Text by Bree Wood. Image by Cheryl Doughty.
“I think we are like a little kids learning to use a machine gun in a playground,” says singer Sean Caruthers of Cousin Brian. ”That’s what our shows are like.”
Bass player Shane Olsen, drummer Ben Harper and guitarist Elliot Bech all agree – their shows can be painful but fun. Sometimes it gets “too live” and things get broken.
Anyone who has tried to describe their sound has gotten it wrong, they say. When I asked them, they really had no idea how to label their music. What they definitely are NOT is surf punk. These are not beach lovin’ guys and they aren’t trying to out wave Wavves.
“The best description anyone has given us was the guy from Royal Headache,” says Harper, the drummer. “He said, ‘It’s all the punk you listened to when you were a teen but filtered through the drugs and depression of your twenties.’ It really is the best way to describe us. I love it. We have really happy music, but behind it we realize life just sucks.”
I had heard their EP and was interested in what they had in store for their debut full-length album, appropriately named First. It dropped last week on Mallrat Records, the new label created by Nicole Snyder from Slutever.
“We recorded more high tech than the EP,” says Caruthers. “More mics and better equipment, and I mixed it. We only did drums in a studio.”
Their record release show is tomorrow, June 19th, at Hong Kong Garden with White Girls, Slutever, Mainline Cocksuckers and Jackie Paper.
“Come because it will be fun,” Harper says. “You will get drunk and forget things.”
Foster The People @ The Mann Center.
Text by Ian Cruiess. Image by Katie Gillis.
Halfway through the Foster The People set at the Mann Center last Thursday, lead singer Mark Foster took the time to speak about the band’s last concert in Philadelphia. They played at the Kung Fu Necktie last year, in front of a crowd of maybe fifty people.
One year later, anyone entering the area around the Mann Center faced massive problems. The parking for last week’s show – also featuring Kimbra and Tokyo Police Club – took up the entire grass park in front of the Mann, making getting in and out difficult.
Still, there was excitement in the air. Upon walking in, all that was visible was a sea of people. You couldn’t distinguish between between people on the lawn from those in the seated area.
Kimbra and Tokyo Police Club opened and were greeted with a smattering of applause. The majority of the audience seemed distracted until Foster the People came on stage at 9:30, after nearly forty five minutes of intermission. When the lights dimmed there was deafening applause. It seemed as though there was an entirely new crowd.
The hour and twenty minute set by Foster The People featured all of the group’s hits, including “Pumped Up Kicks,” “Helena Beat,” “Don’t Stop” and “Houdini.” They also brought out Kimbra to help them perform their new collaboration, “Warrior.”
It was good that there were two opening acts because Foster the People do not have enough material to fill a headliner set. Mark Foster attempted to fill out their set with a few breaks to address the audience between songs. Despite his attempts to interact with the crowd, he lacked stage presence, seeming uncomfortable and awkward through most of the show. This proved to be a very small problem, though, as he was surrounded by a massive light-show, which captured the eye of most of the crowd.
Overall Kimbra, Tokyo Police Club and Foster The People put on a great show. The music was phenomenal, finishing with a dance-heavy, electronic version of “Pumped up Kicks” that had the crowd clapping and singing along.
Foster then stayed behind, bowing and thanking the crowd as the rest of his band walked off stage.
Ramona Falls @ Kung Fu Necktie.
Text and images by Grace Dickinson.
After grabbing some “incredible” Indian food at Ekta Friday night, Ramona Falls swung by Kung Fu Necktie for their second ever Philadelphia show.
“If we seem really satisfied right now, it was definitely that Indian food,” said Paul Alcott, the Portland-based band’s drummer.
That, of course, drew cheers all around from the crowd.
Ramona Falls was started by Brent Knopf, the lead singer, keyboardist and occasional guitarist. Knopf was a former member of Menomena, the indie rock band from which he departed to start his own musical project. They recently released their second album, Prophet.
Their tracks range from energetic rock jams to slower, keyboard and acoustic-based melodies, like their hit song “Proof.”
On recordings, Ramona Falls sounds a tad softer. But their boisterous live performance definitely suited the dancing crowd. After packing tight room of KFN, the band said they hope to be back soon, perhaps next time at a larger venue.
