Port St. Willow @ Kung Fu Necktie.
Text and images by Grace Dickinson.
Port St. Willow played a soothing show to a small crowd of no more than 30 people at Kung Fu Necktie last night. The Brooklyn-based band is the project of Nick Principe, a multi-instrumentalist who released his first EP, Even // Wasteland, at the end of 2010.
Principe went on to produce Stay Even here in Philadelphia for Weathervane Music’s Shaking Through, a session that was curated by longtime friend Peter Silberman, frontman from The Antlers. Principe describes the single as a tribute to moving on from depression and not letting your thoughts overcome you.
His latest and first full-length album, Holiday, brings Port St. Willow on tour for a return trip to Philadelphia. The album’s heavy guitar reverb and ambient keyboard created a soft atmosphere not frequently present at KFN.
Producer Jonathan Low: The Low Key Optimist.
Text by Beth Ann Downey. Image by G.W. Miller III.
Jonathan Low, the more-often-than-not mustached producer and engineer for Miner Street Studios in Fishtown, sips on a
Kenzinger at Johnny Brenda’s while waiting for a Weathervane Music benefit show to kick off upstairs. He’ll run sound for Twin Sister, Steven A. Clark and Ava Luna — not a bad way to spend his one night home from a two-month stint in New York, where he’s working with The National on their new record and living in guitarist Aaron Dessner’s house.
Usually, Low can be seen somewhere in Fishtown day in and day out. It’s the place he chose as his professional home, the heart of the now bursting-at-the-seams local music scene.
Those who see him but don’t know the small, quiet and usually smiling Low might not expect him to be responsible for some of the biggest, best and most badass sounds coming out of the city.
“Philly was a really good place to do this because the music community is really supportive,” he says between sips of beer. “Fishtown is a really good environment to collaborate, and just to live. I feel like it was good timing when I started doing this with a lot of Philadelphia bands that were starting to do well, or be a little bit more active. I kind of was lucky jumping into the scene at the right time.”
Steph Pockets: Philly’s Export to Japan.
Text by Brian Wilensky. Images by Michael Bucher.
Around here, Steph Pockets might just be another smiling face on the block and or a big name to a select crowd. But in the Far East, she’s no small-town celebrity.
She broke out in Japan in 2004 with her biggest song to date, “My Crew Deep,” which was recorded in 1999. She has since toured up and down the island and sold countless records there.
Shredding with Eli Santana of Holy Grail.
Text and interview by Chad Sims.
Holy Grail is a heavy metal band from Pasadena, California who are relative newcomers, only having existed since 2008. To listen to them you would never know they have been around such a short time.
They play a brand of extremely fast and precise shred metal that blends elements of thrash, death metal, metalcore and progressive rock (think a more fun version of Dragonforce). Their vocals harken back to when metal singers actually sang rather than screamed or roared through songs and their dual lead guitars often seem superhuman.
Holy Grail is playing the Metal Alliance Tour April 18th at the Theatre of the Living Arts with Shadows Fall, Municipal Waste, Exodus and headlined by Anthrax (playing their entire Among the Living record).
Text and images by Luong Huynh.
If you’ve never stepped foot into Connie’s Ric Rac, then you’re missing out on experiencing what a South Philly dive bar should be. The beer is cheap, people are there to socialize and they only accept cash.
Connie’s also makes it a point to be a great venue for local artists and Friday night was no exception.
Text and images by Megan Matuzak.
It was a bustling First Friday at Space 1026 for “Nothing Is Rather Do,” which featured the work of Keith Greiman and Martha Rich.
Local Natives @ Union Transfer.
Text and image by Marisa Lyon.
A line of eager fans were wrapped around the block in anticipation of a live performance from indie rock band, Local Natives, who packed Union Transfer to capacity on Thursday night.
Fellow Californians, Superhumanoids, started things off with an ‘80s influenced set of dreamy synth-pop. Their chill vibe was a perfect appetizer for the sold-out crowd.
Next up were headliners, Local Natives, who offered a welcoming wave as they took the stage to the tune of David Bowie’s “Young Americans.” Read more…
Black Stars @ Milkboy.
Text and images by Megan Matuzak.
A Black Stars show is like taking LSD with Jim Morrison in the middle of the desert – it’s an out-of-control, peace-loving rock ‘n’ roll trip that is hot to the touch.
Caitlin Rose @ Milkboy.
Text and images by Kyle Bagenstose.
Lap steel guitar, mason jars, cowboy boots and a sweet country voice.
Philly got a a little taste of Nashville Wednesday night, as singer Caitlin Rose took to the stage at Milkboy, on tour after releasing her latest album, The Stand-In, in February.
Rose, 25, has been touted as one of the future stars of country, with a pitch-perfect voice that occupies a nice middle ground: country but not too twangy, sweet but not too gentle. On stage she seemed almost a bit nervous, joking tentatively with the small crowd as she sips tequila from a mason jar.
“Milkboy’s a funny name but it sounds almost sexy, like an emasculated man, which is a fantasy of mine,” she said to a few chuckles. “OK, I think I’ll play a song for you now.”
Rose’s awkwardness quickly disappeared when she began to sing, as her voice managed to standout from the talented five-man band plucking away around her and demanded attention. Lyrically, she sings of lost love and longing, but with an honesty that suggests she’s been around the ringer a few times and is starting to figure things out– with a little added perspective from the whiskey bottle.
Rose’s newest single, “Waitin’,” was the highlight, as a crowd that had been somewhat stationary for most of the night (“It’s so quiet out there,”Rose jabbed. “Ya’ll sound like they did over in England.”) finally began to move. The song also offered a chance for guitarist Jeremy Fetzer to show off his talent on the electric guitar, which added an extra rock-edge to the show.
Fetzer is part of four-man band Deep Vibration, which backed Rose the entire night, as did 26-year-old Andrew Combs, who pulled double duty after playing a toe-tapping set before Rose took the stage. All six hail from Nashville, which gave the Milkboy crowd a true taste of what the young talent in the Music City sounds like these days, and it did not disappoint.
Laurin Talese: The Chanteuse.
Text by Morgan James. Images by Rick Kauffman.
Laurin Talese has a knack for engaging her audience. The jazz sensation can induce a smile from the most cantankerous of listeners. She melts the room with her personality.
“Isn’t she amazing?” beams chart-topping R&B singer Vivian Green. “I put her on both of my past two albums.”
Green gushes as she listens to Talese, her friend and former background singer, after Talese performs at the Kimmel Center.
These days, Talese is finding her talent and infectious personality highly sought after by Philadelphia’s music elite.
JUMP: The Philly Music Project 