Portland

Family Tradition is back again!

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The Lonesome Billies are more than just adored crusaders of traditional, whiskey swillin’ country western tunes, but they’re also hard working fundraisers for an important nonprofit integral to keeping youth involved in music.

Outlaws in their own right, the foursome, who go by the names of Bill Collins, Gator Bill (vox, lead guitar), Ornery Bill (vox, acoustic guitar) and Whiskey Bill (vox, bass) ask for a flurry of support to head to the Alberta Abbey tomorrow, 9.30 for their 7th Annual Family Tradition extravaganza. The Family Tradition involves more than just music – it’s also an auction, a potluck and a little bit of a barn house dance, with all of the proceeds going to My Voice Music.

Items provided by Pendleton Woolen Mills, Widmer Brothers Brewing, Obey Giant and other companies will be auctioned off. A great deal of food will be offered as well, including band member Gator Bill’s famous brisket. Along with the Lonesome Billies themselves taking the stage, expect performances from some My Voice Music artists, a bit of alternative folk rock from Vancouver, Washington’s Lincoln’s Beard, and a reading or two from Oregonian Cowboy poet Tom Swearingen.

The Lonesome Billies are asking for just a $10 suggested donation to attend the Family Tradition, though surely no one will be turned away for not having that much. For such a great cause, why not come out and get your cowboy on?

Portland

Friends of Noise hosts music for everyone!

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 *pictured: the Woolen Men, taken by Dino Matt

Advocates of all-age safe spaces and music venues, local organization Friends of Noise is doing yet another bit of good to bring music to community… for free. 

From 4pm-8-pm today, Friends of Noise is hosting their "Music For Everyone Day" at Portland City Hall. This is the nonprofit’s second attempt at throwing this event, since the initial date had to be rescheduled due to poor air quality caused by the wildfires surrounding the city. Nevertheless, FoN have forged on to bring a wide range of artists to those around the downtown Portland area today.

Young artists are strongly supported by FoN and a couple of them will be taking the stage, like Daniel “D.J. Max” Lasuncet and 15-year-old singer/songwriter JoJo Scott. My Voice Music project BLK + IVY will also perform, along with poet Maurisa Destiny Golden and some of the bigger Portland names. Skull Diver‘s alternative psych rock is sure to make everyone swoon, while the raw energy of the Woolen Men should perfectly juxtapose the gloominess of today. 

Other youth-oriented organizations and programs were also a part of making this event possible, such as My Voice Music, Outside the Frame, Marrow PDX, Momentum Alliance, SMRYC, the Rock n’ Roll Camp for Girls and the Bus Project. It should be noted that water and restrooms are available inside Portland City Hall, but that patrons will have to undergo a back check upon entry. 

If you’re looking for something free, fun and inclusive of all-ages and people, Music For Everyone Day is definitely something worth checking out.

Chicago

Spa Moans “Obedient Vibrations” Coming Soon!

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Spa Moans is the work of Jenny Pulse. On October 13th she will be releasing her debut mixtape, Obedient Vibrations, via Drop Medium. Jenny combines elements of post-industrial minimalism with early house and RnB. Her new mixtape is both sexy and spooky. Over 9 tracks, this self-taught producer grabs your attention and then twists it.

Below is a mix she made recently called “In My Mouth”. It is not from the mixtape, but may give you sense of where Spa Moans is coming from musically.

Philadelphia

Weekend Warrior, September 29 – October 1

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Synths interlaced with in-touch storytelling; Brandon Can’t Dance takes a cue from (Sandy) Alex G, demonstrating a keen intimacy with a somewhat laidback aesthetic. However, within that unreserved, let-loose, open-book approach, an unpredictability is preserved. What on the surface appears somewhat casual is twisting sonic textures in a playfully serious manner. Tonight, at The Inconvenience Store, he’ll be joined by Marge, whose ability to simmer in tranquil, fuzz-tinged melodies with scorching capabilities. The quintet of Past Life reels ya in via hard, searing guitars cooked into transparent, hook-laced narratives. This triad of locals is fortified by the bedroom folk of Molly Drag and the candy-coated songwriting of Abbie Kats, a.k.a. Chubby Bunny. – Michael Colavita

