Coming Soon: Holy Hail

Holy Hail @ Bruar Falls (Brooklyn) (11/6)

In the 90's Riot Grrrl was the pretentious indie trend that could never get old. This decade Electro-Punk seems to be taking that title. So although NYC's Holy Hail could hardly be considered "a breath of fresh air," they are indeed a welcome addition to the genre. Their debut LP, Independent Pleasure Club (released last November), is a pastiche of Disco, Hip-Hop, and Punk as sassy as Von Iva and as abrasive as the Gossip. "Luck Will Find You" could be mistaken for Joy Division's aerobic workout, "Double Dutch" sounds like Luscious Jackson as a Nintendo game, and "Cool Town Rock" is the song that will finally replace "Don't Stop Believing" as last call at East Coast hipster dance parties. Holy Hail even manage to imbue their lyrics with shockingly poignant social commentary that could make Rage Against the Machine sound like the kids who sit in the back of the "Politics and the Media" class at the local community college. In the vein of Bratmobile and Bikini Kill, Holy Hail are here to remind us that dancing and social revolution aren't mutually exclusive activities. – Izzy Cihak

GO, GO, GO! First Annual Jefferson Square Music Festival and Punk Rock Flea Market

Nothing else to do Saturday night? Then check this event out:

First Annual Jefferson Square Music Festival and Punk Rock Flea Market 

Saturday, Sept. 19 (rain date: Sat., Sept. 26), 9 am

Jefferson Square (4th & Washington, South Philadelphia)

Starting from 9 am, vendors will sell rock 'n' roll memorabilia, followed by 11 hours of eclectic and eccentric music from Philly's boldest of the bold acts. Bring lawn chairs, snuggly blankets, loads of booze (if you're 21 and over, of course), delicious food and whatever else you need to keep your satisfied, and stay for the day. Coz, really, you just can't miss this

Festival Line Up Main Stage (40 minute sets) 11:20 - 12:00 - Wyldlyfe 1:00 - 1:40 - Tim McGlone (1851 Records...formerly SJU Records) 2:00 - 2:40 - Victor Victor Band 3:00 - 3:40 - Lee Morgan 4:00 - 4:40 - The Absolute Zeros (1851 Record) 5:00 - 5:40 - Pepi Ginsberg (Park the Van Records) 6:00 - 6:40 - The'One Sun'Lion Ra 7:00 - 7:40 - Wes Mattheu and the Way Down 8:00 - 8:40 - Boy Wonder 9:00 - 9:40 - Dick Valentine of Electric Six (Metropolis Records)      Side Stage (20 minute Sets) 10:30 - 11:15 - Parachuting Apostles 12:00 - 12:20 - Andrea Nardello 12:30 - 1:00 - City Line 1:40 - 2:00 - Attia Taylor 2:40 - 3:00 - Dani Mari 3:40 - 4:00 - Conversations With Enemies 4:40 - 5:00 - Amy Regan 5:40 - 6:00 - Chang Chang 6:40 - 7:00 - The Purple Generals 7:40 - 8:00 - Menya 8:40 - 9:00 - Allison Polans Sponsors include The HYPE, 1851 Records, Volta Radio, Philly2Philly, Girls Rock Philly, Friends of Jefferson Square and more

Coming Soon: Owl City

Owl City @ The Note (9/19)

If you need an early show to whet your appetite for The Sounds’ bound-to-be-brilliant explosion of sass and sexuality at the TLA, head over to West Chester for Owl City’s 6 pm gig at The Note. God-loving neo Synthpop project of Adam Young, Owl City blends danceable beats with sentiments of the downtrodden in a way that is both purely pop and sincerely introspective. Although the last time Young was in the area he was upstaged by a wonderfully androgynous display of angst from indie rockers Lydia, he managed a set that could incite a dance party at a funeral, proving that even Jesus freaks can have a funky side. Izzy Cihak

Coming Soon: Fanfarlo

Fanfarlo @ Kung Fu Necktie (9/20)

Fanfarlo has a sound that would appeal to your mother and musically snobbish and excessively introverted little sister alike. The London five-piece combines the epics of post Brit Pop anthems with the charming and sensitive elitism of the Twee aesthetic. Although the band is often compared to The Arcade Fire, their debut album, Reservoir (released earlier this year), is really more along the lines of Coldplay covering Belle & Sebastian. Although this melding has Fanfarlo destined to explode at any moment, the group are only playing six US shows on their current jaunt, so come out to Kung Fu Necktie and be the coolest person you know a year from now. Izzy Cihak

Coming Soon: Dirty Tactics/Mighty High/Angry Samoans at Southpaw

Philly's own Dirty Tactics and Brooklyn-based punk outfit Mighty High will share the stage with LA hardcore punk veterans, Angry Samoans, this Saturday at Brooklyn's Southpaw. Dirty Tactics and Angry Saomoans play this Sunday at Philly's 941 Theater.

Dirty Tactics: "...Known for catchy melodies and sing along choruses that maintain pop sensibility but offer the intensity and vigor only seen in the punk rock underground."

Might High: "...Classic-rock inspired punk/metal band from Brooklyn, NY dedicated to getting loaded and playing loud."

Angry Samoans: "...hardcore punk at its finest..."

