Photo by Rachel Del Sordo

Talk about an ideal match-up. Philly proto-punk aficionados Pissed Jeans, who released the hard-hitting Honeys earlier this year on Sub Pop Records, will tour with their labelmates and sonic ancestors Mudhoney. If you’ve spent any time with Honeys – particularly “Cathouse” or “Teenage Adult” – you know the bands will play totally well off one another. There might even be some possibility of Pissed Jeans, with their well-earned reputation for live ragers, upstaging the headliners. But don’t be so sure on that last count – Mark Arm remains a wily and charismatic frontman in his own right. The tour sadly doesn’t stop in Philadelphia (it’s a handful of dates in the UK and midwest, per Brooklyn Vegan) but it nonetheless gives us an excuse to turn up this live performance of Pissed Jeans’ “Bathroom Laughter” from The Key Studio Sessions Vol. 7.

The latest edition of our Key Studio Sessions compilations is out today – now streamable and downloadable from Soundcloud!  Check out this year’s in-studio appearances with The Key Studio Sessions Vol. 7, including the down-tempo folk stylings of Waxahatchee, the thrashing punk of Pissed Jeans and the all-out rock jams of Ruby the Hatchet.  Thanks to production assistants Fred Knittel, Madeleine Lesperance, and Dan Malloy as well as photographers Rachel Del Sordo and Kate McCann, and videographers The Angry Mountain, HotBox Studios and Out of Town Films for sharing their work.

This week, we got not one but two brand new Folkadelphia sessions.  Sunday gave us a mesmerizing, improvisational set from local harpist Mary Lattimore and producer / musician Jeff Zeigler (Arc in Round) ahead of their Valentine’s Day show at Kung Fu Necktie.  Lattimore is releasing her debut full-length The Withdrawing Room in March but you can fall in love with her dreamy harp playing right now by downloading the live session below.  As a bonus download, Folkadelphia shared a session with local singer-songwriter Abi Reimold.  The four tracks are a sublime introduction to her striking vocals and sense of space and dynamics (though you may have already come across Abi on this compilation of local music).  Stream “Battlefield” below and download the full set here.

Bringing their raging, aggressively accessible new tunes to the building this week, Pissed Jeans stopped by to record a Key Studio Session.  The Philly punk quartet released their fourth studio album Honeys this past Tuesday (out via Sub Pop) and celebrated with a show at Underground Arts on Friday.  Among the tracks they recorded for the session is “Bathroom Laughter,” a scratchy, screamy rager with one of the best music videos you’ll probably ever see.  Learn more about the band in this interview with Key contributor Brian Wilensky.  Below, download “Bathroom Laughter” and watch the video; the full session is available for streaming here.

Local trio of brothers Penrose are on the verge of setting forth their new LP Circe and released a free download of “Tango with Lucy” this week in anticipation of the full-length.  Set in the shadowy streets and cafes of New Orleans, the song depicts a meeting with the devil while a carnival-esque tango plays in the background.  Penrose will throw a record release show at Underground Arts on March 2nd with Levee Drivers, The Lawsuits and St. James and the Apostles.  Tickets and information for the 21+ show can be found here.  Stream and download “Tango with Lucy” below.

Set against field recordings of trickling water and happy chatter, Philly’s GrandeMarshall shows his confidence on the new “Boathouse Row.”  He was joined by local MC Asaad on the track and drops names like Demi Moore, Nick Cage and Crown Fried Chicken.  GrandeMarshall was recently signed to Fools Good Records (A-Trak, Duck Sauce, Kid Cudi) and wasted no time in sharing another track this week after “Boathouse Row” (check out “Tastykake” here.)  Stream and download “Boathouse Row” below.

Photo by Ricky Codio | rickycodio.com

After celebrating the release of his RFM LP with a sold-out crowd at The TLA a couple of months ago, local hip hop artist Chill Moody comes to The Blockley for another celebration – this time a celebration of love.  Moody will team up once again with Beano and Hank McCoy to perform the last installment in their Valentine’s Day mixtape Who Do You Love? in its entirety.  Tickets and information for the 21+ show can be found here.  Below, watch them perform a track from the mixtape live in Love Park.

Local hardcore punk buddies Pissed Jeans celebrate the release of their third LP Honeys tonight at Underground Arts.  The Key featured the Sub Pop band in this week’s Studio Session and it is quite the nihilistic rager (though the bandmates are extremely friendly people in real life).  With all four Pissed Jeans members holding down full-time jobs and families, Honeys comes four years after their last effort; read more about what went on during those years here.  Tickets and information for tonight’s 21+ show with Leather and Lantern can be found here.  Watch the video for “Bathroom Laughter” below and check out their Key Studio Session here.

