Photo by John Bartol

Wakin’ on a Pretty Daze, the latest from Philadelphia psych-songwriter Kurt Vile, has generated international acclaim since its March release on Matador Records. And rightfully so; it’s an ambitious double album exploring a plethora of ideas, and doing them all masterfully. It’s expressive and expansive, but also tight and poppy. It’s deeply personal – “Too Hard,” Vile’s reaction to experiencing fatherhood, has him promising to “do my duty for god and my country,” a vow Boy Scouts know well – but elsewhere, you’ll find clever wordplay equating codeine with Springsteen in a manner both playful and universal. His backing band the Violators – guitarist Jesse Trbovich, bassist Rob Laakso and drummer Vince Nudo – craft layers of gripping instrumental interplay, stretching near ten minutes on the title track (and over on closer “Goldtone”); but the record also makes use of haunting minimal space and experimental textures. In short, it’s Vile’s strongest work to date, and tomorrow night he headlines a sold-out hometown show at Union Transfer with Angel Olsen and Steve Gunn opening after a lengthy spring tour. I got a chance to sit down with Vile before tour kicked off, and we discussed the record, its monumental artwork, and making music of epic proportions.

The Key: Wakin’ on a Pretty Daze sounds great, there’s so much going on. But song that really jumped out at me from the get-go was “Two Hard,” the one where you incorporate the Scouts Promise into the lyrics. Were you a Boy Scout when you were growing up?

Kurt Vile: Yeah. I mean, barely. My dad bribed me. I said I wasn’t gonna go into Boy Scouts and he said -like later that night, real smooth – he said if I joined Boy Scouts, he’ll get me a Swiss army knife. [laughs] So I don’t know, I was at the impressionable age. But yeah,that’s sort of just like a childhood reference. It’s such a dorky reference in a way too.

TK: Well the way it plays out in the lyrics, it kinda feels like you’re an adult looking back on this thing that you had to recite as a child in Boy Scouts, and seeing how it plays out in adult life.

KV: Yeah totally, that’s basically what it is. And then you basically just brush it off. I’m the king of brushing off exactly what I just said. [ laughs] You say you’re just human, so basically you’re just making an excuse for why you’re gonna screw up.

TK: It’s a great song. I love how expansive it is, and how expansive a lot of the record is.

KV: Yeah it’s definitely expansive.

TK: How did you come to like delve into that side of your songwriting again this time?

KV: I guess just cause that’s a natural thing to do, to just get lost in what you’re playing. Obviously there’s set verses and set, you know, sections, there’s all kinds of meticulous…it’s not jammy but if you can just let something go, the chords are simple enough to have that controlled improv in there. Not improv like jam band music, you know. More like jamming in the Velvet Underground sense.

TK: So with a song like “Wakin’ on a Pretty Day,” or “Goldtone,” the ones that are the longest, did you write them with the other players in the band?

KV: That’s the whole thing. I always need a right hand man and a left hand man. I always say Jesse’s the left hand man – he just does his own sort of, uh, hippie punk thing. Which, you can’t like put him on the spot too much cause he gets nervous. I guess if someone put me on the spot, I might get nervous. But the point is I need another guy like Rob who, like, he’s more like a brainiac. Jesse is too in, like a musical way, but Rob he’s got these different kinds of schooled chops and also knowledge of equipment.

But anyway, so I would like work on [a song], I’d have all the parts and he’d be like programming the drum machine to like speed up and slow down and stuff like that. “And then it goes like this and then it goes like this,” [laughs] We all bounce off of each other. But this album in particular, at first I was like “yeah we’re gonna rehearse a lot!” And Jesse would have appreciated that, and so would have Rob, but at the end of the day, it’s like so many ideas in my head, first of all I can’t always explain them. And then, it’s gotta be fresh for me and I can’t really like sit around and teach every single part, because when it comes down to it, it happens really on tape, you know? It’s like there are parts written but then there’s magic that happens like on the spot and you just happen to be recording. It’s not not all planned, you know.

TK: It’s not just the big instrumental stuff either. There are also songs like “KV Crimes” – that’s a freakin’ rocker, it’s a tight like three-and-a-half-minute rocker. So there’s a lot of variety on the album.

KV: Yeah that was an early one, we recorded that one pretty early on. [laughs]

TK: I guess the question there being, was there anything that you kind of looked at as a model for this series of songs? Or was it just like you wanted to have variety.

KV: I feel like I always go for like variety. And this one…I mean, I had been touring for two years and definitely playing better electric guitar. I got like this Jaguar dream electric guitar early on in the Smoke Ring tour, and I was playing guitar non-stop, so I knew it was gonna be more skilled guitar, whether that’s acoustic or electric. And I knew I was gonna combine the two. Acoustic was always a big part of my sound and I never, I guess, really had “that folk record.” And this is definitely not a rock record, even though that’s what I said at first, but there is a lot of electricity and there are synthesizers. It’s going for more for epic proportions you know, which is kinda the natural progression I feel like from the last record.

TK: I remember reading this great interview you did with Pat Rapa from City Paper after Smoke Ring came out, and you kind of talked about how you wanted that record to highlight your songwriting. How you wanted to be like “yo, look, I can write really good songs too.”

KV: Yeah, yeah.

TK: I feel like this record, it seems like the pressure’s off. Musically it sounds like you’re very at ease and your just like “I’m making a freaking record,” you’re not trying to prove yourself. Compared to the past, where it seemed like you were showcasing this side of yourself, or you showcased that side of yourself.

KV: I just went with it. Like I said, I didn’t know exactly what was going to come out on the other side, but I knew that I was really getting deep into writing the songs on guitar, like more deep than before because I’d be on the road and working on this one song. Before, I feel like I’ve always done this thing where I’d meticulously work on a song, but I have been playing long enough and forced to be on the road and playing that I could go back to whichever song I wanted, and like keep adding stuff to them. I don’t know. But I’m always trying to prove something, you know. I can’t always give it a name, this time I just want to make it as best and as out-there as it can, but not be so out-there that it’s not, you know, listenable. I want it to be just engaging, but also try push the boundaries of that.

TK: Can I ask you about the mural?

KV: Sure

TK: How did that come to be, first of all?

KV: Well, I have a really good manager, Renny, and so [the artist] Steve Powers – I did know who he was but didn’t connect the name yet, I didn’t know him that well – he contacted me and then it just worked out. Cause the last album, that cover was cool, but it wasn’t like…there was a lot of drama and growing pains with making that album cover. So we wanted to go, you know, go for broke and go for art and modern art vibes and we just teamed up in this convenient way. He contacted me when he was working on something down the road and, you know, it just totally worked out. Those kind of things that happen like [snaps], they just fall into your lap and then they happen really fast, are the best, best kind of things.

TK: I’ve started to hear among the Philly scene and Philly fans about people wanting to make pilgrimages up to Master street to see the Kurt Vile mural. Is that like kind of a far-out idea for you?

KV: [laughs] That’s funny. I mean, one day I was like listening to my headphones and there was this kid in the neighborhood, and he was like “yo, It’s really weird to see you here, I’m going to see your mural.” And that was nice, but sometimes I get, uh… when I don’t know someone, I get shy once in a while, and, uh, it was like at the wrong time, it was at the wrong time. [laughs] So I hope he didn’t think I was rude [laughs], but it is just funny, yeah cause like John [Agnello], who did my record, his daughter was just like “I’m in Philly we’re gonna go see the mural!” It’s funny, it is pretty cool.

TK: There’s another track on the record where I love the song, I love the beat that you have on it, but the thing I wonder most about it is the name, “Air Bud.” That’s a Disney movie, right?

KV: [laughs] Is it Disney, yeah. It is loosely…it’s an inside joke with the band loosely associated with that movie. [laughs] We’re gonna leave at that forever and it’s gonna drive people crazy.

TK: You’re playing with Steve Gunn at the Union Transfer show you have coming up. Tell me about that.

KV: Steve has got a new record coming out, and it’s mind-blowing. It’s so good. We grew up in the same town, we both grew up in Lansdowne. We’ve always been acquaintances but Renny turned me on to the newest Steve Gunn record…and I love all his other records, but this tour he’s gonna play in the band, in the Violators. He’s going to be an opener and a Violator. I’d like him to tour with us as much as possible.

Kurt Vile plays Union Transfer this Saturday, May 18th, with Steve Gunn and Angel Olsen.

All photos by Abi Reimold | Abireimold.22slides.com

About a year ago, the snappy and warped psych-pop band Literature relocated to Philadelphia from Austin, Texas with an awesome LP called Arab Spring in tow. Hard tourers, sharp dressers and a buzzing name on the indiepop circuit, they specialize in a sound that’s a bit more direct than the washed-out hazy dazy Pain of Being Pure At Heart aesthetic of a few years back. There’s a lift to their sound (though still a reverb’d surface) and a galloping-out-the-gate energy (with some oddball lyrical diversions).  For their Key Studio Session, Literature recorded four new “barn burners” in the words of guitarist Kevin Attics, including their latest 7″ a-side “Tie Dye” and a couple unreleased numbers. “Grifted” slowed down the pace and dipped back to their LP, but kept the momentum going enough that it may as well just plow straight into the Johnny Brenda’s show they’re playing (and KDU is hosting) next week. They’re opening the night on May 22nd, with Key Session alums Pet Milk headlining; tickets and information can be found here, while the session is available for your streaming and downloading (and bopping around the room) pleasure below.

