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When we last left The Asteroids Galaxy Tour they were sounding along the lines of a space age cabaret, churning out postmodern lounge music. Since then, their aesthetic seems to have erupted in several dozen directions. While the horns found on Fruit (their 2009 debut LP) tended to take...
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Prinzhorn Dance School are often compared to Post-Punk groups… but I find them far more Postmodern than that. It’s minimalistic, dark even in its most optimistic moments, and existentially cold. It’s the kind of thing that soundtracks your imagination when you’re walking through back alleys on a rainy night. ...
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Courtney Taylor-Taylor recently Tweeted “Wow I’ve bann swamped. Didn’t think I’d do a lot of interviews for a band that ended in ’78.” The Dandy Warhols frontman recently “resurrected” the work of One Model Nation, a band that existed between the years 1969 and 1977… or really more like...
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Johnny Brenda’s has had a pretty impressive string of shows early in 2012… like really impressive… Amanda Jo Williams… Madi Diaz… Twin Sister and, this Tuesday (1/24), He’s My Brother She’s My Sister, for what will likely be the most “performative” of the performances. Echo Park’s He’s My Brother...
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Philthy readers have likely come across Twin Sister at least a time or two in the past couple of years. The quite-hard-to-pin-down Long Island indie outfit has been more or less perpetually on the road since 2010 and they recorded their latest in the City of Brotherly Love and...
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Madi Diaz’s Plastic Moon is semi-officially my first favorite album of 2012. The album is out January 24th on Small Horse Records, and Madi herself will be previewing the new material this coming Thursday, January 19th, at Johnny Brenda’s. I recently chatted with the singer/songwriter about what she was...
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It’s been a while since Philthy’s seen a new edition of “Do it For the Kids,” my weekly roundup of the city’s best all ages shows. The reason? Well, it’s just that time of year that tends to induce hibernation in most artists (Although Johnny Brenda’s does have an...
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And that was your Eagles this year: A nice idea, but in the end... what the fuck?...
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The Flyers need you to help them set the bar high on 2012. Otherwise, we'll just keep being dominant with the occasional humiliating loss. ...
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"It'll be tough," the quarterback continued. "But we'll have to find a way to outfuck ourselves against them."...
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The last time I talked to Alyssa Graham, she had just gotten back from walking her dog and told me she’d heard that Radiohead was about to do a free concert for a Wall Street protest… That was September 30th… I’m pretty sure neither of us had the sense...
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For the better part of a decade my family and my students have continuously asked me (a UArts grad., who cites The Smiths and Belle & Sebastian as his two favorite bands, and who says things like “In film, there was before Breathless and there was after Breathless.”) “What...
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So last week there was a shortage of good all ages shows in the City of Brotherly Love and Sisterly Affection. In fact, there were none. For those over 21, Philthy’s own Patty Crash did have a reinvention of sorts at Woody’s that was part burlesque and part DIY...
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So about once every five years I am impressed by a band that I catch in concert that I’m not expecting to be impressed by. For the past five years, that band has been YACHT. I saw them for the first time about two years ago. I was my...
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The age of the slam dunking rabbits in Philadelphia is supremely, ultimately, and irreversibly complete....
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Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds recently made their US debut at Philthy’s own Academy of Music. The one half of the core of Oasis serenaded the country’s oldest operating opera house with a handful of the band’s classics, along with his slightly-more-psychedelic recent output. However, Noel wasn’t the only...
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So The Stones are a tricky thing. Chances are you’re at least somewhat of a fan. Even better are the chances that your parents are fans (And you probably each think you “get” the band better than the other one.) Nikki Sixx is a big fan… so are The...
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So you may have noticed that there was no “Do It for the Kids” this past week. That’s because, unfortunately, there weren’t any great options for those under 21 (For those over 21, there was Girl in a Coma with The Coathangers on Tuesday at the North Star. It...
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What went wrong, exactly? Well, "exactly" is a hard word to answer to. So let's back off a bit and ask "What went wrong, probably?"...