Goodnight, Texas play Kung Fu Necktie tonight for The Swollen Fox‘s showcase. Described as a “transcontinental garage Appalachian collaboration,” Goodnight, Texas combines the musical talents of Patrick Dyer Wolf and Avi Vincour (The Stone Foxes).  The two met in San Francisco and started a long distance musical partnership that is geographically marked in the center by a town called Goodnight in Texas.  The band’s sound crosses the vast expanse of the country as well, blending dusty western ballads with southern folk instrumentation.  Tickets and information for tonight’s 21+ show with Toy Soldiers and August John Lutz II (The Levee Drivers) can be found here.  Watch Goodnight, Texas perform “I’m Going to Work on Maggie’s Farm Forever” below and get a free download of “Jesse Got Trapped in a Coal Mine.”

Also happening:
Pop-rappers Moosh & Twist make up for a cut-short First Unitarian show by headlining Union Transfer. XPN Welcomes singer-songwriter Mike Doughty The Abbey in Harrisburg, as well as other events during the Millennium Music Conference. And XPN Welcomes the Northern Liberties Winter Music Festival at The Fire.

Photo by Rachel Del Sordo

Happy Valentine’s Day from Helen Leicht – get free downloads of Philly Local love songs [link]

Philly punks Pissed Jeans ravage the Key Studio Sessions [link]

Indiepop five-piece Catnaps releases a prom-themed music video for “Novelty” [link]

WXPN will broadcast Sunday’s Mumford & Sons concert from the SBC in Camden [link]

Bleeding Rainbow‘s new LP Yeah Right is the subject of the Unlocked showcase [link]

Philly’s Abi Reimold is spotlighted in a Folkadelphia session [link]

See photos from Toro y Moi‘s appearance at Union Transfer [link]

Five Things That Inspired Mary Lattimore’s Debut Album, The Withdrawing Room [link]

Watch local actors, fashion designers and musicians Khari Mateen and Elegant Animals collaborate in a video called The Living [link]

Explore Philadelphia with Dave Hartley of Nightlands and BlackBook Magazine [link]

Kurt Vile announces a headlining Union Transfer show, shares a free download [link]

Philly space-rocker Brendan Codey shares a new track called “Twin Chimney” [link]

UK experimental trio Beak> plays Underground Arts on a snowy night [link]

It’s kind of astounding, actually. Four mild-mannered, friendly guys walked into WXPN studios this past Sunday, gathered around microphones and set up their instruments. And then, like as if I’d gone and flipped a switch or something, Philly punks Pissed Jeans suddenly became total freaking demons. Brad Fry started off, coaxing a half a minute of mind-bending sounds out of his guitar amp and effects pedals. Sean McGuinness followed, pummelling away at his drums, backed next by Randy Huth, hammering away at a searing, fuzzy bassline. Enter Matt Korvette, safely ensconced in a vocal booth (pictured) – he’s somewhat soft-spoken in conversation, but once the music got moving, his voice took a total Captain Beefheart by-way-of Jesus Lizard departure. But it’s all part of the classic, thrilling tension-and-release that’s at the core of Pissed Jeans’ music. You can dig further into that mindset a few different places this week – Brian Wilensky interviewed McGuinness for The Key on Monday, and Elliott Sharp wrote a cover story on the band in last week’s City Paper. Pissed Jeans released its fourth LP, Honeys, on Sub Pop Records on Tuesday, and it’s a rager. Four of the songs they performed in our studio are drawn from it – “Pleasure Race” dips back to 2009′s King of Jeans. Grab a download of the wrecking ball of an opener, “Bathroom Laughter,” and stream the rest of the set below. And to join in on the catharsis in an active kind of way, the band celebrates the release of Honeys at Underground Arts this Friday night. Get amped.

Directed by Joe Stakun (a Philly / LA filmmaker who directed videos for Modest Mouse and Future Islands) and starring The Office‘s Mark Proksch, the video follows a couch potato watching a infomercial for an oven that goes horribly wrong. It’s slapstick and ends rather darkly, but moves at a lively enough pace (which, with this song, it kind of has to) that you get that it’s all in good fun. Imagine the Three Stooges, with more blood. Also be on the lookout for cameos from the band – singer Matt Korvette makes an awesome weatherman.

