Giraffage @ Johnny Brenda’s with Spazzkid.
Text and images by Rick Kauffman.
Last Friday night, Johnny Brenda’s played host to some intricately produced electronic music. The infectious tunes, which dabbled in treble-heavy grooves with smooth basslines, transitioned effortless from ambient sounds to glitchy rhythms backed by heavy bass.
LA’s Giraffage, the stage name for producer Charlie Yin, along with Spazzkid from San Francisco brought their personal flair for sample-based pop music to Philly on their “No Reason Tour.”
This form of dreampop, indie dance music is progressive in its delivery, with chopped rhythms that begin with a sample — anything from 8-bit video games to J-Pop — and is modulated and warped to faster tempos. It’s as if the melodies become the rhythms that build before the break. In contrast to EDM music like dubstep, the basslines complement the treble-favored beats but the drops are just as fierce.
A quote overheard during the set put it simply: “The production is so clean it’s giving me a boner.”
These guys knew exactly when to throw in club banger to take the crowd, who packed the joint to capacity, along for the ride.
Giraffage showcased effortless control of his components, any bedroom DJs dream-setup. In addition to his own tracks, many from his recent EP No Reason, he busted out some deep cuts like “9 PM (Till I Come)” by ATB, a middle-school throwback, samples from “Forgot About Dre” and finished with remixes of Ignition and Sandstorm, which even after 15 years he made sure those tracks were still hitting.
Regardless of the steaming dance floor, the two DJs mixed in enough cool beats to keep the mixed-bag of attendees grooving until the lights came on.
Invisible Familiars @ North Star Bar with The Retinas, Old Scratch and Eat Your Cigarettes.
Text and images by Darragh Dandurand.
A soft snow gently fell on a quiet Poplar Street last Thursday night. With bowed heads and hunched shoulders, people hurried into North Star Bar to regain some sense of feeling in their numb limbs. After paying a cover fee and receiving a flowery ‘Thank You’ stamp on their inner wrists, they shed their winter coats, ordered a few beers and moved towards the stage.
Downingtown-based band Eat Your Cigarettes bounded on stage for a quick and heavy set. The self-described “noisy pink band from go fuck yourself town” played songs from their first album, Ejaculate, and had heads thrashing to their song “Bruce.”
Quickly growing up to be a Philly-favorite, The Retinas were next. As they finished setting up gear, murmurs spread through the crowd in anticipation. Unsurprisingly, their set caused a mini, mock “mosh pit,” albeit made of two, very enthusiastic fans. Lead singer and guitarist Jake Joseph stamped his feet and screamed into the mic like a pro while the other band members kept it cool on stage.
Brooklyn’s Invisible Familiars, named for a passage by Joseph Campbell, echoed through the small venue. Thursday’s show was part of their album release for 2015’s Disturbing Wildlife. Bandmates Jared Samuel, Jordyn Blakely and Noah Berman, spoke excitedly about playing in Philly for the first time before setting on stage.
Their sound – some blend of calm and collected scratchy ether and searing string synthetics – drew the audience slightly closer than they were at the start of the show. Their eclectic tastes and varied influences oozed throughout their music, as well as in their sense of fashion and individual stage presence.
Grinning ear-to-ear, the musicians of Old Scratch took over right around midnight as the last band of the show. They played almost for themselves, lost in each other’s vibe, as if they could be either on stage of in someone’s musty garage.
Old Scratch’s guitarist, Steve Kane, who promoted the show, explained that he is “dedicated to Philly’s music” and loves bringing bands from all over together just to see what happens. His largely instrumental set finished with few people standing around, but those that stayed on the cold night were heated with heavy metal.
Text and images by Brianna Spause.
The-standing room-only space at the Electric Factory accommodated thousands of sweaty bodies on Thursday night as they bathed in nostalgia. The night charged though a blend of alternative rock and pop-punk in full force as Citizen and The Early November opened for Motion City Soundtrack, who had stopped in Philadelphia on the 10th anniversary tour of their sophomore album, Commit This To Memory.
“To be honest, we haven’t really thought about this record since we made it,” lead singer Justin Pierre told the crowd as he recalled the bands early years, and pulled his hands through a trademarked head of wildly untamed hair. “I was right in between two different people back then. We had written half the record when I was trying to get my shit together, and now I’m sober. There’s a lot of frustration, apologies and trying to make amends for something on this record.”
The band played Commit This To Memory from cover to cover with a reliable set of background vocals roaring from the crowd, especially on fan-favorite tracks like “Attractive Today” and “L.G. F.U.A.D (Let’s Get Fucked Up And Die).” Twelve tracks was not enough to satisfy the audience that had grown significantly taller and acquired a lot more facial hair in the decade since CTTM was released, so Motion City hit the stage again after a short break to play an 8-song encore.
A steady stream of crowd-surfers, one-shoed mega fans and middle-aged folks who still love to dance kept the party lively until the lights went down on cries of “I’m on fire, and now I think I’m ready to bust a move. Check it out I’m rocking steady to the beat in my head…” as Motion City Soundtrack closed the night with their hit single – “The Future Freaks Me Out.”
