Results tagged “johnnybrenda”

Fun around town, for $10 or less:

The act I went to review last night, Black Mountain, totally killed it from song one of their set. At first I wasn't sure how well Vernon's stripped down aesthetic was matched with Black Mountain's bombastic psychedelic rock. Yet the common thread between the two was the sense of something spiritual, not in the sense of religion, but in terms of being in touch with spirit and that which lies beneath the surface.

Maybe you're all indie'd out and you're tired of the minimalist, navel gazing shite that got you through this bi-polar winter. Maybe you're tired of smacking yourself in the head, realizing that you could've seen a kick-ass band in the cozy comfort of Johnny Brenda's rather than the hips-to-asses crappy acoustics Electric Factory a year from now. Or maybe, it's Wednesday night and you want to tie one on and rock the hell out like it's Friday.

Fun around town, for $10 or less:

Fun around town, for $10 or less:

Fun around town, for $10 or less:

This was the one show of the year I went to strictly on a friend's recommendation, having never heard of the band. It was worth it. Bradford Cox's creepy demeanor only adds to the show. The droning guitars and heavy drums created a melancholy, fugue-like state that I'd gladly return to next time Deerhunter is in town. There's nothing like going to a concert and leaving feeling like you've just been mindfucked.

Fun around town, for $10 or less:

Fun around town, for $10 or less: Better Than Your Average Recital: Bluebond Music School presents a concert with their adult students at the Balcony at the Troc (1003 Arch), 8:30PM. $8 (21+) Jeff Kessler: Jeff Kessler and Tsunami Rising at Tin Angel (20 S. 2nd), 8:30PM. $10 In Sheep’s Clothing? : We Are Wolves and Pink Skull at Johnny Brenda’s (1201 Frankford), 8PM. $10 (21+) Quizzo Mania: Get your Quizzo on at 12 Steps...

Fun around town, for $10 or less:

Fun around town, for $10 or less:

Enon Tickets
11/5/07-11/9/07

Fun around town, for $10 or less:

It's rare that we get to talk about an indie rock show that features more than one band that we're familiar with and impressed by, but we're getting that chance today. Tonight at Johnny Brenda's both Film School (MySpace) and Eulogies will be playing, along with Cloud Minder and Minipop. Eulogies, on their self-titled release, plays a melancholy (but fun) alterna-pop that one might describe as emo - although we'd rather not, since emo has bad connotations, and we actually like Eulogies. (Download their track "One Man.") The vocals will remind you of J Mascis, and indeed the music has a vague Dinosaur Jr. flavor to it in general. Meanwhile, Film School, on their latest release, Hide Out, are putting out a fun, droning, new New Wave kind of indie pop, with a strong beat and a Yo La Tengo feel, and with brilliant track titles like "Sick Hipster Nursed by Suicide Girl" (a song that manages to be just as excellent as its title). (Download "Lectric," a kick-ass track off Hide Out.)

Country is usually a musical genre we studiously ignore, but Castanets do country that's something else. It's a strange, eerie, sad, atmospheric alt-country, with singer-songwriter and central member Raymond Raposa contributing intriguing, froggy vocals reminiscent of Bob Dylan's, and music that's deep and slow and thoughtful. In the Vines, the latest album from Castanets, is what we're basing these comments on, and it's a pretty interesting album, as it's partially "based on a Hindu fable about being trapped in an inescapable fate, with death and the limitations of our physical lives closing in from all corners." The rest of it is based on Raposa's own odd, wandering life. If that doesn't give you an idea what you're in for with this band, perhaps these tracks—both off of In the Vines—will:

A week ago tonight, OFFICE, quite simply, rocked my face off.

Maybe 2007 has been the blankest year for you. Perhaps you’re not as popular as you want to be. By some mistake, maybe you’re not the starting quarterback.

When we get press releases about bands we've never heard of, we'll occasionally contact our friends in their cities of origin to see if the bands are worth catching when they come through Philly. Chicago-based band OFFICE is one such band. We talked to a friend of ours who used to write for Chicagoist, and he told us that we had to, had to, had to, catch OFFICE, because they were bound to go places, and we needed to check them out before they got too big.

