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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....
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Remember the delightful power pop of Rooney? Oh, wait, they’re actually still around. Some may find it sad to exist in a time when musical attention spans rarely last for more than a song and fans have little interest in the legacies of a five-piece rock outfit beyond said...
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Do what you normally do when your friends are talking to you and pretend you're on a yacht with rich, intelligent, sexy people who actually respect you....
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Summer’s almost gone. Last week I met my new batch of students at Temple and this coming Monday people around the country are going to celebrate Labor Day by barbequing with family, taking a dip in an above-ground pool, and all kinds of other things that are lame as...
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So everyone knows that I rarely see daylight. I tend to keep my waking hours to those when everyone else is asleep. However, last semester, upon joining Temple University’s Intellectual Heritage department, I was assigned a class that met at 9am three times a week. This semester, I have...
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I recently found myself hanging backstage at the Tin Angel… likely the least cool backstage in Philthy (Not because it isn’t cushy, but because the stain on the floor is more likely from Brooke Fraser spilling her holy water than from some descendent of Johnny Thunders deciding to forgo...
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Like all great works of prose, this article began with my mother’s acupuncturist. She mentioned that I had recently begun writing about cinema and he asked for some recommendations. As my mother, friends, and readers know, my taste in film tends toward the kinds of things that maybe you...
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Someone was smiling upon Philadelphia. The Phillies were winning, the Eagles were signing, the Sixers weren’t playing… all was right. All was calm. Then, that smile became a murderous frown. Yesterday afternoon, the world grew weary of Philadelphia’s success and began it’s natural rejection of happiness in the Delware...
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I love the heat and hate the cold. I’m also a little drastic when it comes to exercise, and doctors have told me that my pain tolerance is superhuman. So this past winter, when it was freezing and snowing, and I did everything I could think of to stay...
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Aaliyah once said “Age Ain’t Nothing but a Number.” I would tend to agree… well, at least for horizontal relationships. Fandom, however, is an entirely different animal. There’s just something creepy about the notion of heroicising people who are younger than me. I mean, aren’t you creeped out by...
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Last week I went to see KMFDM at the TLA. I realize that anyone who doesn’t regularly frequent Digital Ferret is probably asking “Are they still around?” Yes, they are. “With En Esch?” No, he hasn’t been in the band for a dozen years now. Since then (more or...
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Special thanks to our friends from Matchstick and Jeep. Last week I got the chance to test drive a Jeep Compass 2011. I don’t really know that much about cars but overall, the Compass was a smooth and impeccably enjoyable car to drive. The interior had full hook-ups with...
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Dan Carcillo, best known for missing body parts and kind of looking like Mandy Patinkin, has just become the second ex-Philadelphia athlete to teach us all a thing or two from several hundred miles away. ...
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When regarding violence, the question is never really whether or not the actual act of violence is justified, but how completely different those involved will become. Violence in and of itself is never what is feared or mourned over—it is the intensity of the effect that determines the caliber...
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It’s not, really. I’ve just been hot and pissed off all day thinking about this fucking debt ceiling / S&P downgrade and all this weather that can’t decide whether or not it wants to rain or dry out like the desert. Either way, it’s August and instead of continuing...
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My vote for the summer’s best festival isn’t technically a festival at all. However, this Saturday (August 6th) Northern Liberties will host four great bands on two stages (I guess you could say a main stage and a side stage) with agreeable set times and a walking distance that...
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You probably don’t know what’s going on behind-the-scenes of your favorite restaurant, and as long as that tuna is delivered to the table medium-rare and tastes delicious, you might not care; but if you’ve never worked in some facet of the restaurant industry, consider yourself among the minority. Some...
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I don’t have an air conditioner, I never have and I’ve survived every hot and muggy Philly summer so far. This summer is the toughest. Of course I could easily run out to Target and pick up a window unit of cold air heaven, but at this point...
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...
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?"...
