Nashville

JEFF contest deadline 8/31

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We think it’s worth mentioning that time’s a-runnin’ out to enter the JEFF the Brotherhood album contest. You have til midnight Aug. 31 to buy a copy of We Are the Champions, on CD or vinyl (though you oughtta have one already), which will automatically enter you in the contest. First prize is the sold-out JEFF deck plus the Equilibrium Backpack packed with a crapload of stuff (see above). Second prize gets you the backpack with Volcom products and they’ve cooked up a third prize as well. Enter/purchase the record here.

San Francisco

Live Preview: Cannons and Clouds, Rickshaw Stop, 8/31

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Wrapping up touring for its latest EP June, SF’s Cannons and Clouds should deliver a great set to the Rickshaw Stop on Wednesday, August 31. The six-piece crafts a definitive example of compatible collaboration – a result just as delicate as it is formidable. Classical piano and harp intertwine with sonorous vocal harmonies, warm guitar licks, and a potent rhythm section to compile beautiful, direct emotion. “River Parade," in particular, resonates. The Rickshaw show will also feature The Family Crest, Garage Voice, and Downhill From Here in support.

–Julianne Wagner

Cannons and Cloud – River Parade by cannonsandclouds

Philadelphia

More Shows Cancelled/Postponed Due to Hurricane Irene

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So it seems that messing up our weekend with torrential rains and ferocious winds isn’t enough for Hurricane Irene. No, the little-hurricane-that-could has also decided to screw with our sense of fun. Due to this crappy, I’m-over-it-already weather, more bands & venues have decided to cancel or reschedule gigs slated to go on tonight. Among the cancelled lot are The Dude Hates Cancer benefit show at Johnny Brenda’s (refunds available at point of purchase), the Buffalo Stance//Tia & Tamara show at PhilaMOCA, and Sugar Town with Lust2Love and Gina from The Gang Age at Tritone (good news though: West Philadelphia Orchestra moved tonight’s gig from Triumph to Tritone, so go forth and brave the nasty weather for some jamming). For a longer list of cancelled/postponed shows, check out The Swollen Fox HERE. And, again, we leave with some music to soothe your Irene-shattered heart.

Philadelphia

Vice Magazine/Vitamin Water Uncapped Live Showcase To Be Rescheduled

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Oh, Hurricane Irene, you’re just ruining everything this weekend. Sure, weekend workers get a break from the grind tomorrow if their only means of transportation is the always (un)reliable SEPTA (’cause, you know, it’s shutting down at 12:30 am Sunday). But the rest of us who wanted to party in the face of the impending storm now have one less place to get totally wasted. Due to the chaotic weather sure to head our way because of Hurricane Irene, VICE and vitaminwater have chosen to cancel today’s FREE Vice Magazine/vitaminwater Uncapped Live showcase at Sigman Sound Studios. From the VICE/vitaminwater camp:

"Due to concerns surrounding the weather this weekend with Hurricane Irene, VICE + vitaminwater have decided that its best and safest for all if we postpone Saturday’s Uncapped Philadelphia show. Don’t worry, we’re going to reschedule and we will let you know when we’ve locked in a new date. Stay safe this weekend and we will see you guys soon."

In the meantime, we’ll leave you with some tunes from show performers Reading Rainbow, the Homophones, and Cat Vet to jam to while you figure out how to make your weekend a little less boring. Enjoy!

Find more CAT VET songs at Myspace Music

NYC

Broken Water: Album of the Month

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Released March 29th, 2011 by Perennial Records, Peripheral Star is an EP to be reckoned with, and its craftsmanship deserves more than a passive listen from the music community at large.  Broken Water, the three-piece from Olympia, Washington, consisting of Kanako-drums/vocals, Abigail-bass/vocals, Jon-guitar/vocals, have composed some of the most well-balanced, enthralling shoegaze rock to come from the Northwest, or the rest of the nation for that matter, in a long time.  

 

Seattle is not known for producing shoegaze bands of exceptional merit- traditionally, and oftentimes derisively, the Seattle scene has been depicted by music critics as the comically woodsy, rootsy home of acoustic guitar fingerpickers and gentle harmonizers belting out their forest-loving tunes in picturesque locales abundant around Washington.  The astronomical rise to international fame of The Head and the Heart do nothing in service of changing this image.     

 

The song "Kansas" opens with an ominous, vaguely foreboding bass riff that dominates the vibe as Jon’s sharp guitar slashes into life, follows a descending scale, and then cuts again.  In mood, this song, and much of what Broken Water do, is related to the whole of the very great album by Apse entitled Spirit.  What Apse failed to do at times that Broken Water is highly skilled at doing is adding enough muscle to their compositions, adding the split-the-sky eruptions that rise above the beautiful, warbling din, thereby breaking the listener through the tranquil or torpid threshold that can beset anyone listening to large doses of music.       

