Hop Along: Honest and Unresolved.
Text by Cara Stefchak. Images by Colin Kerrigan.
Frances Quinlan remembers a time she had to get in touch with her inner Lois Lane.
Hop Along’s singer-guitarist sits outside Fishtown’s Kraftwork Bar with brother, Hop Along drummer Mark Quinlan and bassist Tyler Long, recounting how her 7-year-old self was made to sing the 1978 Superman love song “Can You Read My Mind” during a short stint in vocal lessons.
“My parents were like, ‘She really likes to sing. Let’s deter her as much as possible by making her sing Tina Turner, Bette Midler and the theme song from Superman,’” says Frances, now 26. “Of course I ended up loving Bette Midler.”
She picked up a guitar years later when her oldest brother Andrew took her to the Quakertown Flea Market – dubbed “Q-Mart” – where she bought a purple guitar for $50. The two would go on to play in a project called Brother and Sister. That lasted until Frances left to study painting at the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore. There, she would write material for her first, folksy solo album Freshman Year in 2005.
“When I started solo I always wanted a band,” she says, “but I was just starting out on guitar so it was rough on the people jamming with me. When I recorded my first album, I put a ton of stuff on it, just crammed it literally with bells and whistles. That was the closest I could come to having a band kind of experience.”
After graduating from college, Frances remembers a serendipitous moment. Her brother Mark’s band was folding and she was able to begin recording music with him.
“I really needed to go to another level with what I was trying to do and it eventually all came together,” says Frances, who remembers practicing with Mark in their parent’s driveway. “We couldn’t really find a bass player who could really stick with us until Tyler came around. Finally, I feel like we have a really strong core.”
“Our first practice is funny to think about,” adds Mark. “I was in this band where I hit as hard as I could and played as much as I possible could.”
Mark moved to Hell’s Kitchen to follow his fiancé, who attends medical school in New York, but he commutes to work at WRTI 90.1 FM in North Philly. He dedicates each Tuesday to Hop Along practice.
Being in a band with your sibling means things can get a lot more heated than a normal friendship would, Frances says, but situations also diffuse a lot more quickly.
“Whether or not we agree on our musical interests,” says Frances, “now, I think, we have really begun to communicate well together, especially with this latest record.”
The band’s debut album, Get Disowned, was released in May on Hot Green Records. The label is run by Algernon Cadwallader guitarist Joe Reinhart, who produced and played assorted guest parts on the 10-track album. It was the label’s first non-Algernon release.
“He is completely integral to every single thing we did on this record,” says Mark of Reinhart. “He is an incredible visionary who knows immediately how to play to the strengths of every musician he’s working with. And he’s charming as hell. God, he’s charming.”
The record is the result of a long, two-year recording process in North Philly’s communal workspace, Big Momma’s Warehouse.
“It gave us a lot of time to really think about everything and really give ourselves to every song,” says Frances, who did the album’s cover artwork.
Frances says the album centers around “wanting to go back but being unable to, and the bitterness in that and the bitterness of one’s own helplessness in the world.”
Frances and Mark experienced their stepfather getting in a very serious car accident – a moment that Frances says made her think a lot about the things that she has valued, the regrets around those values and how she treated people because of her own desires.
“I’ve always written dark lyrics,” she says. “But when you have a 19-year-old girl voice and you’re trying to sing about death, I don’t think people quite pick up on it as much as when you’re 26 and screaming it kind of aggressively. It’s not at all about a solution. Every song resolves in, ‘Now what do I do?’”
“Even musically it kind of does that,” adds Mark. “It kind of feels unresolved at the end of the songs. I’d like to act like that was my intention but it kind of just happened that way.”
“It’s where we were,” says Frances. “It’s honest, at least.”
Hop Along begins a 45-day, full U.S. tour in early September with shows nearly every day. They’ll wind up at The Fest in Gainesville, Florida at the end of October.
“Without the supportive people in our lives, there’s no way we’d be able to do this,” Mark says. “It’s really important to have that tight-knit group of people behind you who you can truly say you love and that love you. That’s the key.”
Misstallica: Four Goofy Girls Who Shred.
Text and images by Chris Malo.
