NYC

Brooklyn Hip Hop to keep an ear on: Billy Woods

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Billy Woods still won’t show his face.  Even as one of the forerunners of Brooklyn’s Indieground, he remains cloaked in mystery and blunt smoke.  In the video for “Keloid” from his most recent LP Known Unknowns, Woods is a stark silhouette against an antiseptic backdrop.  In a world that gets scarier with greater exposure to the evils at play behind the curtains, we all wish we had a “clean room” to escape the radioactivity and radio activity.  For a stream-of-consciousness MC whose consciousness is more finely attuned than most could hope for, I imagine Woods’ brain is his clean room.  Let’s hope he keeps scribbling away.  We may “get no answers,” but at least the questions are less haunting when we face them together. – BrokeMC

Philadelphia

New Sixteen Jackies Double EP Release Available for Streaming & Purchase

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Glam-pop/rock outfit Sixteen Jackies just released a new double EP 12" vinyl via Philly’s own Born Loser Records. Consisting of their wonderfully unique debut Movie Was Bad and equally captivating latest project Mascula, this gem of recordings is a must-have for your collection. You can grab your very own copy at their record release celebration on Friday, May 18 at PhilaMOCA, with Madalean Gauze, Isles Isles (featuring members of The Lawsuits), and Long Hots. Bring your best self.

Chicago

Praise + Punk The Ending of all Endings

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Back in 2014 Mucca Pazza, the widely renowned Gypsy-punk marching band, squared off with the Chicago Sinfonietta. The battle, great as it was, it did not end in favor our indie darlings. It was a grueling battle that found the two groups performing Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture and recounting the history of the French invasion of Russia.

The rematch of this battle takes place this Saturday, May 12th, at Wentz Concert Hall in Naperville and on May 14th at Symphony Center in Chicago. This time the battle will center around Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet Suite. You can get your tickets here.

Chicago

Lailah Reich and Tahif Attiek

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Chicago’s Lailah Reich has teamed up with LA-based producer Tahif Attiek and Detroit’s Young Heavy Souls label to create a new EP called “Rose". The EP combines EDM, jazz, house and trip hop with Reich’s lovely vocals create a sound that could fit in the club, or beach, or a cool spring morning. The EP is due out this Friday, May 11th, and it’s lead single is “Mbira in NYC” can be streamed below.

Philadelphia

New Track: “Bugbite” (Feat. Mike Polizze) – Plot

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Anticipatory fuzz and percussion set a suspenseful tone, before a brutal bassline leads the charge in “Bugbite,” featured on the self-titled LP from Philly’s Plot. There is a hefty industrial-noise component encircling its perimeter. Utilizing the flame-throwing guitar work of Mike Polizze (Birds of Maya, Purling Hiss), one enters a bombarding, cosmic dungeon of sorts. It’s a dark, twisted, trance-inspiring dose of heavy. Plot will be performing next in Philly at the June Cookout II on Saturday, June 9 at Century.

NYC

Buzz Alert: Promiseland brings riotous darkwave to Mercury on 05.24

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The truth is, you want to see Promiseland for the live show. For the tear-yourself-apart, no-limits performance of Australian-born vocalist Johann Rashid. The industrial-techno instrumentals sound like they could come from a secret warehouse rave on the edge of the city, but Promiseland’s vocals are straight from the realm of punk. Collectively, it makes for an intense, nightmarish experience, which coupled with the performance aspect, becomes simply jarring – in a good way. You can see Promiseland next at Mercury Lounge on May 24, opening for Rey Pila alongside The Muckers. – Cameron Carr

Austin

Levitation Fest Returns With A Triumphant Weekend of Shows

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If you are a music fan in Austin, it’s a near impossibility that you have gone these last couple years without being exposed to the rumor mill of the tortured/triumphant saga of Levitation Fest. Cancelled because of weather in 2016, less than 24 hours before gates were to open, the festival took a year off in 2017 with many thinking it would never return.  The beginning of the comeback story began when 2018’s lineup was released, and it became evident that the festival was aiming for a complete return to former glory, not some spurious money-grab.  The redemptive arc was completed this weekend, when thousands of psych rock fans descended on a handful of downtown venues for a truly mesmerizing and immersive festival experience.

