Kuf Knotz has been working hard to help build a place for creativity to flow in the music and art community with his monthly series BoomBox Collective at World Café Live. Well, he’ll be taking the big stage this evening to release some of that positive energy to get you rockin’ and swayin’ to his own soundtrack of hope. Kuf Knotz will be opening for his brother from another mother and blue-eyed soul man Mutlu who has been on tour a lot lately backing his brofriend Amos Lee. Tonight should be a reunion of old heads from the BurnDown crew and the singer-songwriter community so be prepared for some good vibes. World Café Live, 3025 Walnut St., 8pm, $21 – $31, All Ages – H.M. Kauffman

 

 

The new installment of UNIVOX TV brings you tales from beneath the graveyard (apartment) and the recorded debut live performance of “Red Flower”. You can catch the real deal Saturday night at JB’s w/Do You Need the Service? and The Better Letters. Enjoy! – The Deli Staff

 

From the jangly, thump-thump backbeat of Mystical Participation’s “I Will Wait” to the dancey subtlety of “Always On My Mind”, the lo-fi chants of Reading Rainbow are warm with undertones of surf and 60s nostalgia (think Drug Rug, but more fuzzed out). A two-piece sensation, these Fishtown natives won the heart of Pitchfork with their latest release Prism Eyes, while deepening fan’s appreciation for their straightforward romanticism and catchy hooks. With all the buzz surrounding Everton and Garcia, it’s hard not to hum along with “Underground” and “Cut in Two”. Reading Rainbow’s redefinition of the quasi-garage noise pop meets lo-fi aesthetic possesses its listener by way of earnest orchestration and sugary sweet (but not sickening) lyrics that linger long after sung. Get dreamy with Everton and Garcia at The Ox with Lower Dens, Adventure, and R.u.an.if.u.R. (BTW: I hear that it’s the “official other show” to be at tonight. ;o) The Ox, (you should know by now or ask a friend), 8pm, $5, All Ages – Dianca Potts

 

It’s easy for me to say that David Byrne is my favorite musician/artist of all-time. I have always been attracted to the quirky-intellectual-introverted-yet-extraverted quality that you find in his music and live performances. Ever since I was in junior high when my friend’s dickhead older brother, who used to pick on Brendan and I, came back from college, said to us “why don’t you douche bags listen to some real music”, and threw us the cassette of Stop Making Sense, my life was changed. The dickhead was right. Well, those brilliant qualities in Byrne’s work are things that I find reminiscent in the songs and live performances by The Homophones. In 2010, the band broke out on the local indie music scene without any studio recordings of what they actually sounded like. Just mastermind Jason Ferraro’s album Holiday in Your Head under The Homophones’ moniker comprised of early versions of crowd favorites which was produced by The Spinto Band’s Nick Krill. But until they come out with new recordings, you’ll just have to catch their infectiously fun live performances to see/hear for yourselves which will help explain why they were invited to perform at our opening showcase for the Philly F/M Fest and PW’s Concert in the Park Series among other great bills and local events in 2010. I’m really looking forward to hearing more from them in 2011, but it’s been quiet so far (really hope that they are working on new recordings right now). – Q.D. Tran

 

Josh Britton is back with his solo project Psalmships, and the man behind Sweatheart Parade has brought along a friend for the ride in Liz Fullerton (Dutch). They have a split EP Anchored to Oak coming out soon. You can take a listen to the heartbreaking track “Horse Pt. 3” below and download it for free through March here. It is one of three songs featuring Fullerton. The duo will be opening for Sub Pop’s Tiny Vipers on Saturday, March 5 at Burlap & Bean. You will also be able to download Psalmships’ new EP March on Your Knees for free next week here. Enjoy! – The Deli Staff

 

Virtual Virgin return to JB’s tonight. Led by Craig Van Hise with help from local friends and members of Philly acts like Toy Soldiers, Lady and The Tea Club, the music of Virtual Virgin has a learned, classical feel to it which often gets overshadowed by their driving dance beats. Well, I’m guessing that rabid fans of dance popster and headliner Diamond Rings might do the same while performing their choreographed and/or non-choreographed dance moves in their tight white jeans. Whatevs – it’s going to be a dance party, and you are all invited! They’ll also be joined by Diamond Rings’ buddies PS I Love You so save some energy for this evening. Johnny Brenda’s, 1201 N. Frankford Ave., 9pm, $10, 21+ – H.M. Kauffman

 

It’s been about four years since Creeping Weeds’ promising debut full-length, and from the sound of things, not that much has changed. The band still has a knack for chiseling out perfect, multi-layered pop songs along the lines of Elliot Smith or The Shins, and like those artists, they seem to feel most comfortable eschewing the lo-fi trend in favor of a quaint, yet crystal-clear production sound. If anything at all is different in their latest effort See Through, it’s that these songs have an added breeziness. They’re just a tad bit lighter, both in tone and instrumentation.