Pissed Jeans plays Underground Arts this Friday, February 15 – read Brian Wilensky’s interview with drummer Sean McGuinness (sorting trash bags, above) here, and enter to win tickets to the show here.

Pissed Jeans drummer Sean McGuinness | Photo by Rachel Del Sordo

Pissed Jeans doesn’t mess around with lots of small releases. Sure, so they put out Sam Kinison Woman/The L Word three years ago. They also had two other EPs before their first full-length, Shallow. But point being, everything they release gets a physical pressing. This band doesn’t pussyfoot around with Bandcamp pages and songs that are exclusively available online.

And sure, the Jeans haven’t released a new full-length record in four years. So what? The forthcoming Honeys is drenched in enough scuzzy distortion and stark, white-knuckled aggression that it almost feels as if it’s been pent up inside the foursome for way longer. Contrary to how it seems, they never took a break from writing. They’ve just been at this one for longer than you know.

“We’re obviously good at taking our sweet time,” Sean McGuinness, Pissed Jeans’ drummer, says over a beer on an incredibly frigid January afternoon. “It’s not necessarily with quality in mind, but there’s a certain vulnerability that comes with making music and showing that inner-creative side that you can tend to hold back or be bashful about.”

McGuinness goes on to say that they had began writing songs for Honeys shortly after 2009’s King of Jeans, but the music didn’t leave their practice space in McGuinness’ home for quite a while.

“We trust our instincts,” he says. “And we have a pedigree that we strive for. But that sounds too high-brow. We had an idea going into the new material that we wanted to be, not necessarily more upbeat, but a little more snappy and straightforward.”

Despite wanting to take some of the mud out of their sludgy post-hardcore, the record (released nationally tomorrow on Sub Pop) still has what McGuinness calls “classic Jeans.” And he’s right. There’s a certain swagger to Honeys that goes beyond punk rock attitude. With those fresh-yet-classic vibes, it stands up to the time they spent, drowns King of Jeans in urgency and proves that time doesn’t mean a thing to these teenage adults.

The opener, “Bathroom Laughter,” was flushed into the blogosphere months ago – so you already know no one’s actually laughing on this one. In fact, there’s mention of crying in the kitchen. Believe it or not, crying is brought up again on a trip into a pit of patheticness on “Chain Worker.”

“I cry red, angry tears that no one sees / sometimes mistaken for blood.”

Now this feels like “classic Jeans;” it’s dark and noisy, indistinct and makes you “fill in the blanks yourself” as McGuinness says. Or there’s “Romanticize Me,” where singer, grunter and guttural screamer Matter Korvette articulates:

“If you’re trying to feel better / There’s one thing you can do / Take all of your dreams / And pretend that it came true.”

It seems like someone’s wishing he’d tell them he loves them. But he’s vain. Or so he screams repeatedly at the end of the following, surprisingly melodic, “Vain in Costume.” Even if Korvette is as vain as he claims, he can back up his knowledge for all things in vogue on the blog posts he contributes to Spin, in which he discusses high fashion.

“He’s been into fashion ever since I met him,” McGuinness says. “It’s just his thing. And you know, when hardcore or loud rock bands [are mentioned] I don’t think you draw a parallel between that music and high-end fashion. Maybe that sets us apart.”

Sure – maybe the slimy “Loubs,” about taking a peak at some lady’s shoes, marching to the step of Christian Louboutin stillettos, does set them apart from most other punk bands. But then again, the Jeans are known for being knee-deep in topics of everyday life. That’s why when Korvette wishes he had his tap shoes on (so to speak) upon receiving news of the death of a co-worker in “Cafeteria Food.” There’s a resounding “Hell yeah” in all of us, remembering that one work partner you couldn’t stand.

Reportedly, producer Alex Newport often gave Korvette a similar response upon hearing his lyrics as he wrote them in Milkboy Studio.

“Newport just sits back and laughs at how sinister Matt’s lyrics can be,” McGuinness says. “But it just gives him more confidence to keep doing what he does. He’s in the most vulnerable position, putting his thoughts and ideas out there. But Matt isn’t a guy that lets pressure bother him.

Alex Newport first worked with them on King of Jeans, and McGuinness says that record was the one that brought them the farthest outside of their comfort zone.

“At the time we were afraid he was going to change our songs,” he says. “But Newport’s more about giving ideas about tempos, enthusiasm and knowing the right takes to use.”

Pissed Jeans took about a year and a half to write Honeys. That’s because they made sure each song was ready before heading into the studio (aside from two they wanted a second opinion from Newport on; McGuinness wouldn’t share which ones). Also, the band had big things happen in their personal lives since the last record. For McGuinness, the biggest was his son’s birth.

