Category Archives: TVD Philadelphia

The female four-piece look to carry the torch as the next great post-punk revival band for a new generation.

“Savages’ intention is to create a sound, indestructible, musically solid, written for the stage and designed with enough nuances to provide a wide range of emotions,” reads the first line to the fmanifesto posted by the group. The UK band has been making waves since their double A-side single released last year. Now with the debut of their full length LP, Silence Yourself, the band is set to introduce themselves to the United States and Canada in July.

Since 2011, the band has released an impressive amount of work, including a pair of singles, an EP, and now a full length album—all of which, especially the latter, manage to capture the energy and emotion of their live show surprisingly well.

With a busy Spring and Summer already mapped out through Europe, Savages embark on just nine dates through North America. From July 11th through July 23rd they make their way from New York to Los Angeles.

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As a part of their weekly Tuesday Tune Out series which combines bands and film, PhilaMOCA is bringing two of the city’s younger, more promising acts together this week.

Located in a former showroom for mausoleums and tombstones, as well as Diplo’s former headquarters for his label Mad Decent, PhilaMOCA is gallery and show space located on 12th Street just north of Spring Garden Street. The group behind it are a “not just for profit” whose goal is to provide Philadelphia and the arts communities with new and interesting exhibits and performances. They also host a number of great, small concerts each month.

Every Tuesday the gallery hosts an event titled Tuesday Tune Out. The idea behind it is simple, two bands play and then a movie is shown. Each month they hand select a different prominent member in the music community to curate each week’s show. The chosen individual picks which bands play and the bands then select what movie is shown after they finish performing. While the acts are announced weeks before their date, the movie is not. Only attendees will know which movie the bands select.

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Philadelphia’s biggest indie dance party, Making Time returns this month, bringing English dancepop star Little Boots and Brooklyn indie rockers Beach Fossils together at Voyeur on Cinco de Mayo eve.

It’s going to be a big day for England’s Victoria Hesketh, aka Little Boots. For starters, she stops in Philadelphia at the midway point in her short, six date US tour. It’s also the weekend before her new album, Nocturnes, is released. On top of all of this, it’s her birthday! Any one of the aforementioned would be reason to get down in the city of brotherly love, but combine all three in a hot, sweaty nightclub whose doors stay open past curfew, and you’ve got one night not to be missed.

Joining Little Boots for the night are Brooklyn four-piece Beach Fossils, fronted by founder Dustin Pasyeur. Like Little Boots, Beach Fossils are also celebrating their sophomore release, now a few months old. Mysterious Italian DJ duo, Tiger & Woods round out the bill of non-resident artists performing.

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This Sunday, the Northern Liberties bowling alley will bring together over 30 vendors for their first ever record fair.

Located on North 2nd street in one of Philadelphia’ hottest neighborhoods sits North Bowl. On any given night you’ll find their lanes filled with happy bowlers and drinkers alike. (Did we also mention their amazing selection of tater tot variations?)

In celebration of Cinco de Mayo this Sunday, the good folks at the Bowl have put together a special event for vinyl collectors and those looking to celebrate the holiday. From 2PM to 6PM the bowling alley will be throwing its first Cinco de Mayo Record Bazaar Swamp & Sale featuring a large number of vendors, a mariachi band, a PBR sponsored slipmat design contest, and taco/drink specials.

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John Butler Trio, Dawes, and Dr. John are among the list of artists who have been added to the three-day festival hosted by the nationally-recognized leader in Triple A radio, WXPN.

Prior to this week, the only known artists to be playing this year’s XPoNential Fetsival were Dr. Dog, The Lumineers, Policia, and Wake Owl. All four bands are playing at the Susquehanna Bank Center on July 27th and a ticket to the festival includes admission to the lawn section at the show.

Earlier this week WXPN shared the full lineup with the world, and this year as with every year, it features an eclectic mix of artists young and old, ranging from local to legendary, and everything in between. On top of that, the festival has partnered with the Susquehanna Bank Center to allow fans access to lawn seats for Bob Dylan’s “AmericanaramA” tour when it stops by on July 28th.

The weekend long festival is returning July 27th–29th to Wiggins Park, located directly across the Delaware River in Camden, New Jersey. It’s the 9th consecutive year for the waterfront location and second consecutive year of a partnership with the neighboring Susquehanna Bank Center. John Butler Trio, Dawes, and Dr. John top the list of over 15 new additions. Other highlights include rising singer-songwriter Michael Kiwanuaka, indie folk group Lord Huron, and bluegrass revivalist veterans Trampled By Turtles.

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Main Street Music, Siren Records, and AKA Music are all hosting special in-store performances to help celebrate vinyl collectors’ holy day.

This Saturday marks the annual gathering of record collectors across the globe to celebrate all things vinyl. It will mark the holiday’s 6th anniversary since its creation in 2007. Record stores in countries around the world will be hosting special in-store parties, events, and performances to coincide with the holiday. Record companies and artists have come to embrace it as well by pressing limited variations, repressings, or special releases specifically for the day.

While shops in and around Philadelphia are all having their own unique events, three have decided to up the ante. Main Street Music, Siren Records and AKA Music are all giving attendees free, exclusive in-store performances with artists like Billy Bragg, Restorations, Plow United, and Generationals. We’ve put together a short list of who’s playing where tomorrow and at what times.

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The Charm City folk group and Philadelphia-based non-profit label Human Kindness Overflowing have come together to help raise money and awareness for communities in need.

In a city whose music scene is about as diverse as diverse gets, Baltimore’s Soft Cat carefully craft a beautiful blend of delicate, woodsy folk music that shines on their sophomore effort Lost No Labor, which was released just last week. An album three years in the making, it was released via Human Kindness Overflowing, a unique label based in Philadelphia that partners with artists to help raise money and food for those in need. All of the proceeds from the album will be going towards Whitelock Community Farms in Baltimore, MD.

Soft Cat was once the experimental bedroom project of Neil Sanzgiri. In 2010, Sanzgiri released his debut album Wildspace on local label Friends Records. It focused on the abandoned, forgotten areas in cities that are often overlooked, yet where communities continue to grow. Sanzgiri, then a recent transplant to Baltimore, wrote and recorded almost the entirety of the release, enlisting the talents of other musical friends to help perform it.

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On April 17, the historic Trocadero Theatre in Chinatown will play host to the first showing in the country of the documentary showcasing the roller-coaster ride facing independent record stores. 

Year after year, the headlines seem to repeat themselves: despite an overall decline in music sales, vinyl record sales are on the rise. For well over a decade now, the music industry has struggled to keep up with the changing times, and thus, its growth has suffered greatly, yet somehow the sale of physical records increases.

The documentary Last Shop Standing delves into just this: how local, independent stores far and wide have managed to keep a steady course despite contemporary hardships and economic decline.

Just days before local shops around the world partake in the yearly celebration of vinyl records and independent record stores known as Record Store Day, the Trocadero Theatre will host a special showing of Last Shop Standing. It will mark the debut for the film in the United States. The movie has already made its way around Europe, garnering rave reviews from critics. Mark Searby of MTV UK called it “an essential watch,” and Stevie Chick of MOJO described it as “punchy and engaging.”

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