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Pete Donnelly - When You Come Home (self-released)
Though there are light r’n‘b touches on a few of these songs, this is ultimately a singer-songwriter album and a great one at that.
27 January 2012The Dead Milkmen - The King in Yellow (self-released)
Clearly this is an album made by 40 somethings instead of 20 somethings.
21 January 2012Guided by Voices - Let's Go Eat the Factory (Guided by Voices, Inc./Fire)
Though others may disagree, I think that this album is a mix of good and not so good.
21 January 2012Will Hermes - Love Goes to Buildings on Fire: Five Years in New York That Changed Music Forever (Faber and Faber, 2011)
Hermes’ lengthy and detailed tome reads a bit like the proto-punk diary From the Velvets to the Voidoids except that it covers virtually all of New York City’s then burgeoning musical styles between 1973 and 1977.
21 January 2012Gordon Withers - The Joy Formidable on Cello (self-released)
This is exactly what it says it is.
14 January 2012The Left Banke - Walk Away Renee/Pretty Ballerina (Sundazed)
This album belongs in the same conversation as other classics of the genre and time period like Love’s Forever Changes and The Zombies’ Odessey and Oracle.
14 January 2012John Henry West - Door Bolted Shut (Ebullition)
This collection is like manna from heaven for fans of this amazing, chaotic, passionate post-hardcore band.
14 January 2012The Raveonettes - Rarities/B-Sides (Columbia/Vice)
An embarrassment of riches, this limited-edition collection plays not only a great outtakes album, but like one of their best albums period.
20 November 2011Turning Violet Violet with Bedroom Problems - Paley Library (Philadelphia) - Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Honestly, it was my first time seeing them and I thought they were great from the first few notes.
20 November 2011John Wesley Harding and The King Charles Trio with The Minus Five - World Cafe Live (Philadelphia) - November 15, 2011
Instead of a “normal” show with a headliner and an opener, this was something altogether quite different.
19 November 2011Office of Future Plans with The Young and Bells - Kung Fu Necktie (Philadelphia) - Sunday, November 13, 2011
Bells were the surprise of the night and honestly stole the show for me.
13 November 2011The Sonics with The Young - Maxwell's (Hoboken) - Saturday, November 12, 2011
Thankfully, this performance more than justified the $30 ticket price.
11 November 2011Giggle the Ozone - Charge (Laser Seizure Music)
A concise description of the third track, the cleverly titled “Cyst and Decease”, would be “Captain Beefheart in Space”.
11 November 2011TV Casualty - TV Casualty EP (Matador)
An idea that started a few years ago has led to a 7” on Matador.
11 November 2011Zounds - The Curse of Zounds (Broken Rekids)
This Lp pulls no punches and sounds as good in 2011 as I imagine that it must have in 1982.
4 November 2011The Faith - Subject to Change Plus First Demo (Dischord)
All this would be enough, but as a bonus we get the first official version of The Faith’s 1981 demo.
29 October 2011Void - Sessions 1981-83 (Dischord)
With all that said, what about the music on here? Well, it’s amazing.
27 October 2011Dum Dum Girls with Crocodiles and Royal Baths - Union Transfer (Philadelphia) - Sunday, October 23, 2011
Their set was short but sweet.
27 October 2011Wild Flag with Eleanor Friedberger - Union Transfer (Philadelphia) - Wednesday, October 19, 2011
So how did Wild Flag fit into this context? Quite splendidly.
25 October 2011Chris Taylor on his new project CANT, Grizzly Bear and other musings
Just from a creative stand point, to put myself out there like that was the scariest thing I’ve probably ever had to do and then to play it.
16 October 2011Descendents with X, Dead Milkmen, Plow United, Naked Raygun and 7 Seconds - Festival Pier (Philadelphia) - Saturday, September 24, 2011
Within a few seconds of their set, I had beer spilled on me.
14 October 2011Dum Dum Girls - Only in Dreams (Sub Pop)
When I started listening to this album, I couldn’t stop playing it. Weeks later, I STILL can’t stop playing it. It’s that good.
14 October 2011ALL with Naked Raygun - TLA (Philadelphia) - September 24, 2011
ALL, on the other hand, were amazing.
