Kishi Bashi @ The First Unitarian Church.
Text andimages and text by Grace Dickinson.
“I fucking love you guys,” said K Ishibashi of Kishi Bashi. “This is amazing. What a great show.”
And a fucking amazing show it was on Wednesday. Filling the basement of the First Unitarian Church with sweat and fans, K Ishabashi proved Wednesday night that he can do the whole solo act performance and he can do it well. Read more…
Weekend Music Picks: Music To Make You Feel All Warm And Fuzzy.
Snow? Really? Don’t let that stop you from going out tonight or anytime this weekend. It will likely keep the chumps out, which means the city will belong to the strong. So go out, play in the snow, follow the trail to the music and enjoy the world while the chumps cuddle up with their Netflix. Read more…
Cheers Elephant @ Johnny Brenda’s.
Text and images by Rick Kauffman.
At one point while Cheer Elephant’s Derek Krzywicki cranked his torso around like a windmill, he stopped and looked suddenly calm.
“Whoa, that got a little crazy,” he said, probably while regaining equilibrium.
Krzywicki pulled off moves that would make Springsteen blush with conceit. The amount of torque he generated in his hips would cripple any normal man but the energy of the crowd made him limber. His gyrations were hypnotic in a way and he encouraged the audience to move as he did – not through words or requests but simply through leading by example.
And yet he quipped, “I want silence, total awkward silence.”
Cheers Elephant rocked Johnny Brenda’s Wednesday and the Fishtown faithful were in full attendance with their dancing shoes and dancing pants and whatever else kept the body moving.
Bassist “Travelin’ Matt” Rothstein, lead guitarist Jordan del Rosario and drummer Robert Kingsly (or just King), rounded out the foursome and with their combined powers laid down smooth harmonies and steady rock in the garage-style that will never die.
It’s hard to believe almost a year has passed since their third album, Like Wind Blows Fire, was released. But, along with the upbeat and catchy turns from Elephant’s discography, they swooned with a downbeat jam that was still under construction, according to Krzywicki. Read more…
Red Bull Thre3Style Competition Tonight at Voyeur! And It’s Free!
Text and images by Megan Matuzak.
The Red Bull Thre3style Warmup party last night at Barra in Old City was definitely an insider party. The music was blaring and everyone was twerking hard. It was a great preview for what will happen tonight.
DJ PHSH, who bested Bo Bliz, Gianni Lee, DJ Royale and Suga Shay in the Philly Thre3style qualifier in January, will compete against DJs from New York, Pittsburgh and Boston for the right to compete in the national round this spring. Read more…
WIN FREE TICKETS! See Vacationer On Saturday or Beak> on Friday at Underground Arts!
We’re working with the folks at one of our favorite new joints, Underground Arts, and we’ll be giving away a ton of tickets to their shows in the coming weeks. This weekend, there are a pair of great events.
On Saturday, Vacationer, the sort-of new chillwave project fronted by Kenny Vasoli, will launch their new monthly party, NUDE BEACH. Vacationer will headline with Cruiser and Robert Delong opening the show. There will be free Sailor Jerry and Slyfox beer from 9 to 10, and again before Vacationer takes the stage.
On Friday, Beak> , the Bristol, UK trio that makes experimental post-rock, will perform with Instamatic opening.
Email us at FreeJumpStuff@gmail.com to enter to win a pair of tickets (give us your name and put “Vacationer” or “Beak>” in the subject line).
If you want to play it safe and get your own tickets, find details for Friday’s show here and Saturday’s show here.
New Music To Cure Your Midweek Blues.
It’s Wednesday. It’s cold. You’re now at work/school/unemployed in your jammies/whatever. Hopefully, these new songs and videos will pick you up and get you through the day.
The top video features our cover boys from the summer 2012 issue, OCD: Moosh & Twist. You got to love how these cats rep Philly.
Below, see the new video from The National Rifle, who released their album in January. Below that is Son Step, a smooth quartet, in the studio.
And finally, there’s Chill Moody‘s RFM concert recap from December. The deluxe edition of his album officially dropped yesterday.
Why We Do JUMP: A Mission Beyond Music.
Last night, I hung out with the guys from Illvibe Collective, a DJ crew that launched in 2000 and has thrown great parties steadily ever since.
It was fascinating to hear them talk about building the energy in the crowd throughout a night. They watch everything that happens – from the flirtations on the dance floor to the folks bobbing their heads while waiting for drinks – and react to that. When they are spinning, they are part psychologist, part musicologist and part puppeteer. The best DJs, the guys said, know how to control a party – they know when to play the popular radio bangers and when to blend in those tracks with subtle connections.
It’s easy to take for granted the skill it takes to get a party going. Everybody probably thinks they could DJ. But to be good, you have to know music, and I mean really know it.
This is my job. I talk to people about their craft and I learn so much more about them than what you see in the DJ booth, on stage or from the Internet. Read more…
DRGN KING, Dangerous Ponies and Walking Shapes @ PhilaMOCA.
Sure, the sound system at PhilaMOCA wasn’t working that great on Saturday – it seemed like all the bands apologized for technical difficulties at some point during their sets. But you have to love a venue that splashes old movies on the wall behind bands while they perform. And the level of band/fan interaction is just plain awesome – it feels like a good old Philly basement show.
At one point during DRGN KING‘s record release show, frontman Dominic Angellela barrelled into the crowd. It wasn’t a stage-dive – he was practically in the crowd as he played. He remained on the ground for a while, lost amongst the revelers.
Earlier, a pair of Dangerous Ponies (who performed after Walking Shapes and Idle Idols) jumped into the crowd and started dancing.
Weekend Music Picks: Don’t Be A Consumer Monkey.
It’s grey and cold outside and on top of that, TV keeps showing clips of fat guys eating wings and they look really, really disgusting. Not a great way to start the day. Fortunately, tonight looks good, as does the whole weekend. There are a bunch of good shows with Philly bands on the lineup and they are all $10 or less!
Musiq Soulchild @ The Blockley.
Images by Rick Kauffman.
Philly’s swagger-heavy neo-soul/funk singer Musiq Soulchild rocked a sold out show at The Blockley on Wednesday with a full band, including a brass section. Selina Carrera, Suzann Christine and Beano French opened the show.
JUMP: The Philly Music Project 