By comparison, “The Optimist,” filmed in the streets and rooftops of Port Richmond by local videographer Simon Rogers, seems suited for multiplex screens. Tracing the song’s motivational message of pulling oneself up from distress and despair and finding your own path in life, it opens with Runyan literally at rock bottom and regaining his footing by chasing after the video’s female lead – who may be a love interest, or may be a metaphor for happiness and self-fullfillment. From Magnetic Mag:

Love and Loss in the Recession, “The Optimist,” is the human condition as told though the eyes of the young men of City Rain. While every person has the capability to create his or her own personal hell, there is inversely their capability to manifest redemption. “The Optimist” is the story of the way back.

You can watch the video for “The Optimist” below, and see it in person on a big (ish) screen at the release party / viewing party this Monday, May 27th, when City Rain’s appearance at the North Star Bar’s Victorian Dining Room series. The free concert series tends to showcase acoustic / stripped down / rearranged performances by local acts, and when Runyan appeared on XPN’s Philly Local Show this week, he said that City Rain would pull back from its normally bracing performances to a more hushed, intimate vibe to suit the room. More information at the North Star’s website.

“The Optimist” tells the classic tale of personal tragedy leading to spiritual triumph. After losing the love of his life, losing two of his close friends, and struggling with unemployment in an unforgiving recession, Runyan met Scott Cumpstone, a fellow Temple University graduate and working musician. … In the band’s own words, “While every man has the capability to create his or her own personal hell, there is inversely their capability to manifest redemption. ‘The Optimist’ is the story of the way back.” As this song begins, it immediately thrusts you into a realm of ferocious positivity and daring realism behind synths that build stadiums and tear them down in a single powerful wave. It is music that makes you feel things and see paint splashing against a blank canvas.

Listen to “The Optimist” below, and look for a special low-key release appearance at North Star Bar‘s Victorian Dining Room series on Memorial Day. The full album is due out in the fall.

Singer/songwriter and producer Todd Rundgren plays the Trocodero tonight. Rundgren has helped produce songs for artists such as Meat Loaf and The Band, and this year, he celebrates his new album State an electronic collection which according to allmusic.com is his “20th proper solo album”. Check out our countdown of Rundgren’s six essential albums here.Tickets and information for the all ages show can be found here. Below, enjoy a live set of Rundgren in May of last year.

Frontman Geoff Rickly of New Jesery’s emo/hardcore/rock influenced Thursday will be coming to North Star Bar tonight. While primarily famed for Thursday, Rickly is also apart of the experimental/punk band United Nations, joined by members of other well known bands such as Converge, Glassjaw and Head Automatica. Rickly has a release available on bandcamp entitled Mixtape 1. Tickets and information for the 21+ show with John Nolan (of Taking Back Sunday) and Gabriel the Marine can be found here. Below, watch a live video of Rickly playing his song “New Sympathies”.

He’s My Brother, She’s My Sister is an oddball alt-country group from LA, with jovial tunes that can recall classic groups like Creedence Clearwater Revival and the Mamas & the Papas simultaneously. It’s an invigorating blend of many genres, and the group gives it all an undeniable pop gleam that makes their brand of blues stand out from the countless other groups currently interpreting the genre.  The band is apparently taking their act to new places on this tour, with an expanded line-up and a bunch of new tunes ready to be road-tested. Supporting acts are Beach Day and Jeffrey Lewis and the Rain, and this 21+ show is at North Star Bar; tickets are $10.

Michael Lerner’s pop-rock project Telekinesis is an airy bouquet of all things pop circa 2000, 1990, and 1980, all at once. What makes this appreciation for history sound relevant is that it doesn’t try too hard to emulate sounds from the past, but rather does so in an attempt to make music that’s fresh and progressive. The group will play at Johnny Brenda’s tonight, along with SoCal indie-pop act Deep Sea Diver. Tickets are $12.

