Photo by John Bartol
Photo by John Vettese
Photo by John Bartol
Photo by John Vettese
Photo by John Bartol
Photo by John Vettese
Oklahoma retro-rocker J.D. McPherson brought a lively, danceable vibe to this afternoon’s Free at Noon concert at World Cafe Live, playing a set of songs from his debut full-length Signs and Signifiers that touched on rockabilly, swing and ska music. Check out a photo gallery of the show above, see the setlist below, and listen to the concert in its entirety here (via the WXPN media player). Continue reading
Wesley Stace has always had a witty way with words. That’s both in his career as a songwriter, which stretches back to the 1980s (you might know him better by his stage name, John Wesley Harding), and more recently as a novelist. A couple years back, he launched the Cabinet of Wonders, an occasionally traveling roadshow and regular monthly showcase in New York that brings together musicians, authors and comedians in a very irreverent, lively variety-show format. The Cabinet made a Philadelphia appearance this summer at the XPoNential Music Festival – you might recall Rhett Miller absolutely nailing David Bowie’s “Five Years” during their set, or Eugene Mirman’s madcap comedy – and returns tonight for a 215 Festival performance at Underground Arts. We caught up with the England-born Philadelphia transplant by phone yesterday to get some background on the showcase and see what’s in store for tonight.
The Key: How long have you been putting on the Cabinet of Wonders, and how did it start?
John Wesley Harding: We’ve been doing it a few years now. It came about because I had a new album out two albums ago, and I wanted to do an album release party. An my publicist said “Well, you write novels now. Why don’t you bring the two things together?” After the first one, we saw it was such a fun show, we kept doing it. We took the cabinet on tour, we moved around to different venues in New York, and then NPR picked us up.
TK: How often to you hold cabinet events? What’s the next one?
JWH: Apart form extraordinary cabinet meetings like the one at this weekend, or the one at XPN’s festival over the summer, we just have our once-a-month performance in New York.
TK: It was great to watch people’s reaction at the XPN festival who might not have been familiar with the Cabinet. It was a mix of surprise, delight and total confusion. Is that a reaction you encounter often, or do people attend Cabinet performances knowing what to expect?
JWH: I think people generally come in knowing. At a festival, crowds are most used to seeing music act followed by more music. And with the Cabinet at the XPN festival, I tried to make a miniature version of what I do every month – almost a festival within the festival. Continue reading
The Rolling Stones are releasing a new 50 song compilation on Tuesday, November 13th called GRRR! in celebration of their 50th anniversary. Over the course of its amazing career, the band has released several “greatest hits” collections and – while we’re all fans of the Stones classics – we’ve decided go a little deeper.
We’re putting together our own 50-song companion collection which we will “release” the same day as GRRR!, and we’re looking for you to help us curate WXPNGRRR!, the “deep tracks” Rolling Stones compilation. Please list your suggestions in the comments below. There’s only one rule we ask that you follow: you can NOT suggest a song that is on the forthcoming collection. The track list for GRRR! is below as a reference so, please: No “Jumpin’ Jack Flash”, no “Brown Sugar.” But we’re happy to include “Can’t You Hear Me Knocking” or “Shine A Light” though, if you’re so inclined. Let us know your top five picks! Continue reading
Photo by Rich McKie | tristateindie.com
Drexel Hill good ol’ boys The Tressels are gearing up to release the second installment in their “American” trilogy later on this month, and yesterday premiered a new song on their Soundcloud page. “Nothin’ But Your Love” is unapologetically, righteously 80s power-pop, with a thwacky beat up front guiding you into a refrain worthy of The Replacements, Tom Petty or even Bon Jovi (which we absolutely mean as a compliment). Give a listen below, and mark your calendars – the American Midnight release party happens Saturday, November 17 at The Grape Room in Manayunk.
The Gallerist, led by Boston native Mike Collins, may just be one of the Philadelphia folk scene’s best kept secrets. The group’s 2011 album, A Falling Waltz, carries itself on songs with lively narrative lyrics and captivating melodies in the same vein of artists like The Civil Wars and The Avett Brothers. It shouldn’t come as a shock that the album was audio mastered by Jeff Lipton, who has worked with Bon Iver and City and Colour. Collins and his bandmates showcase their storytelling magic in tracks like “Washed-Away” and “Crumbs.” Listening to A Falling Waltz is like a conversation with an old friend, and it’s only a matter of time before the band strikes the right note to get noticed past Philadelphia and Boston. Catch the band tomorrow afternoon at One Shot Cafe for a free show at 1:30; more details can be found here. You can stream A Falling Waltz in its entirety here. Below, watch The Gallerist perform their title track from A Falling Waltz.
After their gorgeous and expansive 2011 full-length Salt, Hoots and Hellmouth go a bit back-to-basics with “Repeat Myself,” a track premiered on their Bandcamp page today. Its roomy tones and stomping rhythms recall the work Philly studio guy Bill Moriarty did on the band’s second LP, 2009′s The Holy Open Secret, except this time the production comes from Jim Roll up in in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Give a listen to the song below, download it at Bandcamp and catch Hoots and Hellmouth tomorrow night when it headlines Union Transfer.
