Tonight: Elevate Sound Studios Launch Party @ Underground Arts!
Text by Morgan James.
World Town in conjunction with The New Philadelphia and REVEAL kick-off the city’s next kick-ass hyper-local electronic music generator, Elevate Sound Studios.
World Town, the Philadelphia-based collective spearhead by electro-funk DJ’s Ben Arsenal and MR Femstar, splashed center city’s TIME shades of psychedelic over the course of 2012. They’re revved again to paint the town bright wild with the launch of their recording studio Elevate Sound at Underground Arts tonight.
In October of 2011, World Town conceptualized a space to cultivate the unbridled. DJ Ben Arsenal’s vision took form in a deconstructed basement workspace in North Philadelphia’s Window Factory Arts that has since materialized into a haven of eclectic spirits and the ultimate appreciation of electronic, organic, and dimensional sound.
Tonight’s launch party features a bevy of Philadelphia’s freshest acts including Ben Arsenal & MR Femstar of World Town, DJ Sega of Mad Decent, Jack Deezl, West Philadelphia Orchestra, Rudy Kardos, Red Richards, Sophic, Galvanize, and ECODE with visuals by VJ Kraken and Bodypaint.Me.
There’s no party like a World Town party.
See here for party details.
Slutever: The Brat Pack!
Text by Megan Matuzak. Images by Marie Alyse Rodriguez. Styling by Linda Smyth. Hair by Juaquin Cameron at Richard Nicholas Salon.
Rachel Gagliardi and her Slutever bandmate Nicole Snyder squint their eyes to adjust to the late morning sun. Gagliardi adjusts her mussed red hair and straightens her oversized black T-shirt while Snyder fumbles with a VHS tape and pops it into the machine. The movie, It Takes Two, a Mary-Kate and Ashley classic, starts mid-film.
Gagliardi squeals when the tape starts at her favorite scene – the one where one Olsen twin enters the “haunted” mansion and finds her portrait hanging on the wall. Then, a ghostly figure, actress Jane Sibbett, glides down the hallway wearing a white robe and white face cream. Gagliardi and Snyder laugh hysterically as the Olsen twin runs down the stairs and out of the mansion, screaming the whole way.
The Slutever duo loves all things brat life – like the Olsen twins – looking up to them with childlike admiration. The bandmates pull off the Olsen twin vibe by frequently interrupting and finishing each other’s sentences.
“If we could shoot a video anywhere, it would probably be in the Mall of America,” Gagliardi says. “It would be us hanging out at the mall but us, like, riding the rollercoaster, going mini-golfing and doing, like, all the weird mall things.”
Snyder speaks up in her mellow and crass way, pointing out that Mary-Kate and Ashley already made that music video.
“Yeah but we would combine that with ‘Pussycat!’” Gagliardi exclaims, referring to one of Slutever’s hit songs.
Everything about Slutever reeks of the 90s teenager aesthetic; their love of bootleg Simpson’s memorabilia, the duo’s striking similarities to Beavis and Butthead, even the name of the band. Alicia Silverstone’s Clueless, a staple for all ’90s girls everywhere, represents the band’s world: annoyed by their parents and pretty much everything else, yet spoiled with an overflowing closet of clothes, shoes and accessories.
They are the perfect brats, and the sound of Slutever’s music is, well, bratty to match – loud and fast, yet irresistibly grungy.
Gagliardi and Snyder, who originally met in high school in Bucks County, both play the drums and guitar. The girls swap instruments mid-set during shows and recording depending on who wrote the majority of the lyrics and guitar parts for that song. They front their raw, aggressive sound with angst-ridden lyrics and ear-shattering bratty belting.
Well, here we are again, folks. Intern Matthew Albasi coming at you with the weekend’s musical highlights. Friday night is fast approaching and this weekend will be filled with great events. There are some shows going on that you’ve probably already heard about like Matt & Kim and, of course, ZZ Top. But those aside, we’ve got some weekend-long festivals and a bitchin’ house show to keep you busy if you can’t afford those $50 Ben Folds Five tickets.
FRIDAY
Frightened Rabbit and Flashlights at Johnny Brenda’s
If you were lucky enough to scoop up tickets to see the Scottish indie rockers Frightened Rabbit then you will surely receive the ire of many turned-away fans. But revel in it. If you didn’t get tickets, maybe you can just dance on Girard Avenue.