• Court Dateby Literature from The Key Studio Sessions, May 15, 2013Download

• Jimmyby Literature from The Key Studio Sessions, May 15, 2013Download

• Tie Dyeby Literature from The Key Studio Sessions, May 15, 2013Download

• English Soft Heartsby Literature from The Key Studio Sessions, May 15, 2013Download

• Griftedby Literature from The Key Studio Sessions, May 15, 2013Download

Photo by Mark Stehle

Alex Shaw is the band leader of of Philadelphia eleven-piece Brazilian music ensemble Alo Brasil. He’s also a vocalist, member of the Spoken Hand Percussion Ensemble, educator who works with the Live Connections nonprofit at World Cafe Live, and also teaches at University of the Arts. This week, he’s our featured guest at the Philly Local busker’s series at The Porch at 30th Street Station.

This will be a rare opportunity to see Shaw perform as a solo artist – usually, he’s performing in a large ensemble, or leading a large ensemble (or teaching a roomful of curious minds). Today, however, he performs with only a guitarist as accompaniment.

The hour-long show begins at noon at The Porch at 30th Street, right off of 30th and Market Streets in University City. To get a taste of the unaccompanied Shaw, watch him performing “Dia de Praia” in the video below. For more, listen to Alo Brasil’s Key Studio Session from earlier this month.

Alex B Shaw: “Dia de Praia” from Anula Shetty on Vimeo.

Mumblr started out as a cooler, punkier version of Modest Mouse when they released their first EPs Rectangle and Rectangle Pt. 2, which were re-recorded and condensed into their White Jesus EP. Then they took a small turn toward the more emotional side when they released their split with Dark Orange Oriole Carving. Now, with Nutter, Mumblr fully embraced the fuzz punk. Each song is visceral, driving, and plain fun. They still bring the jams with this release, and embody the high energy, as well as musicianship, they have had on each release. But Nutter is faster and more raw than any of their previous releases. And it fits them completely. The four songs on this EP fully captures the energy they bring to their live set. From the first song to the last song, Nutter wraps ears inside several layers of heavy sounds and a static, but full atmosphere of sound.

Give Mumblr’s new EP Nutter a listen. Then give the rest of their material a listen. Then learn the words. Then go see them play. They are a great time. Below, check out their song “Space God” off of Nutter.

Photo by Ally Newbold, http://www.allynewbold.com/

Since their inception about a year and a half ago, Marietta has played countless shows – including some with prominent local punk names like Kite Party – and their super-likeable tunes have spread like wildfire, both via the internet and the local scene. Their new track, titled “O.K., Mom” has all of what has previously made this band great, but with a bunch of tasty new tricks. Perhaps most noticeable is the ease with which they pass the role of vocalist around to each member of the band, whereas in the past it was exclusively guitarists Evan Lescallette and Ethan Willard (a Key intern) whose back-and-forth vocal style gave the band a distinct sound.

The new track is on bandcamp for a low fee (due to a shortage of free downloads) but you can find a free mediafire download here. Also, like the band on Facebook so you can keep an eye out for their new record, which will be released within the next two months or so.

About a week ago we posted about a new Philly band, The Cloth. They had released a couple songs digitally, which are awesome; however, we’ve since acquired a physical copy which has three more great tracks on it, and now we want everyone to get to know this band. Word on the street is that they are killer live, and they play extremely loud, making the upstairs at Kung Fu Necktie an ideal stage. They will be playing there tonight, along with APE!, Tile, and Killer of Sheep (PGH). Show starts at 8pm and the cover is $8. Don’t miss out!

Olsen has since signed with the Jagjaguwar label. A release date for her upcoming album has not yet been announced. But, she says, “I’m working on some new things. I don’t want to force them, though. I have some vague idea of when I might record, but we’ll see. It will be sooner than later because I don’t want to wait too long. It has to come naturally.”

In the meantime, you can catch Olsen live in Philadelphia as she performs an opening set for Kurt Vile on May 18 at Union Transfer. We recently caught up with Olsen while she was touring the West Coast, and we spoke to her about television shows, books, painters, movies, and some other stuff. Here’s what she said.

The Key: Hi Angel. What’s up?

Angel Olsen: Not much. I just played Phoenix. It was really fun. Now we’re in Tempe, Arizona. We’re looking for a swimming hole. We’re going to a place called Kenyon Lake. And now I’m drinking some coffee. I just woke up like 30 minutes ago, so I feel like I’m going to be very experimental with answering these questions.

TK: Good. It’s Friday, and everyone’s over everything. So I won’t ask you all the dumb questions interviewers usually ask like, “How did you get the name Angel Olsen?” I’ll just ask you some random questions like this one: Do you watch television?

AO: Not really. But I got really into Downton Abbey over the winter. Me and my friends did. It was pretty ridiculous. I don’t know what’s so good about it—I couldn’t tell you. I’ve never been a television person, but I watched a lot of that. And I always go back to Freaks & Geeks. Every episode is so perfect. But I only really watch television in the winter because there’s nothing to do in Chicago and I get tired of going out and forcing myself to do things. But, in the summer, I’m normally out riding my bike, or getting some tacos, or running around outside. You know, living.

TK: Are you saying that watching television is not living?

AO: It’s living, it’s just, yeah. It can suck you in and make you emotional about things that have nothing to do with your life when you should be emotional about living your own life. I don’t know. It’s like when you start watching something and you get really into it, and you have to sit there and watch the whole thing. I don’t want to do that. I don’t want that to happen in my own life. But it does sometimes.

TK: Have you seen any good movies recently?

AO: I saw Rust And Bone. It’s about a woman who is a whale trainer, and she loves to go dancing: she loves to go to the club. And the other main character is really into boxing, and he has a son that he doesn’t take care of, but then he has to. It’s hard to feel empathy for either character in the beginning. There are some really intense plot twists. She eventually loses her legs. They become good friends. I won’t say anymore, but it was amazing.

TK: You almost spoiled it.

AO: Almost, but I didn’t. There’s more, Elliott. You have to watch the whole movie. You still don’t know what happens.

TK: I’ll put it in my queue. Do you like books?

AO: Yeah. Do you know António Lobo Antunes? I went to the bookstore the other day to find one of his book. I’m really into Carlos Ruiz Zafon, too. He writes a lot about love and incest and murder and war. I just finished one of his books called The Prisoner of Heaven. The title is kind of whack, but it was awesome.

TK: “Whack.” Wow. I haven’t heard that word used in a while. Do you have a favorite book that you go back to and reread?

AO: There was this one Paul Auster book that I got really into once. But now I can’t remember the name of it.

TK: I’ve read a lot of his stuff. What’s it about?

AO: It’s about a professor whose family dies in a plane crash…

TK: That sounds like The Book Of Illusions. That’s a good one.

AO: I love that book. He becomes obsessed with some Charlie Chaplin character that disappears in the 1930s, and then he gets a strange letter in the mail, and his life changes. I tried to get more people to read it. The first time I read it, I was like 18 or 19, and I loved it. I really like Paul Auster. He’s hit or miss, but I love his books. I read them even if they are shit and they go nowhere.

TK: I went to a Paul Auster reading at the library here in Philadelphia a few months ago and he signed one of my books. He was a nice guy. When I walked over he said, “Hello, young man.”

AO: Oh, really? He has a really interesting face. He seems like a character in one of his books.

TK: Sometimes he is a character in his books. It seemed like we could’ve been good friends if we’d had more time together.

AO: Maybe he could put you in one of his books.

TK: That would be nice. Do you do any writing outside of songwriting?

AO: I like to write postcards and letters. I love writing letters to friends. I don’t know if I’m good at it, but I enjoy doing it when I have the time. I send letters to close friends who’ve moved away, and other people I don’t see very often.

TK: Interestingly, Paul Auster’s new book is a collection of correspondence between him and a friend.

AO: That’s amazing. I should go through all my old email and check that shit out. There’s probably some good stuff in there. And probably some dumb stuff, too.

TK: Do you write fiction?

AO: Not really, but I’d like to. I’d like to spend more time on it, but I end up getting frustrated. I like trying to write dialogue.

TK: Do you do any other creative stuff that’s not music?

AO: I like making lo-fi music videos. That’s fun. I don’t have fancy equipment, but I’ve been doing stuff like that recently. I have a lot of friends that make noise and experimental music, so I’ve made some videos for them. I used to make that kind of music, too, but I don’t really anymore. Maybe I will in the future. I used to play accordion, and drone it out. It sounded totally crazy. I love hearing that music and being around it.

TK: Are you into visual art?

AO: I was actually just talking about this artist the other day named Remedios Varo. She’s a woman from Spain who moved to Mexico and joined the Surrealist movement, but not in that order. I really got into her work.

TK: Do you paint?

AO: I have, but the paintings look so dumb. If someone sits in a room, and I spend hours working on it, it’s pretty good. But I can’t draw or paint from memory. I did some paintings of women, because I feel like I know the anatomy of women pretty well. But really boring stuff, like people’s faces. Nothing too experimental, really. Maybe in the future you’ll see some Angel Olsen art.

Angel Olsen plays with Kurt Vile and Steve Gunn on Saturday, May 18 at Union Transfer, 1026 Spring Garden Street. More information here.

He’s My Brother, She’s My Sister is an oddball alt-country group from LA, with jovial tunes that can recall classic groups like Creedence Clearwater Revival and the Mamas & the Papas simultaneously. It’s an invigorating blend of many genres, and the group gives it all an undeniable pop gleam that makes their brand of blues stand out from the countless other groups currently interpreting the genre.  The band is apparently taking their act to new places on this tour, with an expanded line-up and a bunch of new tunes ready to be road-tested. Supporting acts are Beach Day and Jeffrey Lewis and the Rain, and this 21+ show is at North Star Bar; tickets are $10.

