Two weeks ago, we invited local Philly band DRGN King to come play at Girard Hall after their show at Kung Fu Necktie. The plan was to have them play acoustically and to have a few people over to watch the performance. Well, things didn’t go exactly as planned and for the better. The acoustic set turned into a full on electric set and the few people turned into many people. So basically it was a mini-show.

The police were lurking outside since it was midnight on a Thursday and DRGN King were playing pretty loudly. They only had time for two songs. One of which was “Holy Ghost”, a song apparently about looking like Jesus.

Check out the video below. For more DRGN King goodness, check out their recent Brighton Sound Session, or download their Key Studio Session from 2011. The XPoNential Music Festival happens from July 26 to July 28 at Wiggins Park in Camden, NJ.

Matt Marchinowski of Big School Records is moving out of Philadelphia.  To celebrate his time here, Marchinowski has pieced together a snapshot of the local music scene with a 27-track mixtape called Philamixington II, available as a free download via his Tumblr.  The second installment in the local music mixtape series, this collection samples various genres, circles and side projects with tracks from radio favorites like Cheers Elephant (pictured), basement staples Roof Doctor and The Hundred Acre Woods and new-projects-from-old-buddies like Avery Rosewater.  From Marchinowski:

Although April will see my moving out of Philadelphia for the peaceful confines of the sticks I will still consider its scene ‘home’. It wasn’t easy narrowing this collection down to 27 jawns but I can assure you it won’t be the last notch in the Philamixington series.

Download the full mixtape for free on Beat the Indie Drum here and stream a sampling of the tracks below.  The first Philamixington set can be downloaded here.

Joining the already-announced Saturday night SBC lineup of The Lumineers, Dr. Dog and Polica is Vancouver ethereal roots act Wake Owl. In addition, local acts on the bill include Aaron and the Spell, DRGN King and The Districts.

Weekend passes to the XPONential Music Festival are available now through WXPN membership. New and renewing members will get a pair of weekend passes to Wiggins park and lawn seats to the SBC show for a pledge of $24 month. More information can be found here.

The Lumineers (Sat 7/27 @ Sus. Bank Ctr.)
Dr. Dog (Sat 7/27 @ Sus. Bank Ctr.)
Polica (Sat 7/27 @ Sus. Bank Ctr.)
Wake Owl (Sat 7/27 @ Sus. Bank Ctr.)
Dawes
John Butler Trio
Dr. John
Trampled By Turtles
Michael Kiwanuka
Brett Dennen
Lianne La Havas
Justin Townes Earle
Jose James
Last Bison
Kopecky Family Band
Lord Huron
Phosphorescent
Fleeting Ends
DRGN KING
The Stray Birds
The Districts
Aaron & The Spell
Alo Brasil

• 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.

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)

West Philly’s long-standing punk rock frat Pi Lam threw its annual Human BBQ celebration (35 years strong!) this weekend with a stacked lineup of Philadelphia favorites like Cold Fronts, Norwegian Arms and Ghost Light as well as out-of-town artists like Delicate Steve. Check out scenes from the day-long musical endurance test in the gallery above.

Bleeding Rainbow at SXSW 2012 | Photo by John Vettese

The music portion of the Austin’s annual South by Southwest festival kicks off today, and many of our city’s finest up-and-coming bands have been spent the last week crammed in hatchbacks or vans with amps and instruments, making their trek to Texas. Several have, over the past couple years, recorded Key Sessions in our studio, and today we present you with a downloadable sampler of artists who are repping Philly in in Austin this week.

Beginning with a snappy performance of “Jackie” by Philly pop-rockers Cold Fronts, who won a JanSport competition to be a SXSW featured artist, all the way to the doom-y “Downward Years to Come” from Nothing, it showcases some of the rock (Cheers Elephant), hip-hop (Lushlife) and punk (Lantern) Philly bands on the various bills across Austin. Listen to the set below, download at Soundcloud. And check out some bonus video after the Jump – West Philly’s Waxahatchee performs a ton of shows this week, including an NPR Music showcase with Nick Cave tomorrow, while Bleeding Rainbow is making the rounds as well. See videos of the former playing “Dark Moon” in our studio and the latter tearing up “Get Lost” at Johnny Brenda’s.

Waxahatchee “Dark Moon” – Key Studio Session at WXPN from WXPN FM on Vimeo.

