|
|
|
The Showdown
Ani DiFranco coaxes atypical sounds from her guitars with her percussive and staccato strumming and picking patterns. Unlike any other performer I've ever seen, Ani also told the audience, "You're welcome," during the cheers after several songs. But she can get away with that because of her dedicated fans that have followed her for 20 years or so. And, of course, Ani also chatted with the audience about politics, genderlessness, and patriarchy. She shared one anecdote about her five-year-old daughter's obsession with gender. Her daughter named each student in her class at school describing each one as "boy" or "girl" until she got to the last student and described her as "both."
Ani opened with the title track from her latest album, ¿Which Side Are you On? (released by Righteous Babe in January), and followed it with another two from that record ("Promiscuity" and "Splinter"). She also played some of her classic oldies like "Fire Door," "Shameless," "Napoleon," and "Coming Up", joking with the audience that she can barely remember how to play some of them. After a discussion about The Alphabet Vs. the Goddess, a book Ani recommended, she shared a new song/poem inspired by the book. Although she played most of the songs with bassist and percussionist, she did do two songs solo ("Rain Check" and "Two Little Girls"). For her two-song encore, Ani played "Both Hands" and "Overlap."
More photos at davetavani.com.
Which came first, the band’s name or its sound? Not sure which is the case with Philly four-piece The Sea 1.jpg)
Around Us, but the two match up immaculately, immersing the listener in a surging tide of lustrous guitar and weblike rhythms, buoying resonant vocals that seem to be both echoing from afar and intimately close. The band recently recorded its full-length debut, Amor Fati, with in-demand local producer Kyle “Slick” Johnson, and it’s a richly ornamented cabinet of eccentric indie-pop wonders. The title is a Latin phrase evoking not only an acceptance but an embrace of one’s fate, a concept touted by Friedrich Nietzsche. The album radiates just such an effusive embrace, sans the philosopher’s bleak nihilism. This is decidedly sunny stuff, albeit with complex subtleties to be found within those beams.
Thu., Nov. 1, 8 p.m., $8-$10, with Jounce, Icewater and The Defog, Milkboy, 1100 Chestnut St., 215-925-MILK, milkboyphilly.com.
When you’re John Vanderslice — exacting songwriter and studio tinkerer of the highest order, a man who used to spend about three months just setting up drum mics — it’s a big deal when you flip the script and make an entire album in three days. The San Francisco indie-pop savant experimented with the brevity thing on last year’s White Wilderness — a collaboration with the Magik*Magik Orchestra that sounds nearly as dense, melodically rich and playfully skewed as his other, more painstaking recordings. Whether or not he returns to his meticulous old ways on the next album, Vanderslice the live performer remains the same: warm, spontaneous, loose, animated and joyful, even when he’s singing paranoia- and pathos-soaked narratives about terrorists, small-town dreamers, crippling depression or Romanian gymnasts. There’ll be no orchestra tonight, but Vanderslice typically brings a couple multi-instrumentalist co-conspirators along for the sonic ride, and we hear Eric Bachmann of co-headliners Crooked Fingers may join them.
Thu., Nov. 1, 9:15 p.m., $15, with Crooked Fingers, Johnny Brenda’s, 1201 N. Frankford Ave., 215-739-9684, johnnybrendas.com.
Every week, Brittany Thomas rounds up the week's sure-bet live shows. This week: Work Drugs, Eww Yaboo, Gemini Wolf and more.
Monday: Ghostly, bittersweet vox from singer Megan Cauley interlace with Michael McDermott's echoing harmonies atop suspenseful, rhythm-heavy electro-pop compositions in Gemini Wolf. The Philly duo will bring a live drummer to the stage this week and fill our Monday with mesmerizing melodies of psychedelic proportions. 8 p.m., $7, Silk City, with A Study in Terror, Juliet Hope Wayne, 405 Spring Garden St., 215-592-8838.
Every week, Brittany Thomas rounds up the week's sure-bet live shows. This week: Tygerstrype, Joe Kusy, Ape School and more.
Thursday: Tygerstrype has a playful and whimisical nature that seems to draw influences from bands like The Drums, but with a passionate approach to creating electronic, reverb-drenched compositions akin to spiritual-sounding groups like Animal Collective or Yeasayer. This week, they'll play a show benefiting local political org Philly Socialists. 8 p.m., $5, The Fire, with Pulling Punches, When Ships Collide, 412 W. Girard Ave., confirm on Facebook.
