Eat The Turnbuckle @ The M Room.
We checked out Eat The Turnbuckle, the wrestling-themed crew made up of Philly hardcore all-stars, at the M Room Saturday. They put on a hell of a good show – involving cheese graters, a fan body-slammed through a door, and lots of blood. Real blood.
Still images don’t do their show justice. They put on a spectacle you need to see.
Text by Rachel Barrish. Images by Scott McClennen.
Our friends at Bands in the Backyard hosted their monthly No Alternative 90’s video party at Silk City Diner on Monday night. VJ Davideotape played favorites from the 90’s ranging from Bjork to Alice in Chains.
The videos went on pause when Bridge Underwater (right) took the stage. The indie/experimental duo has been playing together for more than seven years. During their set they focused on sharing some more recent releases, including “Take a Piece of Me.” The two find an interesting way to combine pre-recorded bass with heavy live drumming and sweet vocals.
When they finished up, the videos continued to stream while Market East (top image) began to set up for their set. This is a band that you imagine listening to on the radio in your 1957 Chevy. The dudes take influences from 50’s doo-wop melodies to incorporate into their modern pop style.
When I got to speak to them before the show, they told me that they are all about strong vocals. Boy, were they not kidding around. All three of their voices flowed together so well. And even with a small crowd, the energy in the room was palpable.
“I just wanna take my shirt off,” said lead singer of Spirit Animal (below) as they took their spot on stage as the last act of the night. The post-grunge rockers began head banging and screaming their song “I don’t care,” ending the evening on a killer high note.
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Summer Issue Preview: Our One-On-One With Tariq Trotter.
Our Kevin Stairiker spoke to Tariq “Black Thought” Trotter of The Roots last week for the cover story about The Roots Picnic for the summer issue of JUMP, which is due out on June 1. Here is a teaser of what you will find in the print version:
I guess I should start off with the July 4th show that was just announced.
The Welcome America concert?
Yes. So is that going to become a yearly thing like the Roots Picnic?
Yeah, right now it’s slated to be an annual occurrence, something that we’re going to curate every year that’s on a far larger scale. I feel like it caters to a different demographic than the Roots Picnic.
Sort of like an older brother festival for everybody?
Yeah, yeah. What we do for the Roots Picnic is for a younger audience, you know? And what we do on July 4th is sort of all-inclusive, like more family-oriented.
Looks like you’ve got Daryl Hall on there for all of the adults.
Yeah, right? For people like me (he says with a laugh).
How much does it mean to you to know that the President of the United States is down with the Legendary Roots Crew?
It’s very meaningful to me. It’s not something I was unaware of because we’ve opened up for the president on quite a few occasions over the past few years, before he was president and since he’s taken office. But the significance of the most recent interaction with Mr. Obama was…I feel like we have a personal relationship now. This is the first time that a photo was taken of me and the president where there was an image captured and it wasn’t in front of the American flag, you know? Like I wasn’t number eighteen in line. Like, but when we see each other now, he cracks jokes and I feel like we have a similar relationship to the president as we do with Brian Williams.
Chiddy Bang: Mind Your Manners.
Check out the new video from our spring issue cover boys, Chiddy Bang. It’s off their new album Breakfast.
And check out the behind the scenes video below. The boys can play some pong!
The guys will perform in Philly at the Wells Fargo Center on May 22 for the Q102 Springle Ball, with Hot Chelle Rae, Flo Rida, Adam Lambert, The Wanted, Train, Calvin Harris, Carly Rae Jepsen, Enrique Iglesias, Chris Rene, Austin Mahone and Cody Simpson.
Allo Darlin’ @ Kung Fu Necktie.
Text and images by Grace Dickinson.
“Cheers, mate,” said Allo Darlin’s bassist, Bill Botting, to a steamy room of people yesterday at Kung Fu Necktie.
After asking his bandmates to pause so he could grab a sip of beer, Botting and his three bandmates delved into one of their older songs off of their 2010 album, Fortuna Pop. The London-based band brought with them more than just the charm of their accents.
Singing about the hipsters is Shoreditch, the punks in Camden and various other London locales, Allo Darlin’ shared a piece of their home with an audience that clapped right along with them to each song. As the night wore on, the band shifted into their new album, Europe, which held the same lighthearted pop feel of their first album, largely provided by the ukulele strumming delivered from Elizabeth Morris.
Morris leads the singing of Allo Darlin’, with a voice that resembles a mix between Sara Bareilles, Bethany Cosentino of Best Coast and the light poppy feel of the Postal Service. It meshes well with the unpretentious lyrics of love and life that dominates their songs.
The group was endearing in an unintimidating, almost nerdy sort of way – Botting, with his cheeky, boyish smile; guitarist Paul Rains with his floppy-shoelaced, white sneakers (matching the ones Botting removed in favor of black socks); drummer Michael Collins with his unmissable drumstick count-offs at the beginning of every song; and Morris, swaying around on stage with her small ukelela, singing about how she was never “cool” and of kissing salty lips that were sweet and heavenly too.
Together, the band was all smiles that couldn’t help but to put you in a good mood.
The Lumineers and Kopecky Family Band @ Johnny Brenda’s
Text and images by Kirsten Stamn.
