Toy Soldiers, City Rain & Lady @ The Hard Rock Cafe.
Many thanks to Toy Soldiers, City Rain and Lady, all of whom performed last week at the Hard Rock Cafe to celebrate the launch of the winter 2011/2012 issue of JUMP. This is the visual issue, featuring a cover design (above) by Andy Molholt, formerly of The Armchairs.
Find all the winter issue stories here. Find print copies at these locations. Read more…
Turning violet Violet & Bedroom Problems @ Paley Library.
Many thanks to the crews from Turning violet Violet (above) and Bedroom Problems (right), both of which performed at Temple University’s Paley Library last week as part of our winter 2011/2012 issue launch (see The Big Takeover‘s review of the show here).
As a side note, both groups are dealing with difficult situations away from music, and they could use your help.
Bob Gulish, the father of TvV drummer Brandon, suffers from pulmonary fibrosis and is on a waiting list for a double lung transplant. Learn more and see how to help here.
Monty, the doggie friend of Bedroom Problems lead singer Maria Sciarrino, was attacked by another dog over the weekend and has been hospitalized. Maria is selling stuff to help offset the vet costs. See the items here.
Phantogram @ Union Transfer.
Text by Kirsten Stamn. Images by Grace Dickinson.
When not whipping her glossy dark hair, chopped just above her shoulders, as she rocked out onstage, Sarah Barthel of the electronic rock duo Phantogram was crooning lyrics to the group’s hits like “Mouthful of Diamonds” and “When I’m Small” in a whispery, lilting voice that didn’t belie her exhaustion.
“It’s the end of our tour, so I might be a little kooky,” she told the audience near the end of their set. Read more…
Friends @ Kung Fu Necktie.
Text by Brittany Thomas. Images by Hillary Petrozziello.
A little rain didn’t stop the coolest friends you haven’t met yet (Friends, the band, that is) from coaxing the unusually somber Kung Fu Necktie crowd into a full-on, spontaneous dance party last Wednesday night.
Front-woman Samantha Urbani (right) jumped into a 2XL leopard-print tall T she found in the venue’s basement and took the stage psyched as ever despite the lack of visible audience enthusiasm.
The show was the second one they’ve played in the U.S. since their return to the motherland from their two-day stint at Amsterdam’s “London Calling” music festival where they played for thousands of people “who probably had no idea who we were,” said keys/guitar/bass player Nikki Shapiro. “It wasn’t a big deal though. We partied. Of course. Amsterdam. It was awesome.”
Having gone from playing a massive crowd in the biggest party town in the world to performing for what started out as a group of people small enough to fit into their tour van, Friends didn’t seem to offer anything but their best. They had such a blast dancing their asses off on stage that they were able to contagiously lure in every last straggler in the bar until everyone was cheering for an encore. Read more…
Bloodstains Across Philadelphia @ JR’s.
Text and images by MATTITUDE (from Modern Bropar).
Bloodstains Across Philadelphia, was officially released last week with a benefit show for it’s own cause hosted by JR’s (22nd and Passyunk).
Pizza Face, The Trowels, No Lessons Learned, and Bad Doctors all played their contributions to the Bloodstain’s compilation.
Although I am familiar with all of these bands, it seemed they all made it a point to also play new material at the show.
Bloodstains Across Philadelphia is an all city punk rock compilation of current Hostile City bands.
Pick one up at The Marvelous, Long In the Tooth, Wooden Shoe or wherever fine DIY records are sold.
Check out Modern Bropar’s story about the album from the fall issue of JUMP. Read more…
Jill Scott Takes Care of Philly.
Text by Niesha Miller. Portraits by Gomillion & Leupold.
With a financially imperiled school district and funding for after-school programs being cut, finding a learning sanctuary for a young Philadelphia student can be difficult.
Jill Scott, the Grammy Award-winning artist who has starred in movies and on television shows, knows how difficult it can be.
She grew up here, surrounded by the poverty and drug dealing of North Philadelphia. She went to school in the city, graduating from Girl’s High School, and thrived because of the support that she found along the way.
When she found out that her former sanctuary, the Cecil B. Moore Recreation Center at 22nd and Lehigh, was slated to close, she stepped in.
“It’s where I played safely,” Scott remembers. “It’s where I learned to swim and not drown, where I did my first fashion show and my first talent show.”
She lip-synced “Kiss,” the classic track by Prince while sporting a pink shirt and pink paisley jeans.
“I played the air guitar and I tore the house down,” Scott recalls. Read more…
Nice Things with Chill Moody, the Renaissance Man.
Text by Sofiya Ballin. Images by Brittney Bowers.
Chill Moody leans up against the brick wall outside The Blockley Pourhouse as music blasts through the window behind him. His face is the picture of patience and calm.
He’s ready but admittedly a little stressed.
“Before performances sometimes I drink,” he says, “a lot.”
He laughs for a moment and continues.
“I rehearse at least two or three times before a show and mentally prepare myself,” he says.