 

"Okane No" absolutely explodes with guitar-string-bending riffs swimming in reverb, and not just the placidly adopted reverb sounds of many bands in this genre, but the kind of labored over sound that has a specific place, is used for a specific purpose.  Broken Water’s sound teeters on a precipice that demands a high level of skill- their music is a tempered chaos, augmented by exceptional song-writing abilities that have a knack for movement within music, all combing to deliver high-impact listening bliss. 

 

Broken Water – Peripheral Star by pygmylion

Chicago

Scissors cover Tina Turner

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Filmed on location back in July at The Beat Kitchen, Scissors have released the video for their cover of Tina Turner’s What’s Love Got To Do With It. The track will appear on their upcoming album.

The band will be performing a free acoustic show at Rockit Wrigley (3700 N. Clark) on September 1st at 9pm.

L.A.

Fidlar play at Timewarp Music (tonight)

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They say that punk bands are in their prime when they’re still young, crass, and defiantly apathetic. So it makes sense that FIDLAR isn’t really preocuppied at the moment with tax deductions or college for that matter – their vicious garage anthems are all about existing in the now, being politically incorrect with a purpose and, you know, having some unabashed fun on a Friday night. In fact, for a band that seems so "misguided" by instant gratification, their emblematic acronoym (Fuck it Dog, Life’s a Risk) speaks to anyone who simply wants to prevail against any form of resistance. "Wait for the Man" comes and goes in barely two minutes with an exhilirating barrage of sloppy chords and hoarse harmonies. And considering how infectituously catchy it is, I have a feeling they’ve been doing their homework even if the dean wouldn’t approve. Before making a potentially epic appearance at the Echo on September 11th, they’ll be playing an all ages show at Timewarp Music tonight at 8 pm.

FIDLAR – Wait For The Man from Black/White Iris Music on Vimeo.

 

Austin

Frank! and Dead Black Hearts and more…

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One of Austin’s newest music venues, Frank is the erstwhile purveyor of fine gourmet hot dogs, and now host to some of the best music in town. It rises from the ashes of the beloved Ghost Room, pulling over the booking/management team and the highly regarded sound woman, Chris Payeur. And tomorrow night it’s the site of the return of Dead Black Hearts, who will hold their EP (The Southern Front) release show there with the help of New Roman Times and Western Ghost House. (It’s a three-word name party!) Get on out. 

L.A.

The Moor release debut LP

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The Moor’s self-titled debut album does not sound like a debut. The eight tracks that comprise the record are so masterfully crafted—the blend of synthesizers, pianos, guitar, drums, and haunting vocal melodies create a chillingly vast wall of sound—that you could swear this band has produced an album before. But no, although the duo has been making music together since 2008, Erika Daking and Josiah Steinbrick decided to take their time releasing their freshman effort, and with the help of some amazing contributors—Josh Klinghoffer (PJ Harvey, Red Hot Chili Peppers), Simon Lord (Simian, Black Ghosts), and Bryan Hollon (Boom Bip, Neon Neon) with finishing touches by mix guru Noah Georgeson (Joanna Newsom, The Strokes)—the psychedelic, dreamy twosome has created quite the impressive debut. – Katrina Nattress

Warm Winter by themoor 

NYC

Weekly Feature: Ava Luna prepares new album

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Ava Luna possesses the perfect balance of retro and modern influences. They draw from ‘60s doo-wop but spruce it up with touches from current indie luminaries like Dirty Projectors. Carlos Hernandez leads with his soulful, affected croon that echoes Jamie Lidell’s with a trio of female singers supporting with gorgeous vocal harmonies. The instrumentation is sparse — complex beats accompanied by light synths and bass — but intricate and deliberate, allowing the voices to take the reins and guide listeners through a matchless music experience. – The band is currently working on a follow up to the 2010 "Services EP – Read Nancy Chow’s interview with the band here.

Chicago

Tom Schraeder ’92 Tales

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Tom Schreader recently released Egoiste, an all-analog recording recreated to sound like an electronic record, and is currently touring out west. He returns home on September 9th to perform at Subt. Below is the documentary "92 Tales" which is a celluloid recreation of writer’s block and features Chicago artists responding to Schraeder’s music.