9/12/2009
8:00 PM
Mighty High/Dirty Tactics/Angry Samoans
SOUTHPAW / Brooklyn, NY

9/13/2009
8:00 PM
Dirty Tactics/Angry Samoans
941 THEATER / Philadelphia, PA

Coming Soon: Chairlift

Chairlift @ Kung Fu Necktie (9/06)

At times Chairlift sounds like a Post Punk aerobic workout (“Bruises”), at times like Moz and Marr on a space station (“Somewhere Around Here”), and at times like a John Hughes prom spiked with absinthe (“Planet Health”). However, at their best and chicest they are making runway music for androgynous androids (“Le Flying Saucer Hat”). Their enchantingly postmodern debut LP (originally released on Kanine Records in 2008 and re-released by Columbia Records in 2009), Does You Inspire You, has the Williamsburg trio swimming through ambiguous and undiscovered galaxies of musicality, while also firmly rooted in an 80’s pop aesthetic. If you’re still intrigued, make sure to check out Chairlift at Kung Fu Necktie to see Dream Pop, wrapped in New Wave, shrouded in Sonny Chiba. Izzy Cihak

Coming Soon: Cut Off Your Hands

Cut Off Your Hands @ North Star Bar (5/02/09)

Cut Off Your Hands is the sound of charming, imported hipsters crashing your junior prom. The four-piece from New Zealand has not only proven to be the most danceable synth-free band currently inhabiting the planet, but that their interpretation of musical history is far from laughable. “Expectations” has frontman Nick Johnston imitating the yelps of Robert Smith, “Turn Cold” was likely jacked from the cutting-room floor of The Queen is Dead, and “Heartbreak” drips with the poetic anarchy of Idlewild. They also, however, manage to incorporate sounds more appropriate for gymnasium gyrating: “Happy as Can Be” is as accessibly playful as (and infinitely more listenable than) The Killers’ debut and “In The Name of Jesus Christ” is the delightfully saccharine ballad perfect for slow-dancing with your sweetie. The band are well on their way to becoming rightfully pretentious pop icons in the tradition of Suede (whose Bernard Butler produced their latest album), so don’t miss a chance to see them for $10 at the 300-capacity North Star Bar… We promise it’ll make you the coolest person you know a year from now. Izzy Cihak

coming soon

The Whispertown 2000 @ The Barbary (4/11/09)

There's something wonderfully endearing about hearing a pretty girl evoke her inner sailor. "I can't God damn believe this shit," croons Morgan Nagler with a painful charm during “Ebb and Flow,” the most impressive track on her band’s sophomore effort, Swim, released last October. The title was likely inspired by the fact that the group's sound is along the lines of seafarers who listen to Morrissey. Nagler, frontwoman and primary songwriter for the Whispertown 2000, blends the delicately sweet melancholy of Aimee Mann with the adorably subversive eroticism of Melora Creager. Her band boasts lyrics of a struggle to hang on and push forward, coupled with vocality that questions whether this world grants such a sentiment. Their tone runs the gamut from the scene-approved alt. country of Jenny Lewis to the Americana folk of Gillian Welch (whose Acony Records released Swim). Playful sing-alongs for gentle sailing, such as "103" and "Old Times" are balanced with the classically moody blues undertones of "Done with Love" and "Erase the Lines.” Come check out the Whispertown 2000’s April 11th gig at the Barbary and watch Ms. Nagler poignantly balance the roles of princess and pirate. Izzy Cihak

coming soon

Crystal Stilts @ Kung Fu Necktie (4/9/09)

The sound of Crystal Stilts conjures up images of absinthe-mindedly stumbling through alleyways of Weimar Berlin. It’s as if everything surrounding you is morbidly glorious, yet you know you have much reason to be scared. Although their resentment of comparisons to Joy Division and the Jesus and Mary Chain isn’t exactly, or at all, warranted, that should be little to complain about. Their debut LP, Alight of Night, hit the shelves last October, just in time for Halloween, and has been pleasantly frightening Vice Magazine-readers ever since. “Graveyard Orbit” and “Shattered Shine” echo like a glitter-encrusted death rattle in the hands of Peter Murphy and “The SinKing” embraces the sound of being chased through a Sadist’s maze by Ian Curtis. The band does have its cheerier moments, such as their twist-evoking eponymous track and “Prismatic Room,” which could incite a sing-along (if only the lyrics were the least bit discernable), but any glimmer of hope is drowned about by a psychedelic garage fuzz in the tradition of the Velvets. So if the idea of being haunted by Brooklyn hipsters in designer duds excites you (and how could it not?) make sure to drop by Crystal Stilts’ April 9th gig at Kung Fu Necktie. Izzy Cihak

coming soon

The Airborne Toxic Event @ The Note (3/9/09)

The Airborne Toxic Event are along the lines of A Clockwork Orange's gang as produced by Butch Walker. And next Tuesday, March 9th, they will be ravaging the khaki-and-cargo-short-infested town of West Chester with their brash and crass brand of power pop. The quintet is the postmodern prose of leader Mikel Jolett’s manifested into a glorious, bubble-gum-coated riot. The band’s live shows are general blitzkriegs that often find members making their way into the audience to incite more intimate assaults. The last time the band found themselves in the area they were upstaging Scott Weiland and the Ting Tings on the stage of the TLA. If they can manage to leave that impression in the heart of Philthy, just imagine what kind of havoc they’ll wreak on Bam Margera’s town of tools. Izzy Cihak