Seriously … what a great town. Massive diversity in terms of musical offerings. Here are five shows that Intern Bree did not mention yesterday:
1. Eat the Turnbuckle (above) is a collection of Philly hardcore veterans who perform a wrestling-themed show. The loud, aggressive music will make your heart race but even if hardcore isn’t your thing, their live show is the definition of spectacle. Tonight, they’ll bring down the M Room. It’s something to see. Details are here.
2. Kyo Daiko (right), a Japanese-style taiko drumming crew, will perform for free today at the Settlement Music School on Wynnefield Avenue. Taiko drummers perform in unison, with intricate choreography and ear-piercing yelps. The fast paced shows are a mixture of tribal rhythms and pure showmanship. Details are here (the show begins at 6:30).
3. The Jeffrey Palace will hold a block party Saturday in South Kensington, with a stellar lineup:
11-11:30: Los Ombres
11:45-12:15: The Lawsuits
12:30-1:00: Cherokee Red
1:15-1:45: Sun Cinema
2:00-2:30: Soldiers of Soul
2:45-3:15: Gold Crowns
3:30-4:00: Lesbians
4:15- 4:45: Shorty Boy Boy
5:00- 5:30: Fishdoctor(NYC)
5:45-6:15: Night Panther
6:30-7:00 Mountjoy
See here for details about the free show.
4. Sol Village is a New York-based neo-soul/R&B singer/songwriter showcase but they’re bringing the show to Philly this Saturday. Nikki Jean, Yummy Bingham, The Kitchen, Lolah Brown, U City, Ryan Corbin and Bunji are scheduled to perform at The Blockley. Details are here.
5. Honestly, we just enjoy running the above photo of Creepoid. But they’re also playing a great psych-rock show on Monday at the Level Room with Bardo Pond and Japanese band Suishou No Fune. Details are here.
Rebel Rock Bar & Bites: The Rock ‘n’ Roll Hangout.
Text and images by Grace Dickinson.
Matt Sorum walks around Rebel Rock Bar & Bites and then pulls out his cell phone to call his roadie.
“Can you get the drum set over here?” Sorum asks.
His roadie, hanging out at Delilah’s, the nearby gentleman’s club, heads over and steps into the cold, empty bar. He quickly sets up the drum kit in the middle of the concrete floor.
“What’s your favorite song?” Sorum asks Rebel’s owner Bryan Exley.
“How about Alice in Chains ‘Would?’” Exley answers.
Without hesitation, Sorum, the former Guns ‘n’ Roses and Velvet Revolver drummer now with The Darling Stilettos, delves into the drum line of the 90s alt rock classic, pausing only briefly to ask Exley if he’ll sing along.
Sorum is used to performing for a sweaty, packed crowd. But tonight, it’s an audience of just one – Exley, who breathes fog into the November air as he sings his lungs out to his favorite song.
Sorum is here at midnight taking a peek at the new bar, and spontaneously testing out its acoustics. Technically, he is Exley’s first musical guest. But he’s one of many rock talents to come.
One month after Sorum’s visit, Exley (above) opened the two-story Rebel Rock Bar & Bites to the public. The concrete has been replaced with dark wooden floors and the previously bare walls are now covered with posters of Jimi Hendrix, Pink Floyd, The Smiths and various other music legends.
The Holmesburg Jam: The Accidental Bluegrass Tradition.
Text by Lauren Gordon. Images by Scott Thomas McClennen.
There is barely a crowd at the Hop Angel in Northeast Philly, save for a few German food enthusiasts and a small Thirsty Thursday group. But that’s OK. When it comes to an old-fashioned bluegrass session band like the Holmesburg Jam, things like crowds, practices and ticket sales never matter.
“It is not a show, “ clarifies Fred Moore, one of the longest jammers, who started a few short years after the Holmesburg Jam began in 1972. “A show requires rehearsing. We just get together and have fun. If you come, you come. If you don’t, that’s fine too!”
On the second floor every Thursday night, the Holmesburg Jam members gather to play some of the most fiery and passionate bluegrass music you’ll ever hear, just like they’ve been doing for four decades.
Dessie Jackson: The Artist Drawn to Music.
Text by Caroline Newton. Images by Rick Kauffman.
Dessie Jackson sits on her bed cross-legged, running her charcoal-covered hands through her brown hair, and apologizing for the messy makeshift art studio she calls her room.
Jackson started out drawing potato-head people when she was a kid but her talents were refined under the watchful eye of her Japanese babysitter.
“She would push me to draw a lot and she taught me traditional Japanese form,” Jackson recalls. “We
would do ink, focusing on copying anime images and such. That’s where my passion started to grow.”
Now 20, the Tyler School of Art student has a grocery list of accomplishments.
Jackson’s first commissioned piece was featured in the Ephrata-based metalcore band Texas in July’s music video for “1000 lies” in 2011. The song is about finding yourself and as the song progresses, the video shows Jackson crafting an ink on paper portrait.
Equal Vision Records promptly bought the piece, which now hangs in their office.
“There has always been something more interesting about her work,” says Texas in July bass player Ben Witkowski, a longtime friend of Jackson’s. “I remember back in our high school years when she would just draw on her walls in her bedroom, always working on something, hands always marked up.”
Jackson’s dream isn’t to make art for bands but all of a sudden musicians are calling her up.
“Music is not my audience but fine art and music go hand and hand,” she says.
Not only is Jackson’s art featured in Texas in July’s video, she also designed the band’s guitar picks, which a few lucky fans get to take home at the end of shows. The picks are caricatures of the band members and the tour manager.
“It’s cool to know that my art is on something that literally makes music,” Jackson admits, her eyes lighting up with excitement.
She started publishing her work on a tumblr page last year and that has drawn attention.
Alongside her work with Texas in July, Jackson’s designs are featured on T-shirts for Philadelphia-based record company, Back to Back Records. One of the designs is a caricature of Joe Hardcore. She’s currently designing the album artwork of a collaborative music project called The Fortress, which includes Brendan Brown of The Receiving End of Sirens. And Jackson was recently chosen to design a T-shirt for The Hundreds, an apparel company that focuses on Southern California’s skateboarding, surf, punk and hip-hop cultures.
She’s so busy, she works at all times of the day.
“I like working at four in the morning,” she confides. “It’s such a weird time to be up. You’re dirty and you’ve had five cups of coffee and after 20 hours of work and living off of 7-Eleven snacks, I can finally step back and be proud.”
Little Berlin Combines Art and Music.
Text by Chesney Davis. Images by Michael Bucher.
At Little Berlin, don’t expect the usual wine and hors d’oeuvre art-opening template. Instead, prepare for art that runs the gamut of traditional to highly conceptual, add a keg and often some kind of musical performance.
Started as an artist collective in 2007, it has since grown into a member run co-op, producing member-curated exhibitions accompanied by live music. Some of the Philadelphia-based acts that have performed there include Bleeding Rainbow, Acid Kicks and Quiet Quilt, among many others.
“Music is so accessible,” says Masha Badinter, who joined the collective in 2009.
Pairing art and music helps Little Berlin members present their shows in a more communal way.
“Live performances create a different context of art viewing because you’re not in this stale environment,” says Badinter. “There is music, and your friends are there, and there’s not as much pressure to sit there and understand the art. Its just more open and free flowing.”
The public has taken notice. In the five years Little Berlin has been in existence, the collective has gained a strong following and a reputation for exhibitions that have a welcoming social aspect.
“We’re really pushing to have more music,” says Little Berlin member Kelani Nichole.
One way that Nichole says that has developed is with Little Berlin’s partnership with Bands in the Backyard (BITBY) this summer. The monthly music web series and now promotional group has put together a music festival that is being held in the recently cleared out lot next door to the Viking Mill studio building, where Little Berlin resides.
The Fairground Festival is part of a Kickstarter campaign by BITBY, in which 50 percent of the funds raised will go to Little Berlin in their effort to match the $10,000 grant they were awarded by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.
“I just love that stage,” BITBY founder and editor Kyle Costill says about the courtyard leading into Little Berlin’s gallery.
The courtyard is where many of the collective’s past music shows have taken place. For Costill, he says, Little Berlin creates a special space for their audience.
“For people who are into music, they’re getting the added experience of seeing art,” he says. “And the people who are into art are getting the added experience of viewing bands.”
Nichole agrees. “There is a happening around the art,” she says. “It gets people out who would never seek out an exhibition. It has the effect of exposing more people in the community to the artwork.”
“Its kind of the nature of Little Berlin, too,” adds Nichole. “Little Berlin’s kind of like a platform to be open to the community to make crazy stuff like that happen.”
Battles @ The TLA.
Text by Chad Sims. Images by Rick Kauffman.
Before a friend of mine had told me they were playing at TLA, I had heard Battles but they hadn’t left much of an impression. My friend explained to me that the band included keyboardist/guitarist Ian Williams (Don Caballero) and drummer John Stanier (Helmet, Tomahawk). On second try, I found Battles to be a fascinatingly complex and unusual band, so I was psyched to go see them pull these songs off live.
The problem with Battles’ live show, which was clearly not a problem for much of the audience, is what you plan to get out of the show. If you want a dance party you are in luck. If you want a rock show then not so much.
Much of the performance relied on a number of loops. It was hard to tell if these loops were being generated live or if they were prerecorded; some of which almost certainly were prerecorded as Williams was sending hand signals to someone off stage. I have no problem with loop-based 
music or bands integrating loops into their performance but part of what I find so intriguing about Battles’ albums is the intricate interplay of the instruments. I was hoping to see how the band pulled off these parts live but often one or more of the parts was emanating from somewhere other than one of the three players.
The other problem is the band has not replaced vocalist Tyondai Braxton, who left before their most recent album. Instead of having no vocals at all, the vocals were prerecorded. This situation generated a sort of strange reverse karaoke vibe with little audience interaction.
Perhaps the best aspect of this show was Battles’ stage setup. Not only did they have a bunch of huge amplifiers behind them, they also had two large video screens that displayed people singing, dancing, words or colors. The drum set was pushed right up to the front of the stage, Williams’ keyboards were setup one on either side of his space so he could play them both and still easily be seen by the audience, and guitarist/bassist Dave Konopka occupied the other side of the stage and spent much of the show crouching down twiddling knobs.
Again, I can’t say it was a bad show. Just be aware that if you are expecting a rock show, then Battles isn’t for you. That being said, for a band as strange as Battles, an out of the usual performance style seems only fitting.
The opening act Work Drugs are a Philly based band who play some tight, chilled out, 80s inspired pop. It is the kind of music that seems like it would be playing on a Miami yacht in 1985 during a coke orgy. Grimace Federation started the night with a DJ set.
Intern Bree’s Weekend Picks (and More).
Every Thursday, our JUMP mag intern, Bree Wood, offers her suggestions for fun Philly music stuff for the upcoming weekend (and more).
THURSDAY
Tokyo Police Club at The Mann Center
Foster the People. You know them. You love them. If not, get into them. (While you’re there, figure out if Pumped up Kicks really is about Columbine or not. That question has come up like five times this week.)
Psychic Teens at Little Berlin
Go check out Psychic Teens (with White Fang, Nude Sunrise sand True Gold ). You might see your creepy metalhead brother dressed in neon shorts and sweatbands.
FRIDAY
Get crazy for me at Dirtyphonics on Friday! Epilepsy and lasers don’t mix. The party continues on Saturday.
Ramona Falls and The Darcys at Kung Fu Necktie
Support Ramona Falls, a touring band from Portland. Maybe pick up their new album Prophet.
SATURDAY
Blacklisted, with Verse, Stick together, Praise, Current and Beware at Barbary
Come on down to the good ol’ Barbary for this great hardcore lineup. Mosh. Stage dive. Sing along. Whatever you’re into. \m/
Jeff The Brotherhood at the First Unitarian Church
Come hang and the church! Jake’s hand is OK and they are still playing all shows! Silly rumors.
Chill Moody with Dussel Has Friends, Verse Mega, Riot !n Paris and Uptown Tone at The Fire
Go see Chill Moody and read about him in our latest issue!
Sunday
Ratkicker with Still, Habits and Capacities at Kung Fu Necktie
The Original Marta with The The The Thunder, Estocar and Coup Coroux at The Fire
Got a variety of things going on tonight. Want to chill and sway? Go see Destroyer. Or maybe you have some energy you need to get out? Hit up the Ratkicker show. Or maybe you want to bop your head and chill with some beers down at The Fire while listening to the sounds of The Original Marta. The choice is yours.
MONDAY
The Hundred in the Hands with Tygerstrype and Vorhees at Kung Fu Necktie
Check out the duo The Hundred in the Hands (above). I can’t help but dance in my bathroom when listening to them. Don’t judge.
WEDNESDAY
The Hives at the Electric Factory
If you haven’t heard The Hives, get out of that cave you have been living in. Should be a great show.
JUMP: The Philly Music Project 