Results tagged “reviews”

       

Somewhere in the midst of the Phillies giving us one coronary after another, we lost track of the fact that we went to the Factory a couple Saturdays ago to check out a couple of our favorite live acts, Paramore (MySpace) and Paper Route (MySpace). It's not that the show was forgettable; we just get a little crazy around Phillies playoff time.

Sometimes I wonder what it would be like if my dad was a militant slam poet who used eardrum shattering electronic beats and industrial hip-hop to communicate his message of individualism, anti-conformity and transcending the shackles of racism that have affected him so deeply.

We've lamented—frequently—the craptastic acoustics at the Electric Factory. The warehouse venue has made even some of our favorite acts, who we know are great live performers—The Honorary Title being the most notable example—pretty much unlistenable. Could someone, anyone, conquer the cavernous, metallic echo chamber that is the Factory?

              

We went into the Saturday Night Rebel Rockers show at the Borgata a couple weeks ago—we know, this is long overdue—with a little bit of trepidation. After all, we were really going primarily, if not exclusively, because we're big Counting Crows (MySpace) fans. We were less than familiar with Michael Franti & Spearhead (MySpace), and the one time this Phillyist saw Augustana (MySpace), I was a little...underwhelmed. All told, we thought we'd really rather have just seen a Counting Crows headlining show, but we figured we'd take what we could get—a mishmash of the three bands playing together, swapping members, each individual band (in no particular order) playing its own songs at times. There had been some good buzz on this uniquely-formatted tour, so maybe it was our curiosity getting the best of us, but we weren't really prepared to love the show.

You know you're getting old when the pop stars of your youth have children old enough to be pop stars. As a critic, it gives you a very Statler and Waldorf vibe even before you reach the venue: you just know you're going to be in your seat, muttering incoherently about "these kids today" and their sorry excuse for music, vehemently demanding that they get off your lawn.

We think we've just seen the next movie that people will be quoting at parties.

Apparently it was "90s Alt Rock Radio Weekend" here in Philadelphia. Not only did we have our favorite cornflake girl, Tori Amos, mystifying the Tower Theater, but we also had the Canadian post-grunge quartet Our Lady Peace rocking the TLA on Sunday. The fact that Philadelphians who yearn for the good ol' days could see both these acts on back-to-back nights was enough to bring back many happy memories of flannel and long hair for this Phillyist. And with a newly-formed Alice in Chains hitting Philly Labor Day Weekend, Dinosaur Jr. making a stop in October, and Pearl Jam finishing off the Spectrum with four epic performances, it appears as if those of us who reminisce about the awesome music of the Bush-Clinton era will have our fill this fall as well. Just like those toothy actors in the McDonald's commercials, this Phillyist is lovin' it.

       

Some music is just meant to be played in the summer. The Caribbean-influenced music of Jimmy Buffett, obviously, is summer music. As is the laid-back California surfer sound of Jack Johnson. And when you put those two kinds of music together, you get...Jason Mraz. August is naturally the time of year for music like Mraz's, so we were all in the right frame of mind for last Sunday's concert at Festival Pier. For added excitement, Mraz's primary support was Philly's own G. Love & Special Sauce. Score.

       

When Phillyist decided to cover the Warped Tour, we knew we had a lot to look forward to. We're happy to say that we weren't disappointed. There was a little something for everyone in terms of both music and vendors, both of which were on full display on that sunny day in Camden. We were happy to find the weather cooperating, save for a few light sprinkles that seemed to refresh concertgoers and all in all everyone acted cool, which is always appreciated. Overall we couldn't complain. Oh, except when it came to the $4 bottles of water. That sucked a lot, as did the fact that if you wanted a lineup of the bands to carry with you, that would be $2. And if you wanted a beer, well forget about it unless you had $9(!!!) to pony up. Oh well...on to the rock!

              

As you might have noticed, we were pretty damn excited about the XPoNential Music Festival happening at Wiggins Park in Camden this past weekend. With three days packed full of music, we were more than a little disappointed when unavoidable other commitments rendered us only able to attend the Friday evening portion of the event. Still, we were able to catch a bunch of great music courtesy that evening.

We strolled into Kung Fu Necktie at about 8:15 p.m. last Friday night looking forward to catching Audrye Sessions and Paper Route (MySpace). With the listed starting time being 8 p.m. and one band lower on the bill—initially listed as "TBD"; we found out early in the evening that the opener would be Brooklyn indie-pop outfit The Narrative—we figured that we were safe arriving a little late, that we'd catch the end of the opener's set and then be fit to rock with the bands we were really interested in catching. So we were more than a little surprised when as we walked in we offhandedly asked the bouncer, "The Narrative is on now, right?" and he responded, "No, it's Audrye Sessions."

        

When Reel Big Fish came to the House of Blues Atlantic City, Phillyist was pretty damn excited to be reliving those third-wave ska-punk memories of the mid-90s. We certainly weren't disappointed when RBF took to the stage and commanded their performance with all the fun, confidant, silly bravado we remembered so well. From their opening song, a kick-ass cover of "Take On Me" to the closer, their breakout hit "Sell Out," they owned the entire performance.

The best of the internet, squirted out in flavorful neon globules, just for you.

Despite a record-setting twelve Tony Awards, is really a star vehicle. And by that, we don't mean that it's not an exceptional show; but, it's a deceptively difficult show to pull off, at least in terms of the delivery of its humor. If the actors aren't top-notch, the slapstick can overwhelm the show if not well-executed. So we were a bit skeptical when we learned that the Walnut Street Theatre was doing the show. Without the right balance of indulgence and restraint, the show can go awry—it's a tough balance, even for seasoned performers. So it wasn't really surprising that, after stars Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick departed from the original New York production, audience numbers dwindled; and although the show managed to remain open on Broadway for six years, it ceased being New York's "must see" ticket without its original stars.

Freshness: we has it, in the form of neighborhood food co-ops.

The best of the internet, squirted out in flavorful neon globules, just for you.

Beware, oh industry hipsters.

Get the complete run-down on city employees.

Hail hail the queers are all here: PW celebrates Equality Forum with a Queer Issue.

It's tough to read about pets in dire straights, but important to remember to support our local shelters.

Doesn't get dirtier than the Schuylkill, boat or no.

If we were cleverer we'd have a smart-ass answer to this: What is Philly style?

Don't knock it: Eddie Alvarez goes from Kensington street brawling to Mixed Martial Arts superstar.

Sure we want more, but we're Philly, i.e. we know they'll choke.

We do so wish this was an April Fool's yarn. We're pulling for you Steven.

CineFest/Philadelphia Film Festival time is upon us, and some reviews, including a few of local-based documentaries, are in.

We are drumming Japanese, we really think so: The Kyo Daiko performers bang the drums.

The best of the internet, chopped into tiny bits and grilled for your enjoyment.

A tall, icy glass of our favorite internet junk, just for you.

We're really bad about using Amazon for everything, but we're going to try really really hard to be better. Losing Robin's made us die a little inside.