Sadie (The Web Series): Reality On The Internet.
Text by Kelsey Doenges. Images by Conrad Haber.
We have an epidemic on our hands. The city of Philadelphia has been bombarded with celebrities. Streets have been closed for the sake of “movie making,” and Philadelphians everywhere have had their lives turned upside down and sideways. Tom Hanks! Sigourney Weaver! Bradley Cooper! And yes, Even Miley Cyrus has stomped through the city recently.
You would think there would be a huge payoff for being late to work because a stunt double is blocking the entrance of your place of employment. But when you settle into your cushiony movie theater seat with your bucket of popcorn, you see on the big screen that what was once Walnut Street has been transformed into some pseudo-Manhattan street. And we, as loyal citizens of this city, feel cheated. Where’s the trash?
“Everything that has come to Philadelphia, everything I have worked on this year, did not take place in Philadelphia,” says Nicole Agostino, who has worked on the majority of productions shot in town.
And now, she is trying to change all of that with her upcoming web series, Sadie, which she produced, wrote and directed. It is set to launch this winter.
The title character, Sadie, is the daughter of a rock-legend father and a deceased music photographer mother. Over the course of ten episodes, she explores the gritty Philadelphia music scene, sneaks into bars to photograph her favorite bands and falls in and out of love.
“I started writing a screenplay about the bands I had been going to see and the boys who had been breaking my heart,” says Agostino. “I had been writing it and writing it and work had been getting in the way. Finally, I was like, ‘I am going to be 30 years old. It is time that I make something happen.’”
So she threw herself a party. It wasn’t just another Saturday night in Philadelphia. It wasn’t even just another Saturday night at the RUBA Club. It was Nicole Agostino’s 30th birthday bash, filled with more food than any human could imagine, stand-up comedy, raffle baskets, and, yes, even a performance from MissRose Burlyque. It was a celebration for turning the big three-oh but it was also a fundraiser to launch the project she had been cooking up for the last six years.
It worked. Agostino was ready to see her own project become a reality.
She is extremely proud that she has created this thing, this compilation of people from Philadelphia. This little indie web series is one huge love letter to the city. All of the episodes were shot in town. Sadie hangs in Philadelphia bars we will all recognize and she listens to Philadelphia favorites, like Shorty Boy Boy (see below), Ruby the Hatchet and En Fuego.
Themuffinmanisaband @ The Fire.
Text and images by Matthew Albasi.
When in doubt, play louder. At least that is the philosophy of Philly local Themuffinmanisaband. Even to a mostly empty room at The Fire on Thanksgiving eve, they played their crunchy guitars and guttural bass at an ear-shattering volume.
Despite the volume, their stage presence started off a bit subdued as they worked through their first song. But by the second song Shane Leddy, the bassist, was dancing around the stage, jigging at every opportunity.
Walter Fohley, the drummer was playing so forcefully that he broke a stick in the first song, and another in the second song. Joe Terry, the guitarist and vocalist, started joking with the crowd saying that breaking sticks is required to be their drummer.
“If you’re not breaking one a song, you gotta get the fuck out,” Terry said.
Their punchy, rock ‘n’ roll tunes worked well. Terry put his heavily distorted guitar through the works as he walked his way through blues scales with ease. Leddy, meanwhile, solidly played the root notes with a punch and added in the occasional harmonic exaggeration.
Much of the chatter between songs was about Thanksgiving. “Turkey is in the air,” was a favorite catch-phrase of Terry. At one point he asked the audience if anyone had exciting plans for the holiday. He was met with silence, so he divulged his plans.
“I’m hanging in Miami with P. Diddy and eating turkey on a yacht,” he said with a laugh.
Their last song of the evening was a long, seemingly improvised jam. As they finished, Terry and Leddy turned up the volume and placed their guitars against their amps filling the room with deafening feedback.
Cyber Monday Deals @ The Tower and TLA.
The Tower and TLA are selling tickets today with no service fee (which can get pricey otherwise). Most of the shows through the end of the year – including the Chill Moody/Mic Stew/Jade Alston/Mont Brown show on December 28 – are available at the discounted rate, as are a few select shows in 2013.
Visit the sites for The Tower and TLA to find the deals.
SEE PASSION PIT FOR FREE!
Want to see Passion Pit for free with a friend on Thursday at the Electric Factory? And get a signed copy of their new CD, Gossamer?
