Joey Sweeney

RECENT POSTS

May 14, 2013 | 11:09 AM | By

PREMIERE: Watch Market East perform “Evergreen” and download the song (playing MilkBoy with a bunch of awesome people on 6/8)

EvergreenMEThe excitement is in the air for local harmony-pop group Market East‘s latest album Children of Summer, which drops May 27th. Last week we debuted the new single “To Walk With You.” Today it’s another selection from the new album called “Evergreen”; download the song below, and watch a video of the band performing it in the studio.

We’ve also got the details of the aforementioned special guests of the June 8 release show at MilkBoy, and it’s quite the lineup. Joining Market East will be Joey Sweeney and the Long Hair Arkestra, Night Panther, Mohican and Former Belle. Tickets and information can be found here, and you can check out the rather pretty show flyer after the jump.

Continue reading →

FILED UNDER: Artists, Events, News, Former Belle, Joey Sweeney, Joey Sweeney and the Long Hair Arkestra, Market East, Milkboy, Mohican, Night Panther
April 4, 2013 | 12:02 PM | By

RSVP for The Key Studio Sessions Live ft. New Sweden, Ali Wadsworth and Joey Sweeney & the Long Hair Arkestra (at PAFA on 4/18)

NewSwedenIt’s been a little while since we brought you some free live local music here at The Key, so we’re pretty psyched to announce our latest installments of The Key Studio Sessions Live, happening at Lenfest Plaza at Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts on Thursday, April 18th.

On hand we’ve got Wilmington folk-rock powerhouse New Sweden (pictured), alums of the Key Studio Sessions (download their appearance here) and two-time winners of Tri-State Indie’s Delaware Indie Band of the Year award. I caught their recently revamped lineup at South by Southwest last month, and their live set is smokin’ as ever. Expect some new material, a modest amount of fiddle and ample hooting and hollering from these folks.

Also on the bill is vocal force of nature Ali Wadsworth. You’ve seen her collaborate with many players in the roots scene – her old band Unlikely Cowboy, Toy Soldiers, Good Old War, Fantasy Square Garden, Aaron & the Spell and the list goes on – but her forthcoming solo debut is something just about all of those folks are anticipating. It is being recorded with prominent Philly producer Bill Moriarty, features Wadsworth singing music written by many of her friends in the scene, and is sure to be great.

Last but certainly not least is Joey Sweeney and the Long Hair Arkestra. Aside from his day gig running the city news and culture blog Philebrity, Sweeney has made a formidable return to the stage this year – he first performed as a teenager in the 90s, and went on to front The Trouble With Sweeney and others until about 2006. After a hiatus of about a half-dozen years, he began to make moves with his rock outfit Arctic Splash (including a Christmas Key Session), threw a 40th birthday celebration that reunited all of his old bands, and now is gearing up to release Long Hair, a long-in-the-works solo album exploring the more introspective side of his songwriting. For this show, Sweeney will perform with The Long Hair Arkestra, a band about whom we don’t know a ton, but we’re psyched to hear them play all the same.

The concert takes place from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Lenfest Plaza at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, 118 North Broad Street. Admission is free, but space is limited, so RSVP now at the XPN website.

Below, watch an acoustic performance of New Sweden’s “Mama,” watch Ali Wadsworth covering Beck’s “Eyes that Say I Love You” at the Song Reader show, and watch a trailer for Sweeney’s “Long Hair”

Continue reading →

FILED UNDER: Artists, Concert Previews, Events, News, Recordings, Ali Wadsworth, Joey Sweeney, Joey Sweeney and the Long Hair Arkestra, New Sweden, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, The Key Studio Sessions Live
March 13, 2013 | 12:25 PM | By

Download a demo of “Flimsy” from Heyward Howkins (playing Old City Coffee on 3/21 and PhilaMOCA on 3/26)

HeywardI like this new iPhone demo thing Heyward Howkins has been doing.  It started back in December with a late-night recording of “Be Frank Furness” posted to the local singer-songwriter’s Soundcloud, and now we get another sneak peek of his upcoming LP with “Flimsy.”  Howkins tells us the song is “about Seattle dispensaries, nomads and the rest of the us” and will be on Cut & Corral, his 2013 full-length that follows last year’s The Hale & Hearty debut.  Howkins will perform at Old City Coffee for Heyward & JoJo: Alone & Together Again with high school buddy / former bandmate Joey Sweeney on March 21st.  He will also play March 26th’s Tuesday Tune-Out at PhilaMOCA for Philadelphia Area Music Showcase with Auctioneer (information here).  Stream and download the iPhone demo of “Flimsy” below.

FILED UNDER: Artists, Concert Previews, Events, Recordings, Scene, Auctioneer, Heyward Howkins, Joey Sweeney, Old City Coffee, PhilaMOCA, Tuesday Tune-Out
February 14, 2013 | 9:30 AM | By

Tonight’s Concert Picks: Turning Violet Violet at Kung Fu Necktie, Bleeding Rainbow at Johnny Brenda’s, Mary Lattimore at Kung Fu Necktie, Philebrity Valentine’s Day special with Juston Stens at Underground Arts, plus more

Local indie group Turning Violet Violet play Kung Fu Necktie tonight.  The Key Studio Session alums carve out chamber alt-rock songs on the fringe of art-rock that seem bathed in a purple glow, though that might just be residual effects of their band name.  Either way, the songs on Turning Violet Violet’s debut full-length Double Cure are swathe-y, sweeping compositions that strike all the right feelings chords.   Tickets and information for tonight’s 21+ show with TeamMate and Donora can be found here.  Revisit Turning Violet Violet’s Key Session here and watch their video for “Cold Bread” below.

