And So I Watch You From Afar, TTNG and Mylets @ The Church.
Text and images by Rick Kauffman.
The church was blessed Saturday night with the beautiful sounds of math rock from an ocean away.
During the course of a seven-week trek, the Sargent House labelmates of TTNG (formerly This Town Needs Guns) from Oxford, England, And So I Watch You From Afar from Belfast, Northern Ireland and the solo act Mylets (Henry Kohen) from Indiana toured tirelessly around the continental United States only to end it in the City of Brotherly Love.
The show, for fans and the bands alike, was a night to remember.
Howard Rubin: The 5-Foot Tall Hip-Hop Cop For The Stars.
Text and lower image by Christopher Malo. Other images courtesy of Howard Rubin.
“I’m 5-feet tall,” says Howard Rubin sitting in an empty room off the reception area of the North American Motor Inn on City Line Avenue where he moonlights as a guard. “I have a Napoleon complex. I will move crowds.”
Dressed in an officer’s uniform, complete with his firearm on his hip, the 45-year-old native of Northeast Philadelphia lays out his 30-year career providing security for some of the biggest names in the rap game. In fact it was one of rap’s most celebrated icons that gave him the nickname he is most known by in the industry.
There are stories. A lot of stories. Alleged sex with a Miami rapper’s dancer. Allegedly saving a well-known Queensbridge MC from gun charges. Hiding an artist out after alleged relations with a groupie who may or may not have been of age. Oh, and then there is the time he was shot in the neck at close range with a .45-caliber handgun.
WIN FREE TICKETS: Nude Beach Party with Ground Up, DJ PHSH and Vacationer @ Underground Arts Saturday!
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.
On Saturday, the Nude Beach party series continues with performances by Ground Up and 5&A Dime, followed by DJ sets from PHSH, Vacationer and CJ & Evan.
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 “Ground Up” in the subject line).
If you want to play it safe and get your own tickets, find details for the show here.
Sky Ferreira @ The First Unitarian Church.
Text and images by Rick Kauffman.
Sky Ferreira poses nude in the shower on the cover of her new, debut album Night Time, My Time. She looks shy and despondent, gazing into the camera. The juxtaposition between the 21-year-old’s apparently crestfallen demeanor and the obvious unflappability in posing nude on her first Capitol Records release is a mere metaphor for the artist’s musical vision.
Or maybe she’s just trying to be Miley.
Cat Power and Nico Turner @ Underground Arts.
Text by Jumah Chaguan. Images by Kate McCann.
No announcement was made. There was only a piano on the stage with several white roses placed on top. Cat Power, aka Chan Marshall, entered stage left shortly after opener Nico Turner‘s set. The incessant crowd noise stopped. A stage light accentuated her smile and the left mole on her cheek that she painted before the show.
“Ready to get depressed?” said Marshall with a smile.
The crowd laughed with the sensitive rebel. She adjusted the frets on the guitar. The strap became yellow underneath the lights. Intimacy built in a flash. Then, the stillness in the air set the stage for her. Cat Power started to play.
Paige Allbritton, Cranston Dean, Apollo Sun, The Morning Crazies and Wake Up Paradise @ The Legendary Dobbs.
Text and images by Matthew Leister.
Remember the name Paige Allbritton. She is a local singer-songwriter who may just become the next big thing in Philly.
Allbritton celebrated the release of her first album, Glue Me Together, at the Legendary Dobbs on Saturday night. Her blend of folk and Americana was backed up by a tight-rocking-band including guitarist Marisa Salazar, who crushed all of her solos.
The real passion was in Allbritton’s voice as she belted out songs such as “Valentine” and “Close To My Skin.” Her emotion dripped off the stage and the hometown crowd lapped it up.
Wooden Shjips, Bardo Pond and Creepoid @ Underground Arts.
Text and images by Chad Sims.
To look at brothers, and guitarists of Bardo Pond, John and Michael Gibbons, you would be forgiven to mistake them for blues lawyers. You know; middle-aged, rich, white guys from the suburbs who only know first world problems yet feel the need to play “authentic” (uninspired) blues at the local sports bar. If only those guys played with the passion of the brothers Gibbons, then the music world would be a much better place.
The funny thing about Bardo Pond (above) is that they seemingly do many things that should make them a tragically unhip band: smoke machine, hippy-esque dancing, a flute. When you make incredible music, however, all those things can and are made to work. Unlike some bands, everything Bardo Pond does seems like a genuine expression of their unique music.
Fred Armisen and Friends @ Underground Arts.
Text by Grace Dickinson. Images by Luong Huynh.
Fred Armisen, former SNL cast member and current co-writer of Portlandia, brought an eclectic comedic performance to the Underground Arts on Thursday.
“Philly seems positive and cool but a little tough,” remarked Armisen on his initial impression about the city.
His act was one that catered well to the ADD minds of the 20th century, jumping from musical satire to solo stand-up to a small showcase of Portlandia clips thrown up on a projector. Although, it moved around considerably, it was a surprisingly music-heavy production.
Ian Rubbish, Armisen’s blonde-wigged alter ego, kicked off both the music and the show with a song about Rubbish’s beloved Margaret Thatcher. Armisen then transitioned into his brown hair, thick-framed glasses, and regular goofy self, before delving into several more songs for the night.
“This is when I’m happiest. I know that’s a corny thing to say,” remarked Armisen from behind his electric guitar.
Active Child and JMSN @ The Church.
Text by Kyle Bagenstose. Images by Grace Dickinson.
It was a performance fit for a church – the falsetto voice of a former Philadelphia Boys Choir member, the enrapturing pluck of harp strings and the emotional pull of drawn out synthesizer.
Those are the signature sounds of Active Child, a.k.a. Los Angeles-based artist Pat Grossi. The former South Jersey native took the stage in the First Unitarian Church basement Tuesday night and played an hour-long, emotional performance for the half-full room.
The first half of the set featured Grossi seated at his harp, mainly working through material from his 2011 LP You Are All I See. With a drummer, guitarist and keyboardist joining Grossi, Active Child’s music invoked almost earthy qualities: the sparkling sound of the harp reminiscent of snowfall on opener “You Are All I See,” the occasional tom drum roll like thunder on “Johnny Belinda” and airy, soaring synths on “Hanging On.”
It was about midway through the set that Grossi first spoke to the crowd.
“It’s good to be back in Philly, my old stomping grounds,” Grossi said, likely referencing his time in New Jersey, where he lived until he was 13. “I have a lot of history here.”
WIN FREE TICKETS: See Cat Power @ Underground Arts Saturday!
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.
On Saturday, the constantly evolving Chan Marshall, otherwise known as Cat Power, returns to Philly.
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 “Cat Power” in the subject line).
If you want to play it safe and get your own tickets, find details for the show here.
JUMP: The Philly Music Project 