Tokyo Police Club + Cold War Kids, First Unitarian, Last Night [FLICKR] BY AMY Z. QUINN You will not find a more potent, unadulterated rock moment than standing in a crowded church basement while a sweaty band of angst-y young manboys, most just a peach-fuzz mustache away from high school geekdom, makes you a little more deaf — and somehow you don’t mind. Such moments are the thermostat of the state of rock music — and judging by last night, somebody’s been paying the heating bill. Openers Tokyo Police Club (pictured, above), a Canadian four-piece and blogrock buzz band, were […]

BY MICHAEL ‘Fich’ FICHMAN Baseball is America’s perpetually redeeming characteristic. I care too much — I’m a harsh critic, a cynic. Sometimes I’ll hate something just on principle. I think too much, can’t relax. I’m always thinking about which 10 things I need to be doing, instead of doing them. But in the spring, I’m mellowed out and ready for baseball. This is a music column. However, I used to be a sportswriter and hey, a guy can like both pickles and ice cream, sometimes at the same time. I’m gonna throw together some kosher dill pistachio mint for yinz […]

OK Go outshines top act Kicks Snow Patrol’s Motherfuckin’ Ass! BY JONATHAN VALANIA FOR THE INQUIRER Saturday at the Tweeter Center, it was OK Go’s night; Snow Patrol just headlined it.Snow Patrol, as you may well known, is the British band that had huge, ubiquitous hits with “Run” (a.k.a. the “Light Up” song) and “Chasing Cars,” which, thanks to some emotionally pitched placement in movies and TV dramas, have become suburban anthems for minivan malcontents everywhere – the kind of songs that make you want to open up the moon roof and pump your fist in the air. That’s the good […]