This past Sunday, hometown The Extraordinaires played their first Philadelphia show since their record release party back in June. They received a warm reception at Fishtown's Kung Fu Necktie, opening for the UK's Fanfarlo . Jay Purdy and crew treated their fellow Philadelphians to songs old and new as the crowd danced around, sang along and simply admired the local legends. The Extraordinaires : website | myspace | Battle of the Vans EP review | @ johnny brenda's [...]
Our favorite Philadelphian rapscallions Man Man recently performed a free show in our neighbor to the north, New York City, at the East River Amphitheater. Fellow music bloggers Baeblemusic captured it in its fun and delightfully whimsical glory. Below, we've got "Top Drawer" from Man Man 's 2008 release Rabbit Habits , for your aural and visual pleasure. Head over to Baeblemusic to watch the entire performance, which includes my personal favorites, "Ballad of Butterbeans" and "Doo Wop." Lucky for us, [...]

Sometimes, a little DIY ethic can go a long way. In this case, it went as far to bring over 20 folk music acts from across the USA for a two day, all night long festival of music, bonfires, camping, and debauchery. Conceptualized by Philadelphia's own Hezekiah Jones ( Raphael Cutrufello ) , and organized with the help of many in the Philadelphia music community, Miles & Maggie Fest was an astounding success. Considering the true DIY ethic involved in putting it all together, the attendance and talent line up rivaled that of some more well known and [...]

Last night, White Rabbits stopped through Philadelphia as week into their tour promoting their new record It's Frightening . Editrix Jessica was there with Philly photog Ed Roper not only to see a great band, but to celebrate the meeting of the two [and Ed's subsequent joining the Popwreckoning family] when the two met at a White Rabbits ' concert last year at the same venue. Check out their performance of single "Percussion Gun", an adrenaline rush, a fan favorite, and a great track to dance around like a maniac [...]

Philadelphia's Hoots & Hellmouth will celebrate the release of their forthcoming record, The Holy Open Secret , at hometown Johnny Brenda's both tomorrow, May 28th and Friday, May 29th. The Holy Open Secret is due out June 2nd on MAD Dragon Records . Their shows are like traveling tent revivals; their audiences are like congregations. Editrix Jessica and staff photog Dese'Rae Stage witnessed this at last year's Popped! Philadelphia Music Festival, in which the fellas played and later graciously sat down to chat [...]

She could've been a farmer in those clothes, but luckily, Jenny Owen Youngs decided to be a talented and totally hip indie rock queen. Well, on her way to queen anyway. Yesterday saw the release of her sophomore effort, Transmitter Failure , and an appearance at Philadelphia's Johnny Brenda's, with local (as in a house down the block from JB's) fellas Jukebox the Ghost . The two are currently touring the country together, overlapping in each others' sets. Youngs was joined by Bess Rogers , amongst others, for a [...]

To me, the music of Toronto-based Great Lake Swimmers was love at first listen. I stumbled upon them when a friend took me to a random show at World Cafe Live! for my birthday back in 2007. Almost 2 whole years later, they once again brought their amazing and beautiful music to our Philly ears. Mixing a healthy mixture of older and new material, front man Tony Dekker serenaded the crowd with his spacious melodies while his talented, ever changing backing band pulled in the reinforcements. All in all a great show, I just hope I [...]

Jessica, Popwreckoning: This is Jessica McGinley here with Langhorne Slim , originally from Langhorne, Pennsylvania, at the wonderful Carrera Lounge at South By Southwest . Langhorne Slim : That's where we are right now? It's beautiful. PW : How's the hard lemonade? LS : It's very good. Very good. It goes down smooth. PW : Your latest album came out last April. What had you learned from your previous efforts that you were able to apply to this record? [...]

The lovely and talented Birdie Busch will be opening for Popwreckoning favorite Rachael Yamagata in hometown Philadelphia's Theatre of Living Arts, more commonly referred to as the TLA , on March 12th. You can buy tickets through Live Nation , though if you'd rather not pay the outrageous and obnoxious $8.00 service and $1.00 facility fees, I suggest hitting up the box office. Rachael Yamagata w/ Birdie Busch Theatre of Living Arts 334 South Street Philadelphia, PA 19147 [...]