Email us at FreeJumpStuff@gmail.com to enter to win a pair of tickets and the autographed CD (give us your name and put “Passion Pit” in the subject line). We’ll announce winners on Wednesday at 6:00 pm.
If you don’t want to take a chance, you can purchase tickets here.
Pics From The Winter Issue Launch Party!
We had a great crowd at PhilaMOCA last week for the official JUMP mag winter issue launch party. Bok Nero (above, photo by Marie Alyse Rodriguez) and his Blonde Gang cohorts performed, as did DJ Lisa Love‘s ptotege, DJ D.A.M., who is only 15 (below, photo by Rick Kauffman).
Blonde Gang member Kidd Sweeny. Photo by Marie Alyse Rodriguez.
Yis Goodwin (right), otherwise known as NoseGo, with his girlfriend. Photo by Marie Alyse Rodriguez.
Yis, who did the back cover art for the issue, with Tom Foley of SEDSO, a design group that collaborates on the monthly PHSH Tank party. Photo by Marie Alyse Rodriguez.
Intern Matthew’s Weekend Picks: You Can Go Home Again.
Every week, intern Matthew Albasi brings you his musical selections for the coming days …
Mmm, Thanksgiving weekend. The time for you to go out with all your old high school friends, tell stories about how successful you are and then get trashed like the good ol’ days. Here is a list of shows that I’m thankful for this weekend.
FRIDAY
Om and Daniel Higgs @ Johnny Brenda’s
I don’t know why but I’m totally into banjos and mouth harps being played by an old hardcore dude. Let’s just call it a guilty pleasure. Luckily, Daniel Higgs exists to give me eleven minute-long, trance-y tunes just to this specification. Give him a shot, I promise it’ll be cool.
Gaza, Code Orange Kids, Full of Hell and Congenital Death @ Broad Street Ministry
On the other end of the spectrum we’ve got Congenital Death. A female-fronted hardcore band from Philly. They do it good. Gaza is bringing some Utah flavor to the show with their blast beats from hell –or Salt Lake City. I’ve never seen a show at Broad Street Ministry before, but this music against the backdrop of a church sounds awesome.
SATURDAY
Mercury Radio Theater, Farquar Muckenfuss and Six Acre Lake @ Johnny Brenda’s
This show is ticketed as “The Gobblepocalypse.” I really feel like I can end with that but I guess I’ll go on. So, three all instrumental bands with their own surf-y punk sound will be playing with Lulu Lollipop, a burlesque dancer, filling the gaps. Mercury Radio Theater (above) is a JUMP fave.
The Hellstroms, Honah Lee and The Slotcars @ Kung Fu Necktie
Oh, pop-punk. What would I do without you? The Hellstroms have a toe-tapping sound and gang vocals. Which should be more than enough to get a crowd going. The Slotcars and Honah Lee are cut from the same cloth.
SUNDAY
Sithis, On the Shoulders of Kings, Parius, Electric Puke and Phatboy @ The Balcony at The Troc
Whether or not Sithis intentionally named themselves after the deity of all things evil from Elder Scrolls, I can not say. Regardless, they’ve got an amazing sound that would make their namesake happy. All of their songs are about death and the apocalypse. No smooshy love songs here.
Kate Faust is what gets me in the door for this show. She’s got a great Bjork-like style over top a mix of electronic and real instrumentals. Throw City Rain, another JUMP fave, in the mix and you’ve got yourself a party. And, of course, going to this show helps the people that were screwed by that cold bitch Sandy.
That’s it all for this week. Throw on your old varsity jacket (I’m sure it still fits) and go have yourself a good time. See you next week, Philly.
The National Rifle: Tighter Than Ever Before.
Text by Sumreen Z. Chaudry. Images by G.W. Miller III.
With a name like The National Rifle, you might expect to hear some violent, loud music, perhaps with references to the NRA. But instead, the South Philly-based band’s sound is inviting, fun and stimulating.
Guitarist and lead singer Hugh Moretta, who works by day as a barista, definitely comes off as the strong, silent observer type, brooding behind his full head of dark hair. But in the band’s music, he is so vulnerable and open, immediately eliciting a sense of deep connection.
“I will always be a music person,” Moretta says. “This is all I care about. Whether it becomes my career or something on the side, it will always be a part of my life.”
The bandmates work well together to create an air of comfort and familiarity in their songs, which range from indie rock to dance-pop.