4 October 2011Ted Leo and the Pharmacists with Dry Feet - Johnny Brenda's (Philadelphia) - Saturday, September 24, 2011
Of the many times I’ve seen Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, I’d never had the chance to see them in such a great-sounding and intimate room.
4 October 2011Sharon Van Etten with Marissa Nadler and Hezekiah Jones - World Cafe Live (Philadelphia) - Friday, September 23, 2011
This more stripped-down iteration fit in perfectly with the gentle, quiet vibe of this seated show
22 September 2011Nick Lowe - The Old Magic (Yep Roc)
In fact, one could argue that he just keeps getting better and better.
20 September 2011Sheer Terror - Spite EP (Reaper)
This is really the recording debut of a new incarnation of the band.
9 September 2011Vivian Girls with Widowspeak and Ninjessa - Johnny Brenda's (Philadelphia) - Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Improved songwriting, musicianship and stage presence contributed to what was by far the best Vivian Girls live set I’ve ever seen.
3 September 2011Thurston Moore with Meg Baird - First Unitarian Church (Philadelphia) - Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Thurston’s set in the beautiful but very poorly ventilated church sanctuary drew heavily upon his recently released solo Lp Demolished Thoughts.
23 August 2011Marginal Man with Strike Anywhere and Damnation A.D. - Black Cat (Washington, DC) - Saturday, August 20, 2011
Singer Steve Polcari acted as if almost a quarter of a century hadn’t passed, jumping around all over the stage and showing off the energy of a frontman half of his age.
14 August 2011Yung Wu with Wild Carnation - Maxwells (Hoboken) - Saturday, August 13, 2011
Still, this had the feel of a band playing to a bunch of friends and family and that’s basically what it was. It was an afternoon show to boot, so that made it even more family-friendly.
14 August 2011Sonic Youth with Wild Flag and Kurt Vile - Williamsburg Waterfront (Brooklyn) - Friday, August 12, 2011
Opening with Bad Moon Rising‘s “Brave Men Run (in My Family)”, the first five tracks were a flurry of ’80s highlights.
11 August 2011DYS: More Than Fashion
There’s an old saying. It’s a cliché, but a true one. Where there’s a will, there’s a way. If you think about it in a different way, in the early ‘80s for a hardcore band and especially for a straight-edge band facing additional pressure in terms of not conforming to society’s standards on that level, it was unbelievable in terms of the odds.
6 August 2011Scott Reynolds with The Gerunds - Tritone (Philadelphia) - Friday, August 5, 2011
At the end of his set, opening band The Gerunds came on stage and they proceeded to crank out two highlights of Reynolds’ tenure with ALL.
14 July 2011Wild Nothing with Twin Sister - Johnny Brenda's (Philadelphia) - Monday, July 11, 2011
Wild Nothing played to a sold-out and jam-packed room at Johnny Brenda’s
14 July 2011Bob Mould - See A Little Light (Little, Brown and Company, 2011)
Mainly, much of the book deals with Mould’s struggles to come to grips with who he really is.
7 July 2011Mirrors and Wires - "Mercitron" EP (Headcount)
This is surf-punk mixed with some psych and even new wave influences.
2 July 2011The Smithereens - World Cafe Live (Philadelphia) - Friday, July 1, 2011
In other words, the new songs fit in so perfectly with the old stuff that The Smithereens should be commended.
2 July 2011Fucked Up with Jeff the Brotherhood and Dry Feet - First Unitarian Church (Philadelphia) - Sunday, June 26, 2011
For starters, this was the fourth time I’d seen them at the First Unitarian Church since early 2007.
25 June 2011Dinosaur Jr with Henry Rollins and OFF! - Electric Factory (Philadelphia) - Friday, June 24, 2011
All in all, there seemed to be a lot of love between artists on this evening as OFF! were specifically selected to open the tour by Dinosaur Jr and the mutual admiration and respect is always comforting to see.
22 June 2011Joe Jackson Trio - Live Music (Razor and Tie)
The track list pulls more from Joe Jackson‘s past as opposed to Rain (the only album recorded with this lineup).
18 June 2011The Feelies - World Cafe Live (Philadelphia, PA) - Friday, June 17, 2011
So what, might you ask, differentiated this year’s visit to World Cafe Live from their two previous Philadelphia appearances since their 2008 reunion?