The Great Unknown are also celebrating a record release tonight over at Johnny Brenda’s.  The local five-piece are setting forth So Strange and Loud into the physical world, following the album’s digital release last May.  With reflective melodies and intricate arrangements, the The Great Unknown strive to make connections with their audiences both through live performance and recorded material.  Tickets and information for tonight’s 21+ show with KC Jones and Ali Wadsworth can be found here.  Below, stream “The Laws of Energy” from So Strange and Loud.

XPN welcomes Martin Sexton to The Landis Theater tonight.  The singer-songwriter is a quintessentially American musician, blending a variety of traditional playing styles including country, rock, gospel and R&B.  Following up his 2010 LP Sugarcoating, Sexton released his Fall Like Rain EP last year.  Both efforts come after his commercial breakthrough with 2007′s Seeds, which debuted at #6 on Billboard’s Heatseekers chart.  Tickets and information for tonight’s all-ages show with The Alternate Routes in Vineland, NJ can be found here.  Below, watch Martin Sexton perform “Can’t Stop Thinking ‘Bout You” with John Mayer.

Dave Hartley continues his busy start to the year with a Nightlands show at the Arden Gild Hall tonight.  The solo project of the War on Drugs’ bass player, Nightlands released its sophomore effort Oak Island last week.  The album fuses Hartley’s affinity for mystery and sci-fi with rollicking melodies and percussion, creating layer upon layer of rich textures through overdubbing and tape machine manipulation.  Hartley spoke with ArtInfo recently to share some of his recording techniques and tricks; read the full interview here.  Tickets and information for tonight’s show with School of Seven Bells can be found here.  Below, watch the video for “I Fell In Love With a Feeling.”

DRGN KNG Photo by Nicky Devine

You didn’t think we were going to let you get away without sending you into the weekend with some great new music, did you? Philly’s DRGN KING is releasing its full-lengh debut Paragraph Nights on Bar-None Records next week, and this afternoon we have a full album stream that you can listen to right up until the album becomes available on Tuesday. Work up a sweat to “Menswear.” Get spooky with “Barbarians.” Learn the words and sing along to the freaking joyous “Altamont Sunrise.” Just hit play below and you’re on your way.

The Swollen Fox’s Tuesday Tune-Out series at PhilaMOCA continues tonight with a set from DRGN King followed by a movie screening.  The Philadelphia psych/indie duo signed with Bar/None Records last month and they have a new album in works for early 2013.  Doors for tonight’s event open at 7:30 p.m. and the music begins at 8:00 p.m.; admission is $5 at the door.  Below, watch a video for the upcoming album’s first single “Holy Ghost,” which will be released as a limited edition 7″ on October 23rd.  You can also listen to and download DRGN King’s 2011 Key Studio Session here.

Buzzing North London trio Daughter make their way to Kung Fu Necktie tonight.  Daughter is the vehicle for Elena Tonra’s music, a blend of piercing heart-on-her-sleeve lyrics and moody, chrystalline melodies.  Tonra has recorded two EPs with her bandmates, including 2011′s Communion-backed The Wild Youth (though the music you’ll find on either EP is not your average folk).  Daughter perform tonight alongside Choir of Young Believers and local musician Lucy Stone.  Tickets are $10 for the 21+ show and the doors open at 8:00 p.m.  Below, watch Daughter perform “Youth” on The Late Show With David Letterman.

When it comes to covering Philly’s live music scene, Kevin is a machine – he runs what’s arguably the most comprehensive concert calendar in the city, and when he’s not listing or announcing shows, he’s attending them, keeping meticulous setlists, and generally being a consummate concert-watcher. (He’s also a fun dude to hang with at shows, trade his Bonnaroo stories for my South By Southwest stories, and nerd out over craft brews.) I’m happy to invite Kevin to our corner of the internet to give an overview of what he’s got in store for the five Tuesdays of October. All events are at PhilaMOCA (531 N. 12th Street), start at 7:30pm and are $5.

From Kevin:
When I first heard about PhilaMOCA’s Tuesday Tune-Out series back in June, I was very excited about the idea. Music and film are a great combination, and I thought it was especially cool that the musicians would be selecting the films. When Eric Besler asked me to curate a month, I was both honored and excited. It was a new and fun experience to put together October’s lineup, and I’m very excited for what’s in store this month. I’m also grateful to John Vettese for asking me to Guest VJ and let The Key’s readers know more about this month’s lineup. So without further ado, here are some videos and thoughts.

Tuesday, 10/2:
August John Lutz II (of Levee Drivers)

When putting together the lineup, October 2nd was the last date left to fill, and I was so excited when August John Lutz II agreed to solidify the lineup. His band, Levee Drivers, have been around the Philly music scene for a few years now, deservedly gaining recognition after winning the 2009 Beta Hi-Fi Festival and The Deli Magazine‘s “Best Philly Emerging Artist” poll in 2010. We’re excited to see him kick off our month tonight with a solo set and a film by a recently-departed English director.

Tuesday, 10/9:
Ron Gallo (of Toy Soldiers) & Thom McCarthy

When I started to think about who I wanted to invite to play this series, Ron Gallo and Thom McCarthy were two of the first artists to pop into my head. I had seen McCarthy open for Gallo’s Toy Soldiers not long before and was completely blown away. He is truly one of Philadelphia’s best kept secrets, an amazing writer and performer. His friend Ron Gallo is another one of Philadelphia’s finest singer-songwriters (and tireless workers) and we couldn’t be more excited to have these two fantastic entertainers on the same bill. The film these two chose or may not be directed by (and starring) a legendary silent-film era comedic star.

Tuesday, 10/16
DRGN KING

I first saw DRGN KING this past February at Johnny Brenda‘s. They were the first opener on a bill that included Fort Lean and NICOS GUN, and they didn’t take long to convert me into a fervent fan. In a crowded music scene both in this city and on the internet, DRGN KING stand out as a truly original band with a great sound and fun live performances. They’ve also often had a projected visual component to their live show, which was one of the reasons I thought to ask them. The band’s film selection may or may not have been scored by Neil Young.

Tuesday, 10/23
The Lawsuits

As a music fan, I’ve always been drawn most to talented singer-songwriters and front men and women. While I love many different genres, my resting pulse is in the americana/folk/rock arena. The Lawsuits are another band with a great songwriter leading the way, Brian Dale Allen Strouse. It doesn’t hurt that he’s got a talented band joining him, and together the group knows how to put on a great show. They also know how to pick a movie, which we can only tell you features one of the 80s most beloved characters (who may or may not wear a bowtie).

Tuesday, 10/30
The Bailey Hounds

When I was putting together this series, it somehow failed to dawn on me that the final Tuesday of the month fell on the night before Halloween. Luckily, this detail did not make it past The Bailey Hounds, who immediately jumped at the idea and suggested a Halloween-themed show. We’ll be decorating PhilaMOCA for the show and showing a classic 70s horror film that was remade almost 10 years ago. Don’t worry, we’ll be screening the original.

Laser Background

Yesterday evening, Andy Molholt of Philadelphia psych-pop group Laser Background and his longtime friend Brendan Mulvihill of the junkyard folk act Norwegian Arms moved into Dreamcastle, a house-show space in South Philadelphia. They’re living there temporarily, leading up to the kickoff show of their house show “tour” tomorrow night. The plan is an imaginative one: the band is performing four DIY spaces in Philly over the next four weeks. They have to live in each house for two days prior to the show, possibly constructing a pillow fort. They must adhere to “a strict food / drug regimen.” And they’ve got to write music, and perform the results. I grabbed drinks with Molholt and Mulvihill last week to talk about the unconventional residency series, its ambitions, and their affinity for Philly’s vibrant DIY scene.

THE KEY: Let’s sum up this mini-tour (that you’re not leaving the city for). You’re playing four house shows, and the rules are you have to stay in the house two days before playing the show, and collaborative preparational activities will take place while you’re staying there…

ANDY MOLHOLT: Collaborative preparational activities, I like that.

BRENDAN MULVIHILL: That’s really good.

AM: Make sure you put that in there.

TK: …and a song may result that you’ll perform at the show?

AM: More like a song must result.

BM: It’s a must?

AM: It’s a must! We’re good enough songwriters.

BM: We’re in this house for three days, we might as well do something.

AM: We didn’t really ever talk about if the song was going to be collaborative or not, we still have to figure that out. I thought we’d each write a song for our respective projects and perform them as our respective projects. But since I play in Norwegian Arms, and Brendan’s going to play in Laser Background for one of these shows where some of the guys can’t make it, maybe we can do that too.

BM: We’re not entirely sure what’s going to happen. It’s kind of just a big experiment. We might get into a fight. Or we might make out, that might be cool.

TK: It reminds me of the Netherfriends project where he lived in each state, had to write a song in each state. I guess that project is still ongoing. Was at all an influence on this project?

AM: If any of that factored in, it was definitely unintentional. I used to play with Netherfriends for a little bit, but I didn’t think about that. Residencies are kind of a silly idea to begin with – why would you want to go see a band in the same venue every night for four weeks straight?

BM: Not every night! “Come see us play 31 times…”

AM: [laughs] You know what I mean, though. I get that it’s good for the venue if the band’s popular enough. And you get different crowds each night because there’s different openers playing. But I just think it’s kind of silly. I thought it would funny to self-anoint our own residency at house shows. Then the actual living there idea developed, and Brendan had the idea that we had to write songs too.

BM: I mean, why not, right? Only seems natural.

AM: Brendan and I have known each other since we were 13, so these kinds of ideas come naturally.

BM: And we’re used to sleepovers.

TK: Do you anticipate that any kind of recorded collaboration – a split 7”, a split cassette, a split something – might result out of this?

AM: We were talking about a split something.

BM: Not necessarily a record. Maybe a VHS.

AM: Or a split thumb drive with two different ends of the thumb drive and different sides you plug in have different songs on them.

TK: Why do the tour at a houses? Why not a rotating venue tour, or rotating tour where you play bars on makeshift stages?

AM: Two things. I think that one thing about playing actual venues or bars is that there’s usually a radius clause where they don’t want you to play locally within a certain amount of time. And I’ve also been really wanting to play house shows for a really long time. I had this idea for years and years – “oh, we should play a ton of house shows one month.” [My old band] The Armchairs would always talk about it but it never happened. And it’s a cool thing to do! It’s a lot cheaper than seeing a regular show. It’s a lot less formal, we can have more fun, it gets more rowdy. And like, it’s a different aucience. People who either always go to those spots anyway or its in their neighborhood. There’s a lot of reasons for me to do it – it’s kind of in opposition to playing bars. Personally I just played Kung Fu Necktie, Johnny Brenda’s. So now it’s like, now I’ll take a break from all that. And then I’ve got a plan to play PhilaMOCA at the end of October and Johnny Brenda’s again.

TK: So it’s not in opposition in the sense of “screw these bar venues,” but more you’re looking to do something different?

AM: Yeah, I think it’s two sides to the same coin. If you only flip heads every time…

BM: And also, not to get lofty, but it’s a community thing. I think some people aren’t necessarily aware of some of these venues in different neighborhoods. It’s a Philadelphia-centric thing. There’s certain people that are heavily involved that do a lot of work for it. It’s a celebration of a vibrant DIY community.

AM: That’s one thing I love about Philly, there’s always people doing DIY stuff. There’s actually not that many DIY spaces now, and that was a challenge for us because we were trying specifically for places that people live at. We didn’t want to do PhilaMOCA or Little Berlin or any of the other places I book at a lot because no one lives there.

TK: As musicians who came up in the DIY scene and are still active in it, how do you keep up on what’s what?

AM: I look at where other msuicians play or have played. A lot of times these days I’ll just get invited to some weird event on Facebook, and I’ll be like “where the hell is this place?” There’s a place that popped up, I don’t know if they’re still doing shows, called The Olive Garden. It’s somewhere in South Philly, I never went to any shows there , but that name is in my head. That’s usually how I keep my ear to the ground.

BM: I think that’s the only way to keep your ear to the ground. I guess I actively seek things out, but a lot of times you’ll also randomly stumble across them.

AM: It’s weird as far as, when you’re trying to be somebody who’s trying to start doing DIY shows, how it takes a while to filter its way through the ether. For instance, I don’t know if you knew about that spot Girard Hall, 6th and Girard…it was actually pretty awesome, an old nightclub that had been shut down. I had just heard about that spot because my friends were playing there, and it turns out it was the space’s last show. PhilaMOCA was doing stuff for a year before anybody knew about it, before it gained any traction. But this whole project is definitely going to be fun! It’s definitely going to be weird. The weirdest part is going to be actually living there and interacting with the people who live in the spaces. And also constructing an ambigious couch fort.

BM: A domicile…

TK: When was the last time you constructed a couch fort?

BM: I’ve done a lean-to within the past couple years, I feel like I can apply the same techniques.

AM: The closet thing was when I slept on the roof of the ox, in the elevator shaft. That was a great place to hang out.

The Laser Background / Norwegian Arms House Show Residency 2012 begins Friday, September 14, at Dreamcastle with Jon Pfeffer of Capillary Action and Circadian Rhythms. It continues on Friday, September 21, at Double Deuce with Ghost Light and Roof Doctor; Friday, September 28 at Pi Lam with DRGN KNG and Ladies Auxiliary; and concludes on Friday, October 5, at The Ox with Thin Hymns and Son Step. More information on all four shows can be found here.

