the week (june 6 through june 9)
it’s summer people. there’s a ton of stuff going on and a ton of stuff being announced, as smaller/local shows fill up their summer weekends and larger touring acts are booking and announcing fall tours. you might have noticed a large scale formatting change to the website — this is something that allows me to update the site faster/more efficiently and hopefully dedicate more time to extra site features, like doing my best to keep you in the know of what’s…
happening this week:
as a collaborative reimagining of the 1979 album ‘the expanding universe’ by electronic music pioneer laurie spiegel, new york-based quartet dither is performing at solar myth on friday, june 7th. dither is comprised of four guitarists who are reworking the classic record, notably sent into space by carl sagan to represent humankind should any other beings in the universe find it. despite being an early adopter of music created via computer, spiegel’s music is timeless and hearing the music played an entirely different way should make for a really exciting night of music.
i like telling people about nourished by time, but i don’t like trying to nail down a genre or style. there are elements of r&b, dance and punk music but it truly feels like music that is occupying it’s own lane. it stands out in that sense, but it also stands out because it’s extremely good, equally parts fun and dance-y while hitting a lot of melancholic and affecting moments. their 2024 record ‘erotic probiotic 2’ is a great level set to check out their music, but their recent ep ‘catching chickens’ continues to show new paths and development of sound. you can catch them at johnny brenda’s on saturday, june 8th with support by urika’s bedroom.
i don’t have a lot to say nor need to say a lot about my recommendation for sunday night. several punk bands, including one called kicked in the head by a horse, are playing at a north philly pizza shop. go, have fun, be punk and happy. eat pizza. you can catch the aforementioned kicked in the head by a horse (from pittsburgh) alongside locals kiande amedha and in jest at philly style pizza and grill on sunday, june 9th.
announced this week:
big announcement of the week is that local diy promoter 4333 collective has announced their collaborative effort with the city to book the free summer concert series at spruce street harbor park. too many hyperlinks for me to create here when you can just go to this link to see how you can see free shows all summer long including bands like chris farren, captain we’re sinking, another michael, hooky, her new knife and many more. big ups to 4333 for holding it down. i saw palm play at spruce street harbor park seven summers ago and for every person who knew who they were, there were fifty more in various stages of joy, enthrallment and confusion. i hope this effort puts some great music in the ears of some willing listeners who in turn will come out to more local gigs.
other things i want to platform and/or don’t want you to miss out on include:
nice little deeply weird gig happening at launderette records on sunday, june 9th with s*glass, emily robb, sailor beware and sinking body. looks to be a mellow night of experimental sound collage, noisey instrumental rock and more. launderette is good vibes, good people and a place you will like to be.
i have long been enamored nyc’s chanel beads and i am incredibly hooked on their most recent music. i am happy to see them gaining enough fans and traction to play a headlining gig at johnny brenda’s on thursday, september 19th. it’s fun and beautiful music that has a specific and special energy that i feel like a lot of people can grasp onto.
similarly, the new vince staples is excellent and deserves your ear time and a potential ticket to his show at franklin music hall on monday, october 21st. vince staples has a lot of swagger and energy but is definitely occupying a niche within mainstream rap music that is more emotionally-centered and thoughtful and the newest record is a clearer illustration of this than i’ve heard from him yet.