The Coup, Japanther, Lushlife and Kev Choice @ Underground Arts.
Boots Riley got all kind of political on Friday night when his Oakland-based band The Coup jammed at Underground Arts.
Between funky jams, he reached out to the audience (sometimes literally) in the intimate room and preached for equality and fair representation. It was powerful stuff that could have been annoying – he was interrupting a great dance party – but he was so earnest. He is an amazing frontman who riles up the crowd with his words and actions.
The Coup was preceded by Japanther, the art-punk band that cranks out fast, loud music that makes your heart race. They are pure awesome, always leaving you wanting more. When the failed to play “River Phoenix,” the crowd chanted for the song. Ian Vanek, the drummer/singer, promised to play the song three times when Japanther returns to Philly on February 2.
South Philly-based MC Lushlife also performed (below). Kev Choice (bottom image) opened the show. At one point, he bounced around so much that he flew off the stage. 
City Hall Presents: Moving With The Sounds Of The People
Text by Sofiya Ballin. Images by Michael Bucher.
Alice Rader points toward the Second Empire-style clock tower while Ursula Rucker recites poetry on a small stage.
“Look at where we are!” Rader yells. “That’s awesome! I can look out and see Broad Street!”
She sits in the City Hall courtyard for the Peace Is A Haiku Song: Sonia Sanchez & Friends event, featuring Sanchez, Rucker, Chill Moody and others as part of the City Hall Presents series. The courtyard is filled with citizens across demographic lines, joined together to celebrate and absorb Philly talent, for free.
The ability to simultaneously listen to Rucker eloquently recite spoken word as the sun sets and monitor the traffic on Broad Street creates a unique and captivating combination.
“It’s a beautiful night and it makes me feel a part of the city,” says Rader, 67. “It makes me feel connected to the community.” Read more…
The Coup will have Underground Arts hopping on Friday and you could be part of the fun, for free. To enter to win a pair of tickets, email us at FreeJumpStuff@gmail.com (give us your name and put “The Coup” in the subject line).
Japanther (below) and Lushlife are also part of the killer lineup. This will be a great show.
You can get tickets here if you don’t want to take the chance.
George’s Weekend Picks: Can You Keep Up With An Old Dude Like Me?
There’s a ton of fun stuff coming up this weekend. I will be attending all of these events, and you should too. Unless you can’t keep with me …
FRIDAY
These guys make super-chill music that will make you think it’s 76 degrees outside and sunny. Work Drugs‘ electro stylings would make the perfect soundtrack to your most ridiculous adventures. This will be their record release party for Delta, an album you can purchase in vinyl … and the record is straight up yellow. Oh, and the show is free.
Apiary Magazine’s New Issue Launch Party featuring DJ AfroDJiak at the Latvian Society
Our friends at Philly’s DIY literary magazine will celebrate their new issue with readings and then a massive dance party.
The Coup, Japanther and Lushlife at Underground Arts
Yet another reason to love Underground Arts. This is a massive lineup. The Coup are classic old-school political rappers who make good time music. Japanther may be the best art-punk musicians you will ever experience. And Lushlife? That dude is smooth. And he calls Philly home. His richly layered tracks will have you thinking and dancing.
SATURDAY
The Collaborate Philly Networking Beertacular
Our friends at Collaborate Philly, an organization trying to bring creative types together, are having a little party with free beer. Not a real music connection (except that JUMP will be presenting). But it’s good people doing good stuff. And there’s free beer.
DCS Concerts Holiday Party and Hurricane Relief Fundraiser at Rebel Rock Bar
Here’s a chance to listen to some music and help a good cause.
The Joey Sweeney Experience at Johnny Brenda’s
The king of the hipsters (in the image above) is turning 40 so he’s throwing a party and playing 20 years of his music. Call it narcissistic if you want but no doubt, it will be entertaining as all hell.
SUNDAY
Punk Rock Flea Market at The Dome on 9th Street
Fuck the big box stores and their crappy ass sales. Do your holiday shopping on Sunday and give your hard-earned cash to local artists and vendors.
Last night was the final installment of the Red Bull Public Assembly competition and it was great fun. The Shakedown crew and friends had the bass pumping at Underground Arts, which may be our new favorite place to party.
King Britt, Osunlade, Rob Paine, Willyum and Dirty all took turns on the turntables, and Lady Alma (above) belted out a few songs.
Check out our coverage from the first two Public Assembly events – Talib Kweli and the IllVibe Collective at The Blockley and the Mad Decent crew at the G Lounge. Read more…
Yis Goodwin: The Animal Power of NoseGo.
Text by Morgan James. Art by NoseGo.
Yis Goodwin’s art is layered, with a kick. It expands upon itself in a crescendo of utterly discordant components that mesh together in a super-clutch masterpiece.
“When you were a kid with a toy box and the toys were splattered over each other, a cluster of toys on the floor creating its own composition,” Goodwin explains, “when I paint, I envision that.”
Goodwin, known creatively as an Übermensch illustrator, street artist and muralist, grew up in the Graduate Hospital section of the city, not far from his current South Philadelphia studio.
His moniker, NoseGo, originated from a childhood nickname.
“I used to do street art and went by the name ‘Nose,’” he says. “As I was transitioning into the professional world, I wanted to keep my name, but at the same time rebrand myself.”
He combined his nickname with the first two letters of his last name.
