The Many Lives of Mary Lattimore, The Solo Harpist.
Mary Lattimore, whose debut solo album, The Withdrawing Room, released on Desire Path Recordings this past summer, started playing the harp when she was 11-years-old. Now, 21 years later, she corresponds with our Urszula Pruchniewska about her influences, dreams and day jobs, and sheds some light on the actual weight of the large instrument.
The Withdrawing Room is your solo debut. What’s to like and what’s not to like about creating your first solo record?
I love having a solo record out and feel really proud of it. I had a lot of help, though. Jeff Zeigler (of Arc in Round and Uniform Recording) played synth on it, recorded it and mixed it. I liked making it because we just sat down and improvised and it was really from the heart and the soul, not the self-conscious brain. I guess what I disliked the most about making the record was having to find someone to put it out, sending it to people with hope that they’d want to press it and work on it. It’s no fun to put that kind of pressure on people, but I had to kind of try to sell it because it was the first thing. Thankfully James Plotkin (the record’s mastering engineer) linked me up with the Desire Path Recordings and so it worked out great.
You’ve worked with some notable musicians – Jarvis Cocker, Thurston Moore and Kurt Vile, to name a few. Who are you hoping to work with in the future?
In the future I’d love to work with my friend Sarah Neufeld, whose first solo violin record came out this past August. Brian Eno would be my dream. I’d also like to do something with Grouper, but I don’t know her. Another dream is to improvise with Adam Granduciel (War on Drugs’ frontman). I have lots of dreams. Michael Rother (krautrock composer) is another.
Get Lucid! @ Underground Arts Tonight.
The boys at Get Lucid! – Cedric, Pete and Miguel – know how to throw down. Their parties feature a mix of live and DJ-spun music, projected visuals and often some sort of performance art. Picture a rave-like dance scene with a little spoken word poetry and guitar jams thrown in the middle, maybe a quick drag show too. Pink and blue LED lights flicker across exhibited canvas on the wall. Neon hula-hoops spin through the room. A gypsy-costumed couple battles with their two-step on the dance floor. Anything goes at a Get Lucid! party.
The events, however, are more than just a party. They’re more than just boozing and grooving and getting all goofy. Get Lucid! dedicates each event to a social justice initiative, one in which the Philly collaborative would like to bring attention. The dance party simply becomes a spoon to scoop awareness for activism-related programs. Of course, it’s a tool to induce fun, too.
Tonight, the group will throw a Halloween bash in the name of Decarcerate PA. Our Grace Dickinson spoke with Cedric about what they’re doing in Philly, and what this weekend’s celebration has in store.
What sparked the idea to connect music with activism?
We were all performance artists. When Pete and Miguel first met they were both new to Philly and got involved with Occupy. There we made amazing friends and connected to various movements and causes in our community. When it came time to party, we said “Let’s do it for a cause!”
How long has Get Lucid been around?
The first Activist Dance Party was in March 2012, and it was a fundraiser for the Dream Activists PA. Some of their members had been arrested by ICE for a demonstration they did in front of immigration headquarters and we were inspired to use a dance party to help pay for their legal fees. Since then, we’ve raised awareness and funds for The Attic Youth Center, Prometheus Radio Project, Women Against Abuse and now Decarcerate PA.
Reef the Lost Cauze and Sugar Tongue Slim @ The Hard Rock Cafe.
Images by Luong Huynh and G.W. Miller III.
Sugar Tongue Slim jumped on stage last night at the Hard Rock Cafe and immediately started calling people out. Even the two couples who were eating dinner near the stage had to get up and put their hands in the air as the Atlanta-born, Philly-based rapper preached about women, weed and what to wear.
He had been on stage for about 40 minutes or so when he told the packed crowd, “I talked to Reef before the show and he said to do whatever I wanted ’cause he’s still better than me!”
STS, who was on the front cover of our summer issue, then handed the mic to Reef the Lost Cauze, who was on the back cover.
Father John Misty @ Union Transfer.
Text by Kevin Stairiker. Images by Kate McCann.
The freewheeling Father John Misty (the former J. Tillman) returned to Union Transfer Tuesday for the the third time in almost a year.
Taylor Dunn: Driving and Rhyming.
Text and image by Brendan Menapace.
Taylor Dunn has a lot on his plate.
He’s got a rap career that’s been growing stronger and a new mixtape out. Add to that the fact that he is a college student studying biology and gearing up to take the MCAT. Oh, and by the way, he also plays basketball for his school, La Salle University, the same La Salle that made it to last year’s Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Tournament.
“It’s hard,” Dunn says. “School is first and then comes basketball, of course. Those two things need to be my priority. But music isn’t just a hobby to me. It’s not just something I do when I have free time. Usually I can build up enough material during the school year and basketball season to release a tape, like I did this summer. I think it’s a good balance. It does get hard but I think I do a pretty good job of it.”
We’re super excited for this free show on Thursday featuring the two artists who graced our summer issue – Sugar Tongue Slim and Reef The Lost Cauze.
Find show details here.
Come out, meet the JUMP crew, listen to some of Philly’s finest and have a few drinks. We’ll also be giving away JUMP shirts.
Phenomenal Records: Buy Music. Drop Rhymes. Make Friends.
Text by Rosella LaFevre. Images by Luong Huynh.
Jay Lansky didn’t just come home with bags full of free swag when returning from weekend visits to New York City to see his friend who worked in sales for The Source magazine.
“I met the Jadakisses, the Erykah Badus, the Q-Tips, all through The Source,” says Lansky, for whom name-dropping is a form of communication rather than a means of impressing the person he’s talking to. “They would all come through the building, chill, let you listen to their music and you’d see what they got comin’ up.”
WIN FREE TICKETS: Yo Gotti @ The Troc on Sunday 11/10.
Memphis rapper Yo Gotti will perform at the Trocadero on Sunday, November 10 and we’re giving away tickets.
Gotti’s new album drops on November 19, so he’ll likely perform tracks off that. YG, Zed Zilla, Shy Glizzy and Ca$h Out will also take the stage.
Like us on facebook and email us at FreeJumpStuff@gmail.com to enter to win a pair of (give us your name and put “Gotti” in the subject line). We’ll announce winners on the Wednesday before the show.
If you want to play it safe and get your own tickets, find details for the show here.
The Neighbourhood @ Union Transfer.
Text and images by Mina Lee.
On Friday at Union Transfer, California alternative rockers The Neigbourhood played to a sold out crowd.
With the venue filled to the brim, members of the audience sang along to lyrics of radio hits like “Sweater Weather,” “Let it Go” and “Female Robbery.”
White Cheddar Boys @ Ortlieb’s Lounge.
Text and images by Jumah Chaguan.
Ortlieb’s decided to experiment with a country night last week. This was a blessing for Huey West and the White Cheddar Boys. The band was asked to open for Tim Easton, an up-and-coming performer on a Northeast tour. The White Cheddar Boys, more accustomed to busking in Rittenhouse Square, couldn’t believe their lucky break.
JUMP: The Philly Music Project 