Photo by Peter English for Shaking Through | shakingthrough.com

Indie pop quintet Glitter play upstairs at World Cafe Live tonight.  Taking cues from retro new wave pop, Glitter’s debut Wyld Hrts LP could have been the soundtrack to your favorite eighties-era tv show with its catchy guitar hooks and spacey moog synth projections.  The full-length, available on super cool clear vinyl, follows up the young band’s debut Attack On Fort Gold Paw EP (free download here).  Tickets and information for tonight’s all-ages show with Joseph Mulhollen and Katie Becker & The Bricklayers can be found here.  Stream “Mirror Master” from Wyld Hrts below.

This week’s Unlocked band Restorations will play the First Unitarian Church tonight.  As we learned from Key contributor Beth Ann Downey’s introduction to the local punk rock outfit, Restorations are upfront and straightforward in every sense imaginable, from the honest and unrestrained nature of their music to their literally-titled sophomore effort LP2.  Check out the full Restorations series for Unlocked here and download “Kind of Comfort” below.  Tickets and information for the all-ages show with Self Defense Family, Exploded Drawings and Psychic Teens can be found here.

• Kind of Comfortby Restorations from LP2Download

Even though today’s Free at Noon with They Might Be Giants and Frightened Rabbit was sold-out, you still have a chance to see the former at The TLA tonight.  The New York nerd pop / rock duo released their 16th studio album Nanobots last month following a brief stint in the children’s music arena and 2011′s Join Us LP.  Despite the multitude of releases over their 20+ year career, the 1990 hit “Birdhouse in Your Soul” remains TMBG’s highest charting song to date.  Tickets and information for tonight’s all-ages show with Moon Hooch can be found here.  Below, watch the original video for “Birdhouse in Your Soul” and then stream their new single “Nanobots.”

Philly rapper Meek Mill will finally step on to the stage at The Tower Theater tonight, several months after the release of his Dreams and Nightmares record.  The quickly-rising performer had to put his tour on hold following a court-ordered travel probation.  But with all of that behind him, Meek Mill is ready to take his Dreams Come True tour across the country this spring.  Tickets and information for tonight’s event with Ace Hold can be found here.  Below watch Mill’s interview with The Fader at Sigma Sound Studio.

Also Happening: XPN welcomes Carolina Chocolate Drops to The Grand Opera House in Wilmington, DE; XPN welcomes Joan Osborne to The Levoy Theater in Millville, NJ.  Tickets and information for both shows can be found here.

Meek Mill | Photo by John Vettese

A four-year-old drug conviction prevented Philly rapper Meek Mill from heading out on tour when his record Dreams and Nightmares was released in the fall; in December, he was temporarily barred from performing by a Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas judge due to stipulations in his probation. That has passed, and Meek is heading out on a national run of dates this spring, beginning in Boston before heading down to headline the Tower Theater on April 5th. Tickets for the show go on sale this Friday, February 22, via Live Nation. Below, watch a video of Meek being interviewed by The Fader at his Sigma Sound Studio concert back in December.

Meek Mill | Photo by John Vettese

When Meek Mill played a fans-only party at Chinatown’s Sigma Sound back in December, there were some notable folks in the crowd. Miley Cyrus, for one – she was recording downstairs, and popped up in time to hear Meek shout her name out in “Believe It.” But also a video crew from The Fader (which included our buddy Michael James Murray of Out of Town Films). The interview they shot premiered on the blog a couple weeks back, and in it, Meek gives some insight into his work ethic, what it takes to stand out from the Philly hiphop scene, and what keeps him inspired – in his city, and around the country. Check out the video below.

These efforts from Meek (offstage name: Robert Williams), who is prohibited from touring for the next 30 days because of his 2008 legal troubles, come as Strawberry Mansion High School is one of the eight schools proposed for closure in concordance with Superintendent Hite’s initiative to consolidate Philadelphia public schools. From Philly.com:

Calling it “a historic moment,” Hite said his recommendations also included changing the grade levels of 23 schools and making other program changes affecting another seven. The total savings for the district could be up to $28 million beginning in 2014-15, he said. The proposed changes will be presented to the School Reform Commission Dec. 20 and, if approved, would affect 17,000 district students, 45 principals and 1,168 teachers. The number of schools would drop from 237 to 199; one in six schools would be closed.

Some community members, including Mill, believes that this consolidation will hurt the public school system. Many believe that forcing students from rival neighborhoods to converge onto the same campus will cause an increase in violence. With all these safety concerns, as well as regards  over-crowding, the Hite administration has been assuring Philadelphia residents that a portion of the money being saved will be allocated to address these concerns so that the safety of the children remains a top priority.

More on this topic as it develops. For now you can follow Meek Mill on his twitter, and check out a gallery a review of his fans-only show at Sigma Sound Studio on Tuesday night here.

