New Music, Emerging from your Local Scene
Bruno Catrambone (CRUISR, Former Belle) recently shared a new single from his other musical outlet, Spirit Haus. Keys provide an ethereal glow as the heavy thump of backend knocks one to the ground in “You Don’t Love Me (Like You Used To)”. The sadness of a relationship reaching its end is illuminated as you witness a one way conversation. Emerging from the darkness, the song occupies a somber step forward, as delicate layers of production glisten in the moonlight.
Crazy Bull‘s The Past Is Today is loaded with raunchy riffs, as the quartet’s retrofitted, 70’s heavy psych-blues rock motors toward a collision course with your eardrums. Channeling Leslie West, the band hovers between a hard rock/metal threshold, establishing a groove, and then branching off into extended, escalating, guitar-fueled fire. What maybe starts off as bar blues quickly accelerates into a mystical stratosphere. Crazy Bull will be bringing their raw brand of epic rock ‘n’ roll to Kung Fu Necktie on Saturday, July 21, supported by Mota and Alms.
If a temporary summer trip is in order, “Be a Light,” the new single from Ali Awan, could provide the sound. Harmonized vocals fortify the loose, laidback, psych-folk ride. The grit of the guitar strums are smoothed over by the shimmer of keys, as the continuous churn of the rhythm marches onward in a direct, mind-tunneling expanse. He’ll be sharing a billing at Johnny Brenda’s on Thursday, August 9, with Lightninging and Mesmeric Haze.
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Krust Toons: "A List of DIY Promoters" 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.
Live footage of Lovelorn’s recent set from June 30, 2018 at Johnny Brenda’s has emerged. The video of “Sickness” captures the murky, smoke-laced haze that surrounds the trio. Akin to acts like The Kills, its suspenseful, buzzsaw guitar and percussive backdrop oozes ominous adrenaline, while giving you something to dance to in the dark corners of the mind. You can find the ex-Creepoid members performing next in Philly on Wednesday, August 1 at the Electric Factory, opening for Glassjaw and Quicksand, along with Primitive Weapons.
A secluded sanctuary is orchestrated in the reimagined, intimate sounds of Quiet Slang. United in those reeled-in, resonating, personal narratives that ache and erupt, the songs demonstrate perspectives that generate power in a collective voice. As the lights turn down, a candlelit catharsis comes into focus. The delicate elegance of strings and piano amplifies the dramatic component in sweeping cinematic shots, allowing the weight of the words to embed and anchor. There’s a sweet sensitivity in play – one which pulls you apart at the seams and refreshingly makes you realize that you’re not alone. This Saturday evening at Underground Arts, Quiet Slang will be joined by the clairvoyant serenity of Abi Reimold, whose poetic tangles and instrumental volatility will hold one in suspense as the night begins. – Michael Colavita
Other places to find sanctuary this weekend…
Underground Arts (1200 Callowhill St.) FRI Rockers Galore, SAT Quiet Slang, Abi Reimold
Johnny Brenda’s (1201 N Frankford Ave.) SAT DJ Mike Nyce, Lil Dave: Philly Loves The Jacksons, SUN The 1910 Chainsaw Company, American Trappist
Boot & Saddle (1131 S. Broad St.) FRI Square Peg Round Hole, Grimace Federation, SAT Night Sins, Jo Kusy
PhilaMOCA (531 N. 12th St.) SUN Solarized
Kung Fu Necktie (1250 N. Front St.) FRI Sometimes Magazine (Issue 3 Release), Soft Crime, Grand Mantis/DJ Paul T, Sean Hearn, SAT Dreamswell, Supine/Fame Lust, SUN Tioga, Vanderlyle, Dominy
Union Transfer (1026 Spring Garden St.) FRI Vacationer
The Trocadero (1003 Arch St.) FRI Dweller, Palmlines, Nic Sanderson, SAT Mantis, The Defiance, Rat Rod, SUN The Naked Sun, Hoochi Coochi, Love? said the Commander
TLA (334 South St.) FRI Bry Greatah
The Fillmore Philadelphia (1100 Canal St.) SAT So Far Gone: Dirty South Joe, Gun$ Garcia, Magglezzz
The Fire (412 W. Girard Ave.) SAT Marion Halliday, SUN Fixation/Blasphemous, Silvanthrone
MilkBoy Philly (1100 Chestnut St.) FRI Heaven Man, SAT Primatives, Andorra, Knightlife, SUN Electric Kif, Vertical Current
Ortlieb’s Lounge (847 N. 3rd St.) FRI The Bad Larrys, Slomo Sapiens,Tulpa, SAT Bree and the Reeds, Trap Rabbit, SUN Mark Lanky
The Barbary (951 Frankford Ave.) FRI Last Full Measure, The Absolute Sky, The Stammer, SUN Freeze, Snake Charmer/Sweet Moves, Stoops
Bourbon & Branch (705 N. 2nd St.) FRI Vital Stats, SAT Northeast Corners, Pet Cheetah, SUN Familiar Things, Goalkeeper
World Café Live (3025 Walnut St.) FRI (Upstairs) Solgazer, Ntive Flora, Obscure Identity, Betterducks,Radish, SAT Girls Rock Philly: Summer Rock Camp Teen Showcase
Silk City (435 Spring Garden St.) FRI DJ Sylo & Astro 8000, SAT DJ Deejay
