It’s not far-fetched to draw comparisons to The Jesus & Mary Chain when you listen to Party Photographers’ jangly noise pop. On their single “Piano Vache”, the Philly quartet, finds themselves courting a similar wall of sound, one that calls on heavy distortion and ethereal, reverb-soaked vocals. But it’s a palpable influence that remains just that. Crafting intense and contiguous beats that swing from brooding to dancefloor fury, Party Photographers aren’t ripping anyone off. This is their sound, and you will love it. Princeton already does. They will be performing live tonight at 9pm sharp on Princeton’s WPRB 103.3 FM radio show, Her Jazz with Maria T. (Photo by Peter English) – Annamarya Scaccia

When Maxx and the the rest of the Black Landlord crew held their first BBQ at 941 Theater (R.I.P.) last year, it was nonstop fun that featured impeccable food & drinks, plenty of DJs turning it into a serious dance party, and impressive live sets from The Hustle, Prowler and the BBQ’s hosts. But this year’s event at the Uke Club is already shaping up to be one for the record books. Before we get to mentioning all the great bands and DJs on the lineup, we may as well tantalize you with the fact that $25 gets you all the food & beer that you can eat and drink from the likes of Monk’s Café, Bar Ferdinand, Standard Tap and Philadelphia Brewing Co. You’ll also get to watch Black Landlord battle the Philly Roller Girls in volleyball as well as bringing it home on the stage. You’ll feel good about yourself too since a portion of the proceeds will go to The Salvation Army Foster Care Program. And as you start to dance to hot jams provided by Strawberry Mansion DJs and King Britt, you’ll be feeling even better. This years amped up musical lineup will leave you especially enchanted since it features the tripped out psych rock of Bardo Pond, the shoegazey indie rock tunes of Gildon Works, the soulful rock ‘n’ roll of Ben Dickey and Drew Mills from Blood Feathers, the glimmering piano-pop of BC Camplight, the ultra-cool indie pop of Brooklyn’s Naked Hearts, and many more. Rain date is Aug. 29. (Seems like we’ve been needing to use a lot of them lately.) Uke Club, 847 N. Franklin St., 12pm, $25, All Ages – Bill McThrill

 

It’s hard not to feel like you’re on a drug-induced time travel trip through eras of degeneracy while watching Far-Out Fangtooth and Hot Guts perform in the same night. At least, that’s how I imagine the two Philly outfits’ early show with Virginian quintet the Super Vacations will go at The El Bar tonight. With Far-Out Fangtooth providing the lo-fi ‘60s-inspired psychedelica garage rock and Hot Guts supplying the ‘80s-influenced deathrock gothic drones, it’ll be a set of heavy fuzz, spastic freak outs, and raw instrumental breakdowns from 20 years apart. Kinda like if Bauhaus’ “Bela Lugosi’s Dead” shacked up with The 13th Floor Elevators’ “Thru the Rhythm” and created these weird and wonderful musical monsters that just happened to land in Philly. The El Bar, 1356 N. Front St., 6pm, $5, 21+– Annamarya Scaccia

 

It’s been pretty difficult keeping up with all that has been going on with local retro guitar rockers Free Energy. They will be releasing a split remix 7” vinyl with Local Natives on Sept. 14. Lewis Pesacov of Fool’s Gold did the remixes for both bands. The single will be released on White Iris Records, the label counterpart to Black Iris, a recording studio and music collective. You can download the digital version of the “Bang Pop” (Fool’s Gold Remix) for FREE here. Free Energy were also recently featured on Pitchfork’s POV Concert Series and SPINhouse Live as well as the new Shaun White ad campaign for Target. The band just kicked off a national tour last week with Titus Andronicus. The two bands will be selling a split 7” (exclusively available on tour).  Both groups have recorded covers for this 7”, Free Energy’s being Bruce Springsteen’s “I’m Going Down”. Do you feel kind of caught up yet? (Photo by Ben Rowland) – H.M. Kauffman

 

I miss the days when I used to hang out at Fergie’s all the time. There were many drunken nights with plenty of great music. It’s a most excellent place to grab a pint and catch a show for FREE, well, if you don’t mind helping out with the sound once in a while. Tonight will bring folk rockers The Fallen Troubadours whom I believe you’ll see popping up around town more and more, but Fergie’s should be a good place for you to get your drunk on and check them out. XPN should be rockin’ their shit sooner or later. Fergie’s, 1214 Sansom St., 10pm, Free, 21+ – H.M. Kauffman

 

While camping out and meeting good folks as you listen to some laid-back tunes sounds like a good time, we’re more city dwellers at The Deli so it isn’t necessarily our first option (even though trippin’ out in the woods might be fun). Since you know that we’ll be roaming the venues of Philly, we think that you should meet us Saturday night for Conversations with Enemies’ CD Release Party at JB’s, where you’ll be treated to a guest lecture by the mad professor himself Jay Purdy (The Extraordinaires) on "How to Survive a Zombie Attack" as well as the traveling blues-folk party of Toy Soldiers and the raucous Brit-pop of Cheers Elephant. And of course, there’ll be a live performance by Conversations with Enemies who will be unveiling their ambitious venture Nowhere, OK, a delightfully fun album full of monster tales and jangly, upbeat indie pop that comes with a comic providing plenty visual and aural stimulation. Johnny Brenda’s, 1201 N. Frankford Ave., 9pm, $10, 21+

