Punk Rock Flea Market

This Weekend’s Concert Picks: tUnE-yArDs, Odd Future, Fleet Foxes, Damon And Naomi, Punk Rock Flea Market

FRIDAY, MAY 20
Merrill Garbus, who performs as tUnE-yArDs, sees things in a million shades of gray. Her lyrics and interviews are filled with more questions than answers. Is she borrowing—or stealing—her beats and yelps from African music? Should she sing about the political views that are inherently a part of her personality, or will she come across as preachy? Should she make her music more confrontational to avoid having it played in Urban Outfitters? And if her music is even more confrontational, will it alienate the listener? That kind of ambivalence could bog a musician down. But Garbus has an ability to ask questions powerfully. Layers of explosive percussion drive the music; her voice ranges unpredictably. The result is music that lies off the beaten path of current indie trends. tUnE-yArDs performs with Buke And Gass at 9 p.m. at Johnny Brenda’s; tickets to the 21+ show are SOLD OUT. —Dave Simpson

Also playing: Odd Future at First Unitarian Church (9 p.m., all ages, SOLD OUT); Weird Al Yankovic at Keswick Theatre (8 p.m., all ages, $29.50-$59.50); Dredg + The Dear Hunter, Balance And Composure, The Trophy Fire at The Trocadero (7 p.m., all ages, $16); Small Houses + Chris Kasper, Tinmouth, Brittany Ann at Danger Danger Gallery (9 p.m., all ages, $5-$10)

SATURDAY, MAY 21
As one of the leaders of the folk-baroque resurgence, Seattle’s Fleet Foxes bring a harmony-laden, rustic approach to pop. The songs sound like hymns to rural Americana—they’re both a tribute and a wishful hope for a return to simpler time. Unfortunately, singer Robin Pecknold’s lyrics sometimes veer off into hokey territory, especially when he rambles at length about the poetry of snowflakes and sun-drenched orchards. But Fleet Foxes are highly listenable: both their first album and their latest, Helplessness Blues (which came out earlier this month), offer a dreamy, inoffensive soundtrack for an afternoon spent picking apples and wearing plaid. Fleet Foxes perform with The Cave Singers at 9 p.m. at The Tower Theatre; tickets to the show are SOLD OUT. —Kiley Bense

Also playing: Converge + Drop Dead, Trap Them, Burning Love, Cop Problem at Broad Street Ministry (7 p.m., all ages, $15); Damon And Naomi + Amor de Dias at First Unitarian Church (7:30 p.m., all ages, $12); Delco Nightingale + Sean Kershaw And The New Jack Ramblers at The Fire (9 p.m., $9)

SUNDAY, MAY 22
The Punk Rock Flea Market (10 a.m.-5 p.m., $3, 461 N. 9th St.); Neon Trees + The Limousines, Eastern Conference Champions at Theatre Of Living Arts (8 p.m., $18); The Cars at Electric Factory (8 p.m., $60.45)

FILED UNDER: Artists, Concert Previews, Events, Damon And Naomi, Fleet Foxes, Odd Future, punk rock flea, Punk Rock Flea Market, tUnE-yArDs

December 10, 2010 | 12:31 PM | By The Key

Show us your best finds from this weekend’s Punk Rock Flea Market!

Planning on stopping by the Punk Rock Flea Market tomorrow? If so, The Key wants photos of your best PRFM finds! Did you find one of your Holy Grail records? An amazing piece of vintage stereo equipment? Some sweet junk? Send us a photo by Monday at noon so we can post it to our site.

From the R5 website: “Our biggest one yet! 200+ tables of vendors selling old records, clothes, art, music, food, junk, bicycles, stereo equipment, instruments, automobiles, tools, posters, furniture, computers, skateboards and lots of other stuff ! All proceeds goto making sure that all ages shows remain a reality at the first unitarian church and other all ages venues!”

The Punk Rock Flea Market runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, December 11th, at The Punk Rock Flea Market Zone (461 N. 9th St.);
a $3 donation is required for admission.

Also, make sure to check out this PRFM jingle someone posted to YouTube (tweeted by R5)

(Is that a Kelly Towles mural?)

FILED UNDER: Events, Punk Rock Flea Market, R5 Productions

October 13, 2010 | 4:37 PM | By The Key

Snooze Alarm: Your late-arriving, Riot-Grrrl-revisiting link roundup 10/13/10

A Misunderstood Movement: Riot Grrrl “In the years leading up to 1991, mainstream magazines and radio had all but declared feminism dead. Coincidentally, punk rock was receiving a similarly grim diagnosis. The experts weren’t sure it’d pull through. For a group of young women at the time, it was Riot Grrrl—a radical feminist explosion in the underground—that injected both with new, transformative possibilities.” (Philly Weekly)

AZI Fellas releases track about local Cambodian refugees getting deported “You may remember AZI Fellas, the Cambodian-American hip-hoppers, from Philadelphia Weekly’s cover this May. Despite the prime PW real estate, they’re still damn underrated — but that’s a story for another day. The group recently released a track called “Injustice,” which is about local Cambodian refugees getting deported, a topic I wrote about this week.” (Philadelphia City Paper)

Punk Rock Flea Market 2010 Holiday Edition Announced “Philadelphia traditions: Cheesesteaks. The Mummers Parade. Barfing outside strip clubs on Essington Ave. at two in the morning. The Phillies kicking everyone’s ass (okay, that’s a fairly new tradition). Oh, and of course R5 Productions’ annual holiday edition Punk Rock Flea Market! This year’s PRFM — the best place to knock out most of your gift list with records, posters, stereo gear, bikes, art, clothes, instruments, furniture, and…” (Make Major Moves)

Dept. Of Oohs And Ahhhs: J. Meejin Yoon’s Light Drift “J. Meejin Yoon’s Light Drift is a three-night installation along the Schuylkill River banks (between Market & Chestnut Streets) that will be up just for this weekend from dusk until dawn, on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. And it looks like it’s gonna be awesome.” (Philebrity)