Results tagged “firstunitarian”

In about a week and a half, singer/songwriter Johnathan Rice is going to be down at Stubb's in Austin, supporting no less a band than R.E.M. at South by Southwest. But luckily for those of us who live up here in Philly and won't be able to make it to the big party in Austin, Rice is currently touring with Matt Costa, and will be a little closer to us tomorrow night, at the First Unitarian Church. (Hope you've already got tickets, because unfortunately the show is sold out!) Why is that lucky? Because Rice is a pretty big talent. His latest album, Further North, released at the end of last year, is a strong collection of indie rock with a bit of an alt-country flavor; the sound reminds us of the Wallflowers and Josh Ritter. The strongest track is probably the supremely catchy "Hard to Believe," but "THC" and "The Ballad of King Coyote" are nearly as excellent. To get a better idea what he sounds like, stream "End of the Affair" in Windows Media Player or Quicktime formats, or check out the video for "We're All Stuck out in the Desert" embedded here. You can also download some free MP3s over at the R5 website, as this show is indeed another R5 production.

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Finally! The Day of Days, only hours away from the Hour of Hours, when the bright and beautiful dawn of the Weekend shall arise above our spellbound eyes, pushing the darkness and decrepitude of the week deep into the recesses of distant memory! Huzzah! Huzzah!

Despite their name, NYC four-piece Vampire Weekend (MySpace) is not a shoe-gazing, emo goth band. In fact, their self-titled debut LP, just released at the end of last month, is perhaps best described as "sunny" - the very antithesis of a vampire's idea of a good weekend. This band, beloved of many blogs (including us), performs bouncy, funny, clever, retro indie/punk/pop/New Wave songs about love. Their music is so fun it feels like there has to be something wrong with it, but nothing is. It's been a while since we listened to an album the first time through, and loved every song on it instantly. (Although of course we did love some more than others; the head-bopping "A-Punk," which they performed live on Letterman just the other night, is the best, and "One (Blake's Got a New Face)" is the worst.) If you haven't got your copy of the album yet, hit the R5 Productions website to download some free MP3s.

It’s almost that time again folks: Compulsory Love Day is next Thursday, so it’s time to stock up on the champagne, chocolates, and condoms. That is, if you have a partner. If not, tradition dictates you sit at home alone, preferably in a battered bathrobe, and eat a quart of ice cream out of the container. If you’re feeling somewhere in the middle of the champagne/battered bathrobe spectrum, here are some ideas to keep you and your beloved occupied for the next week and change.

Fun around town, for $10 or less: Reelblack: Wu: The Story of the Wu-Tang Clan and Chief Rocker Busy Bee: The Architect Vol. 1 at the International House (3701 Chestnut), 7PM. $7 Armed America: Author Kyle Cassidy speaks about his book Armed America: Portraits of Gun Owners in Their Homes at Germ Books and Gallery (2005 Frankford Ave), 7PM. Free Margot & The Nuclear So and So's: Margot & The Nuclear So and So's, Le...

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Fun around town, for $10 or less:

Fun around town, for $10 or less:

Fun around town, for $10 or less:

The Dolce Suono Trio devotes an entire concert to Philadelphia composers, including Ned Rorem, George Crumb, Charles Abramovic, and Curt Cacioppo.

We'll make this short and sweet: Voxtrot (MySpace) is a good band. Their self-titled full-length release is a super-fun disc, full of catchy pop rock. Download a great track from the album ("Kid Gloves" - wherein vocalist Ramesh Srivastava cries, "Cheer me up, cheer me up, I'm a miserable fuck") right here. They're playing an all ages show at the First Unitarian Church this Sunday with 1990s and The Little Ones. Check out the R5 Productions site for more information, and for more free MP3 downloads. Then consider going to the show.

(World/Inferno Friendship Society) (No future scheduled showtimes, however, World/Inferno Friendship Society will be playing a show at First Unitarian on September 21. Tickets are available here.)

