Philthy Mag
  • Band Interviews
    VALÉ Comes to Kung Fu Necktie: “The really small, intimate…
  • Live Events
    Nothing at Union Transfer (4/4)
  • Band Interviews
    trauma ray come to The Church: “I’m hoping to get…
    Philthy Mag
      • Band Interviews
        • 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…
        • Heavenly Talk Highway To Heavenly, both literally and metaphorically… (4/17…
          Heavenly Talk Highway To Heavenly, both literally and metaphorically… (4/17…
        • Flashing Back to 2022 with Snail Mail (4/16 at The…
          Flashing Back to 2022 with Snail Mail (4/16 at The…
        • Flashing Back to 2022 with Sunn O))) (4/11 at Union…
          Flashing Back to 2022 with Sunn O))) (4/11 at Union…
        • Flashing Back to 2023 with Cannons (4/10 at The Fillmore)
          Flashing Back to 2023 with Cannons (4/10 at The Fillmore)
      • 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
      • 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, bonanzatronic 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...
      • 5 Reasons to Come See Johnny Marr (and James) Next Friday (10/11) at Franklin Music Hall

        izzy
        October 4, 2024
        Just last month Johnny Marr released Boomslang (2024 Deluxe Edition), a reissue of the long-out-of-print 2003 album from Johnny Marr + the Healers, the (sort of) solo debut of the legendary Smiths guitarist (and the album and special edition, which includes 7 bonus tracks, fucking rule).  The re-release coincides...
      • Kate Nash Albums Ranked (10/10 at World Cafe Live)

        izzy
        October 4, 2024
        It’s been more than six years since English singer/songwriter Kate Nash has been in the City of Brotherly Love and Sisterly Affection.  But next Thursday, October 10th, the MySpace-era artist kicks off her North America Fall 2024 tour at the Music Hall at World Café Live, her first appearance...
      • Get to Know SINE’s “Trauma Bondage” (10/4 at Underground Arts w/ Clan of Xymox)

        izzy
        October 1, 2024
        Last week Austin, Texas-based electronic outfit SINE – the brainchild of drummer and multi-instrumentalist Rona Rougeheart, whose sonic aesthetic she has dubbed “electronic boom” – released their latest single and music video, “Trauma Bondage,” their debut for Metropolis Records, which serves as a preview of a forthcoming 2025 full-length. ...
      • Jazmin Bean: “I thought I truly was unrelatable…” (10/2 at UT)

        izzy
        September 27, 2024
        “It was two totally different gigs and crowds.  It was like a rap event going on downstairs and my audience was all confused,” says Jazmin Bean, laughing, of their most recent show in the City of Brotherly Love and Sisterly Affection, which had the genderless British alt-pop artist headlining...
      • Frankie Rose Joins The Psychedelic Furs and The Jesus And Mary Chain: “It’s gonna be epic!” (9/29 at Franklin Music Hall)

        izzy
        September 27, 2024
        “I thought I would be sort of done with this touring cycle by now, but then I got offered this insane tour with The Jesus And Mary Chain and The Psychedelic Furs…  This is probably about to be the coolest thing I’ve ever done in my entire life,” says...
      • The Dead Tongues: “I just pushed further in all the directions I was leaning into a little harder.” (TONIGHT at MilkBoy)

        izzy
        September 25, 2024
        Asheville, North Carolina’s The Dead Tongues, moniker of folk singer/songwriter Ryan Gustafson, is no stranger to our neck of the woods.  He’s played 118 North in Wayne numerous times, last year he headlined MilkBoy [with our buddy Louisa Stancioff, with whom I recently spoke (keep checking the site) and...
      • Los Bitchos Throw a Party!!! Tonight (9/23) at Underground Arts!!!

        izzy
        September 23, 2024
        “We’re gonna have a big old fat party!” says Serra Petale, songwriter and guitarist of London-based quartet Los Bitchos, who kicked off a seven-date North American tour last night in DC and will be headlining our very own Underground Arts tonight, 9/23 (And Petale admits to being a big...
      • Waxahatchee’s Unforgettable Second Night at The Fillmore

        payton-jade
        September 21, 2024
        Last Sunday, country singer-songwriter and former Philthy resident Waxahatchee finished off her tour in support of her critically acclaimed 2024 album Tiger’s Blood with two nights at The Fillmore in Philadelphia....
      • The Lone Bellow’s By Request Only Tour: “It’s stripped down and very intimate on purpose.” (10/5 at WCL)

        izzy
        September 18, 2024
        “I’ve been surprised by how much the fans agree with what we want to play,” laughs Zach Williams, guitarist and lead vocalist of The Lone Bellow.  The Brooklyn-based Americana trio – who just this June played WXPN’s Concerts Under The Stars concert series in King Of Prussia and just...
      • Why Bonnie’s Blair Howerton Talks Sophomore Album, Wish on the Bone (9/27 at MilkBoy)

        izzy
        September 18, 2024
        “Like everyone else, I’m a big MJ Lenderman fan.  And I’m a pop girlie, so I’m loving the Sabrina Carpenter album…  I’m trying to get into more ambient music and just relax for once in my life,” jokes Blair Howerton, frontwoman of Why Bonnie, who released their sophomore LP,...
      • Stars Celebrate 20 Years of Set Yourself On Fire: “Our music is for anyone who wears their heart on their sleeve.” (9/21 at UT)

        izzy
        September 17, 2024
        Tomorrow night Montreal indie pop outfit Stars kick off the Set Yourself On Fire 20th Anniversary Tour in Asbury Park.  And this Saturday, September 21st, they’ll be bringing the show — which celebrates two decades of their 2004 breakthrough LP (which received a 20th anniversary vinyl reissue this July...
      • Quiet Time, Your New Favorite Bubblegrunge Dad Band (Debut EP out 9/27)

        izzy
        September 17, 2024
        Lucky for us, our new favorite bubblegrunge outfit (Apparently our favorite genre, according to Spotify.) is based right out of Fishtown!  The band, who’ve already released two singles and are preparing to put out their debut EP at the end of the month, are comprised of five Millennials with...
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