 

Headliners

 

While it may seem cliché when describing an event as having ‘something for everyone’, Levitation verifiably checked all the boxes on different music genres and music tastes.  From the spacey shoegaze of Slowdive, to the industrial metal of Ministry, attendees were not forced into a homogenized lineup.  While hipster-god, Ty Segall, and eternally touring, Thee Oh Sees, were somewhat ‘expected’, surprise bookings like Electric Wizard, Panda Bear, and Dan Deacon gave the festival a distinct edge.  The best performances of the weekend could be found in the sets of Ariel Pink, Windhand, and Chelsea Wolfe. The festival owners, The Black Angels, put on a riveting Sunday night show at Stubbs to close out their resurgent pet project.

 

Local Acts

 

Major music festivals can sometimes only include local bands as slot-fillers, but Levitation makes sure to highlight a slew of Austin bands. Christian Bland, a local Austinite himself, has a good grasp on which groups to include in the festival, and he did not disappoint this year. A Giant Dog, Golden Dawn Arkestra, and Holy Wave all had epic showcases that brought out their local fan-base. However it was the music veterans in the Octopus Project and SURVIVE that proved to host the most exhilarating showcases for the local contingent. Levitation continues to serve as a pedestal for Austin bands to increase their national exposure.

 

Culture

 

Levitation, previously called Psych Fest, had to adapt from the weather-vulnerable Carson Creek Ranch to a location with less liability.  The solution would lie within eight music venues that would host their own individual showcases under the umbrella of the Levitation festival.  While the bohemian vibe of Carson Creek Ranch was certainly missed, the individual micro-cultures within each venue brought a different backdrop of its own unique appeal. Mobility was limited and individual tickets had to be bought, but you also didn’t need to drive twenty minutes or deal with sound bleeding over from other stages.  At the end of the day, it’s the people who make the atmosphere, and while the physical location may have changed, the same crowd that had been showing up for the last ten years continued to attend, guaranteeing a vibe that continues to thrive through Levitation’s different permutations.

 

 

 

Philadelphia

Weekend Warrior, May 4 – 6

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Get Better Fest 5 will be bringing the positive vibes to the basement of the First Unitarian Church. Benefitting Black & Pink, Morris Home, and Project SAFE, kind locals will be donating their time and talents, to raise money and awareness for these multitude of good, important causes. A beautiful bluntness bangs on the sonic doors when listening to Soul Glo. Unabashedly in your face and unwavering, their bombarding instrumentation pushes against the barriers at high velocity. Hovering between hushed and heavy tones, caught between the noise-induced blitz and relatively subdued melodies, there’s a cathartic intensity found in the music of Mannequin Pussy. Blank Spell stirs in the shadows, creeping out in quick bursts of menace. You’ll also come across the precise attack of Control Top’s punk/dance hybrid, while the noise-speckled glow of Empath rounds out this small sampling of the loaded, all-day lineup. – Michael Colavita

More local sounds for this weekend…

First Unitarian Church (2125 Chestnut St.) FRI The Obsessives, SAT Get Better Fest 5: Mannequin Pussy, Big Nothing, Soul Glo, Control Top, Kilamanzego, Blank Spell, Empath

LAVA Space (4134 Lancaster Ave.) FRI Get Better Fest 5: August Koch, Solarized, Strawberry Runners

Johnny Brenda’s (1201 N. Frankford Ave.) FRI Agent Zero, GoldenSpiral (Dual Album Release), Jackie & Jesse, Lotits, SUN Heavy Temple

Boot & Saddle (1131 S. Broad St.) FRI Marah

Kung Fu Necktie (1250 N. Front St.) FRI Bryan William Myers/DJ Deejay, SAT A Black Celebration: DJ Baby Berlin and Jem, SUN All This Huxley, Adventure Lost, Petty Vandal

The Trocadero (1003 Arch St.) SUN (Balcony) The 1940’s, Adam Travis & The Soul, Silver Autumn, Fauxtron