“‘Go’ was perfect. ‘Nose, go!’” he exclaims. “It’s energetic like my work.”
Goodwin attended the High School for Creative and Performing Arts before graduating from University of the Arts in 2008. While in college, he honed and refocused his given creativity toward a more illustrative expression.
Those expressions can now be found all around the city. He has created more than a dozen commissioned murals, and he exhibits his painted pieces regularly in the city’s galleries. But his hometown is not the only place his work’s been shown. Read more…
Modern Inventors: Praised By Sir Paul.
Text and image by Brendan Menapace.
Folk rock duo Modern Inventors have been building a pretty impressive resume. They’ve gotten steady radio play from WXPN, played numerous shows and have even had their cover of a Paul McCartney song heard – and praised – by McCartney himself. This is a lot to be proud of in itself but what makes it more impressive is that they’ve done all this before the release of their debut album.
They started in 2007 when members Matt Kass and Josh Benus met in Connecticut while Kass was playing with Philadelphia band The Brakes. Modern Inventors essentially began when Benus approached Kass to produce his solo album.
“The original sessions for this record were meant to go on Josh’s solo record,” says Kass. “As we started developing more of a camaraderie in the studio, we were like, ‘Yo, lets make this into a band.’”
Benus relocated to Philadelphia and the guys hit the studio to record more songs early in 2012. They ultimately created their debut album, Trains and Aeroplanes, which is set release this month.
With Kass’ production know-how and Benus’ songwriting, the two are a self-contained unit. You could describe their process for making this album with a certain I-word that gets thrown around a lot these days.
“Josh does some production, and I do some songwriting,” Kass says. “But it’s kind of a symbiotic thing. We kind of have our roles and it’s pretty sweet.”
Back to the Paul McCartney thing. The guys were invited to open for McCartney’s son James by WXPN’s Helen Leicht, whom Kass has known since his days in The Brakes. They performed a version of Paul McCartney’s “Every Night.” Leicht later asked them to go into the studio and record it.
“The amazing thing really about this cover is that we completed it within two days,” Benus says. “It was an incredibly busy week for me and our time schedules, we didn’t even know if they were going to match up.”
It was a short time spent in the studio but it wasn’t a half-assed effort in the least.
“We made something really special,” Benus says. “I think Paul really noticed that.”
They heard through Leicht that McCartney was impressed. The accolades don’t get much bigger than that.
“It was cool, you know,” Kass says. “We took our time so much with this record and then having…”
Benus interrupts, “Having someone validate our work on something that we did in two days versus something that we did in like, three years.”
“It makes you kind of rethink it,” Kass says, jumping back in. “It’s like, ‘Alright, our next record is going to take five days.’”
Keith Greiman: Casting The Imaginary Reel.
Text by Rick Kauffman. Art by Keith Greiman.
Prowler, an ostentatiously funky disco sextet, has a fetish for beat-driven boogie and a frontman/lyricist who is an artist with the vision and skill to pick ideas out of thin air.
Singer Keith Greiman says the band’s songs have been written about such varied topics as restless leg syndrome, poison ivy on his dick in ninth grade, Nancy Reagan giving the best blowjob in Hollywood (according to Frank Sinatra) and getting cavities from candy.
“I’m just the talent, man,” Greiman says with a shrug of satisfaction. “The band is very patient with me. Whereas these guys are legitimate, real musicians, they just allow me to mess around. They’re friends. They don’t have a choice.”
Greiman’s Fishtown home is furnished with the delicate touch of a woman, his wife, and organized as neatly as he is dressed. The architect of the house was a true nut, creating a space devoid of any right angles and exposing brick in odd places that now serve as shelves for Greiman’s collection of snow globes. Upstairs in his studio are pictures framed of him and his wife’s family, plus a random one of Marlon Brando, and hanging on the walls are his canvas paintings.
“Prowler, from my standpoint, is sort of a weird by-product,” he says. “But painting has always been my focus. It’s my thing.” Read more…
Ameerah K. Art: Live-Painting The Hip-Hop Scene.
Text by Sofiya Ballin. Images by Michael Bucher.
Ameerah Khabir has been told many times tonight to be careful of her makeup. Yet the dark streaks of wet mascara cascade down her cheeks as she tears up yet again.
Sole II Soul restaurant is closing down for the night and Ameerah is surrounded by tables topped by overturned chairs. Dressed in all black with gold jewelry, Ameerah pats her face lightly with a tissue while holding on tightly to a bag containing her paintings.
Tonight, her official brand, Ameerah K. Art, presented GLOW: Hip-Hop Artists of The Past, Present and Future. She showcased the many eras of hip-hop in her paintings on canvas, all of which used glow-in-the-dark paint.
“It’s like putting myself on display,” says the 26-year-old artist. “Each piece is literally a part of me it’s very personal to me and I take it very seriously.”
And the show was a massive success – a big crowd with lots of positive feedback.
“This is a new twist to the art scene in Philly,” says Curran J. Swint, creator of Kings Rule Together clothing line, as he surveys the room. “This was more of an experience. It made you appreciate the art more because she took the time with everything.”
The show began with various soul food dishes and included bustling conversations as well as old school and newer hip-hop pumped through the restaurant.
“I think visual artists are known but get overlooked in popular culture,” says Cory Townes, who acted as host for the evening. “She bridged the gap. She let her vision speak for itself. She let her hands talk.”
JUMP: The Philly Music Project 