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UPDATED 1/11/07 : BRAND NEW - R5 RADIO - CHECK OUT RANDOM SONGS
FROM SOME ARTISTS PLAYING AN UPCOMING R5 SHOW ! WE ACTUALLY NOW UPDATE THE NEWS SECTION AT LEAST EVERY FEW DAYS - CLICK THE NEWS LINK ABOVE FOR NEW SHOW INFO ! ! 
Add Us On Myspace - Facebook & Twitter. Free Ticket Giveaways Every Day ! Click The Links ! Last Updated On 11/19/08 NEWLY ADDED SHOWS THIS WEEK : Mon Nov 24th - Castanets & Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson @ Johnny Brendas Tue Dec 9th - Rachael Yamagata @ Sanctuary Of First Unitarian Church Mon Dec 15th - Bon Iver / Tallest Man On Earth @ The Trocadero Tue Dec 16th - Jack Rose / Bird Show / Sun Circle @ The Chapel Of First Unit Church Fri Dec 19th - Darkest Hour / The Red Chord / Through The Eyes Of The Dead @ The First Unit Church NEW BAND ADDITIONS MADE TO EXISTING SHOWS : Wed Nov 19th - Emilyn Brodsky added to Tom Gabel (from Against me) show @ The Barbary Thu Nov 20th - Zach Hill (from Hella) added to Subtle / Pattern Is Movement show @ Johnny Brendas Sat Nov 22nd - Virgin Forest added to Phosphorescent show @ Chapel of First Unit Church Fri Nov 28th - Vivian Girls / Love City added to King Khan show @ Johnny Brendas Sun Nov 14th - Cale Parks added to Ted Leo show @ The Barbary NEW SHOWS AND ADDITIONS MADE IN THE LAST TWO WEEKS : Wed Nov 19th - Tom Gabel (of Against Me!) @ The Barbary Fri Nov 21st - Minsk added to Baroness @ First Unit Church Wed Dec 3rd - Noah & The Whale @ Johnny Brendas Thu Dec 4th - Chairlift added to Yeasayer @ First Unit Church Fri Dec 5th - Owen / Caitlin de Marrais @ The Chapel of First Unit Church Fri Dec 12th - My Brightest Diamond / Clare & The Reasons @ The First Unit Church Sun Dec 14th - Ted Leo @ The Barbary | ||
| Thursday November 20th 7:30pm | ||
MC Chris MC Chris (aka Mc Pee Pants and Sir Loin) is widely known for his involvement with the Adult Swim Comedy Block on the Cartoon Network. He served as a writer/producer/animator with the programming including the Brak Show, Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Sealab 2021, Evan Dorkin’s Welcome to Eltingville and Space Ghost Coast to Coast. In his past appearances at the church he sol dout every show, so it's probably a good idea to purchase advance tickets. People are following him around for weeks at a time!?! God bless the internet Sound Clips : Check Out MC Chris's Myspace Page Totally Michael Armed with just an electric guitar, iPod and microphone, Totally Michael will perform his electro-injected pop-punk songs across America this fall, when he joins MC Chris for a 31-date tour. His crossbreed of bouncy pop and hyperkinetic punk has been compared to Dan Deacon, Blink-182, Andrew W.K, and his songs labeled "jumpy anthems" by URB magazine. IHeartComix Sound Clips : Check Out Totall Michael's Myspace Page
At The First Unitarian Church |
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| Thursday November 20th 9:00pm | ||
Subtle Best Mew Music! Yet another gnarled tendril of the ever expanding Anticon tree of life breaks up through the hip hop soil reaching for the sun! This time on the always impressive Lex label. The Anticon connection here, at least the most noticable one is the presence of Dose One and his immediately recognizable high pitched stream of consciousness flow. Sonically, Athey loop organic instrumentals, simple, skittering, funky drum programming, sweetly melancholic melodies and of course Dose One. The main difference is that Subtle is a full on band, with a seriously varied instrumentation: electric and acoustic cello, electric and acoustic bass, woodwinds, synthesizers, drums, guitar, keyboards, melodica and sampler that offers up a way more expanded, and much fuller sound. It's like they sat themselves right down in the vacant seats between TV On The Radio, Gnarls Barkley, Peeping Tom, heck, maybe even Black Eyed Peas and Outkast too! And they've done so with a rather comfortable ease. Lex Records. Sound Clips : 1) I Heart LA | 2) Deatful Zach Hill (from Hella) The sickest drummer we have seen! Zach Hill is mind boggling on the drums. In his own words "I AM PERFORMING A 45 MINUTE NON STOP HEAVILY IMPROVISED RENDITION OF THE TRACK "NECROMANCER" OFF OF MY NEWEST SOLO RELEASE. THIS WILL BE ME ON DRUMS AND THE LAPTOP ON LAPTOP OR THE IPOD ON IPOD. I PLAN ON PERFORMING THE MORE SONG ORIENTED MATERIAL OFF THE ALBUM WITH A FULL BAND IN THE THE FUTURE BUT FOR MANY REASONS IT WAS UNREALISTIC AT THIS JUNCTURE. SO THIS IS HOW I WILL BE EXPRESSING MYSELF IN THE NOW" Pattern Is Movement Pattern Is Movement deserve your worship. If you like unorthodox, polyrhytmic pop music that pushes back. The band name fits the sound: Pattern Is Movement is about patterns, in sound, flowing in and out of each other and tied by odd-timed segues and Andrew's theatrical tenor. Sound Clips : 1) Bird | Right Away
