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Photo by Madeleine Lesperance
The Key Studio Sessions: Hurry
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Photo by Madeleine Lesperance
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Photo by Madeleine Lesperance
Out today in the self-release world of Bandcamp is the latest EP from Hurry, the dreamy noise pop / shoegaze project from Philly’s Matt Scottoline. He typically plays bass in the comparatively amped up pop punk band Everyone Everywhere, but that’s “amped” in terms of tempo and energy. There was plenty of pure volume filling the room when the live lineup of Hurry recorded its Key Studio Session. Joining Scottoline was Brendan McHugh of Everyone Everywhere on second guitar, and Rob DeCarlois of Univox on drums; I dig the raw immediacy they bring to Scottoline’s songs, which are deliciously lush and layered on the album. Download the session below, compare / contrast with Hurry’s music on Bandcamp, and keep an eye fixed on Facebook for news of their live appearances.
Photo by Arrah Fisher
Special thanks to all of the bands for coming to our studio, and to John Vettese for recording them. We’d also like to thank volunteer production assistants Fred Knittel, Madeleine Lesperance, and Dan Malloy as well as photographers Kate Bracaglia, Corey Cohen, Sarah Fry, Shamus McGroggan, Noah Gabriel Merenda, Sylvia Ramirez, and Heidi Schlenzig for sharing their work.
Click here to download the 18-track compilation in its entirety as a .zip file. Want to hear more? Click here to listen to the full sessions by all 18 local acts; you can also download The Key Studio Sessions Compilation Volume I, Volume 2, and Volume 3.
Playlist:
Zakee “Spotlight”
City Rain “Real Good”
Pink Skull “Oh, Monorail”
Mason Porter “Back To Where We Started From”
Univox “What’s More”
Arrah and the Ferns “Waterproof Gold Watch”
Acid Kicks “Take My Soul Away”
The Menzingers “Mexican Guitars”
Music For Headphones “Why”
Lushlife “Gymnopiede 1.2″
Griz “The Secret In The Garden”
New Sweden “Saint, Don’t You Lie”
Sunny Ali and the Kid “Stop the Haiti”
Peasant “Girls”
Chill Moody “Cotton”
Little Big League “St. John’s”
Photo by Kate Bracaglia
Photo by Kate Bracaglia
Photo by Kate Bracaglia
Photo by Kate Bracaglia
Photo by Kate Bracaglia
Photo by Kate Bracaglia
Photo by Kate Bracaglia
Photo by Kate Bracaglia
Photo by Kate Bracaglia
Photo by Kate Bracaglia
Photo by Kate Bracaglia
Photo by Kate Bracaglia
This week, The Spinto Band released its first full-length record in three-and-a-half years. The wait might have been long since 2008′s Moonwink, but truly it was time well spent, since The Shy Pursuit might just be the Wilmington indiepop five-piece’s strongest and most mature showing. The songwriting is sharp, clever and sophisticated; frontman Nick Krill hits melodic highs reminiscent of David Byrne, while bassist Thomas Hughes and guitarist Joe Hobson contribute songs that explore jazzy meters and classic crooner melodies with a psychedelic twist. The band is about to settle into a month-long residency at Kungfu Necktie featuring some of the strongest lineups of local talent this spring (May 8 features a solo set by Alec Ounsworth, and a performance by Purples, which features former members of 00′s Philly indierock faves The Teeth). While those shows are bound to be done up full-band rock-out style, the most refreshing thing about this new batch of songs is how well they are rearranged in new and interesting manners – just like The Spintos did for the Key Studio Session you can download below.
Photo by Shamus McGroggan
Photo by Shamus McGroggan
With its debut 7″ celebrating a release this weekend, and only a handful of local live shows under its belt, some might say it’s jumping to gun to get all super psyched about Philly indie foursome Little Big League. On the other hand, you can just tell sometimes when a band is going to do great things. I’m opting for the latter in this case. Sure, the group has an impressive pedigree – former members of Post Post, Golden Ages and Titus Andronicus – so it’s almost like we sort of know them already. But joined as one, they do something else entirely. It puts an east coast megalopolis spin on the slow-burn woodsy tones of Built to Spill and early Death Cab (“Holes in Shape,” and that debut single mentioned above, “Tokyo Drift”), then catapults into spunky, soaring power pop (“My Very Own You,” and the spirited “St. Johns”). Two of the four songs the band recorded for its Key Studio Session are unreleased, and I’m thrilled to be presenting them to you for the first time. But if you’ve seen them live, you’ll totally remember hearing them, since they really are that catchy. If you haven’t caught them live…well, fix that already. Little Big League plays this Sunday, April 29, at Kungfu Necktie (8 p.m., 21+, $10), and then joins the stellar bill at The First Unitarian Church on June 1 for Hop Along’s record release show.
This month’s Key Studio VIDEO Session spotlights Chill Moody, an emerging Philadelphia rapper who’s built his spot from the ground up in the city’s vibrant hip-hop community. In our interview, Chill tells us about the musical influences he absorbed growing up in West Philly, his do-it-yourself method to cultivating an enthusiastic fan base, and the origins of “nice things,” his self-styled slang. We also see Chill and his band performing three songs at MilkBoy Studio, engineered by JoeLogic and Karl Petersen. Watch the video and download the session below, and catch Chill and his band in concert tonight at the Pool in Harrah’s Casino in Atlantic City, or on the Roots Picnic lineup on June 3.
