Text, images and video by Rachel Barrish.
The sounds that stream through your MP3 player came to life on Walnut Street Tuesday evening when Cheers Elephant, our spring issue cover band, played a free set at the Apple Store.
“We turned down playing at the Dell store for this,” joked singer/guitarist Derek Krzywicki.
The band’s third LP, Like Wind Blows Fire, was just released that day. And they made sure to promote its availability on iTunes.
It was especially great to catch them in such an intimate setting. Derek jumped from one leg to the other, acting out the lyrics to “Doin’ it, Right,” the hit single off the new album. Drummer Robert Kingsly wailed in the back, his long hair bouncing in front of his face the majority of the time.
Especially considering it was such a random place to play, they put on a stellar performance. This just goes to show that you can make music at any place at any time. All the bandmates seemed to enjoy the laid back and flavorful atmosphere in a salesroom full of friends, fans and Apple staffers.
You’ll be able to hear more from Cheers Elephant this Saturday, as the band is part of the inaugural Philadelphia Local Music Day, part of the Loves Local Music movement. Their music will be spinning at various local outlets including Federal Donuts, Honey’s Sit ‘n Eat, Johnny Brenda’s, The Abbaye, Honest Tom’s Taco Shop, The Marvelous! Music Record Store, Rocket Cat Café, Trophy Bikes North, Lola Bean, Ultimo Coffee, Green Aisle Grocery, Repo Records, Smak Parlor, One Shot Coffee and Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction.
If you visit one of those locations, you can get a free card to download tracks from Cheers and the other four bands participating in the event – Work Drugs, Buried Beds, The Extraordinaires and Band Name.
The Extraordinaires will perform a free, all ages, acoustic show at The Rocket Cat Cafe at 1 p.m. Saturday. See here for details.
Norwegian Arms: Tired of Being Cold.
Our old friend Keith Birthday, aka Brendan Mulvihill of Norwegian Arms, reached out to us to say that Norwegian Arms dropped the first song from their forthcoming LP (most likely due out in the fall).
“It’s a song expressing frustration at being stuck in -40 degree temperatures for an extended period of time in a place one doesn’t feel comfortable in and longing for home,” Brendan wrote to us. “Homesickness at it’s rawest. That being said, the song is really upbeat.”
The song was recorded at Meth Beach, also known as the Dr. Dog studio, by Michael Chadwick (of the now-defunct Armchairs). It was produced with Jose Diaz of the Seattle band Neighbors.
The track, as well as the full album, was written while Brendan was on a Fulbright scholarship in Siberia, in Tomsk, Russia. He wrote about his experiences for JUMP last summer. You can find the story here.
Brendan’s partner in Norwegian Arms is Eric Slick, who also drums for Dr. Dog. Check out our story about Eric from the winter issue.
Norwegian Arms will play tonight at Kung Fu Necktie with Warm Weather and Ecce Shnak. Find details here.
Text and images by Kirsten Stamn.
It was the worst of circumstances – a beautiful, summer-like Friday that gave way to torrential downpours and bright flashes of lightning, effectively ruining any and all plans for those (i.e., me) who are too skittish to venture out in the rain. A rather brilliant compromise? Taking refuge at Milkboy, where three bands decided to keep the low key crowd entertained with a variety of vaguely dreamy yet peppy music.
Opening the night was Philadelphia’s very own The Homophones (above), who kicked off their set with hilariously mumbled goading of the audience.
“How’s everyone doing tonight? I can’t see shit,” said lead singer Jason Ferraro, who took a long swig of his drink before commanding listeners to approach the stage. Nobody (myself excluded) complied.
With their drawling dreamy, retro tunes, The Homophones have a very distinct and appealing sound. When not rocking out on his baby blue guitar with his taciturn bandmates, Ferraro took the time to interact with the audience, ranting about people who tell others they look like celebrities, thanking his sister for coming and explaining the inspiration behind certain songs.
“I’ve been writing songs about Encore shows lately,” he said. “This one is called ‘Fried Green Tomatoes.’”
