Catch Her While You Can (8/22 at Warehouse On Watts)

        izzy
        July 15, 2025
        “As an indie musician, it’s a little too easy to take yourself too seriously,” says singer/songwriter Madeline Kenney.  We’re discussing her recent music videos for “All I Need” and “Scoop,” collaborations with Carpark Records labelmate Jimmy Whispers — who’s recently taken up music video directing — that showcase a...
      • The Velveteers: “We always just like to give everything when we’re onstage.” (8/7 at MilkBoy)

        izzy
        July 13, 2025
        “I would say that this album is a little bit more vulnerable.  I wrote about some more personal things and allowed myself to speak about them more openly,” says Demi Demitro, frontwoman of Colorado rockers The Velveteers – who have been known to regularly open mega-stages for the likes...
      • Laveda on Relocating to NYC, Philly DIY, and Album #3 (7/22 at Ortlieb’s w/ Nightosphere)

        izzy
        July 12, 2025
        “Just the city being so loud and crazy all the time has come through in the music.  Also, the constant internal anxiety brain.  It’s so fun, but it’s also overwhelming, this constant, crazy, buzzing energy,” says Laveda frontwoman Ali Genevich, referring to how her and guitarist Jacob Brooks’ 2023...
      • Wavves’ Nathan Williams Talks LP# 9, Back Surgery, and the Garbage Strike (7/13 at Underground Arts)

        izzy
        July 12, 2025
        “I heard that it doesn’t smell like trash in Philadelphia anymore,” says Nathan Williams, vocalist, guitarist, and founder of San Diego alternative rockers Wavves, before expressing his solidarity with the until-recently-striking union: “Power to the people!”  However, I hear a collective, “Ohhhh,” from the entirety of the band when...
      • Flashing Back to 2014 with Pixies (7/22 and 7/23 at The Fillmore)

        izzy
        July 10, 2025
        If the reunited Pixies were a person, they would’ve turned legal drinking age this April (with the original only making it to the ripe age of seven).  However, for all of those latter-era Gen Xers who grew up just a little too young to catch them the first time...
      • Charlotte Sands Talks “brat rock summer” (idobi Radio Summer School Tour 8/10 at Franklin Music Hall)

        izzy
        July 9, 2025
        “This tour is designed to be super energetic and like a party, as upbeat as possible.  We all have 35 minutes, so we have to choose all the heavy-hitter songs from our catalogues, all of the fan favorites.  It’s almost like a highlight reel.  I actually went online and...
      • Bandits on the Run: “In a time like this, people are looking for joy and connection.” (7/20 at City Winery)

        izzy
        July 9, 2025
        “We’re really gonna try to muss up City Winery,” laughs Adrian Blake Enscoe, one-third of Brooklyn indie-folk-pop-Americana outfit Bandits on the Run, before Sydney Shepherd (his partner in life and music) proclaims, “We’ve performed everywhere from Broadway to the subway.”  That is actually true…  Adrian, Sydney, and Regina Strayhorn...
      • Three Reasons: Lucy Dacus at FDR Park, 7/25 (Win Tickets Courtesy of Y-Not Radio!)

        izzy
        July 8, 2025
        Those of you who listen to Philthy Radio likely know that Lucy Dacus is pretty much our favorite person making music at the moment, with the Geffen singer/songwriter and former Philly resident tied for the most spins ever (Her only company being Pixies and Lucy’s one-time Matador labelmates Belle...
      • Samantha Crain: “I’m trying to focus on my personal relationships being more vulnerable and reciprocal…” (7/16 at JB’s)

        izzy
        July 6, 2025
        The last time we saw Choctaw singer/songwriter Samantha Crain in the City of Brotherly Love and Sisterly Affection was August of 2022, when she opened Union Transfer for Murder By Death.  And while Adam Turla’s indie rock outfit are preparing to return to the Eraserhood venue for their last-ever...
      • Winona Fighter’s Coco Kinnon on LP #1: “We were like, ‘We want to make it in our garage!’” (7/12 at The Foundry)

        izzy
        July 4, 2025
        “We play every show like we’re the headliner… give it a million percent every time,” says Coco Kinnon, frontwoman, multi-instrumentalist, and co-producer of Winona Fighter, which is rounded out by Kinnon’s best friend (Dan Fuson) on lead guitar and husband (Austin Luther) on bass and production duties.  Lucky for...
      • Rachel Bochner: “If 2021 me saw 2025 me, I think she’d be really fucking proud.” (7/2 at Silk City)

        izzy
        June 29, 2025
        Phriend of PHILTHY and sapphic pop superstar on the rise Rachel Bochner recently let me know that Pride Month 2025 will officially extend to this coming Wednesday, July 2nd, when she wraps her current tour at Silk City for her first-ever headlining show in the City of Brotherly Love...
      • Sofie Royer: “I’m gonna just keep it real. There’s no stage design, but the music is really good!” (6/30 at MilkBoy)