The Cave Singers are a new trio out of Seattle, and their music is being described as "haunting," as "folk music approached by way of punk rock," and as "sparse, melodic, and simultaneously creepy and alluring." Those last two quotes are from Brian Barr of Seattle Weekly, and we have to agree with him pretty much 100%. We've been listening to their debut full length, Invitation Songs, and we're pretty impressed. Particular favorites of ours include the romantic "Helen," the excellent, foot-stomping "Dancing on Our Graves," and the eerie and slightly menacing "New Monuments." If you think you'd like to try these guys out for yourself, well, you're in luck! They're playing Johnny Brenda's this Friday night with Black Mountain.

Some album titles really grab you and stick in your head, and Moo, You Bloody Choir is one of those. It's the latest release from Australian band Augie March (MySpace), and happily, the music on it will really grab you, too. Their lyrics, courtesy of singer-songwriter Glenn Richards, are clever poetry, and their music is pleasant indie rock, with a bounce, a jangle, and even the occasional banjo. Favorites of ours include the whirling, enveloping, romantic opening track, "One Crowded Hour" (which you can see/hear them performing in the video included in this post), and the rocking "Just Passing Through."

Pterodactyl, besides being one of our favorite dinosaurs, is also a pretty kick-ass noise rock trio out of Brooklyn. We've been listening to their self-titled release (which came out near the end of April), and although it's a bit uneven, its slight dips are compensated for by its soaring highs. By which we mean, it can occasionally drift so far into discordance that it's just annoying. But at other times it rocks your socks off. The insane, brutal drumming on "Polio" (one of the album's two really stand-out tracks, along with "Astros") is worth the price of admission alone.

All the way from Glasgow, UK, The Twilight Sad (myspace) bring their brand of loud guitar rock to Johnny Brenda’s tonight. With tracks like ‘Walking For Two Hours’ and ‘Talking With Fireworks/Here, It Never Snowed’ you’ll be taken down hallways hearing echoes of Explosions In The Sky and Mogwai (if either produced tracks with discernible lyrics).

Rachael Yamagata, singer/songwriter, is headed to the Johnny Brenda's tonight. If you can't make it tonight, you can see her on Tuesday, July 24th or Tuesday, July 31st. Yep, that's right - she is playing three times in Philly, a short residency of sorts. Yamagata is known for her dark, raspy alto voice and being highlighted on numerous TV shows and movies. Recently, she contributed a song to Mandy Moore's new CD, Wild Hope. On...

This is just a quick note to let you know that Ben + Vesper are playing Johnny Brenda's tomorrow night, as part of a packed bill of indie rock that also includes MV & EE, Greg Weeks, and Festival. We can't speak from firsthand about all the bands, but we've been listening to Ben + Vesper's recently released full-length All This Could Kill You, and we find it to be a lovely little recording, full of beautiful harmonies and pleasant guitar strumming. Ben + Vesper is another one of those bands that consists of a quirky married couple doing the indie rock thing. And we haven't met one of those we didn't like yet. See if you like them by downloading their song "An Honest Bluff" in mp3 format right here.

It's Thursday. That means, you have to start thinking about what you are doing for this weekend. We are going to be at Johnny Brenda's this Friday night to catch Califone. Honestly we didn't know a lot about this band, but we checked out their MySpace page and dug their music.

You may not know this, but there's a band called The Fucking Champs. They used to be called just The Champs, but they changed their name. How come? Well, swing on by their CAQ (Constantly Asked Questions) and you can find the answer:

Dear Philly-Area Music Lovers:

Although I was at Johnny Brenda's on Friday specifically to review The Comas, I really went because they were co-headlining with The Broken West, who I've been big on since I first heard "Brass Ring," their first single off of . Opening for them was Nethers, whom Pencopal had told me, prior to the concert, that she loves. Unfortunately, either we have more disparate tastes in music than I thought, or Nethers was having an off night. I liked the band's music fine, and thought that their lead singer did kind of suggest Jenny Lewis, as Pencopal had noted, but I found their performance to be a little too low-energy and unpolished. There was nothing interesting or compelling enough to help me see what some of the others in the audience were so psyched about. There's potential there, sure, but not much yet in the way of execution.

Friday night, the boy and I were seeing a show at Johnny Brenda's, and we decided that, rather than the usual food downstairs, we'd branch out and explore the neighborhood. A little bit of internet searching led him to Isla Ibiza, about five blocks down Girard from our final destination for the evening.

a few months ago. So imagine our delight when we discovered that they'd be at Johnny Brenda's tonight. And that they wouldn't be alone, but that they'd actually be with the rather kick-ass band The Comas, who we've only just gotten into but we've discovered we totally dig.