Cover art by Kevin Jackson – @Chuise

The new Sirens On Snyder EP, a collaboration between Reef The Lost Cauze and producer Haj from Dumhi is out now. The EP features Random, Burke The Jurke, Ethel Cee and Side Effect and was produced by Haj, who writes this about the EP’s background (and his background with Reef):

Back in 2008, I met up with Reef the Lost Cauze for the first time. We made a song called “Squeeze” that night. We have made a LOT of songs together since.
Last October we were recording what would become B.Dawk and Reef was like “we might as well just knock out a little Ep, man.” I was like, “Let’s go!”
I won’t do anymore dialogue in this email. I promise.
So while Reef and Caliph were finishing up “Reef the Lost Cauze is Dead”, I started sketching some beats together and in about January, we started rocking out on Wednesday nights in the basement.
BAM.

You can check out the music video for “Moonshine” here and stream / download the album below.

Photo of Reef (left) and Haj (right) ©Marco Hill

Below, watch the new video from Reef The Lost Cauze and produced by Haj from Dumhi, for the song “Mooshine.” You can find the song on a free download of Loosies and it will be out tomorrow on the Sirens on Snyder EP by Reef and Haj.

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.

PhilaMOCA programmer Eric Bresler previews Cinedelphia‘s Tuesday Tune-Out series for April [link]

Meet Dante Bucci, the local musician who kicked-off WXPN’s Philly Local Busker Series at The Porch at 30th Street Station this week [link]

Watch local folk duo Maitland perform “Embers” in advance of their Friday, April 5th show at The Trocadero balcony [link]

Mayer Hawthorne‘s new song “Designer Drug” was Tuesday’s My Morning Download [link]

JUMP Magazine shared their recap and photos of Plow United‘s Saturday night show at The Barbary [link]

Stream and download Burn the Wish from local duo Great Red Spots, recorded at West Philly DIY space Sprinkle Kingdom [link]

Reed The Lost Cauze is back with a debut podcast/free download called REEF RADIO, [link]

Unlocked digs into Restorations‘ LP2 ahead of their record release show this Friday [link]

Take a listen to Wrong World‘s “See These Streets” and see them open for Bleeding Rainbow and The Cave Singers on Thursday [link]

Patty Griffin was spotlighted on XPN’s Gotta Hear Song of the Week with “Ohio,” featuring Robert Plant [link]

NPR Music’s First Listen is streaming Kurt Vile‘s Wakin’ On A Pretty Daze before the album’s official release next week [link]

Reef The Lost Cauze debuted his REEF RADIO podcast that you can listen to/download below. Featuring Reef & Caliph, along with special guest David Blakk they serve up an audio variety show about music, politics, Pop Culture, sports and movies.

Philly pop-punk / modern rock five-piece Modern Suits headline The Barbary tonight. The band recently released its debut EP Promises, which you can listen to below. The all-ages show with Pretty and Nice begins at 6 p.m., more information can be found at the XPN concert calendar.

Philly rockers Satellite Hearts and Black Stars play upstairs at World Cafe Live tonight. Black Hearts is celebrating the release of its new self-titled EP. Tickets and information on the show can be found here. Listen to their song “Raise Your Soul” below.

Reef the Lost Cauze | Photo by John Vettese

Local and national hip hop extraordinaires will show off their stuff at Johnny Brenda’s tonight for Beat Society.  The hip hop gathering features five producers and three performers putting their skills to the test as they switch off playing beats and remixing samples.  Tonight’s showcase includes producers Ill Mind, Oddisee, Hezekiah, Khrysis and Eric G with performers Peedi Crakk, STS and Reef the Lost Cauze.  Tickets and information for the 21+ event can be found here.  Check out the Key Studio Sessions curated by Philly Music Mag with Peedi and Reef from last year, and watch the video from Reef below.

Looking for more? Visit WXPN’s Soundcloud page to download The Key Studio Sessions Vol. 1 through Vol. 5.

Emo-inspired South Jersey four-piece By Surprise are making a rare concert appearance tonight at The Barbary, in advance of the January 15 release of their second LP, Criteria. The all-ages show begins at 5 p.m., more information is available here. Below, listen to the title track from their new album.

Lead MC of the Legendary Roots Crew, Black Thought, is playing a solo set tonight at The Blockley in University City. This gives some hope that his long in-the-works solo LP, The Talented Mr. Trotter, might see the light of day. Or it could just be an excuse for him to jam out with a stellar lineup of his friends and contemporaries, including Reef The Lost Cauze (who released the great Reef The Lost Cauze Is Dead on Christmas). The 21+ show begins at 8 p.m., more information can be found here. Below, watch vintage footage of Black Thought freestyling with ?uestlove from the 2000 documentary Freestyle: The Art of Rhyme.

XPN Welcomes quirky / funky singer-songwriter Mike Doughty to The Tin Angel for two shows tonight. The one-time Soul Coughing frontman released his latest solo effort, The Flip Is Another Honey, back in November. The 7:30 show is sold out; tickets still remain for the 10:00 show, more information can be found here. Below, watch Doughty performing “Na Na Nothing” on KEXP.