Other places to enjoy this fall weekend…

Johnny Brenda’s (1201 N. Frankford Ave.)  FRI Levee Drivers, The Lawsuits, SAT DJ Emynd, Bo Bliz

The Boot & Saddle (1131 S. Broad St.) FRI Son Little, SAT Son Little, SUN M.A. Kingston

Kung Fu Necktie (1250 N. Front St.) FRI Roger Harvey, Mark Lanky/Stab & Grab, SAT Common Ground, Bad Bye, Polar Bear Lars/Vacation James, Virgouts, Science Book/Diamond Girl, BPMF, Speaking Parts/Francisco Collazo, DJ Royale, SUN Slenko & McKeys, The Ryssells, Shrill

Underground Arts (1200 Callowhill St.) FRI Callowhill

The Trocadero (1003 Arch St.) FRI Blum Bros

The Fillmore Philadelphia (1100 Canal St.) SAT Agent Zero, SUN Tigers Jaw

World Café Live (3025 Walnut St.) FRI Wave Radio, SAT (Upstairs) Hello I Must Be Going, SUN (Upstairs) Pigpen Theatre Company/(Downstairs) Somethin’ Divine, Granz, Vanderlyle, Mirrorsigns, Groundwork, The Fifth Side, Sitting In Cars

The Fire (412 W. Girard Ave.) SAT Space Kamp, Adlib, SUN Chalk and The Beige Americans, Gringo Motel, The Sideshow Prophets

The Barbary (951 Frankford Ave.) FRI Revolution, I Love You, Alright Junior, MC Blackwolf, SAT Honey Tiger, Trash Boy

MilkBoy Philly (1100 Chestnut St.) SAT Matt Santry

Ortlieb’s Lounge (847 N. 3rd St) FRI Kiska, Joy Riding, SAT The Three 4 Tens, Brother JT, Mr. Unloved

Silk City (435 Spring Garden St.)  FRI Rich Medina, SAT DJ Deejay

Fergie’s (1214 Sansom St.)  SAT David Cope, SUN Rusty Cadillac

Connie’s Ric Rac (1132 S. 9th St.) FRI Topical Disease, Baffle The Cat, Camera Thief, SAT Scars Like These, Disoriental, Decontrol, The Prisoners

Voltage Lounge (421 N. 7th St.) FRI Krispy Kareem, SAT Dell-P, Jonny Bell, SUN Cypher Clique, Internal Rhyme

The Grape Room (105 Grape St.) FRI Uncle Dan, Jumping Juvies, Rasan in the Heyday, Slow Reader

Bourbon & Branch (705 N. 2nd St.) FRI Midwestern Exposure, SAT Mo Lowda & The Humble

Ardmore Music Hall (23 E. Lancaster Ave.) SAT Steal Your Peach, Cabin Dogs, SUN Square Peg Round Hole

Morgan’s Pier (221 N. Columbus Blvd.) SAT DJ Beatstreet

First Unitarian Church (2125 Chestnut St.) FRI Harmony Woods

Everybody Hits (529 W. Girard Ave.) SAT Data, Wilt

The Pharmacy (1300 S. 18th St.) SAT Gavin Riley Smoke Machine, Mavis The Dog / ey Matt Kelly, Tubey Frank

Space 1026 (1026 Arch St.) FRI Big Nothing, Yankee Bluff

Tralfamadore (Please contact one of the acts or venue for more info.) SAT Elaine Rasnake, Elissa Janelle Velveteen

Broken Down Palace (Please contact one of the acts or venue for more info.) FRI Shannen Moser, Curtis Cooper, Dan Anderson, SUN Get Well

The Mothership (Please contact one of the acts or venue for more info.) FRI Little Strike, Cranes Are Flying

