Hozier @ The Electric Factory.
Text and images by Andrew Thayer.
Irish singer-songwriter Hozier stopped by the Electric Factory Saturday night to play in front of a sold-out crowd as part of his 2015 international tour.
The singer of “Take Me to Church” fame played a balanced mix of solo acoustic songs and band-backed tunes, closing with his smash hit.
Hozier’s bellowing voice, bluesy guitar and heavy-footed melodies were in full-effect, particularly in the song “To Be Alone,” which was paired with pulsing, bright lights. “In a Week” exposed the crooner in Hozier as he performed with cellist Alana Henderson who
hopped on supporting vocals for a lovely duet about dead bodies rotting away in the Irish hills of Hozier’s hometown.
At several points, the singer mixed up his songs by either beginning to sing lyrics with a different melody or introducing a track by the incorrect name. He wearily attributed the fatigue to the breakneck pace of his current tour, which includes 70 upcoming shows booked between now and the beginning of August.
Catfish and the Bottlemen @ Milkboy with Wild Party.
Text and images by Brendan Menapace. Other images by Michele Straka.
It’s interesting to see the development of a young band firsthand. The radio stations pay them attention, the entourage grows and suddenly there’s a line of kids down the block waiting in below-freezing temperatures to hear the music.
Wales-based Catfish and the Bottlemen have been building momentum across the Atlantic but there’s certainly a buzz about them stateside as well, as their sold out show at Milkboy on Friday showed.
The show started with San Antonio’s Wild Party, a poppy brand of indie rock that fit in nicely with the headliner.
The band built a nice rapport with one fan in particular, who took it upon himself to hurl movie quotes toward the stage, which the vocalist and guitarist took with laughs, albeit confused ones. The singer looked especially confused when the anonymous fan told him he had a “purdy mouth.”
“Thanks man,” he responded. “I can’t see you, but I’m gonna guess you have a nice mouth too.”
After Wild Party finished and unloaded their gear from the stage (and almost causing a bass drum case to come crashing into the soundboard), a handful of sound guys, all in black and with distinct British accents, made their way to the front. One man in particular, who shooed fans away from the soundboard and took up residence for the show at the base of the stage, looked like a record executive from a movie.
After an introduction from Radio 104.5’s Wendy Rollins (a good indicator of the band’s growing audience) a flashlight-wielding crew member lead the four members of Catfish and the Bottlemen, all young with hair shagging in their eyes to the stage. Under the harsh red lights, it got loud. They opened with “Rango,” one of the louder tracks from their debut album The Balcony. The sold-out Milkboy crowd cheered excitedly. It was a major step up from the last time they played Milkboy last October. While there was a crowd, it was hardly the wall-to-wall packed house that it was on this Friday night.
With only one album out, it wasn’t too hard to guess the material that would be played live, but they did mix things up to make sure it wasn’t in the order of the album. They drove straight into other distortion-heavy tracks such as “Sidewinder” and “Fallout” without taking much time to talk. Lead vocalist Van McCann took time to express his gratitude to the fans. With his thick accent he “fenked” the fans for making it out to see the group.
The group didn’t take much time to talk, and instead drove through a lengthy, while cutouts of Ewan McGregor’s face taped to the amps looked on excitedly, as his fellow Brits spread their audience to the United States. It’s safe to say that the next time Catfish and the Bottlemen make it back to Philadelphia, it will be at a bigger venue.
Text and images by Chip Frenette.
Last week, trance music specialists Infected Mushroom performed at the Electric Factory.
The Israel-based band was joined by supporting acts DJ Randy Seidman from Los Angeles and New Jersey DJ/producer Au5. Seidman played trance grooves to get the crowd moving early. Au5 played original dubstep tracks, as well as tracks produced by others.
Far Too Loud was along as touring support for Infected Mushroom, who closed out the night with an animatronic mushroom on the stage, as well as an intense lighting and laser show.
Text and images by Darragh Dandurand.