One repeatedly falafel belches throughout the interview. One works at the zoo and doesn’t want to tell her age. One talks about the chicken pox scar on her face and weird encounters with Facebook stalkers, including the guy who asked what she thinks about small wieners. And one is a crossword champ who is pretty much silent the entire time.
Maybe not be what you would expect of the country’s only all-female Metallica cover band, aptly named Misstallica.
Sitting in the dressing room before their first show at the TLA, lead vocalist and guitarist Gina Gleason (the James Hetfield of the group), lead guitarist Leanne Martz (part Dave Mustaine, part Kirk Hammett), bassist Teddi Tarnoff (the band’s Ron McGovney/Cliff Burton/Jason Newsted), and drummer Kaleen Reading (Lars Ulrich) repeatedly describe themselves as four goofy girls.
It turns out to be true.
Most of the band members are products of the School of Rock. Back in 2008, the girls – three of them are 20 years old and the fourth won’t reveal her age – played as a King Diamond cover band, aptly named Queen Diamond. Then they started playing Metallica songs, specifically the ones from Master of Puppets. From there, it took on it’s own life.
“We loved rock and metal,” Gleason explains.
She started her musical career on the upright bass. Reading began as a guitarist playing Black Sabbath material but when she sat behind her first drum kit, it just made more sense to her. Martz has always played guitar. Tarnoff’s background includes singing opera and playing the violin. All had been fans of speed metal.
“The classical background helped us applying things to metal,” Gleason says, “like shredding.”
“It helped us be appropriate in technique and know our shit going in to it,” adds Tarnoff.
Technique is something that the early albums of Metallica burst with. Misstallica only plays songs from the first four Metallica albums.
“That is the thrashy, shreddy, really badass stuff,” Gleason says. “I think people really appreciate when they come to see us, they know they’re going to hear that old school, classic thrash metal stuff.”
The girls agree that the early Metallica albums had a feel to them that sonically captured a particular time. It’s that era the girls want to replicate, which for a variety of reasons presents various obstacles.
“Anything off And Justice For All,” says Martz. “‘Dyers Eve.’ ‘Blackened.’ ‘Harvester of Sorrows’ was a bitch to learn for me.”
“‘Trapped Under Ice,’” Reading adds. “I’m not sure if it’s technical but it’s a physical thing. There is a very intense double bass.”
There is also the issue of four women trying to fill the shoes of a huge, internationally-loved band with a hardcore fan base that loves hyper-aggressive, testosterone-fueled music.
“Because we are all girls, we have to be that much extra on our game,” Gleason explains. “At so many shows, there will be the front row of dudes with their arms crossed saying, ‘Let me see if she gets this solo right.’ Then you do and they are like, ‘Oh shit!’”
It can be very difficult scheduling gigs and practices around each band members’ jobs and their other musical endeavors – between the four of them, they play in at least six other bands. But their hard work is paying off.
Misstallica has played everywhere from Alaska to the United Kingdom. Gibson Guitars named Misstallica as one of the top five all-female cover bands, and last year they were profiled in the New York Times.
One of their biggest highlights came in June when James Hetfield’s guitar tech invited the band to Metallica’s own Orion Music Festival in Atlantic City. The highlight came as Reading was sitting at the drum kit.
Suddenly, in walked Lars Ulrich.
After the girls were introduced to Lars as the all-female Metallica tribute band, Reading introduced herself by saying, “Hi. I’m you!”
The greatest compliment they ever received was after a show when someone told them when they closed their eyes during the show, it was as if they were transported back to the ’80s, listening to Metallica play.
“Tribute bands are a novelty,” Tarnoff explains. “But there is a difference between those who do it, and those who do it well. And that’s where the legitimacy comes in. We try to be as authentic as we can. We’re still girls but that’s kind of the point. If that is how we have to get your attention, that’s fine. But if you come out to a show you will see we are serious about the music.”
Selina Carrera: Setting Fire To The Rain.
Text by Sofiya Ballin. Image by G.W. Miller III.
Selina Carrera enters her apartment slightly breathless, bringing not only the flurry of her day with her but rain from outside. She apologizes for being a bit late. Her copper curls bounce as she walks down to the basement that was once a makeshift studio.
“Today was a bit crazy,” she explains. “I got back from New York at 6 a.m. this morning.”