“We were lucky to have the whole recording experience work out like it did,” he says, “between four dads, a dude in New York and two guys with a studio it could be tough to plan. We were lucky.”

And they definitely are grown up, satisfied adults now. But on Honeys’ closer, “Adult Angst,” Korvette reminds everyone, “There’s no reason to ever grow up.” Fatherhood and each of the members being a tricenarian hasn’t slowed down their kiddish attitudes toward each making music together.

“I think Randy’s unplugged Matt’s mic in the middle of songs before and Matt’s played guitar,” McGuinness says about bassist Randy Huth messing with the Jeans’ singer and Korvette stealing guitarist Bradley Fry’s instrument mid-set. “And I’ve sung my fair share of Pissed Jeans songs. But I’ve been punked harder than anyone else in the band. It’s a constant struggle, not even out-punk each other, but to maintain that edge.”

That sort of “let’s just have fun at this” outlook is what’s keeping Pissed Jeans sounding fresh to the top rung of the clothesline. Their name is more and more regularly becoming part of regional vocabulary, too. And it will likely extend beyond this locale soon when Honeys hits.

“I don’t think the tourism board is going to put up a billboard in Philly that says, ‘Hey, Pissed Jeans lives here.’ But if they did that’d be cool.”

Pissed Jeans performs at Underground Arts on Friday, February 15 with Lantern and Leather; tickets and information for the 21+ show can be found here. Their new LP Honeys is in stores tomorrow via Sub Pop Records

We’re all kinds of excited for the release of Pissed Jeans‘ new LP Honeys. It’s a brutal and unrelentingly heavy collection of thrash, punk and social commentary, but its also the band’s most diverse and (dare I say) approachable output. Key contributor Elliott Sharp wrote a great cover story on the band in this week’s Philadelphia City Paper – if you haven’t read it yet, do so here. The album is out on Tuesday, we’ll feature them in a Key Studio Session (words cannot describe how psyched I am for this) on Wednesday, and on Friday, they celebrate the release of the album with a headlining show at Underground Arts.

As a huge week is about to begin for the band, we’ve got a contest for you. To win a pair of tickets to see Pissed Jeans at Underground Arts on Friday, February 15th, with openers Lantern and Leather (great acts both), simply leave your favorite Pissed Jeans lyric in the comments. We’ll pick a winner at random next Thursday at noon. Ground rules: you have to 21 or over, you have to leave your first and last name in the comments, and you have to enter an email where we can contact you if you win (the e-mail will not be made public).

Make sense? Cool. I’ll get things started: “The jogger, area rug / The jogger, fantasy football / Soy milk, the jogger / Button down collar.” There you go. What’s your favorite Pissed Jeans lyric? Comment to win.

Photo by Sasha Morgan | Sub Pop Records

It’s a pretty frigid morning here in Philadelphia, but this is bound to warm you up. Pissed Jeans‘ awesome new full-length Honeys, out next Tuesday on Sub Pop Records, is streaming via Spin.com. It’s eleven tracks and forty-ish minutes of the Philly crew do what it does so freaking well- high-energy, cathartic protopunk-styled jams, peppered with social criticism and self-effacing introspection. Listen to it here, and get stoked to thrash out to this in a week and a half when Pissed Jeans headlines Underground Arts on February 15. (Details at the XPN Concert Calendar.)

Photo by Josh Anderson

Nashville singer-songwriter Caitlin Rose‘s new single “I Was Cruel” is a sweetly presented confessional song with a swinging groove thanks to some twangy steel guitar lines and a reflective coda.  Rose will release her sophomore record The Stand-In on March 5th through ATO Records and plays MilkBoy Philly on Wednesday, April 3rd; tickets and information for the 21+ show can be found here.

Philly’s Everyone Everywhere stopped in for this week’s Key Studio Session, recording five songs from their latest self-titled full-length.  Though the album was released last summer, the charming emo quartet just celebrated the record last night with a hometown show at The Barbary.  Stream and download “Queen Mary II” below and go here for the full session.

• Queen Mary IIby Everyone Everywhere, from The Key Studio SessionsDownload

This week on World Cafe, host David Dye delved into the musical history of Memphis for his Sense of Place travel series.  Between tours of Memphis’ historic recording studios and excursions to the city’s most famous landmarks, Dye sat down with some of the country’s top musicians to record World Cafe episodes.  Included in those sessions is blues musician Rev. John Wilkins, who recorded a version of his father’s “Prodigal Son” for the Cafe – stream and download it below, then listen back to the full World Cafe session here.