18 June 2011Jack Grisham - An American Demon (ECW Press, 2011)
Everything you’ve heard about this book, and for that matter, about Jack Grisham himself in his younger years, is absolutely true.
11 June 2011T.S.O.L. with Shot Baker and F.O.D. - Barbary (Philadelphia) - June 5, 2011
Frontman Jack Grisham had a maniacal, almost demonic grin on his face the whole time and was clearly enjoying himself on this evening.
11 June 2011Dengue Fever with The Eternals - World Cafe Live (Philadelphia) - June 9, 2011
Simply put, there’s no other band like them in the entire universe.
1 June 2011Hotel Lights - Girl Graffiti (Bar/None)
This is definitely recommended for fans of the softer, more adult-oriented and mature side of power-pop.
1 June 2011Doomed to Obscurity - Drug Luck (Jizz Mobile)
One song is called “Naked Reagan”. If you get the reference, you’ll love this.
23 May 2011Elvis Costello and The Imposters - Tower Theater (Upper Darby, PA) - Thursday, May 19, 2011
Costello and his band took the stage and blazed through four songs, opening with “I Hope You’re Happy Now”.
7 May 2011The Fiery Furnaces - World Cafe Live (Philadelphia) - Friday, May 6, 2011
Featuring just Eleanor on lead vocals and Matt on piano and backing (and occasional lead) vocals, this was Fiery Furnaces stripped down to the core.
7 May 2011Ted Leo with Noun - Kung Fu Necktie (Philadelphia) - Sunday, May 1, 2011
He also tackled Hüsker Dü‘s “Could You Be the One”? and Lungfish’s “To Whom You Were Born”.
23 April 2011DYS with Antidote, Face Value, Hands Tied and Mindset - Ottobar (Baltimore) - Saturday, April 9, 2011
The performances of “Graffiti,” “No Pain No Gain” and “Late Night” completely obliterated their recorded versions.
8 April 2011Mike Watt with Caterpillar and Split Red - North Star Bar (Philadelphia) - Saturday, April 2, 2011
The encore consisted mostly of guitarist Tom Watson singing a set of Minutemen classics.
2 April 2011Jill Sobule and John Doe - Tin Angel (Philadelphia) - Friday, March 25, 2011
On the surface, the pairing of veteran singer/songwriters Jill Sobule and John Doe seems, well, odd. In reality, though, nothing could be further from the truth.
2 April 2011The Pains of Being Pure at Heart with Twin Shadow and Creepoid - First Unitarian Church (Philadelphia) - Thursday, March 31, 2011
Much more dynamic, energetic and confident as a live band now than in their earlier days, Pains are now a bona-fide headlining act.
19 February 2011The Church - Trocadero (Philadelphia) - Tuesday, February 15, 2011
The show hit its peak with “The Disillusionist” featuring Kilbey’s off-mic vocals at the end of the song.
17 February 2011Sharon Van Etten with Julianna Barwick and Strand of Oaks - Johnny Brenda's (Philadelphia) - Thursday, January 20, 2011
She wowed the packed house with a set comprised mostly of epic showstoppers like “A Crime” and “Don’t Do It”.
13 February 2011School of Independent Rock with Peter Cortner - Circle of Hope (Philadelphia) - Friday, January 28, 2011
This was a unique night featuring children with a median age of 12 or 13 singing classic punk songs.
12 February 2011Gang of Four with Hollerado and Moon Women - TLA (Philadelphia) - Saturday, February 5, 2011
This show was somewhat of a disappointment, though it was far from bad.
16 December 2010Government Issue with The Goons and Set to Explode - Black Cat (Washington, DC) - Saturday, December 11, 2010
If there was any thought that the years since then would diminish their performance one iota, those thoughts were squashed by the crushing opener “Teenager in a Box”.
14 November 2010Seabrook Power Plant with Split Red - Danger Danger Gallery (Philadelphia) - Wednesday, October 27, 2010
I think it’s safe to say that everyone in the small room was sufficiently blown away or at the very least impressed.