Philly party-rap duo Moosh & Twist headline the First Unitarian Church tonight. Their latest mixtape, Back To the Basement, is due out in January. For more information on the show, check our concert calendar here; for more on what Moosh and Twist have been up to, read our interview here.

DRGN KNG Photo by Nicky Devine

Who’d we forget? Probably dozens more. Our apologies if we left you out. We hope you get the point though; these days, Philly is miles deep and miles wide with talent and creativity. If 2012 was a “ten,” here’s 15 reasons why Philly’s music scene is about to go to 11 in 2013.

1. The highly anticipated Kanine Records debut from power punk rockers Bleeding Rainbow, Yeah Right, out on January 29th.

2. Not wanting to be out powered by their noise brothers and sister – Bleeding Rainbow – Purling Hiss tear the blisters off their fingers when they release Water On Mars on Drag City on March 19th. Hiss guitarist Mike Polizze redefines the concept of “shredding.”

3. Not from the old school or from the new, rapper GrandeMarshall is from his own trippy, ethereal school of hip-hop. Recently signed to Fool’s Gold, his 800 mixtape was one of the best of ’12, and there’s more to come in the one-three.

4. The recent return of Reef The Lost Cauze with Reef The Lost Cauze Is Dead.

5. Don’t call it a comeback he’s been here for years: William Hart, lead singer of The Delfonics is back with the sounds of symphonic soul with Adrian Younge.

6. Roots collaborators Greg Porn and Truck North are in serious music making mode.

7. Dr. Dog drummer Eric Slick and singer-songwriter Brendan Mulvihill, aka Norwegian Arms, release their new Wolf Like A Stray Dog album on January 15th. It’s a collection of wonderful wierdworld indie-folk.

8. Pattern Is Movement will release its new album, There Will Be, next year. PIM performed new material at this show recently and by all indications the new jawns are mind blowingly funky and right on time. Rumour on the street is that new record was inspired by drummer Chris Ward and keyboardist Andrew Thiboldeaux listening to thousands of hours of Frank Ocean’s Channel Orange. When they hear the new PIM album, the Dirty Projectors will attempt to make a record like Drake’s Take Care and fail.

9. We’re pretty certain that Work Drugs will continue to release at least one new song a month. If not, we’ll be disappointed.

10. Not familiar with the mind blowing pianotechnics of jazz pianist Elew? Well you should be. This past summer he released Elew Rockjazz, Volume 2, and we’re just saying that his takes on rock classics will take you to another planet, which is a good thing. Originally from Camden, NJ and a graduate of Overbrook High, Elew is Eric Lewis. He’s toured with Wynton Marsalis, Josh Groban, Cassandra Wilson and many others. His musical world Is a planet where Thelonius Monk, Keith Jarrett, Michael Jackson and The Killers all make sweet music together. Don’t lose sight of this guy.

11. The Fleeting Ends is a trio who release their second album, Our Eyes Are Peeled on January 29th. Their attention to pop detail, songwriting and arrangements is frighteningly good, bordering on obsessive. Oh yeah: string arrangements by the legendary Larry Gold.

12. Dominic Angelella and Ritz Reynolds are DRGN KNG. The geniuses at Bar None Records were smart enough to sign them and are releasing Paragraph Nights on January 22nd. Oh yeah, did you catch that nice little writeup in Rolling Stone?

13. Ron Gallo and his band of merry ramshackle roots rockers Toy Soldiers release their new album next year. Produced by Bill Moriarty, Maybe Boys promises to deliver on their fun live performances and Gallo’s knack for writing songs that bring to mind a Sun Records meeting of The Band.

14. Our pals Free Energy unleash their new collection of bubblegum indie-rock, Love Sign, on January 15th. More infectious than The Cars and the Ohio Express.

15. When he’s not bassing it up for The War On Drugs, Dave Hartley, has his own groovy musical project called Nightlands. Hartley releases Oak Island on Secretly Canadian on January 22nd. While we are certainly amazing by his musical talents, Hartley is also a pretty sharp basketball fan and shares his insights with us in his basketball column for us, Top Of The Key.

• Went to the Cityby The Districts from The Key Studio SessionsDownload

On October 16th, Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Shelby Lynne will release a new collection of live songs called Live At McCabe’s as part of a Pledge Music-funded Revelation Road Deluxe Edition Box Set.  To celebrate the upcoming release, Lynne has made the live version her classic song “Your Lies” available as a free download in exchange for your email address.  Shelby Lynne will be performing at World Cafe Live on Tuesday, November 27th.  Go here for tickets and information.

Local art-rock band Dangerous Ponies released a live take of their new track “Gave UP” earlier this week, and it’s up on their Bandcamp as a free download.  “Gave UP” comes as a preview of Dangerous Ponies’ forthcoming record and it is accompanied by an in-the-studio video, which you can watch below. Go here to grab your free download.