Local rock and roll band Arctic Splash were the featured band for Monday’s My Morning Download.  The Joey Sweeney-fronted outfit recorded a Key Studio Session last month and their track “When You Say My Name” is included on the latest Key Studio Sessions, Volume 6 compilation alongside contributions from Bad Braids, Aspiga and Nothing.  Download the full collection here.  Arctic Splash will open for Creem Circus at Kung Fu Necktie on Saturday, February 16th; tickets and information for the 21+ show can be found here.

Pissed Jeans – “Bathroom Laughter” Live at underground arts – Philadelphia from John Stish on Vimeo.

Philly rock stalwart Tommy Conwell played a reunion show with his 80s band The Young Rumblers on Black Friday at the Electric Factory, and recorded a stripped-down set at WXPN that we featured in last week’s Key Studio Session. Check out his entire performance here, and download the Joe Jackson-esque jam “Everything They Say is True” below.

• Everything They Say is Trueby Tommy Conwell from The Key Studio SessionsDownload

Rootsy five-piece Band of Horses is on tour with Jason Lytle, formerly of Grandaddy, and the two bands teamed up to cover Townes Van Zandt’s “Don’t You Take It Too Bad,” which you can download an mp3 of below. Their tour stops at the Electric Factory on December 14th, tickets and more information can be found here.

Singer-songwriter Erin McKeown is gearing up for a new 2013 release, a full-length called MANIFESTRA, and last week announced a Philly appearance January 20 at Johnny Brenda’s. She also premiered her poppy new single, “The Jailer,” which you can download below.

In honor of the 20th anniversary of Sade’s 1992 album Love Deluxe, North Carolina indie rock duo The Rosebuds covered the album – which they cite as hugely influential. Download the entire thing for free below.

Left to right: Helen Leicht, John Belushi and Ed Sciaky

Holiday Radio Past: Ed Sciaky sends holiday on WIOQ cheer circa 1984 [link]

Philly rocker Tommy Conwell performs acoustic for The Key Studio Sessions [link]

Digging the deep roots of St. James and the Apostles, who play The Fire tonight [link]

Need a soundtrack to your Thanksgiving dinner table? Try our Spotify playlist [link]

Central Pennsylvania’s music scene mourns the loss of its biggest advocate, Jersey Mike [link]

Watch rare video of Patti Smith on the Mike Douglas Show when it was based in Philly [link]

Is that Denison Witmer playing a spandex-clad workout instructor? [link]

Pissed Jeans rage on with a new track, “Bathroom Laughter” [link]

Ring in the holidays with XPN2‘s Jingle Jams, now through New Year’s! [link]

Yeasayer discovered light, and color. And took it on tour. [link]

Pissed Jeans from John Stish on Vimeo.

Allentown-bred, Philly-based thrash punks Pissed Jeans open for Hot Snakes tonight at Underground Arts. Known for their raw adolescent Sub Pop Records sound, Pissed Jeans released their third album, King of Jeans, in 2009, surprising fans with a more mature direction. Doors open at 7:30. Tickets to the 21+ show start at $18, more information can be found here. Below, watch their video for “False Jessi Part II.”

Pet Milk are opening for The Native Cats at Kung Fu Necktie tonight. The 21+ show starts at 9 p.m., admission is $10 and more information can be found here. The local pop-rock group performed songs from their 2011 EP Philadelphia Punk Life, and a few extras, for a Key Studio Session Key Studio Session in June. Below, download a performance from that session, “The Dream Has Turned.”

Indie pop bands DIIV and Wild Nothing are playing tonight at Union Transfer as they continue their 2012 tour. DIIV, who performed at North Star Bar in April, released their debut album Oshin in June to great reception from critics; Pitchfork claimed “How Long Have You Known?” as one of their Best New Tracks. Wild Nothing frontman Jack Tatum says Nocturne, the band’s sophomore album which dropped in August, was crafted more for fans than 2010′s Gemini.  The all ages show starts at 8 p.m.; more details can be found here.

Pissed Jeans are a hardcore/noise rock band from Allentown, PA who have released two full-length albums on Sub Pop Records. The band is playing a free 21+ show tonight at Morgan’s Pier with Brooklyn band A Place to Bury Strangers. The show starts at 6PM and is the last in the R5 Free Saturday Summer Concert Series. Download tracks from Pissed Jeans on Sub Pop’s website here.

