Lantern, Live @ Kung Fu Necktie

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bands to watch, Bathetic Records, concert video, kung fu necktie, Lantern, Lantern band, live music, live philly concerts, Local Philly Band

A Lantern is a device used to illuminate an area desired by the wielder.  On July 11, 2012 the Philly-based rock heavyweights of the same name decided that they wanted to see Fishtown lit up with plain nasty guitar work by both Zach and Emily, bass line trade offs, booming saxophone, hints of harmonica, and steady percussion.  The performance was the first of their summer tour and had the crowd intrinsically hooked.

On the heels of yet another diverse and powerful tape now out of Bathetic Records, Lantern continues to put out fully developed albums in variously intertwined musical dialects. Drawing comparisons would potentially derail clearly seeing the minds that drive the direction of the band for what they are:  immensely talented and original.  This is not half-cocked derivative sound.  We love it and wish concerts were more frequent.  Music needs musicians and sound like this.

I rest my words now and direct you to our videos from the evening below:

Bass Drum of Death, Live @ Johnny Brenda’s

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bands to watch, Bass Drum of Death, BDoD, indie music, johnny brendas, live music, live philly concerts, Mississippi, R5 Productions, Spotify link

Circling in a tight orbit of incendiary sound, Bass Drum of Death alters gravity in the most pleasing of ways for garage rock enthusiasts.  John and Colin create a music of great proportion and interest to those satiated by the genre.  The Mississippi-based BDoD has released their debut LP to positive reviews and we were excited to hear it performed live at JB’s in Philly June 10th, 2012.

++ Bass Drum of Death on Spotify ++

Most every track was covered on the new LP, GB City as was the song White Fright off their tour only DZDR split.  On this evening the band was three strong and the sound was more voluminous from it.  Haunting in their distortion, vocals pierced through the  sludgy electric guitar, bass and drum beat.  BDoD killed it and we are stoked to hear more output from these guys.

Five videos await your viewing pleasure:

DZ Deathrays, Live @ Johnny Brenda’s

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Australia, bands to watch, concert video, DZ Deathrays, DZDEATHRAYS, DZDR, indie music, johnny brendas, live music, live philly concerts, R5 Productions, Spotify link

Listening to the DZ Deathrays album as I peck out this review makes me press the keys with extra ferocity.  The whole delivery is a sonic boom at 1,000 feet and their live set exceeded this.  The Australian band took the stage at Johnny Brenda’s in Philadelphia dispatching a dense fog of drum beats, guitar chords, and effortless vocals.  A clear Death From Above 1979 influence permeate some tracks – the comparison is meant to commend the sound DZDR’s delivers as DFA1979 is one of our all time faves.  Their efforts are finally garnering Pitchfork attention at a time when the sirens have already lured in so many.

++ Spotify Link to DZ DEATHRAYS ++

Immaculate execution on numerous tracks off 2012’s Bloodstreams, DZDR’s left us wanting an encore.  Bones rendered in electric garage punk rock, Shane Parsons and Simon Ridley delivered a thrashed first performance in Philly and one that everyone in the room should remember for a time to come.  Dig some videos we took below:

Mariachi El Bronx, Live @ Johnny Brenda’s

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concert video, johnny brendas, live music, live philly concerts, Los Angeles, Mariachi El Bronx, Mariachi El Bronx Band, Sailor Jerry Show, Sailor Jerry Show Philadelphia, Spotify link, The Bronx Mariachi

Mariachi El Bronx is the Mariachi incarnation of the punk band The Bronx hailing from LA, CA.  After an acoustic set was requested in 2008, the band decided to take it a completely different direction and infused their sound with a very Latin influence – one of the Son Jaliscience typification.  2009 would see Mariachi El Bronx releasing its first of, now, two albums in this style all of which was written and arranged while on tour.

++ Mariachi El Bronx on Spotify ++ 

The current Mariachi El Bronx live setup includes full Mariachi charro regalia and true-to-genre instruments.  There is no faking it and their sound is authentic enough for us.   Mariachi is a genre of music that originated in the State of Jalisco, in Mexico. It is an integration of stringed instruments highly influenced by the cultural impacts of the historical development of Western Mexico.  The band utilized traditional instruments such as the violin, guitarrón, guitarra de golpe, vihuela, guitar, trumpet, and incorporated a tailored set of drums with their logo emblazoned.