Michael Lerner’s pop-rock project Telekinesis is an airy bouquet of all things pop circa 2000, 1990, and 1980, all at once. What makes this appreciation for history sound relevant is that it doesn’t try too hard to emulate sounds from the past, but rather does so in an attempt to make music that’s fresh and progressive. The group will play at Johnny Brenda’s tonight, along with SoCal indie-pop act Deep Sea Diver. Tickets are $12.

Photo cred: Ally Newbold Photography http://www.allynewbold.com/

Philly’s Girl Scouts are a trio that blend math rock and emo together to create a dynamic sound. Watching them perform live is a treat because the level of skill and coordination they have is exciting, especially for being a young band. Barely in their 20′s, it’s inspiring to see young musicians who are as talented as they are.

Girl Scouts put out their first two song release entitled thanksalot in August 2011. In December 2011, they released a split single with Old Gray. Since their start, the trio has ripped up the basement scene in Philadelphia, playing some of the sweatiest shows I have ever been to. They’ve released one song that was going to be on a compilation, “Don’t Curse In Front of the Boys Goddammit!” as a single cleverly titled Some Song That Was Supposed To Be On Some Comp That Never Happened. The band also has a song, “Grist Mill Days,” that is on The BIG Comp, recently released on Lame-O.

Hopefully, after getting to know Girl Scouts, you will want to check them out. They are a lot of fun, and seriously talented. With just six songs, Girl Scouts have made quite an impression on the local scene. They Wednesday, May 22nd with Secret Plot to Destroy the Entire Universe, Caravels, Sic Bacchus, and Secret Grief at Thirst Mountain. 

Below, watch P.J. Carroll (guitar/vocals) from Girl Scouts perform a new song acoustically for Temple News and listen to a couple of their songs.

We continue this week’s Unlocked series with Bad Braids, and the video for “Ode to Fig” from Bad Braids’ forthcoming album, Supreme Parallel, out on May 1st.

Bad Braids – Ode to Fig from Daughters on Vimeo.

I won’t ruin the ending for you, but I will say it’s unexpected. That’s the best thing to do when it comes to introducing film, isn’t it? Because if you start by telling someone there’s a strange twist, they can’t help but watch the entire way through. It’s in our nature as human beings to be curious when it comes to that type of stuff.

Not that this music video for “Ode to Fig” is a chore to sit through whatsoever. It looks like the best day of playing hookie imaginable. The video (which was created by Tamyka Smith and Diana Martinez of the Daughters Project in Brooklyn) is basically one grown man getting super day drunk and playing house in someone’s summer cabin the middle of the woods.

To be more specific: the furry fellow artist Mr. Troy Swain sits on a porch and frolics through the woods, aimin’ guns and drinking whiskey from his morning coffee cup all the way through the day until dusk, when he switches to the bottle. A rolling, folk guitar riff comes in over a lake full of sleepy, autumn foliage that’s sliced up through hazy transitions and shots of blinding sunlight. Everything is green, from the hunter color of our hero’s shirt to the long grass fields and trees growing out of them.

It’s a serene, pretty video that looks like it was as fun to film as it is to imagine yourself taking a day off and into the subject’s shoes… if he was even wearing them. The filmmakers, who are both great friends of Biscieglia, expected to be able to capture her as a similarly carefree woodland creature, but the poor girl sprained her ankle falling off of a tree stump before the shoot.

But that’s not even the most unexpected twist (you’ve got to watch all the way to the end for that).

To pre-order Supreme Parallel, visit Haute Magie. To preview some of the songs from the record, you can check out the Bad Braids Bandcamp page. Download “Pennies” from the album here.

ChestnuTT stopped by World Cafe in January to record three new songs, “Love Is More Than A Wedding Day,” and “Everybody’s Brother;” a third song, “Under The Spell Of The Handout” can be streamed below. The studio session can be found here. ChestnuTT is as sultry as ever with his new album, and he will be coming to Philadelphia to play World Cafe Live on June 15th. Go here for tickets and information. Below, watch a video of ChestnuTT play his song “Under The Spell Of The Handout” in a behind the scenes studio session while he was working on Landing On a Hundred.

Joseph A. Gervasi has been a mainstay in the Philly DIY scene for more than two and a half decades now, between his work with ’90s punk promotion agency the Cabbage Collective and DIY film companies Exhumed Films and Diabolik DVD (in addition to countless other forays). For his latest project, LOUD! FAST! PHILLY!, he combines his dual loves of music and film to explore and document Philly’s hardcore punk scene from the 1970′s to today. The result is a project presented in two parts: a screening of rare punk footage, which will be supplemented live with commentary from different members of the scene—and a still-growing audio archive of intimate, unedited interviews between Gervasi and myriad interviewees—discussing memorable shows, experiences  and what the punk scene meant to them. Gervasi will post a new interview every day throughout the month of April; each interview will be accompanied by two portraits of the subject by photographer Karen Kirchhoff. The screening and live commentary will take place on Tuesday, April 23 at PhilaMOCA, as part of the Cinedelphia Film Festival.

Though the project is retrospective in nature, Gervasi explains that it is not a documentary—a film that employs interviews and footage to prove a thesis. Rather, LOUD! FAST! PHILLY! aims instead to present simply the facts, while eschewing nostalgia and avoiding revisionist history. I caught up with Gervasi to find out more about the project’s evolution and goals—and where he thinks the Philly punk scene is headed in 2013. In keeping with Gervasi’s own conventions, I present the entire interview unedited. 

Gervasi

The Key: When did you first have the idea for this project?  Did you always conceive it as being in two parts: the screening and live interviews, and also the audio archives—or did this decision arise during the process?

Joseph Gervasi: When Eric Bresler of Cinedelphia told me he was planning to do a film festival some months ago, I knew whatever he came up with would reflect his unique personality. It would be eclectic and unlike any film festival this city has ever hosted. I was invited to present a movie screening with the group I’m a part of, Exhumed Films, and to do a “solo” event. My shows outside Exhumed better represent my personal interests and passions. There were prospective events that didn’t come together, but the one that stuck was assembling a collection of rare footage of Philly hardcore punk bands and having some participants speak during a screening of the footage. When faced with the ephemeral nature of a live event that would be screened to a finite number of individuals in a very particular location, I knew I wanted to contribute something more lasting to the documentation of Philly’s punk scene, which was a scene I’ve had an active engagement with since I was sixteen.

TK: How involved were you personally with the scene you describe? Why did you decide to focus on it?

JG: I was very involved with punk and, to a considerably lesser extent, I’ve always remained involved in the scene. I started going to shows in Philly in 1987 at Club Pizzazz and other venues. It wasn’t long after that that I wanted to become an active member of the scene and try to compel some small part of it to live up to the egalitarian ideals I was voraciously reading on lyric sheets. A couple years later, my brother Bull, Chris Fry, and I were doing shows at the Harwan Theatre in Mt. Ephraim, NJ. By the early 1990s, we created a group called the Cabbage Collective to host DIY shows in Philly that were inclusive of everyone and fun for attendees. The Cabbage Collective hosted shows regularly through the ’90s. Concurrently, I was editing a ‘zine, NO LONGER A FANzine, and traveling around with bands, friends, or solo and visiting different punk scenes in the U.S. and Canada. I saw North America from the perspective of Greyhound buses, filthy couches, dilapidated squats, and balanced precariously between heavy sound equipment in a wheezing van. Punk opened pretty much every door for me and invited me to step in. I’ve always kept that door open. I think at its best the scene nurtures creative people and encourages them to be their best. That aspect of punk is so tremendously important to so many people that I wanted to focus in on it in order to hopefully encourage others to gain inspiration from it even if they have little interest in the music or the scene itself.

TK: What do you hope to achieve with this project, in terms of the legacy of hardcore punk in Philly? 

JG: I want to create a mosaic of voices that, when assembled as a whole, present some of the life experiences and thoughts of a diverse collection of individuals who have spent their lives in active engagement with their times. I want the people who listen to a few or all of the interviews to take away something of the unique perspectives of the folks I had the honor to talk to at length.

TK: How did you decide who to interview? Was it difficult to track anyone down? Is there anyone you wanted to interview but couldn’t?

JG: It was important to me that the interviews, when seen as a whole, reflected the diversity of both the punk scene and the city of Philadelphia as a whole. I interviewed men and women who were my peers when I came into the scene, those who were my contemporaries during the time of my most active involvement, and those who came into the scene after me and continue to uphold its ethos while adapting to the world of the present. There are some people I’ve not been able to track down because they’ve completely fallen off the radar. Some folks proved problematic to interview because they are dead. Some others have left the city but have agreed to sit down with me when they visit Philly or I happen to be wherever-the-hell they live now. A few people I asked to talk to expressed disinterest, but that was—fortunately—rare.

TK: How did you locate the video footage? How much overlap is there between the video footage and the audio archives?

JG: We put out a call for video footage a few months ago and got in a lot of amazing material. Much of what we’ll screen has never been seen by anyone other than the attendees at the shows that were filmed and the folks who shot the footage. Some of what we’ve assembled has been taken from ancient VHS tapes that could easily have been lost forever. In one case Eric [Bresler] had to digitize on-site at the More Fiends’ house while I conducted the interview in another room. We’ve digitized and edited the footage so it’s enjoyable for a seated audience not “blessed” with combat boots to the cranium, stinky human bodies in motion, cigarette smoke, and tinnitus-inducing sound barf. There’s a fair amount of crossover between the live footage and the audio interviews, but the video footage was largely limited to what we could amass in a short time, and what of that we felt would work for an audience. Those who grumble about certain bands missing from the live event will likely find better representation in the ever-expanding audio interviews series.