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For years now I’ve been heralding San Antonio’s Girl in a Coma as “The only band worthy of their Smiths-inspired moniker” and they still haven’t put it on a T-shirt… That’s okay though, I still love them. The trio, known for their Southern Fried take on Power Pop, released...
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Whoa, whoa! Calm down, Kimmo! It's just a game! Ha, ha, ha. Just kidding. Kill everybody....
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So Last week there was only one worthwhile all ages show in the City of Brotherly Love and Sisterly Affection (The Sounds)… but it was the best show of the year. This week, however, I have a few more options… The Secret Sisters @ World Café Live (11/8) (supporting...
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I’m not a big fan of holiday festivities (to put it mildly), however, I must admit that I did enjoy spending this Halloween with Rasputina… well, the first ten or fifteen minutes of this Halloween. Their 10/30 gig at Johnny Brenda’s spilled slightly past midnight. The world’s greatest cello...
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If it wasn’t for Brian Molko, there’s a reasonable chance that I would currently be a 27-year-old virgin… But, as luck would have it, a decade and a half ago Molko strutted into the limelight, decked out in glitter and furs, and posited the femme boi as the...
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So hopefully my (and Philthy’s) loyal readers have familiarized themselves with my new weekly column, “Do It for the Kids,” which outlines the city’s best all ages shows for the coming week. In lieu of my traditional format, considering that there is really only one worthwhile all ages show...
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While I will find myself at Union Transfer for Butch Walker tonight, that’s certainly not the evening’s only worthwhile show. Over at the Electric Factory, Sleeper Agent will be supporting local heroes Circa Survive. Sleeper Agent are a group of half a dozen youthful power-poppers from Bowling Green, Kentucky. ...
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Until a few weeks ago, I referred to Deer Tick as “Nikki Darlin’s Husband’s Band.” (How’s that for reverse sexism!?!?) However, upon hearing the Providence, Rhode Island band’s fourth LP (Divine Providence, out today on Partisan Records), front-man John McCauley has stepped out of his wife’s shadow. Anyone who...
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Sadly, the players seem to have Andy's back....
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Last week I had my most plentiful edition of “Do It for the Kids” yet, with six all ages picks. I actually only ended up making it out to two of them. I saw my friend, Elizabeth Z., playing to nearly 3,000, at the Electric Factory, opening for Sara...
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All of my loyal readers, friends, and lovers are well-aware that Elizabeth & the Catapult is my favorite musical project of the past several years (and those especially close know that, in recent years, Elizabeth and I have gotten to be buddies of sorts). However, Philthy has only gotten...
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So this Saturday I returned to my new favorite spot in Philthy, Milkboy (originally reported on last month: http://blog.philthy.us/blog/?p=4021). My first trip was to check out my current favorite dance rock duo, Hank & Cupcakes, for the venue’s inaugural night of music. This time it was to see Portugal’s...
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So it’s been nearly a month since the opening of Union Transfer, Philadelphia’s “hottest” new “indie” mega-venue for bands that aren’t-quite-hipster-secrets but, aren’t-exactly-embarrassing-to-admit-you-like-to-a-cute-girl-reading-Vice-magazine… and I am yet to make my first trip to the venue. Yet, that will all change this Friday night. I could say “I was waiting...
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The opening line of Brown Bird’s latest press release is “Brown Bird is better listened to in a room made of wood.” This is a bit of a tall order to ask of a contemporary indie band… especially one that find themselves regularly performing in both punk clubs and...
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So last week the All-Ages pickins were a little thin. I did make it out to Deer Tick’s (Notice, I didn’t call them “Nikki Darlin’s husband’s band,” so it must’ve been good.) dry show at UPenn, which I’ll report on in more depth in the coming days (to preview...
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Better latch on now, before it hurts too much to breathe....
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Unfortunately, the worthwhile all ages pickins are quite slim this week, with a whopping one kick ass show. However, next week Philly has six age-restriction-free shows (including my buddy, Elizabeth Ziman, hitting up the Factory in support of Sara Bareilles) that you should consider checking out, so catch up...
