The Pawnshop Roses play the Roots Ramble Festival this weekend in Media, Pennsylvania. The Ramble is a multi-venue, multi-stage event with music starting around 6pm and lasting until 2am. The Pawnshop Roses play the Stephen's on State Street stage starting at 9pm. Other artists on the Ramble include Zydeco-a-Go-Go, the Lowlands and Sleepy LaBeef. The full schedule is here.

The Pawnshop Roses will also see their new EP Versions hit all major online retailers later this month. The EP includes tracks featuring members of Robert Randolph's Family Band and a few songs recorded live at Sun Studio in Memphis. Two of the tracks are streaming now on their MySpace page.

Labels: Pawnshop Roses, Philadelphia

The Pawnshop Roses have had a great evolution over the past year from a killer Philadelphia bar band to one now poised to break onto the national live music scene. In 2007, Pawnshop saw their name appear very high in the Home Grown Radio music charts, get favorable reviews on key sites like Pop Matters and Americana UK, open for national powers Robert Randolph and the Family Band, record at the legendary Sun Studio and develop a growing following for their live shows.

Tonight the band will preview material from their new EP weeks before the national release. The EP includes the Sun Studio tracks and tracks featuring Jason Crosby and Lenesha Randolph of the Family Band. The show is upstairs at the World Cafe Live in Philadelphia with doors opening at 9pm. Cover charge includes an EP!

Labels: Pawnshop Roses, Philadelphia

A name like Birdie Busch is just begging for some pun-ishment, but this Philadelphia song bird is no joke. American Songwriter sums up her music this way "Every folk-pop debut should be as buoyant as Birdie Busch's The Ways We Try. Charming, unpretentious and hooky, it's refreshing for it's simplicity." I couldn't agree more. As you'll hear below her new material fits that same description.

Her new record Penny Arcade is set for a September 25th release and you can preview a cool track here called "Mystical" (mp3). You can catch Birdie this Saturday at the Collingswood Music Festival or check out her record release party at Johnny Brendas in Philadelphia's famed Fishtown neighborhood on Tuesday September 25th.

Labels: Birdie Busch, Mp3s, Philadelphia

You'll recall Janet Reno made her transition from Attorney General to pop culture icon via Will Farrell impersonating her on Saturday Night Live. While Farrell's character didn't have rythm it was always clear that Ms. Reno had soul. Now, the truck driving prosecutor is back in the pop culture spotlight channeling her inner Zach Braff. But, instead of doing a movie soundtrack Ms. Reno decided to put one together for America. Since it's a pretty big country, it makes sense that you'd have to have a pretty big selection (or multiple volumes that we'll no doubt see) to capture the sounds of the nation. Appropriately, Songs of America is a 50 track, 3 cd set.

Of course, any collection that purports to be the "songs of America" has to include John Mellencamp. Under the "little pink houses rule" you gotta have some Mellancamp. Being a student of rules, Reno complies. John contributes his take on "This Land Is Your Land", whose lyrics are even more timely today as certain politicians try to separate the country in two parts.

Also you have to include something about America's hometown. That falls under the "cheese steak rule." Betty LaVette turns in a soulful version of "Streets of Philadelphia" (listen here). For those unfamiliar with Bettye, the Detroit native was on Atlantic Records in the 1960s and toured with greats like Ben E. King, Otis Redding and James Brown. Fast forward to 2007, LaVette released a new record co-produced by Patterson Hood with his Drive By Truckers serving as the backing band. Now that image speaks to where we've come as a nation - a black woman from Detroit recording with a southern rock band in Muscle Shoals, Alabama.

Indeed, Reno captures our societal growth with a diverse lineup. Old Crow Medicine Show, The Blind Boys of Alabama, Martha Wainwright, The Black Crowes, Andrew Bird, and Devendra Banhart are among the artists selected to help tell our story through song. This sounds like something you need to pop into your cd player for a trip across Route 66. Just watch out for the lady in the red pick up.

