Philadelphia

Where Is My Mind?: Chiddy Bang

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You can say that Philly’s alt-hip hop MC/producer duo Chiddy Bang is an overnight success. After releasing their first commercial single, “Opposite of Adults” – the electro-hop track (which samples MGMT’s breakout, “Kids”) – off of their 2009 18-song mixtape, The Swelly Express, they went from the local stage to international forum, signing to UK’s Parlophone Records (with backing in the states from Virgin/EMI), sharing the stage with Kid Cudi and Three 6 Mafia, and playing major festivals like this year’s Glastonbury. But after listening to a Chiddy Bang mixtape, this isn’t a surprise – producer Noah “Xaphoon Jones” Bersein and rapper Chidera “Chiddy” Anagmege blend angular synths, dancefloor pop, indie rock samples, hip hop and afro-beat with on-point spits in such flawless fashion, their eclectic sound just can’t help but be catchy. And, on October 12, they’ll digitally release their first major label record, The Preview, which will feature three old songs and five new ones (their actual, full-length major label debut has been pushed back and is now scheduled for release in 2011). Currently touring stateside and overseas for their “The Swelly Life Tour”, with a stop at the TLA tonight, The Deli had a chance to speak with the dynamic duo Chiddy and Xaphoon about their success, sound, influences, and the idea of ever returning back to school as well as much, much more. Check it all out here!
 
Philadelphia

An Intimate Evening w/Ursula Rucker at JB’s Sept. 2

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Between her spoken word performances at Zanzibar and Painted Bride Arts Center, her contributions to Do You Want More?!!?!!, Things Fall Apart, and other classic albums from The Roots, and her own dynamic recordings, Ursula Rucker has been a poetic songbird tour de force since the 90s. And since she’s scheduled to release a forthcoming album in October titled She Said, a project for King Britt’s FiveSix Media, her fire hasn’t shown any signs of burning out just quite yet. Tonight the soulful muse will be doing an intimate performance at Johnny Brenda’s. So expect to hear favorites from albums like Supa Sista and Silver of Lead, plenty of freestyle flow, and signs of what’s to come. Johnny Brenda’s, 1201 N. Frankford Ave., 9pm, $10, 21+ – Bill McThrill
 
Philadelphia

Deathbeds, Towers and Bubonic Bear at North Star Sept.2

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Deathbeds, Towers, Bubonic Bear – just their names alone make it sound like their set tonight at North Star Bar is going to be a summit of death and destruction. But that’s how I like it – intense aural beatdowns that pound and rip at your ear drums, causing you to explode in a frenzy of head bangs and body slams. Okay, so that’s a little excessive, but it’s hard not to get all extreme when you have Deathbeds’ brutal, guttural, riff-filled hardcore, Towers mile-a-minute punk metal assaults and Bubonic Bear’s crazed noise punk (plus Austin’s Today is the Day) under one roof. North Star Bar, 2639 Poplar Street, 8pm, $12, 21+ (Poster by Mike Wohlberg) – Annamarya Scaccia
 
Philadelphia

The Deli’s CD of the Month: Try Harder – Sunny Ali & the Kid

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Sunny Ali & the Kid are very minimalist. And by that I mean, if the old "less is more" adage is true, then Sunny Ali & the Kid’s Try Harder EP might as well be a blindingly epic prog suite. None of the songs even reach the three minute mark, and it’s almost funny how well it works. Each track gives you just a taste and nothing more, so you can’t help but go back and listen again, and again…and again.
In this respect, they recall Wire, who managed to cram more invention into fifty seconds than many other bands could in four minutes. In fact, the whole EP sounds like a series of post-punk diversions. Vocals are alternately distant and aggressive; the guitars, when not strumming, are locked in surf-y, angular riffs; and as a whole, the recordings have a trebly, reverberating quality to them.
 