The band stays true to its punk attitude though with Matt pandering to the crowd before and after each track as can be seen in some of our videos.  Pretty hilarious. Matt Caughthran, Joby J. Ford, Jorma Vik, Ken Mochikoshi-Horne, Brad Magers, Vince Hidalgo, and Ray Suen put on quite the show and deviate fantastically from your standard show fare.  Truly a sight to behold, get out and support them and check out our videos below:

The Spinto Band, Live @ Kung Fu Necktie

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bands to watch, concert video, delaware, kung fu necktie, live music, live philly concerts, spinto band, Spotify link, the spinto band, the spinto band residency

The Spinto Band is one of those amazing local bands we have caught on numerous occasions but had never filmed.  We finally got our act together and did so the second night of their May 2012 Kung Fu Necktie residency.  What a show it was.  What a band they are.  A shining star rising from the first state, The Spinto Band are definitely one of our favorite bands to come out of Delaware in awhile – and they have been doing so for well over a decade.

++ The Spinto Band on Spotify ++

The six piece consisting of Jon Eaton on Guitar, Nick Krill on Vocals & Guitar, Thomas Hughes on Vocals & Bass, Jeff Hobson on Drums, Sam Hughes on Keyboards & Vocals, and Joe Hobson Guitar & Vocals is not new to laying down catchy tracks.  Now with 14 plus years behind them, The Spinto Band can look back upon a catalog of 10 LPs and multiple EP’s.  The band has hit an energetic stride over the last 6 years and picks up steam with age.  Their new album Shy Pursuit was just released this year.

This residency will see The Spinto Band playing 4 shows at KFN this may and the videos below are from the second.  You still have 2 Tuesdays left to check them out and we strong suggest you do.  Beat the crowd though, they pack the place and a few notes in it is clear why.  Check out some videos because these are worth more than a thousand pictures.

 

The Wave Pictures, Live @ Kung Fu Necktie

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concert video, kung fu necktie, live music, live philly concerts, Moshi Moshi Records, The Wave Pictures, United Kingdom

The Wave Pictures from Wymeswold, England have been making music since 1998 with their first label release coming in 2006.  Through this time, David Tattersall on vocals and guitar, Franic Rozycki on bass guitar, and Jonny Helm on drums (and solo vocals in one song recorded live that evening) have honed their performance and built up a large catalog of music.  April 25th 2012 brought Kung Fu Necktie this solid act fronted by Tattersall who has mastered the guitar solo – almost, if not every, track contained one of varied style.

The band has a Smiths-esque aesthetic to it but it does not come close to defining them.  Their recipe is more complicated than mimicking anything at all.  The previously mentioned diversity in guitar solos ensure that.  There is also a more upbeat feel to the tracks with muted cowbell included on a track or two.  Track lyrics sku abstract and we love it.  Still on tour in the US for a few more weeks, Philly was lucky to catch them on the second show of their Stateside tour.  If you have a chance, go support these guys.  If you need convincing, check out our vids below:

 

Poor Moon, Live @ Johnny Brenda’s

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Casey Wescott, Christian Wargo, concert video, Ian Murray, johnny brendas, live music, live philly concerts, Peter Murray, Poor Moon, Poor Moon band, R5 Productions, Seattle, Sub-Pop

The massively talented quartet Poor Moon consisting of Christian Wargo (Fleet Foxes, Crystal Skulls) Casey Wescott (Fleet Foxes, Cystal Skulls) and brothers Ian and Peter Murray (The Christmas Cards) played JB’s in Philly on April 15th. The band was named for frontman and primary songwriter Christian Wargo’s favorite Canned Heat song and seems to abstractly encapsulate the group’s constitution.