Fergie’s (1214 Sansom St.) SUN Rusty Cadillac
Connie’s Ric Rac (1132 S. 9th St.) SAT The Founders, Endless Taile, Whiskey Effect
Century (1350 S 29th St.) FRI Moros, Drones For Queens, Night Raids, SAT A Virgin, The Taste of Vomit
The Tusk (430 South St.) FRI Cthulhu Martini, Outlaw Pandas, SAT Erin Fox (Release Show), Rasan In The Heyday, Emily Mineo, At Best
Morgan’s Pier (221 N. Columbus Blvd.) FRI DJ Beatstreet, SUN Ear Me Now
Franky Bradley’s (1320 Chancellor St.) FRI Royale, SAT Ian St. Laurent, SUN Philadelphia Burlesque Festival
Ardmore Music Hall (23 E. Lancaster Ave.) FRI Hambone Relay
The Pharmacy (1300 S. 18th St.) FRI The Hook
Space 1026 (1026 Arch St.) FRI The Goodbye Party, Tact, Greg Electric
LAVA Space (4134 Lancaster Ave.) SUN Blowdryer, Unclaimed Diamonds
Tralfamadore (Please contact one of the acts or venue for more info.) FRI Dani in Public, Rebecca Zimmerman
Planet Phitness (Please contact one of the acts or venue for more info.) FRI Fred Beans, Rentboy, Gender Work
The Sound Hole (Please contact one of the acts or venue for more info.) SAT The Vernes, Haggert McTaggert
Tundra Dome (Please contact one of the acts or venue for more info.) SUN Rally, Countdown From Ten
The cathartic, communal nature of a band clicking on all cylinders in step with a hometown crowd has the makings of an excellent album. [A–>B] Live captures the complete performance from mewithoutYou on November 26th of last year at the TLA, as part of the 15 Year Anniversary Tour of their debut album. Embrace the undeniable energy and intricacies of the group as the power of their live performance is documented. The album is being released in conjunction with a concert documentary available via Arsenal Mediaworks.
Produced by Uniform Recording’s Jeff Zeigler, Rabbits to Riches has a new EP, titled My Idea. A backend bounce is coupled with Brigitte Benecke’s relaxed yet emotively-resonating vocals on the band’s title track. Things appear to be coming to a head. A decision needs to made, but the pleasant melody suggests that a hopeful delay may be in order. The Philly trio will be holding its record release show this Saturday, July 14 at Space 1026, supported by Zeigler, Emily Bate, and Cora Sone.
Have you ever found yourself wondering what a post-apocalyptic pack of roving hackers who speak in Comic-Sans incantations would sound like? Data, the Philly-based duo comprised of Nina Ryser and Gabe Adels, may have just conjured this pleasantly absurd hypothetical into existence. Invisible Witnesses is the second release from the group and follow up to last year’s Divine Creature. Warbling keyboards interlaced with punchy, staccato guitar lines mark the band’s signature sound, with Ryser and Adels’s vocals vacillating between crooning and shouting. The track, “Touchdown Tonight,” feels almost like an homage to the late Don Van Vliet, while the contrasts between recordings like “Give Me Away” and album opener, “Heart So Sad,” display the dynamics that make the album drift effortlessly between jittery grooves and refined singer-songwriter passages. Invisible Witnesses is now available digitally below and on cassette via Single Girl Married Girl Records. – Josh Kelly
“Lighthouse” kicks off Still Life, the forthcoming EP from Katie Ellen. Gritty, guitar licks interlock with the warm, personal observations of Anika Pyle’s vocals, which are further accentuated by harmony, creating a semi-relaxed, eye-of-the-storm effect. Expressing optimism yet tinged with a sense of loneliness, it tears from both sides, and conveniently ramps up and rips as it reaches its conclusion. Still Life is due out on July 20 via Lauren Records, just in time to accompany the band on tour this summer with Lemuria and Dusk. (Photo by Elena de Soto)
Another sonic glimpse into Dance On the Blacktop, the forthcoming album from Nothing (scheduled for release on August 24 via Relapse Records), has been revealed. “Blue Line Baby” weaves between the soft innocent nature of the vocals and the rougher, combative side of the instrumental swells. Finding a union in those contrasting elements of hushed and heavy is a jarring musical memory. You can feel Nothing at Union Transfer on Saturday, October 6, supported by Swirlies, Big Bite, and Smut! (Photo by Ben Rayner)
Trouble Anyway, the sophomore album Rosali Middleman, a.k.a. Rosali, recently crept across the horizon. Elegant, hypnotically soulful folk is on full display. With direct, heartfelt songwriting and soothing vocals, she navigates through delicate and treacherous instrumental landscapes, providing a textured and at times, mystical setting, one that is both serene and stirring to the psyche. Tonight, Johnny Brenda’s will be hosting Rosali’s album release show, where she’ll be supported by Daniel Bachman and Erin Rae.
