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(Unfortunately, as of May 1st, Ane has had to cancel the first two dates of her tour, including the intended opening night in Philadelphia, so she will not be appearing at Union Transfer this Wednesday. But I would still highly recommend picking up her latest, It All Starts With...
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In 2011 the two musical stars of Philthy were the hyper-conceptual and socio-politically confrontational Atari Teenage Riot and the, somewhat less-likely (considering the “Music Department and Features Editor”’s, background is in semiotics and postmodern art), Deer Tick, the alt.-country-by-way-of-reckless-punk-abandon project of John McCauley. Their last LP, Divine Providence, released...
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I recently discussed with my students of Intellectual Heritage the notion of psychoactive plants being present at the creation of numerous of the world’s religions… A sentiment not so far off from what Danish lo-fi outfit, Alcoholic Faith Mission, were pondering when they came up with their lovely moniker. ...
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There's no reason not to be optimistic, unless you're somebody who allows problems, analysis, and history affect your opinions....
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These United States’ fifth full-length (since 2008!), and best yet, is hitting shelves on June 12th. However, if you’re interested in getting a sneak preview of the self-titled release, the Americana quartet will be at Union Transfer tonight, supporting Trampled By Turtles, likely previewing a handful of tracks from...
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Keeping with the sentiment of urgency found in their moniker, I recently chatted with Stefanie Berecz (vocals) and Brendan O’Connell (keys and guitar) of The Right Now as they were en route to their final rehearsal for their tour, which kicks off tonight in Pittsburgh. Although the two would...
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On April 23rd World Café Live’s free Monday night institution, Philly Rising Open Mic, will be hosting a special guest, Britain-bred, Atlanta-based singer/songwriter and one-of-Shawn-Mullins’- favorite-people-in-the-world-of-music, Callaghan. In 2010 Callaghan relocated from London to Atlanta to record her debut album with Shawn Mullins (who produced the album). “I lived...
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The Penguins put their skirts on last night, but not their dainty ballet skirts. They slipped on their classiest gowns and came out with the intent to not go quietly....
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It’s likely been a little while since you’ve heard Megan Reilly’s name. Six years ago the Illinois Times was saying “Her music works on an almost subliminal level, lulling you into a state of perfect receptiveness and infiltrating your consciousness like a restless spirit,” and the Dallas Observer was...
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“Living in San Francisco, it’s like 4/20 there every day, every minute, but I think it’s nice for everyone else to get to celebrate,” says Allyson Baker, mainwoman of SF’s Dirty Ghosts, who will find themselves in Philthy this Friday, 4/20, performing at PhilaMOCA (alongside locals Levee Drivers, Ghost...
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I recently chatted with TOBACCO, frontman of Black Moth Super Rainbow and general purveyor of some of recent history’s most misunderstood (but none-the-less thoroughly enjoyed) takes on popular music (He’s a big fan of utilizing analogue synths and noise boxes to produce sounds that often ring of psychedelic fuzz...
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There is something profoundly anti-sentimental about Cool Nightmare, the latest EP from Portland’s Radiation City, which dropped earlier this week. The release is, in a lot of ways, centered on a dying piano. This piano spent its golden years in drummer Randy Bemrose’s basement. The sound of the decaying...
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The key to their success? Relentless athleticism. Concentrated support. And as always, Peter Laviolette being seconds away from a vicious crime....
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Somewhere between protecting their eggs from the harsh Arctic cold and learning to play hockey, Penguins became a whiny, detestable pack of Pennsylvanian jerkbags. And there's not a thing Morgan Freeman could narrate them doing that could change that....
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“The first time we ever played Philly the sound man was watching a hockey game, so… This is better,” proclaimed Katy Klaw, 1/3rd of Peggy Sue, as the Brighton-based indie folksters graced Union Transfer with their presence this past Saturday. The performance she was referring to occurred about two...
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All of this week’s highlights in Philthy live music have not come from the marquee stars, but the Robins to their Batman, those in the passenger seat, the (aptly and honorably titled) “support.” This Tuesday, Upstairs at World Café Live hosted the (shockingly, sold out) “Austin to Boston Tour.” ...
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As of today, Morgan Nagler’s Whispertown is on their fifth official release and third official name (They began as “Whispertown2000,” before going on to be “The Whispertown 2000” and now, simply “Whispertown.”) Whispertown’s latest, Parallel, is out today on Acony Records and the seven-song EP has the band heading...