TK: What’s your favorite interview?

JG: Gah! That’s telling (and there are still so many more to come). A few highlights among the many were: the marvelous Fiends, Elizabeth and Allen, who are truly inspiring Philly eccentrics; the twin scene legends named Chuck (Treece of McRad and Meehan of himself); the Harvard educated and simultaneously cerebral and spiritual Glenn Wallis of Ruin, and so many more.

• Interview with Elizabeth and Allen of Fiendsinterview by Joseph GervasiDownload

TK: Your goal with this project is to present the things unedited, without projecting a thesis. Is there anything you encountered, either in the interviews or the footage, that, looking back, you think might portray the scene in a way that is incongruent with your own personal definition?

JG: I’ve sometimes had a tough time keeping me out of the interviews and while there is no implicitly stated or clearly defined thesis, there is, in effect, something of a constant that I’ve seen in nearly every interview subject. That is, they seem to glow with an abiding enthusiasm and forward-thinking drive. These are the people who’ve done things, not just watched others do things, and it comes through in their daily lives (lives that are often far removed from the punk scene). I had the opportunity to talk to some people who I felt would represent the scene poorly and elected not to speak with them. There are parts of hardcore punk that I personally find uninteresting at best and repellent at worst. I’ve no desire to focus on big dumb dudes who look like they’d rather bench press the PA than read a book, or the lamely sexist trash culture strain of punk, or the drug- and alcohol-addled crusties or chaos punks. I want to talk to those who contribute something of value, not a refection of the more repugnant and destructive facets of our society.

TK: In your opinion, where is the Philly punk scene headed in 2013?   

JG: After talking with some of the younger people I interviewed (the youngest of whom was 20 years old) and seeing the fine and principled work the DIY PHL folks are doing, I think that a certain segment of the scene—the segment that favors the DIY ethos over anachronistic punk fashions, empty sloganeering, or thuggish dudery—is moving ever forward. The one thing that I mentioned over and over again in assembling this project is that I have NO interest in nostalgia. The past was great when it was the present. From the past we in the present should learn. But when it comes to how to live life in the now, we should always be looking and moving ahead while making sure those we care about don’t fall behind.

TK: We couldn’t agree with you more.

The LOUD! FAST! PHILLY! Cinedelphia Film Festival event occurs Tuesday, April 23 and 8:00 and 10:30 p.m. at PhilaMOCA, 531 N. 12 St. The 8:00 showing is sold out, but tickets for the 10:30 showing are available here. The audio archives and portraits are available here.

In addition to the band’s mercantile plans, tracks from the new album have begun to surface. Today at Alternative Press, a new cut called “Dismantling Summer” premiered. You can check it out here, and watch a lyric video for “Passing Through A Screen Door” below.

Photo by Jon Van Dine

Philadelphia band Belgrade has released a sneak peak single off of their debut self titled album via Alternative Press this week, and, with every emphasis on the next two words: it shimmers. The dissonant echo, vulnerable yet resoundingly present, glistens the surface of the released song “Consolation Prize” so it plays as an atmospheric back drop to the rest of the organic sound.

Those of you who love bands like My Morning Jacket and The Appleseed Cast will find it easy to immerse your ears within Belgrade’s warmth. The beginning notes slip into the undercurrents of the consciousness, while the throbbing drums burst what can only be described by saying this band a profound sense how to write a song. “Consolation Prize” as a whole is a complete composition of mature song writing and beautiful emission of sound.

Belgrade’s debut self-titled album will be released digitally April 16th, and their record release show will be at the Kung Fu Necktie on April 26th; listen to “Consolation Prize” via Alternative Press here. While you’re at it, Absolute Punk also has released another song from their full length entitled “Protest” so check that out as well. And below, enjoy a free download of “Venice On A Map.”

Photo by G.W. Miller III

In the latest issue of JUMP Magazine, writer Beth Ann Downey profiled rising local producer Jonathan Low of Miner Street Studios. Check out the interview below.

Jonathan Low, the more-often-than-not mustached producer and engineer for Miner Street Studios in Fishtown, sips on a Kenzinger at Johnny Brenda’s while waiting for a Weathervane Music benefit show to kick off upstairs. He’ll run sound for Twin Sister, Steven A. Clark and Ava Luna — not a bad way to spend his one night home from a two-month stint in New York, where he’s working with The National on their new record and living in guitarist Aaron Dessner’s house.

Usually, Low can be seen somewhere in Fishtown day in and day out. It’s the place he chose as his professional home, the heart of the now bursting-at-the-seams local music scene.

Those who see him but don’t know the small, quiet and usually smiling Low might not expect him to be responsible for some of the biggest, best and most badass sounds coming out of the city.

“Philly was a really good place to do this because the music community is really supportive,” he says between sips of beer. “Fishtown is a really good environment to collaborate, and just to live. I feel like it was good timing when I started doing this with a lot of Philadelphia bands that were starting to do well, or be a little bit more active. I kind of was lucky jumping into the scene at the right time.”

Jumping into the scene as a producer rather than a performer wasn’t an easy decision for Low. He’s played piano since age 5 and he considered going to college for a degree that would qualify him to work on the other side of the soundboard. But he graduated from Drexel’s music industry program in 2008, and his first big post-college break was working on the first Hoots and Hellmouth record.

“That’s how I ended up kind of working out of Miner Street, working with Brian McTear,” Low recalls. “I was an assistant on the record while they (Hoots and Hellmouth) were on MAD Dragon, and then they finished the record here in Fishtown at the studio. They were kind of one of my first gateways into a lot of Philly music, a lot of Philly bands.”

Most of Low’s career to date has been as an engineer and mixer but he has been producing a lot more in the past year for the likes of Restorations, Bleeding Rainbow and The National Rifle. Low says engineering and mixing is easier than producing because it’s a much more defined role.

The National Rifle – Coke Beat (Official Video) from The National RIfle on Vimeo.

“A producer’s role is always changing depending on the record, the band, the environment,” Low says. “It’s a very broad term, and I feel like that’s something that usually takes a little bit more time and experience to become a really good producer, a really good outside force that’s driving things in the right direction. On stuff that I have produced, I usually am engineering it and mixing it at the same time. I think that’s really interesting too because you kind of see the entire process throughout. It’s just total control of a lot of things and you can either make it amazing because you have all of that total control or it can be incredibly hard.”

Low recognizes that a producer’s role comes with a lot of responsibility. It’s not necessarily pressure that he feels but the desire to arrive at an end result that everyone can be proud of.

“That’s kind of the job of the producer as well — to represent something in a way that it should be represented, and have a similar vision to the artist and where that should go,” he says.

Low engineers and mixes most of the Shaking Through sessions for Weathervane Music, a non-profit organization that provides free recording time for one song and creates videos for new artists over a two-day period. Low produced the episodes that featured Ava Luna and Auctioneer. He says the in-depth documentation and rapid workflow of a Shaking Through session makes for an intense but artistically inspiring environment.

“Having those two days to do this completed song is completely out of context of making a record,” he says. “On a record you could be cutting your basic tracks for, like, a week and you don’t know how even one song is sounding yet.

“I think that’s why Shaking Through songs come out so incredibly. Everything is so fast. Everything works really well.”

Light streams from the enormous windows of Miner Street Studios and that light usually becomes a central character in any Shaking Through video.

That same Fishtown sunshine makes Low eternally grateful for the environment he works in, the musicians and people he’s met and the life he’s built. No wonder he’s so smiley all the time.

“It’s a really positive place, it’s a really positive environment,” Low says. “Everyone that I ever worked with there is just super great as people. Some of the greatest people I’ve ever met are just the bands I end up working with. I rarely ever have a very bad experience.”

A lot of people talk about the music industry as a dark place, especially today in such an uncertain time for the industry. But not Low.

“I feel like I’ve been really lucky in not really seeing all that much of it, not seeing that side of it,” he says.

The songs show an evident influence from pop-punk / indie bands most people growing up with the style of music will be able to recognize. On their Facebook page, some of the musical influences they cite that show profoundly in their songs are Weatherbox, Cursive, Bomb the Music Industry!, and Brand New. There are times in their songs when the vocalist sounds shockingly close to the latter’s Jesse Lacey. Which is great, because the vocalist is something to note. He has a great voice that is versatile. In order to be a band that spans genres, you need to have a voice that can cover the mood in the melodies. Adam Linder, vocalist and guitarist (as well as bassist on the records and songwriter for the band) is able to capture an array of emotionalism and power in his voice. When his voice needs to be sad, it traverses soundscapes of melancholy; at times when the jams are upbeat, his voice changes accordingly.

This kind of versatility is worth nothing, because a good or bad vocalist can make the band, or break the band, in this case it absolutely makes Sister CIty. The lyrics coincide, as well, with what is great about this band. With clever lines like, “I actually don’t have anything to say today / I actually don’t have anything” or “But when I taught myself to walk again / I respectfully declined the chance / And planted myself stubbornly instead / And I stared at the ground / And I found myself imagining / That it meant something profound / So I made meaning out of everything I found,” it’s easy to tell the words are thought out, rather than some of the diluted lyrics in the indie/emo/pop-punk, what have you, scene which all blend together.

