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Commonwealth Choir, Pine Barons, Weekender and more to play at BITBY Summer Sounds

commonwealthchoir
Photo by Mike Bucher

Bands in the Backyard is bringing together some of Philly’s best for a one-night-only concert at the Theater of the Living Arts. BITBY will host the concert Summer Sounds on August 15. It’s a killer lineup topped by Bucks County rock band Commonwealth Choir as headliner (fresh off their slot at XPoNential Music Festival this weekend). Continue reading →

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Watch a brand new Philly Tapes Philly preview with Air is Human and Gretchen Lohse

Philly Tapes Philly Vol. 4 with Air Is Human and Gretchen Lohse
Philly Tapes Philly Vol. 4 with Air Is Human and Gretchen Lohse | Photo by Wendy McCardle | wendymccardle.com

Volume 4 of Philly Tapes Philly‘s local collaboration project will be released at Ortlieb’s this Thursday, June 26th featuring Gretchen Lohse and Air is Human.  The local acts spent a day recording together at The Gun Shop last week and have shared photos by Wendy McCardle and a sneak preview video by Bob Sweeney to show us what’s in store for the new tape.  The two songs will be released for free on 50 limited edition cassettes at the (also free) release show this week.  More information for the event can be found here.  Below, check out the video that includes a snippet of one of the tracks followed by a photo gallery of the entire recording process.

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Air is Human, Grethen Lohse will collaborate on the June Philly Tapes Philly release

Photo by Scott Troyan | via instagram.com/gretchenlohse
Photo by Scott Troyan | via instagram.com/gretchenlohse

Philly Tapes Philly is back with their June installment.  This month the concert and split cassingle will feature experimental rock group Air is Human and singer/songwriter Gretchen Lohse. This spring AiH took over Ortlieb’s in Northern Liberties, while Lohse just the other week played a Double Decker Music concert (read more here). Both bands will perform at the tape release party at Ortlieb’s on June 26th.  You can find full info for the event here. Check out music from both artists below.

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Air is Human reveal secret guest Commonwealth Choir for final residency night at Ortlieb’s

Air is Human | photo courtesy of the artist
Air is Human | photo courtesy of the artist

For their final free residency night at Ortlieb’s, local experimentalists Air is Human have announced that Commonwealth Choir is the secret special guest.  The Doylestown outfit follows in the footsteps of Acres of Diamonds, Heat Thunder and Left of Logic as support for Air is Human, which released its debut record The Infinity Limit in 2012.  Both bands will perform individual sets and will play a collaborative “Choir is Human” performance to top everything off.  More information can be found on the Facebook event page here.

Pacers by Commonwealth Choir from James Powers on Vimeo.

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Tonight’s Concert Picks: The Sixties at Milkboy, Air is Human at Ortlieb’s

Photo via facebook.com/TheSixtiesPA
The Sixties | photo via facebook.com/TheSixtiesPA

Having released three energetic cuts from their upcoming debut album, The Sixties are stirring up lots of buzz around the release and tonight it peaks with their show at Milkboy. Listing Queens of the Stone Age and The Whigs among their influences, the Lansdale four-piece deliver modern alt-rock with elements of classic rock n’roll. Listen to “Warning Label” below and get tickets to the 21+ show here.

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Tonight’s Concert Picks: Auctioneer at Johnny Brenda’s, Eternal Summers at Boot and Saddle, Air is Human at Ortlieb’s

Auctioneer | Photo by John Vettese
Auctioneer | Photo by John Vettese

Philly art-pop outfit Auctioneer headlines Johnny Brenda’s tonight. Singer and songwriter Craig Hendrix is in the midst of working on a new album – in between his stint playing keyboards in bands like Birdie Busch and The Greatest Night – and gave us a taste of it via the new single “Hard to Believe It,” which you can grab a free download of below. The song has shimmering hooks that our Elisabeth Joyce compared to Kings of Leon, while the beat is a slick krautrock rhythm, nicely balancing the avant and the pop. Tickets and more information on the show can be found at the XPN Concert Calendar.

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Philly experimental duo Air is Human usurp Ortlieb’s every Wednesday in March

air is human
Air is Human | Photo via band’s facebook page

Experimental Philly duo Air is Human will take up residency at Ortlieb’s this month and, as music to our ears, the shows will all be free. Every Wednesday night, Air is Human will have a hand-picked opener and jam out for our listening pleasure.

The composed-yet-dissociative two piece – made up of Jeff Lucci (guitar, bass, Rhodes, synth) and Josh Aptner (drums, vibraphone, percussion) – stylistically stretches somewhere between jam band, hard rock and psychedelic, without being reduced to one particular form (“Euclid’s Daydream” off of The Infinity Limit is a perfect example of the whole). Known for ripping it live, Air is Human manage to stray from the wispy free-form of a jam session while also refusing to compromise their music with sampling and electronically backing tracks. To be honest, it’s remarkable there’s only two of them.

The opener’s for the first two weeks have already been announced, with Doylestown’s Heat Thunder opening on 3/5 and Left of Logic taking stage 3/12. The final two shows are under wraps but promise to be worth the wait. Stay tuned for that announcement closer to the date. Get updates on the free shows here and stream “Euclid’s Daydream” below.

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Tonight’s Concert Picks: Japanese Guy at PhilaMOCA, Femme Fest at Sellersville Theater, Cruiser at Ortlieb’s Lounge, Telequanta at Kung Fu Necktie

Japanese Guy

Japanese Guy perform at PhilaMOCA tonight.  The less-talked about side project of a Fleet Foxes member, Japanese Guy is the experimental / noise endeavor of Skyler Skjelset with Andrew J.S. and Chris Icasiano.  The trio released their self-titled debut in January of this year after recording the 8 song album in northwestern Washington last spring.  They’ll be joined by the local avant-garde / experimental projects of Nick Millevoi and Air is Human; tickets and information can be found here.  Below, watch Japanese Guy perorm “Glass Cave” and an untitled track live.

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Stream “Orbital R.S.V.P.” from Air is Human (playing El Bar on 4/13)

426502_340383242728022_865042361_nIn the tradition of ambient prog-rock bands Mogwai and Explosions in the Sky, local instrumental outfit Air is Human work layered guitar, keyboard, bass and drum parts into deftly spun expanses of sound waves with a cohesion and fullness that belies their status as a duo.  Following the release of The Infinity Limit in August, Air is Human hit the ground running with shows at North Star Bar, World Cafe Live and PhilaMOCA’s Tuesday Tune-Out.  More information for their April 13th show at El Bar with Tuesday Tune-Out compatriots Edison can be found on the Facebook event page here.  Stream “Orbital R.S.V.P.” below.

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