Philadelphia

Get Noisy w/The Notekillers at Coco66 02.05

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I’m lovin’ the resurgence/rebirth of The Notekillers! Besides that the NYC/Philly band straight-up effin’ still rock, it goes with my belief in the “ripple effect”, and how no matter how insignificant you may feel about a body of work, its influence has the ability to affect someone else inspiring paths that might not have been taken before. We doubt that David First and crew ever thought when they dropped off free copies of their 1980 7”, The Zipper, at legendary record store, 99 Records, as a last ditch effort to reach anyone that it would end up in the hands of a young Thurston Moore and friends influencing the sound of Sonic Youth and the No Wave movement. Well, you’ll have a chance to experience The Notekillers live tonight at Coco66 where they will be making plenty of noise with Nymph and Pigeons. – Q.D. Tran

Philadelphia

FYI on DIYs in PHL: Folkadelphia Concert Series’ Fred Knittel

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“Folk music is a major part of my life, and I’m hooked. I love everything that keeps happening, and I’d love to keep other people informed and interested as much as I can.”
 
That antiphon is from Fred Knittel, a 22-year-old undergrad in Drexel University’s music industry program. The Asbury Park native is true to his words – for the last three years, he’s hosted the alt-folk radio program, Folkadelphia, which was first home to Drexel’s WKDU station, and, since June, finds a place every Tuesday evening on Y-Rock on XPN. He also owns Be Frank Records – a pun on both the idiom of honesty and Benjamin Franklin’s agnomen – with friend Matt Klein, and just pressed its first limited edition 7-inch vinyl, 2010’s Everyone Will Take You In by local folk luminary, Birdie Busch. And now, as part of his senior project before he graduates in March, the former WXPN summer intern will showcase the nouveau riche of folk music with the Folkadelphia Concert Series, taking place at Johnny Brenda’s every Sunday afternoon throughout February.  
 
Presented by the Philadelphia Folksong Society and WXPN, every installment of the Folkadelphia Concert Series will feature live performances and artists discussions with local folk lightning rods The Spinning Leaves, Hezekiah Jones, Lewis & Clarke, Meg Baird, and Maine-based outfit, Arborea (The Spinning Leaves & Hezekiah Jones will play Folkadelphia’s inaugural show tomorrow). We had a chance to catch up with Knittel to talk about the series, how folk music is received in Philadelphia, and why there’s a resistance to modern folk. You can check out the interview here.

 

Philadelphia

Aquarius Prom w/The Jawns & DJ Evil V at Adobe Café Feb. 5

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It’s prom night, well, if you want it to be because The Great Cranberry is presenting Aquarius Prom this evening at the Adobe Café (upstairs)! The event is a prom-themed party with performances by THE JAWNS, a live mashup/soultrain band featuring members of The Extraordinaires, The Armchairs, Arrah and the Ferns, Nicos Gun and Virtual Virgin as well as DJ Evil V spinning some ass-shaking grooves. There will be discounted admission for those who get dressed up ($3) and an extra special discount for those who are ready to get Ab Fab in drag ($2). Basically, get crazy, dance, and have fun! Adobe Café, 1919 E. Passyunk Ave., 9pm, $4, 21+ – H.M. Kauffman
 
Philadelphia

The Great Unknown, When I Was 12 & CWE at The Ox Feb. 5

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Tonight should be another enjoyable evening at The Ox. But I’m guessing it will feel a little more intimate than last night’s sold out Sun Airway show. The charismatic country boys, The Great Unknown, will be taking the stage performing their smooth, effortless folk rock ditties for us to enjoy. 2010 saw the release of a dynamic EP in The New Skin with the help of Milkboy Studios as well as exciting shows that included a featured spot with the ASCAP Songwriter Residency and an exciting show at the TLA to close out the year. The band will be returning to the TLA’s stage on March 3rd when they open for Carolina Chocolate Drops (and if you sign up for their mailing list you can find out how to get discounted tickets). But before all that the good ol’ boys are ready to warm up with a good old-fashion hoedown tonight at The Ox. They’ll be joined by whimsical power pop quartet When I Was 12, whose harmonious music is flat out sweet and endearing. Song like “S is For Subway”and “Make Believe Hearts”will have you tapping and singing along in no time. Rounding out the lineup will be Fishtown’s imaginative indie pop collective Conversations With Enemies. There debut concept album about zombie love and devil doings, Nowhere, OK, was a bright spot in local releases last year. The Ox, (you should know already or just ask a friend), 8pm, $5, All Ages – Bill McThrill
 
Portland

John Heart Jackie Hearts The West Coast

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John Heart Jackie – Nevada City from Ben Moon on Vimeo.

