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April 10, 2013 | 10:00 AM | By

PREMIERE: DRGN King’s official tour mixtape (featuring Dangerous Ponies, Ape School, Grande Marshall and a new DK song)

DRGN King | Photo by Kate Bracaglia

DRGN King | Photo by Kate Bracaglia

Philly’s DRGN King just wrapped up a spring tour, and it left frontman Dominic Angelella sonically inspired. This morning we bring you the premiere of a tour mixtape he compiled, which ranges from folks they shared stages with to hearty van jams. From Dominic:

“Last month, my band Drgn King went on our first tour ever. This isn’t such a momentous occasion for most people but it was very exciting for us. We met some great bands on the way, saw people we knew play mind-blowing music, and listened to a lot of bizarre records in the minivan. This mix focuses on friends of ours we listened to/hung out with/drank with on the trip. hopefully you all enjoy this as much as we do. Hidden somewhere in the mix there’s a Drgn King song that didn’t make Paragraph Nights. It was too quiet.”

Minivan Problems: A Spring Mix by Drgn King

1. “The Sykesville Strawberry Festival” by Boat Water (from Home is a Place To Give)
2. “20 Different Days” by Eros and The Eschaton (from their Bandcamp)
3. “Cocaine and Guns A$AP” by Ape School (from Junior Violence)
4. “Dedicated” by Grande Marshall feat. Saudi Money (from #MUGGAMAN)
5. “Pusher” by Walking Shapes (from Soundcloud)
6. “Sparks” by Dangerous Ponies (from Tenderheart)
7. “Eldersburg Fun Arcade Near The Fashion Bug” by Boat Water (from Home is a Place To Give)
8. “Pretty Lil’ Preacher” by Drgn King (scrapped from Paragraph Nights)
9. “The Iceman” by Norwegian Arms (ripped from Youtube)
10. “Accessory” by Neighbors (from I Love Neighbors)
11. “TLW are Deaf” by Trans Upper Egypt (from North African Bezerk)
12. “Erica Western Teleport” by Emperor X (from Erica Western Teleport)
13. “Sleep It Off” by Asaad feat. Drgn King (from Dirty Middle Class)

FILED UNDER: Artists, Downloads, Recordings, Ape School, ASAAD, Boat Water, Dangerous Ponies, DRGN King, Emperor X, Eros and The Eschaton, Grande Marshall, Neighbors, Norwegian Arms, Saudi Money, Trans Upper Egypt, Walking Shapes
April 9, 2013 | 9:07 AM | By

Free Download: two new songs from Ape School

apeschool Ape School is back with two new songs that you can download for a “name your price” below. Ape School’s Michael Johnson is hard at work on his next recording endeavor and announced this on his Facebook yesterday. You can also hear Johnson playing drums on a couple new songs from the blissfully awesome new Kurt Vile record.

FILED UNDER: Artists, Downloads, Recordings, Ape School
March 26, 2013 | 12:52 PM | By

Free Download of the Moment: Arc In Round’s ::::remixed::::

AIRLocal folks including Ape School, Tadoma and King Britt – as well as outside-Philly names Benoît Pioulard and Lymbyc System – tried their hand at remixing Arc In Round‘s layered and heavy debut LP in the new ::::remixed:::: collection, available today as a free download. The set contains eight reconstructions of songs like “Spirit” (morphed into a driving krautrock rager by Pink Skull) and “II” (made all pulsing and dreamy by A Sunny Day in Glasgow), as well as two unreleased songs – “Even” and “Days Untried.” Give it a listen below, and download it at Bandcamp.

FILED UNDER: Artists, Downloads, Recordings, A Sunny Day In Glasgow, Ape School, Arc In Round, Benoît Pioulard, King Britt, Lymbyc System, Pink Skull, Tadoma
February 9, 2013 | 11:02 AM | By

Tonight’s Concert Picks: Hilly Eye and Attia Taylor at the First Unitarian Church Side Chapel, Vacationer at Underground Arts, Shorty Boy Boy at MilkBoy, Free Energy and Bleeding Rainbow at Arden Gild Hall, Ape School and The Interest Group at Johnny Brenda’s

Titus Andronicus off-shoot Hilly Eye play the First Unitarian Church Side Chapel tonight with Attia Taylor.  Hilly Eye, the new Brooklyn-based duo project of drummer / vocalist Catherine Tung and guitarist / vocalist Amy Klein, have made fast moves in their short time as a band.  They released their first EP in 2010, followed by a 7″ on Don Giovanni last year and this year’s subsequent full-length Reasons to Live.  Pulling from the avant-noise tapestry of Lightning Bolt, Sonic Youth and the 90s “riot grrl” movement, Hilly Eye focus on transcendence both in their message and their sound with breathy vocals set against a backdrop of angular, heavy arrangements.  Tonight they play with Philly-to-Brooklyn transplant Attia Taylor, who just shared a few cuts from her upcoming album Luxurious Corners.  Tickets and information for the all-ages show can be found here.  Below, watch Hilly Eye perform “Amnesia” at 285 Kent in Brooklyn.