The Inconvenience Store (Please contact one of the acts or venue for more info.) FRI Brandon Can’t Dance, Marge, Past Life

NYC

Maneka cassette release show at Sunnyvale on 09.30

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Gasping beneath scuzzy guitars and fried drums beats, there is a just audible voice in Maneka. We’ve all heard it before, waiting for the subway or walking alongside traffic, struggling to be heard over the cacophony of roars and clanks and screeches. Devin McKnight, the mastermind of Maneka, orchestrates the chaos like a symphony. Grunge era fuzz, squealing noise, and lo-fi production meld into one on the former Speedy Ortiz guitarist’s debut album Is You Is. In celebration of the official cassette tape release on Exploding In Sound Records, Maneka performs at Sunnyvale on September 30th. – Cameron Carr

NYC

A Deli Premiere: Veda Rays share video for new single “Shadow Side”

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Ahead of the October 6th release of their new single “Shadow Side,” Brooklyn art rockers Veda Rays are premiering in our blog the video for the record’s titletrack (streaming below).  The single marks the band’s first recorded material since 2014, and serves up a mix of organs, open electric guitar chords, and percussive tour-de-force, pulsating under deep, dramatic vocals.  With images of faces crossfading with ominous looking trees, the video introduces a lugubrious, dreamlike atmosphere. While the song progresses to deliver an ample hook in the chorus, the mood remains dark and mysterious, with the video now showing dark, full body figures with covered faces and rabbit masks, and a shrouded female dancer, all in white.  Referring back to the track’s title, the band describes this symbolism as “a subliminal reaction to the projection of our collective shadow.”  “Shadow Side” will be released on their own Alleged Records imprint. – Dave Cromwell

Philadelphia

New Levee Drivers LP Available for Streaming & Purchase

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The long, long wait is over; Levee Drivers‘ new full-length album, Motel City Honey, has arrived. Steeped in guttural, rabble-rousing, country-blues, the collection of songs taps into a swaying sensitivity. Whether it’s a road-worn yearning or an uptempo rumbler of love lost, the visceral magnetism draws one in. Traveling home in the twilight, the tunes continuously matriculate ahead, but lament in an emotive sense of the past. Levee Drivers is set to celebrate its release this evening at Johnny Brenda’s, supported by local pals The Lawsuits and and Virginia’s The Dawn Drapes. (Photo by Bob Sweeney)

Philadelphia

New Dreambook Album Available for Streaming & Purchase

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Unfortunately, Hidden Underneath, the new album from the quartet of Dreambook, will also serve as the band’s swan song. Reverberating riffs are catapulted by a murky, rhythmic march. Creeping even further into the darkness, the mysterious vocals lure and simultaneously serve as a beacon, illuminating the footpath. The album delves into a desolate-dream state that you can’t escape.

L.A.

Sure Sure let their funky selves free on “Hands Up Head Down”

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Art pop quartet Sure Sure first caught our attention with songs like "New Biome" and "The Expert," both of which brought a slick pop sound with an inventive stroke. A year later, the band is expanding their reach with their latest single, "Hands Up Head Down," where they let their funky selves free with a slinky groove that recalls the sumptuous prog-pop of Genesis and Steely Dan. The track benefits from these odd sonic contrivances that add to its overall playfulness, but never do they lose sight of a catchy, earworm chorus that might just place them on commercial rock radio. Even if they light the room with a breezy and easygoing disposition, their careful attention to detail on "Hands Up Head Down" proves they’re intent on writing songs that are flat-out fun without undermining their own intelligence.

Sure Sure are playing The Fonda on January 28, 2018 supporting Hippo Campus.

NYC

Cru the Dynamic releases new single, “New Things”

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Cru the Dynamic (aka Steve Bryant) drops “New Things” on Detroit-based label Heavy Young Souls. There’s start & stop breakbeats. There’s hip-hop and drum & bass. Both genres intersect at the true core of Bryant’s influences: jazz performance. The fusion is soulful and assured. Cru weaves his influences skillfully. The end result is really beautiful. -juan leon