Next up: Ape School, another Philadelphia-based group that could barely fit on the tiny stage with their plethora of members. After some complaints about broken equipment, the group launched into their rather beachy and breezy (yet also somehow old-school psychedelic rock) songs. At this point, the crowd was warmed up and, with a rapidly filling bar, approached the stage less cautiously than before.
Ape School certainly got the love from their local musician friends, who laughingly shouted advice and taunts from the crowd. Despite technical difficulties, the group delivered a great show.
The final act, Caveman (below), introduced themselves with, “We’re from Brooklyn, baby.”
Steadily gaining buzz for their indie mellowness, the group has been booking gigs faster than you can say “hipster” five times fast. They ended their national tour the day after playing at Milkboy, on a lineup with Beirut and Atlas Sound at New York’s Howard Gilman Opera House (Fun fact: Caveman frontman Matt Iwanusa used to sing at the venue back when he was with New York’s Metropolitan Opera for six years).
Overall, while the music was solid, friends of the bands deemed the vibe “weird.” Maybe it was the stormy weather outside. Perhaps the technical difficulties, which plagued all three acts, were a factor.
However, the undeniable fact remains that all three groups were a success in delivering great music for folks in desperate need of a little brightening to a dreary night.
MusicTown: Church Singers Serenade the Runners.
Members of the First Tabernacle church on Broad Street near South stood on their steps today and sang to the folks participating in the Broad Street Run.
Eat The Turnbuckle @ The M Room.
We checked out Eat The Turnbuckle, the wrestling-themed crew made up of Philly hardcore all-stars, at the M Room Saturday. They put on a hell of a good show – involving cheese graters, a fan body-slammed through a door, and lots of blood. Real blood.
Still images don’t do their show justice. They put on a spectacle you need to see.
Text by Rachel Barrish. Images by Scott McClennen.
Our friends at Bands in the Backyard hosted their monthly No Alternative 90’s video party at Silk City Diner on Monday night. VJ Davideotape played favorites from the 90’s ranging from Bjork to Alice in Chains.
The videos went on pause when Bridge Underwater (right) took the stage. The indie/experimental duo has been playing together for more than seven years. During their set they focused on sharing some more recent releases, including “Take a Piece of Me.” The two find an interesting way to combine pre-recorded bass with heavy live drumming and sweet vocals.
When they finished up, the videos continued to stream while Market East (top image) began to set up for their set. This is a band that you imagine listening to on the radio in your 1957 Chevy. The dudes take influences from 50’s doo-wop melodies to incorporate into their modern pop style.
When I got to speak to them before the show, they told me that they are all about strong vocals. Boy, were they not kidding around. All three of their voices flowed together so well. And even with a small crowd, the energy in the room was palpable.
“I just wanna take my shirt off,” said lead singer of Spirit Animal (below) as they took their spot on stage as the last act of the night. The post-grunge rockers began head banging and screaming their song “I don’t care,” ending the evening on a killer high note.
Summer Issue Preview: Our One-On-One With Tariq Trotter.
Our Kevin Stairiker spoke to Tariq “Black Thought” Trotter of The Roots last week for the cover story about The Roots Picnic for the summer issue of JUMP, which is due out on June 1. Here is a teaser of what you will find in the print version:
I guess I should start off with the July 4th show that was just announced.
The Welcome America concert?
Yes. So is that going to become a yearly thing like the Roots Picnic?
Yeah, right now it’s slated to be an annual occurrence, something that we’re going to curate every year that’s on a far larger scale. I feel like it caters to a different demographic than the Roots Picnic.
Sort of like an older brother festival for everybody?
Yeah, yeah. What we do for the Roots Picnic is for a younger audience, you know? And what we do on July 4th is sort of all-inclusive, like more family-oriented.
Looks like you’ve got Daryl Hall on there for all of the adults.
Yeah, right? For people like me (he says with a laugh).
How much does it mean to you to know that the President of the United States is down with the Legendary Roots Crew?
It’s very meaningful to me. It’s not something I was unaware of because we’ve opened up for the president on quite a few occasions over the past few years, before he was president and since he’s taken office. But the significance of the most recent interaction with Mr. Obama was…I feel like we have a personal relationship now. This is the first time that a photo was taken of me and the president where there was an image captured and it wasn’t in front of the American flag, you know? Like I wasn’t number eighteen in line. Like, but when we see each other now, he cracks jokes and I feel like we have a similar relationship to the president as we do with Brian Williams.