13 November 2010The Corin Tucker Band with Hungry Ghost - First Unitarian Church (Philadelphia) - Thursday October 28, 2010
The show just never seemed to get off the ground.
13 November 2010Guided by Voices with Blitzen Trapper - Trocadero (Philadelphia) - November 6, 2010
To be blunt, they came out of the gate and just completely dominated.
13 November 2010Roky Erickson with Brother JT and The Happen-Ins - Johnny Brenda's (Philadelphia) - Monday, November 8, 2010
Still, it’s a miracle to even see him perform at all and the show was competent and fun.
23 October 2010Sticks and Stones - Nineteen Eight Seven (Chunksaah!/Gunner)
This stuff is raw, in-your-face hardcore punk that also doesn’t skimp on the melody and catchiness to go along with its youthful energy.
16 October 2010Dag Nasty - Dag with Shawn (Dischord)
Had the album been released in this form, I would argue that it would had just as much of an impact upon the scene.
2 October 2010Stars with Wild Nothing - Trocadero (Philadelphia) - Thursday, September 30, 2010
Openers Wild Nothing completely stole the show, though a much smaller (and very young) audience was on hand to view their set.
2 October 2010Teenage Fanclub with Radar Brothers - Trocadero (Philadelphia) - Friday, October 1, 2010
I just hope that it doesn’t take them another five years to come back here!
2 October 2010Forgetters - "Vampire Lessons" EP (Midheaven Mailorder)
This is, amazingly, the first released music by former Jawbreaker and Jets to Brazil vocalist/singer/guitarist/songwriter Blake Schwarzenbach since 2002.
25 September 2010LCD Soundsystem with Sleigh Bells - Navy Yard (Philadelphia) - Friday, September 24, 2010
I was pleasantly surprised when they played “Losing My Edge” as I know they don’t typically perform it live and haven’t for years.
23 September 2010Superchunk with Jenny & Johnny and Versus - Trocadero (Philadelphia) - Wednesday, September 22, 2010
To say that Superchunk is a great live band may be the understatement of this young century.
18 September 2010Pavement with Kurt Vile -Mann Center for the Performing Arts (Philadelphia) - Friday, September 17, 2010
I was left satisfied, though of course wondering what it would’ve been like to have seen them in the ’90s and in a smaller place.
18 September 2010Sleeper Agent! with The Gerunds and Dot Dash - Sidebar Tavern (Baltimore) - Saturday, September 11, 2010
Everyone left happy, satisfied and slightly (or not so slightly!) drunk!
29 August 2010Iggy and the Stooges - House of Blues (Atlantic City) - Friday, August 27, 2010
With no opener and wasting not a second, they opened with “Raw Power”, which led right into “Search and Destroy”.
28 August 2010Negative Approach - Friends of No One (Taang!)
I have to confess that though I love NEGATIVE APPROACH, I’m disappointed with the release.
21 August 2010Dean Wareham - Trocadero (Philadelphia) - Friday, August 20, 2010
This was as close to the real thing as we’re ever likely to get given the relations between DEAN WAREHAM and his GALAXIE 500 bandmates.
14 August 2010Sheer Terror - Starlight Ballroom (Philadelphia) - Friday, August 13, 2010
Even more exciting, he announced the possibility of writing new songs with the new lineup.
8 August 2010Big Takeover 30th Anniversary Festival (Night 2)- Bell House (Brooklyn, NY) - Saturday, July 31st, 2010
Still, for as tired as the past few days had made me, it was worth it to witness this once-in-a-lifetime event.
8 August 2010Big Takeover 30th Anniversary Festival (Night 1)- Bell House (Brooklyn, NY) - Friday, July 30th, 2010
After a rousing introduction by JACK RABID, THE AVENGERS ripped into “We Are the One“and just dominated from that point forward.
17 July 2010Nine Inch Nails and Peter Murphy - When Darkness Doubles, When Light Pours In (Georgama Bin Bush Records)
Though the prospect of PETER MURPHY fronting NINE INCH NAILS is interesting on its own, what’s even more interesting is the song selection.
26 June 2010Eddy Current Suppression Ring - Johnny Brenda's (Philadelphia, PA) - Thursday, June 17, 2010
Although I’ve seen many frontmen do this sort of stuff, this didn’t feel forced. He seemed to be genuinely possessed at times.