 

Opener “Fountain” starts off with a heady, drifting melody and finger-picked guitar only to surprise you with a sudden rumbling of distortion and propulsive drums. The washed-out licks in “Weekend at the Shore” become a reoccurring theme in the album, as well as the electronic shimmers in “Master Plan”. While “Sirens” has been floating around the internet for years now, it still remains one of the catchier numbers on the album. “(Wrapped in) Gauze” is somewhat of a standout with its different rhythmic approach and sun-kissed chorus. Same goes for “Vampires”, which benefits a lot from its gently oscillating guitar effect. The meditative picking and hushed vocal harmonies of “Hole in the Wall” wrap things up nicely, though perhaps not conclusively as expected.

 

Front to back, the album exudes plenty of charm and color, and it’s doubtful that any previous fans of Creeping Weeds would be disappointed. The songs here should work equally well on a summer evening as a winter one, and it’s nice to see a pop record these days that’s not the slightest bit ironic, but simply whimsical, hopeful, and just a little melancholy. You can stream and purchase See Through here.

 

Congrats to Meek Mill for making the cover of XXL Magazine’s 2011’s Freshman Class! It’s their fourth annual Freshman edition and features their picks of the next MCs to look out for in hip hop. This year’s class includes artists like Lil B, Yelawolf and many others. Some hip hop fans are probably wondering why Chiddy Bang was excluded from the cover with the breakout year that they’ve had. Well, as Noah “Xaphoon Jones” Bersein pointed out via Twitter, “Chill! Me n chidd are disqualified from XXL because we are technically a duo or group. No worries! Cool kids and wu-tang couldn’t win either.” So don’t hate; just appreciate that the 2-1-5 was represented! (Now, our only problem is why so many Philly MCs sport Yankee caps in their videos and pics. Where is the love?) – The Deli Staff

 

Delco Nightingale lead us through a time warp to the 1940s rediscovering the sounds of big-band, jazz and swing standards. However, the four-piece that is made up of vocalist Erin Berry, guitarist Greg Phoenix, upright bassist Brendan Skwire, and drummer Eddie Everett take those opulent orchestrated compositions, strip them down, and inject a bit of the rock ‘n’ roll that really didn’t exist in that time period, thus, creating fun, bouncy numbers for a whole new generation. Well, they have a big show tonight at World Café Live, and I’m thinking that they’ll be right at home when they open for living icon and Queen of Rockabilly, Wanda Jackson. Now, how many people in the world and throughout history can say that they slept with Elvis and rocked out with Jack White? Exactly. World Café Live, 3025 Walnut St., 8pm, $30 – $55, All Ages – H.M. Kauffman

 

Whether you just think the British version is better than the American version or you are conflicted because it kind of feels like softcore kiddie porn and is way to racy for your taste, tonight you have a reason to tune into “Skins” to show some local love and put your gripes aside because Drink Up Buttercup’s “Sosey and Dosey” will be making an appearance in the controversial MTV series. You can check out the new episode tonight at 10pm, and send the DUB dudes a message to let them know how it went because they don’t get that the MTV station on their television. Below is a stripped-down version of “Sosey and Dosey” that was recorded on the steps inside World Café Live. – The Deli Staff

 

Check out some sweet video footage below of Arc In Round covering Can’s “Oh Yeah” at Art in the Age (2/18/11 – posted by pilgrimsprogress)! Arc In Round’s debut self-titled full-length is due out May 10 and will feature appearances by members of Kurt Vile and the Violators and Pattern Is Movement as well as remixes by local music pals like A Sunny Day In Glasgow and Ape School. They also have plans to head out on tour in the spring with Lehigh Valley’s Soars. Enjoy! – The Deli Staff