Thee Idea Men, a goofy foursome with a pop-rocker sound, played an unapologetic set as they opened on Friday night at Boot & Saddle.
Punchy, upbeat songs jumped one into the next, starting off the show on a high note. In between tunes, guitar player and vocalist Matthew Jurasek tried to tell a few jokes which were lost between a scratchy microphone and the tuning of guitars. Matt Raspanti, the other guitar player and singer, cracked smiles with a punky rendition of Macy Gray’s, “I Try.”
The Warhawks descended on the stage only a few minutes later, hustling to hang a custom backdrop and reset the stage for their set. Upon their request, the skinny, rectangular room was blacked out. All but a blue-gelled stagelight and three portable LEDs attached to the respective necks of the guitars and bass offered a pseudo-experimental glow.
Every song bled a matured angst, as if the edgy rock and roll oozing off stage was the proud product of a basement band that stuck together long after high school let out. The music was itchy and impatient, brutally fast and furious.
Lead vocalist Matthew Orlando took a moment to dedicate The Warhawks’ show to a recently deceased friend, for whom the band also wrote a heavy song.
On tour from Toronto, the alternative act July Talk looked comfortable on stage. Fans had traveled all the way from Canada to hear their beloved rockers show off in the packed venue. Every song in July Talk’s répertoire de la nuit was a duet consisting of stretched syllables from Peter Dreimanis and girlish, gentle notes sung like whispers from Leah Fay.
As if possessed, Dreimanis’ eyes practically bulged from his head when he screamed like a mad man. He gripped his guitar as if he were trying to strangle it and pulled on Fay’s bowl cut. Fay wriggled in her signature way, writhing across stage, seductively touching Dreimanis’ face and arms to stir up the crowd. Their little acts were obviously expected and the two complemented their crazy, stagey chemistry with harsh, pushed and weighty tunes that all sounded the same when sung live.
The Paul Giess Group @ Ortlieb’s.
Text and images by Matthew Leister.
Here in Philly, jazz musicians work and play as a tight group. Working the bar and restaurant scene is the best way to gain exposure. Jam sessions can be found at regular hotspots throughout the city. Usually, the freewheeling nature of these sessions serves to allow for a looseness and carefree performance of original tunes and standards mixed together at the whim of the band members.
Last week, the Paul Giess Group debuted material from their new album entitled U Suite U at Ortlieb’s. At the Northern Liberties mainstay that famously serves its beer wet, the stage can now be found in the back of the bar with the old side stage turned into a seating area. The narrow path to the stage opens up in front of the acts and allows room for the music to breathe.
Giess, a Philly trumpet player, wrote this suite and recorded it many months ago with friends from the local jazz scene. Tom Moon, the NPR regular and former Philadelphia Inquirer music critic, plays the saxophone. Ryan McNeely, active in several different groups in the region, plays guitar. Local pianist Patrick Fink, plays the Fender Rhodes and singer Alexa Barchini lends her pipes to the original tunes. Filling out the rhythm section is Joseph Plowman on bass and Claudio De Pujades on the drums. Luke Bauerlein makes a guest appearance doing a spoken word piece mid way through the performance.
The suite was executed smoothly and impressively as all of the musicians are masters of their craft and play together on a regular basis on a plethora of other projects. Tom Moon’s Ensemble Novo opened up the evening with all of the musicians above while subbing out Paul Giess for percussionist Jim Hamilton. You have never seen anything like Mr. Hamilton playing the tambourine. It is a thing of beauty. Novo’s Bossanova style served as an appropriate mood setter for the jazz tunes brought forth by Giess’ group.
The music never stopped and the packed bar celebrated the album that has been in the works for over a year.
We were able to spend a day with them in the recording studio and witnessed some of the creation happen.
Echosmith and The Colourist @ The TLA.
Text and images by Brianna Spause.
Two young pop groups took a light jog through Philadelphia this weekend, bringing the heat to the TLA with them. The air was as dense as the crowd that crammed in to get a view of The Colourist and Echosmith’s sold out show on Saturday.
