Hope the week wasn't too bad to you. If it was, make it up with some shows and some good, solid drinks - may I recommend South Philly Tap Room or Good Dog ? <-- two top quality picks FRIDAY: Lewis & Clark @ The FUC Photon Band @ JB's Sneaker Pimps @ The TLA SATURDAY: Rancid [!!] @ Festival Pier w/ Rise Against Paulo [...]
(Holy Ghost Tent Revival by flyingrooster.net ) THIS WEEK'S SHOWS Wednesday, June 24: [...]
The spirit of independence is alive and well in Philadelphia. Nestled geographically between New York and Washington, D.C., the City of Brotherly Love has been a capital of culture since colonial times. In addition to serving as the home for the Liberty Bell and popularizing the culinary marvel known as the cheesesteak sandwich ("wit," please), the city has nurtured the careers of jazz icon John Coltrane, Philly soul legends Kenneth Gamble & Leon Huff, and blue-eyed soulsters Hall & Oates, as well as punk bands like Dead Milkman and DJs such as Josh Wink, King Britt, and Dieselboy. Curated by [...]

In Latin, they used to say, De gustibus non est disputandum . Roughly translated it means, I'm right and you're wrong. No really, it translates to There's no accounting for taste . Since this blog is a one person show, this list was created in a vacuum. The only debates that happened putting this list together went on inside my head, and since my tastes lean toward pop, this list reflects just that. As far as how this year compares with previous years, there wasn't one record that jumped out at me a screamed best record of the [...]

New York City Fri: The Virgins @ Bowery Ballroom ($15; 8pm; w/ Lissy Trullie, The Bones Royal) Sat: My Brightest Diamond @ (le) Poisson Rouge ($16; 7:30pm;w/ Clare & The Reasons) Sun: Peanut Butter Wolf @ The Knitting Factory ($20; 8pm; w/ Gary Wilson , DJ Duane, Dinowalrus) Chicago Fri: Oasis @ Allstate Arena ($39.50+; 7pm; w/ Ryan Adams & The Cardinals ) Sat: [...]

The holidays are closing in. After all the shopping and company parties, treat yourself to one of the fine shows coming to the IA area this weekend. Photo By Ellisa Keller Ted Leo is making the rounds this weekend with three shows. Playing his solo work and all the favorites as leader of the Pharmacists, two of the shows are already sold out and the other is sure to follow. In the opening slot is Aloha percussionist/pianist and White Williams member Cale Parks . [...]

I distinctly remember Ian nearly shitting his pants when he stumbled across this CD in a used bin at Princeton Record Exchange five-or-more years ago. Lilys are a band whose discography is really hit-or-miss. More than any modern band I can think of right at this moment, they have the ability to write a truly amazing song and then hide it on an album amongst eight or nine complete duds. Also, the band has this annoying habit of completely change directions from one album to the next. Shit, sometimes they change directions in the middle of a fucking record. Recommending [...]

And now the conclusion of our three-day coverage of this past weekend's All Tomorrow's Parties festival in upstate New York. My dear friend Ian has been kind enough to contribute his words, photos and even some video footage to help spread the joy felt by those who attended the event, and inform those of us who couldn't make it just how jealous we should be. Thank you Ian, you're practically a full-fledged blogger now! So, here's Ian's Day 3 review: I woke up so sore the morning after what proved to be a violent Lightning Bolt set, and [...]

We are pleased and excited to announce the tour of Stiff Records' Wreckless Eric and Amy Rigby who will play songs from their new s/t album at The North Star here in Philadelphia on September 26th! For most of you, the name Wreckless Eric is synonymous with his most well-known (and widely covered) song "Whole Wide World" , but for those of you really in the know--you're excited not just about that, but about Eric's wealth of pop material over the years (including gems like "A Popsong", "Reconnez Cherie", "Broken Doll"). And maybe, also for [...]

Summer is winding down, kids are going back to school and bands are finishing their summer tours or starting fall ones. This weekend is very front heavy with a lot of action on Friday then tapering down to a single show on Sunday. Most are one city shows so be sure to check out who is where. The 80's are making a huge comeback. So many artists and groups that thrived in the early MTV era are going out on reunion tours after years of not performing. [...]

Song 17 of 19 in the ...One Last Kiss retread , otherwise known as After the Last Kiss... The Lilys initially were influenced by My Bloody Valentine as is evidenced by their track on ...One Last Kiss and their first album In the Presence of Nothing. Their album was recorded by Jay Sorrentino and had backing vocals provided by Beth Sorrentino both of Suddenly Tammy! I think In the Presence of Nothing was the first album put [...]