What is even better, they put the album up for free on their bandcamp. You can also buy their music, and they have a bunch of cool little incentives to do so: if you spend 50 dollars, singer-guitarist Adam Liner will personally write you a song on any subject the buyer chooses; if you spend 25 dollars, Adam will cover a song that you choose, although he says “Be reasonable.” It’s an interesting method to promote an album, and if I had 25 dollars and am permitted to be vein for a moment, I would totally give these dudes the money so I could get them to cover “Daughter” by Pearl Jam because most people don’t even know how catchy the riff in that song is. Hell, if I had an extra 25 dollars, I would get them to cover it again, only slower, for my dubstep project I don’t, and will never have. Excluding my self-indulgent tangent, this album was great, and it’s free online, and if you have the money you can get handwritten lyrics from the album written by Adam, and a letter which he says “tries to make small talk.” That’s not only a play on the full length name, but it’s adorable. So give these guys a listen.

Below, check out “Today Was My Day to Die and You Ruined it” off Sister City’s LP Small Talk.

Founded a few years back by singer-guitarist Matt Vantine and drummer Matt Amadio, the group brought bassist Rusty Langly last year and released their debut LP Our Eyes Are Peeled in the winter. The album is an eclectic romp with notes of The Beatles, ELO and Spoon – not to mention sweet string arrangements care of Philly production legend Larry Gold – and the band has a handful of live dates on the calendar in support of it.

In addition to the free show at The Porch, the band will play the Kimmel Center for PIFA on April 26th, and will play The Barbary on April 29th. In addition, they have a month-long residency at The Living Room in New York. Below, watch The Fleeting Ends rocking out their song “Elaine” at The Fire on Valentine’s Day, and read our Unlocked interview with the band here.

Photo by Allison Newbold

Last July, Sean Huber – the founder / guy who writes all the songs / public face of Steady Hands – gave us Not Many of Us Left, his debut folk-punk inspired EP. Since that day, Huber has given fans plenty of reasons to enjoy his music and dance like maniacs with his spirited lyrics, intimate and passionate solo acoustic performances, and full band performances replete with an overabundance of sweat and beer. In February of this year, Steady Hands released its newest EP, The Libertines, and while it maintains the same folk-punk musical style, it is a full step away with it’s driving drums, group vocals, and overall full sound. The Libertines is fun, deep, riddled with story telling, and something to put your arm around your friends shoulder and sing in each others faces’.

Some of you may know that Mr Huber is the drummer for Modern Baseball, who is – in not so delicate words – wrecking the Philadelphia music scene, as well as the up and coming indie / pop punk scene. If you still can’t put a name to a face, then go to a Steady Hands show. Sean’s an incredibly nice and warm guy, and puts on a hell of show. You can tell by the end of his performance that he loves the music he makes. Mostly by the sheer volume of sweat pouring off the dude. When I say The Libertines is a full step away from his previous release, it truly is a full step. What I mean to say, the sound has matured heavily. Which is to say, the sound was already matured. The songs on the new EP still have the story telling from the previous EP, but in terms of recording, musicianship, dynamics, everything has improved. Which, again, is to say everything mentioned was already gnarly on Not Many of Us Left. Immediately, the first track exemplifies the growth in Sean’s writing.

Starting with a powerful guitar intro, the EP consistently maintains its grip on your ears. Even the last track, which in terms of the rest of the EP is a bit slower, still delivers the overall full sound. While the first EP sounded heavily influenced by folk-punk bands such as Andrew Jackson Jihad and Defiance, Ohio, The Libertines evokes influence from Bomb the Music Industry! and The Menzingers, mainly because this release has much more electric guitar in it, and the last release was heavy on the acoustics. Both super awesome in their own respect.

Give the first release a listen, and then give Steady Hands’ newest release a listen and see how the sound has grown. The Libertines was released on Lame-O records (run by Eric Osman, who rules more than most things) and is available through the Facebook page, or can also be purchased through Steady Hands’ bandcamp. Below you can check out “Song For Rosemary” off of The Libertines. And on April 16th, you can take in the energy in person when Steady Hands plays The Barbary, opening for What’s Eating Gilbert Grape. Information on the all-ages show can be found here.

When Carlin Brown isn’t making sweet beats behind the drum kit of Philly punk band Restorations, he’s making sweet eats inside the kitchen of some of the city’s most popular restaurants and bars.

Currently a cook at The Industry Bar, Brown’s restaurant resume is almost as long the list of serious bands he’s played in. He said these two jobs are also surprisingly quite similar.

“Being in a kitchen, you’re trapped in this weird, strange little environment with this one group of people, and you can only rely on this one group of people. These are the only people you have to do this job with you, so you just figure out strengths and weaknesses and go ‘OK, we’re going to make this work.’ We’re going to figure this out,” Brown said. “The band stuff translates just as well. In music and in food, in the same way, sometimes egos get out of check. You’ll have these [musicians] that think they deserve things and that sort of thing. The same thing with chefs. Every now and then, you’ll see a chef get out of line. He’s drinking too much or doing this sort of thing, and everything fails eventually because they don’t care about what the original purpose was in the first place, which was making good music or food. You’re supposed to take care of your friends and make something good happen.”

Today’s post details Brown’s experiences from working in some of the top-rated bars and restaurants in the city, along with a few of his favorite recipes. Brown figures that many musicians in Philly have also picked up the same trade due to flexibility with taking time off to tour.

“When you’re in Philadelphia, if you walk into a kitchen and the people who are working in the kitchen don’t have tattoos, the food is probably going to suck,” he said.

Photo by Kate McCann | KateMcCannPhotography.com

Royal Tavern – 937 East Passyunk Avenue
Carlin worked here from 2004-2006

“When I was there it was a completely different chef, a completely different staff, and I only worked brunch. I worked three days a week but I worked about 40 hours in those three days. We’d get there at 6 a.m. and just cook and cook and cook and cook. Sometimes I’d be there at 9 or 10 at night, just making sure we had everything. Not only were we prepping everything that we needed for brunch, we would turn over the entire dining room like five times. We were also prepping all of the 10 specials for the week, and prepping the regular menu. … It would be bad. It would get to the point where were having drinks trying to get our work done. Then as soon as we’d get our work done we were all exhausted and the chef would be like ‘Nope, were going out!’ He would take us out and make us drink all night long, we’d get like three hours of sleep and then there you are, back again at 6 a.m. … After a while it was like ‘I can’t do this anymore dude!’ That’s why I had to have five days off or four days off a week.”

North Star Bar – 2639 Poplar St
Carlin worked here from 2006-2008

“North Star Bar was a strange experience because I was essentially the only cook. There was no chef, there was no anything. There was one other cook who worked there like one or two days a week, so it was just this bare-bones sort of bar menu. I looked at the menu with the owner and said like ‘I can redo this whole thing for you.’ I essentially just took over the kitchen and redid it, and he was all about it. That was pretty cool because I was still pretty young then, maybe 23 or 24 around that time, and essentially I was just given a kitchen. … I was the prep cook, the regular cook, the line cook, I did all of it, ordering. It was even to the point that we didn’t have a dish washer, so I was washing dishes and I was running food out to the bartenders.

“It was one of those things where people would come in and be like ‘there’s a kitchen here?’ No one knew there was food and then all of a sudden people knew about it, and he had to start hiring people. He had to start hiring servers, but it was basically still just me in the kitchen doing everything. He took care of me, and it was really fun because it was just me. I had to rely on myself to make sure the kitchen ran appropriately. At the same time I had this army of beautiful bartenders who were constantly just feeding me alcohol. It was like a big, happy family there. We were all having a very, very good time at work. And there’s a lot of cool bands that come through there, so sometimes we’d get to hang out with our friends or see our friends’ bands play. So it was a really cool environment and a cool thing for me at that age. But it did finally get to the point where it was too much, to the point where it wasn’t worth it for me to do it anymore because I couldn’t do anything else. It was fine, it worked, because I was there for like a year and a half or two years doing that. Off and on, he was letting me go on tour. I would just go, in the middle of the summer, just be like ‘Oh, I’m going to be gone for eight and a half weeks. See ya.’ Then I’d go on some horrible tour with whatever terrible band I was in, waste all my money, come back and do it all over again.”

Monk’s Cafe – 264 S 16th St
Carlin worked here from 2008-2010

“I came back from a really long tour. We (Carlin was in the metalcore band Giving Chase) were off and on in Europe for a month or something like that. I quit the band, and I wanted to get a really job. I figured I would do the kitchen thing for real, so I was looking around for restaurants to work in. Monk’s was voted, what, one of the top 10 places in the world to have a beer, or something like that? It seemed to be the cuisine that I was into and wanted to work with, so I went for it. I hate talking about the way it was, but it was just such a disorganized mess when I was there. And the place is so busy, there is no down time, and it seemed like whatever contraption you needed to make whatever food you were making, was broken that day. That was always how it was. … But it was also fun, and it had its moments. It was cool because we’d be in the kitchen all screaming at each other and stressed out and freaking out, then we’d all stay and hang out until 5 a.m. drinking. … What I learned from there is just being able to get things done, no excuses. You have to make the food, it’s got to go out. We were so busy that I just learned how to work in a high-volume situation like that. It was also a bad time for me. I had a girlfriend I was always fighting with. I also wasn’t happy at my job. I was living in a place I couldn’t even afford, working two jobs. I was working seven days a week, 72 hours a week, just killing myself trying to afford this place. My job was making me miserable. And I did that at Monk’s for over a year before I finally got out and went to the Taproom.”