Reef the Lost Cauze has become somewhat of an institution in the local rap scene over his ten-year career and on his latest track he pays homage to another local institution, the long-time and beloved Eagles safety Brian Dawkins.  Reef’s track “B. Dawk” begins with a sample of Dawkins motivating his team before a game and the intensity only increases from there, though the subject becomes more about Reef and less about Dawkins.  Stream and download the track below.

Former Cold Fronts member Jake Hammill branched out on his own this summer, embarking on a solo project called Shaky.  He’s released a few things under that moniker so far including The San Bernadino Sessions, which you can download for free over on his Bandcamp.  This week, Shaky dropped a new track called “Head Over Heels” and it’s as rocking, catchy and “guitarmonious” as you could ever hope for.  Stream and download the track below.

Reef The Lost Cauze will be performing at the Balcony at the Trocadero tonight with Faez One, Rockie Reyes, I-Know Brasco, and Jawnzap7. The show begins at 8:30, and more ticket information can be found here. Reef The Lost Cauze was recently here to do a Key Studio Session with us back in September; download his track “The Sound of Philadelphia” from that session below.

• The Sound of Philadelphiaby Reef the Lost Cauze from The Key Studio SessionsDownload

XPN Welcomes The Mountain Goats to the Theatre of the Living Arts tonight. The Mountain Goats’ fourteenth album, Transcendental Youth, was released last week as a follow-up to 2011′s All Eternals Deck. The all-ages show tonight starts at 7 PM; more details can be found here. Below, watch the brand new video for “Cry For Judas” from Transcendental Youth. 

Bluesy Lancaster boys The Districts are opening for Red Wanting Blue tonight at World Cafe Live. Check out The Districts’ Key Studio Session, recorded here last weekend to promote their latest album, Telephone, which came out in June. Tickets for the show start at $12; more information can be found here. Below, you can download a recording of The Districts’ “Lyla” from their Key Studio Session.

• Lylaby The Districts from The Key Studio SessionsDownload

Reef the Lost Cauze | Photo by John Vettese

In this week’s Key Studio Session, presented in collaboration with Philly Music Mag, we spotlight Philadelpiha powerhouse rappper Reef the Lost Cauze. This video shoot was his first time performing with live musicians – PMM-curated house band featuring Elliot “El Smooth” Garland (keys), Charlie “Chaz Patz” Patierno (drums) and Rhodney “Rah M. Sungee” Miller (bass) – and the resulting set is electrifying. Check out the video below to see Reef perform three songs and talk about his music – from using hiphop as a means of channeling anger, to making a living out of being an MC – and download the three songs, engineered by WXPN’s Chris Williams. And catch Reef the Lost Cauze on Thursday, October 11, at the Balcony bar at The Trocadero.

• Philly Cousinsby Reef the Lost Cauze, from the Key Studio Sessions, Sept. 26, 2012Download

• This Is My Lifeby Reef the Lost Cauze, from the Key Studio Sessions, Sept. 26, 2012Download

• The Sound of Philadelphiaby Reef the Lost Cauze, from the Key Studio Sessions, Sept. 26, 2012Download

This weekend at WXPN studios, we recorded a collaborative Key Sessions video with the good folks at local blog Philadelphia Music Magazine. A trio led by versatile local bassist Rodney “Rah M Sungee” Miller – also featuring drummer Charlie “Chaz Patz” Patierno and keyboard player Elliot “El Smooth” Garland – played house band to MCs Ethel Cee and Reef the Lost Cauze. Later, State Property alum Peedi Crakk performed, backed by a DJ. Everyone involved was interviewed by PMM founders Jamica “DJ Afrodjiak” El and Damion Ward, and you can look for the resulting videos later this summer. For now, check out a slideshow of the day above, and check out Ethel Cee’s awesome video for “150″ below.

• Get Me Outta Herefrom Fight Music by Reef The Lost CauzeDownload

Reef The Lost Cauze Talks Philly And “Fight Music” “AllHipHop.com just published a great interview with Philly rapper Reef the Lost Cauze — a long-time favorite here at MMM HQ — about the city, his recently released sixth album Fight Music (which you can preview here if you haven’t heard any of it yet), and more.” (Make Major Moves)

Artist(s) Who Deserve Your Friendship: On the Water “On the Water is the folk side project of Da Comrade!’s guitarist/vocalist Fletcher T. VanVliet. With the help from friends, he creates achy, timeless tales with the heartfelt need to sing and blended rasp of Tom Waits and Bob Dylan.” (The Deli)

Get Your Steampunk on @ Dorian’s Parlor this Saturday “You didn’t travel down to Atlanta for Dragon*Con. Steampunk World’s Fair is months away. You’ve already raided Delicious Boutique for their latest Victorian fashions. What’s a Philly steampunk fan to do to satisfy their craving for all things brass and steam? Well, the answer is Dorian’s Parlor.” (Geekadelphia)

Musical Rumblings: Total Vibe Hangs, Pts. 1 Thru 4 “The Northern Liberties Music Festival 10.2 is this Saturday, and for once, the forecast looks amazing. (Knock on wood! Quick!) It’s an especially good thing, too, as this is one of the strongest lineups we’ve seen in forever.” (Philebrity)