City Bisco Late Night at The Blockley
Do you hate to sleep? Well, we have an event for you! After Disco Biscuits, RJD2 and Diplo get done partying at the Mann Center, the party continues at The Blockley. City Bisco is a multi-day, multi-stage festival but after the lights go down at Fairmount Park, everything moves to The Blockley and rages on until six in the morning. LTJ Bukem, the man who redefined electronic music, will be spinning breakbeats with the likes of Abakus and BioDiesel.
SATURDAY
Moon Duo, Lantern and Music for Headphones at Kung Fu Necktie
God, this is going to be an awesome show. To begin with, you’ve got two amazing local bands. Music for Headphones always pleases with their post-punk tunes. Lantern is the embodiment of all things Rock (that’s with a capital R, folks). And for headliners you have Moon Duo, a psychedelic rock group that spun off from Wooden Shjips.
Leithgow Oktoberfest! at The Fire
Another multi-day, multi-stage concert on the other end of the musical spectrum. This one is more DIY than untz-untz-untz. Starting outside at 2pm, bands like The Circadian Rhythms and Store Cats will be playing the outside stage along with a bunch of craft vendors and other attractions. By 9pm the party will move inside for more bands like TJ Kong & the Atomic Bomb and L.U.N.A.R Revolt.
City Bisco Late Night at The Blockley. Day 2
Same hours, new bands. The party continues in West Philly with Damn Right!, Horizon Wireless and more.
SUNDAY
Mayflower, Prevenge and Pretty Bullshit at The Treehouse
If you feel like winding down with a bit of punk rock in a basement, than head over to The Treehouse for three awesome bands. Mayflower and Pretty Bullshit are coming down from New York to grace us with their head banging punk noise. Prevenge rounds out the bill with some Canadian punk rock flavor.
Leithgow Oktoberfest! at The Fire. Day 2
The second day of this fest kicks off the same way as the first. There are a bunch of rocking bands outside, like Chalk & The Beige Americans, Sweetbriar Rose and Reverend TJ McGlinchey. When the sun sets the music continues inside with Hott Tubb and WyldLyfe.
So, this weekend is kind of like the Ironman Triathalon of music. In theory you could jump from show to show and spend a grand total of sixteen hours all weekend without music. Without music and sleep, that is. Let me know if any of you complete this amazing feat. Keep it ugly, Philly. See you soon with my review of The We Shared Milk.
Trophy Wife: Singing What Scares Them.
Text by Cara Stefchak. Images by G.W. Miller III.
When trying to compare themselves to a fictional duo, singer/drummer Katy Otto and singer/guitarist Diane Foglizzo of Trophy Wife find similarities to the comedic Muppet duo Bert and Ernie.
“They’re really good friends but they’re really different and sometimes they need time apart,” says Foglizzo, the dark-haired member of the band. “But they love each other.”
If the fictional roommates traded in their Sesame Street residence for a Fishtown apartment, got matching tattoos and tackled some heavier issues in their sing-alongs, the comparison would gain some strength.
In July, Trophy Wife released its nine-track sophomore album, Sing What Scares You.
“Confronting self-doubt is kind of where the title comes from,” Foglizzo says. “It’s about finding ways to heal yourself in a really destructive society and then also sharing that sense of doubt and fear, and maybe hoping that other people don’t feel so alone.”
The album comes two years after the band’s debut full-length, Patience Fury. With their newest release, the two tried to expand from doing just harmonies or solo singing to having different parts that overlap, along with call and response lyrics. More imagery was used in the writing to describe more, as opposed to just telling.
“Katy had some vocals on the first record but I really think on this record, she challenged herself to be as much of a vocalist in the band as I am,” Foglizzo says. “The first record was very personal but it felt a little more big picture. I think a lot of the songs on the new record really come from a lot of shit we experienced.”
The two lived apart a year during the writing of Sing What Scares You. Foglizzo lived in North Carolina while Otto remained in Philly before they reunited as Fishtown roommates.
“At first we we were like, ‘This is amazing. We can practice in our living room all the time,’” Foglizzo says. “But then it got hard and we went through some hard times where it just felt like too much.”
They recently moved all their practice gear to a space at the Girls Rock Philly headquarters, where Foglizzo works as the first paid, full-time staff person and program director.
“The instruments don’t stare us in the face, being mad at us when we don’t play for a while,” says Otto, who works for the Service Women’s Action Network and New Paradise Laboratories. “Our band is part of our life, so it’s not agenda and goal-oriented as maybe some other people’s bands. But we take it seriously and understand how to make it have sustainability.”
They are considering doing a home recording for their next release, which they are already in the process of writing.