Feet were shuffling as soon as Maya Tuttle laid out the first beats on the drums, finding a dancing crowd to feed The Colourist’s energetic on-stage collaboration to. The California-based pop band puts out an electronic sound that survives the leap out of the studio and onto the stage. The smooth vocals of singer/guitarist Adam Castilla carry their catchy tunes such as popular single, “Little Games.”
There hasn’t been any new music since last March with the release of their self-titled album, but that is subject to change. On their blog, The Colourist is teasing new music in the next few days.
A charmed young audience was receptive to the cue of the music – to dance. Between sets, stage lights cast long shadows that slid around the legs of the crowd and illustrated restless movement. Chants of “Ech-O-Smith” echoed the baseline as the lights came up on a family affair. Echosmith brings an infectious chemistry to the table, fueled by the deep-rooted musical connection between siblings. Grahm (16), Sydney (17), Noah (19) and Jamie Sierota (21) burst onto the scene with their platinum hit “Cool Kids,” which soared to #13 on the Billboard top 100. Also off of the 2013 Talking Dreams album, the single “Bright” has made it back on the books with a music video released early in February.
With eight more sold out shows on their North American tour, the Sierotas are making moves that have landed Echosmith on VH1 and MTV’s “Artists to Watch” lists. Having developed together as musicians is evident in the way the band performs live, following through in each measure with a precise execution. Very clean melodies are executed as vocalist, Sydney commands the stage with confidence lit up like fire in her eyes. The young artist moves without inhibition, bringing to life the magnetic music infused with a little West Coast sunshine.
Text and images by Kevin Cook.
“This is the best fucking city in the entire world,” said Oliver “Twist” Feighan, half the Philadelphia born and raised hip hop duo, OCD: Moosh & Twist.
“215 till the day I die/Said it once and ill say it again,” rapped DeQuincy “Moosh” Coleman McRae during the duo’s performance of “Hometown” on Friday at the TLA.
“One day we gon’ make it rappin’,” followed Twist. “Philly blood in my soul dog but show the whole world we gon’ make it happen.”
Friends since they met in first grade, Moosh & Twist performed tracks such as “How We Do,” “Take Me Back” and “Unstoppable.”
As the duo spit their interesting lyrics, they frequently left the stage to perform inches away from the crowd. The hundreds of people in the packed venue mirrored their enthusiasm.
Ground Up, a hip-hop trio that resides in Philadelphia, opened for M&T. Mixing eccentric wordplay with interesting sounds (like the horn on “Let’s Ride”), MC’s Azar and Malakai kept the crowd jumping.
Major Van Winkle opened.
The show gave fans a great mixture of Philadelphia’s unique hip-hop scene.
GrassROOTS Community Foundation’s “Let’s Move It: Philly!” Party @ Trilogy with Black Thought, Jazzy Jeff and More.
Text by Tim Mulhern. Images by Matthew Leister.
On the third floor of Trilogy Nightclub, overlooking a snow-covered city and a skyline shrouded in fog, fans of Philly hip-hop “partied with a purpose” at a benefit for the GrassROOTS Community Foundation last Saturday evening. Tariq “Black Thought” Trotter, DJ Jazzy Jeff, Rich Medina and special guests entertained the crowd at The 5th annual “Let’s Move It: Philly!” party.
GrassROOTS Community Foundation specifically focuses its work on young girls in Philadelphia.
“We have these four areas of wellness that we value and do our work around,” said Dr. Janice Johnson Dias, president of the GrassROOTS Community Foundation. “Physical health, mental health, sexual health and the economics of health. We do work with girls, their families and within communities, and we want to change policies and practices.”
As co-founder of the GrassROOTS Community Foundation, Trotter has played an integral role from the beginning.
“This was the brainchild of a good friend of mine and I felt that the work that she was doing was important,” Trotter said. “We both have daughters that [are] close in age. The cause spoke to me, so I rose to the calling.”