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FILED UNDER: Artists, Concert Previews, Events, Scene, Ape School, Arden Gild Hall, Attia Taylor, Bleeding Rainbow, Cruiser, First Unitarian Church, Free Energy, Hilly Eye, Johnny Brenda's, Milkboy, Ramona Falls, Robert Delong, Seamus Browning, Shorty Boy Boy, The Interest Group, The Quelle Source, Underground Arts, Vacationer
January 28, 2013 | 8:45 AM | By

Nightlands bring magic harmonies to Kung Fu Necktie (review, setlist, photos)

Standing front and center for Nightlands’ performance Saturday night at Kung Fu Necktie felt like standing in the entranceway of a grand cathedral, a choir’s golden melodies wafting through the air. It was a transportive, although not unexpected experience—when I spoke to front man/creator Dave Hartley about Nightlands’ live show a few weeks back, he told me he would focus mostly on the vocals. “I want to get some people who sing really well, and we’ll just sing together,” he said.

Said “people who sing well” were of Eliza Jones (of Buried Beds) and Jesse Moore (of Auctioneer/Ladies Auxiliary), who together with Hartley added heart and corporeality to songs which on record, twinkle with space-age mystery—while drummer Michael Johnson’s (Ape School) beats added velocity and momentum. Continue reading →

FILED UNDER: Artists, Concert Photos + Videos, Concert Reviews, Events, News, Ape School, Jon Barthmus, Kung Fu Necktie, Nightlands, Scott Churchman, Sun Airway
January 8, 2013 | 9:30 AM | By

Tonight’s Concert Picks: Eric Slick at PhilaMOCA, Philly Plays Beck’s Song Reader at World Cafe Live, Elk Rhythms at the North Star Bar

The Key kicks off its month of curating Tuesday Tune-Out at PhilaMOCA with a special solo performance by local multi-instrumentalist Eric Slick.  Best known as the drummer for Dr. Dog and Norwegian Arms, Slick will be improvising a set to his new short film Primal Essence, filmed specifically for this event.  Opening up the night will be short sets by Jonathan Pfeffer (Capillary Action) and Michael Johnson (Ape School).  Admission is a suggested $5 donation at the door; more information can be found here.  Below, watch Slick show off his drumming skills in a Madoff Productions promo video.

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FILED UNDER: Artists, Concert Previews, Downloads, Events, Recordings, Scene, Andrew Lipke, Ape School, Beck, Capillary Action, Devil's Triangle, Elk Rhythms, Eric Slick, Kuf Knotz, North Star Bar, PhilaMOCA, Sean Hoots, The Districts, The Pretty Dittys, Toy Soldiers, Tuesday Tune-Out, Twenty Minute Tango, World Cafe Live
January 7, 2013 | 3:50 PM | By

Download The Key Studio Sessions Vol. 6 (feat. Reef the Lost Cauze, Kingsfoil, Bad Braids + more)

The latest edition of our Key Studio Sessions compilations is out today – now streamable and downloadable from Soundcloud! Check out highlights from fall of 2012 with The Key Studio Sessions Vol. 6, including some hard-hitting hip-hop from Ethel Cee and Reef the Lost Cauze, expressive Americana from The Districts, bright pop-rock from Kingsfoil, dense shoegaze from Nothing and more. Special thanks to guest engineer Chris Williams and production assistants Beth Ann Downey, Fred Knittel, Madeleine Lesperance, and Dan Malloy as well as photographers Laura Jane Brubaker, Kyle Costill, Shamus McGroggan, Marley McNamara, and Julie Miller for sharing their work.

Looking for more? Visit WXPN’s Soundcloud page to download The Key Studio Sessions Vol. 1 through Vol. 5.

FILED UNDER: Artists, Downloads, Recordings, Ape School, Artic Splash, Aspiga, Bad Braids, Cold Fronts, Ethel Cee, Gracie, I&I, John the Conqueror, Kingsfoil, Nothing, Our Griffins, Reef The Lost Cauze, Roomtone, The Districts, The Key Studio Sessions Volume 6, Tommy Conwell, XVSK