Kung Fu Necktie will be hosting a listening party tonight for My Brother’s Ears/MySister’s Eyes from Circa Survive‘s Colin Frangicetto’s solo project, Psychic Babble. There will also be a very special intimate performance by Frangicetto’s Circa Survive bandmate Anthony Green. You’ll be treated to material from his debut solo album Avalon, which was recorded last March in just eight days by Green and some friends at his fiancé’s parents’ house in the family-friendly beach town of Avalon, New Jersey. “We had a short timeline [to record this album] and that’s the way I used to work back in the day; you’d only have three days in the studio so you had to plan out everything and then just go for it,” Green explains. “I’ve been wanting to record these songs for the past two years and this was the perfect time and place to make it happen.” He’ll also be supported this evening by The End of America. Unfortunately, if you don’t have tickets already, this show is way SOLD OUT. So I guess for hardcore Circa Survive/Anthony Green fans it’s time to get creative. Kung Fu Necktie, 1250 Front St., 8pm, SOLD OUT, 21+ – Alexis V.

 

If you’re looking for a step towards the musical side during a First Friday Arts Crawl today, then you better make your way to PhilaMOCA for the PhilaMYTHOS opener and BAM POW Vol. 2 release party courtesy of Chernobyl Collective Arts. Ever since the days of the DIY house venue by the same name, Chernobyl has been fostering local acts like the colorfully chaotic Da Comrade! and the beautifully organic On The Water who have managed to maintain their own unique artistic side. But during this rare opportunity, you will be able to view the artworks by musicians like Fletcher VanVilet and Adam Ferguson of Da Comrade/On The Water, Sean Cox and Morgan Jamison of On The Water, Brooks Wilson of Grass, and John Ricci of Your Children Is Beautiful. The magazine launch will also come with a compilation CD, CHERNOBYL LIVES VOL 2, that will feature bands like Univox, Caboder, and Your Children is Beautiful. Add in craft beer from Abandoned Building Brewery, a Build-Yer-Own-Dang-Taco Bar from Almo Zuppe, and popcorn provided cinema viewing, it’s guaranteed to be a great occasion! PhilaMOCA, 531 N. 12th St., 8pm, $7 – $10 donation, All Ages – Bill McThrill

 

According to The Key, The War on Drugs will be performing at WXPN’s Free at Noon (RSVP link doesn’t seem to be ready yet) next Friday August 12 so you’ll get a sneak preview of what you’ll be in for when they hit Johnny Brenda’s stage for their Record Release Party on August 18 with Caveman and Tin Horses. Their most excellent new full-length Slave Ambient will be released on August 16 via Secretly Canadian, but the album is streaming right now for your listening pleasure via Urban Outfitters. – The Deli Staff

 

There will be a FREE performance today by rjd2. It will be at Penn’s Landing as part of the HP Jam Session at 1pm (time subject to change). Hopefully you don’t have to do something boring today like work instead. Cheers! – The Deli Staff

 

Philadelphia has been attracting more and more talented musicians to come live in our gritty, but very real and very creative urban jungle. Whether it’s for the affordable living and practice spaces or rising music scene with its close proximity to key cities for touring, the pool of talented artists keeps getting deeper and deeper. And that also goes for the technicians behind the scenes who make them sound so good. Well, one of the fine young sound engineers that has been building a well-respected reputation for himself in the music industry and has recently made Philly his home is Kyle “Slick” Johnson. His name may not be familiar to you yet as most who sit behind the consoles rarely are, but you’ve probably heard of the artists that he’s assisted in the studio like Fischerspooner, Wavves, Modest Mouse, Cymbals Eat Guitars, and Creepoid just to name a few. I had a chance to spend a fun evening at one of my favorite restaurants/bars in the city, Catahoula, learning more about Slick and picking his brain. There were plenty of laughs since it seems like we have very similar senses of humor and laidback attitudes. He was also nice enough to team up with The Deli Magazine for a contest to give one lucky local act FREE recording/mixing time for two days with the gifted producer (whose work has been chosen multiple times as Pitchfork’s Best New Music) in his Fancy Time Studio. If you’ve ever been interested in what life would be like working behind the boards or working in the studio with Kyle “ Slick” Johnson, check out our interview with him HERE. (Photo by Brandi Lukas)

 

 

Tonight is the beginning of the Phreak N’ Queer Music and Arts Festival, a 4-day festival from August 4 – 7 in various locations throughout Philly designed to highlight the surplus of LGBTQ talent in our community and will include bands, DJs, visual artists and film makers, performance art, poetry and community space. The opening party is this evening at Elena’s Soul Lounge with GlitterBomb, which will feature art, live performances (from Rainbow Destroyer, Birth Noise, A Stick and A Stone, Wordz the Poet Emcee, and Erik Ransom), and DJs. We had a chance to find out more about the Phreak N’ Queer Music and Arts Festival from Kate Gormley and Sara Sherr, two of the many organizers who banded together to make this idea come to fruition. You can read what they had to say about the debut of this truly alt festival HERE.  