Last night, Johnny Brenda’s was home to a quasi-bluesgrass/orchestral folk takeover thanks to The Lumineers (above) and Kopecky Family Band.
It was the first time in Philly for both groups and there was no shortage of praise for both the city and the venue (the Kopeckys, who hail from Nashville, referred to the stage and surrounding balconies as a “snow globe”). For both of these young bands, the sold-out show was an enormous hit – fans chanted to their lyrics as they stomped their feet to the beat. And both groups got the chance to not only showcase their music, but also their values.
Family was a key component to both shows. Kopecky Family Band (images at right) made sure to reference their inspiration of coming home when introducing certain songs.
“We call ourselves a family band because we believe in what family is,” said co-lead singer Gabe. “And you are all a part of it.”
True to their word, after their set they greeted each and every fan near the stage and hung out with the audience until the very end of the night.
For The Lumineers, family is just as important. Lead singer Wesley Schultz made sure to dedicate a song to his family, who, he said, were the only ones who came out when they first started playing. Familial ties are important within the group too – cofounders Schultz and Jeremiah Fraites (below) bonded and began the band when Fraites’ older brother, Joshua, died of an overdose at 19-years old. He was Schultz’s best friend. The music that came from this bond is passionate, soulful and forward-thinking.
After closing with their hit ”Stubborn Love,” the Denver trio came out for an encore of four songs, one of which was played acoustically.
Once finished with their set, each band member hugged one another before mingling with the audience.
The music of the night was emotive, layered with vocals, cellos, mandolins, trombones, you name it.
Songs were inspirational and struck chords with audience members, many of whom looked as though they were about to cry during particularly resonant bits, before breaking out into a sort of hoe-down jig once the tempo picked up.
For each of these bands, if they keep doing what they’re doing – staying true to themselves and their missions while connecting with their listeners – they will be household names before you know it.
Celebrate Creative Philly With JUMP, Geekadelphia, Streets Dept, Phrequency and Streets and Stripes.
Before you quit reading, please note that there will be free beer at this free event.
So, the event? It will be a bunch of us talking about all that is cool in the city, and why we cover this stuff on our blogs (and in our print mag).
We’ll likely talk about how you can start your own media empires, including a print publication (if you still dig that sort of thing). It ain’t all that difficult … we’ve been doing it for more than a year now!
And seriously, there’s free beer.
This is part of Philly Tech Week. It will take place at PhilaMOCA, the former Mad Decent headquarters at 12th and Spring Garden, from 6 to 8 today. Check here for more info.
The next print issue of JUMP drops on June 1 and it is shaping up nicely. We’ve got stories about The Tough Shits, the Holmesburg Jam, Rebel Bar, An Albatross, The Cold Fronts (below, shot by Rick Kauffman) and El Malito and the 33rd Century (above, by G.W. Miller III).
Our cover boys for the issue are OCD: Moosh & Twist, the fresh-faced hip hop duo who rep Philly on nationwide tours (in the image below, photographed by Marie Alyse Rodriguez). These two 19-year old guys flow so smooth, with their voices complementing each other as though they’ve been working together forever – which they nearly have. They met in the first grade.
They haven’t even dropped a full album but their mixtapes have gone viral. You can download them for free here. And catch Team OCD on stage on June 2 at The Roots Picnic.
The Black Dahlia Murder and Nile @ The TLA.
Text and images by Chad Sims.
I have to begin by revealing that I grew up in South Florida, so I was exposed to death metal at a young age (Tampa was the home of U.S. death metal through the 90s). I listened to stuff like Cannibal Corpse, Morbid Angel and Malevolent Creation. By high school, I lost interest in metal. Not until college did some friends turn me on to the newer breed of extreme metal bands including Nile.
In 2005, I finally got to see Nile (at the time, still on Philadelphia’s own Relapse Records) with an opening band called The Black Dahlia Murder (above and at right).
Last Wednesday, I got to see these two bands share a stage again at the Theatre of the Living Arts but this time the roles were reversed.
Nile (bottom image) played an amazing set of their unique brand of Egyptian-themed death metal, finishing with their song, “Black Seeds of Vengeance” (below). These guys were, quite frankly, amazing. I can’t wait until they come back to Philly as a headlining act.
The Black Dahlia Murder closed the show and certainly got the crowd going. So much energy was emanating from the stage and singer Trevor Strnad (dude is a performer!) that people couldn’t help but go crazy.
Skeletonwitch and Hour of Penance opened the show.
There is something of a heavy metal renaissance going on. If you ever were into metal or even the least bit interested in the genre, you owe it to yourself to check out some of these new bands. In the coming weeks and months there are a number of great shows coming up at Theatre of the Living Arts and other venues. Give them a look.
Tuesday: The Jam House @ The Legendary Dobbs.
Big show on Tuesday at The Legendary Dobbs featuring some of our favorite young hip hop talents, including Chocolate Milk (above) and Dewey Decibel (below). Dice Raw, who will be featured in the summer issue of JUMP, will also perform, as will numerous others.
The event will be hosted by Rone, who recently dropped some new stuff with our fall 2011 issue cover girl Patty Crash (below).