At Johnny Brendas |
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| Friday November 21st 7:30pm | ||
Baroness Masters of sludge metal mathy post rock prog shred from Savannah Georgia. Like some sort of unholy mix of Pelican, Mastodon and the Fucking Champs. Their songs are really weird with strange meters, complex arrangements, lots of slippery guitar harmonies, weird psychedelic wah guitar, spacey electronic burbling, some stretched out slow motion sludge, some intricate riffing and some of the most insane drumming we've ever heard. They just released one of the better Relapse Records releases in some time. Totally Great ! Relapse Records. Sound Clips : 1) Wanderlust | 2) The Birthing Coliseum Fronted by BLACK CROSS guitarist and Louisville, KY icon, Ryan Patterson, COLISEUM play a brand of hardcore punk completely dissimilar to the sound that that city is known for. Their noise is rooted with the upbeat and melodic, yet bass heavy drive of the almighty MOTORHEAD but with a decidedly more punk attitude akin to DISCHARGE or POISON IDEA. Add to that the dark and fierce desperation of modern heavyweights such as TRAGEDY, FROM ASHES RISE or early NEUROSIS and you have a picture of a black and bleak world through the eyes of COLISEUM. Level Plane Sound Clips : 1) Fall Of The Pigs | 2) Interceptor Minsk But Minsk are definitely a whole different beast, falling much closer to Neurosis or Buried At Sea (which featured at one point a current member of Minsk). Where Isis is tight and controlled, Minsk sound a lot crustier and sludgier. When you close your eyes and think of Isis, you probably picture mysterious figures standing before a vast body of water, or a huge expanse of starry sky, musically deconstructing the workings of the universe, but for some reason if you close your eyes and picture the guys in Minsk, all that comes to mind are huge furry yeti's, carrying spiked clubs, eight foot tall mountain men with beards down to their waists and greasy old baseball caps and unwahsed hair, blurry old tattoos, and big black shitckicker boots. Amps held together with bent rusty nails and scavenged duct tape, guitars covered in stickers and paint and dirt and branches and whatever else got in their way as they trudged from the cave to the stage. This is huge heavy harrowing shit. Massive riffs, roiling and churning, thick and viscous, the vocals are similar, a raging below, not quite a shriek or a howl, just an anguished, ultra pissed bellow, the drums are big and loud and way up in the mix, not ultra complex, but busy enough to keep the sludge in check Sound Clips : Check Out Minsk's Myspace Page
At The First Unitarian Church |
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| Friday November 21st 6:30pm * Early All Ages Show * | ||
Mischief Brew Mischief Brew is a carnivalesque anarcho-punk band from Philly with hints of folk, gypsy, and even swing... all blending together to create a unique style of working / drinking / living songs. Emerging from snotty pist-off troupe The Orphans, Erik Petersen and Mischief Brew have been raising hell both at home and abroad for years now... and their local shows tend to erupt into maniacal stage-diving singalongs, even with acoustic guitar. Fans of everyone from Johnny Cash to New Model Army to Crass to Calexico... bottoms up! Sound Clips : Check Out Mischief Brew's Myspace Page Brian McGee And The Hollow Speed Brian McGee & The Hollow Speed is a four piece alt.country band from Asheville NC. Founded by former Plow United guitarist and singer, McGee and co. have been playing their brand of punk infused country music all over the east coast, supporting their debut self-titled released album, 'Brian McGee & The Hollow Speed.' The High Country Press says, '..Comparisons to the acoustic efforts of Uncle Tupelo could easily be made on songs like "That’s When The Night Comes On," while the dark honky tonk shuffle of "Hell Is Open All Night" sounds like it could be a lost Hank Williams classic..' Frank FOE says, '...this CD has that, greaser, punk rock, beer drinker holding up his bottle from the back of the room feel. "Hawk On The Highway" is a song that is covered in dirt and has the feeling of a shot of whiskey.' Sound Clips : Check Out Brian McGee's Myspace Page Lusts Lusts is a new two-piece band from West Philadelphia made up of Nicole and Vince from Witch Hunt... garage rock sung through a telephone.