++ Poor Moon on Spotify ++

Now on Sub Pop records, the band produces a hybrid jug band type of music, sans jugs – that is to say, they play a music ripe with tradition and new era instrumentation.  Born out of a long distance exchange of ideas and sounds, Poor Moon has grown into a mature sound that is certainly multi-faceted.  We truly enjoyed their set and are pleased to present you with multiple videos below:

Doomtree, Live @ Union Transfer

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cecil otter, concert video, dessa, Doomtree, laserbeak, live music, live philly concerts, Mike Mictlan, Minnesota, P.O.S., Paper Tiger, pos, R5 Productions, Sims, Union Transfer

Doomtree is an amazing hip hop collective out of sunny Minneapolis, Minnesota.  For those of you who don’t know, Minnesota is chocked full of talented musicians and indie labels.  The Doomtree collective is comprised of numerous adroit Emcees, DJs and Producers:  P.O.S (Stefon Alexander), Sims (Andrew Sims), Dessa (Maggie Wander), Mike Mictlan (Mike Marquez), Cecil Otter (Kyle Smith), Paper Tiger (John Samels), and Lazerbeak (Aaron Mader) comprise the current roster.

I could write a book about these guys.  They are that good.  Instead of doing that, I simply present to you a few videos from their February performance at the Union Transfer in Philly and let you judge for yourselves:

Cheap Time, Live @ Kung Fu Necktie

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Cheap Time, Cheap Time Band, concert video, In The Red Records, indie music, kung fu necktie, live music, live philly concerts

Tennessee-based Cheap Time played Kung Fu Necktie November 17th like a garage rock machine gun.  Running through tracks back to back to back, with pretty much no pause, Cheap Time delivered the goods we thought they would.  Stand out guitar riffs and drums with garage punk vocals.  Jeffrey Novak simply shreds and seeing him live was a treat.  We were amazed at the degree of non-verbal communication in the band and the speed at which they could transition songs in a live setting.  With no hesitation at all they glided through tracks with ease almost running them into each other.  So often this is not the case but with Cheap Time, there was no rest for the weary.  So cool.

Cheap Time (Latest LP) - Fantastic Explanations (and Similar Situations)

Cheap Time mixes the elements of multiple genres including powerpop melodies. glamrock riffs,  with punk rock. The y draw influences from The Runaways, The Idle Race, Alex Chilton, early Redd Kross, The Quick, Sparks and Milk ‘N’ Cookies and have toured with the late great Jay Reatard.  Cheap Time put out their 3rd LP in 2010 and are currently on In The Red records.

The current lineup consists of Jeffrey Novak on guitar & vocals, Stephen Braren on bass, vocals & keys, and Ryan Sweeney on drums.  Cheap Time is a must see and to that end, we have video for you below:

Check out more Cheap Time set video over at LPC on YouTube.

Los Campesinos!, Live @ Union Transfer

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Cardiff, concert video, live music, live philly concerts, Los Campesinos!, Los Campesinos! band, R5 Productions, Union Transfer, Wichita Records

Los Campesinos! from Cardiff, UK rocked the Union Transfer in Philly on November 18th playing to a huge crowd of fans.  An exuberant live performance was displayed performing tracks new and old.  Consisting of Ellen Campesinos!, Gareth Campesinos!, Neil Campesinos!, Tom Campesinos!, Kim Campesinos!, Rob ‘Sparky Deathcap’ Campesinos!, and Jason Campesinos! on this night they also had a guest trumpeter.  Gareth talked to the crowd a fair amount making jokes about the mosh pit and how participants never get laid after the show and about their tour assistant whom he likened to a butler in the nicest verbiage possible.  Besides crowd talk, Gareth delivered the tracks with flair and gusto complementing the diverse sound (definitely not to be classified as twee) coming from the multitude of musicians that comprise the band.  The audience paid it forward singing and clapping along with songs and made a rudimentary go at crowd surfing.  If you like Los Campesinos!, this really was an excellent show.

Los Campesinos! Live @ UT

The band formed back in 2006 in Cardiff, Wales while at University.  Within a few months of forming, they were already touring as the opener for Broken Social Scene.  Since then, the band has released 3 LPs and 2 EPs.  While the word campesino in Spanish translates to “peasant” or “country person,” Los Campesinos! have certainly shed their peasant skin with hugely popular tracks featured in ads and other mass media.

We captured a lot of video from the night so as not to miss anything.  Inevitably, we did miss some but want to leave you with the 9 videos we took.  Enjoy: