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.

Philly-bred multi-instrumentalist / producer Andrew Balasia released his latest EP as Gracie yesterday through Small Plates Records.  Now based in Brooklyn, the experimental pop musician teased the release several months ago with a mid-fall Key Studio Session appearance, performing the EP’s lead track and first two singles.  Bleeder comes a little over a year after Gracie’s last Treehouse EP and expands Balasia’s signature chillwave style to anthemic proportions, especially on album single “Creature Pleaser” with its subtle nod to Rod Stewart’s “Young Turks.”  Stream the full Bleeder EP on Small Plates Records’ Soundcloud here and download “My Pet” below.

Photo by Kent Moore

February curators 8static present Saint at PhilaMOCA for this week’s Tuesday Tune-Out. Saint is the moniker of Dain Saint, Philly resident and co-founder of audio game development company Cipher Prime Studios.  Saint’s musical style echoes his day job with its chiptune production and video game soundtrack melodies.  Admission for tonight’s Tune-Out is a $5 suggested donation at the door.  More information for the all-ages music and film evening can be found on the Facebook event page here.  Below, stream “Fog of War” from Saint’s Pieces of 8. More information for the 21+ show can be found here.

Memory Tapes makes a rare live appearance at Johnny Brenda’s tonight.  The otherworldly project of New Jersey musician and producer Dayve Hawk celebrated the release of Grace / Confusion at the end of 2012, an event documented by The Key’s recurring Unlocked series.   Memory Tapes has proven to be an apt moniker for Hawk – he describes his compositions as being “representative of the time and place in my life” and “having an anthropological worth” – and from that viewpoint Grace / Confusion takes on an entirely different level of depth from other electronic / dream pop records.  Tickets and information for tonight’s 21+ show with Gracie and TEEN can be found here.  Download “Neighborhood Watch” here and watch the Grammy nominated video for “Yes I Know” from Player Piano below.

XPN welcomes local acts Free Energy and Cold Fronts to The Depot in York, PA tonight.  The upbeat pop / rock sound of Free Energy was captured in this year’s Love Sign LP, an album that quickly wiggled its way into the hearts of both new and old fans with feel-good, party ready tracks like record-starter “Electric Fever.”  Philly rockers Cold Fronts released their infectious Pretty American EP last spring and followed it up with “Know it All” last week, a rocking tune with great guitar layers and sing-a-long lyrics.  Tickets and information for tonight’s 18+ show with Younger Me can be found here.  Below, watch Free Energy’s video for “Electric Fever.”

Birdie Busch‘s latest LP, Birdie Busch and The Greatest Night, gets profiled in Unlocked [link]

World Cafe‘s Sense of Place series explores the musical heritage of Memphis [link]

Philly synth-poppers Vacationer announce a monthly music showcase at Underground Arts [link]

Gracie releases a free download and EP details [link]

Emo four-piece Everyone Everywhere records a Key Studio Session [link]

My Morning Jacket’s Jim James announces a solo appearance at Johnny Brenda’s [link]

Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselic gives Bleeding Rainbow a shoutout via Twitter [link]

Catnaps premier a playful new music video for “Cherry Lips” [link]

Shorty Boy-Boy also premiers a video for the ultra-catchy “Closer” [link]

Download a song from Kurt Vile‘s reissued Hunchback EP [link]

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds release a lyric video for “Jubilee Street” [link]

Brooklyn singer-songwriter Jason Myles Gross appears in a Folkadelphia session [link]

Bleeder EP

01 Witnessed
02 Creature Pleaser
03 My Pet
04 Rosemary
05 Pillow
06 ItsSsppookkyy
07 Bleeder
08 Habits

This week’s Key Studio Session spotlighted the soulful rock and roll of Juston Stens and the Get Real Gang, who have a slate of regional dates lined up this winter – from Lancaster to Wilmington to right here in Philly. The band played selections from their 2012 LP Trash or Treasure, and dropped a spirited new one called “Blink of an Eye.” Steam or download it below, and get the entire session here.

• Blink of an EyeInsert caption hereDownload

Speaking of Key Studio Sessions, our latest compilation – The Key Studio Sessions Vol. 6 - was released last week. It features 17 tracks recorded last fall, from Ape School and Ethel Cee, to Aspiga and Arctic Splash. Download the entire compilation for free at Soundcloud, and get a taste below with “Witnessed” by Gracie.

Philly’s Brian Christinzio, aka B.C. Camplight, has been living in Manchester, UK, for the better part of the past year, working on his latest LP Grim Cinema. Last week he appeared on BBC Radio 6 Music for an interview and performance of two brand new songs – “Thieves in Antigua” and “Atom Bomb.” Stream and download the session below.

Folkadelphia dug into its archives for a bonus session this week featuring Sacramento singer-songwriter Jules Ann Bee, aka Sea of Bees. Listen to it below, download it at Folkadelphia’s bandcamp.

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

• Creature Pleaserby Gracie from The Key Studio SessionsDownload

Rachael Yamagata released a ten-track EP on NoiseTrade this week ahead of her upcoming tour.  Yamagata’s emotionally intimate and relatable style is made even more charming on the seven acoustic and three studio tracks.  The sampler also includes a song called “It’ll Do” off of Yamagata’s forthcoming Heavyweight EP, out on November 20th through her own label.  Stream and download the NoiseTrade mixtape below; Rachael Yamagata will bring her tour to the First Unitarian Sanctuary on December 7th.  Tickets and information can be found here.

