girl about town

Travis and The Republic Tigers at The TLA, 4/24/09

  

Above photos of Republic Tigers by D. O'Toole & C. Marcoux 
 
 
 
 
 
Above photos of Travis by D. O'Toole

This past Friday night at the TLA here in Philadelphia, Kansas' The Republic Tigers did a bang-up job of warming up the crowd and were the perfect match to tour headliners Travis. The group had their own ecstatic fan-base, and gaining momentum song after song, they had heavy audience clapping, and sing-along reprise to their popular track "Buildings & Mountains". The band left the stage to their left-of-center version of Blondie's "Heart of Glass". Hearing lead-singer Kenn Jankowski's usual dark vocals go into a high falsetto, was a fun surprise, and the band left the stage on a high note.

Thanking the house and a close to capacity crowd for "remembering The Trav'", lead singer Fran Healy and the members of Scottish group Travis bounded into a song from their sixth studio album "Ode to J. Smith" as part of their opening set. The album itself has been Travis' first independent release from their label contract with Independiente. The album has been a great success for the band, and one that has musically been compared to the 'rock feeling' of their first album "Good Feeling". The band gave the whole set their animated best, wowing the crowd with everything from Fran's trademark singing within their crowded but welcoming audience, even taking time to dance with a local lass and shake hands, as well as jumping off of the band's Orange amps to emphasise songs being played. The set list was over the top and covered hits and tracks from the beginning of their discography to their most recent release. To great crowd applause it was announced that "All I Wanna Do Is Rock" (from Good Feeling) had been added back into the band's live repetoire. "Flowers In the Window" became the touching encore closer, with the band getting the crowd to sing along to lyrics, while all members came to the forefront to take part; Dougie Payne (bassist, singer) and Andy Dunlop (guitar, banjo, backing vocals) each taking turns on Fran's guitar--Andy holding the fret, Dougie strumming and Fran leading the group chorus. A fantastic night, with a band who really loves their audience and shows it on so many levels--come back soon Trav'!

Travis - band site / myspace
The Republic Tigers - chopshop records / myspace

Bob Mould - North Star Bar, 4/3/09

 
Bob Mould photo by John Vettese

Looking every bit his 48 years with full grey beard and glasses, don't count out Bob Mould just yet.  Proving that he is as relevant as ever, Mould played a solo electrified set to a packed house last night at Philadelphia'a North Star Bar.  The Husker Du and Sugar guitar legend has been making solo records for twenty years now (starting with the acclaimed "Workbook"), leading us to his latest album "Life and Times", due out on Tuesday April 7th.  And while it may seem strange to think of Mould playing solo for the crowd without a full band, it's not far fetched since that's the way Mould typically works - writing, producing, and recording his songs by himself (with the exception for this album of Jon Worster of Superchunk on drums).  Mould's guitar work is so rich and satisfying that you don't really miss a band all that much anyway, especially in light of an intimate venue like the North Star.  Of course there are two sides of Bob Mould as seen in his body of work: the angry, brooding punk and the more introspective sensitive soul, heard more often in the newer songs.  "I'm a kind soul now, I've gotten all that out of my system....kinda", Mould cajoled the crowd.  You would never know that by the way he tore into the songs of his set, with an intensity only explained by the ferocity of his music and the depth of his lyrics. 

Opening with "Wishing Well" (from aforementioned "Workbook"), Mould played much of his iconic songbook that still heavily resonates with the Gen-X crowd: "Hoover Dam", "See A Little Light", "Poison Years","Brasilia Crossed with Tenton", "Circles" (from 2005's "Body of Song"), "The Silence Between Us" (off last year's "District Line"), and "Your Favorite Thing".  The main set was also peppered with brand new songs, such as "Life and Times", "The Breach", and the self-admitted best song Mould's written in a long time "I'm Sorry, Baby, But You Can't Stand in My Light Anymore".  Mould explained that the new album is more somber than his usual body of work, promising the crowd one more new one "and then we'll rock".  As promised, Mould switched out his acoustic for his favorite blue Strat from the 80s and let loose.  Afterwards, Mould played an encore of four crowd favorites (including three from Husker Du days): "I Apologize", "Celebrated Summer", "If I Can't Change Your Mind", and "Makes No Sense At All".  At that Mould gave the crowd a double thumbs up, no doubt pleased with the energy in the room and the response to both the new and old songs.  Mould was gracious and hung out with fans after the show, signing merch and chatting it up with Girl About Town.  We were excited to learn that Mould is working on an autobiography due out next year, and he will be back in Philly this coming October presumably with a full band in support of "Life and Times". 

