Three piece garage rock outfit The Maxims made their debut last summer with the release of their eponymous EP, a collection of five songs that showcase their reverence to the retro sound of classic garage rock and soul. Steeped in the sounds of gritty guitars and swirling organs, The Maxims is as brash as it is sly, drifting between foot-stomping blues numbers to cool-headed 60s swagger. Last week, The Maxims released a grainy, peculiar music video for the EP’s first song, “Endless Mind”, which you can watch below. -Charley Ruddell
New England
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Following a debut release, Joanna Teters to play Middle East Upstairs
There was a point in time when singer Joanna Teters, the now-New Yorker, was a resident of the Jamaica Plain neighborhood in Boston. While studying at Berklee College of Music, Teters became a familiar and friendly face in the Boston music scene as the smokey, soulful singer for several groups including Lowtone Society and Ila Mawana. Now, with the release of her excellent solo debut Warmer When It Rains, Teters has shared Winter tour dates throughout the East Coast, which includes The Middle East Upstairs on February 1st.
Warmer When It Rains is a collection of masterfully produced pop/neo-soul songs influenced by 90s pop/RnB, island and reggae music, and jilted hip-hop beats, lead exclusively by Teters’ smoothly crafted melodies. Rains is an exercise in writing about love within pop songs, an artform in itself that produces either everlasting, or fatefully unforgettable music; fortunately for us, Teters has delivered a lasting and engaging debut, both musically and emotionally. Stream her new album below, and be sure to check the Warmer When It Rains Tour schedule to see Joanna in a city near you. -Charley Ruddell
Philadelphia
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Krust Toons: “How Many Bands Have You Seen?” by Tedd Hazard
Krust Toons: "How Many Bands Have You Seen?" by Tedd Hazard – please feel free to drop him a line at teddandthehazards@gmail.com if you dig or have any funny ideas. You can also check out more of his illustrations and animation shorts HERE.
Nashville
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Jon Worthy debuts indie rock LP “Only A Dream”
For those of you who love Cage the Elephant, original member Lincoln Parish has collaborated with and produced a new artist breaking into the Nashville indie scene: Jon Worthy. From the driving and swinging "You Drive Me Insane" to the sing-along "So Alive", Only A Dream is full of energy and life. "Take a deep breath, you’ll be just fine / Hold your head up / Give yourself some time," Worthy offers with optimism. Check out "You Drive Me Insane" below, and make sure to check out the whole album on Soundcloud, Spotify, and wherever else music can be found! – Chris Thiessen
Philadelphia
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New Pat Finnerty & The Full Band LP Available for Streaming & Purchase
Back in September 2015, Pat Finnerty brought his rock opera, The Lid, to Underground Arts, and now, its corresponding album is finally available for streaming and/or purchase. Step into the Brit-rock, time-warping tale and its jovially catchy tunes. “Dedicated to Brian Langan and to all of the hard working people that made the show possible.” The album balances the personally-invested storyline, within a fun, uplifting, and truly creative musical framework.
NYC
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“Cocaine Rockstar” from Pretty Blackkk
“Please pray before watching” is the disclaimer at the beginning of the music video for “Cocaine Rockstar”, released by rapper Pretty Blackkk. Super-slick flow and some clever rhymes make this track stand out from the crowd. The video itself is quite entertaining, featuring Mr. Blackkk on some sort of drugged out trip through the wilderness with mystical women and some kind of sword. “All I ask is please pray for my kidneys”.
-Mike Dranove
NYC
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Stuyedeyed tour in February + talk about pedals on Delicious Audio
Stuyedeyed is an alternative worldview presented through noisy and loud psych-rock, led by Nelson Antonio Espinal’s exuberant blues-inflected vocals. Their music is grounded in the punk DIY scene and the NYC garage tradition, and their personal revolt against the disingenuous and the gentrified shines through with each howl of rage. With fuzzy layers so thick you can practically wrap yourself up in them, the Brooklyn-based band delivers a serious ’70s guitar rock feel and loads of lo-fi goodness. Our sister blog Delicious Audio managed to catch Nelson before their three week February tour to ask him a few question about gear.