“I like things that confuse me musically,” Otto says. “I realized lately that stuff I can’t really put my finger on, that’s where I want to go.”
Medea: The Torch Singers.
Text by Maddy Court. Image by Bill DiCecca.
Named after a dog, Medea is a wedding band gone rogue. Founding members Pat Robinson and Irene Lambrou met while playing the local wedding circuit in 1996. In 1999, they started Medea as an outlet for their original music.
“At a wedding, you’re there to provide a service,” explains Lambrou, the singer, whose dog inspired the name of the band. “At a Medea show, people are there to see what you do.”
Medea’s lineup has changed over the years but Robinson and Lambrou think their current lineup, including drummer Pat Domanico, guitarist Tony Winkler and bassist Rich Curtis, is the best incarnation of their project.
“The earlier versions of the band were more combustible,” says Robinson, who plays guitar and keyboard. “It was a heavier sound and it was a lot more progressive.”
Their upcoming album, Some Other Life, due out in September, is the product of two years of hard work. It melds jazz and earthy tones.
The members of Medea have learned some things during 13 years on the scene. Most recently, they put their music online to reach a larger audience. They’re not too stressed about Bandcamp, however. They know that their demographic is older, NPR-subscriber types.
“We’re grown-ups,” summarizes Robinson.
“Our band is a testament to the staying power of great musicians in this city,” says Lambrou.
The Antlers and Port St. Willow @ Union Transfer.
Text by Laura Fanciullacci. Images by Grace Dickinson.
Union Transfer pulled in two great bands on Sunday night with The Antlers headlining to promote the July 24th release of the four-song EP, Undersea. The band was touring throughout the month of September with their fellow New York musicians, PortSt. Willow, concluding with their stop in Philly.
The Antlers originated as Peter Silberman’s solo project until he recruited Michael Lerner and Darby Cicci, forming the trio that produced the very popular and widely acclaimed Hospice from 2009. Undersea appears to be the band’s short but admirable attempt to break away from the emotionally complex Hospice world to explore a new sonic abyss.
The venue was packed with devoted fans anxiously awaiting new songs and sounds from Undersea, which they got with the serene “Drift Drive,” a lengthy introduction to the band’s set. A wave of aquatic calm quickly filled the space and hushed the swaying crowd 
into a silent attentiveness.
Silberman commented on how quiet the mellowed-out crowd seemed but appreciated their gift of silent admiration.
“You guys are sweet,” he said. “A little too sweet.”
Overall The Antlers performance gave a decent variety, alternating between softer jam-session moments, followed by heavy guitar rifts and passionate, yet vulnerable howls from Silberman’s unmistakable falsetto. The band threw in some classics from previous albums too, such as “Kettering” and “Putting the Dog to Sleep,” orchestrating a balance between the new and old that certainly appeased the receptive audience.
Port St. Willow, the music project of Nick Principe, provided a perfectly transcendent compliment to The Antlers. The more experimental, ambient tracks presented a continuous loop of electric wonder, where one was not sure where one song ended and the other began. The band released their debut LP Holiday earlier this year.
The bond between the two bands was apparent when the eager Port St. Willow crew reappeared on stage to supply some backup vocals for the surprisingly charming “Endless Ladder” from Undersea.
The show ended on a bittersweet note as The Antlers finished their encore, remarking how they have enjoyed being in Philly and touring with Port St. Willow, both of which they will miss.
Port St. Willow
The Antlers
Thursday: The We Shared Milk and The Dig @ Kung Fu Necktie.
Hey there, we’ve got a mid-week update for you. There’s going to be an awesome show going on Thursday night at Kung Fu Necktie. The We Shared Milk, originally from Alaska but recently transplated to Portland, Oregon, are touring to promote their first full-length album, History of Voyager & Legend Tripping. They will be rocking with The Dig, from NYC.
This is not a show to miss. See you there.
Timeflies and The Jane Doze @ Union Transfer.
Text by Ian Cruiess.
This past Saturday, Union Transfer was greeted with a dance-filled set by mash-up artists The Jane Doze and an extremely diverse set by Timeflies.
The crowd was electric when The Jane Doze came on stage. The pair of DJs fed off of the crowd’s energy, and tossed out bracelets and glow sticks. The crowd bounced up and down throughout the whole set, hitting a high during the duo’s remix of PSY’s “Gangnam Style.”
When the lights dimmed for the second time, the crowd knew it was time for Timeflies but, interestingly enough, music continued for almost ten minutes before they came on stage.