Since singer Hassan Ali left his earlier band POPO, he’s been plugging Sunny Ali & the Kid as a sort of country punk act, even going so far as to dress like an urban cowboy. But there are scant traces of country on Try Harder, or even what one might call folk. There are a few tracks, like the closer "Fuck Me" and the title track, that strum along at a leisurely, country-inflected pace. But the overall effect is something quite different. The songs that really stand out, "You Know What Jawad" and "Cand Stand Ya", with their trebly guitar riffs and dance beats, sound something like Cake (if Cake had been listening to a lot of Gang of Four and the like). And yes, I do hear the “Oh, Pretty Woman” influenced opening riff of "You Know What Jawad". "Skinny Fucker" is straight-ahead punk fury, while "The Best for You…" makes a light, quirky marriage between ukulele and drum machine. There is also a random but enjoyable punkish, garage pop version of “Better Off Alone”, a Euro-dance pop hit for the band Alice DeeJay. So while the record is a rather brief trip, it is an oh so sweet one! You can purchase and download the album here.
 

Cand Stand Ya by Sunny Ali & the Kid

Philadelphia

Extra Innings – Concerts in the Park Series at Rittenhouse Square Sept. 1

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After getting rained out, The Homophones finally have their shot to get in the game at Rittenhouse Square Park. You’ll be treated to a taste of rich baritone vocals, sharp-witted lyrics and a joyously tight musical outfit that has a bright future on the airwaves. We, at The Deli, are very excited to have them performing at our showcase for the Opening Party of the Philly Film and Music Fest at KFN on Sept. 23 w/Univox, TJ Kong and the Atomic Bomb, and Hair Rocket. It should be interesting to see what happens this week in extra innings at PW’s Concerts in the Park Series. We’ve already had police time and tax dollars wasted with the cops being called in for profanity by Gang, a rain out and plenty of last minute lineup changes which include last week’s switch of Peasant for Government Cheaze and this week’s substitution of Post Post for Terrible Things (who will be at FYE on Broad St. today for an in-store performance as well as at The Note tonight for a CD Release Party – you can check out an interview with Fred Mascherino for The Deli’s Where Is My Mind? here). It doesn’t matter. It’s FREE! So grab whatever legal or illegal substances that you’d like to ingest for this evening and head on over to Rittenhouse Square Park because you won’t be able to do this again until next summer. PW’s Concerts in the Park Series, Rittenhouse Square Park, 7pm, FREE, All Ages – H.M. Kauffman
 
Philadelphia

Levee Drivers, Busses and Paper Cat at The Blockley Sept. 1

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If there’s one thing that’s great about Philly, it’s that even on a Wednesday night, there’s a good chance you can find something awesome to do. For example, who would’ve thought that a show like this could happen in the middle of the week? Levee Drivers continue to evoke images of dusty, open roads and girls on the lam with their gritty, barn burning anthems and country rock balladry. Hopefully we won’t lose these Bucks County natives to Nashville, even though they might blow up quicker there. Busses somehow find a happy medium between 90’s indie guitar gods like Built to Spill and older, more “classic” rock gods. And if there’s such a thing as a condensed jam band, Paper Cat (featuring drummer Eric Slick, the newest member of Dr. Dog, and sister Julie Slick) are it. Huge stoner riffs and slightly math-y jams wrapped up in intense three or four minute packages. Hump day isn’t half bad. Blockley Pourhouse, 3801 Chestnut St., 8pm, $7, 21+ – Joe Poteracki
 
Philadelphia

A Whole Lotta Good News from Grandchildren!

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Grandchildren have been pretty quiet this summer, but just think of it as the calm before the storm. We’re sure that they are just resting up before what is bound to be a hectic year for the DDG crew. Grandchildren are releasing their long-awaited debut LP Everlasting on Sept. 28 with an album release party on Oct. 8 at JB’s and just announced a U.S. tour with Icelandic indie folk outfit Seabear as well as already booking big gigs in September with Explosions in the Sky, Dum Dum Girls and No Age. Stay tuned folks. This is just the beginning of what should be a great year for the West Philly gang! – The Deli Staff

Saturn Returns by Grandchildren

Philadelphia

Album Review: Science & Advice – The Armchairs

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It should be readily apparent to anybody with a working set of eardrums that The Armchairs fall firmly in the same camp as a handful of other 60s-esque pop acts cropping up. But where exactly they draw inspiration from is somewhat more of a mystery, because this certainly isn’t the simple pairing of Beatles and Beach Boys that we’ve come to expect. Instead, we’re treated to an odd menagerie of Zombies, Kinks, and earlier, goofier Floyd (you know, before the rest of the band decided not to pickup Syd). This is a slight, but welcome, change of pace, and what’s even more welcoming is the way they throw it all together. It seems that most bands, when under these prestigious influences, would either a) condense it all into pure power-pop confectionery or b) partake in the more indulgent qualities of psychedelia, to the point of tedium. The Armchairs manage to land it somewhere right in between, a sweet spot of controlled lunacy.

