Revering a classic-sound based deeply in garage, psych, rhythm and blues, along with punk and good-ol' fashioned rock n' roll, Philadelphia's Love City is full of love for a time deeply-felt in music that has passed but not moved on, and thankfully so. This recently formed Philadelphia local is currently five-members strong: Jen (keys), Joey (drums), Patrick (bass), Justin (guitar/vocals) and Jamie (vocals), and evidently full of surprises when it comes to their explosive live sets! They were recently tapped to open for larger acts such as Bruce Foxton's From the Jam who play here in the coming months, and Irish-American punks Flogging Molly.
Girl About Town: How would you describe Love City to people who have never heard you before?
Justin: First and foremost, I would say that Love City is a rock n' roll band, but one that's not limited to any specific genre or style. That's the starting point. Then we start adding in our favorite bits of the past 50 years (Psych, Garage, Punk, Soul, Surf, Blues, Rockabilly, etc.) until each song loses any of the influences it may or may not have had. The end result is something that no two people have had the same references for: we always sound like completely different things to different people....and I think that's awesome.
Are you working on an album? or do you plan to?
We're in the process of putting out our first record. It's a 2 song 7" single, which should be completed by mid-September. We recorded it with our buddies Paul and Ryan Cobb at their studio in the 'burbs (one of the songs "Regretting" is on our MySpace page).
After that, we plan on releasing more singles. Albums have their place, but I feel like most bands put them out way before they should and end up with a full record that only has a few worthwhile songs on it. We'll record an LP when we feel confident that it's going to be the best it can be. That or when someone bankrolls the recording! Ha.
What songs will you be playing for the crowd at The Barbary show coming up?
Well, we've got a brand-new one that we'll be unveiling at the show. We're being 'daring' and playing it first. We've also got a song called "Days" that we've only played once before (at the last show) and that's the first song we've written with a 12-string in mind. So, if you haven't seen us in a bit, we've got some new stuff.
What other kinds of shenanigans can the crowd expect?
Funny you ask... We've apparently gotten a reputation for lighting guitars on fire which basically stems from me taking guitars and lighting them on fire. Ha. But now when we show up to venues, they know about this and immediately chastise us.
We were loading our stuff in at the last show, and the venue manager says, "Hey, you guys are Love City, right?"
Yes.
"You're not allowed to light anything on fire tonight."
And that's not the first time, so we'll see what happens on Friday.
What's your favorite thing about Philadelphia?
There's a ton of things I dig about this town; the trees, architecture, history, food, bars....but right now, this band is my favorite, and I think I speak for all of us when saying that.
Don't miss Love City when they play Vice Magazine's sponsored event also featuring Cheeseburger, Yah Mos Def and DJ Psydde Delicious. It's all happening on Friday August 8th at Philadelphia's The Barbary. We'll see you there!
Love City - myspace
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