        izzy
        June 27, 2025
        This coming Monday, June 30th, MilkBoy is hosting my most anticipated show of the summer.  Vienna-based, multidisciplinary artist Sofie Royer will be headlining the barroom that I regularly refer to as “Center City’s last old school rock club.”  Royer is touring behind LP #3, 2024’s Young-Girl Forever, a collection...
      • Flashing Back to 2012 with Kasey Chambers (6/29 at City Winery)

        izzy
        June 27, 2025
        Last week Kasey Chambers – who you may have heard on the latest edition of Philthy Radio with her double-platinum No. 1 single “Not Pretty Enough,” off of 2001 sophomore LP Barricades & Brickwalls, which would go on to win the hearts of horror fans for its appearance in...
      • Pigeon Pit Talks Touring with Friends, Being Signed, and Imposter Syndrome (6/27 at The Church w/ The Taxpayers)

        izzy
        June 23, 2025
        “I will say, it is really fun to take a space that feels like a jazz club and just fucking tear it up,” jokes Lomes Oleander, frontwoman of Olympia-based country/punk band Pigeon Pit, who were supposed to play the Music Hall at World Café Live this coming Friday, June...
      • Buscabulla: “Being in a relationship in a band is hard and we decided to write about it.” (6/24 at The Foundry)

        izzy
        June 21, 2025
        “When you release an album, it’s really magical, like opening a door, and I feel like I can finally have some fun,” says Raquel Berrios, one-half of Puerto Rican indie duo Buscabulla, going on to say she and her husband/Buscabulla’s other-half, Luis Del Valle, are excited to get out...
      • Daffo: “I’m excited for more music and more shows!” (6/21 at UT w/ Blondshell AND 11/10 at UT w/ Wednesday)

        izzy
        June 19, 2025
        The last time we saw Blondshell in the City of Brotherly Love and Sisterly Affection was when she opened Franklin Music Hall for Exile in Guyville’s 30th anniversary tour, which — I find out during a recent Zoom chat — was apparently the first encounter our phriend, and one-time...
      • zzzahara Talks Getting Over Shyness, Traveling the World, and Touring with Indie Legends (6/19 at The Foundry w/ Cults)

        izzy
        June 17, 2025
        We were super bummed to have zzzahara’s headlining show last month at MilkBoy get cancelled… but super excited to see that the LA-based singer/songwriter – whose music draws references to shoegaze, garage rock, and emo, alike — will be back in town this week (accompanied by jazz musicians that...
      • Deerhoof: “It’s been 31 years since we started playing music together. That’s a big celebration… (6/17 at Underground Arts)

        izzy
        June 14, 2025
        Experimental rock outfit Deerhoof are currently celebrating their 20th album and 31st year (That’s china and a clock, for gifting purposes.)  April 25th saw the release of Noble and Godlike in Ruin via Joyful Noise, followed by the first leg of the 31 Flavours Tour, which kicked off the...
      • HAU RUCK Turns 20 and Lucia Cifarelli Plays First-Ever Solo Shows (6/15 at Underground Arts w/ Lords Of Acid)

        izzy
        June 12, 2025
        Last month Metropolis Records released HAU RUCK 2025, a 20th anniversary remixed and remastered edition of industrial legends KMFDM’s 14th LP, HAU RUCK.  And just last week KMFDM vocalist and keyboardist (of a quarter century now…) Lucia Cifarelli kicked off her first-ever solo tour, which has her handling opening...
      • Bloc Party at The Met (6/4)

        morgan
        June 12, 2025
        London indie rock band, Bloc Party, perform at The Met, celebrating 20 years of the band and their first album, Silent Alarm. The crowd consisted of older and newer fans alike, and everyone brought the most energy they could to celebrate this big milestone. Check out my photos from the...
      • Heart Attack Man’s Eric Egan Talks ALL FOUR LPs and “unlocking new places on the map” (6/14 at The Foundry)

        izzy
        June 11, 2025
        During a recent Zoom chat with vocalist/guitarist Eric Egan, I found out that, for a number of years, a lot of people thought Heart Attack Man were from Philadelphia…  While the punk trio did record 2017 debut LP, The Manson Family, at Headroom Studios, and they have played more...
      • NOBRO: “Lots of shredding! Crowd surfing! Cursing! The middle finger! Badass women!” (6/13 at MilkBoy w/ Bad Waitress)

        izzy
        June 10, 2025
        This Friday, June 13th, MilkBoy will be playing host to the best double-headlining jaunt of the summer, The Go For Broke Tour, featuring Canadian punk rockers NOBRO and Bad Waitress (with our local buddies Puppy Angst opening the show for good measure!)   Montreal’s NOBRO are touring behind sophomore LP...
      • PANIK FLOWER on Getting More Introspective, DIY, and Shoegaze on EP #2 (6/12 at Khyber Pass Pub)

        izzy
        June 8, 2025
        You may have caught NYC dreamgaze outfit PANIK FLOWER last year when they opened MilkBoy for our phriends partygirl.  And, during a recent Zoom chat with four of the five members of PANIK FLOWER, I find out that it was apparently a highlight of their young career.  This Thursday,...
      • Dean Wareham Talks New Solo LP, Touring Like a Twentysomething, and One Very Special Reunion (6/10 at WCL)