At The Barbary |
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| Saturday November 22nd 8:00pm * Seated Chapel Show! * | ||
Phosphorescent Matthew Houck, the Brooklynite behind Phosphorescent, is a rootsy singer-songwriter with a gothic sensibility and a way with a tune. But he also demonstrates an interest in pure sound. Stately countrified weepers dominated his 2005 album Aw Come Aw Wry, as dry production emphasized the Will Oldhamesque cracks in his voice. But then there were tracks like "Endless Pt. 2", which added Beach Boys-style harmonies and toyed with the structural conventions of song. These latter inclinations move to the fore on his forthcoming Pride, his third full-length and first for the Dead Oceans / Secretlly Canadian label. Sound Clips : 1) Wolves | 2) A Picture Of Our Torn Up Praise | 3) The Waves At Night Virgin Forrest Hailing from Gainesville, FL, Virgin Forest has a long history, entwined with Phosphorescent and Castanets.If you're into Bonnie 'Prince' Billy, Jolie Holland, or Bon Iver, they're a must-see. We think this band is great and one of the rare instances we are excited to see a band before 50001 blogs write about them! Sound Clips : Check Out Virgin Forrest's Myspace Page
At The First Unitarian Church's Chapel |
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| Saturday November 22nd 9:00pm | ||
Apse Lo-fi, tense and occasionally terrifying...an enviable sense of dramatic narrative...spectacular and frequently unsettling climaxes spiked with Sonic Youth guitars, Robert Toher’s disembodied vocals and a relentless rhythmic drive. ATP Recordings. Sound Clips : Check Out Apse's Myspace Page Serpents of W.I.S.D.O.M West Philly's finest, Brendan O'Connor, creates serious riffage that conjures up Robert Fripp's No Pussyfooting sessions. Blissfully heavy. Badmaster Records. Sound Clips : Check Out Serpent's Of Wisdom Myspace Page
At Kungfu Necktie |
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| Monday November 24th 8:00pm | ||
Castanets Shhhh! The subdued hush of San Diego's Castanets' latest contemplative folk album can be ever so easily drowned out by the sounds of the city, but if you can find yourself a quiet time and place to listen to them you'll be pleasantly rewarded. The sensitive boy vocals at times bring to mind those of Modest Mouse's Isaac Brock, Built To Spill's Doug Martsch or Mountain Goats' John Darnielle. Now imagine those vocals atop some slightly off-kilter and psych-tinged which brings them into company with current abstract folk groups such as Wooden Wand & The Vanishing Voice. Nice. On Sjufan Steven's Asthmatic Kitty record label. Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson 25 year-old Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson is Brooklyn’s best-kept secret. Since recording an album with Grizzly Bear’s Chris Taylor and Chris Bear in 2006 (with appearances by Kyp Malone of TV on the Radio and Grizzly Bear’s Daniel Rossen), Miles has squandered much of his initial momentum and potential promise in an alcoholic haze and series of shambling yet, ultimately, transcendent live performances at some of Brooklyn’s most and least renowned venues. With the addition and solidification of his backing band, the Black Boys, Miles’ folk rock has taken a turn toward the anthemic stylings of Fleetwood Mac, Bell Biv Devoe, and early Pavement. The total effect integrates the album’s intimate sounds with that of several bands he led during the past decade that you’ve never heard of. The new line-up is already hard at work on the mildly anticipated follow-up, "Summer of Fear".