The soothing folk trio John Heart Jackie are heading out to grace the West coast with the calmest tones of warm Americana. California’s got a good thing coming. Check out the tour dates below:

February 12, 2011 – San Diego, CA – San Diego Women’s Club w/ The Tree Ring (Record Release)

February 13, 2011 – Redlands, CA – University of Redlands

February 14, 2011 – Los Angeles, CA – Hotel Cafe

February 15, 2011 – San Luis Obispo, CA – Steynberg Gallery

February 16, 2011 – San Francisco, CA – Hotel Utah

February 18, 2011 – Cottage Grove, OR – Axe & Fiddle

February 19, 2011 – Seattle, WA – University of Washington, Rainy Dawg Radio

February 20, 2011 – Seattle, WA – The Sunset

Portland

OH NO! SUMMER ONO!

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Part of me wants to wait to wait for Summer to making the more obvious puns about the season and the band, and the "oh no!", but it’s a tough one, because you needn’t wait for the sunshine to listen to Summer Ono. Much more than a fine tuned garage band, Summer Ono springs a certainly perfect wave of chilloutedness (that’s a properly fictitious mouthful) across the room for your daydreaming pleasure. The subdued pop of their self-titled album fuses the simplicity of whispery vocals with mellowing riffs, rounding out an album of upbeat tunes that could pass for  forgotten B-sides of Badly Drawn Boy. Summer Ono, OH YES! (I had to!). Get the track "Meant To Be" for free, here! – Mike Harper

Philadelphia

Weekend Warrior, February 4 – 6

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NYE 2011, for us, was pretty forgettable. We did enjoy seeing Jordan Knight and Joey McIntyre on the same stage again (woohoo!), and we saved our last 4loko stash for the occasion, but generally it was underwhelming. Tonight’s show at The Ox is offering us something we wished was possible most mornings, which is a second chance at an evening. Tonight is the much-anticipated Chinese New Year rager with Philly’s Sun Airway, Golden Ages and CSLSX, along with various other awesome out-of-town artists. This show is the first local all-ages event for relative newcomers Sun Airway whose effervescent astro-pop is catching on like the flu. The live production of Sun Airway’s stellar debut Nocturne of Exploded Crystal Chandelier is even more stunning than the album itself. The collaboration between the full-band version of Sun Airway and Klip Collective’s Ricardo Rivera (fuckin’ genius) creates an experience that is captivating both musically and visually. The room simply comes alive turning every wall into a canvas. It is what you always wished those lame classic rock laser-light show experiences would be. Joining Sun Airway on this rad bill is Penn student Francis Tseng’s one-man project turned full-blown band Golden Ages, whose tropical electro is hypnotic and danceable. He has been releasing music pretty frequently for the past couple years and garnering plenty of attention already from the major music media outlets for it. Tseng gets a lot of AnCo comparisons, which is flattering and apt. His sound is along the lines of hazy pop peers like Clive Tanaka and Millionyoung, and he has a nostalgically awesome cover of Toto’s “Africa” to boot. Also along for the ride are locals CSLSX who perfectly fit the bill with their dreamy, dancey, vocoder-heavy tunes that will have peoples’ feet moving before their bodies know what is happening. This whole event will be celebrating the year of the Rabbit and is brought to you by Philly blogger extraordinaire Yvynyl a.k.a. Mark Schoneveld and Deerhaus, so make sure to buy them a beer or puff them down when you seem them. Be there or be square! The Ox, (you should know already or just ask a friend), 7pm, $10, All Ages
 
Other things to do this weekend if you don’t believe your local weather forecaster…
 
Johnny Brenda’s (1201 N. Frankford Ave.) SUN Folkadelphia w/Hezekiah Jones and Spinning Leaves
 
Kung Fu Necktie (1250 N. Front St.) FRI Ars Nova Worshop w/Planet Y, SAT Nothing and Atomic Square, SUN Ugh, God and Inzinzac
 
