Sounding like “survival” and the wing flaps of “mythical beasts,” local act Ravens and Vultures have an allure all of their own. The hush-hushed vocals of “Willow Tree” and instrumented blips of “Fistswinterbeta” are akin to the lush orchestration of the Broken Social Scene, resonating in layers of percussive cycles and bending riffs. Each track drenched with eased ambience, echoes out in neared whispers coupled with stuttered beats and the colliding shake of cymbals. Smitten with thoughts of magic and the power of myths, this Philly trio plus honorary member Michael Johnson conjure up thoughts of Mogwai with similar post-rock finesse. Between their full-length Last Love and their EP Keep Your Kill, their sound is a deserving shoo-in to become the next big thing if only they played out more. Like a mellow b-side by Black Moth Super Rainbow, Ravens and Vultures play humming psyched out lo-fi that shines with subtlety. Grab the opportunity when you can, and catch their set with fellow fae Michael Johnson and the rest of Ape School, Miniboone (The Deli NYC’s Band of the Month) and Ghost/Light. Pilam, 3914 Spruce Street, 8pm, $5, All Ages myspace.com/fistsofharmony – Dianca Potts

 

When he isn’t rocking out with his band The Nite Lights, Joe Boruchow is a renown area artist who is best known for his stylized paper cutouts. His posters can be seen at scattered lampposts all across Philadelphia, and he has even done commissioned works for the likes of Isaiah Zagar. To go along with the release of his newest book, Stuffed Animals – a narrative of 100 black paper cutouts that weave the tale of a young boy and his shocking discoveries, Boruchov’s two worlds are about to come together. The Nite Lights have been hard at work composing music to a 20 minute slide reel of the books imagery. And tonight they are prepared to unveil the results during two special sets at Johnny Brenda’s. They’ll be joined by the whirling dervish of ghost punk involutioners Northern Liberties as well as garage rock veterans Mondo Topless to round out a most interesting evening. Johnny Brenda’s, 1201 N. Frankford Ave., 9pm, $10, 21+ myspace.com/nitelights – Bill McThrill

 

And so it begins. I spent my last night in Philadelphia utilizing what makes the east coast great, hot tubs and Gilbey’s vodka. I am now laying in bed after getting off our plane in Austin at 8:30pm last night, and after getting tipped off to the best titty bars in Austin (my buddy Joey knows the manager, and he gave us his business card) we made our way downtown. We stood in line at the Purevolume house to try and get our badges to see Johnny Flynn, but we were more than an hour and a half away from even getting them when we heard the first song of his thirty-minute set start. Still needing to get our England on we rushed over to the British Embassy for their opening night showcase with FREE BOOZE. And they say that the British have never done anything for us (they say that right?). We checked out a great DJ named Unicorn Kid and some Libertines wannabe before getting tipped off to a Pomegranates show that was happening a few blocks up the way. We sat through some okay bands before finally at 1am the PGranates took the outdoor stage at the Beauty Bar to melt our faces off till we were kicked out.

The night ended with some great bratwursts (topped to the nines with onions, mustard and hot sauce) and a very jovial homeless guy taking pictures with me.

 

(Photo by Joey F.)

 

– Adam G.

 

Marc Laurick first came onto the scene as a part of Sensory Fix, and later as a member of the reemergence of the classic post punk band Bunnydrums when their back catalog was rereleased on Metropolis (and has performed with the likes of Skip Heller and Mose Giganticus in between). When the band went back into hiatus, he started Witchtrialz!, a post punk outfit reminiscent to Buzzcocks and Killing Joke that featured members of Pyramids and Sensory Fix. But now Laurick is ready to introduce a new project, which features another Bunnydrums member in Howard Harrison. Aside from the credentials of both musicians, much of Yeah Clementines is still shrouded in mystery. But demos such as “An Aporia” and “Castoreum” reveal an old school lo-fi sound that any fan of Iggy & The Stooges and Dinosaur Jr. might enjoy. M Room, 15 W. Girard Ave., 9pm, $8, 21+ myspace.com/witchtrialz – Bill McThrill

 