Setlist

Young and Gettin’ It
Burn
Amen
Traumatized
Believe It
Bag of Money
My Moment
Intro
House Party
I’m A Boss

Photo by Dominic Digiorno | twitter.com/digs1975

Explore the roots of The Roots with a 1996 audio documentary and vintage photos [link]

Philadelphia art-pop act Auctioneer premiered a new song called “Swim” [link]

We review the major label debut from Philadelphia rapper Meek Mill, Dreams and Nightmares [link]

Philly thrashers Ruby the Hatchet is streaming its entire new album from Bandcamp [link]

Twang out with indie-country guy Daniel Romano and his song “Middle Child” [link]

Remembering the late Terry Callier with performances from World Cafe [link]

Get details on The Lumineers return to Philadelphia in February [link]

Download Memory Tapes‘ second Halloween minimix, Walk Me Home 2 [link]

Philly Americana rockers The Bailey Hounds put a piano-ballad spin on Danzig’s “Mother” [link]

Dan Matz of Windsor for the Derby mixed classic rock and drone rock in an eclectic playlist [link]

Photo by Clay Patrick McBride

Probably the most anticipated release from Philly’s hip-hop scene this year, Dreams and Nightmares – the major-label debut full-length from North Philly rapper Meek Mill- hit stores today. Leading up to its release, Meek described the record to reporters as a journey, a story of his life to date, and you really feel that listening. Unlike the two Dreamchasers mixtapes that gained him mainstream popularity (not to mention the half-dozen other underground mixtapes that preceded them), this isn’t simply a celebration of a young man achieving his aspirations. Those collections touched on the struggle and the path Meek took, but were mostly empowering tales of going it your own, a rapper as a self-made success. This album gives equal time to the flipside, the hardships and dangers, the nightmares that its title alludes to.

You hear contrast that in the opening title track. The first half of the song is dramatic, melodic and orchestral, Meek on top of the world, surveying the scene, reflecting on success – which is far from braggadocio, as he has in fact amassed millions of fans, toured the world and worked his with peers and idols in hiphop, all on the strength of self-released mixtapes and online buzz. But at a minute 37, the song changes tones to a bass-heavy, ominous minor-key electro-breakdown to look at the scene from another angle. These aren’t frivolous thinks that keeps Meek grinding – “I gotta make it back home ’cause my mom needs that bill money, my son needs some milk.”

“In God We Trust” is even more blunt, intense and unsettling. Most people listening, Meek says at the start, “wouldn’t last a week in my hood in you were broke. And you wouldn’t last a day if you had money.” Lyrics across the record discuss urban violence – not glorifying it, but looking at the motivations and ramifications. ”Traumatized” is a moving number where Meek talks about his late father, how his death by a gunshot at age five forced him into a man-of-the-house role at too young an age – and to cap it, he directly calls out the person who pulled the trigger.

It can be simultaneously hard to listen to and hard not to listen – back to “In God We Trust,” the music is hypnotic, Meek’s delivery is commanding, and then we hit the moral: if you’re in school, stay in school. If you have a job, stay at work. If you’re a family man, stay with your family. Because you can’t hang in the fray. Again, this could come off like braggart bluster, but it’s not – you probably can’t, nor would you want to.

But what makes this record significant is the way it balances an unflinching reflection of harsh realities with celebratory club bangers, ultra-catchy anthems. After the hard-hitting opening punch, the dubsteppy “Young and Gettin’ It” lightens the mood with bass drops and autotune. A couple more moments on the nightmares side, and then its the infectious Nas collaboration “Maybach Curtains,” followed by the lusty and controversial (but undeniably winning) hit “Amen.”

Meek knows how to tell his story, get his message across, and do it in a way that will appear to broad swatches of listeners, from the hometown crowd – the kids in Philly bumping its jams out of their car stereos – to the global listeners, and even discerning, New Yorker-reading hip-hop aficionados  who criticize Dreams and Nightmares for being “too conventional” but acknowledge that it’s still pretty impressive. Two words for those who maybe wanted this record to be more unconventional: Death Grips. Innovation is overrated if it doesn’t connect or at least sound good, and Meek’s conventionality, if that’s what you want to call it, sounds like a mil.

Below, listen to “Maybach Curtains” featuring Nas, John Legend and Rick Ross; Dreams and Nightmares is available on iTunes, Amazon and everywhere else today.

Gritty lo-fi garage rock band Purling Hiss are playing a free hometown show tonight at Morgan’s Pier with Bandname as part of R5′s Free Saturday Summer Concert Series. The show starts at 6 p.m. and you must be over 21 or accompanied by a legal guardian for entry. Below check out the official music video for the Purling Hiss’ song “The Hoodoo” off their EP, “Lounge Lizards,” out on indie label Mexican Summer.

Rapper and Philly native Meek Mill is a dedicated self-promoter. The hip-hop artist has self-produced and released 14 mixtapes and his hard work has paid off. Meek Hill has collaborated and opened for the likes of Drake, Lil Wayne, and Diddy. Now he is playing two headlining shows at the TLA tonight as part of his Dreamchasers Tour, followed by a slot at the Jay-Z-curated Made in America Festival. The first show tonight at 7 p.m. is sold out, but there are still tickets available for the 11 p.m. show, which are on sale here for $57.50 each. Both shows tonight feature support by rapper Black Cobain. Below check out the music video for Meek Mill’s song “Amen” featuring Drake and Jeremih.