New England
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Big Boy Club surprise all with new album “Untitled”
Allston, MA is known best for two things: the rats, and its thriving underground music scene. Circulating somewhere within the latter is Big Boy Club, a three piece punk/emo outfit comprised of singer/guitarist Joe Sutkowski, bassist Billy Cunningham, and drummer Mikel Costa. Big Boy Club surprised fans on January 11th by releasing a new album called Untitled, an announcement that was their newest facebook post since July of last year. Untitled is a musically ambitious exploration into the “Allston sound”, a DIY punk/emo hybrid recognizable in Boston bands like Animal Flag and Horse Jumper of Love. Stream Untitled below. -Charley Ruddell
New England
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Feel the “Flow” of Nat Reed’s new single
Pop/RnB singer/songwriter Nat Reed has released “Flow”, a starkly honest follow up single to last November’s “Selfish”. Born from Reed’s own struggles with anxiety, “Flow” is a sincere submission to self-doubt and turbulence within the confines of love. Following suit to contemporary pop/soul acts AlunaGeorge and Alessia Cara, the music of “Flow” is a crisply produced cruise built heavily on textural layers of Reed’s vulnerable voice, a stylistic idiosyncrasy of the singer’s signature electronically organic music. Stream “Flow” below. -Charley Ruddell
Philadelphia
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Weekend Warrior, January 12 – 14
Blast off into the weekend, as the tandem of Kevin Nickles (Ecstatic Vision, Taiwan Housing Project) and Daniel Provenzano (Purling Hiss, Spacin’) continuously pushes the boundaries, fusing hard-driving, raw rhythms, space-transmitted vocals and blasts of tangential-tracing free jazz into a Krautrock-melting pot of sound. Developing layers of flavor through inventive instrumental combinations, The Writhing Squares cultivates an air of surprise and intrigue as one straps into the sonic shuttle uncertain of what discoveries lie in the future. This Saturday, at PhilaMOCA, the Philly outfit will be opening the proceedings, followed by local punk/reggae-groovin’ legends, Scram. This leads the way to the DC instrumental trio of The Messthetics, which includes former Fugazi members Brendan Canty and Joe Lally, whose debut album is due out later this year via Dischord Records. (Photo by Peter Kerlin) – Michael Colavita
Other places to hang this weekend…
PhilaMOCA (531 N. 12th St.) FRI Destroying Angel, Void Vision, SAT Scram, The Writhing Squares
Johnny Brenda’s (1201 N. Frankford Ave.) FRI Frankie Vado, Joey Stix Experiment, Jordan Brown, Dolores, Tammi Jean, SAT The Dove & The Wolf, Carroll
Boot & Saddle (1131 S. Broad St.) FRI Cold Fronts, Big Nothing, SAT Restorations, Tiny Vices
Kung Fu Necktie (1250 N. Front St.) FRI John Dominy, Sun Hat/Purling Hiss, Long Hots/DJ Deejay, SAT Peachy Nightjar, Mr. Lisp/Evil Sword, Necrosexual/Fame Lust/Night Sweats, SUN The Boardwalk Kings, A Day Without Love, Weekend Athlete
Underground Arts (1200 Callowhill St.) FRI Abbey Road: A Collective Performed by Members of Looseleaf and Other Special Guests, SAT The Pancakes & Booze Art Show
Union Transfer (1026 Spring Garden St.) SUN A Night of Stardust
The Trocadero (1003 Arch St.) FRI Daniel de Jesús
The Fillmore Philadelphia (1100 Canal St.) FRI So Far Gone: Dirty South Joe, Magglezzz, SAT (4pm) PnB Rock, (8pm) PnB Rock, Shawn Smith, SUN Low Energy
The Foundry (1000 Frankford Ave.) SAT Riot Nerd Presents: A Live Music & Burlesque Tribute To Emo
The Fire (412 W. Girard Ave.) FRI West Fire, Think Machine, Rusty Blue, Decontrol, SAT Apex Predator, Near Nightmare, Nasuta, Agents of Aggression, Crown of Earth
World Café Live (3025 Walnut St.) SAT Osler Circle: A (Hard Day’s) Night For Children’s Hospital