At Johnny Brendas |
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| Friday November 28th 8:00pm | ||
Dr. Dog Dr. Dog has been one of the few Philly bands to get out into the "real world" and do it right! They have completed several national tours headlining in front of thousands of people and opening for the likes of My Morning Jacket, The Raconteurs and that now infamous feature in the NY Times. There's a little folk, blues, indie rock, soul, bluegrass--and a whole lot of down-home harmonizing. It conjures images of old friends sitting on a porch swapping instruments and just letting the tape recorder run. Which, come to think of it, is how people described My Morning Jacket in the beginning. Imagine The Beach Boys, Beatles, Tom Waits, David Bowie and Neil Young as acknowledged influences that have been interpreted through they eyes of Pavement, Palace Brothers, R. Stevie Moore or Roy WoodRough. Park The Van Records. Sound Clips : 1) The Ark (new!) | 2) The Old Days | 3) My Old Ways | 4) We All Belong One More TBA
At The Starlight Ballroom |
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| Friday November 28th 9:00pm | ||
The King Khan & BBQ Show If you're cravin' retro garage rawk stylings that're a little campy, cheeky, kitschy, trashy... all of the above?! Well, King Khan is pretty much the international authority figure and In The Red Records (a label) has long been a headquarters for top notch wildly good rockin' sounds. The oddly named duo features the now infamous King Khan who has 5605 different bands and projects and was last seen getting beat up in Atlanta by Mastodon. BBQ is the one man drummer show which has all the garage kiddies going crazy. Together they form a super team that will be sure one of the most shows of the year. They even do a cover Circle Jerks' "Operation". Super fun! Sound Clips : 1) Treat Me Like A Dog | 2) Blow My Top | 3) Captain Captain Vivian Girls Within the past few months, Vivian Girls have toured the U.S., signed to In the Red Records, sold out the entire first press of their LP within days, booked a short tour with TV on the Radio, sang backup on the upcoming Fucked Up LP, and probably a whole mess of other stuff. And they have only been a band for a year. Not too shabby. A mix of 60's girl-group sounds, punk, post-punk and shoegaze, the 'Girls have mastered blurring the lines of genres and coming up with something aggressive yet beautiful; simple, gutsy music with a lot of class and melody. Brooklyn Sound Clips : 1) Thell The World | 2) All The Time | 3) Wild Eyes Jacuzzi Boys All those involved in the current boom of garage-revival bands will have to make some room for the Jacuzzi Boys, the latest in a long line of Nuggets offspring. The Florida trio have released sevral 7? records recently, including a split with King Khan. For fans of the Black Lips and Thee Oh Sees Sound Clips : 1) Island Avenue | 2) You Should Know Love City Revering a classic-sound based deeply in garage, psych, rhythm and blues, along with punk and good-ol' fashioned rock n' roll, Philadelphia's Love City is full of love for a time deeply-felt in music that has passed but not moved on, and thankfully so. This recently formed Philadelphia local is currently five-members strong and evidently full of surprises when it comes to their explosive live sets Sound Clips : Check Out Love City's Myspace Page
At Johnny Brendas |
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| Friday November 28th 8:00pm | ||
Steel Train Equal Parts rock, country, bluegrass, latin, funk and jam It's a far cry from the upbeat melodys of a New Found Glory style pop punk anthem that Drive Thru is commonly associated with, and is a refreshing anecdote in a modern music industry whos emphasis comes not from great musicians but from great songs. This album blends the two to create one relatively slow paced soul driven expierence that captivates the listener. This are representative of so many musical genres it's difficult to define their actual style. The influences of the band shine through, but to the effect of making even better music, rather than copying others and not trying. Their clean cut acoustic manner isn't for everyone... that's for sure. Not even all Drive Thru Fans can get along with this sound, but it's as Drive Thru as all the other bands on the label, and for good reason. Drive Thru Records Sound Clips : Check Out Steel Train's Myspace Page Dear And The Headlights Emo rock from Arizona. Equal Vision Records. Sound Clips : Check Out Dear And The Headlights's Myspace Page Forgive Durden From Seattle. Fueled By Ramen Records Sound Clips : Check Out Forgive Durden's Myspace Page
At The First Unitarian Church |
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| Sunday November 30th 6:30pm * Early All Ages Show * | ||