Opener "Grampa Yells Portents at Strangers" starts things off right with crazily shifting time signatures and vocal harmonies. It kind of feels like four songs in one, which proves representative of the album’s feel as a whole; tracks are short, almost fragmented, but still intense and fully realized. If there’s any obvious single, it’s "Little Sammy Ghetz" which begins and ends with an irresistible interlocking guitar riff that makes it hard not to get some muscles twitching.

But The Armchairs seem to know better than to trifle with too many obvious hooks. Why do it the easy way when you can do it the fun way? This is an album populated by guitars, alternately crunchy and spacey, awesomely analog-sounding synths, and joyous harmonies. But it’s also populated by mind-melting freakouts like "What For My Cow Eating There?" and tracks like the forty-nine second punk explosion "Harrison Ford". So, to get to the heart of it, Science & Advice is a record that manages to do all of these things with such panache making the album an impressive debut by the oddball but loveable quartet. You can stream and download the album here or purchase it at Punk Rock Payroll where it will come packaged in a handmade travel pillow – perfect for those partiers who never know where they’ll pass out at. (Cover art by Vincent Finazzo) – Joe Poteracki

 

Philadelphia

The War on Drugs Releasing New EP Oct. 28!

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Looks like Philly has a lot to look forward to in the month of October with new releases from Sun Airway, Grimace Federation, Kuf Knotz and many more scheduled to drop (as well as The Deli’s Anniversary Party – shameless plug). Well, add one of our favorite experimental folk rockers, The War on Drugs, to the list. Adam Granduciel and the gang will be releasing a new eight-song EP, Further Weather, on October 28 through Indiana indie label Secretly Canadian, once again. Below is the first song from their upcoming EP called “Comin’ Through”, a Fleetwood Mac-ish track that they just released for FREE download here. Enjoy! – The Deli Staff

Comin’ Through by The War on Drugs

Philadelphia

The Deli Presents the Opening Party for the Philly F/M Fest Sept. 23!

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We’ve been pretty quiet here at The Deli for the summer as far as putting together live showcases, but that doesn’t mean that we haven’t been planning a whole lotta fun for you this fall/winter. Well, we are happy to announce the first of our most excellent upcoming shows. We truly believe that Philly deserves its own kick ass indie music festival. (Oh Popped!, why did you eat yourself?) That is why when we were asked to throw the Opening Party for the inaugural Philadelphia Film and Music Festival, we were happy to kick this shindig off with a bang! What’s the Philadelphia Film and Music Festival? In the tradition of Austin’s SXSW and NYC’s CMJ, the Philly F/M Fest will be taking over our beloved city for four days from September 23- 26 providing you with a plethora of awesome live music and film events all over town so look out for some more cool shit to be held at your favorite local venues as well as makeshift spaces and in the streets of Philly. So help us celebrate this momentous occasion and join us on Thursday, Sept. 23 at Kung Fu Necktie w/Univox, The Homophones, TJ Kong and the Atomic Bomb and Hair Rocket! We’ve experienced these buzzworthy bands live so we are super stoked about being able to bring them all on one bill for you! Look out for details about The Deli’s Anniversary Party this October. Much love. (Poster by Annamarya Scaccia) – The Deli Staff
 
Philadelphia

The Deli’s Featured Artist(s) of the Month: The Lawsuits

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Bucks County’s The Lawsuits are just coming on to the Philly music scene, and we think that they will blend in quite nicely with the rich, ever-growing folk scene that seems to constantly inspire others to join it. XPN meet guitarist/vocalist Brian Strousse, bassist Brendan Cunningham, vocalist Vanessa Winters and drummer Josh Friedman. They are The Lawsuits. You will like them. Here is more about them.
 