Post-punk quartet Parquet Courts headline an eclectic line-up at PhilaMOCA tonight.  Back in Philadelphia for the third time this year, Parquet Courts continue to tour in support of their debut full-length Light Up Gold, which just got a proper label release through indie label What’s Your Rupture.  Tickets and information for tonight’s all-ages show with Scott & Charlene’s Wedding, Amanda X and Household can be found here.  Watch Parquet Courts perform “Master of My Craft” and “Borrowed Time” live on WNYC below.

One of the stand-out bands at March’s SXSW, Sir Sly make their way to Philadelphia tonight for a show at Johnny Brenda’s.  With an EP plus a few more tracks released, the band has quickly made it clear that they will operate in the realm of expansive, catchy pop hooks.  Tickets and information for tonight’s 21+ show with JMSN and The Last Royals can be found here.  Watch a new video for “Found You Out” below and download “Gold” here.

Local Brazilian band Alo Brasil plays Underground Arts tonight.  More than just a performing band, Alo Brasil features an interactive live show influenced by African rhythms like samba, maracatu and more.  Though often accompanied by costumed dancers, for their recurring “Underground Sessions” Alo Brasil has a refreshed line-up of musicians.  Tickets and information for tonight’s 21+ show can be found here, or on the Facebook event page here.  Watch a promo video for Alo Brasil below.

Lentil Fest continues at The Fire tonight, with performances by Kuf Knotz, Nicos Gun, Reef the Lost Cauze, Mike “Slo-Mo’ Brenner, Gedeon Luke and Brady & the Bear.  In support of Lentil the french bulldog (born with a cleft pallate), all proceeds will benefit the French Bulldog Rescue Network, Street Tails Animal Rescue and ccakids.org.  Tickets and information can be found here.  Watch Kuf Knotz perform at the 2011 XPoNential Music Festival below.

Also happening: XPN welcomes The Smithereens to The Sellersville Theater; XPN welcomes Free Energy to the North Star Bar.  Tickets and information for both shows can be found on the XPN Concert Calendar.

Bazonkers indie pop collective Oh Bree plays North Star Bar tonight. Comprised of ten (!) musicians, the band released its latest full-length We Miss You, Edward, Come Home in October. The sprawling and boisterous album is self-described by the band as “love lost, love won, medieval eulogies, fancy rhymes, a million piece horn sections, vibra slap, slide whistle, dystopia, shouting, bum-bidely-bums, and a shit ton of aye-aye-ayes.” Tickets and information on the 21+ show can be found at the XPN Concert Calendar. Below, listen to Oh Bree’s song “Swallow Pt. 1.”

Electronic composer and DJ Bonobo plays The TLA tonight.  The downtempo producer released his latest full length The North Borders in March and told NPR’s All Things Considered that the album was inspired by his frequent flights between New York and London.  The transcontinental nature of Bonobo’s career plays out in other ways on the album as well, with the DJ recording various instruments and found-sounds he encounters while traveling, giving The North Borders a world music aesthetic within the context of electronica.  Tickets and information for tonight’s show with Shigeto can be found here.  Below, watch the video for “Cirrus.”

Chicago multi-instrumentalist Young Man brings his full band tour to North Star Bar tonight.  Colin Caulfield has been recording under the moniker for four releases, but with this week’s Beyond Was All Around Me he closes that chapter of his life.  Beyond comes as the final installment of a trilogy Caulfield began two years ago, opening with Ideas of Distance and continuing with Vol. 1.  As evidenced by the album titles and Beyond single “In a Sense,” Young Man worked within the boundaries of reflection and self-evaluation, walking the fault lines of singer-songwriter and dream pop with ease.  Tickets and information for tonight’s show with Peace Arrow,Gemini Wolf and Mike Bruno + the Black Magic Family Band can be found here.  Watch the brand new video for “In a Sense” below and read what Caulfield has to say about the song on MTV Hive.

