The latest edition of our Key Studio Sessions compilations is out today – now streamable and downloadable from Soundcloud!  Check out this year’s in-studio appearances with The Key Studio Sessions Vol. 7, including the down-tempo folk stylings of Waxahatchee, the thrashing punk of Pissed Jeans and the all-out rock jams of Ruby the Hatchet.  Thanks to production assistants Fred Knittel, Madeleine Lesperance, and Dan Malloy as well as photographers Rachel Del Sordo and Kate McCann, and videographers The Angry Mountain, HotBox Studios and Out of Town Films for sharing their work.

• South Phillyby Cayetana from The Key Studio SessionsDownload

This free download from DRGN King is really like thirteen free downloads from thirteen different bands.  The Philly psych pop / rock outfit recently wrapped up their first-ever tour and celebrated with a mixtape of “van jams” called Minivan Problems: A Spring Mix by Drgn King.  Featured on the compilation are hometown heroes Norwegian Arms and Dangerous Ponies, in addition to a hidden DRGN King track that didn’t make it on to their recent Paragraph Nights LP.  Stream and download the mixtape below.

Philly rappers Ecomog recently debuted a new track called “Who Will Survive In America,” following up their head-turning LP As Seen on TV with a nod to Gil Scott-Heron in a collaboration with Voss.  Ecomog will perform at The Trocadero’s Balcony on April 18th; tickets and more information can be found here.  Stream and download “Who Will Survive in America” below.

Lowkey singer-songwriter Mariah Welch has a West Philly house show tonight with Bad Braids, Home Body and Charmaine’s Name.  The Deli recently spotlighted her warpy, billowing 2012 Bed Bugs EP and you can stream / download the album’s first track “Wrestle You” below.  Check out the rest of the stunning effort on Welch’s Bandcamp here.

Raucous West Philly collective On the Water brought their sea-shanty-like songs to Folkadelphia recently for a lively session.  Recording old and new compositions, the sometimes-twelve-piece paired down to six but still sound like a boatload of talented musicians spinning tall tales.  Stream “Eternal Husband” below and download the full set on Folkadelphia’s Bandcamp here.

Relatively new faces in the Philly DIY scene, Cayetana crafts focused, passionate indie-punk nuggets exploring a broad spectrum of subject matter – from city living to old age. “South Philly” is an incisive, observational look at rowhome life that’s a world away from the trendy Passyunk Ave strip; “Miss Thing,” a nod to singer-guitarist Augusta Koch’s grandmother, is a moving reflection aging (the lyric “at the end of your life all you’ll eat is ice cream” is at once humorous and heartbreaking). The band just signed to Tiny Engines Records and is looking to release its debut full-length later on this year. This weekend, it plays a benefit show for Ladyfest Philly at Little Berlin featuring Bad Braids and the Girls Rock Philly allstars. Information on the all-ages show can be found here; stream and download this week’s Key Session below.

• South Phillyby Cayetana from The Key Studio Sessions, April 10, 2013Download

• Miss Thingby Cayetana from The Key Studio Sessions, April 10, 2013Download

• Hot Dad Calendarby Cayetana from The Key Studio Sessions, April 10, 2013Download

• Mountain Kidsby Cayetana from The Key Studio Sessions, April 10, 2013Download

Girls Rock Philly

Really, a lineup this stacked could have packed  a “proper venue” – say PhilaMOCA or The Fire or even Johnny Brenda’s. So you’ve got to admire the DIY convictions of the bands on the bill; for all the blog-world love that Waxahatchee and Swearin‘ have received, especially with the recent excitement surrounding the former’s fantastic new Cerulean Salt (out today on Don GIovanni Records), they remain down-to-earth, committed to their house-show roots, and brought the rock to the kids on their turf, kicking off tour at West Philly’s Golden Tea House on Friday night.

Of course if their performances on Friday are anything to go by, shows in quarters this close might be harder and harder to pull off. Waxahatchee’s headlining set was fierce and dynamic, mixing up pogo-dance ragers like “Coast to Coast” with mid tempo rumblers (“Hollow Bedroom”) and solitary heartbreaking numbers (“Blue Pt. II”). Frontwoman Katie Crutchfield took on guitar and vocal duties for most of the set, but passed off her six string with a bandmate at one point so she should belt out a punk rock take on Paul Simon’s “The Boy In The Bubble.” The cover was played with such bravado that, mark my words, anybody who sees this in Austin next week is going to flip their lid.