Memphis Taproom – 2331 E Cumberland St
Carlin worked here from February to September in 2010

I worked there for about a year. I basically was filling in for someone, but I really wanted to get out of Monk’s because it was killing me. It was right up the road from where I lived at the time, and just like a smaller, quieter operation. … It went from this meticulous grind [at Monk’s] to just sort of hanging out. Right before I left Monk’s, I started playing drums in Dirty Tactics because I wanted to do something. I was playing drums in another band called El Toro de Oro, but it was basically just friends having fun and wasn’t really serious by any stretch of the imagination. The Dirty Tactics thing started happening, so once again, here I am going on tour and Memphis Taproom was letting me. And every time I came back it was just chilling in this awesome kitchen with awesome guys. It was a nice grounding, coming back to something familiar after [those] strange places.

Photo by Kate McCann | KateMcCannPhotography.com

Swift Half Pub (Now Gunner’s Run) – 224 S 15th St
Carlin worked here from September 2010 to late 2011

This new place had just opened up in a place called The Piazza, which I had never even been to before. One of the bartenders I knew said she knew all the people that worked there. [She to me to] get your resume and come with me. She drags me down there, we go in, get lunch, and I’m like ‘Hey, I’m looking for a job.’ I give my resume to the sous chef and he’s looking at it. He looks up at me and says ‘These are all of my favorite bars in the city.’ I was like alright then. He said they’d give me a call. … They let me come and go because The Piazza dies in the winter. It’s just a complete ghost town. The restaurant eventually went under because we were having a lot of arguments with our landlord. He kept basically kept raising our rent. But Swift Half was one of those places, the same thing as Memphis Taproom, that was like my happy getaway place. So I would go to work and it was just this euphoric little place for me to make food and have fun.

Good Dog Bar – 224 South 15th Street
Carlin worked here from 2010-2012

I met Jess, the chef at Good Dog. She called me and had me come in for an interview. The interview is going real good. We’re hitting it off and she is laughing about stuff. Then she goes alright well I’m not hiring right now. I was like ‘Come on!’ Then a week or two weeks go by, and she calls me and says ‘One of my guys is going into the Army, come on in.’ It was that easy. … While I was there, for maybe about four or five months, I was working at Vintage, but I wasn’t really there for very long. I eventually had to quit because of this whole band thing. I’d be working three days at Good Dog and 40 hours a week at Vintage. I work a lot … When I quit Vintage I was back at Good Dog, but I knew I needed a second job. I had to do something easy that I wouldn’t care about, so I was like screw it I’m just going to go to Chipolte or Qdoba and get some dumb job working a few days a week. The owner of Good Dog heard about it and was like ‘Oh, hell no.’ She pulled me over to Industry to do prep.

The Industry Bar – 1401 E. Moyamensing Ave.
Carlin worked here from 2012-present

I was there the first night of service, the first weekend of service. I was there in the morning for the first brunch we did and, I don’t remember what happened, but basically the chef got mad at everybody. He got mad at all the cooks and kicked them all off the line and into the basement. He said to me, ‘Get up here, you’re cooking with me.’ Within the first hour of cooking, he’s going to [the owners] and being like ‘Can we please have him? Can I take him?’ They were like, ‘no he’s Jess’ employee.’ But one of my good friends came back [to Good Dog] and took my job, so they sent me to Industry to cook. So that’s why I’m there now. But now, when we’re at work and getting all frustrated, my chef will turn and be like, ‘Why did we hire you again?’ I always get to go ‘It was your idea.’ But it’s really exciting for me to be working under my chef Pat, because we both have similar ethics and beliefs about how a kitchen should run. To be able to work under someone who has worked at places like Vetri and The Farm and Fisherman is a daily learning experience. I’m always encouraged to be experimental and creative. ”

Photo by Kate McCann | KateMcCannPhotography.com

Recipes

Banana’s Foster (Royal Tavern)

• 4 eggs
• 1 teaspoon sugar, optional
• dash salt
• 1 cup milk
• 10 to 12 slices white bread
• butter
• maple syrup or other syrup
• Bunch of ripe bananas
• Brown sugar
• Butter
• Goslings black seal Bermuda rum
• Walnuts
• Confectionary sugar

Preparation:
Break eggs into a wide, shallow bowl or pie plate; beat lightly with a fork. Stir in sugar, salt, and milk.

Over medium-low heat, heat griddle or skillet coated with a thin layer of butter or margarine.

Place the bread slices into the bowl or plate, letting slices soak up egg mixture for a few seconds, then carefully turn to coat the other side.

Transfer bread slices to griddle or skillet, heating slowly until bottom is golden brown. Turn and brown the other side

In a smaller pan place a good 2 tablespoons of butter and allow it brown over medium heat.

Cut a banana or two down into 1/2 inch thick circles and “sear” on both sides.

Once you have nice color on them throw in about 2-3 ounces of rum.
CAUTION! This will make fire!!! Allow the alcohol to burn off and the fire to die down and add brown sugar till it gains the consistency of maple syrup.

Cut your French toast in half and stack on top of each other and pour your banana “syrup” on top. Cover then with chopped walnuts and shake powdered sugar on top.

Polenta (Monk’s Café)

• Small dice carrots onions and some raw bacon.
• Sliced Spanish olives.
• Veal cheeks trimmed and cleaned from the fat.
• Fresh herbs, sage rosemary thyme
• demiglace
• salt and pepper to taste.

Preparation:

Throw into a hotel pan all ingrediants with 2 bottles of Val dieu brown ale and enough water to cover the meat.

Cover with foil and throw in oven at 325 degrees for 3 1/2 hours. Then move on to Polenta

• 6 cups water
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 3/4 cups yellow cornmeal
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• Sharp cheddar cheese grated fine

Preparation:
Bring 6 cups of water to a boil in a heavy large saucepan. Add 2 teaspoons of salt. Gradually whisk in the cornmeal. Reduce the heat to low and cook until the mixture thickens and the cornmeal is tender, stirring often, about 15 minutes. Add cheese to taste and consistency after grating. Turn off the heat. Add the butter, and stir until mixed in. Remove cheeks from your liquid and separate.

In a pan combine 3 cheeks with enough of the liquid and veggies to almost cover them. Cook them hard so the liquid is boiling and reducing. Once it’s starting to get a thicker glazy kind of consistency finish with butter to thicken more and add salt and pepper to taste.

Pour this over top of the polenta.

Marinated Tofu BLT (Memphis Taproom)

1 box of extra firm tofu
1 tomato
Head of lettuce iceberg
1 coconut
Lemon juice
1 head of garlic
Loaf of whole grain bread.

Remove tofu from water and cut the block into 1/2 inch slabs
Place in lemon juice and chopped fresh garlic and allow to marinate.

Bake cocoanut at 350 till it start to spew from the inside and has cracked open. Remove the husk and use a potato peeler to make “bacon strips”

Smoke in a smoker for a good hour

After smoking, drop in a deep fryer till crispy and delicious

Remove your tofu from marinade and throw on a grill and get nice grill marks on both sides.

Now you just assemble the sandwich like you would any other club sandwich!!

Vegan Meatballs

Right now the Taproom also has a vegan spaghetti sandwich that’s pretty out of control. I don’t have a recipe exactly but the secrets I will divulge are for these incredible little vegan meatballs made from scratch. A combination of:
Lentils
Onion
Garlic
Nutritial yeast
Panko
Tomatoes paste
Soy sauce
Oregano
Wheat gluten flour

They are almost the exact texture of the meatballs we all grew up eating. It’s served on a long roll with marinara and spaghetti.

Photo by Kate McCann | KateMcCannPhotography.com

Fried Chicken (The Industry)

Collard greens
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
3 cups veal broth
1 pinch red pepper flakes
1 pound fresh collard greens, cut into 2-inch pieces

Directions:
Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add bacon, and cook until crisp. Add onion, and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, and cook until just fragrant. Add collard greens, and fry until they start to wilt.
Pour in veal broth, and season with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 45 minutes, or until greens are tender.

Corn bread
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1 Tbsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup half and half
¼ cup melted butter or shortening
¼ cup sugar

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400° F.
Sift together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt.
Combine the half and half, eggs, fat, and sugar.
Thoroughly grease and flour a 9″ × 9″ baking pan (or use a nonstick baking pan or a flexible silicone pan).
Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ones and mix just until the flour is moistened
Once the liquid and dry ingredients have been combined, pan and bake the cornbread immediately.
Bake 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cornbread comes out clean and the edge of the bread starts to separate from the pan.

Sambal honey
Mix honey and sambal oelek a ratio of 5 parts honey to one part sambal
Honestly you can use whatever ratio you want.

Chicken breading.
One quart flour
2 cups corn meal
1T garlic powder
Onion powder
Smoked paprika
Sugar
Salt
Red chili flake
2T black pepper

Chicken brine
Ingredients:
1 gallon warm water
3/4 cup kosher salt
2/3 cup sugar
5 Bay leaf
1T red chili flake
2T black peppercorns

Directions:
Pour the warm water into a container that is twice the volume of the water. Pour in the salt, sugar, soy sauce, and olive oil. Stir until the sugar and salt have dissolved, then allow the brine to cool to room temperature.
To use, place chicken in the brine, cover, and refrigerate overnight Drain and pat the chicken dry before cooking.

Ok so now after your chicken has brined for a day remove from liquid and while it is still wet place into your breading mixture. Keep turning it from side to side and pushing the breading onto the chicken. If you want you can dredge the breaded chicken in water or beer or your brine mixture and add a second coating of breading if you are so inclined.

Place in a 350 degree fryer till cook thoroughly.