        izzy
        June 8, 2025
        “We play a bunch of new stuff until the audience is like, ‘Well…’” jokes Dean Wareham; singer, songwriter, and guitarist of Galaxie 500, Luna, and Dean & Britta; who has spent the past several months touring behind That’s the Price of Loving Me, his fourth solo LP, which dropped...
      • Momma at Union Transfer (5/30)

        morgan
        June 5, 2025
        Momma, the indie rock band based in Brooklyn, New York, performed at Union Transfer on May 30th. Their fourth album, Welcome to My Blue Sky, was released in early April. This was my second time seeing and shooting Momma, the first time at Johnny Brenda’s a couple of years...
      • Humbird: “It’s so cool to play in nightclubs and then it’s so cool to drive out into the woods for a freaky festival.” (6/11 at MilkBoy)

        izzy
        June 3, 2025
        “I wasn’t sure how I wanted to write about love and being happy without being totally annoying,” laughs Siri Undlin, AKA Humbird, regarding her recent EP, Astrovan: The Love Song Vignettes, whose origins began when Undlin was suffering from an exceptionally bad case of writer’s block.  The 11-track EP,...
      • Phoneboy: “We love Philly so much. Can’t wait to be back!” (6/5 at The Foundry)

        izzy
        June 3, 2025
        Brooklyn indie rockers Phoneboy – who we saw last year supporting our phriends Beach Weather at The Foundry and playing The Fillmore’s big room with Grayscale – have officially been on the road for more than a month now, touring behind the release of their third full-length, Heartbreak Designer,...
      • Cornelia Murr: “I’m so excited to play! I’ve always wanted to play Johnny Brenda’s!” (6/8)

        izzy
        May 28, 2025
        “Going into that first record, I was kind of in disbelief it was happening at all, and didn’t know if it would ever come out.  For this one, I was dying to put something out…  I’m 35 now, and I was in my twenties for the first one,” says...
      • Samia: “The intimate shows are always my favorite — I just love seeing people’s faces.” (5/28 at TLA)

        izzy
        May 27, 2025
        The last time we spoke with indie rock singer/songwriter Samia was September of 2021, just as live music was returning and she was preparing to headline a sold-out show at Johnny Brenda’s.  However, we’ve seen her in the City of Brotherly Love and Sisterly Affection quite a few times...
      • Three Reasons: The Head And The Heart at The Opera House (6/6 at The Met)

        izzy
        May 27, 2025
        Next Friday, June 6th, folk outfit The Head And The Heart return to The Met Philadelphia for the first time since 2019 and to Philadelphia itself for the first time since… well, earlier this month, although it was a private show…  The Seattle six-piece have a new album that...
      • Lights: “I have full creative control over my career.” (6/4 at World Cafe Live)

        izzy
        May 27, 2025
        “Philly has this attitude that, ‘We don’t care, but we really do care,’” jokes Canadian electro-pop legend Lights, who’s spend quite a bit of time in the City of Brotherly Love and Sisterly Affection over the past decade and a half, including a plethora of shows at The TLA. ...
      • Treats Turns 15 and Sleigh Bells Return to Union Transfer, 6/3 (Win Tickets Courtesy of Y-Not Radio!)

        izzy
        May 26, 2025
        “I absolutely adore it!  It sounds like two people slipping on a banana peel and accidentally catching lightning in a bottle.  To me, Treats is this little freakshow island of a record,” says Derek Miller, producer, guitarist, and one-half of Sleigh Bells, whose debut LP, Treats, which dropped on...
      • Glare (w/ Superheaven) at Union Transfer (5/16)

        morgan
        May 23, 2025
        South Texas shoegaze band Glare — whose debut LP, Sunset Funeral, dropped April 4th — performed to a sold out crowd at Union Transfer as direct support for hometown(ish) heroes Superheaven last Friday, May 16th.     The show featured Minneapolis alternative rockers Prize Horse, who kicked off the...
      • Remy Bond: “I definitely want everyone to dress up, it takes the show to another level.” (6/1 at The Foundry)

        izzy
        May 23, 2025
        You may have heard Remy Bond’s breakthrough bop “Summer Song” on the May edition of Philthy Radio, my monthly show on Y-Not Radio (now streaming).  However, today the NYC singer/songwriter dropped another summertime jam, “Moviestar,” whose live debut will almost definitely take place in the City of Brotherly Love...
      • Tennis: “Knowing this is the last thing that we do, we wanted to end on an emotional note.” (5/31 at Franklin Music Hall)

        izzy
        May 22, 2025
        “We knew right away it was our last record.  Patrick didn’t want to do any records after Pollen, but we thought we needed to do this right and with respect for our fans,” says Alaina Moore, one-half of indie pop duo Tennis (along with husband Patrick Riley), who announced...
      • Momma on LP #4, Returning to Headlining Duties, and Befriending Modest Mouse (5/30 at UT)

        izzy
        May 22, 2025
        “I think headlining shows are, above all, most fun.  You can fuck up and you kind of laugh along with your fans,” says Momma’s Allegra Weingarten, before Etta Friedman – Momma’s other co-founder, singer, songwriter, and guitarist – adds, “I think that those moments are very endearing.  We never...
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