UK minimal electro pioneer James Blake just announced a new run of tour dates that brings him to Philadelphia on May 11 for a show at The Theater of Living Arts. Blake is touring the states and playing Coachella in support of his as-yet untitled sophomore LP, due out later this year. When Blake was in Philadelphia in 2011 following the release of his self titled debut, he recorded a session for World Cafe with David Dye. Listen to it here (via the WXPN media player).
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Watch ZZ Ward perform “Put The Gun Down” on Conan (playing The TLA with Delta Rae on 3/6)
Last night, eclectic pop singer ZZ Ward appeared on Late Night with Conan O’Brien, kicking out a spunky rendition of her single “Put The Gun Down” with her four-piece backing band. Ward released her debut LP Til The Casket Drops back in October, and is currently on tour with XPN favorites Delta Rae. The tour stops at The TLA on March 6, tickets and more information can be found here. Below, watch a video of Ward’s Conan appearance.
Cheif Keef to headline eight artist blowout at TLA tonight
The TLA will host a massive lineup headlined by Chicago rapper Cheif Keef as well as seven other performers tonight. The 17 year old hip-hop artist, who is the CEO and founder of the Chicago label Glory Boys Entertainment, released his highly anticipated debut Finally Rich this past Tuesday through Interscope Records and GBE. Cheif Keef rocketed to fame earlier this year with his viral hit, “I Don’t Like,” and the subsequent remix on G.O.O.D. music’s Cruel Summer. The guest line-up, consisting of exclusively Philadelphia hip-hop artists, includes Blonde Gang (recently featured in JUMP Magazine), Lee Mazin, Ar-AB, Young Savage, Ground Up and Tiana Victoria. For tickets and more information you can visit the event page located here. Below is a video from Keef’s new album for the track “Love Sosa.”
Just Announced: ZZ Ward, Delta Rae playing The TLA in March
Photo by John Vettese
Tonight’s Concert Picks: DJ Shadow Made in America Afterparty at the TLA, Galactic and Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears at Wiggins Park Labor Day Music Festival, and Black Swans and Meg Bairs at Studio 34
Besides day two of the Made in America Festival, there’s a bunch of shows going on in the Philadelphia area tonight. If you’re hitting up the festival today and looking for something to do afterwards (or just feel like taking in some impressive turntable skills), DJ Shadow will be spinning a late night Made in America afterparty at the TLA. The show starts at 11 p.m. and tickets are available here for $18. Check out a roundup of some of our favorite DJ Shadow moments here.
Galactic
Finally, if your looking for something folksy, check out the Folkadelphia Presents show at Studio 34 with The Black Swans, Meg Baird, and Glenn Jones tonight. The doors open at 8 p.m. and tickets are on sale here for $10. For more details check out the Facebook event page here. Below, listen to The Black Swans’ song “Nap.”
Tonight’s Concert Picks: Purling Hiss at Morgan’s Pier, Meek Mill at TLA, and XPN Welcomes Lovebettie to The Garden
Gritty lo-fi garage rock band Purling Hiss are playing a free hometown show tonight at Morgan’s Pier with Bandname as part of R5′s Free Saturday Summer Concert Series. The show starts at 6 p.m. and you must be over 21 or accompanied by a legal guardian for entry. Below check out the official music video for the Purling Hiss’ song “The Hoodoo” off their EP, “Lounge Lizards,” out on indie label Mexican Summer.
Rapper and Philly native Meek Mill is a dedicated self-promoter. The hip-hop artist has self-produced and released 14 mixtapes and his hard work has paid off. Meek Hill has collaborated and opened for the likes of Drake, Lil Wayne, and Diddy. Now he is playing two headlining shows at the TLA tonight as part of his Dreamchasers Tour, followed by a slot at the Jay-Z-curated Made in America Festival. The first show tonight at 7 p.m. is sold out, but there are still tickets available for the 11 p.m. show, which are on sale here for $57.50 each. Both shows tonight feature support by rapper Black Cobain. Below check out the music video for Meek Mill’s song “Amen” featuring Drake and Jeremih.
XPN welcomes Pittsburgh alt rock/soul band Lovebettie to The Garden in Carlisle, PA tonight. The show is part of The Garden’s Ladies of the Early Evening series, which features a free show by a female artist every Saturday evening from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. through September 24th. Bring your own chairs or blanket, relax, and enjoy the free tunes. Listen to Lovebettie in the player below.
Tonight’s Concert Picks: Young Statues, Bill Mallonee, Juston Stens & The Get Real Gang, Lockets, and mewithoutYou
Young Statues are a five-piece band from Philly who makes acoustic sounding beats that sound like early pop punk rounded off with a softer, gentler side. Their self-titled debut album came out in late 2011, hefty with sweet rock vibes honing in their truthful and simplistic lyrics. They venture to The Barbary tonight for an all ages performance along with Turnover and PJ Bond. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased here. The night starts out early at 6:30 p.m. Below you can listen to an acoustic EP they released in February.
Starting out as the frontman for the alt-country rock band Vigilantes of Love, and continuing as a solo artist after their disbandment, Bill Mallonee has always enjoyed writing and singing. The band has since reconvened but Bill still continues to write and record his own music. He will be playing the early show tonight at 7:30 at the Tin Angel. The 21+ show is $12, snag your tickets here.
The non-profit art and culture space, Little Berlin hosts a music series entitled ‘Dream Oven’ and the series continues tonight with a performs from Juston Stens & The get Real Gang. Juston, former drummer of Dr. Dog, always had a head full of songs, and he was finally able to extract them with the creation of his band The Get Real Gang. Their debut album Trash or Treasure was released in March of this year, an eclectic combination of rock genre similar to dreamy 60′s rock bands like Zeppelin or Jefferson Airplane. The show begins at 7:30 p.m. and there is a $5-7 donation.
The dream pop duo, Lockets will be performing a 21+ show this evening at Kung Fu Necktie. Although Lockets is a duo they do live performances as a full band featuring drums, bass, synthesizer, and guitar. You can catch them along with Attia Dancers and Language Problems at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are only $10.
Last but not least, XPN welcomes the Philadelphia-based ensemble mewithoutYou back home for the last stop on their tour at the TLA. They released their fifth studio album, Ten Stories this past May. They have been touring along with Kevin Devine and Buried Beds, you can buy tickets to the 7:30 p.m. show here.