After attending a writing session with producer G*Lee and contributing vocals to Lee’s collaborative project with !LLMIND, Carrera made her way back to Philly.
“I came back for my older cousin’s birthday,” she says. “She does a lot for my grandmother, who I’m really close to. I wanted to make sure I got out there.”
The Philadelphia-born and -raised songbird then meets up with her bass player to go over a song she wrote for the “Let it Bump” festival.
“I happened to come out of a dream singing this melody and these lyrics,” she explains. “I had my phone right next to me so I recorded it and when I woke up I finished it.”
Carrera’s freestyle spirit is one of the traits that makes her a fixture not only in the Philadelphia music sphere but also the poetry scene.
“Art shouldn’t be pressured,” she says. “Music is the universal language, so when it speaks to you, you’re just a vessel for whatever is trying to communicate.”
Carrera was exposed to music at a very early age. Her father is a Latin percussionist and DJ. He introduced her to Brazilian music. Carrera grew up with people playing congas in her basement. Her mother is a dancer. Her brothers introduced her to Wu-Tang. She developed an eclectic ear and a strong voice.
“It was always apparent that I could sing,” she says. “My mom has photos of me grabbing the microphone when I was six or seven.”
Lauryn Hill’s album The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill inspired and influenced Carrera.
“She’s just so soulful, her voice, her rhythm patterns” she says. “She made her pain so pop.”
Carrera attended the Girard Academic Music Program but it wasn’t a great experience.
“I was one of the kids who got picked on a lot,” she remembers. “I was one of the only mixed kids in the whole school. With the Italians, I wasn’t Italian enough. With the Puerto Ricans, I wasn’t Puerto Rican enough.”
Carrera felt more at home after transferring to the High School for the Creative and Performing Arts (CAPA).
“It was so diverse – kids from all over the city who were in love with music and in love with the arts,” she says.
It was in the soundproof rooms at CAPA that Carrera found her voice.
“I was going through a lot of growing pains,” Carrera says. “I would get it out by talking with my best friend, freestyle singing all these songs. I didn’t have any outlet for that emotion, which is when I started writing massive poetry. I have stacks of books of poems and songs.”
Carrera signed with Sony at age 20, working as a songwriter for Monarch Music group, as well as becoming a member of AxiXs, a group created by The Fugees’ Pras Michel.
“I got to see the world,” Carrera says. “I’ll always love and respect Pras for giving me that opportunity.”
The songstress has no regrets and gushes about performing with Diddy in the Ukraine and watching the rain in Johannesburg.
“I saw a cloud this thin,” she says, raising her hand and forming the tiniest pinch. “Rain was falling underneath it and it just kept going.”
Carrera then found herself coming full circle when she auditioned in front of Lauryn Hill to become her backup singer.
“It was the most amazing feeling I’ve ever felt in my life,” she says. “I was so humbled, but still I felt validated at the same time. She would communicate through her manager that she was very fond of me and my energy and my style. One time she called the engineer to ask my opinion on how I felt the rehearsal was coming along. I felt really honored.”
Carrera walks out to her car, which she says has a good sound system. She wants to play some of her new music from her upcoming album, which will be her first official solo release. The night air is still wet but it’s finally stopped raining.
“I’ve been getting into a really good writing space,” she says as she plugs in her iPod. “In the midst of going through changes of life, it’s kind of hard to write because you don’t know what the outcome is going to be. Now that I’m kind of grown, I’m separated from that form of self and I can look back.”
The first track plays. It’s slow, calm and turbulent all at once. It starts to rain again and Carrera’s voice matches the backdrop.
“It’s called ‘Fuck What They Say,’” she explains. “It’s about being in a relationship that everybody else is against.”
She plays “Move” next.
“This is for when you don’t want to think about anything and just dance,” she offers.
Then, “Come Closer,” her personal favorite, clicks in. She moves her fingers like a conductor directing the beat.
“It’s very progressive, experimental,” she says.
After doing nearly 50 features for other artists, solidifying her name as one of the leading ladies in the Philadelphia music scene, this album is for Carrera by Carrera.
“This is the first time I’ve had complete creative control,” she says as the rain beats down faster. “It just feels right.”
Find the Girl Power Issue of JUMP In Philly Starting Today!