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I’m sure we can all remember where we were the first time we saw The Human Centipede. Okay, so the film proved to be about as shocking and memorable as a John Mayer song, but I actually have a sort of cute story to accompany my first viewing of,...
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It’s been a few weeks now since Loco Pez quietly opened in Fishtown. Formerly, Crazy Fish Saloon, Loco Pez was picked up by Alfa’s (Center City) Joe Beckham. It’s been gutted and reopened into a decent little taco dig. The wood paneling behind the bar and general decor is pretty...
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During a 2006 performance at the Starlight Ballroom, The Gossip’s Beth Ditto intro-ed a new song by saying “This song is based on an old Riot Grrrl adage… Wait, you’re all too young to even know what Riot Grrrl is.” That broke my heart… and has continued to break...
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So I’m not sure if any of you followed my advice/suggestions for last week’s “Do It for the Kids,” and attended any of the week’s best all ages gigs, but I did end up making it out to two out of three of my own picks. I am a...
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All of Philthy is well aware that I kind of have a thing for whimsical singer/songwriters. Well, that is why, Tuesday (September 27) you will find me in Olde City at the Tin Angel for a sure-to-be-enchanting performance by Madi Diaz. Last week Madi released a 3-song EP, Far...
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So I’ve had this album lounging around my apt. since June, yet its shrink-wrap wasn’t undone until this afternoon (It hits US shelves tomorrow). However, it might be the coolest thing I’ve heard all year. It’s Explode by The Gift, the fifth LP from the Portuguese alt. rockers, who...
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So I know we’ve all been watching The Playboy Club on NBC… I’m kidding. If you have seen that show, stop reading my blog (Seriously, you’re not welcome here). But this Tuesday the Criterion Collection drops Olivier Assayas’ Carlos, the three-part, 339-minute biopic recounting the adventures of Illich Ramirez...
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I used to write a column called “Do It for the Kids” for a pretty lame publication which no longer exists… so now it’s going to belong to Philthy. Aside from being a pretty badass song by a “supergroup” that I probably shouldn’t be admitting I like, “Do It...
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So this entry is not exactly substantial. In fact, it probably could’ve been slightly edited and conveyed via Twitter. However, I feel as though our subject deserves a little more than that. I just wanted to formally wish Anna Karina, likely the most gorgeous creature to ever grace this...
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So this entry is a little late because I had a little bit too much fun this past weekend. I’m not usually one for formal celebrations… or informal celebrations… or exuberance in any form. However, this past Saturday, I stumbled ass-backwards into the inaugural night of music at Milkboy,...
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I have a really bad habit. I like to take a drink with me to bed (I realize how this sounds but I promise I’m a stable, healthy human being). I turn on some music and read with a beer. It’s really a lovely way to fall asleep but...
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Unfortunately, most of you seem to have missed Railbird’s appearance at Kung Fu Necktie this Friday, which was somewhat sparsely attended (not that that’s all that uncommon there). For those of you unfamiliar, Railbird is Sarah K. Pedinotti (S.K.P.) and her crazy cast of quirky multi-instrumentalists. S.K.P. is likely...
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Being a music journalist and having been to around a thousand concerts, I’m rarely impressed or excited by anything. However, picking up my phone and hearing “Hello, this is Alec Empire,” did evoke the rush that I experienced as a teen getting to chat with Iggy Pop and Kim...
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We feel so much better. Glad we hashed all that out. And now for a life time of shameful denial and tunnel vision....
When we last left The Asteroids Galaxy Tour they were sounding along the lines of a space age cabaret, churning out postmodern lounge music. Since then, their aesthetic seems to have erupted in several dozen directions. While the horns found on Fruit (their 2009 debut LP) tended to take...
Prinzhorn Dance School are often compared to Post-Punk groups… but I find them far more Postmodern than that. It’s minimalistic, dark even in its most optimistic moments, and existentially cold. It’s the kind of thing that soundtracks your imagination when you’re walking through back alleys on a rainy night. ...