Labels: Drive By Truckers, John Mellencamp, Old Crow Medicine Show, Philadelphia, PoPolicy, The Black Crowes

The Philly Folk Fest is just one of the many gems on the Philadelphia music scene. The festival is in its 46th year and as always will include some great artists from around the world. Elvis Perkins, who dazzled in Austin during SXSW, will be one of the "must see" sets for this year's event. Doc Watson, Mavis Staples, Jonathan Edwards, the Carolina Chocolate Drops and scores of other great acts are also on the bill. Tickets and full lineup for the Philadelphia Folk Festival are available here.

Labels: Philadelphia

Rage Against the Machine created the expected furor at Coachella last weekend and the Drudge Report seems intent on fanning the flames of controversy. Zach de la Rocha called the Administration "war criminals" and suggested that some be "tried, hung and shot(video here)." Drudge has been featuring a link on the issue ever since, to signal a posturing opportunity for his brethren. Zach apparently has great faith in the First Amendment. However, I won't be surprised in these guys end up in Guantanamo Bay.

My friends The Swear down in Atlanta are set to record new material with producer Ted Niceley. You'll recognize Ted from his work with Fugazi and he's also worked with Girls Against Boys, Tracy Bonham, Dead Milkmen and Tripping Daisy. The new recordings will be a part of The Swear's second album, set for release in fall 2007. The band has already tracked three songs for the record with producer Jeff Tomei (Smashing Pumpkins, Jerry Cantrell). Once recorded, the album will be mixed by Girls Against Boys' Eli Janney, known for his recent work on albums by Garbage, Secret Machines, Ryan Adams, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah!, James Blount and The Rapture. Keep your eyes and ears out for that one.

Downtown Records have been on a roll lately with a slew of great acts including Gnarls Barkley, Cold War Kids and Art Brut. Now they've signed a young Philadelphia soul singer Kevin Michael. BuzzSugar has the scoop.

Mp3 Offerings:
The Clutters: 9999 Ways to Hate Us
We Are Standard: On the Floor
Born Ruffians: Knife (Grizzly Bear cover)
Astrid Swan: They Need You If They Think You Love Them
Land of Talk: Speak to Me Bones

Mott the Hoople frontman Ian Hunter will tour the U.S. in support of his Yep Roc Records release Shrunken Heads. The album is due out May 15th and Ian's first studio recording since 2001's Rant. The record features Wilco's Jeff Tweedy on backing vocals on three tracks as well as an who's who in backing musicians including Soozie Tyrell (E Street Band violinist), Steve Holley (Wings, Joe Cocker), Graham Maby (Joe Jackson, Natalie Merchant, Joan Baez), Jack Petruzzelli (Rufus Wainwright, Joan Osbourne), James Mastro (John Cale), Andy Burton (the dB's) and Andy York (John Mellencamp).

Britney Spears returned to the concert stage last night for the first time in years. The pop tart graced her fans for all of 15 minutes. Some say she didn't even actually sing. Some show goers even paid up to $125 for tickets. But, despite the disappointing short set, the short skirt and Go Go Boots did look nice, at least until you can no longer keep Kevin Federline from popping into your head. No news yet confirming additional tour dates for Britney.

Labels: Britney Spears, Mp3s, Philadelphia, Rage Against The Machine, The Swear

By: David Schultz

At the second of four Tuesday evening shows comprising the New York City segment of The Brakes' dual-city April residency, Zach Djanikian, the youthful lead singer of the Philadelphia based fivesome, won over the chatty crowd populating the Tap Bar of The Knitting Factory with a veteran trick. With the crowd chatter escalating to crudely high volumes over the course of the set, Djanikian calmly began the preface to one of the band's many roots-rock songs, accompanying himself on acoustic guitar. If the noisy crowd irked him, he never let it show. Rather, using just the power of his performance, Djanikian slowly attracted everyone's attention to him, hushing the audience with nothing more than being the most compelling person in the room.

The Brakes' New York City shows fall under the auspices of Relix Magazine, who are recording the shows for a planned release on their label. Although The Brakes fit in nicely with the jammy type music you might expect from any Relix-affiliated group, their well-grounded rootsy feel fits more into a classic rock structure. The guitar duo of Matt Kass and Derek Feinberg give a powerful punch to much of what The Brakes do. Instead of taking their songs down long winding roads, they keep them relatively short, imbuing them with soul that cannot be manufactured. When Feinberg takes center stage to take lead vocals, the music takes on a harder, more traditional rock and roll edge. They can also pull out a couple of instrumental surprises such as keyboardist Adam Flicker's surprising trumpet solo.



