June 30th, 2009

Tonight In Shows

Flamingo
8pm, $8. M Room.
“Drugs,” claim Philly psych-rock quintet Flamingo on their MySpace page, are the band’s sole influence. Though the fivesome hasn’t quite reached Bardo Pond levels of narcotic bliss, Flamingo’s music does often feel like stepping into a dimly lit, crimson-hued opium den. Vaguely menacing yet seductive basslines and singer Julia Rainer’s enthralling vocals—like a somewhat less demure Hope Sandoval—curl around your ears like tendrils of intoxicating smoke, and oceans of trippy effects and rhythms invite you to sink into the cushions and get waaay fucked up. And then from nowhere, furious and searing psychedelic guitars charge in like a police raid to jar you out of your stupor. Just say no? Naaahhhh … (Michael Alan Goldberg)

311 and Ziggy Marley
7pm, $49.50. Festival Pier.
It was somewhere in the 2004 Adam Sandler knee-slapping blockbuster 50 First Dates that it happened: 311 became the greatest band the world has ever known. In a pivotal scene of love lost, the wistful chords of the Cure’s “Love Song” play in the background. Only it’s not the Cure. It’s 311 bathing the sad-sack vocals and arrangements of Robert Smith’s heartfelt lament in a lime-squeezed pool of beach party funtimes and airy calypso-like vibes. The song’s makeover is striking. And when Sandler’s character Henry Roth comes up with another kooky plan to make amnesia-stricken Lucy Whitmore—played with much confidence and pizzazz by Titan of Acting Drew Barrymore—fall in love with him from one day to the next, and the music swells, you feel blessed at witnessing the union of cinema and music, and begin to understand the true definition of high art. Let’s hope Ziggy Marley—son of overrated political radical Bob Marley—will stand in the stage’s wings each night after opening for 311, and learn how proper, inspirational music is played. (Brian McManus)

Also, World Cafe Live hosts the West African pop, folk, and dub/reggae of Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars [7:30pm/$25-$40]; the North Star Bar’s weekly “New Music Series” welcomes Hard Cider, Practically Single, Argyle Gargoyle, and Fly by Fire [7pm/$5]; and if you go upstairs at the Troc you’ll encounter Fake Problems, Kiss Kiss, and High Lites [7pm/$8].

June 29th, 2009

The Big Jangle, Birds of Avalon, Gondola

June 29th, 2009

“Free At Noon” With Chairlift

God, remember the days when a band would become known because its songs got played on the radio, or their video was in rotation on MTV, or someone would write a really interesting review of their album in a big magazine? Yeah, me either. Now it’s all about getting a song on Grey’s Anatomy, or, better yet, in an iPod commercial. That’s how stars are made. Of course, if you don’t build on the exposure you get from the ad, you’ll forever be known as “that iPod commercial band.” Which is better than not being known at all for anything, ever, I guess. Maybe even beats being known as “that treadmill band.” If I was in a band and got one of my songs in an iPod commercial, I’d shit my shorts with joy for the next eight months straight, regardless of whatever failure might lay ahead or how many friends, family members, and strangers were annoyed by having my song drilled into their head several times nightly (well, stop watching so much TV, nitwit). Which brings us to Chairlift, who are probably still thrilled that their song “Bruises” was chosen to be in an iPod Nano commercial last year, catapulting — or at least gently nudging — them to some level of fame. It’s too soon to tell whether or not that will be the career high point for the ethereal Brooklyn electro-pop trio, but you can find out for yourself if they have the potential to stick around for a while on Friday, when they do an XPN “Free at Noon” show at World Cafe Live. RSVP here.

June 29th, 2009

More Sonic Youth News: Win A Pair Of Tickets To See Them At Electric Factory Thursday

Remember when Sonic Youth’s tour nearly a decade ago was in jeopardy because all their gear—oodles of de-tuned guitars, mountains of rewired effects’ pedals—was stolen? (Complete list of stolen gear here.) We ask because, man, people were even making “Sonic Youth are old” jokes back then. Now, those jokes are par for the course. We made one a couple weeks ago in our review of the groups new and excellent record The Eternal, but, come the fuck on, it’s called The Eternal. (Although that doesn’t excuse the one running in our pages in advance of this show on Wednesday.) Anyway, just when you thought you could put away Evol, Daydream Nation and Dirty LPs, SY pull you back in. And now, their live performance on Fallon the other night as evidence, the guys and gal are more fierce than ever. Thurston has owned his laid back cool for some time, but now, as he climbs up there in years, he somehow wears it better. And we’re loving it. Seriously, if you haven’t copped the new LP, you’re sleeping! At the very least, stream it in the related link below this post. If you want a shot at winning a pair of tics, email us at tips@makemajormoves.com with “I got a Catholic block” in the subject head, and they could be yours. We’ll be picking winners late Wednesday. Philly’s own Kurt Vile and the Violators, now SY label mates, open! Huzzah!

From the vault: Read me and the late Steven Wells debate the merits (or lack thereof) of SY when they came round Philly in June of ‘06. Guess which side Swells was on.

June 29th, 2009

Sonic Youth’s “Eternal” Philly Show

Just got off the phone with guitarist Lee Ranaldo of Sonic Youth, who are coming to town on Thursday to play Electric Factory — it’ll be just the fifth date on their summer tour. I’ll post the entire interview in the next day or two, but Ranaldo did say that the band intends to play virtually the entire new album, The Eternal, at Thursday’s show, in addition to plenty of back catalog stuff. Which is cool, because the album’s really, really good. My favorite review comes courtesy of the New York Times‘ Ben Ratliff (via the paper’s podcast): here

June 29th, 2009

Some Dr. Dog Photos From Saturday’s Brooklyn Show

Here’s a gallery of some great photos of Dr. Dog playing their free show at Brooklyn’s Prospect Park on Saturday night, courtesy of the excellent music photographer Ryan Muir. I thought it was kinda amusing what Metromix New York had to say about the gig:

It seems odd that Brooklyn, the ground zero of today’s indie rock scene, would need to look to a band from Philadelphia to headline Prospect Park’s annual free indie rock night. But that’s exactly what’s happened with Dr. Dog, a scraggly bunch of latter-day hippies who hearken back to the sounds of the Beatles, the Beach Boys and early ‘70s Neil Young.

June 29th, 2009

Party Promoter’s NoLibs Murder Tied To Philly Hip-Hop?

NBC Philadelphia, via the Daily News, is reporting that the murders of 34-year-old party promoter Rian Thal and a male friend Saturday evening in the hallway leading to her apartment at the Piazza at Schmidt’s in NoLibs may be tied to Philly’s hip-hop scene. According to investigators, who found large amounts of cocaine and money in her apartment:

“She was not unfamiliar with drugs, money and rappers,” one investigator told the paper. “She might have been questioned a lot of times.”

“She was down with all different rappers and dope on the edge of the music scene,” said one investigator. “The question is who was she down with recently?”

This could get real ugly for Philly hip-hop as the investigation widens. Stay tuned…