Great Good Fine OK (above) headline the next Communion Club Night at Milkboy next Wednesday, February 4th, and we have tickets for you.
The event also features The Ludlow Thieves, Kristin Diable and Gabriel Garzon-Montano.
Like us on facebook and email us at FreeJumpStuff@gmail.com to enter to win a pair of tickets (give us your name and put “Communion” in the subject line).
If you want to play it safe and get your own tickets, find details for the show here.
journey2home Record Release Show @ Jr. Music Executive.
Text and images by Brianna Spause.
journey2home, a year-long public art project generated by the Mural Arts Program, drew to a close last Friday night with a CD release party hosted by Jr. Music Executive.
Cheerful conversation buzzed out of JME’s new permanent home at Cohesive Collections and spilled out onto Vine Street as approximately 30 artists, mentors and partners gathered in celebration. Hot off the press, a stack of journey2home compilation CDs were arranged proudly at the door as smiling faces and offers of congratulations steadily rolled in.
The goal of journey2home was to engage the community in a conversation about the startling issue of youth homelessness and housing insecurity in Philadelphia. Efforts that engaged more than 50 Philadelphia youths began in August 2013, and blossomed into a mural titled “Home Safe” that was erected on 42nd and Brown streets, a documentary film, monthly art installations, and eight powerful tracks off of the journey2home compilation CD.
For lead artist Mike O’Bryan, the key to social change is about creating a bi-directional music conversation.
“I think what was cool about the process for this project was that there are so many ways the youth can be involved,” O’Bryan said. “There are so many ways, consequently, through our networks that we can have adults – who love music and who know the industry – be involved with the young people.”
Through trauma-informed music workshops and discussions, O’Bryan, his partners and an empowered youth cohort were able to create the soundtrack to a larger multimedia project generated by the MAP.
“We all had different areas of expertise that we brought to the table,” O’Bryan said, fondly recalling the efforts of Jim Wells from Blackboard Labs, who specialized in teaching the youths production and creative writing, and Aisha Winfield of JME, who organized discussions about marketing and the life of music post-creative moment.
The quality of the CD that spun loudly in the background of the release party was top-notch and battled with the excitable conversation floating about the room. The contrast between an easy listening melody and a chilling message in “Warzone,” the lead track on the album, illuminated the true talent in the room.
Zhane McPhil, 16, was nervous when she joined the journey2home project. Zhane is the face of the powerful vocals in “Warzone” and a strong young woman that knows the harsh reality of struggling with housing insecurity.
“I don’t usually sing in front of people,” Zhane said. “I would sing to myself. It was new to sing to other people and I guess I never realized how much of a release it was. What better way to get through to people than music? Because everyone listens to music and everyone seems to understand music more than just listening to you talk about [your struggles].”
Rodney Burney, 15, identifies with Zhane on the ability of art to express himself.
“If people really feel what I’m saying in songs, people will want to get with me and make music together,” Rodney said of his rapping on tracks like “Warzone” and three others on the album. “It’s gonna feel good to hear the tracks because people can feel what I’m rapping about. That’s a good feeling, hearing feedback.”
As the CD spun to its end and impressively large stacks of pizza loomed in the background, the journey2home project met its final end.
“There are a lot of assumptions around the experience of homelessness,” O’Bryan said. “We have all of these opinions, and make judgments whether we like it or not. I think as artists, it’s our job to try to spread these [young people’s] narratives and to help give people the proper lenses to deal with human beings on the street. I think that’s what this whole project is about. I’m more passionate, more than ever in my life, to make sure their stories are honored and told safely.”
The Snails, Vic Ruggiero and Spelling Reform @ Boot & Saddle.
Text by Jennifer Granato. Images by Ken Stager.
On Saturday night, Boot & Saddle hosted the reggae/soul band The Snails for their first show back in their home city in quite a while. Boot & Saddle’s cozy room, filled with rock ‘n’ roll, blues and soul all night, turned out to be an excellent place to hide from the winter chill.
The Snails took the stage around 10. The five piece band, all matching in neat, black button-up shirts, didn’t rely on gimmicks or distractions to entertain the audience. Instead, they placed their focus entirely on the quality of their music. Their set flowed from one song into the next, featuring tracks from their most recent album, Songs from the Hydrogen Jukebox. The band’s energy sparked the crowd all night. When Vic Ruggiero, frontman of ska band The Slackers, joined The Snails on stage for a final number, the whole room was dancing.
Tim Hildebrand, the 23-year-old South Philly resident and guitarist for The Snails, spoke on what to expect from the band in the coming months.
“We’re currently working on a new full length,” Hildebrand said, as people pushed around him going back and forth to the bar. “We’re going down to Nashville to record it in the summer, in the same studio and with the same producer that did Alabama Shake’s record. We’re bringing a new soul and rock ‘n’ roll sound to our music.”
Todd Fausnacht, the lead singer and guitarist, cited early Stax Records catalogs and Chess Records artists as musical influences. Songs full of soulful melodies with layered vocal harmonies are the new normal for The Snails and it works. Songs from the Hydrogen Jukebox has just been released on vinyl and The Snails will begin playing more regular shows in April when their members are all back in the city.