The Brakes' songs have a universal appeal but could easily find a market amongst the high school and college age set that could push them right into the mainstream. That's not a destiny that seems to be carved into stone. The Brakes seem like a relatively young band that's continually evolving; there's room for them to grow in many different directions. They'll learn from their mistakes too. In introducing their cover of Tear For Fears' whiney "Everybody Wants To Rule The World," they acknowledged that the song predated them. If so, they can be forgiven for reviving a song that was insufferable even when it was popular.

The weekly shows at The Knitting Factory are being termed a residency, a term that's getting thrown about quite liberally these days. The hectic touring schedules of most bands now seems to make any multiple set of appearances at a venue comparable to The Allman Brothers Band's 2 ½ week runs at the Beacon Theater or Eric Clapton's month long stints at Royal Albert Hall. The Brakes' series of Tuesday shows at The Knitting Factory and corresponding Thursday night shows at Milkboy Coffee in Ardmore, PA may not be residencies in the true sense of the word, after all, they are moving out after each performance, but if the New York City shows are any indication, The Brakes are making these venues their home.

The "residency" continues with have two more dates left at The Knitting Factory (April 24, May 1) with a show at Milkboy Coffee (April 26) in between.

Labels: Knitting Factory, Live Reviews, Philadelphia, The Brakes

By: David Schultz

Not Midwesterners, the confusingly named Illinois seem ready to rise above such pithy discussions over their geographically inapposite moniker. With What The Hell Do I Know?, their recently released EP, and their subsequent buzzworthy performances at this year's South By Southwest, the rawboned rockers' music has become omnipresent on the Internet, even if Google tends to divert interested parties to Sufjan Stevens or Fighting Illini web sites. Earlier this week, Illinois, who hail from the Philadelphia suburbs of Bucks County, Pennsylvania, came to the equally misnamed Cake Shop - they don’t have cake or any other deserts for that matter - for a brief Monday night set.

Fronted by Chris Archibald, who rotates between guitar, keyboards and most interestingly, banjo, Illinois played a hard hitting set that possessed an edginess and excitement that doesn't immediately come across from the mp3s circulating around the blogosphere. Illinois focused their set on material from their current EP, playing with such fervor that many of the songs didn't end; they just ran out of steam. The gloriously ragged band matched their surroundings perfectly.

Named one of ten best rock clubs by Playboy magazine, Cake Shop, a basement dive with an excellent beer selection, makes up in attitude and intimacy what it lacks in nearly everything else. The place emits a distinctly Lower East Side charm even if the dimensions posed some unique difficulties for guitarist Andrew Lee who managed to get his guitar tangled in the Christmas tree lights that decorate the low ceiling of the stage. To get the distanced megaphone sound Illinois applies to a couple of their songs, Archibald uses a modified mike gimmicked into a phone. On a larger stage, it gives a nice theatrical effect, matching well with the lyrics; in Cake Shop's basement, only those up close really caught the stagecraft. Plus, Archibald didn't quite need it to get the subtly distorted effect; the Cake Shop's sound system is far from first rate.

The excitement of Illinois' live performance far exceeds their recorded output, which is but the tip of the iceberg of their vast catalog. Archibald is an entertaining front man, showing his charisma while bantering with some friendly hecklers. His banjo gives Illinois something radically different: Archibald uses it as an instrument of rock and doesn't trying to force a bluegrass or country twang where it doesn't belong. Without a trace of hillbilly, Archibald works the banjo nicely into the mix with the rest of the band, meshing really nicely with often time band mate Kyle Goldbach's Dobro. When not providing backing vocals with bassist Martin Hoeger on the Sixties-pop "Screen Door," Andrew Lee retreats into himself, dry humping his guitar while cranking out heavy riffs. Perched above his drum kit, JohnPaul Kuyper keeps the beat with his entire body, his body moving herky-jerkily in time with the band. He comes at his kit from nearly every angle, the most intriguing being his affinity to sideswipe the drums.