Tylan will perform upstairs at World Cafe Live tonight.  Founding member of folk pop quartet Girlyman, Tylan struck out on her own last summer to record a debut solo album called One True Thing.  The effort was funded by an extremely successful Kickstarter campaign, meeting the campaign goal of $20,000 in just one day.  As her bandmates in Girlyman turned their focus towards children’s music with their new project D is for Django, Tylan recorded previously unreleased tracks written for the band and wrote some brand new songs for One True Thing.  Tickets and information for tonight’s show can be found here.  Below, watch Tylan perform “Fool Me Again” during a show at World Cafe Live last year.

Free Energy | Photo by John Vettese

Philly pop-rock good ol’ boys Free Energy are wrapping up their winter tour in support of the new Love Sign LP, and just announced a new local show – Saturday, May 4th, playing the North Star Bar with L.A.’s Deep Vally. Tickets for the 21+ show are $12 and on sale now. Free Energy will also be playing WXPN’s NonCOMMvention the following week at World Cafe Live. Below, watch the color-splattered video for “Electric Fever” from Love Sign.

Tonight, in the Side Chapel of First Unitarian Church, Benoit Pioulard (actual name Thomas Meluch) will be strumming some of his staggeringly inventive experimental acoustic songs. This young man simply can’t stop being good at what he does, churning out consistently strong and interesting releases for more than a decade now. His current tour is the result of a very successful Indiegogo campaign, in which Meluch raised well over his budget. The tour spans two months and brings him from coast to coast and back again – but his visit to the east coast only includes a handful of dates, so it’s definitely not one you’ll want to miss. Tickets and information can be found at the R5 Productions website. Below, watch Pioulard perform “Arrow Drawn.”

Primal Philly doom-rock outfit Hot Guts appear tonight at Kung Fu Necktie. Their 2012 LP Edges was driving and intense, with goth and drone flourishes, and the band is heading out on tour with SGNLS. The 21+ show with Philly’s The Chickens begins at 11 p.m., more information at the venue’s website. Below, listen to their song “Da’ rat Hessla,” recorded by Arc in Round’s Matt Ricchini and found on a 2010 split 7″ with Brooklyn’s Pop. 1280.

All photos by Chris Sikich | countfeed.tumblr.com

Last night Ken Stringfellow performed to an intimate crowd at the North Star Bar. The Posies frontman, R.E.M. and Big Star collaborator was joined by Philly’s Roomtone and Josh Levandowski, formerly of New Motels. Check out a scenes from the night in the gallery above.

Laser Background tags itself as “pop candy dream magic psych Philadelphia.”  That sounds about right.  The project has an aesthetic straight out of the Twilight Zone and a sound that could have been used as theme music for Lost in Space if the series were turned into an arcade game.  The man behind the lasers is Andy Molholt, formerly of The Armchairs.  This local Philly talent is touring the East Coast in the next month, so be sure to catch him before he hits the road.  Laser Background will be at Kung Fu Necktie tonight with Spanish Prisoners and Avery Rosewater.  Tickets and information for the 21+ show are available here.  Below, watch a video we recently shared for Laser Background’s “Weird Conscience.”

Laser Background – Weird Conscience from Laser Background on Vimeo.

Over a dozen local favorites are joining to together for a go at Song Reader: Twenty New Songs by Beck tonight at World Cafe Live upstairs.  As previously reported, influential music man Beck Hansen released his latest album in the (not so) traditional format of sheet music, intended for individual interpretation by those who wanted to hear the otherwise-unrecorded songs.  Tonight’s bill is a near-comprehensive list of Philly’s major players including Sean Hoots, Andrew Lipke, The Districts, Toy Soldiers and Kuf Knotz.  Tickets and information for the event can be found here.  For a full list of participating bands go here.  Below, watch local singer-songwriter Ben Smith perform his take of “Last Night You Were a Dream” from the Reader.

Elk Rhythms will perform tonight at the North Star Bar‘s New Music Showcase.  The folk project of Andy Ellison, Elk Rhythms’ audible influences on 2012′s self-titled EP range from The Grateful Dead (“Forty Days“) to Fleet Foxes with some unexpected Animal Collective playfulness thrown in (“Sleepwalking“).  Also playing tonight are Twenty Minute Tango, The Pretty Dittys and Devil’s Triangle.  Tickets and information for the 21+ show can be found here.  Below, stream and download Elk Rhythms’ “Gone Away.”.