Over at PhilaMOCA, the September Tuesday Tune-Out curated by the folks at The Deli continues with an experimental-leaning performance featuring Jeff Ziegler of Arc in Round, as well as Tadoma. The all-ages show begins at 7:30, admission is $5. Below, watch a video of Tadoma performing at Johnny Brenda’s.

Finally, Dominic Angellela of DRGN King is performing a low-key solo set at The Fire. The 21+ show begins at 9, admission is $7. Head out and congratulate Angellela on inking a deal with Bar-None Records. Below, download “Lookin’ At You” drom DRGN King’s Key Studio Session.

• Lookin' At Youby DRGN King from The Key Studio Sessions archivesDownload

Photo by Nicky Devine

This just in: DRGN KNG have signed with indie label Bar None Records. The band’s debut album, Paragraph Nights, will be released in January 2013. The label will release the band’s debut single “Holy Ghost” on October 23rd as part of a limited edition seven inch featuring the exclusive vinyl b-side “Son of Wolfman” (featuring Philly rapper Peedi Crakk) – both songs will also be available digitally. DRGN King is Dominic Angellela, vocalist and primary songwriter and producer Brent “Ritz” Reynolds, who has worked with The Roots and Mac Miller. Go here for a taste of their music. A year ago they did a Key Studio Session that you can listen to here. Their next Philly show is at Pi Lam on Friday, September 28th.

Echo Orbiter play with Break it Up and Trouble Everyday (reunited!) at Kung Fu Necktie. Bands in the Backyard recently did a short backyard session with Echo Orbiter, which you can view below, and Trouble Everyday was featured in this week’s Key Studio Session. Tickets to this 21+ show are $8, doors at 8 PM.

Over at the Troc, El-P plays with special guests, Killer Mike and college boy, Asher Roth. This show is all ages and starts at 9 PM, tickets are 20 smackeroos.

Roger Waters “The Wall” tour makes a stop at Citizens Bank Park tonight. You can purchase tickets to the show here, show starts at 8:45 PM.

Hop Along recently had their CD release show for Get Disowned at First Unitarian Church; they play tonight at Johnny Brenda’s with Secret Mountains and DRGN KING. Tickets to this 21+ show are $10.

The Saturday free concert series at Morgan’s Pier continues this evening with a performance from The Pains of Being Pure at Heart. This 21+ show is free and starts at 5 PM.

Last night, Cheers Elephant bandmates Derek Krzywicki and Travelin Mat took XPN2 listeners on a virtual ride in their tour van, giving a taste of their hot-off-the-presses new album, Like Wind Blows Fire, along with a look at the music they like to listen to on the road. Check out their playlist below, and help the band celebrate the album’s release—and kick off their U.S. tour—tonight at World Cafe Live with their hometown friends The Extraordinaires, Dangerous Ponies and DRGN King.

Os Mutantes “Panis Et Circenses”
The Spinto Band “Mountains”
The Surfmen “Luau”
The Teeth “The Coolest Kid in School”
Cheers Elephant “Doin’ It Right”
Cheers Elephant “Falling Out”
DRGN King “Holy Ghost”
The Extrordinaires “Neighborhood Watch”
Dangerous Ponies “I’ve Been Going About this Wrong”
Dr. Dog “Heavy Light”
Generationals “When They Fight, They Fight”
Toots and the Maytals “Take Me Home, Country Roads”
Cheers Elephant “Peoples”
Cheers Elephant “Like Wind Blows Fire”
Darwin Deez “Constillations”
Paul McCartney “Monkberry Moon Delight”
Paul Simon “Spirit Voices”
Bob Dylan “Wigwam”

DRGN King

The Key Studio Sessions Compilation Volume 3—which you can download for free here—features one exclusive track recorded at the WXPN studios by 18 local acts, including DRGN King, Blayer Point Du Jour, Plow United, Weston, Surgeon, Break It Up, Black Landlord, Crills Wilson, Psychic Teens, The Bad Doctors, Ben Smith, The Tressels, Saturn Never Sleeps, White Birds, Andrew Lipke, Ports Of Call, mewithoutYou, and Young Statues.

