4arm’s Danny Tomb: “There’s a Real Sense of Freedom Here.”
Australian-born metal band 4arm have been shredding since 2004 but haven’t been making noise internationally until recently, with their newest album, Submission for Liberty, and current tour opening for thrash metal heavyweight, Slayer.
Our Gabi Chepurny spoke with lead singer Danny Tomb about the tour, giving up and the uncommon label of being a metal band from Down Under. (Photo by Jesse Marass).
How has the tour been going?
The tour’s been great. It’s sort of exceeded expectations for us, really. The crowds have been pretty welcoming so it’s been great.
How did you guys get picked up on this tour?
Luck, really. We kind of sent emails out and got the reply that we wanted, so it was pretty much as easy as that.
Tom Moon: The Second Life.
Text by Kevin Stairiker. Images by Michael Bucher.
Tom Moon is taking back cocktail hour.
The 52-year-old saxophone player, along with his Latin jazz-inspired group Ensemble Novo, are aiming to bring chill music back to Philadelphia clubs. Their latest album, Blue Night, which dropped in July, displays the full fervor of a repertoire that, as Moon jokingly describes, “falls between the early bossa nova and 1975, when things get to be very electric piano-ed out in Brazil.”
“I wanted to make a lounge record,” Moon says. “I wanted it to be very chill, approachable and you could put it on, and boom, it’s cocktail hour. At our show last night, someone said to me, ‘This is better than a margarita!’ I said, ‘Can I quote you on that?’”
The way Moon describes their music is filled with both scholarly knowledge and a natural giddiness to share. Moon has been providing paths to hundreds of artists for decades as a music critic featured in national publications like Spin and Esquire, and on NPR’s All Things Considered. Read more…
Revolution, I Love You @ The North Star Bar.
Text and images by Darragh Dandurand.
Friday night had a chill in the air but that did not scare away the fans of Revolution, I Love You, an indie duo whose sound is infused with licks of pop and beats of hip-hop and electronica. After three opening bands, R,ILY climbed on stage at the North Star Bar, carefully stepping around the sea of cables and candy-colored gear strategically placed around their feet. Separated by two tables also covered in laptops, sound boards, mixers and synthesizers, Rob Lindgren and Jason Reynolds took only a moment to hook up their guitars before ripping into the first song of a full set list.
CoalitionTWO Featuring Suzann Christine, Chill Moody, Beano and More @ The Blockley.
Congrats to Team Villa, which won the CoalitionTwo competition last night at The Blockley.
Led by Suzann Christine and the Good Energy Equals Kreation (GEEK) crew, Team Villa had the crowd doing the Electric Slide after they performed a Martin skit that had everyone rolling.
Villa beat out Team KRT, Team Nice Things, Team Beano and Team Abstract Thought.
The all local talent event featured the likes of Chill Moody, Selina Carrera, I Know Brasco, DJ Dilemma, Get Up and more.
WIN FREE TICKETS: WAX @ The Troc on 12/7!
WAX, whose YouTube videos garnered so many hits that he was given a contract with Def Jam (though they later dropped him), will perform at The Trocadero next week 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 “WAX” in the subject line).
If you want to play it safe and get your own tickets, find details for the show here.
WIN FREE TICKETS: Communion with Ali Wadsworth, Former Belle and More @ Underground Arts on 12/5!
We’re working with the folks at one of our favorite joints, Underground Arts, and we’ll be giving away a bunch of tickets to shows in the coming weeks.
Next week will be the next Communion event, the monthly showcase/celebration of local music. The December edition features Rosco Bandana, Lucy Stone, Song Dogs, Mo Lowda & The Humble, Former Belle (below), Ali Wadsworth (above) and Brown Sugar as The Rolling Stones.
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.
WIN FREE TICKETS: Chanel West Coast @ The Troc on 12/4!
Chanel West Coast, who is signed to Lil Wayne’s Young Money record label, will perform next week at The Balcony at The Trocadero 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 “Chanel” in the subject line).
If you want to play it safe and get your own tickets, find details for the show here.
Mazzy Star @ Union Transfer.
Text by Brittany Thomas.
Standing almost eerily still among a tower of cascading candles, faintly distinguishable in the screen projected moon light, Hope Sandoval is even more sensually angelic in the flesh than when emanating from a speaker on a recording.
After a 17-year pause without producing new material, Sandoval’s Mazzy Star returned to the stage with a newly released album and the power to seemingly sedate the crowd. The very first note of the organ initiated perpetual chills, just as the first stroke of their signature slide guitar turned the audience into a congregation in silent attention to a shoe-gazey, sentimental sermon.
Basia Bulat @ Boot & Saddle.
Text and images by Grace Dickinson.
“I like you guys,” Basia Bulat told the audience Wednesday night at Boot & Saddle.
The simple sentence that came after the folksy singer’s 2nd song expressed a sentiment she’d repeat many times over. Wide-eyed and grinning from cheek to cheek, Bulat seemed to love Philly as much as Philly loved her back.
“You really are the city of brother love,” she said later on. “I’m sure you hear that all the time, but I really love playing here.”
Jonathan Richman @ Union Transfer.
Text by Kevin Stairiker.
Some performers are lucky enough to get to a point in their careers where they don’t have to rely on bygone hit singles and notable album cuts to pull a crowd, and can please simply by showing up. Jonathan Richman is one of those guys.
It is safe to say that the Union Transfer crowd, ranging in age from 18 to 65 judging by the varying levels of grey, recognized maybe one-third of the set list. It didn’t matter though, because Jonathan Richman was there, in front of them, crooning in English and Spanish and Italian and Arabic about parties and busses and summer feelings.
JUMP: The Philly Music Project 