North Star Bar (2639 Poplar St.) FRI Orbit To Leslie and Strange Engineers
 
The Fire (412 W. Girard Ave.) FRI Vintage Kicks
 
M Room (15 W. Girard Ave.) SAT Toddler Kat, Santalina
 
Tritone (1508 South St.) SAT Bandname, Welter, Gunga Dynn, SUN Broken Prayers
 
Millcreek Tavern (4200 Chester Ave.) FRI The Sea Around Us, Split Red
 
The Blockley (3801 Chestnut St.) SAT City Music Project
 
Fergie’s (1214 Sansom St.) FRI Hired Gun Blues Band
 
Connie’s Ric Rac (1132 S. 9th St.) FRI Scallions, The Snowcaps, Good Boy Elroy
 
Lickety Split (401 South St.) FRI Avataria
 
Painted Bride Art Center (230 Vine St.) FRI Lillie Ruth Bussey
 
The Ox (you should know by now or ask a friend) SAT When I Was 12, The Great Unknown, Conversations With Enemies
 
Theatre of Living Arts (334 South St.) SAT Moon Women
 
Adobe Cafe (1919 E. Passyunk Ave.) SAT Aquarius Prom w/The Jawns & DJ Evil V
 
Nashville

The Civil Wars @ The Belcourt Theatre, 2/2/11

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When I arrived at the Belcourt Theater to a packed house, Lucy Schwartz was already at the head of her performance; aside from the “reserved” section, there was not a single seat open. As she performed,the acoustics of the theater were arresting. Lucy’s show progressed with attractive melodies and a showcase of multi-instrumental talent. She’s an excellent songwriter, and it shines through as she bounces between keyboard and acoustic guitar. For a few songs, she further displayed her talent by looping vocal harmonies and guitar lines. Her music is charming, and her character envelops every note. After a brief intermission, the Civil Wars took the stage to a crowd smiling in anticipation.

The Civil Wars are known for their chemistry, but on this night the energy poured back and forth between performer and audience. During “Barton Hollow,” the title track to their new album, the crowd created a haunting choir by clapping to the heavy rhythm and whispering the chorus. Their best moments came in softer songs like “Girl With The Red Balloon,” during which you could hear a pin drop. Crowd favorites “Poison and Wine” and “Falling” humbled the audience as well. They even put a beautiful, ghastly spin on covers of The Smashing Pumpkin’s “Disarm,” Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean” and childhood favorite “You Are My Sunshine.”

Their incredible sense of playfulness enhanced songs like “I’ve Got This Friend.” With wide smiles and glances to one another, they sang the chorus: “If the right one came/If the right one came along," and it was obvious that the crowd didn’t show up just to support them; they showed up to show how proud they are. – Marc Chirico

Philadelphia

Planet Y Orbiting at KFN Feb. 4

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Otherworldly electro from outer space, Philly’s Planet Y channels the cosmic vibes of the universe with their sonic resonance by extraterrestrial landscapes, or as one half of the duo Yanni Papadopoulos stated in a recent interview, “alien”. You should already be familiar with Papadopoulos from his doom jazz metal band Stinking Lizaveta. Well, his Planet Y partner in crime Charles Cohen is certainly no newcomer to making music either. Cohen has been creating his unique compositions for several decades now using a very rare instrument: a 200 series Buchla Music Easel (only 14 of these made by synth innovator Don Buchla). Synthetically stellar and trippy, the experimental lo-fi of Planet Y ebbs and flows, leaving listeners with a sense of the night sky if viewed from Mars or a distant unknown star. The celestially inspired aftermath of Papadopoulos and Cohen’s collaborative genius will transport you light-years away from its origins within seconds of each buzzing beat and digital riff on guitar. So blast off tonight with Planet Y and headliner Brooklyn/Chicago trio Acid Birds who are brought to you by the non-profit organization Ars Nova Workshop! Kung Fu Necktie. 1250 N. Front St., 8pm, $8, 21+ – Dianca Potts
 
Chicago

50 Free Records

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Starting in February, The Whistler (2421 N. Milwaukee) will be giving away 50 Free Records! According the bar, it is their mission to introduce people to the music that they love, so every Wednesday they will be giving away 50 free records to the first 50 patrons who visit The Whistler. Each week in February, it will be a different release from the Whistler Records catalog. In the coming months they will also be featuring exclusive releases from some of their favorite local record labels and bands.

Philadelphia

Hair Rocket Release New Video and Launch Kickstarter Campaign!

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Our favorite pyrotechnician/Berklee dropout Chris Blassucci is back with his band Hair Rocket. They just released a new video for “OK Alright”, the first single from their upcoming LP Punishment Cookie scheduled for release in April 2011. Hair Rocket has received plenty of help from friends to make this album come to fruition, and they launched a Kickstarter campaign to pay back all their friends who have donated their precious time. Please check out their new music video below by Workers of the East and pay it forward. Thanks! – The Deli Staff