TLA (334 South St.) SAT The Parsnip Revolt

The Fillmore Philadelphia (1100 Canal St.) SAT Kur

World Café Live (3025 Walnut St.) FRI (Upstairs) John Vettese/Conjunto, SAT (Upstairs) Philadelphia School of Rock/Don McAvoy & the Great Whatever, Germany Hill/(Downstairs) Beyond The Bars Benefit Show: The Districts, Hardwork Movement, Ill Fated Natives

The Fire (412 W. Girard Ave.) FRI Malcolm Culleton (Album Release), Bern and the Bastards, Anna Dausman, SAT Anomie, Great Neck, Sunset Negative, Necrosexual

MilkBoy Philly (1100 Chestnut St.) FRI Hellings, SAT Ryan Tennis

Ortlieb’s Lounge (847 N. 3rd St.) FRI Better Ducks, Cookie Rabinowitz, SAT Taiwan Housing Project, Dirt Queen, SUN Luminous Fins, The Justines

The Barbary (951 Frankford Ave.) SAT Darla

Bourbon & Branch (705 N. 2nd St.) FRI Morning River Band, The Miners, Red Means Run, SAT De Tierra Caliente (CD Release)

Fergie’s (1214 Sansom St.) SAT James Pace Band, SUN Rusty Cadillac

Connie’s Ric Rac (1132 S. 9th St.) FRI Drug Bust, 7th Victim, Bunny Savage & The Plibmen, SAT Seeing Snakes, Atomic Cretins

Voltage Lounge (421 N. 7th St.) SAT Murda P, SUN Atomic Cretins, Rubbish

Frankie Bradley’s (1320 Chancellor St.) FRI DJ Chris Urban, SAT Ed Christof

The Grape Room (105 Grape St.) FRI The Low Bottom Boys, Overcoming Gravity, This Kills Me, SAT Apple Juice Jones, Mercury Retrograde

Ardmore Music Hall (23 E. Lancaster Ave.) FRI Big Mind, On Wa, SAT Hezekiah Jones, Chestnut Grove, Black Horse Motel

The Pharmacy (1300 S. 18th St.) FRI Mahatma X, Stoops, A Virgin, Pithair / Daniel Levine, Mochi Robinson, Brushstroke, SAT Randle Patrick McNuthing, SUN Starwood & David Fantasy & Adult Content

West Kensington Ministry (2140 N. Hancock St.) FRI Bardo Pond

Tralfamadore (Please contact one of the acts or venue for more info.) FRI Rebecca Zimmerman, Dominy

Planet Phitness (Please contact one of the acts or venue for more info.) SUN Boosegumps, Walte Young

The Sound Hole (Please contact one of the acts or venue for more info.) SAT Death’s Dynamic Shroud, Vincent Remember, Phteven Universe

Tundra Dome (Please contact one of the acts or venue for more info.) FRI Hermit Thrushes, Sour Spirit

Chicago

Chandeliers return with “High Diamond”

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Chandeliers have a new hazy single called “High Diamond b/w Snake Bomb” being released via NYC’s Potions Music on May 7th. You can preorder the 7” vinyl or buy the digital tracks here. This is the band’s first release since 2017’s Law of Fives. Below is the video for “High Diamond” which was directed by Eric Marsh.

NYC

Clara Joy plays intimate bedroom pop at The Platform 05.06

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On her fall 2017 EP growing pains, Clara Joy makes true productions of seemingly lo-fi bedroom recordings. “never tell” undemandingly strums through with nonchalant tape recorder charm (or maybe that’s GarageBand, who knows? What’s it matter anyway?) but a twist of a knob warps the recording slowly in and out of allignment creating a gentle sweeping tone. Likewise, the following “blow a kiss” turns bedroom minimalism into miniature pop with intertwining vocal lines and the addition of a glockenspiel type keyboard melody. Clara Joy’s music is full of these moments—little touches that make the small things important. That sense of intimacy that can make music so powerful. On May 6, see Clara Joy perform in person at The Platform as part of a teaser screening party for indie film ‘Multiverse.’ Give a listen to growing pains below. – Cameron Carr