El Guincho Totally awesome stuff. Spanish artist El Guincho (real name: Pablo Díaz-Reixa) makes music from Spanish chanting, thudding tribal rhythms, ghostly harmonies, and the bits and pieces of a thousand as-yet-unwritten pop songs. It's a combination that won't be appearing in any pop how-to guides any time soon. The impressive and probably unwittingly fashionable source material-- Afrobeat, dub, Tropicália, and early rock'n'roll-- and the irresistibility of these songs can only briefly obscure the fact that no one else is really making music quite like this. His debut album, Alegranza! has already been compared extensively to Panda Bear's Person Pitch, and the two records do share a hazy, sampladelic love-in feel (hypnotic, interlocking sample loops; delirious, auto-harmonizing pop song choruses). Rather than stretch out on endless expanses of sound, El Guincho's music is all about sharp and sudden peaks and valleys-- the idea isn't to tune in and drop out, but to revel in being surrounded by something larger than yourself, swept along on the rapids of rhythm. Sound Clips : 1) Palmitos Park | 2) Antillas | 3) Fata Morgana Lemonade Laptop tropicalia electro punk? Is that it? We can’t even tell frankly, and that’s a large part of their appeal. Casio beats, synthesizers, Happy Mondays-esque chanting and bursts of noise are all part of the plan for Lemonade. Sound Clips : 1) Sunchips Magnet City Kids Magnet City Kids are a philly based noisy dance rock and roll band from South Philly. Sound Clips : Check Out Magnet City Kids's Myspace Page
At The Barbary |
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| Wednesday December 3rd 9:00pm | ||
Noah & The Whale Super popular UK band coming to the states! Charlie Fink, his brother Doug, Tom Fiddle, and Urby Whale all make up a bright and sunny band from the UK, Noah and the Whale. Drawing on the narrative styles of Dylan and Wilson, Charlie Fink disperses his own views of life, death, and everything in between on Noah and the Whale’s debut LP "Peaceful, The world Lays Me Down". While I don’t hear much of the Dylan/Wilson influence sound coming from Noah and th Whale, Fink’s ability to construct compelling lyrical verses is up to par with both of them. What I do hear is a 60s pop influenced vibe with a modern pop punch - as if Bishop Allen was covering John Lennon. All in all this music makes me happy. Really happy. Do you like being happy? Well then get happy dammit! Sound Clips : 1) 5 Years Time | 2) Jocasta | 3) Shape Of My Heart One More TBA
At Johnny Brendas |
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| Thursday December 4th 8:30pm | ||
Yeasayer First Philly show in almost a year! Yeasayer are from Brooklyn and their debut album came out to much acclaim earlier this year on Monitor Records. It's liuke Fleetwood Mac, Akron/Family, Paul Simon, Arcade Fire, Cree chant, schoolyard songs. It's dancing alone under a streetlight, in your room with the lights on, or in a club on those hot strange first hours of the new year. It's a night garden. It's a pop song. It's soft rock, New Wave, and art music. It's got heart-thump drums, distant xylophone, clarinet, guitars, voices in harmony. It's got piano and backwards-playing tape. It's got the kitchen sink -- and all these things under starlight. At SXSW they provided tambourine, dance moves & backup vocals at a Hanson gig. Now they're opening for Frog Eyes. I should not have to tell you to pay attention to a band cherished by both the creators of "MMMbop" and "One in Six Children Will Flee in Boats". I should not have to tell you, friends, but still I'm going to: PAY ATTENTION. Sound Clips : 1) 2080 | 2) Sunrise | 3) Forgiveness Chairlift Let the internet hype begin! As featured on the latest ipod commercial, Chairlift is now blowing up! Self described "25th-century folktronica". Imagine if The Knife moved to the US, indulged in a serious bout of the Thompson Twins, then went out at night and forgot their shadows. Brooklyn. Sound Clips : 1) Bruises | 2) Planet Health | 3) Garbage
At The First Unitarian Church |
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| Friday December 5th - Two Shows - 7:00 & 9:30pm (sold out) | ||
Owen Very warm and pretty! Waves of dreamy strummi-ness and murmured vocals. Drifting in a similar path to that of Tristeza, the newest American Analog Set album or fellow Chicago, IL mellow boys Sea And Cake... actually, I very much prefer this. So who is Owen anyway? The man in question is the multi-talented Mr. Mike Kinsella formerly of American Football, Cap'n Jazz, Joan Of Arc, and Owls. Doing it all himself: writing and performing all the soothing sounds you hear. Polyvinyl Sound Clips : 1) In The Morning, Before Work | 2) Declaration Of Incompetence | 3) Bad News Caithlin De Marrais (playing the late 9pm show) Singer and bassist from Rainer Maria. Solo show! Brooklyn El May (playing the early 7pm show) El May is mostly Lara Meyerratken. She's done multi-instrumentalist-ing for Ben Lee, Luna, Luscious Jackson, Crooked Fingers, Dean and Britta, Nada Surf etc