MilkBoy Philly (1100 Chestnut St.) FRI The Parsnip Revolt, Katie Barbato
Ortlieb’s Lounge (847 N. 3rd St.) FRI Sophie Coran, Joshua Chase Miller, Ellen Siberian-Tiger, SAT The Space Cats, Tektonic
Bourbon & Branch (705 N. 2nd St.) FRI The People (EP Release), My Son Bison, SAT The Upticks (Album Release), S.R. Frost & The Sanctuary Band, Delmont
The Barbary (951 Frankford Ave.) FRI A Minor Error, It Makes Sounds
Silk City (435 Spring Garden St.) FRI DJ Sylo, Astro 8000, SAT DJ Deejay
Fergie’s (1214 Sansom St.) SAT Keystone Mountain Boys, SUN Rusty Cadillac
Connie’s Ric Rac (1132 S. 9th St.) FRI The Russells, Kate Dressed Up
Frankie Bradley’s (1320 Chancellor St.) FRI Royale, SAT Ian Saint Laurent, SUN Thunder Snow Cone: Love Hurts Freak Show
The Grape Room (105 Grape St.) FRI Sheena & Thee Nosebleeds, Deluxedo, Knightlife, SAT Somethin’ Divine (EP Release), You Do You, The Sly Foxes, Breaklite
Ardmore Music Hall (23 E. Lancaster Ave.) SAT Worldtown Soundsystem
Everybody Hits (529 W. Girard Ave.) FRI Hurry, Empath, Knifeplay
The Pharmacy (1300 S. 18th St.) FRI Sunchoke/Crimson Masks, Some Birds, Uncle Dan, SAT The Four Of Us Are Dying, Zombie Shark, SUN Fred Beans, Rabbits To Riches, Kenny 3
Tralfamadore (Please contact one of the acts or venue for more info.) FRI Mike Mulli & Dead Flowers, Busy Bee, Rachel Andie
The Sound Hole (Please contact one of the acts or venue for more info.) SAT Masie Blu
All Nite Diner (Please contact one of the acts or venue for more info.) SAT Sun Organ, Coffee, Leadrs, Ursula
Philadelphia
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New Track: “With U” – Knifeplay
“With U” is one of the five tracks found on the forthcoming tape from Knifeplay, which is being released via Smoking Room. A clap of percussion and keys orchestrates a closed-bedroom, cathedral tone. Then, an expanse of semi-chaotic noise rains down in illuminating fashion. Tj Strohmer and company are part of this evening’s lineup at Everybody Hits lineup, where they’ll be joined by Wildhoney, Hurry, Glitterer, and Empath. (Photo by Chili)
NYC
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The 7 Best Electronic Records of 2017 by Emerging NYC Artists
With an appreciation for the jubilance of pop music and the willingness to explore new sounds that NYC is known for, in 2014 the city’s electronic musicians created music that could soundtrack all-night dance parties or pensive nights alone. Beshken captured that contrast best on For Time Is The Longest Distance Between Two People. The album migrates between spacious, simmering instrumental sections and buoyant, pulsing rave-ups. Overcoats played more heavily on thumping, dance-floor anthems with their debut album YOUNG, but lyrically the duo looked further than the party scene. Overcoats’ portrait of inner emotional struggles rivals the tact of many veteran pop songwriters. The electronic genre also took influence from the indie rock world. Guerilla Toss, featured on our cover this past fall, released GT Ultra, a mish-mash of post-punk, psychedelia, and electronica that’s near impossible to accurately categorize. Covering stuttering electronica in a dream pop-inspired haze, Blood Cultures’ Happy Birthday balanced the danceable with the moody. Perhaps not quite fitting into the electronic realm, Sneaks made a post-punky sophomore album using almost only a drum machine, bass guitar, and vocals to craft the expertly concise and individual It’s a Myth. To be fair, that album came out before Sneak’s Eva Moolchan moved to NYC, but since the band’s relocation we’ve proudly embraced them as our own. Belonging to the Electronic realm are also two NYC records we recently blogged about: Torres’ dark and mysterious Three Futures and Standing on the Corner‘s avant-hip hop masterpiece, and recent Deli NYC Record of the Month, Red Burns. – Cameron Carr