American rock band Little Feat come to the Philadelphia area tonight for a show at Musikfest Cafe.  Formed in 1969, Little Feat have a built a strong legacy over their decades-long career, blending many traditional styles of American music (including bluegrass, southern folk and rock ‘n’ roll) to make a sound dubbed “as American as apple pie.”  Tonight’s show in Bethlehem follows the band’s 2012 release Rooster Rag, their fifteenth studio album.  Tickets and information can be found here.  Below, watch Little Feat perform “Truck Stop Girl” live.

• On the Defensiveby Aspiga from The Key Studio SessionsDownload

New Jersey rockers Ominous Ominous Ominous play The Balcony at The Trocadero tonight.  The Woodstown, NJ natives have varied influences – ranging from metal to synth-pop to “circus punk folk” band The World/Inferno Friendship Society – but the quartet’s own sound falls steadily in the pure-fun-indie-rock category.  Also playing tonight are Come and Get It and The Ridden Fifths.  Tickets and information for the 21+ show can be found here.  Below, stream and download Ominous Ominous Ominous’ song “Spaceman Date.”

Lancaster, Pennsylvania’s Chameleon Club will be hosting the punk/orchestral group World/Inferno Friendship Society. The Brooklyn based circus punk outfit, fronted by Jack Terricloth, currently has seven active members including guitar, bass, alto saxaphone and piano. This all ages event will also feature the New York alt-country group O’Death. Check out the short documentary for World/Inferno Friendship Society below. For more information on the event visit the Chameleon Club page located here.

Philadelphia rock group Kalob Griffin Band will be playing his annual holiday concert at World Cafe Live. Along with the Americana rockers will be Toy Soldiers, Sean Hoots (from Hoots and Hellmouth) and Ali Wadsworth. Below is the video for their song “The Winter Blues” which was filmed throughout one day in Philadelphia. For more on Kalob Griffin Band, read The Key’s interview here.

Brooklyn lo-fi/garage group The Babies will be headlining a show at Kung Fu Necktie. The band will be supporting their newly released album, Our House on the Hill. This 21 and over event will also feature the Brooklyn punk rock band Swearin’ who has been touring the country with Canadian indie-rock group Japandroids. Tickets and more information can be found here.

Acclaimed banjo player Tony Trischka will be performing at The Psalm Salon tonight. Trischka, whose career has included stints in Skyline and Breakfast Special, as well as flourishing solo releases, is perhaps best known for his involvement with several NPR shows like A Prairie Home Companion and From Our Front Porch. His 2008 album Territory won the Best Americana Album category for the Independent Music Awards, one of dozens of achievements Trischka has accumulated over his career. Grab tickets to tonight’s all-ages show here, and watch Trischka’s collaborative performance at RockyGrass 2011 with Mike Marshall, Bryan Sutton, Darol Anger and Missy Raines.

Rising local folk duo Norwegian Arms returns to Johnny Brenda’s tonight. The pair, Eric Slick and Brendan Mulvihill, have caught our attention as one of this year’s best emerging acts; read our review of their upcoming full-length, Wolf Like A Stray Dog, which you can stream in its entirety here. Their psych experimentation brings to life the motif of personal growth with refreshing energy on the album. Tickets for tonight’s 21+ are available on our calendar here; check out their video for “Easy a Lover Goes West” from Choice/Cuts below.

Back in Philly celebrating the September release of their phenomenal sophomore record Call Me Sylvia, Low Cut Connie are performing tonight at North Star Bar. The band’s jagged retro rock sound and lively “bar band” reputation have proven them to be a guaranteed good time; check out their XPN2 session here and pick up tickets to tonight’s show here. Below, watch Low Cut Connie’s video for the first single from Call Me Sylvia, “Scoliosis in Secaucus.”

Philly five-piece folk group Black Horse Motel and Wilmington’s New Sweden are playing as part of the line-up at Milkboy Philly tonight. Black Horse Motel is currently in the process of recording their debut full-length, but you can hear their warm Americana harmonies on their recent four-track EP (available on their Bandcamp page here). New Sweden, whose spirited folk sound has earned them a second nomination for the Tri-State Indie’s Best Delaware Indie Band of the Year award, is working on their second album, but their first album and EP can be downloaded here. Tickets for tonight’s 21+ show are available here; doors open at 8:30. Below, watch New Sweden’s performance of “A Poor Man’s Song” at World Cafe Live Wilmington from last St. Patrick’s Day.

Rising spectral rock gang Ladies Auxiliary is opening for Churchill tonight at North Star Bar. The trio released their album On The Shadow last year, which you can grab for a name-your-price cost here. Tonight’s 21+ concert starts at 8; go here for tickets and information. Below, watch Ladies Auxiliary’s performance of “I Haven’t Been” from First Unitarian Church last spring.

Folk artist Dan Bern and his International Jewish Banking Conspiracy crew are performing tonight at Puck Live. The singer-songwriter, who released his latest album, Doubleheader, earlier this year, is something of a renaissance man, having built a career recording, writing, and painting for the last sixteen years. His familiar “talking blues” approach to performing has made Bern’s rambling-song style stick out in a generation below greats like Woody Guthrie and Bob Dylan. Go here for tickets to the 21+ show tonight, and below watch “Marilyn” from Bern’s self-titled 1997 album.

New York comedy/rock band Green Jelly (pronounced “Green Jell-o”) are flaunting their “worst band in the world” skills tonight at Kung Fu Necktie. Having proudly embraced their reputation as the most inept performers in the industry, the four-piece got their start in the early ’80s. The band stopped touring in 1995, but resumed in 2008 and released their latest album, Musick To Insult Your Intelligence By, in 2009. Tonight’s 21+ show starts at 8 and is FREE; go here for more information. Below, check out Green Jelly’s video for “Bear Song.”

Budding indie locals Turning Violet Violet are playing the Tri-State Indie (TSI) awards pre-show tonight at the Balcony at the Trocadero. The group, who has a TSI nomination for Indie Pop Rock Band of the Year, released their first full-length album Double Cure earlier this year in May, which you can download here. Voting for the TSI awards is open until February 11th; go here to cast your vote. Tickets to tonight’s 21+ show are available here. Below, check out their backyard session with BITBY.TV from this September.

Alt rock duo Local H is performing at North Star Bar tonight, supporting the September release of their seventh studio album Hallelujah! I’m a Bum. Since their start in the early ’90s, the Midwestern group has built up a reputation for fan-interactive, energetic shows with imaginative setlists. Tickets for tonight’s 21+ show can be found here; check out Local H’s cover of Britney Spears’ “Toxic.”

Photo by John Vettese

Vintage rock-and-roll noisemakers Low Cut Connie have a couple reasons to celebrate this December. One, it’s the holidays; two, their crazy infectious single “Boozophilia” ranked #31 in Rolling Stone‘s top 50 songs of 2012. Of it, the mag says “You can practically smell the Yuengling coming off this skunky, slippery ode to lowbrow kicks from Philly to the South Side of Chicago.” (Cute regional reference there, Rolling Stone, but PBC Kenzinger surpassed Yeungling Lager as the beverage of the common rock and roll Philadelphian some time ago. PBR and Natty Boh probably also rank higher at this point too – but the effort is appreciated!) Beer chatter aside, we’re most psyched that Low Cut Connie continues getting recognition at a national level – and we’re sure their celebratory holiday performance at The North Star Bar on December 21 will be a rousing, rowdy good time. The band plays with Alex Vans and the Pretty Greens, tickets and more information on the 21+ show can be found here. Below, watch a video of the last time Low Cut Connie was at the North Star Bar- the time it shot the “Boozophilia” video.