At The First Unitarian Church's Chapel |
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| Tuesday December 9th 8:00pm - Seated Sanctuary Show ! | ||
Rachael Yamagata Unabashedly lush, deeply textured pop that makes no apologies for its radio-friendliness or its adornments. Her elegance reflects a willingness to overreach--emotionally as well as in production. Yamagata's voice is full of elliptical slides and slurs; it swoops, croons, rasps, and whispers; it looks for the crack in a lyric in order to reveal the depth behind it. One can hear that same quality in vocalists such as John Martyn, Billie Holiday, the young Rod Stewart, Dinah Washington, Maggie Bell, and Jeff Buckley. That context embodies within it a certain kind of approach, one that fuses grace with grit, and passion with pathos, but also the slow, erotic burn of control and restraint, where heartache becomes the river on which everything is carried; it is given a voice, an unvarnished utterance. In its grain, phrasing is also a vehicle: for something that lies just beyond the scope of actual words pointing down and in, not out. It contains the pastoral languor of a summer afternoon combined with the emotional intensity of a gleaming stiletto opening a vein. The similarity here is in the quality of performance. Listeners can definitely hear traces of her influences, but these are woven into a fabric that serves the song, not the singer Sound Clips : 1) Be Your Love | 2) Elephants | 3) Faster | 4) Side Dish Friend One More TBA
Taking Place In The Actual Church Part Of The First Unitarian Church |
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| Friday December 12th 8:00pm | ||
My Brightest Diamond My Brightest Diamond is spearheaded by Shara Worden, granddaughter of an Epiphone-playing traveling evangelist, fathered by a National Accordion Champion, and mothered by a classical organist. Having a family of musical wanderers who migrated across the US every few years, the landscape and the musical influences were constantly changing.Picking up an opera degree at the University of North Texas, Shara immersed herself in the songs of Purcell and Debussy. After college, she moved to New York City to simultaneously continue her opera studies and pursue her songwriting ambitions, releasing two albums with her band Awry A few years later, Shara met Sufjan Stevens at The Medicine Show, a variety show hosted by New York City's incendiary poet, Sage, at Arlene's Grocery. This, in turn, led to a sabbatical from her work, doing splits and round-offs (not to mention the human pyramid) as one of the notorious Illinoisemakers. Shara was quickly promoted as cheerleading captain. Sjufan became a big fan of her work and agreed to release her albums. This year "A Thousand Shark’s Teeth" came out on Ashmatic Kitty. Originally meant to be a more classical, string quartet affair, the work slowly evolved and refined itself over a period of six years. Influenced by artists such as Tricky, French composer Maurice Ravel and Tom Waits, in addition to the star exploration themes of Anslem Kiefer’s paintings, the imaginary landscapes of photographer Robert ParkeHarrison, films by Jean-Pierre Jeunet, and Alice in Wonderland, A Thousand Shark’s Teeth is a musical snowglobe that sparkles each time you touch it. The songs, whose themes broach intimacy, kisses by moonlight, laundry, lost friendship and more, marry vast instrumentation : marimbas, harps, clarinets, French horns, rabid guitars, vibraphones to name a few - to create an unequaled amalgamation of style and color. Sound Clips : 1) Something Of An End | 2) Inside A Boy | 3) Golden Star Clare & The Reasons Muldaur Manchon, the daughter of folk-blues legend Geoff Muldaur, has a gloriously wispy, lighter-than-air timbre, but she's also a skilled, nuanced interpreter of her own jazz-influenced melodies. Her voice is the centerpiece of the debut album by Clare & the Reasons, and rightfully so: it's a fairly outstanding instrument. But Muldaur Manchon's vocals are expertly supported by the Reasons, a chamber pop quintet led by her husband and writing partner, keyboardist Olivier Manchon Sound Clips : 1) Pluto | 2) Pluton
At The First Unitarian Church |
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| Sunday December 14th 6:30pm * Early All-Ages Show* | ||
Ted Leo Solo show. Playing his own material + all the "Ted Leo & The Pharmacists" songs we all know and love. Stoked for this one! Sound Clips : 1) Sons Of Cain | 2) Me And Mia | 3) Old Souls Know Cale Parks Cale Parks is best known for his current role as the multi-faceted drummer, percussionist, pianist and vibraphonist of the band Aloha on Polyvinyl Records.