Spelling Reform, an indie rock/power pop band from Philadelphia opened the show with a set of upbeat and fun rock ‘n’ roll. Before The Snails, Vic Ruggiero performed to a crowd that suddenly packed themselves into the room. Ruggiero played his set as a one-man band, complete with a tambourine, drum, guitar and harmonica. He played an hour-long set of his original music and bluesy, acoustic spins on Slackers songs, occasionally taking requests from audience members.
As he settled on stage, his thick Bronx accent an obvious giveaway that he wasn’t from around here.
“It’s nice to be back in Philadelphia,” he said.
The Gaslight Anthem, Cold War Kids, We Speak in Sounds, Cheerleader, CRUISR and More @ The Radio 104.5 Winter Jam.
Text by Beth Ann Downey and Mina Lee. Images by Mina Lee.
Radio 104.5’s annual Winter Jam took over new territory Saturday as it brought a full day of live music on two separate stages to South Philly’s XFinity Live!
The free, all-ages music event drew a robust crowd to see a lineup of national alternative rock, like Cold War Kids (above), and dance acts as well as three popular local groups.
Many were there early to catch Andrew McMahon In The Wilderness, the new project from the former frontman of both Something Corporate and Jack’s Mannequin. McMahon didn’t hide the hits of these past projects from loyal fans. The band played “Dark Blue,” “The Resolution” and “I Woke Up In A Car,” as well as tunes from In The Wilderness’ self-titled debut album released in October 2014.
“Thanks to you, the fans, for making phone calls and getting the song played,” McMahon said to the crowd during the band’s finale “La La Lie.” He also thanked
Radio 104.5 for “taking a chance” on him because he’s “been doing this for a long time.”
Though they’ve been in the public eye for a shorter amount of time, local indie pop band CRUISR opened the local stage to a similarly adoring crowd. They started off with “Don’t Go Alone,” followed by “All Over” and “Kidnap Me” off their recently released EP.
“If you move your feet you’ll warm up I swear to god,” said frontman Andy States to the crowd. Read more…
Discwoman @ Voyeur.
Text by Jennifer Granato. mages by Darragh Dandurand.
Does a party with a lineup of amazing female DJs, some free PBR, hours of dancing and a raffle for extremely expensive music-responsive vibrators sound like a good time to you?
Well, it was. You should be bummed if you missed out on this.
Last Friday night, Discwoman, an electronic dance music party that exclusively showcases local female and female-identified DJs sponsored by PBR and Lelo, came to Voyeur to show off our city’s talent and to benefit Girls Rock Philly, a Philadelphia nonprofit dedicated to empowering girls and young women through music education.
With the electronic dance music industry still being a big boys club and notable electronic music festivals blatantly lacking female talent in their line-ups, what Discwoman is doing is very important.
“There is no festival that features female DJs,” said one of Discwoman’s founders, Christine Tran. “We wanted to inspire young woman that this could be their profession. We want Discwoman to be a sustainable system and to show that men don’t have to teach it to you.” Read more…
WIN FREE TICKETS: Riff Raff @ The Trocadero on Wednesday!
Riff Raff performs at the Trocadero with Chanel West Coast, Swizzymack and Baked Life and we’re giving away tickets.
Like us on facebook and email us at FreeJumpStuff@gmail.com to enter to win a pair of tickets (give us your name and put “Riff Raff” in the subject line).
If you want to play it safe and get your own tickets, find details for the show here.
Slaughter Beach, Petal, Broken Beak and Roya @ Mantua Yacht Club.
Text by Tim Mulhern. Images by Jessica Flynn.
Those looking to escape the cold and support a good cause packed the living room of the Mantua Yacht Club Friday night for an acoustic benefit show featuring Roya, Broken Beak, Petal and Slaughter Beach.
Proceeds raised from the show were donated to the Morton McMichael School in Mantua.
Roya kicked off the intimate, entirely unplugged show. Seated on a red couch, she shared a collection of somber, strummed tunes, sung barely above a whisper.
“I have happy songs, I just don’t remember them now,” the singer admitted to the small but attentive audience.
Beau Brynes, who performs under the name Broken Beak, took the couch after Roya. Brynes debuted new material throughout his set and kept the crowd entertained and the mood light with witty banter between songs. Roya, seated in the audience, sang alongside Brynes on the penultimate song. After requesting audience participation on the chorus of his last song, the room filled with even more warmth and music, as most of the crowd happily obliged to sing with him.
Debuting largely new material from Petal’s upcoming album, Kiley Lotz shared a set of charming originals, mixed with covers of Talking Heads and Prince tracks. Many of the songs Lotz performed were played in front of an audience for the first time Friday night.
The show wrapped with a triumphant set from Slaughter Beach. Jake Ewald, guitarist and vocalist for Modern Baseball, released his first EP, Dawg, under the Slaughter Beach name in August of 2014. On Friday, he played his first solo show to an audience of friends and Modern Baseball bandmates. Ewald mixed in a few covers but spent most of his time showcasing brand new Slaughter Beach tracks.
The crowd quickly dispersed, with many leaving to catch other shows happening later that evening.
JUMP: The Philly Music Project 