Video by Bob Giardini | bobg-media.com
Photo by Heidi Schlenzig
Photo by Heidi Schlenzig
If you haven’t been listening to Peasant, now’s a great time to start. The project of Bucks County-bred singer-songwriter Damien DeRose is about to release its fantastic fourth full-length, Bound for Glory, on the UK-based Schnitzel Records; across a baker’s dozen tracks, the album really brings Peasant’s music alive. Formerly situated in the quiet, contemplative corner of the music spectrum – the land of Nick Drake and Red House Painters – the new songs have a sense of vigor and urgency as rhythm section Bruno Joseph (bass) and Alex Bortnichak (drums) chase DeRose across a tour of musical styles. In their Key Studio Session, we get a cross-section – “Take It Light” is their moseying Nashville number, “Girls” is a 70s power-pop nugget, “Amends” tries on a country drawl and “The Flask” is the indie rock anthem. Download them all below, catch the band live this Saturday April 14 at Maxwell’s on Main in Doylestown, and wish them bon voyage as they head to Europe for a month-long tour. Bound for Glory is out next Tuesday April 17.
Photo by Corey Cohen
Photo by Corey Cohen
Photo by Corey Cohen
Photo by Corey Cohen
Photo by Corey Cohen
Photo by Corey Cohen
Photo by Corey Cohen
Photo by Corey Cohen
Without even checking our archives, I can tell you that this week’s Key Studio Session packs the greatest number of songs in the shortest amount of time. But that’s what Philly duo Sunny Ali and the Kid is all about: directness and simplicity. When the band stopped by the station to record the eleven tracks beolow, Abdullah “The Kid” Saeed likened it to J Dilla’s 2006 record Donuts: when you hear music that’s so exciting, but so short, you almost involuntarily want to listen to it again right away. Hassan “Sunny” Malik points back to seminal UK art-rock act Wire, and the craft of making short songs feel epic and information-packed. The duo’s own musical brevity mixes tongue-in-cheek cowboy stylings with raw punk aggression and a cinematic flair. Check it out in the music (and video clips) below, and catch Sunny Ali and the Kid this Saturday when they’re on the massive lineup of Pi Lam’s Human BBQ XXXIV.
Photo by Noah Gabriel Merenda | www.noahgabrielphotography.com
Photo by Noah Gabriel Merenda | www.noahgabrielphotography.com
Photo by Noah Gabriel Merenda | www.noahgabrielphotography.com
Photo by Noah Gabriel Merenda | www.noahgabrielphotography.com
Photo by Noah Gabriel Merenda | www.noahgabrielphotography.com
Photo by Noah Gabriel Merenda | www.noahgabrielphotography.com
Photo by Noah Gabriel Merenda | www.noahgabrielphotography.com
Photo by Noah Gabriel Merenda | www.noahgabrielphotography.com
Wilmington-based new folk combo New Sweden has an instantly likeable blend: a little bit of Bright Eyes, a little bit of The Avett Brothers, a little bit of The Clash. It sounds great on their 2011 record The Mountain, but is even better when you have the group in a room, playing it for you in person. That’s what XPN2‘s Fred Knittel did just about a month ago, when New Sweden made a full-band, live-on-the-air appearance on Folkadelphia. Singer/guitarist Billy Dobies serenaded the studio with “View From the Mountain,” then the band tore the room down with “Highest Road.” You can get a taste of the scene in tracks below, as well as the video shot by Wilmington photographer Noah Gabriel Merenda. After wrapping the session up, the band hopped across the hall to World Cafe Live and won the award for Best Delaware Indie Band at the Tri-State Indie Awards – another bit of distinction to add to their resume, since New Sweden were finalists in last year’s Beta Hi-Fi competition as well. Wasting no time, it has a full slate of shows this spring – including dates this weekend at the AC Beer and Music Festival (which last week’s Key Studio Sessions artist, Griz, is also playing) and on April 14 at Phoenixville’s Steel City Coffee House.
You might call it the mark of a good songwriter – every song is different, but they somehow all sound like they were written by the same person. In this case, the person is Chris Grunwald, whose eclectic Americana ensemble Griz recorded a Key Studio Session just about a month ago that dabbled impressively in shuffling rock ‘n roll (“Plant Life”), psychedelic folk (“The Secret in the Garden”), pulsing reggae (“Only Dreadlock”) and twangy country (“Take Me On the Road”). Griz has been an understated fixture in Philly in recent years: Grunwald doesn’t loudly call attention to himself, but simply does what he does – plays shows, makes albums (most recently last year’s breezy The Secret in the Garden) and has steadily built a following around the Delaware Valley. You can download band’s Key Studio Session below. If you dig what you hear, you have two chances to catch Griz live in the next couple weeks: at the AC Beer and Music Festival on Saturday March 31, and at MilkBoy on Thursday April 5.
Photo by Madeleine Lesperance
This month’s Key Studio VIDEO Session spotlights Buried Beds, a staple of West Philadelphia’s indie-rock community fronted by singer-songwriters Brandon Beaver and Eliza Jones. In our interview, Beaver and Jones tell us about the friendship that led them on a journey from folk duo to rock ensemble. They also discuss their fondness for meticulous, challenging, prog-rock style playing, and perform three songs from their new Small Stories EP. Watch the video below, and download a track from Small Stories here.