Recently signed to Ace Fu Records, Illinois will play some sporadic shows along the east coast before heading out west to commence a cross-country tour opening for The Kooks.

Labels: Cake Shop, Illinois, Philadelphia

I don't know why Britney Spears checked into rehab and don't know if Anna Nicole Smith was murdered, but I do know that while much of the pop culture world is focused on these two stories there is some music being made worth checking out!

SXSW announced its official lineup yesterday and as always have some great bands lined up to play. Their official shows include Iggy Pop and the Stooges and scores of other great bands starting Wednesday evening March 14th. But, if you get into town early be sure to check out the Earvolution day party at Emos with our own impressive line up as well. It's free - and with free beer for those of age!

Jackson Browne and music magnate David Geffen have jumped on the Barack Obama train. They were part of a star studded fundraiser for the Illinois Senator's Presidential campaign that took place in Hollywood last night. The admission price must have been astronomical! Just once I'd like to see a Presidential candidate have a beef-n-beer or spaghetti dinner for like $5 at a local fire hall or something. I know, I know...that'd be toooo democratic for our version of democracy.

The band Saving Jane are the latest group to embrace the Web 2.0, fan participation craze. They are inviting fans (or anyone I guess) to submit artwork for their upcoming record tentatively titled One Girl Revolution. And, since it is a tentative title you can even suggest a new one. If your concept is chosen, the band will list your name in the credits and some other gifts. Details here.

Illinois, a band from the greater Philadelphia suburbs, is putting out a new EP this spring on Ace Fu Records called What the Hell Do I Know?. They are set to hit the road in March in support.
MP3: Screen Door

The VH1 Rock and Roll Poker tournament will air on VH1 classic on March 14th. Players placing bets this year include Vinnie Paul of Pantera, Ace Frehley of Kiss (without makeup), Dusty Hill of ZZ Top, Sully Erna from Godsmack and Scott Ian of Anthrax. Looks like the Texas Hold' em fad is still going strong or Scott Ian needed another excuse to be on a reality show!

Brooklyn's The Subjects released a new record yesterday called With the Ease Grace Precision and Cleverness of Human Beings. The title alone is worth a mention. Check out the mp3 and decide if they pass or get a failing grade?
MP3: I Could Never Tune

Labels: Mp3s, Philadelphia, SXSW

Snow Patrol won four awards at Ireland's Meteor Music Awards last night. The lads won Best Live Performance, Best Irish Album, Most Downloaded Irish song, and Best Irish Band - beating off competition from The Divine Comedy, Humanzi and The Frames. Justin Timberlake was named "Best International Male" and Lily Allen was named "Best International Female". Scissor Sisters scooped the award for "Best International Group" and "Best International Album" went to Arctic Monkeys for Whatever People Say I am, That`s What I'm Not.

Mariah Carey is showing off her boobs on the cover of this month's Playboy. Yep, we don't care much either. But, anytime you can put "Mariah Carey", "Playboy" and "boobs" in your post there's a good chance the google gods will smile in our direction.

Billy Joel, Keith Richards and Elvis made Blender's list of rock's worst drivers. Apparently Richards used to have a "napping while driving" habit. Hopefully he sticks to limos these days.

Arcade Fire has now joined Fall Out Boy as the latest indie rockers to duke it out with security guards. NME reports that front man Win Butler scuffled with a security guard after a recent gig when the band wanted to play one more song...in the venue's foyer. In an era where concerts have gotten shorter, I've got to tip my hat to this guy for going the extra mile to give fans something extra to remember.

Philadelphia's Dr. Dog have caught the national media's attention with their upcoming release. High praise is coming from no less than Rolling Stone and GQ (what, GQ reviews music?) and CREEM Magazine. We All Belong drops on February 27th, but you can check out Dr. Dog's video for "My Old Ways" on MTV.com starting today and on MTV2 "Subterranean" on Sunday, February 4th.
MP3: Alaska

Death Cab for Cutie frontman, Ben Gibbard recently wrote a blog entry about The Birmingham Sound: The Soul of Neal Hemphill (a collection of unreleased recordings from Neal Hemphill's Sound of Birmingham and Hemphill Studios) on his MOG.com page, calling it "the best soul music you've most likely never heard."
MP3: "Groove Me Mamma" by Eddie Steele.

