BY JONATHAN VALANIA Fuck Buttons is an electronic music duo from Bristol England that make mesmerizing, prismatic soundscapes out of children’s toys and low-rent thrift store electronics. Since 2008 they have released three critically acclaimed albums. They play Underground Arts on Saturday June 14th in support of last year’s Slow Focus. Recently we got Benjamin Power and Andrew Hungon the horn to find out what the hell they are on, how they get the sounds they get, and how you explain to your family around the table over Christmas dinner that you’ve decided to devote your life to something […]
Win Tix To See Psychedelic Soul Garage Stompers King Khan & The Shrines @ The TLA Tonight!
Never heard of King Khan & The Shrines? Loser. OK, OK, that was hurtful and unnecessary. But you are in serious danger of falling behind, so listen up. There’s only two things you need to know about King Khan. First, every song sounds like some awesome, party-down mash-up of James Brown & The Famous Flames’ “Get On Up” and Mitch Ryder & The Detroit Wheels’ “Devil With A Blue Dress On.” Let’s toss it over to Wikipedia for the second thing you need to know: Antics and appearance King Khan is noted across garage rock revival circles […]
BEING THERE: Roots Picnic 2014
Photos by PETE TROSHAK The Roots hosted their 7th annual picnic at Festival Pier on Saturday and, like the band itself, The Roots Picnic brand has aged like fine wine, with this year’s edition maybe being the best ever. The 2014 edition featured a series of incredible performances including a star-making turn by one rookie rapper and a must-see collaboration between hosts The Roots and one of the most successful and iconic singers in hip-hop’s illustrious history, Snoop Dogg. Early arrivers were treated to a fun performance by Roman Gianarthur, who delivered a Prince-like set of funk, some amazing guitar […]
DEENEY: Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely
THE ATLANTIC: In 2012, an officer was arrested for selling heroin; he was one of 40-some officers charged with corruption after the “Tainted Justice” investigation. That may be evidence that “Tainted Justice” sparked more oversight, but more likely it’s an indication that police corruption has continued with abandon despite it. Last year, Jeffrey Walker, another rogue narc-squad officer in West Philly, was charged with robbing drug dealers. He pleaded guilty and agreed to cooperate with prosecutors. Courthouse insiders say that Walker will finger as many as 15 dirty cops who are still on the streets. The city’s capacity for […]
BEING THERE: MAGNET’s 21st Birthday Bash
Photo by PETE TROSHAK MAGNET magazine celebrated its 21st Anniversary with a concert headlined by Robert Pollard’s Guided By Voices. Dayton’s finest have existed on and off for over thirty years and during those years Pollard has proven himself to be one of the greatest and most prolific songwriters of this or any era, having released over 40 albums between his solo and GBV releases. In 2012 Pollard reunited the seminal lineup of GBV that recorded 1994’s Bee Thousand album and together they have released six albums in the last four years including two in 2014 alone. If Nirvana’s 1991 […]
RAY LAMONTAGNE: Supernova
Title track from his effing AMAZING new Dan Auebach-produced album. He plays the Susquehanna Bank Center with Jason Isbell on June 6th.
BEING THERE: Panda Bear @ Union Transfer
Photo by MARY LYNN DOMINGUEZ Last weekend, Panda Bear (a.k.a. Noah Lennox) navigated his sonic spaceship through Philly and Brooklyn as a part of his North American tour to drum up support for his forthcoming album with Domino Records. Tentatively titled Panda Bear Meets the Grim Reaper, it does not yet have a release date. His two previous mystic dream-pop masterpieces, Person Pitch and Tomboy, set the bar for his new material at an all-time high, but his performances last weekend completely surpassed anything we could have expected, as shows at both Union Transfer in Philadelphia and at Warsaw in […]
BEING THERE: NonCOMM 2014
Photos by PETE TROSHAK WXPN hosted the 14th annual Non-Commvention at World Cafe Live last week. It’s sort of a semi-private SXSW for non-commercial radio programmers. Besides panels, networking stuff and lots of liquid lunches, the convention also features a lot of short sets by both veteran artists and newbies trying to get noticed. The Both (Aimee Mann and Ted Leo) cracked jokes while delivering a lunchtime set of songs from their impressive first album as a duo, including “Milwaukee” for which the group filmed a video for in Philadelphia. Hamilton Leithauser (formerly of The Walkmen) played an rollicking set […]
BEING THERE: Swans @ Union Transfer
Photo by PETE TROSHAK Michael Gira is rock n’ roll’s last great tyrant, and his band Swans is the last outpost of rock n’ roll Stalinism. Many former members have been exiled to the vast Arctic wastes of the Gulags for the sins of disobedience, insubordination or just missing one of the many, many cues he dispenses onstage with a wink of the eye, a nod of the head or a shrug of the shoulders (take it to the bridge, repeat this chorus, go left at the next light, etc.). In fairness, some great literature came out of those Siberian […]
ENDORSEMENT: N.A. Poe For City Council
Photo by LAUREN M. WAKSMAN Folks, we got trouble right here in Philadelphia. Trouble with a capital “T.” And that rhymes with “C” and that stands for CORRUPTION. All the major institutions in this city are wretched hives of patronage hires, hacks and shady backroom deals. There is zero accountability for the police, the unions, the politicians and don’t even get us started on the PPA. There is just one candidate running for City Council that aims to do something about it. His name is N. A. Poe and he is running on a platform of pulling back the curtains […]
Win Tix To See Morcheeba @ The TLA On Thursday
We have a pair of tix to see reconstituted Brit trip-hop-sorcerers-turned-chillax-vibe-merchants Morcheeba at the TLA on Thursday May 15th. To qualify, all you have to do is sign up for our mailing list (see right, below the masthead). Trust us, this is something you want to do. In addition to breaking news alerts and Phawker updates, you also get advanced warning about groovy concert ticket giveaways and other free swag opportunities like this one! After signing up, send us an email at FEED@PHAWKER.COM telling us a much, with the magic words BECAUSE YOU CAN NEVER HAVE TOO MUCH CHEEBA […]
BEING THERE: Lana Del Rey @ The Skyline Stage
Photo by DEREK BRAD Controversial ruby-tressed ingénue Lana Del Rey captivated a sold-out crowd at the Skyline Stage at the Mann Music center last night with a mesmerizing 14-song set of her darkly shimmering retro-pop. Del Rey is about to drop her much anticipated album Ultraviolence, which was produced by Black Keys singer Dan Auerbach and cut live in the studio with a Del Rey fronting a seven piece band. Last night, with her big fluttering eye lashes, bee-stung lips, and prevailing air of smoldering carnality, Del Rey looked like a 1940’s pin-up dream girl that just stepped off the […]
Win Tix To See Thievery Corporation @ The Tower
We have a pair of tix to see D.C. space age bachelor party music swingers/reggae-dub/acid jazz/bossanova/special beat delivery servicemen Thievery Corporation at the Tower on Saturday May 10th. To qualify to win the tickets all you have to do is sign up for our mailing list (see right, below the masthead). Trust us, this is something you want to do. In addition to breaking news alerts and Phawker updates, you also get advanced warning about groovy concert ticket giveaways, advance movie screenings and other free swag opportunities like this one! After signing up, send us an email at FEED@PHAWKER.COM […]