The Sun Ra Arkestra, which formed under the leadership of Sun Ra in 1958 and now lead by Maestro Marshall Allen, is a Philly avant-jazz improvisation collective. They are playing a free show at 40th Street Field as part of the 40th Street Summer Series that starts at 6PM.

Philly rock band Blood Feathers have toured with The Walkmen and AA Bondy, now the group is playing a 21+ show at Milkboy tonight with Quiet Corral and St. James & the Apostles. Doors open at 8:30PM and the show starts at 9:30PM. Tickets are $12 and can be purchased here. The band’s album, Goodness Gracious is available for purchase here.

Finally, local indie two-piece group Safari Dudes are playing at Fergie’s Pub with Austin band Good Field and Philly’s Ghost Craters. The show starts at 7:30PM and there is a recommended $3 to $5 donation for the touring band. Download Ghost Craters’ album for free here. Check out Good Field’s video for their song “When You Walk” below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0klS8dZTFWU&feature=player_embedded#!

The Silver Ages

Also tonight: Pissed Jeans performs with Blues Control and Veiled at 9:15 p.m. at Johnny Brenda’s; tickets to the 21+ show are $10–$12; Negative Department + The Only Ghost in Town, Pray For Polanski, Sure Juror at The Level Room (8 p.m., 21+, $8); New Sweden + KeN, Lettuce Prey at Milkboy Philly (9:30 p.m., 21+, $8–$10);

FRIDAY, JANUARY 13th

Also Playing: Minas at World Cafe Live (8 p.m., $20); Adrien Reju And Friends at Tin Angel (10:30 p.m., 21+, $10); The National Rifle + Waking Lights, Blayer Pointdujour at Milkboy Philly (9:30 p.m., 21+, $8–$10); Swift Technique + Lady, Dr. Ruckus at Kung Fu Necktie (8 p.m., 21+, $10)

SATURDAY, JANUARY 14th

Pissed Jeans performs with Blues Control and Veiled at 9:15 p.m. at Johnny Brenda’s; tickets to the 21+ show are $10–$12.

Also Playing: Negative Department + The Only Ghost in Town, Pray For Polanski, Sure Juror at The Level Room (8 p.m., 21+, $8); New Sweden + KeN, Lettuce Prey at Milkboy Philly (9:30 p.m., 21+, $8–$10);

SUNDAY, JANUARY 15th
Far-Out Fangtooth + Lantern, Harsh Vibes at The Level Room (9 p.m., 21+, $10); Allison Weiss + Mitten, Former Belle, Conversations With Enemies at PhilaMOCA (8 p.m., all ages, $7–$10)

Kurt Vile photo by Shawn Brackbill

Announced earlier this afternoon at Matador Records’ Matablog:

In what’s likely to be one of the hotter tickets of Summer 2011, Thurston Moore and Kurt Vile & The Violators are hooking up for 7 North American dates this July in support of both of their most recent album, the former’s upcoming ‘Demolished Thoughts’, and Vile’s wildly acclaimed ‘Smoke Ring For My Halo’.  Additional dates for both — sadly, only playing in tandem from July 18 to the 30th — are listed below.

The dates for Kurt Vile’s week-long tour with Thurston Moore are posted below, as are a handful of additional Kurt Vile shows (including a performance with Pissed Jeans and Meg Baird at First Unitarian Church on June 12th).

Thurston Moore / Kurt Vile And The Violators / Hush Arbors dates:
7/18 Minneapolis, MN – Varsity Theatre (tickets, on sale April 29, noon)
7/21 Vancouver, BC – Rickshaw Theatre (tickets, on sale April 29)
7/23 Portland, OR – Alladin Theatre
7/26 San Francisco, CA – Great American Music Hall
7/28 Los Angeles, CA – Troubadour
7/29 Los Angeles, CA – Troubadour
7/30 San Diego, CA – Casbah

Additional Kurt Vile And The Violators dates:
6/11 Bowery Ballroom, NYC (with Pissed Jeans and Meg Baird)
6/12 First Unitarian Church, Philadelphia PA (with Pissed Jeans and Meg Baird)
6/25-6/26 Sled Island Festival, Calgary, AB
7/11 Brighton Music Hall, Boston MA (with Woods)
7/12 Le Salsa Rossa, Montreal, QUE (with Woods)
7/14, The Grog Shop, Cleveland, OH (with Woods)
7/15 Russian Recording, Bloomington IN (with Woods)