Swearin’, the band co-fronted by Crutchfield’s twin sister Allison, was also lively, playing a snappy scrappy set of poppy punk tunes. While the band was the most stationary of the evening – and it was such an enclosed space we can’t really fault them for that – the crowd moved enough to compensate. A crew of fans lining the brick wall at stage left jumped and screamed along, practically collapsing into guitarist Kyle Gilbride, who of course kept right on playing.

Opening the night were Radiator Hospital, the Brill Building garage pop outfit of Waxahatchee bassist Sam Cook-Parrot – whose gentle humor and quirky charisma put him somewhere in between Jonathan Richman and Daniel Johnston – and punk trio Cayetana, recent signees to Tiny Engines Records that we expect to hear much more from (just like everyone else on the bill) in the not-too-distant future.

These three ladies came together about a year ago, which also happens to be when they started playing their instruments. This has let them develop a chemistry that takes other bands years to achieve, if at all. They’ve jumped head first with their clothes on into the pool at the raging party that is the Philadelphia punk scene. Their self-released demo/e.p. is quite the piece of ear candy. The contemplative and sometimes poignant lyrics delivered in a sincere and oft-urgent croon are perfectly complimented with a locked-in rhythm section comprising of melodious bass lines and driven, hoppy work on the skins. You can expect to hear a lot more from Cayetana in the coming months.

The band is currently recording new material for an LP release on Tiny Engines this summer. In the meantime, you can listen to its 2012 demo below, grab a pay-what-you-wish download here and see them Friday night at Waxahatchee’s album release show at Golden Tea House with Swearin’ and Radiator Hospital, capping off an already insanely stacked lineup.

Photo by Allison Newbold for PropertyOfZack.com; view a full photo gallery here

Recent Run For Cover Records signees Modern Baseball celebrated their label-ship with a heck of a party and a red-hot bill on Feb. 17th featuring Smoother, Cayetana, Marietta and Cool Points. They closed out the show with their usual romping, triumphant sing-along, except this time they had something to celebrate. It was an appropriate occasion to see this band tearing up a venue like The Fire in the wake of their buzz-crazy record deal, rather than the usual dusty basement.

What made this show great was that there were no loose ends; every band was at the top of their game. Cool Points kicked things off with a killer set, and Cayetana held it down as Philly’s latest girl-rockers. Smoother’s set was also a lot of fun, and definitely got people warmed up for Modern Baseball’s set. The highlight of the night, however, was the second act, Marietta. I’m quite sure they did not mean to over-shadow their headliner pals, but for me, it was a stellar offering. The crowd may have been rowdier at the end of the night, but Marietta owned the second slot by tearing through a set of almost entirely new material, soon to be released on their debut full-length. This was Marietta’s strongest show yet, and it’s all uphill from here.

Tons of people came out to this, which was great considering the bill was full of bands that play 95% of their shows in people’s homes. Far too often I have gone to see bands like this at a bar only to find that I’m the only one there. It truly was a pleasure to see so many younger folks making the trip out to see some great bands put on a great show. Every band killed it, and they deserved to have heads in the crowd. I think I can speak for everyone who was there when I say this night was a blast, and a great high-five to Modern Baseball for their recent accolades. Hooray!

Buy/download music from these bands here:

http://coolpoints.bandcamp.com/

http://whereismarietta.bandcamp.com/

http://cayetana.bandcamp.com/

http://thesmoothguys.bandcamp.com/

http://modernbaseballpa.bandcamp.com/

Recent Run For Cover Records additions Modern Baseball play The Fire tonight.  Their 2012 debut LP Sports is getting the reissue-treatment by the new label and will be released on March 12th.  The local band also contributed to a benefit 4-way split for Topshelf Records this week along with Philly friends The Hundred Acre Woods, Maryland’s Julia Brown and Old Gray, with proceeds go to global anti-violence charity V-Day.  Tickets and information for tonight’s 21= show with Cayetana, Marietta, Smoother and Cool Points can be found here.  Watch a stripped-down version of “The Weekend” from Sports below.

If you, like most of us, missed out on the super fast selling tickets for Mumford & Sons‘ show at Susquehanna Bank Center this weekend, have no fear.  Sit back and enjoy the British invasion event from the comfort of your home or car by tuning into WXPN 88.5 or streaming it online at XPN.org and sing along to favorites from 2012′s stand-out Babel and 2009′s debut Sigh No More.  Opening acts include LA sister trio HAIM and current BRIT Award nominee Ben Howard.  More information can be found here.  Below, watch Mumford & Sons perform “The Cave” live at Bonaroo in 2011.