With the start of spring coming, a fine band to help kick off the season is local rising pop-rock outfit Cold Fronts, who are bringing back the basics with their self-described “raw, personable and honest” sound. Singer Craig Almquist provides a relaxed feel with his calm yet earnest lyrics and vocals. With Alex Smith on drums and current members Peter Helmis and Chris Baglivo on bass and guitar respectively, the combination of their subconsciously familiar riffs and pounding drums result in a sudden desire to roll down the car windows and take in some vitamin D. The group just kicked off their PartyandPizza Tour, which will take them through SXSW, finishing with an end-of-tour party, presented by Taco Bell. Tomorrow they’ll be playing alongside Brooklyn-based Double King, led by Ryan Dieringer, with its broad rock ambitions and Springsteen-esque undertones. Completing the trifecta will be TJ Kong bringing some garage blues to the end of February. Kung Fu Necktie, 1250 N. Front St., $5, 8pm, 21+ – Shaylin O’Connell

For STS‘s latest "Purity Ring" off his upcoming mixtape GOLDRush III, he flips the Canadian duo’s song "Fineshrine." Below is a new music video for the track, which was filmed in Berlin and directed by Daniel "Danny Cam" Gallardo.

We have a ticket giveaway for an all-ages show this Saturday, March 2 at the North Star Bar with teenage rockers who are talented way beyond their years! Enter to win a pair of tix to see buzzing Illinois-based garage rock five-piece The Orwells, our favorite Lancaster folk-rockin’ high schoolers The Districts, and bluesy Nashville indie rock outfit The Kingston Springs. Just send an email to thedelimagazinephiladelphia@gmail.com with the subject line “Never Too Young to Rock!” Also include your cell phone number (in case of emergency) in the body if you’d like. Good luck!

TJ Kong and the Atomic Bomb premiered a new stitched together, road-weary music video, which happens to be their first ever, for the track "Ancient Road Blues," via YVYNYL. It was directed by Philadelphian filmmaker Brian Melton. The band will be performing tomorrow night at Kung Fu Necktie with Cold Fronts before heading down to SXSW where they’ll be playing at The Deli’s Hangover Hideout showcase and many others.

Lantern just shared a new track that is available for free download called “Mr. Mars” to celebrate their upcoming tour down to SXSW and beyond with Sheer Agony. The band describes the song as “a boogie-fied, Rock ‘N’ Roller inspired by Ziggy era Bowie and Chuck Berry.” It features David Fishkin on sax, and was recorded by Jeff Zeigler at Uniform Recording. Also check out their extensive tour schedule for March HERE. 

Below is a new track from Young Statues called "Eraser" that premiered earlier today via Noisey. It’s the first single from their upcoming EP Age Isn’t Ours (Run For Cover Records), which will be out April 2, and they’ll be locally celebrating its release on Sunday, April 7 at The Barbary.

Here’s a new video from the good dudes at Out of Town Films of ex-Arches member Julien Rossow-Greenberg’s latest project Avery Rosewater. We were really impressed with the performance and sound of their unreleased song "Wright," which was recorded in the kitchen of the band’s South Philly practice space.

Get out your Nirvana t-shirt and torn fishnet stockings, Slutever is ready to invade your personal space. Their unapologetic form of garage rock will have you pleasantly intrigued, but leave you feeling somewhat violated. The fuzzy, reverb-driven punch delivered by the candy-lovin’ duo may prove to be endearing, but don’t mistake it for being sweet or cute. The self-proclaimed “mallrats” have grown up a lot since 2010’s Sorry I’m Not Sorry, but that doesn’t mean they suddenly forgot how to throw a tantrum on stage. Their show tonight at Kung Fu Necktie opening for Savannah, Georgia’s Cusses will mark the first of a string of dates that ultimately culminates with a stop at this year’s SXSW. Recently, the band has been working with producer Kyle “Slick” Johnson of Fancy Time Studio, and their new 7’’ is due out sometime this month. Kung Fu Necktie, 1250 N. Front St., 8pm, $8, 21+ (Photo by Nicki Ishmael) – Ed Newton

This morning started off right for us finding a link to a new 3-song EP titled Wrapped In Wire from synthpop outfit Instamatic. You can take a listen to it below, and if you like what you hear, the album is also available to be downloaded for free. However, we want you to support the music revolution from our favorite Philly keyboard army so donate some cash to help support the troops. (BTW: Instamatic will be in the studio of Y-Not Radio tomorrow morning for an interview and live performance that will be broadcast at 11am and 10pm HERE.)

We’ve been on a brief hiatus while our pals at HotBox were moving and rebuilding their studio in Fishtown, but we are back with a sweet new Choice/Cuts. Check out our rad session with Deli faves, West Philly’s Grandchildren! The electro-acoustic orchestral pop six-piece performed a beautiful rendition of their lead single “Sunrise,” off the band’s forthcoming album Golden Age, which will be out on May 7 via Ernest Jenning Record Co. Grandchildren will be performing next in Philly when they headline this Friday, March 1 at Underground Arts, before touring down to SXSW. Enjoy! 

We’ve been on a brief hiatus while our pals at HotBox were moving and rebuilding their studio in Fishtown, but we are back with a sweet new Choice/Cuts. Check out our rad session with Deli faves, West Philly’s Grandchildren! The electro-acoustic orchestral pop six-piece performed a beautiful rendition of their lead single “Sunrise,” off the band’s forthcoming album Golden Age, which will be out on May 7 via Ernest Jenning Record Co. Grandchildren will be performing next in Philly when they headline this Friday, March 1 at Underground Arts, before touring down to SXSW. Enjoy! 

Haha…below is an awesome new music video for Free Energy‘s "Hold You Close." It was made from found YouTube footage by the band’s bassist Evan Wells.