It’s St. Patty’s Day, and I love it! It reminds me of my teenage days in my hometown getting drunk with my friends before hitting the parade and getting even drunker at a Japanese hibachi restaurant while we watched the parade through the front window by the bar. I know. Japanese hibachi restaurant on St. Patty’s Day? What do you expect when you are sixteen? You take it where you can get it. Since I’ve already started the day with some Guinness and Jameson, I’ll keep this short because my motor skills may leave me very soon. If you want to shake a little booty and kiss anyone who is Irish or not, I would swing by Silk City for Prowler and Reef the Lost Cauze. If you want to drunkenly sing-along to some Irish tunes and witty-ass lyrics, head over to the M Room where our favorite anti-folk hero Death Panel (a.k.a. Charles Latham) will surely be bringing grins to everyone’s faces. If the drunk and belligerent college crowd is your scene, then grab your baseball cap and favorite frat/sorority gear and meet someone (whose name you’ll probably not remember in the morning) at The Blockley Pourhouse with The Quelle Source. Just remember swallowing anything green isn’t always a good thing. Cheers! – Q.D. Tran

 

Holy shit! It’s not raining anymore. Well, it’s beginning to look like spring for the moment. We wanted to give you a heads up about The Deli’s Lunchtime Escape next Friday, March 26th at The Bellevue. We are very happy to announce that Lux Perpetua (a.k.a. Justin Wolf – formerly of The Extraordinaires), Hair Rocket and The Armchairs’ Andy Mulholt will be joining us for this intimate performance.

 

Lux Perpetua creates melodic garage/folk rock that gets your head bobbing and your body moving. Don’t let his scruffy bearded exterior fool you! His tunes have a warmth and heart that will surely come out in this stripped-down setting. Hair Rocket always leaves it all on stage. Led by Berklee dropout Chris Blasucci, their songs are like any good breakup. It’s equal parts dark, mysterious and bizarre, but cathartic. Despite the deeply personal nature of his lyrics, the songs are no less relatable and universal. Lastly but certainly not least will be The Armchairs’ frontman Andy Mulholt. His positive energy simply forces you to gravitate towards him. You never know what will happen at one of his performances. Like true art, Mulholt aims at each performance to bring out emotions from you (whether good or bad) that you weren’t sure existed. This intimate setting is sure to give you a glimpse into the world of some of Philly’s most talented emerging artists so we hope to see you there! The Bellevue (food court area), 200 S. Broad St., 12pm – 2pm, FREE, All Ages (Photo by Mike Persico) – The Deli Staff

Love ‘em or hate ‘em – you have to respect how far The Disco Biscuits have come from their frat party days at Penn. It’s not easy to sustain a nearly 15 year career in this fickle music industry, especially with little radio airplay. But they did it the old-fashion way – by hitting the road and building their legion of rabid “tree-thugger” fans one show at a time. Moving away from the Phish covers that once were found in their setlists in the early days, The Disco Biscuits changed the landscape of the Jamband scene when they introduced their hybrid of electronica and live music which they dubbed “Trance fusion” spawning a whole generation of imitators (well, too many in my opinion, but imitation is the highest form of flattery). This evening they begin a two-night run at the TLA to celebrate their latest release Planet Anthem, their most radio-friendly album to date containing collaborations from such artists as Don Cheegro and Dirt Harry (Ludacris, Beanie Sigel), Damon Dash (co-founder of Roca-a-fella Records) and Tu Phace. But don’t worry my little “tree-thuggers”, there will still be plenty of techno dance beats, headies and psychedelics to get you to the after-party at the hotie. TLA, 334 South St., 8pm, $30, All Ages myspace.com/discobiscuitsofficial – H.M. Kauffman

 

The Spinning Leaves recently released the vinyl Love on Ropeadope Records. Probably aptly named for the way that they feel about Philly’s local music scene, the duo Michael “the” Baker and Barbara “B the Leaf” Gettes are the proud parents of Excited Light Productions who have been responsible for The Philly Folk Parade, but this interview is about the celebration of their music and victory in our most recent poll.

 

The Deli: When did you start playing together?

 

The Spinning Leaves: October 16, 2006 ~ a day after Michael met Barbara at her birthday party.
 
TD: What are your biggest musical influences, and what artists (local/national/international) are you currently listening to?

 

B:  Hmmm…The Pixies, Otis Redding, Van Morrison, Joni Mitchell, The Grateful Dead, Bonnie Prince Billy, David Byrne, Devendra (& family), really dig the new Hope Sandoval & Massive Attack stuff right now, Leonard Cohen, The Flamingoes, Maurice Sendak, Woody Guthrie, A Tribe Called Quest, soundtracks from Wes Anderson movies, The American Roots program on NPR, Scrapper Blackwell, The Shins, Ali Farka Toure, Cat Power, The Beatles, The Velvet Underground, Townes Van Zandt, The Beastie Boys, Bob Dylan, Radiohead, and Klezmer music. As for local – The Philly Folk Parade folks and the West Philly Orchestra!