Atlanta-based singer-songwriter Kelly Hogan performs tonight at World Cafe Live. A longtime backup singer for Neko Case, Hogan released her country-tinged LP I Like to Keep Myself In Pain this year, which features songs written for her by the likes of M. Ward, Stephin Merritt and the late Vic Chesnutt. Tickets and information on the show are available here; below, watch Hogan performing “Haunted” at her NPR Tiny Desk Concert.

Chamber-folk singer-songwriter Anais Mitchell returns to Philadelphia tonight to perform at Johnny Brenda’s with Cuddle Magic, the Philadelphia / Brooklyn psych collective that occasionally acts as her backing band (but not tonight). The 21+ show begins at 9 p.m., more information is available here. Below, watch the music video for “Coming Down” from Mitchell’s breathtaking 2012 album Young Man in America.

Philly pop purveyors Dangerous Ponies play their last show of 2012 tonight at The Blockley in University City. They open for Reptar and Rubblebucket, and will showcase a bunch of new songs that will be on their next full-length, due out in 2013. The 21+ show begins at 8:30, tickets and information are available here. Below, watch a video of the Ponies performing at a costume party.

WXPN welcomes Mark Eitzel, lead singer of San Francisco cult favorites American Music Club, to the North Star Bar tonight. Eitzel is touring behind Don’t Be A Stranger, his 2012 release on Merge Records. The 21+ show begins at 8 p.m., more information can be found here. Below, listen to “I Love You But You’re Dead” from Don’t Be A Stranger.

Pop powerhouse Marina & The Diamonds will light up the stage at Union Transfer tonight.  The Welsh-Greek singer Marina Diamandis released her second full-length Electra Heart earlier this year, a record that debuted at #1 on the UK Albums chart and features production work from Philly-based producer Diplo on “Lies.”  Tickets and more information for her show with Icona Pop can be found here.  Below, watch the video for “Primadonna” from Electra Heart.

New York singer-songwriter Ari Hest brings his record release show to The Tin Angel tonight.  We featured his song “The Fire Plays” as yesterday’s My Morning Download, an intimate track from the Gerry Leonard-produced new album of the same name.  Tickets and information for the 21+ show can be found here.  Below, watch the video for Ari Hest’s song “If I Knew You’d Say Yes” from last year’s Sunset Over Hope Street.

This week’s New Music Series at The North Star Bar brings in Philly shoegazers Forest Fools.  Just over one-and-a-half years old, Forest Fools released their debut Daydreamer EP this past June, an album that inspired Xross Media to say “So these guys are from Philadelphia, USA? They sound like they would be more at home in the rainy suburbs of Manchester, England in the 1990′s”.  You can download the EP for free from the band’s Bandcamp.  Also playing are Folly Fields and Brianna Judge.  Tickets and more information for the 21+ show can be found here.  Below, listen to the title track.

TJ Kong and the Atomic Bomb usher in Thanksgiving with Supersuckers at the North Star Bar.  The band released its second full-length album called Manufacturing Joy in September and received wildly positive praise from Philadelphia City Paper and Philadelphia Weekly for its bluesy punk balladry.  In an interview with The Key in September, frontman Dan Bruskewicz expounded on his literary influences and why he is drawn to such dark subjects in his lyrics.  Tickets for the Supersuckers Thanksgiving Eve Party with T.J. Kong and the Atomic Bomb and The Griswolds are $15.  The 21+ show begins at 8:00 p.m.; more information can be found here.  Below, watch T.J. Kong’s video for “Trail of a Lonesome Hobo.”

Philly’s Ben Arnold brings his band to World Cafe Live for a show with Scot Sax tonight.  Arnold has been a mainstay in the Philadelphia music scene for many years and recently released “Thankful,” which will be on his next record.  Arnold also lent his vocals to David Uosikkinen’s In the Pocket project this past spring when the collective recorded a cover of Robert Hazard’s “Change Reaction.”  A portion of the proceeds from tonight’s show will benefit Philabundance.  Tickets are $15 for the all-ages show and more information can be found here.  Below, watch the video for “Thankful.”