Artist: Scene

Philly-bred multi-instrumentalist / producer Andrew Balasia released his latest EP as Gracie yesterday through Small Plates Records .  Now based in Brooklyn, the experimental pop musician teased the release several months ago with a mid-fall Key Studio Session appearance , performing the EP's lead track and first two singles.  Bleeder comes a little over a year after Gracie's last Treehouse EP and expands Balasia's signature chillwave style to anthemic proportions, especially on album single " Creature Pleaser " with its subtle nod to Rod Stewart's "Young Turks."  Stream the [...]

• Gracie - My Pet

With so many performances and surprises happening all over the city last Saturday for Record Store Day , it was impossible to see every great moment.  Luckily, the Bands in the Backyard crew staked out a spot at AKA Music in Old City for the store's showcase of local music by Heyward Howkins , Mikele Edwards , Bridge Underwater and Restorations .  Check out two videos BITBY filmed during the day featuring Bridge Underwater and Restorations below.

All Day. All Over. All Free. That's the idea behind the first Make Music Philly day on Friday, June 21st. Joining more than 500 other cities worldwide, Make Music Philly will be Philly’s first city-wide, free, “do it yourself” festival, featuring organized concerts and informal performances by professionals and amateurs of all genres and ages. The event, organized by WXPN with support from the City of Philadelphia's Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy will take place all across the city 8AM and 8PM. Performers of all ages, genres, sizes and talent levels can perform and all [...]

Ari Hoenig and Loop 2.4.3. will help celebrate the Philly Drum Project 's first anniversary tonight at World Cafe Live .  Working with locally and nationally known drummers, Philly Drum Project hosts monthly meet ups where percussionists can trade tips, check out gear, set up gigs and participate in workshops with the likes of Eric Slick and Chuck Treece.  Tonight's event features a trio led by Hoenig, a Philadelphia native who has worked with many influential musicians including Pat Metheny and Wynton Marsalis.  Also on hand are Brooklyn percussion duo Loop 2.4.3., currently on tour [...]

The California folk duo The Milk Carton Kids bring their heartfelt, contemplative story songs to the stage of World Cafe Live tonight. They recently released their new album,   The Ash & Clay , in March. Within a word, their music is exquisite. The melodies lightly flutter over the senses, fading into an out of body dream like state, and their elegance is clear throughout the overall composition.  The Ash & Clay is their third album on Anti-Records , while the previous two albums,  Prologue   [...]

Redbone at Earth Day, April 22nd at Belmont Plateau in Fairmount Park Today we celebrate Earth Day , an event that started 43 years ago. In Philadelphia it took the shape of an entire week long event, Earth Week , April 16-22. According to Earth Week 1970.org : Motivated by national press coverage of a speech that U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson gave in the fall of 1969 in Seattle—in which he called for a national “environmental teach-in” to call attention to environmental issues—a group of [...]

When tragedy hits communities, communities respond to support to help their own. Such was the case with local bands in Boston and the highly acclaimed Boston local music blog, Allston Pudding , almost immdediately after the Boston Marathon bombings last week. According to Allston Pudding , the "natural" place to find solace and to help, was through music. They write: The events that unfolded on Monday left us at a loss for reaction. There was no way we could spin the situation to make sense of it, and we knew we weren’t alone. [...]

New Orleans duo Generationals play tonight at Johnny Brenda's tonight. They recently released a new album, Heza , on Polyvinyl records . The indie pop band brings a lot of fun with their sound as they utilize various guitar tones, 802s-esque beats, claps, bells, and an overall uplifting tone. Tickets and information for the 21+ show with Splashh can be found here . Below, check out a music video for the band's "Put a Light On" off their new record album. Influential post-punk band [...]

Record Store Day Exclusive vinyl box set of Cream, Royal Albert Hall Happy Record Store Day . Today, dozens of independent record stores around the area are celebrating music with in-store performances from musicians and special limited edition vinyl releases . Below are some highlights of stores around our area. You can go here to find a list of participating stores near you. A.K.A. Music (Old City) – Teaming up with Philebrity , there will be live music from 1-5pm, featuring Restorations, [...]