After cooking drizzle on honey sambal mixture.

Photo by Kate McCann | KateMcCannPhotography.com

Carlin’s band Restorations celebrates the release of its new album, LP2, tonight at the First Unitarian Church. It was is the featured album in this edition of Unlocked; download the spotlighted single “Kind of Comfort” in Monday’s post, read Tuesday’s album review, watch a video chronology in Wednesday’s post, read yesterday’s interview and check back for more Unlocked features from The Key.

Empty Air by Kiley’s The Mural and the Mint – completed with collaborators such as Chris Ward of Pattern is Movement, and released to coincide with the Philadelphia International Festival of the Arts – is not a track or album but rather an iPhone app. (Download it from the iTunes store here.) After initializing the app, listeners simply put on their earbuds and walk around Rittenhouse Square. The software triggers different music samples in accord with your phone’s GPS. The samples are blended musically and technically to create a streamlined listening experience.

iPhones determine position by triangulating your smartphone’s signal as it transfers information to cell towers and Wi-Fi hotspots. The technology tracks position, but it does so erratically and imprecisely. The error adds indeterminacy and randomness to Empty Air that proved a challenge for Kiley and differentiates the project from mainstream media.

A pickier performer might be driven to the brink of insanity by the lack of artistic control, but Kiley came to embrace it. Hearing the artist talk about the piece was like watching a child skip across a minefield. “As the composer, I’m making some strong suggestions, and what your phone does is simply what it does.” Hearing that from the safe haven of the Barnes and Noble across Walnut Street, I tried to imagine someone like Madonna saying the same thing. Then I realized she would probably choose eternal damnation before ceding that kind of control to wireless signaling.

Kiley’s reaction was more modest. He ceded egotistical self-expression and prioritized the space. “By giving myself this mission of mapping sound out for this specific area, things started to emerge. I just followed them.”

In the way that the tracks of a concept album are all aligned toward a unifying principle, the bubbles of sound dispersed throughout the park are musical renderings of the landscape – its winding walkways, its birds and tall, arching trees. He integrated sound recordings of the Park with music. Ambient noises harmonize with instruments in the recording and serve as artificial feedback for the real-world surroundings.

Moving inward from the perimeter, samples transition from unstructured, oceanic white noise to the golden egg at the park’s center – a full-length 6-minute song that clarifies and ties together aural elements from the periphery. “There are some great moments where you walk through an archway and something shifts. Or a person walks by you, or something happens in real life that goes with what you’re hearing.” For me, the experience was like floating in a dream – disorienting without being jarring and, ultimately, feeling surreal.

Kiley says producing music with built-in randomness was a humbling experience. He makes himself secondary in importance to the space and indeed the listener. He augments our reality, not because he is better, wiser, or more creative than us, but rather like a good friend, who reflects our own viewpoints and leaves us to make the final decision.

When I suggested his fundamental difference from the norm, he laughed and said, “That’s interesting to hear. Yeah, I do. I think that’s more valuable. That’s just where I am. I don’t know that I’ve always felt that or that I always will. But with this work and what I’m interested in doing right now, I’m trying to take myself out of the equation.”

Do not let the seeming innocuousness of this idea fool you. Kiley’s work is challenging convention. If more people join him, they will call it a revolution.

Right across from Miner Street Studios, where the band recorded its last three releases, is their warehouse practice space. A series of doors open into cold, dank space, then to a homier environment with a kitchen and sofas. Someone there has jokingly crossed out part of the “Restroom” sign so that it now bears the band’s name. The five-piece squeezes into a tiny, sealed-off room, sometimes also visited or accompanied on a fourth guitar by their producer, Jon Low.

Tonight, songs like “D” and “Let’s Blow Up the Sun” off the band’s newly released LP2 are blaring – seeping through the walls and wafting out on to the adjacent street. Past favorites like “When You’re Older” join the new ones, as do laughs and the spontaneous 30-second launch into a cover of “Slide” by the Goo Goo Dolls.

This little corner of Fishtown is where the fun and the magic happen, but a far journey from where Restorations started with the project in 2008.

“We had all come in as defeated, resigned musicians being like, ‘Who cares, we’ll play for a couple of beers and gas money,” said frontman Jon Loudon, who started the band with guitarist Dave Klyman after the split of their post-hardcore band, Jena Berlin. “That’s all we really wanted. If we recorded, great! Cool! And that was it, we’d have something to do on Thursday nights. That was the M.O. of the band for the longest time.”

In the beginning, it was never the intention for Restorations to be the band they are today — one with an extensive and constantly maturing discography, a new record deal and the ability and opportunity to soon tour the country. They agree that the August announcement of their signing to SideOneDummy Records — home to bands like Anti-Flag and The Gaslight Anthem — was a “we made it” moment for this collection of musicians who had given up on that dream multiple times before.

“We finally just got the job that we wanted,” said drummer Carlin Brown. “So now, it’s actually time to work.”

“I feel really, kind of little kid-ish about it,” added Loudon. “It’s been so surreal, I guess, because I think getting into it, we thought there were going to be a lot of concessions on our end, and things that they would want us to do and a lot of negotiating things. Basically it just boiled down to, ‘Hey, you guys have fun. Let us know if you need any help.’ … They’ve just been really helpful and really nice. Not that we’ve been jerks about it, but they’ve just stayed out of our way in general. They’ve helped us get all of the stuff that we’ve always wanted, more or less, and it’s been all of the right people, all of the right situations.”

The support from the label allowed Restorations to make LP2 in the best way possible – without worry. Logistics aside, the band was able to focus on writing and recording this faster, tighter, more rhythmic and rockin’ LP.

“You would wake up and it was a nice, beautiful day in Philadelphia,” said Brown of the recording experience. “You’d see the sun and you’d walk in and you’d go (sighs), ‘This is everything I want to do, is just drink coffee and play music all day.”

“And I didn’t play percussion in my bedroom,” added Low, referencing his work mixing the band’s first self-titled full-length record. Low added percussion accents to several songs for the band after they ran out pretty much run out of money for more studio time to do it themselves.

Loudon credits Low for LP2’s cleaner, more edited and more purposeful sound. Gone are the days of the band’s less precise, floaty rhythm section and adding feedback or other elements to a recording without reason.

But lyrically, Loudon said he still followed the same process and drew from the same pools of emotional inspiration for LP2.

“I feel like I’m writing the same song every time we make a song,” Loudon said with a laugh. “A lot of the songs are sort of building off of one basic idea, you know, one riff. There’s a certain way that I think we write songs. I’ve tried to sort of, lyrically, have that happen too. So it just sort of tumbles, and everything that is going to happen in the band is already there and it just sort of comes together in different ways as it goes along. … I like the idea of drone and repetition, and just sort of sticking with things. I like that as a theme.”

“There is a story in there somewhere,” added Klyman. “You don’t have to describe the plot, it just sort of happens.”

Songs on LP2 like album opener “D” took just a week for Restorations to write. Others, including “New/Old,” have been more than two years in the making. That track was a cast-off from the band’s first LP that was then revisited, and finally finished, for this record.

“It’s great that people are like, really into it, because that was a song we thought sucked,” Loudon says. “We sort of have a long history of just being like ‘Nope, it’s not going on the record. Then we swat songs down and never release them.”

The meandering, post-rock influenced and half percussion-less “0.014MPH” didn’t make the cut for LP2. Instead of keeping it in the vault, the band released it on a 7-inch record that preceded the full-length.

“We put it out as a B-side thinking some people would appreciate it, and people that give a shit like that, they could have it.” Loudon said.

Criticism for LP2 has been overwhelmingly shadowed by praise since the album was released Tuesday. Kind words any many other factors have helped Restorations build a vote of confidence in their abilities and place in the punk scene. Loudon said some of this is also due to the band’s unconditionally supportive fan base.

“I look at a lot of bands and I feel like their fans are super demanding and entitled and really picky about what the band is doing,” Loudon said. “For us, I feel like we could put out a smooth jazz record and people would be like ‘Hell yea, that’s great, guys. Nice job.’ People don’t get mad at us about stuff. I don’t know why that is with our band, but in general we don’t seem to get that backlash that most bands seem to get. “

No matter what successes or failures the future holds, Restorations has no intention of becoming complacent. The idea of constantly improving is all but ingrained in the band’s namesake.

“I wasn’t even in the band and I said ‘Well, why are you calling it Restorations?’” bassist Dan Zimmerman recalled. “[Loudon said] ‘You know, we’re always try to make improvements, no matter what.’ That was something that stuck with me when I was not even in the band … and it’s still the same concept. No matter what we write, we’re always going, ‘Oh man wait we could do this! Oh hold on, hold on, stop, you do that now.’”

Let’s hope Restorations keeps doing what they’re doing, especially on that little corner in Fishtown.

LP2 is the featured album in this edition of Unlocked; hear the spotlighted single “Kind of Comfort” in Monday’s post, read Tuesday’s album review, watch a live chronology of the band in yesterday’s post and check back tomorrow as we travel into the kitchen with drummer Carlin Brown.

It’s a shame that this band will no longer be writing music, especially in the shadow of such a captivating record. On the other hand, that doesn’t mean we can’t still enjoy their music, so you should go to their Bandcamp and download something, or go to TopShelfRecords.com to order Blame & Aging on CD, LP or digital. Also, you might still be able to grab a ticket to one of their last shows. They’ve posted a list of dates on their Tumblr.