Once they walked on, the fans roared. Cal Shapiro of Timeflies opened the set with their song “Lose My Mind.” He then won the crowd over by telling the audience that he planned to go all night to make up for their lack of time during their last show at the TLA.
Unfortunately, that all night that he spoke of, really meant to about 10:30.
That said, the crowd was very active throughout the whole show, singing and rapping along with the lyrics. The highlight of the night though came as Shapiro delivered an extremely impressive freestyle, which was full of Philadelphia references. He not only named almost every college in the Philadelphia area but included insults to Eli Manning and a line about the Flyers goalie, Bryzgalov.
After telling the crowd that they were done, which elicited a deafening “one more song” chant, Timeflies came back to the stage to rattle off two encore tracks, “Taylor” and “Under the Sea.”
As the show came to a close, the crowd left with a few U-S-A chants and lots of tweets and talk of that being the one of the craziest concerts in the brief memory of most of the largely high school and college-age audience.
Down, Pentagram and Warbeast @ The Electric Factory.
Text and images by Chad Sims.
For music fans one of the greatest things to come out of the internet has been the relative popularization of niche genres of music.
Not that long ago it was difficult for most music fans to give certain styles of music or bands a chance because we weren’t sure it was worth the investment of our hard earned dollars. We can now listen to any number of bands we want with just a couple clicks of the mouse. I personally believe that this ease of listening is partially why formally niche styles of music like extreme metal have become more popular over the last decade. Sure, these bands probably won’t be on Top 40 radio anytime soon but most of them have fan support of which they never dreamed.
Last Wednesday night, Down, Pentagram and Warbeast played the Electric Factory. All of these bands play a part, one way or another, in my theory proposed above.
Warbeast
Warbeast is mostly made up of members from the Texas metal scenes that have been playing since the late 80s thrash days. Most notably lead singer Bruce Corbitt played in the excellent thrash band Rigor Mortis. These veterans have been given another shot on Phil Anselmo’s Housecore Records.
Any music fan that has never seen a thrash metal band comprised of great musicians live, really needs to. The bombast of the music is really hard to imagine from a recording alone. You need to feel the double kick drum while listening to the speed and precision of the guitars at hair raising volumes to really appreciate this music. Everyone won’t walk out of the show and carve Slayer into their arm, but the power and grace of this music is something to behold. Decked out in old school spikes and leather Warbeast certainly succeed in demonstrating these qualities.
Bobby Liebling from Pentagram
Up next is the should-have-been legends Pentagram (though they still may wind up legends). Pentagram is the musical child of lead singer Bobby Liebling who has been making music under this name since 1971.
Liebling was the subject of the recent documentary Last Days Here. The film tells the story of the ups but more often than not downs of Pentagram. In the end, the film becomes a rather uplifting story. Sorry to be a spoiler, but obviously things have worked out for Bobby (this is a great documentary and really worth watching).
The name Pentagram was familiar to me being often cited as an influence of any number of doom bands, but I never listened to the band until a friend let me borrow their first full length 1985’s Relentless (alternately titled Pentagram). This album was a life changer. It was like finding a bunch of lost, roughly recorded Black Sabbath demos.
I feared I wouldn’t get to see Pentagram live, and Liebling’s condition at the beginning of “Last Days Here” only furthered this suspicion (he looked like a living scarecrow), so when this show was announced I was ecstatic. Despite a fever of over 100 degrees I was going to see Pentagram.
Of course, Pentagram is also known for not performing when they are supposed to (part of the reason they never made it). Every moment until they took the stage was filled with anxiety that Bobby had screwed up again and that they wouldn’t be playing, but at last they took the stage.
They jammed through a blistering set that was filled with almost every song from Relentless including my personal favorite, “Dying World.”
For a guy who has abused his body like he has, Liebling is still a great perform: bugging out his eyes, strutting about the stage, and writhing on the floor during guitar solos.
One unexpected bonus is the return of longtime guitarist Victor Griffin. Liebling is known for alienating people (another reason for their obscurity), so it is great to see that Victor and Bobby have made up enough to have recorded a new album and to tour.
I don’t mean to paint an overly negative picture of Bobby Liebling. If you watch Last Days Here you will see that despite having fought a lifetime of demons he is at his core a good (albeit self-destructive) person and great musician. It is wonderful to see him getting the recognition he deserves.
Finally, Down was up. Down is something of a super group made up of members of Pantera, Crowbar and Corrosion of Conformity. The most well known member of this band is the previously mentioned Phil Anselmo of Pantera fame.