By the end of Thursday, we’ll have a few thousand copies of JUMP floating around Philly. By the end of the weekend, the mag will be all over the place.
The fall issue features women in music, including our cover artists Suzi Analogue and the girls from Slutever. We also have features about WXPN host Helen Leicht, Selina Carrera, Misstallica, Trophy Wife, The Lawsuits, Hop Along, Pet Milk, Lucy Stone, Blayer Pointdujour and so much more.
See the full list of what’s in the magazine here. And check out a digital version of the issue here.
Agent Orange @ The Trocadero.
Text and images by Mattitude from Modern Bropar.
Surf Punk legends Agent Orange brought their So-Cal sound to the the upstairs bar at the The Troc on Thursday.
Having the privilege to open for Mike Palm and his updated rhythm section was new comers Yikes Surf Club and Hostile City favorites Combat Crisis (find them in the next print issue of JUMP). I found Yikes S.C. to be some what of a wolf in sheeps clothing. They opened with their fender guitars drifting the waves of a mellow surf pop sound, but through course of their “sesh” rehashed surf riffs turned into them shooting the curl of a mid-tempo 90’s emo sound.
Combat managed to please the half dozen street punx that I see regularly attending their shows. Throw in the other 20 something ragers in attendance and let the circle pits and sing alongs commence. Finally Agent Orange took the stage with a set list that looked like a grocery list for a family of ten.
Tightly packed within these lines of text where the first wave hardcore punk songs that established Agent Orange, and the epic surf music that cemented their legacy. For good measure the trio broke out “Police Truck” by the Dead Kennedys, and opened the encore with Johnny Kid’s “Shakin All Over”, made famous by the Queen of Rockabilly, Wanda Jackson.
Aside from a little amp trouble that Mike Palm worked seamlessly with, this show was a fantastic reminder why reverb is king and Leo Fender should posthumously be awarded the National Medal of Honor.
WIN A FREE GUITAR!
We’re giving away an Epiphone Special II guitar signed by the members of Train, who will perform on Saturday at The Mann Center.
To enter to win the guitar, email your name and address to us at JUMPphilly@gmail.com and like us on facebook. Please write “Jim Beam Guitar” in the subject line.
The winner will be notified by noon on Saturday, and the guitar will be shipped directly to their address.
You must be 21 or older to win the guitar. Sorry.
By the way, we have a few pairs of tickets to give away for the show. See here for details.
Jim Beam is the sponsor of the Train show, which is part of the bourbon company’s summer live music series. Here’s some interesting info straight from Jim Beam’s press release:
Jim Beam is continuing its commitment to the troops through a partnership with Operation Homefront, a nonprofit organization providing emergency financial and other assistance to the families of service members and Wounded Warriors. As part of the 2012 Live Music Series, the world’s No. 1 bourbon will donate more than $100,000 to the organization, a portion of which will be used to purchase musical instruments for soldiers both in the U.S. and overseas who have a passion for music.
Jim Beam will present Operation Homefront with a check for $100,000 onstage at Kid Rock’s concert in Boston on June 1 – the first show in the Live Music Series. Fans across the country can join in and show their support by texting the word SALUTE to 27722 to add $5 to their phone bills as a donation to Operation Homefront1. Jim Beam will also be contributing to the troops and military musicians by matching the number of Live Music Series downloads redeemed on JimBeam.com/LiveMusicSeries and donating those to soldiers 21 years of age or older through Operation Homefront.
Goapele @ World Cafe Live.
Text by Morgan James. Images by Rachel Barrish.
Goapele dazzled during a Motown-inspired set at World Cafe Live Wednesday evening. Since her debut in 2001 with the ever popular “Closer,” she has captivated the unsuspecting with a voice that combines a profound sustain and subtle sensuality.
Goapele wooed in a manner reminiscent of rhythm and blues’ yesteryear – Diana Ross, Tammi Terrell, En Vogue. The soul-singer was supported by a live band in uniformed black tie and a trio of superb background singers she referred to as “The Rumor.” Goapele’s set concentrated on her recent album Break of Dawn, singing tracks “Undertow,” “Money,” and “Play,” while sprinkling in fan favorites from past projects including “Romantic” and “Closer.” In line with the retro theme, Goapele performed a riveting interpretation of “Something He Can Feel” from the 1976 Sparkle soundtrack followed by “Running,” an original track she performs in the 2012 remake of the feature film, which opens nationwide Friday, August 17.
Goapele, whose father is a South African activist, rounded the evening with a riveting performance of Miriam Makeba’s “Soweto Blues” as tribute to the 100th year anniversary of the African National Congress. And even still, the moment of the night belonged to the encore, where she performed a spellbinding a cappella rendition of “At Last.”
As the last notes of the classic made famous by Etta James reverberated throughout the venue, so did the lingering affect the beguiling star had on all in her presence.
Hivelords, Chrome Waves and Sadgiqacea @ Kung Fu Necktie.
Text by Chad Sims. Images by Shannon Ward.
Do you like your doom metal blackened? If so, then Hivelords is your band. This was the first time I have had the pleasure of seeing this band live, and already they are one of my favorite heavy bands from the area.
On Tuesday at Kung Fu Necktie, they blasted through a set of doom and black metal that would make the religious weep and goth bands reconsider their definitions of “dark.” To give you an idea of what I am talking about even the singer has his own amplifier and effects box, which he lords over and hammers on like a fallen preacher.
This band is certainly not for the faint of heart, but if you are a fan of more extreme metal this band is so worth checking out.
Next up was the band I was there to check out, Chrome Waves.
Until recently I was not familiar with this band, but noticed that one of their primary members is Jeff Wilson who had played guitar on a couple of seminal black metal artist Nachtmystium’s albums. Intrigued I checked out their Bandcamp and was surprised by what I heard. Expecting something with more black metal influence, I was surprised when I heard amazing shoegaze sounds coming from my speakers. Sure enough vocals are delivered in a black metal howl, but otherwise much of this music is brilliant atmospheric shoegaze.
Given that this was one of the bands first concerts there wasn’t a great turnout, and that is sad because I feel like there are probably a good number of people (not just metal fans) that would have enjoyed the set.
Finally, Sadgiqacea (pronounced sad-juh-kay-sha) rounded out the show. I had been wanting to check these guys out, because I had heard good things and I am a fan of drummer Evan Pontell-Schaefer’s other band Ominous Black (who are playing August 19th at JR’s in South Philly). Both bands are on the local label Anthropic Records.
The band is a two piece but don’t let the slim line-up fool you because they put out a massive sound. Despite being unbelievably, heavy, doomy, sludge there is something catchy about their music. The tune are not get stuck in your head all day bubble gum pop catchy, but it is almost impossible to not nod your head to the crushing riffs.
Although I already said this once in this review, I think Sadgiqacea are one of my new favorite local bands as well.
Sadgiqacea has a new full length coming out this fall on Anthropic, and the label is also putting out Hivelords album in the spring. If you dig heavy tunes support these awesome local bands and label.
WIN TICKETS to See Train at The Mann Center Saturday.
Remember this song? It was the “Call Me Maybe” of 2010. Ubiquitous and catchy as all hell, to the point where you kind of hated it?
Well, it’s been a few years and now the song seems downright charming again.
Train will perform Saturday at The Mann, the lovely, open-air location with gorgeous views of the city from atop the hill. And we’re giving away a few pairs of tickets.
This is part of the Jim Beam Live Music Series, so we’re hoping there will be plenty of bourbon flowing at the show. By the way, Jim Beam is donating $100,000 from the summer series to military musicians and soldiers who have a passion for music.
To win a pair of tickets, email your name to us at JUMPphilly@gmail.com. You must be 21 or over to enter the show, so keep that in mind if you are entering. Winners will be announced Friday by 5:00 PM.
Say Goodbye to West Philly’s Shore House.
EDITOR’S NOTE: We just received this note from Mattitude from Modern Bropar …
The Shore House stopped doing shows this year in anticipation of moving out by September 1st.
Although some time has already past since their last show, for seven years Shore House was staple in the DIY community of West Philadelphia. Though gone, it’s memory will live for years, as it was a very important meeting ground for West Philly “locals” and to the hundreds of bands and show-goers it hosted.
What’s shown above is something I wrote about it in 2010. Click the image to enlarge.
JUMP: The Philly Music Project 