FRIDAY, APRIL 15

Also playing: Wye Oak + Callers, Secret Mountains at Johnny Brenda’s (9 p.m., 21+, $10); Joan as Police Woman + Jen Hess at Tin Angel (7:30 p.m., 21+, $12); Spectrum + Asteroid #4, Music For Headphones at North Star Bar (9 p.m., 21+, $15)

SATURDAY, APRIL 16
Yoni Wolf of WHY? frequently mentions his ambivalence toward touring, so it will be interesting to see how he handles three shows at First Unitarian Church this weekend. He’s sold out all three performances, despite the lack of a new album since his 2009 LP, Eskimo Snow. Wolf has always pursued a versatile musical integrity over music industry success: He is an original member of the Anticon Collective and gained notice after releasing songs with experimental rappers Doseone and Odd Nosdam; despite their critical acclaim, Wolf left the group to pursue solo work. He’s always mixed hip-hop and folk (as well as other genres), but Eskimo Snow was the least hip-hop. The album descended further into the darkness with which his previous releases danced. It’s obvious from the sold out shows that Wolf still has the audience’s attention; the remaining question is what he will do with it. Yoni Wolf performs with Hop Along at 6 & 9 p.m. Saturday, April 16, and 6 p.m. Sunday, April 17, at First Unitarian Church; tickets to the all-ages show are SOLD OUT. —Dave Simpson

Also playing: Pissed Jeans at Beautiful World Syndicate (2 p.m., all ages, free); When I Was 12 + Slow Animal, Gypsy Death And You, Caboder at Danger Danger Gallery (9 p.m., all ages, $5-$10); DJ Logic + Bodega, Kuf Knotz at The Blockley (9 p.m., $12-$15)

SUNDAY, APRIL 17
Danielson + Strapping Fieldhands, Hermit Thrushes at Johnny Brenda’s (9 p.m., 21+, $10-$12); Daytrader + Hostage Calm, Daylight, Giving Chase, Quiet Arcs, American Royalty at The Barbary (3 p.m., all ages, $10); Macklemore & Ryan Lewis + Shad, Voss (8 p.m., 21+, $8)

FRIDAY, MARCH 18
We can only assume that the reason Pissed Jeans hasn’t already entered WHYY’s “NewsWorks Tonight Theme Music” contest—which we suggested earlier this week—is because the band has been busy preparing for tonight’s show, which is the Allentown noise-rock quartet’s first area performance in what feels like quite a long time. The band has kept a relatively low profile since releasing the “Sam Kinison Woman” single late last year; we’re looking forward to catching up with them, especially given that one of our other favorite local acts, Purling Hiss, is opening the show. Pissed Jeans performs with M Ax Noi Mach and Purling Hiss at 8 p.m. at Johnny Brenda’s; tickets to the 21+ show are $10.

Also playing: Henry Rollins (spoken word) at World Cafe Live (8 p.m., SOLD OUT); Tim Barry + Jenny Owen Youngs, Josh Small at Kung Fu Necktie (7 p.m., 21+, SOLD OUT); Rodney Crowell at Sellersville Theater (8 p.m., $25-$40)

SATURDAY, MARCH 19
Do you have tickets to Godspeed You! Black Emperor‘s reunion show at The Trocadero on Saturday night? Yeah, neither do we. To be fair, we’re pretty sure tickets were sold out before they were even announced. Godspeed You! Black Emperor performs with Eric Chenaux at 8 p.m. at The Trocadero; tickets to the all-ages show are SOLD OUT.

Also playing: Southwork + Brick And Mortar, Univox at Kung Fu Necktie (7:30 p.m., SOLD OUT); Travie McCoy + Donnis, Black Cards, XV, Bad Rabbits at Theatre Of The Living Arts (7 p.m., $17.50)

SUNDAY, MARCH 20
Is Neil Hamburger the world’s best worst comedian? We’re not sure. Either way, he’s definitely a punchline-less, out-of-date “joke”-telling (and throat-clearing) machine—one that needs to be seen to be believed. Neil Hamburger performs with The Kenny “K-Strass” Strasser Yo-Yo Extravaganza and Major Entertainer Mike H at 9 p.m. at Kung Fu Necktie; tickets to the 21+ show are $12.