Pantera was an important band for me during my musically formative years, but the tough guy swagger lost appeal as I grew older. While I do like certain songs from Down, on the whole they don’t really do it for me. Despite my personal preferences I was excited to see Anselmo perform live, so I went into the show with an open mind.
The main problem with Down is that almost all of their songs lack a strong melody. Though Pantera was not the most melodic of bands, the vocals usually carried the melody and tied the song together. In Down, Anselmo often barks lyrics in a hardcore like delivery taking away the melodic element.
On the other hand, I am guessing that people are not going to Down shows for great songwriting. They are going for energy, tight playing, and riffs a plenty. Down certainly delivered all of those elements and the crowd went, in the words of Anselmo, “heads down” in return.
On the strength of the Pantera connection alone, Down would likely still be going strong all these years later. The other bands, however, may have been lost to time without some of the technology we take for granted today. It certainly is a great time to be a music fan.
The Re-Birth of Dayne Jordan (aka the 22nd Birthday Party).
Text by Sofiya Ballin. Images by Tiesha Miller.
“AHH! What the fuck?!” said Dayne Jordan, gripping his leg in agony in the green room of The Blockley. It seems tornado-ing across the stage for an entire set had done some damage. “This fucking hurts!”
A charlie horse was a small price to pay for a packed show last weekend. Jordan, formerly known as Dosage, threw a successful birthday party for himself, to say the least.
“It honestly showed the time and effort we put in,” he said, as the pain subsides.
The Dayne Jordan 22nd Birthday Celebration kicked off with a performance with fresh-faced AL-1Thing.
“We about to have some real rowdy ignorant motha fuckin’ AL-1Thing fun!” he yelled out to the crowd.
His personality and pistachio pants won the crowd over.
“Dosage is a friend I came across in the last year,” he explained. “It meant a lot when he asked me to perform.”
Beano and Chill Moody
DJ Ferno
Beano was there for the ladies. Taking full advantage of Beano’s live band, Chill Moody hopped onstage – beer in hand – as the two performed “What’s For Breakfast?” from Moody’s Who Do You Love? Valentine’s Day series.
“You ever had that one person that got away?” Beano smoothly said into the mic as before singing covers of “Thinking About You” by Frank Ocean and “Lotus Flower Bomb.” He serenaded a few ladies while the others sang along. An encore was demanded.
“The crowd was very, very responsive,” Beano said. “Dosage and I did our first show at the VIP Lounge. That’s my boy and I wish him good health and success.”
Rapper STS took the stage with a chill and self-assured flow. Bouncing with a grin, he offered his 3 W’s to life, “All I know is women, weed, and what to wear.”
Jordan said, “All of those dudes are like family. They’re on the rise, building their own brands. I choose people I thought would be the most entertaining.”
The lights dimmed and fog rose up from seemingly nowhere. A projector cascaded down. The birthday boy was up. His niece showed up on the projector with an adorable monologue demanding Jordan kill it on stage.
Dressed inconspicuously with the hoodie of his sweatshirt covering his head, he started his set with his energy level already at 10. DJ Ferno spun the 1’s and 2’s as Jordan yelled, “I think it’s time to tell the people who I am!”
The crowd erupted.
“ I like to make it feel like a movie from beginning to end,” Jordan explained. “I like to take to you on a ride. It allows me to not run out of ideas.”
Halfway through his set, Jordan announced the reason behind his name change. He’s no longer giving people a dosage of who he is. Now, they get the whole prescription. He also announced the release of the Which Way 3D Mix, featuring 18 Philly artists and 12 Philly producers.
“It’s a great project,” Jordan said. “Great intro in reference to me going by my government name. Definitely something you can put in and play from beginning to end.”
Jordan also performed a few tracks off his newly released project In Due Time. After his set, he was drenched in sweat and so was the crowd. Everyone was his hypeman.
In the green room, people stopped in to congratulate him on a great show, including, Mic Stew, who offered birthday wishes.
“I’m always blown away by his breath control, energy and presentation,” Stew said.
DJ Ferno came in and collapsed on the couch, the fatigue written across his face.
“It went well,” he said. “The crowd was intense!”
Jordan’s birthday celebration was a success but he was already looking forward to the next step.
“Between 20-25, you’re still finding yourself,” Jordan explained. “You’re still figuring out what you don’t like. I have to set the bar high.”
Jordan looked around the room for a moment, then continued.
“I’m curious to see what I’m going do next.”
JUMP: The Philly Music Project 