 

M:  Gonna go ahead and agree with B on all that. And, without repeating, add Pavement and Malkmus with the Jicks, Johnny Showcase and the Lefty Lucy Cabaret, Chris Bathgate, Vetiver, Animal Collective, Neil Young, NOMO, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Air, Gillian Welch, Madlib, The Kinks, Will Oldham’s other stuff such as the Palace jawns and Superwolf, Califone, Phil D’agostino, Joanna Newsom, The Liars, Johnny Miles, love, The Skygreen Leopards, Castanets, Silver Jews, Black Star, old French movies, Sly and the Family, and an eclectic mix of others I just can’t think of right now. I mean, influences are weird as far as inspiration goes. I can listen to something really developed on a recording and spring forth into fantastical new ideas, or sometimes just sit and look at something like a blade of grass and see the fabric of the universe. I like to imagine and nurture new things and be open to the nearest now.

 

TD: What’s the first concert that you ever attended and first album that you ever bought?
 
B: Jackie Pack, with my family.. repeatedly.  Jackie Pack is a woman who sang folk music for children. I loved her and had all of her records! The first album…well, I consider this one of the triggers to my music addiction. I bought 10 tapes or (something like that) for a penny from a Columbia House thing the summer before 6th grade. The tapes that I remember getting are a few Simon and Garfunkle, The Violent Femmes, Skeletons in the Closet from Grateful Dead, Eric Clapton, They Might Be Giants, and the soundtrack to Grease. 

M:  Uhmm…this one time my friend Matt and I were riding in the car with my mom and we heard a contest for concert tickets on this radio station called WSTO. The DJ was at a gas station and said that the first person to come claim the tickets could have them. We were basically in the parking lot. SO, my friend Matt and I saw Toni Braxton and Kenny G up close in the age of silk shirts and in the full blossom of early junior high. Truly magnificent! Kenny G is maybe five feet tall and Toni Braxton seeped sex. But my first concerts were the W.C. Handy Blues and Barbecue Festivals in my hometown of Henderson, KY. W.C. Handy wrote the "St. Louis Blues" in my hometown. Can’t remember my first album, but I definitely remember locking myself in my room with Boyz II Men’s II and wailing for hours.   
 
TD: What’s your take on the Philly music scene?

 

B: Ever-growing glowing family of love and incredible talent.

 

M: We are ultra-blessed! There are so many genius people making all kinds of genius music of all types in Philadelphia. And the kicker – this city is big and little enough for there to be plenty of room in the gene pool for new people to get in there and swim around yet, we’re packed into the petri dish tight enough for the familiars to get familiar with each other, ya dig? Or should I say, "If you know what I’m sayin’" wink, wink.  We’re set up for cross-pollination and our particular scene, the weird folky thing, feels more like a moving growing animal than an amalgamation of bands and albums and shows. There’s something extra alive here right now. And this is an endless fountain of inspiration for us.   

 

TD: What are your plans for 2010?

B: The sky is the limit!

M: A new album, some videos, tours to the Pacific Northwest, the Southeast, and Europe and the wild new things that will certainly spring forth from all that. Also, I would like to publish a few zines of my drawings and poetry.  

 

TD: What was your most memorable live show?

 

B: That’s a hard question…but off the top of my head in the recent past, our last show in moscow…a big warehouse sort of venue pretty packed…and everyone was dancing and stomping with us and smiling and celebrating in some sort of love all together. I felt like I was flying. At the end of the show, people showered us with beautiful presents. Some guy gave me a beautiful antique amber ring…and told me that it had magical powers.  Absolutely incredible, right? The last show made me even sad to leave amidst the negative 20 degree weather of Moscow!

 

M: Gonna agree with Beeb on the last show in Moscow. We were a complete oddity there and had an immense amount of energy surrounding us everywhere! Will never forget that. But also, you know, we just added a horn section to our band by way of Larry Toft and Adam Hershberger of the West Philly Orchestra and it is it ~ they make the room want to dance all night without fright. Our show last Friday at The Fire was sooo snappy!

 

TD: What’s your favorite thing to get at the deli?
 
B: The pickles and matzoh ball soup!

 

M: An Italian sub. I’m from Kentucky. That’s how we say it.