After keyboard player Lynna Stancato, bass player Jeremiah Sweeney, drummer Buddy Mazzenga and Morretta formed the band in 2006, the bandmates practiced multiple times per week at their rehearsal space in Upper Darby. But then jobs and other obstacles got in the way. For more than two years, their practices didn’t begin until after 11 at night. They found that they were not being very productive and more importantly, they weren’t having fun.
They decided to only practice together every Sunday night, with each member practicing on their own several times during the week.
“It sounds crazy but we actually are playing tighter then we have ever before,” Moretta says.
That new process and newfound joy is evident in their upcoming album, Almost Endless, which will drop in January. Produced by Brian McTear and Jon Low, the album features pounding drums with tight guitar riffs and layers of sound. Their first single, “Coke Beat,” is an upbeat, danceable track reminiscent of 80s electro-pop songs made by the likes of New Order.
It is apparent that The National Rifle bandmates are bonded not just by their sheer love of making music, but their style allows each person to let go and be who they inherently are meant to be.
“Joining the band was the first time I felt like I was doing something that was my own,” says Stancato, who works at a patient advocacy call center. “I realized one day that I lived in a box and did what I thought I was supposed to do in life but didn’t really know myself. I just wanted to march to the beat of my own drum, I guess, and will continue to do that.”
Sweeney spends his days going to school to become a personal trainer and also works as a server at an Italian restaurant.
“I was born to entertain people,” he says. “I love being in the spotlight. I love the big stage and I just want this to be my life.”
Rounding out the band is the soft-spoken Mazzenga, who at times is so quiet that one could forget he’s still in the room. But as soon as he picks up his drumsticks, he transforms into an energetic, confident, totally-in-control guy, forcefully banging away on the drums. Mazzenga started out playing the guitar when he was 13.
“I got bored with it,” he says. “I then started playing the drums and realized it was much more fun than the guitar. The drummer may not get all the glory but I am pretty much the backbone of the band.”
Over the past six years, The National Rifle has been on 16 tours, with the four band members, their instruments and equipment living out of a van and crashing on friends’ floors. They last toured in April, and then spent the spring and summer recording the new album.
The evolution of the band’s sound is clearly recognizable. It has gone from being a bunch of kids jamming and having fun to a mature, calculated sound that warrants revisiting, maybe even with headphones so that you can appreciate all the subtle nuances in the music.
Break It Up: Music For The Masses.
Text by Bree Wood. Images by Ryan Treitel.
The lights go out and the crowded bar empties into the backroom of Kung Fu Necktie as Break It Up straps on their guitars.
The band opens with “Paint the Town,” a rambunctious anthem of a song, and the people instantly start bouncing to Dan Morse’s catchy guitar riffs and Casey Bell’s powerful drumming.
The 90s are when this group began exploring music and they use all the influences of their youth to create the dynamic sound of Break It Up – pop, twee and Riot Grrrl, among other styles, with roots in Sonic Youth, Mission of Burma and the Pixies.
“We are your first basement show, where you went for the first time and connected with music,” says Jen Sperling, the singer, guitarist and keyboard player. “We are that garage bandiness! You can do this. Music is for everyone and it’s fun. That first moment you say, ‘Hey, that could be me!’ That’s us.”
Bell and Sperling met through Craigslist and they originally formed an all-girl group, Creatures of Prey. It consisted of five women. Slowly, the members began to drop out because of various other commitments.
At the time, Morse happened to be the person recording the group. Throughout the recording process, Morse, who also plays with Wigwams, offered great input for arranging the songs.
And so the conversation began. Should Sperling and Bell, who both volunteer with Girls Rock Philly, add Morse to their all-girl group?
The answer was easy.
“At the end of the day, an all girl band was an aesthetic,” Bell says. “What we felt was more important was having a member who we had chemistry with, and that we were making songs that we all felt good about. That overshadowed the all girl aspect.”
They were chosen to participate in WXPN’s Key Studio Session in 2011 before the band had even performed live on stage. And they were among the first groups to participate in a Bands in the Backyard video shoot.
Break It Up has since played all over the city, and they performed at SXSW last March.
When they’re on stage, like the night at Kung Fu Necktie, you can see the chemistry between the bandmates. They are so relaxed. You can tell they really are enjoying what they are doing. Even as Sperling’s guitar string breaks mid-song, she just keeps on playing as if nothing has happened.
They’ve done performances at Girls Rock Philly events and the bandmates are involved with Rock to the Future. They also helped with a fundraiser for Little Berlin.