Born and raised in West Philadelphia, the rising rap star who graduated from Overbrook High credits his cousins with getting him into hip hop as a child. He hung out with them, listening to their music.
“I was just trying to fit in with them,” says the 26-year-old MC who has dropped six mixtapes and spins out new tracks almost weekly. “That’s how I found about Nas, Wu-Tang and Rakim.”
Singing for Harmony’s Sake.
Text by Lauren Gordon. Images by Rick Kauffman.
The lobby of the Ritz-Carlton is buzzing with activity. Businessmen and women convene for happy hour cocktails. Groups of women wearing identical bandanas (tourists, most likely) exchange itineraries. And several conventioneers network on this busy Wednesday.
It is 6:29 p.m. and the unsuspecting guests in the opulent room are being served hors d’oeuvres by men in sailor hats and tribal headdresses. Then, there is a low hum, the sound of a familiar disco tune wafting through the decadent halls.
The servers line up – around 30 men in white shirts and blue jeans, and begin singing a Village People medley accompanied by choreographed dance moves complete with jazz hands and macho-man poses.
This flash mob is one of the more kitschy performances the Philadelphia Gay Men’s Chorus (PGMC) has done over the past 30 years, and only a sliver of what they have accomplished over the years.
Founded by Gerald David in 1981, the original four members began by caroling in bars. Quickly their respectability grew. Their first formal concert occurred on April 25, 1982. Not only have their numbers steadily grown – they now have 130 members – they have since added a non-profit sector to their organization and they boast a popular, annual holiday concert. But they are more than just a talented group. They are a support system for the gay community.
“It was an important part of accepting my sexual identity,” reflects President Greg Weight on joining as a chorus member in 1997. “It was so important to see the diversity of men who accepted themselves.” Read more…
Publisher’s Note: Building a Great Music Town.
Text and image of Reading Rainbow by G.W. Miller III.
I saw Tim Arnold from the Philly band Good Old War walking around Old City one day recently. He’s a handsome guy with a full head of hair and an amazing effortlessness about him. He looks like a rock star.
But rather than say hello to him, or mention that I run this magazine – which wrote about him in the last issue – I kept walking.
I was starstruck. I wasn’t sure if I opened my mouth, words would come out. And I didn’t want to be creepy.
It’s one of the wonderful things about living in Philadelphia. I see the amazing talent whom we write about just roaming the streets all the time. I see Rob from Reading Rainbow biking past my house almost every morning. Some weeks, I’ll run into the Nicos Gun guys two or three days in a row. And every once and a while, I see ?uestlove leaving Honey’s after brunch.
Sometimes I wonder if we take all of this for granted. We think of these folks as regular people when we should be treating them like the unbelievable talents that they are. We need to appreciate and celebrate them, as that is part of what will make musicians want to be here.
If Philadelphia is ever going to be a great music town again – and we are on the verge, for sure – we need to show our local talent some love. Go to their shows. Buy their music. Champion all things Philly.
Of course, it’s not that simple. The fallout from iTunes still has the industry reeling. We live in the age of the single song rather than the album, and that has ramifications.
“People aren’t going to pay $10 to see you play the one song they like,” says drummer Richard Waller.
Waller says that for Philly to be a real music town again, there needs to be a community of musicians constantly challenging each other.
When he was a kid in the 1970s, his home in West Oak Lane was always full of musicians. His father, Richard Sr., played bass in a few jazz bands. It was not uncommon for 15 of the city’s best jazz musicians to hang out, challenging each other musically, all hours of the day.
“Even if they didn’t like each other personally, they respected each other musically,” says Waller, who now performs with MusicReport, a jazz trio that includes his father.
We need talented artists experimenting, inspiring and pushing other talented artists to do bigger and better things. It needs to happen at clubs, people’s homes, studios, schools, everywhere. The only thing that will build our reputation as a music town – like Austin, Brooklyn or Nashville today, or like Philadelphia in the 1970s – is talent.
Richard Bush, formerly of The A’s, who now fronts The Peace Creeps, says that the issue is getting people to hear the the local music.
“We need local radio supporting local talent,” he says. “If all people hear is the handful of big name acts, that’s all they’ll know.”
Journalists can teach people about the local talent, which is what we’re trying to do here at JUMP. So check out the bands we’re celebrating in this issue. Buy their music. See them live. Support our local acts and do your part to make Philly a great music town again.
Grindcore House: Fast, Loud, Abrasive and Caffeinated.
Text and image by Rick Kauffman.
Could a pair of metalheads who own a coffee shop in South Philly also be the modern purveyors of radical liberty?
Surprisingly, yes.
Dave Anthem and Mike Barone didn’t try to make the hippest coffee shop in the neighborhood. They just made the kind of place they would spend time in. The Grindcore House in South Philly is their brainchild – a vegan, death metal café that plays host to authors, bands and movie nights. Read more…
JUMP: The Philly Music Project 