At The Barbary |
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| Monday December 15th 7:30pm | ||
Bon Iver Quite possibly the best live performance we saw all year. It was like 120 degrees when they played in the church basement this summer, but somehow they managed to cut through all the heat and deliver an amazing performace. After selling out the church in advance, we expect this special holiday edition will as well. If you dont know about Bon Iver by now - Holy Internet Hype! All of the usual suspects are going crayz for this guy. He is getting compared to Iron & Wine for its quiet folk and hushed intimacy, but in fact, he adopts a falsetto that is worlds away from his work with DeYarmond Edison and sounds more like TV on the Radio's Tunde Adebimpe, not just in his vocal timbre, but in the way his voice grows grainier as it gets louder. This is a guy who will be huge in 2008. Sound Clips : 1) Skinny Love | 2) The Wolves Act I and II | 3) For Emma Forever Ago Tallest Man On Earth Over the last half-century, the tag "Dylanesque" has been slapped on so many mediocre folksingers clutching battered Moleskines that it's become a meaningless joke, a critical hiccup, a silly, lazy way of invoking an age-old raspy voice/acoustic guitar combo. It's gotten so bad that, in 2008, yammering on about the cliché of dubbing someone "the next Dylan" has become a cliché in itself. Still: It's exceptionally hard to talk about Scandinavian folksinger the Tallest Man on Earth (also known as Kristian Matsson) without mentioning Bob Dylan's early years, mostly because Matsson manages to embody Dylan's effortlessness so well (Dylan was trying really, really hard, sure-- but he sang like he didn't give a shit), infusing his songs with a detachment that, miraculously, is neither cold nor alienating. Like Dylan, Matsson is so natural a songwriter that these tracks feel predetermined, tumbling out of his mouth with an ease and grace that's increasingly uncommon. Sound Clips : 1) I Wont Be Found | 2) Where Do My Bluebirds Fly
At The Trocadero |
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| Tuesday December 16th 8:00pm * Seated Chapel Show * | ||
Jack Rose Ex-Member of the legendary drone/noise/folk group Pelt. Since 2001 Rose has pursued his own path in the solo acoustic guitar solo genre as invented by John Fahey. Like Fahey Rose draws his inspiration from early rural American musicians like Charley Patton, Skip James and Blind Blake. In addition to those influences he gleans inspiration from Robbie Basho, Ry Cooder, Zia M. Dagar, La Monte Young, Terry Riley. Jack incorporates all of these elements into his own idiosyncratic style and it is his sound and his alone. Since 2002 he has released 3 critically acclaimed LP's for the Eclipse label, an lp and a single for the Philadelphia label tequila sunrise, 3 cd's for VHF, a 14 min track alongside fellow travelers: Rick Bishop, Stiffen Basho-Junghans and Tetuzi Akiyama on the now influential "Wooden Guitar" anthology released by Locust and one side on the massive triple LP set, "You Shall Know the Roots, by it's Fruits" with Six Organs of Admittance, Fursaxa, Joshua, Dredd Foole, MV and EE. Originally from Virgina, but calls Philadelphia home, where he has resided since 1998. Sound Clips : 1) Kensington Blues | 2) Cross The North Fork | 3) Calais To Dover Bird Show Aka Ben Vida from Town & Country (thilljockey). A primal drone that unites Vida’s obsessions - electronic hum, acoustic ambience and woodsy buzz - into one massive sound. Kranky Records. Sound Clips : 1) Two Organs And Dumbek | 2) Green Vines Sun Circle AKA Greg Davis and Zach Wallace. Psychoacoustic minimalism meets psychedelic maximalism. Ecstatic high volume drones, long form trance musics and peace noise. Bowed strings, voices, organs, percussion and world instruments. Sun Circle's music explores the minute variations of human touch while surrendering to the experience of the eternal now. Greg Davis lives in Burlington, Vermont. He has played shows all over the world with many different people and has released solo and collaborative albums on many different labels, including Carpark Records and Kranky. Zach Wallace is based in Ann Arbor, Michigan but lives a generally nomadic lifestyle. He plays with Memorize the Sky, His Name is Alive and Psalm Alarm, and has played with people ranging from Tony Conrad to Anthony Braxton Sound Clips : 1) Parhelion | 2) Split Tour Tape
At The First Unitarian Church's Chapel |
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| Friday December 19th 8:00pm | ||