Somehow between having real life jobs and helping the community, they still have time to create music.
The group stopped playing live for a while as they began recording their debut full-length album in August with Jeff Zeigler at Uniform recording. They are shooting for a spring release.
“I hope people think about our music as what anyone can play if you really want to,” Morse says. “You can play a few chords and it’s ok. You don’t have to be flashy. Not that we are that simple but if a person really wanted to do something they could.”
Blonde Gang: The Music Making Misfits.
Text by Cary Carr. Images by Marie Alyse Rodriguez.
Neon paint spills on the floor creating a pink, blue and green path for the crowd. The ultra-hipster kids have arrived with their dreads, ripped T-shirts and drugged out dance moves, but they’re not alone. A swarm of hip-hop fanatics makes their presence known, swaying to the beats of the DJ while prepping for the main event. Girls with barely-there outfits and skintight jeans smear body paint on one another, struggling to strap on as many glow bracelets as their wrists will allow.
Blunts are passed around like candy, forming a cloud of smoke that overpowers the effects of the fog machine. Behind dark shades, a man with a red streak in his hair holds a Bud Ice in one hand, a bottle of cheap liquor in the other and balances a cigarette on the edges of his lips while still managing to bust out some dance moves. He’s glowing under the blue rays of the black light, and he makes one thing very clear – he doesn’t give a damn what you think of him.
This is the party before the main event. This is the pregame that lasts all night. This is the home of the social misfits, the individuals, the kids who give a middle finger to anything or anyone who tries to tell them no.
“Welcome to Blonde Gang,” laughs Jamiil Hankins.
Read more…
Norwegian Arms: Freak Folk From The Cold Front.
Text and images by Brandee Nichols.
After receiving a Fulbright fellowship in 2009, Brendan Mulvihill, one half of the freak-folk duo Norwegian Arms, found himself in the middle of Siberia, teaching English at a university.
“I think it was a good maturation thing,” Mulvihill says of his time in Tomsk, Russia. “It’s really easy to grow as an individual when you put yourself in these difficult situations.”
Mulvihill harnessed his experiences and channeled them into the music of Norwegian Arms’ debut album, Wolf Like a Stray Dog, which is due out in December.
“Everything was at least partially, if not completely, written there,” Mulvihill says. “It deals with things that happened while I was there. It’s basically a documentary of my experience abroad.”
Eric Slick, the other half of the group, wasn’t directly inspired by Mulvihill’s experience but he had no trouble working on the album upon Mulvihill’s return.
“I’ve been to Russia a few times and it’s a gorgeous, freezing nightmare,” Slick says. “At the end of the day, it’s all music. Brendan definitely gave me some insight as to what he was looking for musically and it seemed to blend well with the lyrical content.”
Mulvihill and Slick teamed up with Michael Chadwick, formerly of The Armchairs, to record the album in October 2011. They pulled it off in less than a week at Dr. Dog’s Meth Beach studio. Slick also plays drums for Dr. Dog.
“It was good because I think it forced us to distill our thoughts so that the songs didn’t become too overproduced or overblown,” Mulvihill says, describing the intense and somewhat blurry process.
Continuing with the worldly theme of the album, the duo took their time doing long-distance mixing with a former Philadelphia friend, Jose Diaz, who now lives in Seattle.
“We took a while to get it mixed because we really wanted to listen to the tracks we had and figure out what we wanted it to sound like,” Mulvihill recalls. “I hope that there’s an authenticity to this record, that it’s me as I am, as I am everyday in my life.”
“If people are looking for something that’s accessible but a little left of center, then I think they’ll enjoy the record,” Slick adds.
When Mulvihill isn’t off discovering the world, he works as an assistant talent buyer at Johnny Brenda’s in Fishtown, basically a graduation from what he used to do at The Ox, the Olde Kensington warehouse space that hosted countless concerts and parties until the police shut them down.
“It’s the best job I’ve ever had,” he says proudly. “I’ve never worked in a place I like, with people I like, doing something I like. It’s just a really wonderful experience.”
It only makes sense that the venue of choice for the album’s December 21 release is Johnny Brenda’s. The duo is also taking this opportunity to celebrate the Mayan Apocalypse at the same time.
“Hopefully all of my friends will join me as the world crumbles around us,” Mulvihill says with an enthusiastic grin.
*Pre-order the album here or listen below.
JUMP: The Philly Music Project 