Special thanks to all of the bands for coming to our studio, and to John Vettese for recording them. We’d also like to thank volunteer production assistants Zachary Deveraux Fairbrother, Jake “Rabid” Nisenfeld
Jeremy Quattlebaum, Joshua Pannepacker, and Maureen Walsh, as well as photographers Eric Ashleigh, Michael “Kraus Phade” Béon, Kate Bracaglia, Michelle Holshue, Mattias Nilsson, Eric Schuman, and Rachelle Lee Smith for sharing their work.

Click here the download the 18-track compilation in its entirety as a .zip file. Want to hear more? Click here to listen to the full sessions by all 18 local acts; you can also download The Key Studio Sessions Compilation Volume I and Volume 2.

Track listing:

DRGN King, “Holy Ghost”
Blayer Point Du Jour, “Mansion Party”
Plow United, “Martin”
Weston, “Love And Rockets”
Surgeon, “Greed”
Break It Up, “Subterranian”
Black Landlord, “Last Night”
Crills Wilson, “Grifter”
Psychic Teens, “Red”
The Bad Doctors, “Sisyphus And The Gate”
Ben Smith, “Love Potion No. 10″
The Tressels, “Cold Blue Eyes”
Saturn Never Sleeps, “Hearts On Fire”
White Birds, “Floating Hands”
Andrew Lipke, “Sleep Like A Child”
Ports Of Call, Ballinora
mewithoutYou, “Tie Me Up! Untie Me!”
Young Statues , “Athens”

• Prowler Themeby Prowler from The Key Studio Session February 2, 2011Download

DARK SUNGLASSES by nicosgun

Also playing: DRGN King + Railbird, Norwegian Arms at Kung Fu Necktie (7:30 p.m., 21+, $5); Ghostland Observatory + Ed Blammo at The Trocadero (9:30 p.m., 18+, $22)

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 17th
When it comes to indie-rock bands that are composed of romantically involved couples (Mates Of State, The Rosebuds, Handsome Furs), Hank And Cupcakes offers something slightly off-kilter. For one thing, the married pair hails from Israel; for another, along with their silly adopted monikers, the two sport a cheerfully irreverent sensibility. The video for “Hit” features Hank And Cupcakes cavorting in nothing but body paint. With growing popularity and a new album in the works, Hank And Cupcakes is poised to spread its dance party aesthetic beyond the band’s Brooklyn base. Hank And Cupcakes performs with Gang and Pink Skull at 9 p.m. at Milkboy Philly; tickets to the 21+ show are $10. —Kiley Bense

Also Playing: Blayer PointDuJour + The National Rifle, Adam And Dave’s Bloodline at The Philadelphia Mausoleum of Contemporary Art (8 p.m., $10); Purples + White Birds, Mike Quinn at Johnny Brenda’s (9:15 p.m., 21+, $10); Mutlu + George Stanford at World Cafe Live (8 p.m., $21–$31)

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 18th
Dropkick Murphys + Street Dogs, Chuck Ragan, The Mahones, Parkington Sisters, at Electric Factory (5 p.m., $39.70); Liam Finn + Thom McCarthy at World Cafe Live (8 p.m., $19–$35)

Dominic Angelella used to be the dude who who was in everybody else’s band. He’s backed up Dice Raw in Noveau Riche, played lead guitar with Key Sessions alums Hop Along, and contributed to the formidable swagger of blues-punks Elevator Fight. Somehow, Angelella has found time to work on his own music these past couple years as well. DRGN King started as his informal studio collaboration with South Philly’s Ritz Reynolds—a producer with an impressive hip-hop resume. The unlikely pairing of grizzled indie songwriting and pop polish paid off with last December’s Warriors EP, and the duo decided to run with it. They enlisted live players—Joe Baldacci on drums and Julie Slick on bass—and set to work writing and recording Paragraph Nights, the first DRGN King full length, due out later this fall. The foursome gave us a short taste of the album, playing three new songs in the Key Studio Session they recorded last night. “Holy Ghost” is one of the finest examples of Angelella’s song craft to date (the band recently released a fun video for it as well), but the garage hooks of “Lookin’ At You” and moody introspection of “Caught Down” are equally enticing. Download the tracks below, listen to an interview with the band tomorrow on XPN2 during The Key Studio Sessions Hour, and hear the entire album performed live on Fri. Sept. 16 when DRGN King plays a record preview show at Kung Fu Necktie.

• Holy Ghostby DRGN King from The Key Studio Sessions, Sept. 7, 2011Download

• Caught Downby DRGN King from The Key Studio Sessions, Sept. 7, 2011Download

• Lookin' At Youby DRGN King from The Key Studio Sessions, Sept. 7, 2011Download