May 29th, 2009

Remember The Spectrum

I’ve been having a blast the past hour or so over at Remember the Spectrum, which has a thorough database that includes every single event (concerts, sporting events, the circus, etc.) that has happened at the venerable (and soon to be demolished) arena since it opened in 1967. You can search by month and year — by randomly plugging in June 1983, I discovered that Michael Bolton opened for Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band on June 21st and June 22nd of that year — or you can check out an alphabetical list of all the bands/musicians that have played there and when: Big Daddy Kane, 3 times; Foghat, 5 times; The Kinks, 11 times; Milli Vanilli, 2 times; Lawrence Welk, 2 times; W.A.S.P., just once!

Man, I’ll miss that old dump when it’s gone…

May 29th, 2009

Big City Philadelphia Is Sticking With This Hipster Bashing Thing

It seems Big City’s MO hasn’t changed much since “How to Rob an Industry Hipster.” He still hates them! If you have no clue what it is I’m talking about, read the controversial PW cover here.

Below he takes the piss out of Asher and his Twitter troubles. Above, eh, no idea what’s going on there.

May 29th, 2009

You May Now Speak About It Freely: Matador Signs Kurt Vile

We knew it (a Matador Records publicist made us swear not to tell several months ago), you knew it, Dan Gross knew it, and now the “secret” is out: Matador — the venerable indie label that’s home to Pavement, Cat Power, Sonic Youth, Mogwai, Yo La Tengo, and about 497 other ridiculously legendary artists — has signed Philly’s own Kurt Vile to its roster. Of course, Vile himself shared the news with Brian McManus this week, but official is official. Here’s today’s missive from Matador chief Gerard Cosloy:

We’re REALLY pleased to announce — perhaps more than ever before in label history — an addition to the label roster we currently consider to be one of the more important figures in American music circa 2009. Philadelphia guitarist/vocalist Kurt Vile first came to our attention (and possibly yours as well) with the release of the 2008 CD Constant Hitmaker on the Gulcher imprint ( a label whose paw prints extend to dusty genius recordings by the Gizmos and MX80-Sound and contemporary stuff from Home Blitz and Magik Markers). What the homemade Hitmaker (recently reissued on vinyl by Woodsist) lacked in fidelity it more than made for in scope —– to dub the album “psych pop” barely scratches the surface of a work that’s as impossibly catchy as it is wildly experimental.

Subsequent exposure to Kurt’s live shows in a variety of settings, both on his own and with crack ensemble The Violators, made it abundantly clear that we’d either have to sign this guy or find someone else who sounded exactly like him. Since the latter task proved impossible, here we are. Having signed a worldwide, multi-album pact with Matador, Kurt Vile’s first full-length for the label, Childish Prodigy, will be released on LP/CD and digital formats in Autumn 2009.

May 29th, 2009

Meh, New Vivian Girls…

I liked the Vivian Girls’ debut album well enough, but a few things have put me off the all-girl Brooklyn surf-punk/shoegaze trio since last year, some of which are not at all their fault and some of which totally are. First, there was the okay-not-great set they played last fall at the Danger Danger house (their fault), during which some asshole chick in the crowd took a needless swipe at my camera and almost broke it, pissing me off and unfortunately raining on my VivGirls parade (not their fault). Then, of course, there was the ridiculous amount of blog hype and chatter that was so hard to escape (not their fault). Then there was the interview I did with the three of them during which they came off fairly obnoxious and smug (their fault). And then there was the interview I did with a former founding member of the Vivian Girls, who told me some off-the-record petty, weak shit about her ex-bandmates (indirectly their fault).

So forgive me if I’m not overly thrilled with the announcement that their sophomore album, Everything Goes Wrong, will be released by In the Red on September 8th. I’m forever jaded and ruined when it comes to Vivian Girls, I’m pretty sure. You, however, may be ecstatic about this news, which is why I’m passing it along. I’m certain a summer Philly show is being planned as we speak at Vivian Girls HQ, so I’ll keep you posted on any ticket/venue info. Meanwhile, here’s the press release:

Vivian Girls have had an extremely eventful couple of years as a band, from appearing at major festivals, to playing the Bowery Ballroom about a million times, to having their own question on Jeopardy.  The band spoke with Pitchfork’s Tom Breihan back in March while in the studio in LA working on their sophomore LP, Everything Goes Wrong, due Sept. 8 on In The Red – below is an excerpt to give you and idea of what to expect from album number two:

May 29th, 2009

This Weekend In Shows

Tonight:

Ruthie Foster
8pm, $27-37. Keswick Theatre.
From the day a 14-year-old Ruthie Foster belted out a solo in her Gause, Texas, church choir, she has kept on singing. And loudly. In a true Americana tradition, Foster writes and sings songs that straddle American roots music, pulling in the hand-clapping, shout-to-the-skies uplifting elements of Southern gospel and countering it with slow, sultry blues ballads. Already six records into her career, she released her latest, The Truth According to Ruthie Foster, earlier this year, bringing hard blues guitar lines into funky Southern blues and Memphis soul tunes. Tying it all together is her expressive, yearning voice that sounds like a polished Janis Joplin or a country-oriented Ella Fitzgerald. (Katherine Silkaitis)

Also, Walter Schreifels — formerly of such hardcore and post-hardcore bands as Gorilla Biscuits and Quicksand — shows off his moodier solo singer-songwriter fare at the Khyber, with McRad, featuring the legendary Chuck Treece, opening [9pm/$10]; the horrendously named Chickenfoot (we hope the music is better than the moniker, but we’re not counting on it) — the new rock “supergroup” featuring Sammy Hagar, Joe Satriani, Michael Anthony, and Chad Smith — brings its arena-sized sound to the TLA for a very, very sold-out show [9pm]; terrifically talented Philly singer-songwriter Andrew Lipke and the equally local and terrific Toy Soldiers (who did a fun interview with us last month) take over the North Star [9pm/$10]; and Hoots & Hellmouth conclude their two-night stand celebrating their new album The Holy Open Secret at Johnny Brenda’s, with the New Familiars and the Mural and the Mint opening [9:30pm/$12-15].