 

No, he isn’t a “hologram,” Mister Heavenly is out there…well, at least as a band. The three-piece is made up of indie rock veterans, guitarist/vocalist Nick Thorburn (Islands/ Unicorns), keyboardist/vocalist Ryan Kattner a.k.a. Honus Honus (Man Man), and drummer Joe Plummer (Modest Mouse/The Shins). Mister Heavenly self-describe their sound as “doom wop”, a new genre that they are pioneering on their debut full-length Out of Love. The “doom” part comes from the record’s strange dark lyrical themes, such as a “bronx sniper” and the creepy correspondence between a 10 year old girl and former Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega as well as the fascination with ill-fated romance as the album’s title suggests, whereas the “wop” derives from the poppy doo-wop based song structures and vocal harmonies between Kattner and Thorburn found over the LP’s 12 songs. The trio truly has a sound unique to themselves, although there are fragments of each member’s other groups dispersed throughout Out of Love’s sonic landscape. Another important factor into the album’s sound is the fact that the trio recorded and mixed the entire full-length in 12 days, the old-fashioned way on analog tape without the aid of modern recording technology, which gives the songs the warmth and familiarity of listening to your parent’s old vinyl records and creates an interesting duality between the new, but also vintage sounds of the LP.

 

The obvious standout tracks from the album are the previously leaked “Bronx Sniper” and “Pineapple Girl”. “Bronx Sniper” kicks off Out of Love with a bang. It’s the track that best represents each member’s other bands, as well as giving the listener an idea of who Mister Heavenly is. The off kilter drum rhythm is reminiscent of what you’d find from Modest Mouse, the strange synth patterns are straight from Man Man, and the guitar stylings add a taste of Thorburn’s Islands/Unicorn, while the dueling vocals, dark lyrical themes, and modern take on doo-wop song structures are uniquely Mister Heavenly. “Pineapple Girl” continues the peculiar duality between strange, dark lyrics and innocent, poppy music on Out of Love. The track tells the aforementioned story of a young girl from Michigan and the former Panamanian dictator, over lush doo-wop vocal harmonies that start off humorously with a bit of an Asian flare while a late Beach Boys-esque instrumental with organ and surf-y guitar licks comprise of the verse parts, but then the trio turns on the overdrive for its chorus sections. However, the track that stands out the most on the album for me is the outstanding “Charlyne”. This is probably the most straight forward doo-wop song on the album, with its driving piano rhythm and ‘50s surf rock guitar style, but what really makes the song special is the shift in dynamics around the minute and forty-five second mark, where the band turns it up a notch, and Kattner shouts the name of the song’s main character over Thorburn’s backing vocals until the song culminates with the line “and I always play the fool for Charlyne.” The album is full of loveable tracks like that one and “I Am a Hologram”, while other tunes can transport you to simpler times when sock hops and proms with underwater themes weren’t so passé compared to how we live now. But ignorance can be bliss.

 

Hopefully Out of Love is just the first in a long list of great albums from the talented creators of, and probably the only “doom wop” band out there (for now). The songs are classic sounding, well-crafted catchy pop tunes with phenomenal vocal harmonies and an edgy indie twist that make them worthy of your attention and repeated listening. Out of Love will be available on August 16 via Sub Pop. – Dan Brightcliffe

 

The collaboration from local veteran producer King Britt and singer/artist Rucyl, Saturn Never Sleeps, recently released their debut album Yesterday’s Machine via Alpha Pup Records. The duo began their journey with an improvisational performance where they were commissioned to create an installation dedicated to the music of Sun Ra (which occurred in 2009 at the Institute of Contemporary Art), and has spent the last couple of years refining their sound that “combines an experimental create-in-the-moment vibe with inspirational lyrics and vocal sonics that range from Sade tones to Flora Purim’s ethereal layers.” You can download the full-length for free (in exchange for your email) or show your support and purchase the album HERE. There are plans for the release of a 10” vinyl and physical CD, and Saturn Never Sleeps will be performing live on Tuesday, August 30 at Silk City. Until then, check out the music video for the track “Grace” below, which was created by Rux (Rui Pereira).

 

Hosted by Danger! Danger! Gallery founding fathers and electro-rockers Grandchildren, tonight’s event at the West Philly DIY staple will be a barrage of futuristic sounds and mind-altering grooves that you don’t want to miss! Local outfits CSLSX and Ryat will be the slices of bread for this tasty experimental pop sandwich when they are served up with Tennessee’s Blastoid and Cali’s Religious Girls. I had a chance to catch CSLSX again the last time they hit the stage at Johnny Brenda’s, and their live performance has really stepped it up to the next level in comparison to when I first experienced them at the OX opening for Sun Airway. Look out for these guys and gal – I’m predicting bright things in their future. Ryat will be headlining the festivities, and you should definitely take advantage of experiencing them live before LA and the Flying Lotus crew claim them as one of their own. Expect a Daytrotter Session from the electro avant-pop duo to be posted in the near future. Danger! Danger! Gallery, 5013 Baltimore Ave., 8pm, $5 – $10 donation, All Ages (CSLSX Photo by Brandi Lukas) – Q.D. Tran

 

 

ANTI- Records has teamed up with 170 Million Americans for Broadcasting, a collaboration of public radio and television stations, national organizations, producers and our viewers and listeners throughout the country in favor of a strong public media in the United States, to release Raise Your Voice!, a 16-track compilation which features ANTI- artists like Tom Waits, Wilco, and Neko Case. Local Philly favorites Man Man and Dr. Dog also contributed to the good cause. You can download the free compilation HERE (well, if you don’t mind sharing your email and zip code, and you really shouldn’t mind), and check out the rest of the tracklist below. – The Deli Staff

 

Woah…check out Work Drugs’ “Rad Racer” in the new Urban Outfitters Fall Jean 2011 commercial below. Makes sense – this track is sexy and so is this commercial. You can download "Rad Racer" for free HERE. Enjoy! – The Deli Staff