PhilaMOCA programmer Eric Bresler previews Cinedelphia‘s Tuesday Tune-Out series for April [link]

Meet Dante Bucci, the local musician who kicked-off WXPN’s Philly Local Busker Series at The Porch at 30th Street Station this week [link]

Watch local folk duo Maitland perform “Embers” in advance of their Friday, April 5th show at The Trocadero balcony [link]

Mayer Hawthorne‘s new song “Designer Drug” was Tuesday’s My Morning Download [link]

JUMP Magazine shared their recap and photos of Plow United‘s Saturday night show at The Barbary [link]

Stream and download Burn the Wish from local duo Great Red Spots, recorded at West Philly DIY space Sprinkle Kingdom [link]

Reed The Lost Cauze is back with a debut podcast/free download called REEF RADIO, [link]

Unlocked digs into Restorations‘ LP2 ahead of their record release show this Friday [link]

Take a listen to Wrong World‘s “See These Streets” and see them open for Bleeding Rainbow and The Cave Singers on Thursday [link]

Patty Griffin was spotlighted on XPN’s Gotta Hear Song of the Week with “Ohio,” featuring Robert Plant [link]

NPR Music’s First Listen is streaming Kurt Vile‘s Wakin’ On A Pretty Daze before the album’s official release next week [link]

The 2011 installment (Fest 10) was Restorations’ first, aside from a one-off house show at Fest 7 before guitarist/keyboard player Ben Pierce was even in the band. It was one of the only out-of-the-Northeast shows the band was able to play with most members carrying full-time jobs. They took on the small club at the festival called Loosey’s. And to that small but packed house, they must have played the set of a lifetime because, after Fest 10, everyone started to take notice.

Through the peaking sound and shakey camera view of the video above from that very set, you can still see what Restorations does to a crowd. It was the energy that made critics at the show write, “Look for them in a larger venue at Fest 11, as the buzz is sure to only grow.” The Alternative Press Magazine writer made an accurate prediction — Restorations was slotted to play the High Dive concert venue for a 600-person crowd at Fest 11 last October. But they stopped by at Loosey’s once again for a smaller preshow event, not forgetting where their Fest hype came from. Both shows highlighted the band’s revered new bassist (Dan Zimmerman), their big label signing news (to SideOneDummy) and a few awesome new songs (from their A/B 7-inch, the video below is the band performing “A”). Their smiling faces show this crowd was anything but a disappointment.

And why should Philly punk fans care about this collection of shows played at a festival in Florida? Well, it can only be assumed that Restorations has a ton of sweat, energy and adrenaline stored up and ready to unleash on the local crowd at their LP2 record release show this Friday at First Unitarian Church. Then they will embark on their first lengthy U.S. tour with Captain We’re Sinking, Fake Problems and fellow local punks The Menzingers. That tour will also stop by the Church again on May 24.

Restorations will be ready to rip right through new tracks the video above of them playing “Let’s Blow Up the Sun” live in Brooklyn this past February. Fest may be where it started for Restorations, but only time will tell just how far this band is headed.

LP2 is the featured album in this edition of Unlocked; download the spotlighted single “Kind of Comfort” in Monday’s post, read Tuesday’s album review and check back tomorrow for an interview with the band.

This band’s ability to generate a wall of sound is what made the generation of “grown-up” punks gravitate toward Restorations, building their reputation after the release of their self-titled LP in 2011. But close listeners of any Restorations song will pick up on more than just the overview, the surface. They’ll hold on to a subtle but notable guitar lick, a slamming bass note or a simple, poignant lyric that in turn gets stuck in your head for days.

This week’s release of LP2 will not disappoint long-time fans. The sophomore full-length not only crashes over the heads of listeners, but sweeps you away into the sea of complexity, maturity and the band’s full-blown ability to rock. They’re brand is much different from the fuzz rock phenomenon of today. The crispness and thoughtfulness behind each layer and effect are heightened under the direction of producer Jon Low, who mixed self-titled and produced Restorations’ last two 7-inch records. These also aren’t the loud-and-fast, two-minute bursts that often characterize a “punk song.” They’re sometimes slow and steady, with hills and valleys that still lead you somewhere very, very loud by then end.

The band does embrace a faster, heavier and less subdued sound on LP2 compared to past releases that hits you straight off the bat with the opening track, “D.” It’s hard not to imagine a captivated audience slowly bobbing their heads when that triumphant solo guitar blasts into their ears, and then going crazy when the drums and bass finally kick in. The album’s second track, “Let’s Blow Up The Sun,” is an early release hold-out and should prove spectacular to hear live (especially when the band plays it at the First Unitarian Church this Friday), with an irregular beat and dissonance in the chords.

Heaviness and advanced production does not leave LP2 without nuance. There’s “The Plan” and its folky lean, and “Kind of Comfort” with guitars and harmonies buoyant enough for your ears to swim in. Lyrical and instrumental narratives are both present and shine through the ups and downs of “New Old,” and we physically follow the band on the road in Gainesville, Lansing, Charlotte and Montreal in “Quit.”

The nearly six-minute end track “Adventure Tortoise,” (with its two-and-a-half minute instrumental opening) is expectedly the most epic. It reads like an abstract story of short fiction when frontman Jon Loudon sings of a journey to a place “where nobody knows your name, where nobody’s heard of your town.”

Restorations has been compared to a variety of tastemakers and contemporaries – from Goo Goo Dolls and Gaslight Anthem to Bad Religion and Brand New. The scope of these comparisons shows there’s been something about this band that critical listeners could never quite put their finger on or pin down. LP2 is a sign we should all stop trying.

No track on this album is a skip-through or a cast off. Restorations was able to show growth in their sound while staying true to their roots and unique qualities. It’s a refreshing, reassuring thing to see, even after the band’s first stroll with major label SideOneDummy. This band should be happy with the record they produced. And if you’re a fan of loud, straight-forward and emotional rock music, LP2 will make you happy, too.

LP2 is the featured album in this week’s edition of Unlocked. Download “Kind of Comfort,” the album’s highlighted single, in yesterday’s post, and check back tomorrow for its video and an interview with the band later in the week.

The first artist Helen Leicht has lined up is Dante Bucci, who played a mesmerizing set at last summer’s Philadelphia Folk Festival demonstrating his mastery of the Hang. Also known as the Handpan, this is a percussive / musical instrument that falls somewhere between a steel drum and a djembe, and looks somewhat like the UFO from Disney’s Flight of the Navigator. Bucci coaxes a variety of stunning rhythms and melodies out of his Hangs that fuse funk, instrumental world music and traditional pop / rock.

In addition to his gig at The Porch, Bucci will appear at The Tin Angel on May 1 for an early show opening for Maia Sharp. Tickets and information can be found here. Below, stream Bucci’s 2008 EP Reminiscence, and catch him in person tomorrow from noon to 1 p.m. at The Porch, 30th and Market Streets in Philadelphia.

Philly punk band Restorations prides itself on a certain type of simplicity.

The band was formed out of the ashes of not just one failed project, but probably about half a dozen across its five members. Vocalist Jon Loudon, guitarists Dave Klyman, bassist Dan Zimmerman, drummer Carlin Brown and guitar/keys player Ben Pierce came together with the simple goal to restore their faith in music, the industry, consumers and fans.

They make albums with straightforward titles, including 2011’s self-titled LP, last year’s A/B 7-inch, and now, tomorrow’s release of LP2. But the music made by Restorations is anything but simple. The band mixes the energy of punk music with the complexity of shoegaze and the tradition of classic rock. Steady build-ups and loud break-downs take any listener through waves of instrumental and emotional highs and lows. Loudon’s deep, scratchy vocals and growls come in at just the right moment to rattle you to the core. Harmonies and guitar parts layer in ways you would have never thought possible.

Despite initial humble intentions, Restorations is blowing up among mature punk listeners, and even beyond the punk world. All this week, The Key will look into LP2 to find out what all the buzz is about as part of our weekly Unlocked series.

Today, you can download “Kind of Comfort” for free, which highlights Restorations’ inclination toward snarly guitar solos and spacey effects. Several of the album’s tracks have also been digitally pre-released to build the hype for tomorrow and Friday’s album release show at the First Unitarian Church. And check back later in the week for a review, video, interview and more.

• Kind of Comfortby Restorations from LP2Download

To lessen the shock to your senses, they put up a stream for one track, titled “Coven of the Larynx.” This track is really promising; the drums and bass are mixed more generously than on past releases, and everything sounds stronger because of it. This fuller, larger sound helps the band sound as strong on tape as they do at their shows, and with that advantage in their pocket, there will be no stopping them. Check it out here via Vice Magazine’s Noisey music blog. Below, watch the band perform live at Churchills in Miami last year.

What I really enjoyed about this band is their use of driving distortion. The “twinkle” style of emo has taken over the genre lately, and although it is a great new angle, it becomes samey after a while. It’s become difficult to separate the bands that are doing something new from the bands who are just following the trend. I don’t have that much room to complain because there are a lot of twinkle bands I love, not to mention I play the style myself, but it’s awesome to see bands like Pocket who don’t twinkle around, and tap into the more classic emo sound.

And although the EP is short, within its four songs are an array of emotionality, as well as super pretty (and distorted) melodies. They have a real Outsmarting Simon thing going for them which is a huge plus, and to any who love the other bands I mentioned, you will most likely be into this EP. Not to mention the songs are well recorded. Which is another plus.

For those who are looking to listen to a band that makes them feel a little nostalgic because it reminds you of what got you into the type of music you’re into now, you should listen to Pocket. For those who are looking for something new to jam to, you should listen to Pocket. Below is the song “Pool Party” off their new self-titled EP Pocket.