You may remember Andrew Douglas Rothbard from his vocal work in Sub Pop rage-rockers Pleasure Forever. After the group disbanded, Andrew disappeared from "the scene" to work on his solo material. His album Abandoned Meander was on Aquarius Records' top ten of 2006.
MP3s: Bull in the Dell, "High Upon Love" & "Indigo"

Labels: Arcade Fire, Arctic Monkeys, Billy Joel, Justin Timberlake, Lily Allen, Philadelphia, Playboy, Scissor Sisters, Snow Patrol, The Rolling Stones

Van Halen reunion with Roth? E! Online reports that a deal could be signed as early as today for a 40 city tour. An email I sent to Eddie Van Halen's rep on the West Coast this morning is unanswered. Given the time difference, I'll update later if this is confirmed.

MTV UK reports that Amy Winehouse and Jamie Callum were among a group kicked out of a London bar last night. The same report cites the Sun as saying that Jarvis Cocker and Ronnie Wood were also part of a group hanging around the bar's piano and apparently making too much noise for management. Perhaps the managers didn't realize they had the "next big thing" in their presence?

Speaking of Ronnie Wood if you've ever wanted to "jam with the Stones" as Spicoli would say, the next best thing might be a rock fantasy camp. Wood is reported to be among the instructors for a rock school that would also include Cream bassist Jack Bruce, Procol Harum singer Gary Brooker and Spencer Davis. Gigwise says that students paying the hefty tuition fee will also be taken to a recording session at Abbey Road Studios and play a gig at the Cavern in Liverpool.

Fall Out Boy is reportedly the latest victim of a leaked record. Pete Wentz told NME, "This isn't the end of the world, (but) it certainly feels pretty terrible." The band will reportedly add a bonus track to the official release to encourage fans to pay for the official version instead of downloading the leaked tracks.

Rumors are flying about the Who playing the monster Glastonbury festival. Artic Monkeys, Bjork, the Killers, Razorlight and the Smashing Pumpkins are also being tossed around as possible bands on the bill. Speaking of the Who, I read somewhere the other day that Pete Townsend sort of apologized for saying bands like the Stones were too old to tour anymore [insert your own "hope I die before I get old joke here].

I just got this mp3 from Chicago's Dearborn so I haven't had time to fully digest it. But, it sounded decent on a first listen and Jambase says: "Want to see a great rock band and dance your ass off? Then go see Dearborn, a rock and roll quartet from Chicago that knows how to blend killer riffs and catchy melodies with funky dance beats and flat-out grooves. This isn't emo, this isn't metal, this isn't prog. This is straight-up rock, and it's not to be missed." So, check them out!
MP3: Already Down

Philadelphia's Dr. Dog is readying their new release. We All Belong will be released in February and the band, who in the past have toured wth Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, My Morning Jacket and other big names will embark on their own US tour. Label mates The Teeth will be on many of those dates.
MP3: My Old Ways

The Ataris new record, Welcome the Night, drops on February 20th. I'm told that it is a bit of a departure from their previous stuff and that the record was produced by Nick Launay (Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds / David Byrne). If you listen carefully you may here hints of The Pixies and Sigur Ros.
MP3: Connections Are More Dangerous Than Lies

Labels: Amy Winehouse, Arctic Monkeys, David Lee Roth, Dr. Dog, Pete Townshend, Philadelphia, The Teeth, The Who, Van Halen

Fresh off playing a few shows with the Strokes in the midwest and hitting Cornell Univeristy this weekend, Philadelphia's Dr. Dog will be back in the City of Brotherly Love readying for a Park the Van records show case with label mates the Teeth, National Eye and Rifle Nice next week.

If you haven't seen it yet, Dr. Dog's new video for "Fools Life" is currently a featured video on MTV2.

Labels: Dr. Dog, Philadelphia