Darkest Hour It seems to me like every hardcore kid in America must have gotten an In Flames songbook for Christmas, cause more and more US metalcore is sounding remarkably like Swedish melodic blackened, death metal. Not that I'm complaining, mind you. Now that In Flames have their eyes on the nu-metal prize and wear matching white denim outfits and prance around on MTV lip sync-ing to sing-along choruses and playing cookie cutter "MTV metal" someone had to step up to the plate. Darkest Hour are one of the few metalcore bands that are truly capable of writing actual songs and crafting honest to goodness hooks with super catchy melodies and totally original parts. They still destroy. Thick guitars and howled vocals. Super complex song structures and crazy drumming. It's all HEAVY AS FUCK! But amidst all the chaos and pummeling brutality are the kind of hooks that stick with you the way a pop song does. I find myself humming Darkest Hour riffs all the time lately and that's pretty strange. Although maybe it shouldn't be. One of our favorite new metalcore records, and it may just be catchy enough for you brave pop fans. But probably not. Victory Records Sound Clips : 1) Doomsayer | 2) With A Thousand Words | 3) A Paradox With Flies The Red Chord Every couple of years, underground metal is attacked by a band that shatters the confines of the extreme, of the genre. This bands demonstrates new, unprecedented possibilities that the highly adaptive, rapidly evolving metal scene absorbs, forming a new branch of extreme exploration - and in turn makes an even stronger case for the relevance and potential of underground metal as a viable, worldwide cultural phenomenon that is art in its purest form. Candiria and Gorguts did it for hardcore/death and jazz fusion, Brutal Truth did it for grind, Overcast and Aftershock virtually invented modern metalcore blending hardcore with melodic death... The list goes on. The Red Chord is a shoe-in for this exclusive fraternity of innovators, a band that unified diehard, elitist fans across the board with a completely bastardized, modern brand of zany grindcore fusion of hardcore and death metal. This band is like the second coming of Brutal Truth and Dying Fetus. Metal Blade Records Sound Clips : 1) Dread Prevailed | 2) Black Santa
At The First Unitarian Church |
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| Saturday December 20th 10:00am to 5:00pm | ||
THE PUNK ROCK FLEA MARKET - HOLIDAY EDITION ! What a great place to get those last minute holiday gifts! It's that time again for the semi-annual (twice a year) PUNK ROCK FLEA MARKET. Our most popular reoccurring event/show/whatever (by far). All proceeds raised will goto the purchase of necessary equipment and supplies to ensure that all ages shows continue to remain a reality at The First Unitarian Church in Philadelphia - mainly the remaining payment for our new liability insurance policy. Do not let the name lead you to believe that it's just punk records, clothes etc. - it's a full on flea market with everything from furniture, to laptops / computers , to stereo equipment, to handmade apparel, to vegan treats, information from various non profit groups, book stores, artists selling their work, bicycles & skateboards and whatever else we can fit onto the ballroom floor at The Starlight Ballroom. In addition to the normal flea market stuff there will also be a full bar and food service kitchen to make the day go by a little faster.
At The Starlight Ballroom |
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| Saturday December 20th 7:00pm | ||
Ace Enders & A Million People Enders is the former lead singer and guitarist of the defunct band The Early November. He was also the lead musician, songwriter and co-producer in his side projects, I Can Make a Mess Like Nobody's Business, and Ace Enders and a Million Different People. Sound Clips : Check Out Ace Enders's Myspace Page Good Old War Keith Goodwin (ex-Days Away) on vocals with Daniel Schwartz (Unlikely Cowboy) and Tim Arnold (ex-Days Away, Unlikely Cowboy) started writing and recording songs together in what is now called GOOD OLD WAR. Acoustic emo/indie type stuff. The Morning Light Few bands play with the honesty, intensity, and musicianship of the rock quintet based out of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, but if you are lucky enough to squeeze into one of their always packed shows, the experience will speak for itself. (fearless records)
At The Trocadero Balcony (the smaller room) |
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| OTHER UPCOMING SHOWS TO KEEP AN EYE ON ! | ||
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Sat Jan 31st - Amebix / Kylesa / Mischief Brew / Behind Enemy Lines @ Starlight Ballroom - Buy Tix HERE | ||
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For A Complete Chronological List Of Past R5 Productions Shows | | |
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Some Bands Who Have Played R5 Productions Shows Recently: |
