The gang is back! SPOILER ALERT: nothing’s changed. Season 14 of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia kicked off with the same old lovable crew of shitheels and their same old shitheel antics. Would you have it any other way really? In last night’s season-opener, titled “The Gang Gets Romantic,” Dennis and Mac devised a plan to set up a “meet cute,” as Mac referred to it, to lure in women for Dennis’ usual suspect behavior; while Dee assisted in the shenanigans by playing the role of a seductress, but as per usual only succeeds in scaring away her prey. Charlie […]
Win Tix To See Brittany Howard @ The Fillmore
Artwork by XZIRTAEBX Alabama Shakes was formed in 2009 in Athens, Alabama — by a postal worker, a nuclear plant night watchmen, an animal clinic worker and a house painter — as a viable alternative to watching the cars rust, which was the prevailing pastime in Athens at the time. Having weathered a dues-paying, teeth-cutting cover band purgatory of sports bars and country dives and all the mightier for it, the Shakes began building buzz when the breathless blogger hype proved not just believable but vastly understated. On 2012’s million-selling Boys And Girls, Alabama Shakes sounded like Exiles On Main […]
BEING THERE: Pond @ Union Transfer
Photo by JOSH PELTA-HELLER There’s something rather tempting about the grungy industrial basement design of Underground Arts, and Nick Allbrook clearly thought so too, as he swung from his legs on a ceiling pipe with a wild smile on his face in the middle of his set last night, before careening back down into his self-requested crowd surf. The lead singer of Australian psych-rock band Pond, Allbrook took the stage of the small venue with his four other bandmates last night, some of whom trade off between Tame Impala’s touring band. Equipped with multiple synthesizers, a few guitars, a sparkling […]
BEING THERE: Iron & Wine + Calexico @ UT
Photo by JOSH PELTA-HELLER Sam Beam took his place Friday night on the Union Transfer stage by a bank of half a dozen acoustic guitars and a glass of red wine, the crew of Calexico supporting the flanks. The Tucson-based Tejano troubadours have been collaborating and co-touring with Beam — better known by nom de guerre Iron & Wine — on and off now for about 15 years.Trading vocal harmonies with Calexico’s Joey Burns, and alternating between the two songwriters’ compositions, Beam’s smoky mountain ballads in perfect complement with Burns’ brass-gilded southwestern score. The magnetic indie folk singer and his […]
BEING THERE: Andrew Bird @ The Fillmore
Photo by JOSH PELTA-HELLER There is perhaps no better complement to the purple skies and browning leaves of an early autumn night than the violin-centric folk pop music of Andrew Bird. His pensive, literary lyrics, spinning horns, pedal loops, and virtuoso whistling drew a crowd of shaggy-haired Bird look-alikes to the Fillmore last night, many fans already equipped with previous tour merchandise, and even more dorkily smiling through the face hole of a life-size cutout of the mock Death of Marat on his most recent album cover at the venue entrance. That album, My Finest Work Yet, which came out […]
BEING THERE: The Growlers @ Union Transfer
Photo by MATT SHAVER Thursday night at Union Transfer, Brooks Nielsen, lead singer of Cali-based beach goths The Growlers, hit the stage rocking his trademark Robert Smith-inspired locks and a thrifty striped sweater. Lead guitarist Matt Taylor went for the no fuss, white tee and was joined by guitarist, Kyle Stratka who opted for a long-sleeve, colored tee. This was suspiciously dressed down for a band that usually sports incredibly dapper, coordinated suit ensembles. However, these perplexing sartorial choices had no apparent impact on their ability to deliver the good. They opened with “Problems III” which felt like a great […]
INCOMING: Return Of The Red-Headed Stranger
A man who needs no last name, Willie is to Country what Neil is to rock: the Buddha, bestowing laid-back grace on all those who bask in his benevolent THC-tinged glow. Born April 30, 1933, in Abbott, Texas, Nelson begins writing songs at age seven. After serving briefly in the Air Force during the Korean War and studying agriculture at Baylor University, Nelson moves through a series of luckless, low-paying career changes–disc jockey; door-to-door vacuum and encyclopedia salesman. By 1958, in dire financial straits and married with children, Nelson is forced to sell his songs for cheap (“Night Life,” later […]
BEING THERE: Vampire Weekend @ The Mann
Photo by JOSH PELTA-HELLER Vampire Weekend, what a silly name for a band. Named after a short film Ezra Koenig (lead singer and guitarist) made in college, it took me a while for these guys to grow on me because of their title. New bands, take note- the name of your band is important. Hot off the release of their fourth album Father Of The Bride, Vampire Weekend has made a successful comeback after a six year hiatus and are now embarking on their first tour in about as long. Last night, the crowd braved the threat of hellacious rain […]
BEING THERE: Made In America 2019
Travis Scott @ Made In America by ALEX PATERSON-JONES Day one began with Philly’s own 99 neighbors. Although everyone comes to Made in America to go crazy, it is not an easy crowd to win over especially if they have never heard of you. 99 neighbors is a four person rap group took on the challenge and had the crowd jumping and singing songs they didn’t know the lyrics to. Grace Carter, an R&B artist from London, followed at Liberty Stage with her debut American festival performance. Shooting the show means you only get to stay for the first three […]
REVIEW: Hamilton @ The Forrest Theatre
Lin-Manuel Miranda’s hip hop musical about the life of Founding Father Alexander Hamilton has tapped into the politico/sociocultural zeitgeist, generating the kind of rabid fandom usually reserved for things like Marvel and Star Wars, and commanding thousands on the grey market for a seat at one of its sold out shows. The touring production opened Wednesday at Philadelphia’s Forrest Theatre where it will play through November 11, bringing Hamilton’s story to the city where the titular protagonist spent 15 years of his life while a member of the Congress of the Confederation and the Constitutional Convention. In fact the location […]
BEING THERE: Tame Impala @ The Mann
Photo by ALEX PATERSON-JONES Twenty-three stops into tour for their long-awaited and still-unreleased fourth album, Tame Impala played a way, way sold out Mann Center Friday night. A darkened stage and 14,000 screaming fans marked the entrance of TI mainman Kevin Parker and co. as the intro to “List Of People (To Try And Forget About)” unfurled. Tame Impala’s uber-psychedelic sound was matched with an equally trippy light show while smoke machines pumped out fog all night long. The stage had a frame of lights that would act as a race track of color to surround the band, which they […]
BEING THERE: Beck + Spoon + Cage The Elephant @ BB&T
Photo by JOSH PELTA-HELLER It’s not easy for a band to maintain its integrity in an industry that reserves gratification for mainstream success. Remarkably, over two decades, indie rockers Spoon [pictured, below right] have managed to avoid committing the penultimate sin of ‘selling out.’ Opening the show at BB&T last night, Spoon’s set swerved from 90’s grunge throwbacks to the delicate synth-pop tunes that populate their most recent albums. While their quintessential single “The Underdog” is crunchy and defiant, “Inside Out” off 2014’s They Want My Soul is plush and drifting. For as much as they have evolved sonically, the […]
G’DAY: Eight Miles High In The Land Down Under
EDITOR’S NOTE: In advance of Tame Impala’s sold out show at the Mann on Friday, I’m re-posting this 2013 dispatch from Australia where I spent a week interviewing TI mainman Kevin Parker for a MAGNET cover story. I will post that story in full tomorrow. BY JONATHAN VALANIA As I mentioned previously, I have been in Australia for the past week profiling Tame Impala for the cover of the September issue of MAGNET MAGAZINE. I promised to blog some local color on a daily basis, but a hectic schedule, unreliable WiFi and soul-sapping jet lag put the kibosh on those […]