 

(Photo by Lisa Schaffer)

 

– The Deli Staff

 

 

When Corey Duncan left Pattern Is Movement in ‘07, he didn’t sever ties with his former band mates completely. Instead, he worked long and hard with drummer Chris Ward to create beautifully grandiose recordings for his project Oh! Pears. 13 people coming together, playing two violas, a violin, two cellos, four guitars, two drum situations, a flute, a trumpet, lots of vocals, and clapping later; the Fill Your Lungs EP was conceived. Tonight’s momentous show at Johnny Brenda’s marks the album release where Duncan and his troop of instrumentalists play with The Mural and The Mint, whose Jack McBrearty happens to be one of the thirteen. Ever since working on Private Pockets with Brian McTear, the band has been gaining widespread local attention. But since you can download their music for free on their website you can easily form your own opinion. Rest assured though, this is certain to be one melodic show. Johnny Brenda’s, 12 01 N. Front St., 9pm, $10, 21+ myspace.com/ohpearsmusic – Bill McThrill

 

What’s the plan for this weekend? We’ll be heading over to Kung Fu Necktie Saturday night for Drink Up Buttercup’s debut Album Release Party for Yep Records’ Born and Thrown on a Hook, our March CD of the Month (check out our review below to the right). They’ll be joined by the monster-lovin’ crew Conversations with Enemies. For once, KFN’s weekend band curfew works in our favor. Since the night will still be young, we’ll be making the trek to West Philly to the Mar Bar for the homecoming of Free Energy who just released their debut album earlier this week Stuck on Nothing on Astralwerks/DFA Records (check out our interview with singer Paul Sprangers below). We’ll hopefully be rockin’ out with you at both shows! Drink Up Buttercup – Kung Fu Necktie, 1250 N. Front St., 7:30pm, $8, 21+ (Photo by Bryan Bruchman) myspace.com/drinkupbuttercupband, Free Energy – Mar Bar, 200 S. 40th St., 9pm, $10, 21+ myspace.com/freeenergymusic

 

It might be wet, but at least it’s pretty warm. Don’t be a baby! Go out and put some money back into the economy. Here are some other places to do it…

 

Johnny Brenda’s (1201 N. Frankford Ave.) FRI Faux Slang, SAT Oh! Pears Record Release Party w/The Mural and The Mint

The Fire (412 W. Girard Ave.) FRI The Parsnip Revolt, The Roddies, Hair Rocket, SAT TJ Kong & The Atomic Bomb, Cheers Elephant, Sisters Three, Toy
Soldiers

North Star Bar (2639 Poplar St.) FRI Phantasm, Even The Res, Metroplex, SAT PhillyBloco, SUN Ganto Barn

M Room (12 W. Girard Ave.) FRI Lauryn & EgBot, SUN Red Devil
 
Tritone (1508 South St.) SAT The Lopez, Betty Iron Thumbs, SUN antiEmz

World Café Live (3025 Walnut St.) FRI Swift Technique, The Hustle, Black Landlord

Blockley Pourhouse (3801 Chestnut St.) FRI Chris Kasper and Andrew Lipke

Millcreek Tavern (4200 Chester Ave.) FRI Clamfight and Wizard Eye

Greenline Café (4239 Locust St.) FRI Music & Mentorship Showcase w/Clean Equations and Jim Thomas

Tin Angel (20 S. 2nd St.) Don McCloskey

The Trocadero (1003 Arch St.) SAT Ruder Than You

The Ox (2nd and Oxford St.) SAT Bubonic Bear

Danger Danger Gallery (5013 Baltimore Ave.) SAT The Chimeras and Casual Viking

 

If you’ve had a long week and just feel like lettin’ loose and gettin’ funky, World Café Live has a local bill that is sure to rain down some horns on you. Looks like kicking off the night will be Black Landlord. This is why you know it’s going to be an ass-shakin’ night. These seasoned pros, who could actually headline and bring the house down on their own, are taking the early slot to get the party started. They’ll let the young bucks, The Hustle and Swift Technique, close out the evening. The Hustle are led by WXPN lyrical darling MC Kuf Knotz and vocalist La Ru, whose fun-lovin’ energy is infectious. Backed by a group of learned musicians and friends, their polished sound finds new heads nodding with approval at each gig. And you know Swift Technique would like nothing more than to perform a funkified marathon set leaving it all out on the stage. For you older heads, go home take a nap after work and get yourself ready while the younger cats will be rolling in from multiple happy hours. Either way, get yourselves ready! World Café Live (Downstairs), 3025 Walnut St., 8pm, $15, All Ages – H.M. Kauffman