Saturday:

A Camp
9:30pm, $12. Johnny Brenda’s.
Even when she was a teenage waitress serving visiting English bands like the Human League in the famed Copenhagen seafood restaurant from which her first band, the Cardigans, took their name, ethereally Swedish Nina Persson knew she was fated for bigger and better things. And she was. The Cardigans served up acid-lashed Norwegiod sophisto-pop gumbo and all was good in the world. And now after a brief pop absence during which she probably worked as an air hostess on the world’s most introverted and yet sophisticated airline, Ms. Persson is back with killer lines about love which can “do you like a shotgun” and is “stronger than Jesus.” Missed you, lass. (Steven Wells)

Also, the Avett Brothers and Paleface play a sold-out show at the Troc [9pm]; and the Philly regionals of the U.S. Air Guitar Championships — which promises to be a really great good time — goes down at the Khyber [9pm/$15].

Sunday:

Buckethead
8pm, $18.50-21.50. TLA.
He hides his identity by wearing a KFC bucket on his head and a featureless white mask on his face whenever making public appearances. He was an infamous foil for Axl Rose’s almost-endless Chinese Democracy saga. Yet despite this, Buckethead is not only a bizarre figure but is also an amazing and engrossing musician. That is, as long as he sticks to melody. Otherwise it can be a long haul. His solo work is spotty and indulgent, true, but it’s often brilliant. And live, Buckethead is capable of playing just about anything his own way and still making it entertaining. Goofy? Sure. But great fun nonetheless. (John Cramer)

And then there’s the “Week’s Worst”:

Death Vessel
8pm, $10. First Unitarian Church.
Squeaky, clattery, unelectrified wooden guitar-
strumming plus breathy, intense, earnest female vocals. Oh, God, will this torment agony never cease? But wait, the lady’s a dude. That’s the only really interesting thing going on here so, alas (it’s terribly unfair), Mr. Death Vessel (aka Joel Thibodeau) has to take the full weight of the sane world’s disdain for the vile plague that is the neo-folk-singer/songwriter (the musical equivelant of swine flu). Fuck off back to the 1960s, all 8 billion of you. If there’s anything worse than a poet, it’s a poet with a guitar. And an audience. It’s a scene comprised of thousands of the self-obessed bastards. A cull is long overdue. (Steven Wells)

May 28th, 2009

Part Two Of Our EXCLUSIVE MMM Interview With Reigning Philadelphia Air Guitar Champion WINDHAMMER

We’re just two days away from the Philadelphia regionals of the 2009 U.S. Air Guitar Championships, which go down at the Khyber on Saturday night [9pm/$15]. And coming back to defend his title as 2008 Philly Air Guitar Champion is Rob “Windhammer” Weychert, who last year claimed victory at the TLA and repped our city (and came in a respectable 7th place) at the National Air Guitar Championship competition in San Francisco, losing out to eventual world champion Hot Lixx Hulahan. Below is part two of our exclusive Make Major Moves interview with Windhammer (you can read part one here):

If you win the Philly regional competition, and then the nationals, it’s off to Finland for the world championships later this year. If you become this year’s world air guitar champion, what are some of the things you would do in that capacity? Are there certain causes or issues you would spotlight?
Umm, I haven’t really thought about it. I mean, bottom line, I think that being the world air guitar champion this is something you do implicitly, but I would just sort of encourage people to loosen up and have fun.

To follow their dreams…
Yeah, I guess the one guiding principle to all of this is that if you’re not doing something merely because you’ll look foolish, that’s not a good enough reason. And that’s what I wish more people would embrace. So that would be the cause I would embrace.

Do you feel like you’re misunderstood? Do your friends and family look at you weird because of this whole air guitar thing?
Nah, I think anybody that knows me, it was a no-brainer that I would do this. I mean, I pretty much do it anyway, this is just me doing it on a stage in front of strangers. I don’t think it came as a surprise to anybody.

May 28th, 2009

Amanda Blank: Still Loves Sex, But In An All Grows Up Kinda Way

Philly MC Amanda Blank — you know, she of the “My rhymes are painful and fresh/My pussy’s tastin’ the best” and other filthy fun verses delivered on Spank Rock productions — puts out her full-length debut LP, I Love You, in July, and from the sounds of this interview she just did with the Portland Phoenix, she might be moving from NC-17 to PG-13.

“What people know about me, especially on the Internet, is very specific, and it’s very different than what I think I’d want to do. I can’t imagine wanting to rap for 12 songs in a row about having sex. Sex is a big part of my life, and it especially was when I was in my early 20s, but I’m not, you know, crazed for it, you know?”

“The thing is that when I was writing all of those earlier raps, I was single, you know? And I was just out on the town, 21 years old trying to, you know, get it all in. Meanwhile, in the last two years, while I was working on this album, I was also actually in love with somebody and had a totally different relationship with a man than I’d ever had before. I think that that plays a big role in this shift in my attitudes. My approach to having sex changed because I was having it with someone I was very much in love with.”

New-found maturity? Cleanin’ things up for mainstream consumption? Call it what you like — it backs up what Blank told MMM about the new material at SXSW a couple months ago:

Amanda Blank, SXSW Interview from Make Major Moves on Vimeo.