You can worship local music down at the church this Friday when local boys Hoots & Hellmouth (MySpace) take the stage, along with Rocky Votolato and Langhorne Slim (a Pennsylvania-born defector to New York). It promises to be a good old-fashioned country-inflected hillbilly ho-down. Which normally wouldn't be our cup of tea. And indeed, the first time we listend to Hoots & Hellmouth's recently released self-titled album (their first), we weren't sure we cared for it very much. Country, after all, is one of our least favorite music genres. But H&H aren't just country. They're part alt-country, part folk, part roots-rock. And during our second listen to their disc, we noticed that our feet were tapping and our head was bobbing uncontrollably to the music. This is catchy, fun stuff with strange, intriguing, and sometimes silly lyrics, as well as a hand-clapping, foot-stomping beat that's undeniable. We're particular fans of the songs "Abattoir Altar Boy and Girl" and "Two Hearts, a Snake and a Concubine," and not just because they have awesome titles. Hoots and Hellmouth weren't named WXPN's Artist to Watch in July for nothing!

Summer is here. The humidity and heat were in full force at The First Unitarian Church Friday night. Though it was a relatively cool night, the body heat of hundreds of teenagers made up for that in the dark, dank basement of the Church. Everyone seemed to be sweating, even the people standing away from the crowd on the sides. Though there were several bands that played Friday night, The Graduate is who we went...

A couple of months ago, we tried seeing The Graduate's concert and we also interviewed the lead singer, Corey Warning. We were very excited for the concert because Anhedonia, their newly released record, was playing non-stop. Unfortunately we missed most of the show, so we promised that we would see them again when they came through Philly. Finally, they will be here at the First Unitarian Church on Friday night. If you hadn't heard...

We told you that we dug Arcade Fire in our preview but we didn't realize how much until we left Arcade Fire's concert on Saturday night. Arcade Fire's show was one of the best shows we have ever been to, hands down. Their mission was, "to uplift fans, combat 'spiritual death' and bring back the hurdy-gurdy." They completed all three of these missions with incredible music, awesome stage presence and an overall kick-ass show....

I have the worst luck sometimes. Seriously. I haven't lost my wallet, keys, or car (it's true I have lost my car - don't ask, it's a long story) for a LONG time, so I guess karma has to bite my ass in other areas of my life. A couple of weeks ago, I sat patiently for two hours to hear Albert Hammond Jr., and by the time they came on, I could only...

The Graduate's debut CD entitled Anhedonia is definitely not lacking what the CD's title refers to. Anhedonia is the loss of capacity to experience pleasure. It usually occurs in people with depression and schizophrenia. This is not what we felt as we listened to their new CD. Again, Philly's music scene is rockin' and this is a show you should run to before The Graduate becomes so big you'll have to buy lawn tickets at...

The Graduate lead singer, Corey Warning

The Graduate
4/16/2007-4/20/2007

Last night, I was reminded again of how damned short I am when I ended up right in the middle of the tallest crowd I've ever seen at First Unitarian Church, where I was to see William Elliott Whitmore, and, to a lesser extent, Red Sparowes. "See" is generous. I heard fine, but mostly, what I saw was a lot of people's backs. And the top of Whitmore's jaunty hat. But that's okay. I've kind of come to expect that from Church shows.

-y.

I have a crush… on a song. This is actually a common occurrence in my life. I love music. I have music playing at all times. I cannot be in my apartment without it on. I can’t drive without music (or be driven somewhere without it). Even when I hate the CD we have to listen to at work, I want it on. This need, coupled with my innate neuroses, means that I often find songs I just can’t stop listening to.

A church isn’t the first place that comes to mind when thinking of indie concert venues. However, the First Unitarian Church proved to be a wonderfully mellow venue for the Tall Firs and Emily Haines and the Soft Skeleton. With the altar pushed to a back corner of the stage and the audience calmly seated in pews, the setting provided an intimate, contemplative, and serene atmosphere for the bands to come.

Emily Haines Giveaway
1/2/07-1/5/07

Tired of sifting through that same-old same-old at your local shops and malls? Get your holiday shopping done tomorrow, flea-market style. R5 Productions is hosting the holiday edition of its Punk Rock Flea Market at the Starlight Ballroom. Almost 100 tables will be filled with new and used fare, from wearable art by local artists to used vinyl and CDs. We find ourselves especially interested in table 56, which promises to be full of "kickass...

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