Here's a really cute holiday track written by Army Navy 's Justin Kennedy that features the band as well as Charlotte Froom of The Like . Perfect for your holiday gatherings! "Stay In" (A Holiday Song) Army Navy : myspace | Army Navy review | interview with The Like : website | myspace [...]

A gaggle of great Philly musicians will take the World Café Live Upstairs by storm on December 21st for the Winter Solstice Party, a benefit show for LiveConnections.org . Begun in Spring 2008, LiveConnections.org (LCO) is devoted to building community by engaging diverse populations through high quality programs in music, education, workforce development and mentoring. LCO works in partnership with World Café Live to bring together musicians and a variety of community groups, to provide resources for musicians and aspiring musicians and to provide entry points for those interested in the [...]

Anybody who knows me knows that I am a rabid fan of MBAR , a.k.a. Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson . The Portland native, who came to national recognition by way of the New York City music scene and his associations with the NYC bands TV On The Radio & Grizzly Bear , has a distinct sound that is beyond description. His live shows truly must be experienced to be believed. [...]

Halloween night turned out to be quite spooky indeed. The Phillies had just won the world series. The city was collectively hung over from days of partying and parades. Arriving at Johnny Brenda's in Philly's Fishtown neighborhood, I saw masses of zombies. But in reality, they were more than likely people who had just been drinking all day. However, I wasn't there for the people, I was there for the show. O'Death pulled up to the venue a little early, so actually wound up opening up [...]
Following the trend of musicians celebrating President Elect BarackObama, Radiohead front man and solo artist Thom Yorke has made a new remix of his solo song "Harrowdown Hill" available to stream. "In celebration of November 5, Jonny 's [ Greenwood , guitarist] birthday amid bonfire and fireworks in the UK and the dawn of a new era in politics in the USA, I humbly donate a remix of 'Harrowdown Hill' that was finished ages ago during the band webcasts, a small reminder of the dark days of Bush 's." [...]
MySpace Music is proud to announce one of the most critically acclaimed bands, Cold War Kids , will take part in the eighth installment of MySpace Transmissions , currently live on http://www.myspace.com/transmi ssions . MySpace Transmissions is a music program that empowers top recording artists with a new platform to create and distribute exclusive video content available for viral distribution and audio tracks available for purchase in the U.S. MySpace Transmissions featuring Cold War Kids is available for free download and includes a brand new song "Coffee Spoon," [...]
The minute I walked in the door for Sisters3 CD release party I knew that this was going to be one of the best, most fun shows I'd ever have the pleasure of attending. Immediately upon getting my hand stamped, performer Paco Fish asked me if I'd like a party hat - I chose orange [...]
Check it dear Philadelphia darlings! This Friday, September 12, the abfab Johnny Brenda's will be hosting the CD Release show for local songbirds Sisters3. Their debut album Star Spangled which just dropped is marvelous (read about it here!) Supporting the sisters three (Anna Christie, Cassandra and Beatrice) will be fellow Philadelphia acts Hezekiah Jones and The Extraordinaires. Cost [...]
Sisters3 Star Spangled :: review Chad VanGaalen Soft Airplane :: download "Willow Tree" Gym Class Heroes The Quilt :: review The Dark Romantics Heartbreaker :: review | download "Hush Your Mouth" | download "Let's Ride" Brooke Waggoner Heal for the Honey Bound Stems The Family Afloat The Subways All Or Nothing The Sound of Animals Fighting The Ocean and The Sun :: [...]
I first came across Philadelphia trio Sisters3 this past Valentine's Day when they performed a show rife with local talent at Northern Liberties' Fire Bar and Grille, most commonly referred to as The Fire. I was there that night to see songstress Birdie Busch perform but was glad to have arrived early once I'd heard [...]