Seattle, WA – On October 24, 2010, Sub Pop Records’ VP of Sales, Director of Marketing, and remarkable friend Andy Kotowicz died as a result of injuries he suffered in a terrible car accident three nights previous. He was 37 years old and he is dearly, profoundly missed. The Andy Kotowicz Family Foundation was established in an effort to help provide for Andy’s wife Jocelyn and his young daughter Anna. An auction on CharityBuzz.com featuring items from Pearl Jam, Foo Fighters, Muse, The Simpsons and more is open for bidding now until December 14th. In addition to the auction a concert is scheduled for December 4th at Seattle’s Showbox at the Market with performances by many of the bands Andy worked with at Sub Pop as an A&R representative. Finally, there will be a benefit show held on December 8th, Andy’s birthday, in his hometown of Ann Arbor/Ypsi.

These shows and events, the wide array of auction items collected below, all are partial testament to the very full life lived by our friend. On behalf of Andy’s family and as part of it, we at Sub Pop Records are deeply grateful for all of the items donated here, for all of the artists, venues, vendors and assorted sponsors who have donated their time and/or something arguably more palpable. Please consider bidding on these items and or donating to or otherwise supporting the Andy Kotowicz Family Foundation.

You can find the list of auction items here; info for the December 4th show at Showbox At The Market (featuring Pissed Jeans) and the December 8th show at The Savoy are available on the venues’ sites.

Sub Pop Bands Play Seattle Benefit Show for Family of Late Label Vice President Andy Kotowicz “On October 24, Sub Pop Records Vice President of Sales and Director of Marketing Andy Kotowicz died in a car accident, leaving behind a wife and baby daughter. On December 4, several Sub Pop bands will play a benefit for the Andy Kotowicz Family Foundation, which raises money for Kotowicz’s family, at the Showbox at the Market in Seattle. The bill includes Mudhoney, Shabazz Palaces, Wolf Eyes, Vetiver, Pissed Jeans, Fruit Bats, A-Frames/AFCGT, and Michael Yonkers.” (Pitchfork)

Sufjan Stevens brings “Age of Adz” to life “Wednesday night at the Academy of Music, Stevens brought Adz to life, inspiring a sold-out crowd with creative tunes about, as he put it: ‘love, death, heartbreak, the apocalypse, the beginning of the world, the end of the world, and the middle of the world.’” (Phrequency)

‘tine-‘tine Is Back at JR’s Nov. 11 “Philly’s lo-fi queen of mean is back on the scene. Nah, we know that Christine Griffis is an absolute sweetheart, but her stage persona ‘tine-‘tine will cut any bitch that crosses her and make ex-lovers rue the day they hit that shit with a drop of a verse! ” (The Deli)

Bands: How to do band reunions “When bands split now they enter the revolving-door afterlife familiar to superheroes and soap villians – it’s only a matter of time before they’re back.” (The Guardian)

Sun Airway

As any A&E critic (or radio-station DJ) will tell you, some days you find yourself digging through the dregs of the promo music bin, desperately looking for any new release remotely worth listening to. (Ever notice, by the way, how all of those CDs come with a press release that mentions how the band’s “unique, signature sound” has “redefined the genre”—and include a promo photo featuring a bunch of stern-faced dudes standing in a stairwell?) Other days, you find yourself bombarded with more amazing new music than you can handle. Personally, we prefer the latter. Which is why we will remember today, October 26th, 2010, as the day in which a quartet of highly-anticipated local albums landed in our lap. (OK, technically, we’ve had most of these records for at least a week or so—but bear with us.)

Today is the official release date for Sun Airway‘s Nocturne Of Exploded Crystal Chandelier (via Dead Oceans), The War On Drugs‘ Future Weather (Secretly Canadian), Purling Hiss‘ Public Service Announcement (Woodsist), and Kuf Knotz‘s Boombox Logic (MAD Dragon Records). All four albums come hot on the heels of Granchildren‘s Everlasting (as well as new singles by Pissed Jeans and Kurt Vile) and lead into November releases by local acts such as Reading Rainbow and Nightlands (among others)—all of which has us thinking that the Fall of 2010 is going to be an extremely memorable one.

While you’re clicking on all of those links, make sure to check out our previous coverage on all of those bands, including our mention of new videos by Sun Airway, Grandchildren, and Pissed Jeans, as well as our interviews with Kuf Knotz and Grandchildren’s Aleks Martray. (And make sure to check back for our reviews of today’s new releases in the upcoming week.)

From the folks at Sub Pop:

Pissed Jeans, Allentown, PA’s not least favorite sons recently recorded two new songs, unassociated with nor otherwise promotionally leading up to any upcoming full-length album they have yet to record. These are just two exceptionally great new Pissed Jeans songs. They are called “Sam Kinison Woman” and “The L Word,” and were recorded for this 7″ single. That’s it and that’s enough.

Pissed Jeans – Sam Kinison Woman by subpop