Young Statues April 1st saw the release of a compilation of Philly bands so vast in musical talent, genre, and absolute immense length, it's dizzying. The BIG Comp was released on Lame-O records . It includes Seventy five bands/seventy five songs, and musically has something for everyone. The compilation showcases some big names, while giving local Philly bands a chance to strut their stuff. In essence, The BIG Comp fulfills the promise of its name: BIG in spirit, BIG in length, but most importantly, BIG in the sense that [...]

In 2002, R&B musician Cody ChestnuTT released his debut album  The Headphone Masterpiece . A decade later, ChestnuTT returned with his new album  Landing On a Hundred . The new album has a full sound and maintains the heartfelt aura of the previous album. Landing On a Hundred has a groovy tempo, and the guitar tone and atmosphere of the songs conjure up feelings of a 70s' aesthetic, all the while having a modern take. ChestnuTT stopped by World Cafe in January to record three new [...]

North Wales recording space Brighton Sound Studio pulled in Philly psych / pop band Laser Background for their latest video series, produced by local venture Seven Knots Productions.  The first of three recordings originating in the recent session, "Fizzy Lifting Drinks" is a song that will be featured on Laser Backgrounds new LP Super Future ... Continue reading �

Philadelphia's Toy Soldiers will be bringing their roots rock-inspired music to Johnny Brenda's tonight as a debut for the band's documentary The Maybe Trails. The documentary, shot by Seth Klinger, follows the band as they travel across the U.S.  The film's soundtrack was done entirely by Toy Soldiers, and as the event page on Johnny ... Continue reading �

Big-name Philly pop-punk five-piece The Wonder Years announced a Pop Up Shop festival of sorts to debut The Greatest Generation - their fourth studio album due out on May 14th through Hopeless Records. Curated by the band and Glamour Kills Clothing, it will be a literal shop opening on 307 Market Street for fans - ... Continue reading �

Think about all the great musical discoveries you've had while listening to WXPN, World Cafe, Sleepy Hollow or any number of our fantastic specialty shows on XPN. Here's your chance to add some of your favorite public radio music discoveries to a Spotify playlist, I Heard It On Public Radio. The curated (by you!) playlist ... Continue reading �

All photos by Rachel Barrish | RaddRhapsodies.com It was billed as a hyper-rager, and it certainly did not disappoint - the March edition of Dave P's Making Time was a stacked triple-bill, with noisy Montreal synth rockers Doldrums, expressive R&B crooner Autre Ne Veut and Spanish dance-rock outfit Delorean. After Doldrums' colorful set involving puffy knit ... Continue reading �

It's all about The Scene ( what? ) this week on NH7, and in this special edition of Rip 'N' Run, we bring you the sweetest deals on some Indian indie albums that you just need to own in order to prove your worth as a scenester. Do it. Now. What:   Helga's Fun Castle - Helga's Fun Castle Where:   NH7 Music Store - Rs 100 Why:  If you've seen [...]

This week on NH7, we’re talking about The Scene . What the scene, you ask? We’re talking about the Indian independent music scene across the country, of course. And we’ve been doing that for years, right? Aren't we tired, you ask (foolishly)? No, we're not. So, really, what’s the scene? Find out from the pros below. It’s a no-brainer that The Scene , spearheaded by a tiny cluster of indie acts who started out in the 1990s, and with the help of some figureheads, has managed to reach its current, burgeoning form [...]

• NH7 - What's The Scene?

Philadelphia and WXPN's buddy Sean Hoots will be playing at Johnny Brenda's tonight, celebrating the propulsion of his solo career. His show tonight will spotlight solo material to be released sometime within this year, as his website says, "2013 is ours for the taking. Join me!" For those who want to listen to Mr Hoots immediately ... Continue reading �

It's The Scene week at NH7 and The Revenge Of Kalicharan , The Lightyears Explodes ' debut full-length record is out! The record was slated to drop on April 18, at NH7 and Blue Frog's  The Scene  gig, but the band had other plans and have released the entire record, three days in advance. We spoke to Himanshu Vaswani, the manager of the band and asked him the reason behind this decision. We wanted to release it on the 18th. Not. We want the world to know each and every song before the 18th. [...]