WIN FREE TICKETS: moe. @ The Electric Factory Friday!
Want to jam with moe. for free with a friend at the Electric Factory on Friday?
Like us on facebook and email us at FreeJumpStuff@gmail.com to enter to win a pair of tickets (give us your name and put “moe” in the subject line).
If you want to play it safe and get your own tickets, find details for the show here.
WIN FREE TICKETS: Zeds Dead @ The Electric Factory Thursday!
Want to see Zeds Dead for free with a friend at the Electric Factory on Thursday?
Like us on facebook and email us at FreeJumpStuff@gmail.com to enter to win a pair of tickets (give us your name and put “ZEDS” in the subject line).
If you want to play it safe and get your own tickets, find details for the show here.
A3C Sendoff Show @ Sigma Sound.
Text and images by Luong Huynh.
The A3C (All Three Coasts) Hip-Hop Festival in Atlanta is entering its ninth year of operation but for the first time ever, Philly artists are getting their own showcase.
This is all thanks to the tireless work of Yusuf “Yuie” Muhammad, owner and founder of the Veteran Freshman concert series.
“I called up one of the directors at A3C and convinced him that Philly’s market can stand on its own,” Yusuf said. “Philly MCs are creative and next to New York City, no other place represents East Coast hip-hop as genuinely.”
Grouplove @ Underground Arts.
Text and images by Beth Ann Downey.
Grouplove makes their mantra clear in the song “Hippy Hill” when they proclaim, “I’d rather be a hippie than a hipster.”
However they choose to identify, it’s obvious from two recent sold-out shows in different venues that Philadelphians think the quirky indie pop rock band is pretty hip, at least.
GUN$ Garcia: Bad Bitch, Guns Blazing.
Text by Chesney Davis. Images bu Abigail Reimold.
There are so many now. That’s what Regina “Gun$” Garcia, heralded DJ associated with the Mad Decent collective, feels about the number of women in hip-hop who share her endeared title of a “bad bitch.” These women, Garcia’s contemporaries, haven’t so much crawled out of the shadow of their male counterparts as much as they crashed in, guns blazing, with confidence and innovation.
“Girls can rap now,” Garcia says.
Immortal Technique and Brother Ali @ The TLA.
Text and images by Tyler Horst.
The War & Peace Tour’s stop at the Theatre of the Living Arts felt like a community event just as much as it did a hip-hop show.
Maybe it was the energy of the crowd, or maybe it was the fact that every act from the opener to the closer made an honest effort to really connect. Ringleaders Brother Ali and Immortal Technique have said over and over again that the War & Peace Tour is meant to show that music that carries a social message and is critical of the world is not only important but also commercially viable.
They may be right about that but they also successfully demonstrated that such music is just a downright good time.
Brother Ali literally shook the floor with his bouncy, bass-heavy grooves. They’re a nice compliment to his deliberately enunciated, story-teller’s delivery. The man doesn’t beat around the bush lyrically – you always know exactly what he’s trying to say – but that doesn’t make him any less interesting.
He said Philly is one of his many second homes and he put any doubts about this claim’s legitimacy to rest after name-dropping everybody in the local scene from Beanie Sigel to Reef the Lost Cauze, even bringing out fellow bearded emcee and Philly native Jakk Frost. Ali, a devout Muslim, treated his performance like a revival meeting, exhorting the crowd to proclaim their love for hip-hop and taking time in between songs to preach love and acceptance in a racially and economically divided country.
Twin Forks, Matrimony and Commonwealth Choir @ The North Star Bar.
Text and images by Darragh Dandurand.
Chris Carrabba
The lineup at North Star Bar on Thursday was packed but the venue was more crowded.
A line had actually started to form fifteen minutes prior to the doors opening at 7 p.m. for the show headlined by Twin Forks, fronted by Chris Carrabba (formerly of Dashboard Confessional).
Philadelphia-based band Commonwealth Choir opened with a few energetic songs from their brand new album, Shirtless. Singer and guitarist Davis Jameson Howley jumped all over stage, occasionally making it back to the microphone in time to catch the next line of the song. Of those already filling the room, several loyal fans sang back the words to the title track.
As Commonwealth jumped off stage, the audience temporarily dispersed and waited for Matrimony, the opening band for Twin Forks’ fall tour. This group had a more melodic tone as they began and then transitioned to a folk feel, with banjo for added measure. The sound prepped the crowd for the upbeat American and alternative vibe of Twin Forks.
Moments before the headliner came on, everyone jammed up to the foot of the stage. Fans tweeted and took photos of Carrabba’s guitar before he even walked on. With thunderous footsteps, the four members of Twin Forks ran up the stairs from the underground green room and greeted the cheering audience. As Carrabba shouted a hello into his mic, a girl near the back screamed for him to take his shirt off. With a smile he looked down and got to work tuning his guitar one last time before the band started their first tune.
Katatonia, Cult of Luna, Tesseract and Intronaut @ The TLA.
Text by Chad Sims. Images by Ian Watson.
As laser lights and smoke filled the TLA Wednesday night, Intronaut grooved out their spacey set of progressive metal.
Intronaut is not what most people think of when they hear “heavy metal.” Their sound is more influenced by jazz than it is by head banging. Bassist Joe Lester played some of the smoothest bass lines around. Drummer Danny Walker pounded out complex patterns and guitarists/vocalists Sacha Dunable and Dave Timnick provided shimmering atmospherics and mostly clean vocals.
Despite their influences and sound, Intronaut are still a very challenging band and I mean that in the best way possible. They generate heaviness through depth and intricacy rather than volume and distortion.
This band is talented enough to be headlining their own tours (they have) but on Wednesday they were an opening act.
Darwin Deez, Laser Background and Caged Animals @ Johnny Brenda’s.
Text and images by Kate McCann.
It’s rare an out-of-town opener at Johnny Brenda’s draws a major crowd on a weeknight. But Brooklyn’s Caged Animals kicked off a frenzied night of music this Wednesday, while on tour with Darwin Deez. Philadelphia’s own Laser Background was sandwiched between the two NYC bands, celebrating the release of their debut album, Super Future Montage.
By the time Darwin Deez took the stage, JB’s was packed with fans ready to boogie and, of course, watch the band’s synchronized dance battles during indie-dance tunes.
WIN FREE TICKETS: Vista Chino and Kingsnake @ Underground Arts on Friday!
We’re working with the folks at one of our favorite joints, Underground Arts, and we’ll be giving away a ton of tickets to their shows in the coming weeks.
The show on Friday will be straight up rock ‘n’ roll. And loud as anything.
Vista Chino headlines the night but Philly locals Kingsnake will be celebrating the release of their latest album, One Eyed King Of The Blind.
Like us on facebook and email us at FreeJumpStuff@gmail.com to enter to win a pair of tickets (give us your name and put “Chino” in the subject line).
If you want to play it safe and get your own tickets, find details for the show here.
JUMP: The Philly Music Project 