Every week, Brittany Thomas rounds up the week's sure-bet live shows. This week: Willie Nelson, Charlene Kay, Attic Abasement and more.
Monday:Charlene Kay sings jazzy melodies with a smooth, sweeping cadence that soars with hip-swinging, head-bobbing energy. Not only does she have the voice and instrumental know-how to back the 1940s, gypsy-big-band feel, she's also a showgirl to her core. 7 p.m., $12, North Star Bar, with Jay Stolar, Rebecca Way & Annalise Curtin, 2639 Poplar St., 215-787-0488, northstarbar.com.
Every week, Brittany Thomas rounds up the week's sure-bet live shows. This week: Punch, Far-Out Fangtooth, Sons & Heirs and more.
Wednesday: Far-Out Fangtooth, Philadelphia's own band of ambient punk splendor, will be celebrating summer with a psychedelic BBQ performance featuring veg-friendly foods and mind-bending video projections, all set in Philly's favorite mausoleum. 7:30 p.m., $7-$10 donations, PhilaMOCA, with Dope Boy, Wet Hair and Acid Kicks, 531 N. 12th St., confirm on facebook.
Every week, Brittany Thomas rounds up the week's sure-bet live shows. This week: Leroy Justice, Co La, Mornin' Old Sport and more.
Wednesday: Tomorrow, Mornin' Old Sport will make an appearance in Philly to play jazzy country melodies from their debut album, Your Grandparents Will Jam to These Tracks — an appropriate title for this dreamy 1930s-inspired ensemble. 8 p.m., $7-10 donation, with Liz & the Lost Boys, On the Water, Joey Angel, PhilaMOCA, 531 N. 12th St., 267-519-9651.
View galleryThis was the first year of the Firefly Music Festival, held near the Dover Downs in Dover, Del, and for three days, the music didn't stop. Back-to-back shows featured major players of our generation, including The Flaming Lips, Jack White, Cake, Death Cab for Cutie, The Black Keys, The Killers and more. Tens of thousands surrounded the premises in tent cities where peaceful partiers winded down each night to prepare for the next day's events. Here's a little snapshot of the scene for those who missed it.
Every Monday, Brittany Thomas rounds up the week's sure-bet live shows. This week: Here We Go Magic, Lundi, Rainbow Danger Club and more.
Monday: This fresh-out-of-college group of Southeast, PA natives sing beautifully orchestrated, harmonized melodies about the Delaware River and Pocono Mountains over carefully composed instrumentation. Get them while you can, this will be Lundi's last show before half the band moves off to Boulder, Colo. 8 p.m., $5, Flying Carpet Café, 1841-43 Poplar St., 215)-35-2525.
- Activism
- Arts
- Arts Events
- Books
- Dance
- First Person Fest
- Last Chance
- Museum
- On the Fringe
- Philly Artists
- The Curator
- Theater
- Visual Art
- Arts News
- Artist Profile
- Arts Preview
- Street Art
- Been There, Done That
- Big Ups
- Comedy
- LOL With It
- Stand-up
- Critical Mass
- DVD
- Events
- Friday Fill-in
- Ice Cubes
- In Memoriam
- Interview
- Just Do It
- Just Opened
- Kaleidoscopic
- LGBTQ
- Art Phag
- Mailbag
- Movies
- Film Fest
- Movie Review
- On set
- Scenester
- screening
- trailer!
- Music
- 10 Track Mind
- Album
- Album Review
- Concert Review
- DJs
- Local Support
- Now Hear This
- One Track Mind
- Philly Bands
- Show
- Somebody Else Was There
- Song
- The Showdown
- concert photos
- jazz
- DJ Nights Blogged
- Night Watch
- Now See This
- Poetic License
- Printed Matter
- Radio
- Shopping
- Coveted
- Fashion
- What We Heart
- TV
- 24
- Idol Hands
- Mad Men
- ProjRun
- True Blood
- Useless Lost Recaps
- Couch Potato
- Shore Trash
- Turned ONN
- TopMod
- Video Games
- Free Online Game
- PSP
- PlayStation 2
- The 1-Upper
- Wii
- Web Junk
- CAGE MATCH
- Free Online Toy
- Weekend Omnibus
- Win