19 June 2010The Trashcan Sinatras with The Candles - World Cafe Live (Philadelphia, PA) - June 18, 2010
Thus, when I heard that they would be playing one of the best-sounding venues I’ve ever been to, World Cafe Live, I was stoked.
5 June 2010Iggy and the Stooges - Raw Power deluxe box set (Legacy)
This is a complete bonanza for STOOGES fans.
29 May 2010Visqueen with Beretta 76 - The M Room (Philadelphia, PA) - Sunday, May 23, 2010
Simply put, this show was an absolute blast!
15 May 2010Buzzcocks with The Dollyrots and Moon Women - Trocadero (Philadelphia, PA) - May 14, 2010
The encores, consisting of singles released in 1977 and 1978, just killed. These included “Promises,” “Love You More,” “What Do I Get” and “Orgasm Addict”, the amazing set closer.
13 May 2010The Joy Formidable with The Dig - Kung Fu Necktie (Philadelphia, PA) - Friday, May 7, 2010
Watching THE JOY FORMIDABLE perform was like being in the eye of a hurricane. In other words, they live up to the hype and then some.
8 May 2010Graham Parker and The Figgs - World Cafe Live (Philadelphia, PA) - Sunday, May 2, 2010
But on this night, it was the encore that really thrilled.
1 May 2010John Doe and Exene Cervenka - Tin Angel (Philadelphia, PA) - Friday April 30, 2010
John and Exene were both in fine form, joking with the audience liberally and telling stories about each song beforehand.
18 April 2010The Feelies - World Cafe Live (Philadelphia, PA) - Saturday, April 17, 2010
To say that this was an epic Feelies show would definitely be an understatement.
13 March 2010Rogue Wave with Avi Buffalo - First Unitarian Church (Philadelphia, PA) - Thursday, March 4, 2010
All of a sudden, the crowd stood, clapped, cheered and a good time was had by all.
23 January 2010Rank and File - Sundown (Slash)
“Lucky Day” belongs in the same canon as the very best of HANK WILLIAMS or MERLE HAGGARD.
16 December 2009Negative Approach with Blacklisted - First Unitarian Church (Philadelphia, PA) - Sunday, December 6, 2009
For the uninitiated, NEGATIVE APPROACH were possibly the greatest hardcore band ever.
12 December 2009Jay Reatard with Screaming Females and Women - Johnny Brenda's (Philadelphia, PA) - Saturday, November 28, 2009
As much as I enjoyed JAY REATARD’s set on this evening, SCREAMING FEMALES were so good that they may have stolen the show.
18 November 2009The Gerunds with Serpent Throne - Johnny Brenda's (Philadelphia, PA) - November 8, 2009
We were also treated to a cover of “The Godfather”, a song by singer PETER CORTNER’s late ’80s band DAG NASTY.
14 November 2009Art Brut with The Spinto Band and Surfer Blood - North Star Bar (Philadelphia, PA) - Thursday, November 12, 2009
SURFER BLOOD, on the other hand, were a complete revelation.
7 November 2009The Bomb - Speed is Everything (No Idea)
In fact, Speed is Everything may be the Lp of JEFF PEZZATI’s life and as a huge NAKED RAYGUN fan, I don’t say that lightly.
3 October 2009Rorschach with 1.6 Band and Halo of Snakes - First Unitarian Church (Philadelphia, PA) - Sunday, September 27, 2009
And the coup de grace was BLACK FLAG’s “My War” with guest vocalist TIM SINGER! Wow!
28 August 2009Vivian Girls - Everything Goes Wrong (In the Red)
The darker lyrical content may be typical for a sophomore album, but this is no sophomore slump.
2 August 2009A Special Announcement: Mark Burgess of The Chameleons @ The Blockley Pourhouse in Philadelphia 8/11/09
MARK BURGESS live in Philadelphia on Tuesday, August 11th. Read on!
5 July 2009Jay Reatard with TV Smith - Johnny Brenda's (Philadelphia, PA) - Saturday, July 4th, 2009
During the encore, TV SMITH proceeded to come out with Jay and his band and they proceeded to play a mini-set of four ADVERTS songs,
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