Self-described as ghost folk, Philadelphia’s Psalmships make haunting, stripped-down music with an emphasis on storytelling.  The project of singer-songwriter Joshua Britton, Psalmships digitally released their beautifully aching upcoming EP Hello, Traitor on their Bandcamp ahead of its official release on November 20th.  Stream and download “Heart Carries Blame” below, and then celebrate the EP release with Britton and friends at Burlap and Bean on Saturday, November 17th.

Philadelphia pop favorites Work Drugs released a new track this week called “Beyond  Greenpoint”.  Featuring the smoothest of saxophone solos and Work Drugs’ signature breezy vocals, “Beyond Greenpoint” is a reality check song “about life outside the bubble that is micro-bloggers, designer dogs, and high priced haircuts.”  Download the track here and watch the video below, directed by Italian visual artist Marco Scago.  Work Drugs plays Ortlieb’s Lounge on December 8th.  Information can be found here.

Philly “noir-hop originator” Zilla Rocca dropped his Party With Villains EP last week, and it’s chock-full of local crime lore and comic book references.  Rocca grew up in South Philly during the mob wars of the ’80s and ’90s, and that experiences seems to have a creative mark on the MC.  Below, stream the South Philly mobster-inspired “Ron Previte.”  Rocca Zilla will be a part of Kuf Knotz’s Boombox Collective at World Cafe Live on November 29th.  Tickets and information are available here.

• Witnessedby Gracie, from The Key Studio Sessions, Nov. 7, 2012Download

• Creature Pleaserby Gracie, from The Key Studio Sessions, Nov. 7, 2012Download

• Habitsby Gracie, from The Key Studio Sessions, Nov. 7, 2012Download

Northern folk-rock band The Wooden Sky comes to Philadelphia for a show at Kung Fu Necktie tonight.  The Canadian outfit released Every Child a Daughter, Every Moon a Sun in February on Black Box Recordings and have been touring relentlessly ever since.  The Wooden Sky was formed in 2003 by Gavin Gardiner and Andrew Wyatt at Ryerson University in Toronto, though they were originally called Friday Morning’s Regret.  Playing with The Wooden Sky tonight are local projects Zach Stock and Geology.  The 21+ show begins at at 8:00 p.m., more information is available here.  Watch The Wooden Sky’s new nighttime highway video for “I’m Your Man” below.

ZZ Ward returns to Philly tonight for a show at World Cafe Live.  Though she moved to Oregon at a young age, the bluesy singer-songwriter was born in Abington, PA.  Ward was influenced by blues and hip hop at a young age, playing alongside her father in blues bands before getting into the Eugene, Oregon hip hop scene when she was older.  Ward’s 2012 record Till the Casket Drops is a confluence of the genres with some strong special guest appearances on the album, including buzzing hip hop artist  Kendrick Lamar.  The all-ages show begins at at 7:30 p.m., more information is available here.  Also performing are Seasick Mama and Taragirl.  Watch ZZ Ward’s video for “Put the Gun Down” below.

If you’ve been to a Snowmine show before you’ll recall their beautiful use of projected images.  For this tour, they are taking the sensory stimulation to another level with a new iPhone app they created.  Called Colorbeast, the app converts sounds from the show into a kaleidoscope of visuals projected behind the band.  To fully experience Snowmine’s lush aesthetic, get your tickets for their show at Johnny Brenda’s with Gracie and Lockets here.  Stream “Saucer Eyes” below and download the name-your-own-price track on Snowmine’s Bandcamp.

Gracie- Tryck R Treat from andrew balasia on Vimeo.

Gracie- Sisters from andrew balasia on Vimeo.

Gracie- Tryck R Treat from andrew balasia on Vimeo.

Snowmine

Tonight at Johnny Brenda’s, XPN Welcomes Philly bands Gracie and Tours (along with Snowmine from Brooklyn) for the Philadelphia Bandcamp Hunter music series. Snowmine was recently featured on Shaking Through, XPN’s online video and audio collaboration with Weathervane Music. Chillwave act Gracie has an EP coming out next Tuesday on Small Plates Records called Treehouse. Below, you can watch the video for “Southern Place” from Gracie’s EP, and download “Curfews” by Snowmine. Snowmine performs with Gracie and Tours at 9:15 p.m. at Johnny Brenda’s; tickets to the 21+ show are $5.

Snowmine

In our semi-regular Philadelphia Bandcamp Hunter series, we’ve highlighted a handful of local acts whose music we’ve come across simply by searching through Bandcamp by location. (Previous posts have included artsits such as Ishe + Hezekiah Project, Acid Kicks, Coup Couroux, and Small Professor.) In early February, The Key and Johnny Brenda’s will present the first Philadelphia Bandcamp Hunter concert, featuring Philadelphia’s Gracie and Tours, as well as the Brooklyn-based Snowmine (which was Shaking Through’s featured artist back in November). You can listen to tracks from all three artists below.

Snowmine performs with Grace and Tours at 9:15 p.m. Friday, February 3rd; tickets to the 21+ show are $5.

Gracie- Sisters from andrew balasia on Vimeo.

Gracie- Sisters from andrew balasia on Vimeo.

You’re With Me by jrossowgreenberg