 

For those who want more…

 

Johnny Brenda’s (1201 N. Frankford Ave.) FRI Bells Bells Bells, Lo Power Plane, Giant Mind, Acres of Diamonds

 

North Star Bar (2639 Poplar St.) FRI New Motels, SAT Alright Junior, SUN The Scenic and Gennero

 

The Fire (412 W. Girard Ave.) FRI Infinien

 

Tritone (1508 South St.) SAT The Absolute Zeros, Pistolia, New Pony

 

Fergie’s (1214 Sansom St.) SAT The Fallen Troubadours

 

Millcreek Tavern (4200 Chester Ave.) FRI Dangerbird and Ugh, God

 

JR’s Bar (2327 S. Croskey St.) FRI Women & Smoker and the Rollers

 

Greenline Café (4239 Locust St.) SAT Gypsy Death and You

 

World Café Live (3025 Walnut St.) FRI – SUN Beta Hi-Fi Festival 2010

 

The Blockley Pourhouse (3801 Chestnut St.) SAT E-Funk

 

Uke Club (847 N. Franklin St.) SUN 2nd Annual Black Landlord BBQ w/BC Camplight, Ben and Drew from Blood Feathers, Gildon Works, Bardo Pond and many more.

 

So, the 49th Annual Philly Folk Festival begins today, and it’s looking to be better than ever. Of course, there’ll be some Deli favorites showing off their talents over the weekend like the romantic charm of The Spinning Leaves and psych-folksters/Brit-popsters Cheers Elephant. But what is even more exciting is the amount of national and international talent flooding in! Bonnie "Prince" Billy, with all his dark ruminations, will be performing. Blues veterans Taj Mahal. British music biz legend Richard Thompson. Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy (you read correctly) will be making a rather rare solo appearance . . . and the list goes on. Long story short, there’s quite the overwhelming variety of acts at this thing so even if you’re not a die-hard folkie, you’ll most likely still find something to get all giddy about. So gather round the fire and camp out at the farm. Old Pool Farm, 1323 Salford Station Road, Schwenksville, PA, Fri – Sun, Ticket Costs Vary, All Ages – Joe Poteracki

 

 

 

Resident psych/freak-folk outfit Bells Bells Bells ring out the summer at JB’s. Gorgeously gloomy with chilling reverb, their latest release A Ghost Could Live Here mixes guitar shreds with organ and opera with rock. Aided by frontwoman Amandah Romick’s haunting vocals, tracks like “Prophet on the Horizon” are driving, dramatic, and fierce. The cosmic riffs of “Laika, An Astronaut” are melodic amidst distortion. Notes bend, sounding much like shrieks. In “Little Hours”, Romick resembles Siouxsie Sioux with a pinch of Kate Bush as her hypnotic voice eases into a near instrumental end. She’ll be paired with the polished pop of Acres of Diamonds and freak out jams of Lo Power Plane. Johnny Brenda’s. 1201 Frankford Ave., 8pm, $10, 21+ – Dianca Potts

 

When it comes to brash in your face hardcore punk with churning guitar chords and a dervish of vocals, Women are the band that has the Jim Beam flowing. And with their latest outing No Reasons (you can listen to on their website), which was tag team released by FDH and Resurrection Records, they might’ve just tipped the scales of unapologetic crudeness with songs like “Got No Brains”, “Someone Else”, and “KGB” tossing drunken lullabies at the night and then quickly fading out in a fervor of venom. When they play JR’s tonight, it’s going to be a sloppy mess that stays true to the punk of old! Also staying true to that direction will be hard hitters Smoker and the Rollers, who are getting ready to release a debut album sometime this fall. JR’s, 2327 S. Croskey St., 9pm, $5, 21+ – Bill McThrill

 

Amidst vintage tees and knick-knacks, South Philly’s Circle Thrift presents the latest in their summer series of basement shows. Birthed from the brilliant mind of store manager Zack Jackson (aka Anglebrahd), tonight’s show coincides with discounts storewide for showgoers and shoppers alike (25% to be exact). Local lady Kristen Serafin plans to share soft yet pronounced ballads like “Setting Sail” and “Hands and Feet”. Highlighted by their acoustic charisma and well poised prose, indie folksters Kelly and the Ruths set to melt hearts with tracks like “Blue-eyed Lover” and “Hush Darling”. With a twinge of jazzy swagger and a wealth of lush harmonies, Kelly and the Ruths will render you easily smitten. Add in the at times quirky yet charming acoustic pop of the Beekeepers and your night is planned. Shop, rock ‘n’ roll. Circle Thrift, 1125 S. Broad St., 7:30pm, $5, All Ages – Dianca Potts