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Although I often mock World Café Live (with love) for their upper-middle-class, white, suburban, NPR-listening demographic and their relatively sterile dinner-theatre setup, the University City venue has hosted some of the best concerts the city has seen this year, from Saul Williams’ awe-inspiring set last month to Jessie Baylin’s...
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I was at the fourth-to-last Sleater-Kinney show of all-time… It was the most powerful experience of live music I’ve ever witnessed… This week I attended Morningwood’s fourth-to-last show of all-time… Well, it was the best thing I’ve seen so far this year… and the highlight of my Spring Break....
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I was sad to find that the quite-anticipated double-header of Bowerbirds at Johnny Brenda’s and Grimes at block-away Kung Fu Necktie was recently squashed when Grimes promptly sold out KFN and had her show moved to the First Unitarian Church. However, Grimes’ avant-garde indie pop, in my mind, must...
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Heartless Bastards are the only band in the world that I have ever said are perfectly suited for a state fair… when it wasn’t intended as an insult. They seem to be from some other time and place… but that time and place are really amalgamations of scenes and...
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Sophia Somajo, aka Soso, is a somewhat avant-garde singer/songwriter from Sweden. She wrote, recorded, and produced her entire debut album (That Time I Dug so Deep I Ended up in China, out 5/1) inside of her bedroom… She’s one of the few people I can think of that I...
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Mindless self indulgence and morningwood would seem to be a natural pairing… So I guess it makes sense that the lead singers (and mainman and woman) of Mindless Self Indulgence (Jimmy Urine) and Morningwood (Chantal Claret) are an actual pair… or, couple… married, in fact. And this Spring each...
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Sophia Knapp is painfully charming. “I wanna rock people’s socks off,” she tells me upon being asked what are her plans for 2012. “My band is, like, pretty cool cats,” she tells me at another point. Sophia Knapp isn’t your average platinum from Brooklyn… although she may be my...
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This Wednesday, Feb. 29, the TLA will be hosting Philthy’s best bill of 2012 yet, with Company of Thieves and Girl in a Coma. It is likely the best lineup the city has seen since… well, Girl in a Coma and The Coathangers hit up the North Star last...
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There’s something very cinematic about the sounds of Dead Fingers. At times it rings of the kind of vintage country that would be romanticized by Jim Jarmusch. At times it’s reminiscent of the effortless, alcohol-addled, late-night folk jamming of Bob Dylan and friends captured by D.A. Pennebaker in Dont...
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Nothing for a Thursday night like a little glamour and a three-way… especially when it’s courtesy of Philthy’s favorite trio of electro vixens, Patty Crash and The Sisterwives. This Thursday, Feb. 23rd, Patty and her girls will be at The Barbary for Polyglamourous. However, if you can’t wait to...
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As far as electro noise pop princesses go, Philthy has Patty Crash and NYC has Ducky (Morgan Neiman). Ducky’s been in the music game since she was 13. By 16 she was spinning in San Francisco clubs and by 17 she was dropping out of high school and relocating...
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In the spirit of Valentine’s Day, Free Dominguez and Jimmy Gnecco are stripping down for the week… although not in a manner quite as “festive” as it sounds. The Kidneythieves’ vocalist (Dominguez) and Ours’ frontman (Gnecco) have hit the road for a brief string of intimate, solo shows, which...
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Poliça are a hard band to pin down… to put it mildly. They are an off-shoot of GAYNGS… a side-project consisting of members of Bon Iver, The Rosebuds, Megafaun, Doomtree, Solid Gold, and Leisure Birds… among others. At the core of Poliça are GAYNGS vocalist Channy Leaneagh and producer...
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On Saturday, February 11th, VICE and Project X’s Party Legends College Tour comes to Philly for an exclusive screening of Project X (from the producers of the Hangover), and after party, featuring performances by Machine Gun Kelly and Jesse Marco. Screening: The Roxy Movie Theatre, 2023 Sansom Street |...
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I’m guessing most of my readers look forward to February 15th nearly as much as they look forward to December 26th… However, this year Philthy has an even better reason to celebrate that particular date… Sheffield duo Slow Club will be appearing at Johnny Brenda’s for what I’m anticipating...
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No one actually likes Valentine’s Day. Well, I mean, no one who is even slightly interesting likes Valentine’s Day. And even less do they like holiday celebrations named for a play on words of said holiday. And, alas, I will find myself at Voyeur this Friday, Feb. 10th, for...
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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...
(Unfortunately, as of May 1st, Ane has had to cancel the first two dates of her tour, including the intended opening night in Philadelphia, so she will not be appearing at Union Transfer this Wednesday. But I would still highly recommend picking up her latest, It All Starts With...