 
Bob Mould and Girl About Town's Carly Marcoux

Bob Mould - band site / anti / myspace

Streets of Glasvegas - The Note, 3/27

 

Scottish phenomenon Glasvegas, hot off their triumphant SXSW shows, are conducting their third tour of the US while making their way to Coachella in mid April.  Stopping last night in West Chester, PA - or Philadelphia, as frontman James Allan called it no less than five times in references and thank you's - the band played a glorious show to a sold out crowd at The Note, Bam Margera's new-ish rock venue.  Primarily a college town, the show was advertised as all-ages but was mainly packed with the over 30 set, eager to see Glasvegas on their meteoric rise due to growing popularity in the US.  Combining Phil Spector influenced wall-of-sound with 50s doowop melodies, Glasvegas is poised to win over fans with their bleeding heart lyrics, bruised vulnerable delivery, and gut wrenching shoegaze sound.  James on guitar and vocals cuts a convincing figure, evoking the spirit of Joe Strummer while fronting a band of equally-vintage looking characters: Rab Allan on guitar, with his brooding stature and pompadour, Paul Donoghue on bass, and the lovely Caroline McKay on drums.  Opening with "Geraldine", it was clear that the crowd knew every word and wasn't going to let up all night.  Indeed this was the case, with James being visibly blown away that the crowd sang all the words to "Go Square Go", the band's most rousing anthem, and the show closer "Daddy's Gone", which the band stopped playing for a bit so the audience could sing aloud, knocking James to his knees with a chuffed expression.  Indeed James was humbled all evening, sincerely thanking the fans for coming to see the band live, and even attempting Springsteen's "Streets of Philadelphia" during the intro to "Flowers and Football Tops" as a goodie for the fans.  Did the band know that they really weren't in Philly? All we could think was that Glasvegas probably didn't know where West Chester is and their manager said "Near Philly".  We don't know any Scottish towns either so we will cut them some slack.  Overall it didn't matter where you were because the show was brilliant, with a non-stop attack of songs from their debut self-titled album including "It's My Own Cheating Heart that Makes Me Cry", "Lonesome Swan", "Polmont on My Mind", "S.A.D. Light", and the slow stunner "Ice Cream Van".

Don't miss Glasvegas as they perform on Live with Jimmy Fallon this coming Monday night, and if you are really lucky you can see them open up for U2 this summer in the UK.

Glasvegas - band site / columbia / myspace

Anya Marina, live at Johnny Brenda's - 01/21/09

 
Anya Marina photos by Jeffrey Sidelsky - Marina poses with S&SSpii

Los Angeles based Anya Marina was recently in town for a full week traveling back and forth on the East Coast, hitting Philadelphia not once, but twice (both at The Tin Angel as support for Greg Laswell and Jenny Owen Youngs, and then later in the week at Johnny Brenda's as support for Lissy Trullie and The Virgins) in support of her sophomore release "Slow & Steady Seduction: Phase II" (Chop Shop Records/Atlantic) which was produced by San Diego Louis XIV rocker Brian Karscig. What was Anya's favorite thing about Philadelphia? Not surprisingly, as with her music--she was inspired by "the drama" of being in a new place. While she was in town, a friend rescued a dog caught in an icy lake, and later she was awoken at 5:30am by a fire alarm and had to evacuate her hotel room, but was excited to tell us that, overall it was fun and she loved Chestnut Hill and found solace in a new favorite local cafe (Chestnut Hill Coffee Roasting Co.) for some R&R after all of the drama....never a dull moment!

Anya Marina photos by Jeffrey Sidelsky 

For those who were able to catch the beguiling musician at JBs--it was the glimpse of Anya's naivete and charm, coupled with the resolve of a strong solo performer, that caught her listeners off guard. She shone through it all on stage, and roping in an otherwise talkative and unsure audience, to engage them in her songs and demeanour, Marina was able to let loose as her set progressed using her guitar and some pre-programmed beats to liven up her solo performance. With her track "Two Left Feet" she made heads bob in unison to the song's lyrics, guitar and inventive foot-stomp beat--the song itself remaining one of her catchiest throughout the set, maybe as fun, or a distant cousin to The Ting-Tings infectious track, "That's Not My Name". Spoon's Britt Daniel had a hand in recording, production and mixing on the album, and not surprisingly tracks like "Drop Dead Blues," and "High On the Ceiling" sound like his work certainly had a sometimes dark and inspiring turn on the direction of the songs here to great effect. Marina's voice is lush, and salty like a siren's song, running somewhere between that of Liz Phair, Juliana Hatfield or the slow hush of an Elliott Smith number; and once you've heard the songs of Anya Marina they won't be mistaken for anyone other.

