BY EVA LIAO Melt Banana is/are/was/always will be cool because A.) they’re Japanese, B.) they have mad style and C.) they are the reigning lords of zig-zaggy schizoid, make-you-want-to-thrash-until-you-vomit, one minute songs that blur the line between music and seizure. They’ve been around since 1992, which makes them pioneers of sorts in the Japanese noise rock scene. They’re lead singer is a precious little Japanese girl who you might otherwise mistake as the girl down the street who does your dry cleaning. Lead singer Yuksuko O. will rape your eardrums with incoherent shrieking. Everything will move very, very fast. You […]

But getting into the Fillmore tonight ain’t one! Look for our INSTA-REVIEW later tonight…

FIVE THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT DR. DOG LAST NIGHT AT THE FILLMORE 1. Dr. Dog loves their family and friends! What fun it was to watch the band’s entire entourage dance, carouse, and throw roses affectionately from off stage. It’s like being at a little girl’s beauty pageant, but there’s great music and you’re not bored senseless. Plus, nobody gets strangled in the basement at the end. 2. Dr. Dog knows how to pick their opening bands. Emily Lacy and her banjo put a fun spin on the Joanna Newsom formula, and Delta Spirit was equally enjoyable with their […]

IN MY AUTUMN SWEATER: Tom Brosseau, The Fillmore, Last Night 1. Mr. Brosseau looks like a Swiss ski instructor or Owen Wilson without the bandages, but he sings like naked woman who died in a great flood a long, long time ago. 2. Mr. Brosseau wore what is quite possibly the gayest most radical sweater ever seen on a live folk performer whose name wasn’t Joan Baez. 3. The girl next to me leaning against the lip of the stage was teaching herself Icelandic from a textbook while waiting for Mr. Brosseau to appear. She plans to move there one […]

1. At one point the band was considering calling themselves Severe Confection, which then ended up being the title of a piece they play, written by Dustin Hurt, who originally titled it “Fried Jello.” “We changed the title cause that name is dumb” said Eli. 2. Normal Love’s got two 1/2 Puerto Ricans, one half Jew, and two full Jews. “That makes us decidedly more Jew then Rican”, says Evan, “but we’re still fully down to represent as ‘Jew Rican‘: all respects to Julio Lugo.” 3. Eli likes to play the drums with his shirt off and has been told […]

The Popo wins Best Band Name Ever. This week anyway…

1. They have great taste in opening acts. Bucks County’s Illinois singing catchy, clever pop songs to the banjo over multiple bottles of Sailor Jerry really puts you in the mood for more music. Either that or a sock-hop. But that’s cool too. 2. Menomena is just as organic and fresh as anything else coming out of Portland. The band is comprised of three really tall musicians who produce the instrumentation of a 10-piece orchestra. It’s impressive to hear so much sound coming from such a small group of people. Like a puzzle, these sounds fit perfectly together, only it’s […]

Tom Brosseau performs Thursday, November 8, 2007 at the Fillmore at the TLA 334 South Street Philadelphia, Doors: 7:00 pm | Show: 8:00 pm 1) When I was younger, I met author Louise Erdrich (Love Medicine, Beat Queen, Bingo Palace). Louise is from where I’m from- Minnesota/North Dakota, and came to my hometown, Grand Forks, for the University of North Dakota Writer’s Conference, 1987. I grew up going to the conference, reluctantly, at first, then joyfully, willingly, excited to hear the words, to see the author(s). There was a house gathering after the reading, and Louise was standing in the kitchen. […]