Chiddy Bang: Mind Your Manners.
Check out the new video from our spring issue cover boys, Chiddy Bang. It’s off their new album Breakfast.
And check out the behind the scenes video below. The boys can play some pong!
The guys will perform in Philly at the Wells Fargo Center on May 22 for the Q102 Springle Ball, with Hot Chelle Rae, Flo Rida, Adam Lambert, The Wanted, Train, Calvin Harris, Carly Rae Jepsen, Enrique Iglesias, Chris Rene, Austin Mahone and Cody Simpson.
Allo Darlin’ @ Kung Fu Necktie.
Text and images by Grace Dickinson.
“Cheers, mate,” said Allo Darlin’s bassist, Bill Botting, to a steamy room of people yesterday at Kung Fu Necktie.
After asking his bandmates to pause so he could grab a sip of beer, Botting and his three bandmates delved into one of their older songs off of their 2010 album, Fortuna Pop. The London-based band brought with them more than just the charm of their accents.
Singing about the hipsters is Shoreditch, the punks in Camden and various other London locales, Allo Darlin’ shared a piece of their home with an audience that clapped right along with them to each song. As the night wore on, the band shifted into their new album, Europe, which held the same lighthearted pop feel of their first album, largely provided by the ukulele strumming delivered from Elizabeth Morris.
Morris leads the singing of Allo Darlin’, with a voice that resembles a mix between Sara Bareilles, Bethany Cosentino of Best Coast and the light poppy feel of the Postal Service. It meshes well with the unpretentious lyrics of love and life that dominates their songs.
The group was endearing in an unintimidating, almost nerdy sort of way – Botting, with his cheeky, boyish smile; guitarist Paul Rains with his floppy-shoelaced, white sneakers (matching the ones Botting removed in favor of black socks); drummer Michael Collins with his unmissable drumstick count-offs at the beginning of every song; and Morris, swaying around on stage with her small ukelela, singing about how she was never “cool” and of kissing salty lips that were sweet and heavenly too.
Together, the band was all smiles that couldn’t help but to put you in a good mood.
The Lumineers and Kopecky Family Band @ Johnny Brenda’s
Text and images by Kirsten Stamn.
Last night, Johnny Brenda’s was home to a quasi-bluesgrass/orchestral folk takeover thanks to The Lumineers (above) and Kopecky Family Band.
It was the first time in Philly for both groups and there was no shortage of praise for both the city and the venue (the Kopeckys, who hail from Nashville, referred to the stage and surrounding balconies as a “snow globe”). For both of these young bands, the sold-out show was an enormous hit – fans chanted to their lyrics as they stomped their feet to the beat. And both groups got the chance to not only showcase their music, but also their values.
Family was a key component to both shows. Kopecky Family Band (images at right) made sure to reference their inspiration of coming home when introducing certain songs.
“We call ourselves a family band because we believe in what family is,” said co-lead singer Gabe. “And you are all a part of it.”
True to their word, after their set they greeted each and every fan near the stage and hung out with the audience until the very end of the night.
For The Lumineers, family is just as important. Lead singer Wesley Schultz made sure to dedicate a song to his family, who, he said, were the only ones who came out when they first started playing. Familial ties are important within the group too – cofounders Schultz and Jeremiah Fraites (below) bonded and began the band when Fraites’ older brother, Joshua, died of an overdose at 19-years old. He was Schultz’s best friend. The music that came from this bond is passionate, soulful and forward-thinking.
After closing with their hit “Stubborn Love,” the Denver trio came out for an encore of four songs, one of which was played acoustically.
Once finished with their set, each band member hugged one another before mingling with the audience.
The music of the night was emotive, layered with vocals, cellos, mandolins, trombones, you name it.
Songs were inspirational and struck chords with audience members, many of whom looked as though they were about to cry during particularly resonant bits, before breaking out into a sort of hoe-down jig once the tempo picked up.
For each of these bands, if they keep doing what they’re doing – staying true to themselves and their missions while connecting with their listeners – they will be household names before you know it.
JUMP: The Philly Music Project 