Philadelphia

Weekend Warrior, August 26 – 28

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The Dude is a man who abides upon simple pleasures – bowling, White Russians, and a carpet that really ties the rug together. But if there’s one thing he doesn’t abide by (other than nihilists and Walter’s shomer Shabbos rants) it’s CANCER. And that’s why The Dude Hates Cancer has produced its annual charity campaign of the Eastern Pennsylvania branch of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society since 2000. Its main focus may be bowling, but it also enjoys throwing concert parties for the good cause. The group will be setting the tone this year with a benefit concert at the M Room tonight, followed by the big blowout tomorrow night at Johnny Brenda’s. Tonight’s party kicks off with the smash mouth rock of the Gerunds (fronted by Dag Nasty’s Peter Cortner), the psychedelic post-punk of the Silence Kit, and the emotive lo-fi vibes of the Phoenix Veil. Our buddy Jenny Du “Gooder” will also raffle off a basket of goodies to raise some more cash for The Dude that includes a pair of tix to our Anniversary Bash on Friday, October 7 at Kung Fu Necktie (we’ll release more details about the rad bands performing soon). And tomorrow night’s show kicks into high gear with the experimental pop quartet Orbit to Leslie, led by Grimace Federation’s Chris Wood. Thrown in Raph Cutrufello’s Yer Bird Records-signed folk collective, Hezekiah Jones; TDHC mainstay, the Doublewides; and the soulful folk of Chris Kaspar, and cancer doesn’t stand a chance. M Room, 15 W. Girard Ave., 8pm, $10, 21+; Johnny Brenda’s, 1201 N. Frankford Ave., 9pm, $10, 21+

OK, now Saturday is going to be a night of party-hopping because we really can’t resist the FREE Vice Magazine/Vitamin Water Uncapped Live showcase featuring psychedelic garage-pop trio Reading Rainbow with their badass riffs and gorgeous harmonies, the intoxicating baritone vocals and ingenious wordplay of the Homophones, and the grunge-y sonic blasts of Cat Vet. To top it off, it will be in the legendary Sigma Sound Studios where, as the Homophones pointed out, “Bowie did mountains of cocaine there and wrote songs with Luther Vandross!” Just RSVP HERE to reserve your spot. Sigma Sound Studios, 212 N. 12th St., 8pm, FREE w/RSVP, 21+

Other things to do to avoid Hurricane Irene this weekend…

Kung Fu Necktie (1250 N. Front St.) FRI Brown Recluse, Arc In Round, Royal Shoals SAT Faux Slang Record Release Party w/Nothing, SUN Break It Up

North Star Bar (2639 Poplar St.) FRI Blessed Muthas, SAT Crills Wilson and Kettle Pot Black

The Fire (412 W. Girard Ave.) FRI Young Historians, Desoto Jones, Gates

M Room (15 W. Girard Ave.) FRI The Dude Hates Cancer Benefit w/The Silence Kit, The Gerunds, Phoenix Veil

Tritone (1508 South St.) FRI Goodnight Lights and The Tea Club, SAT Lust2Love and Gina from The Gang Age, SUN I Am Not The Universe and Muffin Man

The Trocadero (1003 Arch St.) FRI The Noid, The Ray Gradys, Scareho

The Blockley (3801 Chestnut St.) FRI Beanie Sigel, Peedi Crackk, SUN Reef the Lost Cauze and Voss

World Café Live (3025 Walnut St.) SUN The Hype End of Summer Bash

The Legendary Dobbs (304 South St.) FRI Laughing Forest, SAT The Fetals and Beyond The Lies

Triumph Brewery (117 Chestnut St.) FRI Bam!, SAT West Philadelphia Orchestra

PhilaMOCA (531 N. 12th St. Philadelphia) FRI Chiptune Showcase, SAT Buffalo Stance, Chandeliers, Tia & Tamara

JR’s Bar (2327 S. Croskey St.) FRI Cop Problems, Changes, Snake Road, SAT Radiation City, Dizzy Dearest, Gracie

The Barbary (951 N. Frankford St.) SUN Snake Road

Little Bar (736 S. 8th St.) FRI The Tweeds

The Station (1550 McKean St.) FRI John the Conqueror, Levee Drivers

Aktion Gallery (535 South St.) FRI Rise of Because

Philadelphia Magic Gardens (1020 South St.) SAT Whitewater Pass

Strange Brew Coffee (1321 S. 2nd St.) FRI Mike Malloy

40th Street (University of Penn) SAT Kyo Daiko

Neighborhood Bike Works (508 S. 5th St.) FRI Arches, Best Friends, Maradona, Tooth Decay, Andrew Conley, Keith Yetter

Pi Lam (3914 Spruce St.) SUN Congenital Death