Stick to Your Guns with In Hearts Wake, 68, Being As An Ocean and The Amity Affliction @ The TLA.
Text by Vince Bellino. Images by Erin Marhefka.
Stick to Your Guns (above) came to the TLA in grand fashion on Tuesday as part of their Disobedient Tour, bringing along In Hearts Wake, 68, Being As An Ocean and The Amity Affliction.
In Hearts Wake, on the road from Byron Bay, Australia, kicked the night off with a hard-hitting metalcore set that had the crowd off its feet.
68 followed with a high energy hardcore set reminiscent of vocalist and guitarist Josh Scogin’s previous projects, Norma Jean and The Chariot, which he acknowledged with a sticker on the back of his guitar that read “Proud to be an The Chariot.”
Screaming into a microphone way too short for him, Scogin faced the lone other band member, drummer Michael McClellan, and responded to crowd requests for Slayer and “Free Bird” by telling them that he wasn’t a real guitarist and couldn’t play those songs.
Being As An Ocean took the stage next, ratcheting the emotion in the room up a notch, promoting their recent album, How We Both Wondrously Perish. The crowd could be heard yelling along to songs from both of the band’s releases and vocalist Joel Quartuccio threw the microphone into the crowd, apologizing after for doing so because he forgot it wasn’t his in the moment.
Fans went wild when Quartuccio left the barrier to move around in the crowd during Being an an Ocean’s last song, “This Loneliness Won’t Be the Death of Me.” Amidst the chaos, guitarist Tyler Ross managed to split the body of his guitar in half before handing it into the crowd.
The Amity Affliction was welcomed onstage with a chant of “Am-i-ty” before launching into a crowd pleasing set packed with songs from their 2014 release, Let the Ocean Take Me. The entire crowd seemed to be into the band, who brought their photographer onstage to celebrate his thirtieth birthday to crude jokes and off-key singing.
Stick to Your Guns came out to huge cheers, immediately ordering the crowd to start moving. Promoting their new album, Disobedient, vocalist Jesse Barnett encouraged fans to crowdsurf to the front and sing with him, apologizing for the barrier, saying it wasn’t the “most ideal situation.”
In the midst of crowdsurfing and circle pits, Barnett slowed things down with an acoustic version of “We Still Believe.” He encouraged everyone to stand by and work for what they believe. After their final song, “Against Them All,” he thanked the crowd for coming out and told everyone to take care of each other.
Stick to Your Guns received encore chants but did not come back out.
Rene Lopez and Tomás Pagán Mottá @ Milkboy.
Text and images by Tyler Horst.
A stalwart few braved the cold and snow on Saturday to spend the evening at Milkboy, and were duly rewarded with an eclectic show featuring Rene Lopez (above).
Taking the stage early in the night was Tomás Pagán Mottá, a singer-songwriter from Washington DC. Using just his voice and an acoustic guitar, with the occasional addition of harmonica, Mottá filled the small upstairs room with some gentle, folksy tunes. His songwriting inspired by the likes of Elliot Smith and Bob Dylan, Mottá shifted easily between full voice and a high falsetto, swinging sweeping melodies over cascading chord progressions.
“I feel like I’m playing the mellow beginning to a funky after-party,” Mottá readily admitted.
That after-party was provided by Rene Lopez and his eight-piece band. Coming from New York City, Lopez and the band quickly warmed everyone up with an energetic mix of funk and Latin soul. Clearly a seasoned group of players, the band was tight even though Lopez announced it was their drummer’s first gig with the rest of the band.
Saxophone, guitar and bass laid down some funky lines over an intricate array of percussion. During a few songs Lopez abandoned the microphone to pick up an extra set of drumsticks, laying into a set of snares and cowbell to transform a soulful number into a flurry of interweaving Latin rhythms.
The band charmed the small crowd and Lopez encouraged everyone to move forward. By the end of the night, the snow was forgotten and the crowd used the extra room to move and dance.
JUMP: The Philly Music Project 