Continue reading →

FILED UNDER: Artists, Concert Previews, Events, Scene, American Babies, BITBY, Blayer Pointdujour, Bleeding Rainbow, Donora, Fred Thomas, Ghost Light, Jeff Zeigler, Joe D'Amico, Joey Sweeney, Johnny Brenda's, Juston Stens and the Get Real Gang, Katie Frank, Kung Fu Necktie, Mary Lattimore, Miz, Morning River Band, Northern Liberties Winter Music Festival, Pet Milk, Philebrity, Ross Bellenoit, Soul Asylum, TeamMate, The Fire, The Fleeting Ends, The Sellersville Theater, The Smithereens, Trummors, Turning Violet Violet, Underground Arts, World Cafe Live
December 26, 2012 | 9:35 AM | By

Tonight’s Concert Picks: Sandy Benefit Showcase at the Tin Angel, The Spring Standards at Arden Guild Hall

It’s still the season of giving and what could be better than giving back with the gift of music? Tonight the Tin Angel is hosting a showcase to benefit the Hurricane Sandy victims of Union Beach. The line-up features a myriad of local performers like Foxhound, The Doublewides, Suzie Brown, Joey Sweeney as well as other surprise acts. Performances tonight kick off at 8; tickets for the 21+ show can be found on our concert calendar here. Below, watch a video of Foxhound performing at Studio 34 recently.

Continue reading →

FILED UNDER: Concert Previews, Events, Arden Gild Hall, Foxhound, Hurricane Sandy Benefit, Joey Sweeney, Suzie Brown, The Doublewides, The Spring Standards, The Tin Angel
December 19, 2012 | 10:49 AM | By

The Key Studio Sessions: Arctic Splash

You could tell right off the bat that Arctic Splash was serious about this holiday vibe. When the band showed up at WXPN last weekend for its Key Studio Session, guitarist Jeff White broke out his cranberry-red Fender, remarking that it was picked specifically for the occasion. It played nicely off of his pine-green flannel, while frontman Joey Sweeney (also known as editor of Philebrity and resuscitator of the 215 Fest) wore a bright red winter cap with the Spectrum logo emblazoned across it. Sure, he probably would have been wearing the hat anyway, but it all just felt so right. The mission at hand was a Christmas-themed Arctic Splash session, guest engineered by World Cafe’s Chris Williams and the set a ran a gamut of moods and sounds. It went from the biting, twisted and cynical (but insanely poppy) “Don’t Kill Yourself At Christmas,” to the generally wintery rocker “Beware of the Black Ice”, all the way to an absolutely sincere, touching rendition of “Silent Night.” In the mix there as well are a couple other Splash originals, “When You Say My Name” and “Baptized In Vibe.” Stream ‘em and download ‘em below, and get ready to sing along when Arctic Splash performs at tonight’s Philebrity Awards at Johnny Brenda’s.

FILED UNDER: Artists, Concert Previews, Downloads, Events, Recordings, Arctic Splash, Joey Sweeney, Johnny Brenda's, Philebrity Awards, The Key Studio Sessions
November 1, 2012 | 9:45 AM | By

Interview: Philebrity’s Joey Sweeney on taking the reins at the 215 Festival

Joey Sweeney | Photo by Marie Alyse Rodriguez

After a three-year hiatus, the 215 Festival – a literary arts showcase launched in 2001 by the venerable McSweeney‘s crew – kicks off tonight and runs through Sunday. Taking the reins this year is Joey Sweeney, a notable local writer, musician and founder of Philebrity.com. In the spirit of festivals past, the lineup he and his collaborators pulled together is very eclectic, including not only author readings but comedy (local favorite Juliet Hope Wayne), music (the Bibilodiscotheque Dance Party oughta be a good show) and visual art (something Mural Arts put together called the Mobile Campfire). When City Paper featured Sweeney on its cover earlier this fall, one theme that kept coming up was “fun” – as in how author readings were typically stuffy, but 215 Festival was something more alive. We swapped e-mails with Sweeney this week to get his thoughts on keeping that campfire burning as the festival prepares to re-launch.

The Key: So it’s your first time steering the ship at this festival, which I imagine is a way more intense undertaking than just sponsoring or presenting. How are you holding up?

Joey Sweeney: I’m a little crispy for sure, but in the best way: I’m super excited for the festival, and have had some really great help along the way, including Noelle Egan, Mary Richardson Graham and Elisa Ludwig, who are all 215 Fest veterans – as well as all of our sponsor and partner organizations. Any time I’ve been freaking out, they’ve stepped in and made any boo-boo’s better. There haven’t even been that many, to be honest — working on the 215 Fest has been a universally positive experience. I think absence really did make the heart grow fonder, and people are very excited about it.

TK: There’s a great mix of events – music, comedy, film screenings – in addition to readings and discussions. Is the thought to get people to interact with cultural scenes outside of their own sphere? Like “hey, music person, you might not normally go to a poetry reading, but you’ll probably dig it”?

JS: Thank you! I think that definitely nails the spirit of the thing — as well as the notion that, if you’re a creative person, you are to some degree always working with words. And that if you appreciate art in any form, you also appreciate words. For this year’s fest, we were also really trying to both re-introduce the original vibe of the festival — which is a pretty freewheeling, anything-can-happen, pure creative expression mode — and also establish some new traditions, like this Mural Arts Mobile Campfire thing… Continue reading →

FILED UNDER: Artists, Events, Interviews, News, 215 Festival, Joey Sweeney, Underground Arts