Photo By: Rachel Del Sordo
Photo By: Rachel Del Sordo
Photo By: Rachel Del Sordo
Photo By: Rachel Del Sordo
Local success story The Wonder Years took on an awfully ambitious task to promote their fourth full length album, The Greatest Generation: preform four shows in 24 hours. This madness started in the non air-conditioned basement the First Unitarian Church, a venue these Philadelphia alums had played numerous times before becoming one of the most notable names in the current pop-punk scene. The band could have easily sold a venue twice this size, but in this 24 hour micro tour, they wanted to give back to the fans by playing intimate shows in small venues.
The show was something special; the band had not even played their first note before the first crowd surfer hit the air and it was hard to find a single person who was not singing along to every note. The band commanded the sold-out crowd with their high energy performance. The Wonder Years were accompanied by fellow Lansdale natives The Sixties, whose brand of hooky post punk opened the show perfectly. They were also accompanied by the newest members of Run For Cover Records, Modern Baseball, commanded the crowd in their own right. Straight from the basement scene, they are quickly becoming one of most promising new acts to come out of Philadelphia in recent months. You can catch The Wonder Years all summer on the main stage of this year’s Warped Tour.
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.
XPN welcomes Aimee Mann and Ted Leo to World Cafe Live at The Queen tonight. After sharing a bill last fall while Mann was promoting her latest Charmer LP, the singer-songwriter and Ted Leo teamed up for a proper collaboration called #BOTH earlier this year. The pair will return to their usual roles for this tour, however, with Leo filling in the support slot and probably reprising songs from the discography of his band The Pharmacists, as well as possibly (and hopefully) previewing songs from a new album he’s been working on. Tickets and information for the Wilmington, DE show can be found here. Below, watch Aimee Mann perform “Labrador” on Conan with help from Ted Leo.
Sparks headline The Trocadero tonight. The LA synthpop duo got its start in the early 70s, subsequently making their mark with over 20 albums. Their quirky stage presence is reflective of their quirky songwriting style, as the band of brothers Ron and Russell Mael have become known for their witty lyrics and cultural references. Sparks latest studio release was 2009′s The Seduction of Ingmar Bergman and they put out their first ever live recording, titled Two Hands One Mouth, last month. Tickets and information for the all-ages show can be found here. Below, watch the band perform “This Town Ain’t Big Enough For Both of Us.”
Local band Modern Baseball play The Barbary tonight. Recent headlines for the punk / pop four-piece have made references to their signing with Run for Cover Records, a reissue of their wildly popular Sports debut, a Valentine’s Day split for highly-regarded label Topshelf records and their ability to draw a crowd when they play a show. Currently on tour along the East Coast, Modern Baseball will help out fellow Philadelphians The Wonder Years with their record release show in May (more information here). Tickets and information for tonight’s show with Light Years and Safe can be found here. Below, watch Modern Baseball perform “Broken Cash Machine” for Maggot House Records‘ Piss Couch Sessions.
Photo by Allison Newbold
Last July, Sean Huber – the founder / guy who writes all the songs / public face of Steady Hands – gave us Not Many of Us Left, his debut folk-punk inspired EP. Since that day, Huber has given fans plenty of reasons to enjoy his music and dance like maniacs with his spirited lyrics, intimate and passionate solo acoustic performances, and full band performances replete with an overabundance of sweat and beer. In February of this year, Steady Hands released its newest EP, The Libertines, and while it maintains the same folk-punk musical style, it is a full step away with it’s driving drums, group vocals, and overall full sound. The Libertines is fun, deep, riddled with story telling, and something to put your arm around your friends shoulder and sing in each others faces’.
Some of you may know that Mr Huber is the drummer for Modern Baseball, who is – in not so delicate words – wrecking the Philadelphia music scene, as well as the up and coming indie / pop punk scene. If you still can’t put a name to a face, then go to a Steady Hands show. Sean’s an incredibly nice and warm guy, and puts on a hell of show. You can tell by the end of his performance that he loves the music he makes. Mostly by the sheer volume of sweat pouring off the dude. When I say The Libertines is a full step away from his previous release, it truly is a full step. What I mean to say, the sound has matured heavily. Which is to say, the sound was already matured. The songs on the new EP still have the story telling from the previous EP, but in terms of recording, musicianship, dynamics, everything has improved. Which, again, is to say everything mentioned was already gnarly on Not Many of Us Left. Immediately, the first track exemplifies the growth in Sean’s writing.
Starting with a powerful guitar intro, the EP consistently maintains its grip on your ears. Even the last track, which in terms of the rest of the EP is a bit slower, still delivers the overall full sound. While the first EP sounded heavily influenced by folk-punk bands such as Andrew Jackson Jihad and Defiance, Ohio, The Libertines evokes influence from Bomb the Music Industry! and The Menzingers, mainly because this release has much more electric guitar in it, and the last release was heavy on the acoustics. Both super awesome in their own respect.
Give the first release a listen, and then give Steady Hands’ newest release a listen and see how the sound has grown. The Libertines was released on Lame-O records (run by Eric Osman, who rules more than most things) and is available through the Facebook page, or can also be purchased through Steady Hands’ bandcamp. Below you can check out “Song For Rosemary” off of The Libertines. And on April 16th, you can take in the energy in person when Steady Hands plays The Barbary, opening for What’s Eating Gilbert Grape. Information on the all-ages show can be found here.
Photo by Danny Clinch
XPN welcomes legendary blues musician Charlie Musselwhite to The Sellersville Theater tonight. Over his almost 50-year career, Musselwhite has released over 20 records in addition to collaborating on efforts by Bonnie Raitt, Tom Waits and others. Following the success of his 1966 debut, the 2010 Blues of Fame inductee moved to San Francisco where he and his unique blues-harp playing stood out against the counterculture backdrop. Most recently, Musselwhite collaborated with Ben Harper for 2012′s Get Up!. Tickets and information for tonight’s all-ages show with Deb Callahan can be found here. Below, watch Musselwhite perform “Blues Why Do You Worry Me?” live.
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. Continue reading
It’s a big night for local music – Tri State Indie will hold their second annual awards show at World Cafe Live, hosted by Toy Soldiers‘ Ron Gallo. With performances by New Sweden (last year’s Delaware Indie Band of the Year), Cold Fronts and more, the event includes a red carpet walk with professional photographers and gift bag for all attendees. Check out a list of all the nominees here. Tickets and information can be found here. Below, watch Band of the Year hopefuls Toy Soldiers perform “Tell the Teller” / “Forget How it Used to Be” at World Cafe Live.
