The sadcore avatars of Low are a proverbial riddle wrapped in enigmas: The infinite reverb, the psychotropic tremolos, the barbituated tempos, the endless Sphinx-like silences between the notes, the darkness at the edge of Duluth, the Mormonism, the Rihanna cover, the fact that the lead singer of Led Zeppelin is the president of their fan club, the 2005 breakdown in a remote cabin in the woods where singer-guitarist Alan Sparhawk’s became convinced he was the Antichrist and refused to open his eyes or speak for days, and the fact that after 22 years of soft parading they are more […]
BEING THERE: The Arcs @ The Fillmore
Photo by JOSH PELTA-HELLER When the opening act is a mariachi band, it makes it pretty hard to guess what to expect next. I never bothered to check to see who the opener was, so when four women graced the stage of The Fillmore at about 8:15 pm dressed in spangled vests and concho belts and carrying a trumpet, violin, guitarron and guitarra de golpe (this gringo had to look up those last two), I began to wonder whether I came to an Arcs concert or accidentally stumbled into the wrong venue and was about to watch the San Mateo […]
Win Tix To See The City And Colour @ The Tower
Of all the unapologetically stubble-faced folkies/flannel-clad lite rockists wearing thrift store fedoras at a jaunty angle to drop out of the Canadian indie firmament like October leaves, Dallas Green, who records under the moniker City And Colour, gets the essential ratios of prettiness to mopery and preciousness to true grit the rightest. “The Girl,” from 2008’s Bring Me Your Love is/was his Shins/”New Slang,” absent a poignant Zach Braff/Natalie Portman cinematic moment. Ever since the midnight bedroom folk ruminations of Bring Me Your Love, City And Colour records have ventured more and more into traditional electric rock arrangements. Compared […]
EXCERPT: Fear & Loathing On The Main Line
PHILADELPHIA MAGAZINE: I could tell you about Muneera Walker, a 53-year-old African-American general contractor who was driving along winding, dangerous Mill Creek Road in Gladwyne when a car behind her raced up to her bumper. The car drew perilously close in her rearview mirror, dropped back, then surged forward again, as if urging Walker to hit the gas. She could see the driver, a young white woman around 20 years old, in her rearview mirror. This was a balmy day last August. Both drivers had their windows rolled down, and as Walker maintained her speed, around 30 mph, she reached […]
Win Tix To See Panama Wedding @ The Foundry
A few last minute comps for tonight’s Panama Wedding show at The Foundry @ The Fillmore just landed on our doorstep. As per the laws of concert industry physics, we are making them available to our readers. To qualify to win them, just send a note to Phawker66@gmail.com with your name, mobile number and reason why you are so awesome that we simply must give you the tix. Put the magic words PANAMA WEDDING PARTY in the subject line. Good luck and godspeed! PANAMA WEDDING PERFORM TONIGHT AT THE FOUNDRY @ THE FILLMORE
BEING THERE: Victor DeLorenzo & Rainn Wilson
NINETEEN THIRTEEN, feat. Victor DeLorenzo & Janet Schiff warm up the crowd for Rainn Wilson’s reading from his new memoir “The Bassoon King” @ Pabst Theater, Milwaukee, November 12th 7:09 PM CST by KAY COLLINS PREVIOUSLY: Q&A w/ Victor DeLorenzo, Singer, Actor, Songwriter, Drummer, Recovering Violent Femme
BEING THERE: Nobunny @ Johnny Brenda’s
Photo by MARY LYNN DOMINGUEZ According to a recent unscientific survey I conducted out of sheer boredom while waiting for the show to begin, there were 85% more people rocking denim jackets, punk rock pins and Doc Martens at Johnny Brenda’s last night than then there usually are. Why? Best I can tell it was because Nobunny — a super-catchy, freaky-but-loveable Tuscon collective of garage-rockers who perform in thrift store bunny costumes — was headlining. You see, Nobunny mainman Justin Champlin is known to rock the denim-jacket-with-punk-rock-pins-and-no-pants look. It probably would have bothered me less if the only person from the […]
BEING THERE: Odesza @ Union Transfer
Photo by DYLAN LONG Odesza is the Seattle-based duo of Harrison Mills and Clayton Knight, who make lush, downtempo EDM. They are also wildly popular, selling out not just one but two shows at Union Transfer last night, where they appeared in support of their latest release, In Return Deluxe, an extended version of 2014’s In Return that includes three live tracks and a new song called “Light (feat. Little Dragon).” After East Coast cats Louis Futon and Jai Wolf warmed up the crowd with stellar beats infused with futuristic synths, wild tempo fluctuations and even some recent hits like […]
Win Tix To See Public Image Limited @ The Troc
We’ll have an interview with John Lydon tomorrow so we’ll wait until then to gas on about the game-changing filth and fury of the Sex Pistols and the barbed-wire art-rawk shatterings of Public Image LTD, currently in the midst of a world tour in support of What The World Needs Now, PiL’s new, shockingly-vital-yet-reliably-vitriolic album. Lydon and his re-activated/reconstituted PiL crew will be at the Troc on Wednesday and we have a coupla pairs of tix to give away to some lucky Phawker readers. To qualify to win, you need to A) sign up for our mailing list by […]
BEING THERE: The Districts @ Electric Factory
Photo by DYLAN LONG Hailing from Lititz, PA (pop. 9,399), four high school homies turned international rock stars known as The Districts made the final stop of their North American tour last night at the Electric Factory. Countless family and friends of the hometown heroes comprised the crowd where sons and daughters and parents openly mingled as if it were one big family Thanksgiving gathering. Philly soft-rock locals Purples kicked off the evening with cool, melodic tunes that graciously complimented the warm and welcoming atmosphere of the show. Although with the venue being nowhere near capacity, bright smiles and loud […]
Win Tix To See Questlove Spin @ The Foundry Sun.
Illustration by TORREN THOMAS In addition to his duties as the drummer/musical director/de facto frontman of The Roots and social media’s Buddha of The New Black, Ahmir-Khalib Thompson, aka Questlove, is a beloved globe-trotting DJ with encyclopedic ears and an alchemist’s touch on the decks. The man is a walking jukebox and all the world is a stage in search of a soundtrack. See for yourself on Sunday when Questlove spins at The Foundry at The Fillmore. We have a coupla pairs of tix to give away to some lucky reader. To qualify to win, you need to A) sign […]
BEING THERE: The Dead & Co. @ Wells Fargo Ctr.
Photo by HERB GREEN Fear not heads and freaks, it’s totally cool to dig John Mayer. Like you, I harbored some harsh vibes about the dude, who admittedly, we knew only for such crimes against rock n roll as “Your Body Is a Wonderland,” and worried aloud whether his mojo would jive right with former Grateful Dead members Bob Weir, Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann in their latest retread, Dead and Company. Those doubts went up like a puff from a vape pen into the skunky-scented haze that hung heavy over a crowded Wells Fargo Center Thursday as the band […]
CONTEST: Win Tix To See Joshua Radin
Joshua Radin is to folk what John Mayer is to blues: virtuosity forever in search of authenticity. His music is Zach Braff-approved Lexapro for the ears and it’s been all over TV for the last near-decade: Scrubs, Grey’s Anatomy, Brothers and Sisters, American Idol, Cougar Town, One Tree Hill, House M.D. And no wonder. His early albums sound like a one-man Simon & Garfunkel, the more recent albums sound like Joshua Radin. He’s the go-to guy when you can’t afford “Time Of Your Life” for your Big Feels this-means-time-has-passed montage, filmed in bittersweet slow motion. I mean, he sang […]