To Show That You’re Still Here | Album art by JP Flexner
Eighteen bands from the DIY punk scene have come together to create To Show That You’re Still Here, a benefit compilation for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.
Secret Plot to Destroy the Entire Universe | Photo by Emily Ivy Scott
A Kat Kat Records poster featuring a pink cartoon feline in front of a yellow pentagram stands out at the Philadelphia house show venue, Lavender Town. A celebration of the regional DIY scene three years running, this year’s Kat Kat Phest ran from December 27 to January 1, showcasing Philly punk staples like Mumblr, Marietta, Cyberbully Mom Club, and Clique. But day two of Phest generated mixed emotions for KKP creators Ruben Polo and Dan Anderson; their band, Secret Plot to Destroy the Entire Universe, was on the lineup, playing its last show. Continue reading →
The Fire held an all-emo showcase Sunday night, bringing together Florida punk four piece You Blew It! alongside New Jersey’s Prawn, New York’s Crying, and Philly’s Marietta and Secret Plot to Destroy the Entire Universe. Each band brought their emotional cues forward in their own way, showcasing how creative and loud they can be with the copious amount of tiresome energy that come through in their music.
Secret Plot To Destroy The Entire Universe | Photo by Rachel Del Sordo
Secret Plot opened up the night with a set of their vocally-driven and abrasive songs. Teetering in that delicate spot between destructive and beautiful, this band sure knows how to get their feelings across, especially live. New songs filled their performance, and the band mentioned that an album is in the works. Keep an eye out for that, and check out their other stuff on Bandcamp.
Local emo four piece Marietta was up next, playing a set of tracks from their debut album Summer Death. Their twinkly riffs and huge crescendos made for a terrific sing-a-long experience. The band plays faster and yells a little harder live, which really showcases their punk influence and how invested these guys are in the feelings of their songs. Drummer Andrew Weigel was especially crazy to see live; during some of the build ups he would be absolutely pounding on his toms while also shouting the lyrics at the top of his lungs. Listen to Summer Death here. Continue reading →
WXPN welcomes folk / Americana luminaries Phosphorescent at Union Transfer tonight. Rescheduled from a snowed-out show last month, the show will feature singer-songwriter Matthew Houck and his bandmates showcasing material from last year’s critical favorite Muchacho, as well as the band’s extensive back-catalog. Tickets for tonight’s all-ages show are $18 and can be purchased here.
After a month-long tour together along the Northeast, Marietta and Secret Plot will reunite for the show. Though Secret Plot hasn’t released any new music since its last album, I Only Miss You When I Want To, came out in December 2012, they might share some of the new material they’ve been working on for a reported full-length on Kit Kat Records. This will be one of Secret Plot’s last shows in town until they return from a month-long March tour.
Joining them are twinkly pop punk band Marietta, who released their 8-track album Summer Death appropriately in October. In late January, the band announced a limited-edition new pressing of the eight-song album on marbled “red and white wine” vinyl in honor of “Wineuary.” The reissue will come out via Soft Speak Records.
The all-ages show starts at 6:30 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at the door for $10, or in advance for $8 here.
Wu-Tang Clan’s GZA will bring his raw lyricism to the Electric Factory stage tonight. After a six-year break, the emcee will release his new space-themed album Dark Matter this year. Watch the rapper preview his new album at the University of Toronto below and get tickets here.
Add this to your list of New Year’s Eve celebrations: Kat Kat Records presents Phest Two on December 28th-31st at The Fire and various other locations around town. The indoor festival will span four days with seven shows featuring forty bands during both matinee and late night events. The line-up includes local acts The Hundred Acre Woods, Mumblr, Nicknames and Secret Plot to Destroy the Entire Universe alongside touring bands Lemuria, Elvis Depressedly, Swan of Tuonela and more. This year’s Phest Two will also mark the second much-anticipated NYE Stinky Smelly reunion, following last year’s midnight set at Maggot House. Check out the full-lineup and get four day passes here. Check out some of the performing bands below.
Until Secret Plot to Destroy the Entire Universe, I thought it was impossible to scream-sing and still have a coherent and melodic voice. “I Only Miss You When I Want To” is a hardcore emo song about lost love and loneliness, someone trying to escape the past only to run right into it. Check out the slow-burner from this Philly band below. The group plays a show at Siren Records in Doylestown July 16th.
Photo by Teresa SalinasStudents at Temple University produced a short documentary on Philadelphia’s basement show and DIY scene, examining the culture’s trajectory from the seventies (mentioning when WXPN had a hand in hosting punk shows) to today. The film was created by Evan Lescallette, Luke Proctor, Ayanda Sithole, and Tina Lam for their Genres in Media Studies class and features interviews with Joe Reinhart (Algernon Cadwallader / Headroom Studios), John Redden (The Barbary) and Mark Walsh (Secret Plot to Destroy the Entire Universe / IHOP / Double Deuce) as well as live set clips of Rasputin’s Secret Police, Pill Friends, Bleeding Fractals (pictured above) and more. Check out the documentary below and visit DIYPHL for a comprehensive list of house / DIY shows in the Philadelphia area.
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