The Deli: How did The Lawsuits start? 
  
The Lawsuits: The four of us met through mutual friends…yada yada yada, here we are.
 
TD: Where did the band name come from?
 
TL: It isn’t what you think. It refers to the suit of a lawyer…a three-piece suit…black…maybe even pinstriped…with fancy cufflinks. "The Birthdaysuits" was a close second, but we like to keep it classy when we party.
 
TD: What are your biggest musical influences?  
 
TL: Dr. Dog, Bob Dylan, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Sam Cooke, Fleetwood Mac, Ween, John Prine, Merle Haggard,  Zeppelin,  ELO are the first to come to mind, but there are dozens of others.
 
TD: What artists (local, national and/or international) are you currently listening to?
 
TL: Drink Up Buttercup, Ground Up, and Dopapod are all comprised of various friends of ours from high school so we tend to follow them a bit closer than others. We also love Nicky Egan, Levee Drivers, Toy Soldiers, Birdie Busch, Ween and Dr. Dog.
 
TD: What’s the first concert that you ever attended and first album that you ever bought?
 
TL: First Concert – Soulive (Vanessa), The Who (Brendan), Bob Dylan (Brian), and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers (Josh).
 
First Album – Spin Doctors: POCKET FULL OF KRYPToNITE (Vanessa), Chumbawumba: TUBTHUMPING (Brendan), Wings – GREATEST HITS (Brian), and Will Smith – BIG WILLIE STYLE (Josh). 
 
TD: What do you love about Philly?
 
TL: The FOOD, the beer and a shot deal for $3, the history , First Friday’s in Olde City, Tailgating in K-Lot, "World Phucking Champions!", El Camino Real, Fairmount Park. How each street is like a different country.
 
TD: What do you hate about Philly?
 
TL: Hearing it referred to as "New York’s little brother", Bikers in center city who ride in the middle of the street, "construction", pot holes that never get filled, Jersey drivers, parking, Duck Tours, PPA, Cab drivers, inadequate subway system.
 
TD: What are your plans for 2010?
 
TL: New album, New Tour, New Loves and 2011.
 
TD: What was your most memorable live show?
 
TL: Playing a hole in the wall called The Rock-it club in WV. I knew we were with good people when we actually stayed to play the show instead of running for the hills (hotel).
 
TD: What’s your favorite thing to get at the deli?
 
TL: Italian hoagie with a huge pickle (it’s all about the pickle!). Turkey LTO oil vinigar motz cheese, or anything with chicken in it.time. Also, Head Cheese with cheese.
 
(This last question was added by The Lawsuits.)
 
TL: What’s your favorite thing to do as a band?
 
TL: Make scrapbooks and discuss the complexities of sex and the city.
 
(Photo by Nicole Nocentino)
 
– The Deli Staff
 
Philadelphia

The Dude Hates Cancer Afterparty at JB’s Aug. 28

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Nihilists, Jackie Treehorn, and keeping Walter in line aren’t the only things that The Dude has a problem with. Because for another year Tim Maxwell and his friends, the people behind The Dude Hates Cancer, are organizing an epic bowling tournament that donates it proceeds towards spreading awareness and finding a cure for leukemia and lymphoma. But as soon as the final pin hits the ground, it’s time to take the show over to Johnny Brenda’s for The Dude’s afterparty. Headlining are the funk, soul brothers Swift Technique who have been busy hitting the road, and are doing double duty today since they’ll also be playing Temple University’s Welcome Back Week at the Liacouras Center with Wale. Also on the lineup is modern indie folk extraordinaires Oso who will be bringing their melodic and soulful pop tunes to the stage. Jeremy Hollis, who has been a regular of The Dude Hates Cancer After Party in some capacity or another, will bring his elaborate songs to the stage. And rounding out the lineup will be Philly Folk Parader’s The Spinning Leaves, who most recently earned some praise for their performance at this year’s Philadelphia Folk Festival. Johnny Brenda’s, 1201 N. Frankford St., 9pm, $10, 21+ – Bill McThrill