XPN welcomes Pittsburgh alt rock/soul band Lovebettie to The Garden in Carlisle, PA tonight. The show is part of The Garden’s Ladies of the Early Evening series, which features a free show by a female artist every Saturday evening from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. through September 24th. Bring your own chairs or blanket, relax, and enjoy the free tunes. Listen to Lovebettie in the player below.

“Who knew only two guys could make so much noise?” said one concert goer at the Japandroids show at Johnny Brenda’s this past Friday night. A two man band is extremely possible to get a crowd moving, however Japandroids – consisting of Canadian rock duo, Brian King and David Prowse – wasted no time in rocking the sold-out Johnny Brenda’s. Japandroids have two self-released EP’s, and two full length albums out. Last month they released Celebration Rock, a truly celebratory rock record.

The energy at the Fishtown venue was palpable even before anyone stepped onto the stage. On one of the hottest days of the summer and a sold-out performance, this was bound to be a sweaty show. At just around 9:20 PM, Brian King announced the opening rapper, Cadence Weapon, also from Canada, who tore up the stage and brought a spark of energy to the already hyped crowd. The crafty rapper also did two songs over other artist’s instrumentals; one included “88″, produced by Grimes, and another entitled “Loft Party” with instrumentals by Philadelphia’s own Meek Mill. Cadence Weapon’s latest release is Hope in Dirt City, and you can check out the song “Loft Party” from the show below.

Japandroids came on stage quickly after Cadence Weapon’s excellent performance. The duo is known for their blending of punk and garage rock and recalls Nineties’ rock bands like New Found Glory and Sugarcult with a modern twist. It’s a rarity to hear true rock ‘n roll in this day and age, with the simplicity of just vocals, a guitar, and a drum set. Brian King’s powerful voice gave a burst of energy, rejuvenating the crowd with wild ballads and heavy power chords; while David Prowse’s drumming created a juxtaposition of steadily out of control rhythms.

Opening with “Boys Are Leaving Town” from Post-Nothing, then dove into an extended version of  “Adrenaline Nightshift” followed by “The Nights of Wine and Roses” which King openly admitted to stealing the title from the band The Dream Syndicate; one of two bands that influenced him while writing the album over the course of a year.

Right before the the duo played my personal favorite, the somewhat slower “Continuous Thunder,” I sought some respite in the balcony. The song has a catchy hook and lyrics that leave an impression on you; “If I had all the answers/And you had the body you wanted/Would we love with legendary fire?” Next, they played “Fire’s Highway,” and the crowd was getting so into the show that they were pounding their fists in the air as well as on the stage, and wildly moshing about. This was one of the craziest and fun shows I’ve been to at Johnny Brenda’s.

In addition to being influenced by The Dream Syndicate while working on Celebration Rock, Japandroids were also influenced by Philadelphia natives, The War on Drugs, for whom Japandroids dedicated the last song of their set, “For the Love of Ivy.”  It was truly incredible to get such a crazy, intense show out of just vocals and two instruments; Japandroids just proved that rock ‘n roll is far from being dead.

Is That The Sound Of … Philadelphia? Is That The Sweet Philly Soul? “Philadelphia music was well represented at the Jon Stewart-Stephen Colbert Rally To Restore Sanity And/Or Fear on the National Mall in Washington on Saturday. The Roots were the house band, and the Philadelphia hip-hop collective kicked off the festivities with a set with U Penn grad John Legend that drew from their new old school soul album Wake Up!” (In The Mix)

Ted Leo, My Morning Jacket, !!!, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, MGMT, Jack White Go All Out for Halloween “Last year, Ted Leo celebrated Halloween by teaming up with some friends in Philadelphia to play an entire show as the horror-punk legends Misfits. Judging by all YouTubed evidence, it was awesome. This year, Leo repeated the trick, once again playing an entire Misfits set with tribute band TV Casualty in Philadelphia on Thursday night. And judging by the YouTube evidence below, it was, once again, awesome. This is a nascent annual tradition we can get behind.” (Pitchfork)

The 9th Annual First Person Festival Starts in Just One Week! “It’s that time again! The 9th Annual First Person Festival of Memoir and Documentary Art is just around the corner. From November 8-14 choose from thirty events including documentary film premieres, author readings, workshops and live performances all inspired by real life experience. Check out the East coast premiere of the hit one-man show, The Real Americans, and the ‘Best Storyteller in Philadelphia.’” (Uwishunu)

Like A Man Smoking At A Gas Station, Meek Mill’s About To Blow Up (Says MTV) “Well, for what it’s worth MTV (taking a break from plotting the next season of Jersey Shore, no doubt) seems to think Philly’s own Meek Mill — who wowed ‘em the other week at the Power 99 Powerhouse show at the Wells Fargo Center — is the next hot-shit rapper to emerge from the 215. Hard to argue with that. They ran a nice lil’ Meek profile the other day; here’s an excerpt” (Make Major Moves)