Anya Marina - band site / chop shop records / myspace

Ted Leo at the Barbary, 12/14

 
Photo by John Vettese

Indie veteran and would-be generational spokesman Ted Leo performed an intimate and solo set without his Pharmacists at The Barbary on Sunday evening.  Drummer Chris Wilson was in the audience with about 100 lucky fans who witnessed Leo at his best: witty, funny, intense, humble, and ever the storyteller.  Leo played a long set list with just his voice and his plugged-in Gibson, and engaged the crowd with lots of conversation, much of it personal musings on everything from getting speeding tickets to eating at vegan diners.  He kept the political banter to a minimum (albeit he couldn't resist laughing over the shoe-throwing villian that attacked President Bush).  Besides the banter, Leo played lots of our personal favorites within the hour-and-a-half set: "Where Have All the Rude Boys Gone", "Me and Mia", "Bleeding Powers", "A Bottle of Buckie", and we were really stoked that he played "Little Dawn" with his guitar blazing.  Leo also played two new songs which we dug, and several covers - "Angelfuck" from The Misfits, "Do Anything You Wanna Do" from Eddie and the Hot Rods, and the very enjoyable "Dancing in the Dark" by kindred spirit Bruce Springsteen.  Too bad we couldn't get up on stage and dance like Courtney Cox (but we thought about it!).  The show left us pretty floored, as if Leo was just hanging out in our Living Room with friends.  Come to think of it, Leo can play in our Living Room any time...
 
 
Channeling the spirit of Joe Strummer
Photo by John Vettese

 
Photo by John Vettese

Ted Leo chatting up the crowd
Photo by Ken Hinchey

 
Photo by Ken Hinchey

Ted Leo - band site / touch and go records / myspace

Spinto Band plays Moonwink at AKA Music, 10/14

Photo by Lauren Trzaska

The boys are back in town!  Philly-by-way-of Delaware's favorite lads The Spinto Band hit the city with a vengeance this week with two shows hot on the heels of their new album release "Moonwink" (Park the Van).  We made our way to the first event, a free instore performance at Old City's AKA Music on October 14th. (The band also played a more conventional rock show at the First Unitarian Church last evening).  At AKA, the band played a low-fi acoustic set of just eight songs to a small but enthusiastic audience.  The uncharacteristically quiet set was a charmer and made for some nice moments with more silly banter from Nick and Thomas than usual.  The gentle nature of the evening allowed for a more clear and direct sense of harmony, where the vocals rung out stronger than the guitars this time, giving us a new sense of the Spinto Band's sweet and clever way with words.  The band openened up with the bounce and handclaps of "Summer Grof", our favorite track from "Moonwink" that we still can't get out of our heads and i-pods.  Earlier versions of other new songs have been a regualr in Spinto live sets for some time now, like "Later On" and "The Cat's Pajamas", and we look forward to getting more intimately acquainted with them now that we can hear them more often. Besides these tunes, the Spintos played three other new songs and only two additional ones from their previous album: "Japan Is An Island" and "Brown Boxes" (otherwise known as the kazoo song).  If you haven't yet picked up a copy of "Moonwink", do yourself a favor and bestow some pop goodness on your ears by securing one.  We already know this album will be in our top picks for the year, and we are so excited that this long-awaited followup to "Nice And Nicely Done" is finally out.  "Moonwink" may not live up to the brilliance of it's predecessor, but it's still a melodic indie-pop gem none-the-less.  Maybe we're biased (it's no secret we loooove these guys), but we can't help gushing over a good thing.  The Spinto Band will be heavily touring from now through December to promote "Moonwink", so be sure and catch them live wherever you may be.

Photo by Lauren Trzaska

Photo by Lauren Trzaska

The Spinto Band - band site / park the van / myspace

Tegan and Sara - Electric Factory, 10/3

Tegan photographed by Lauren Trzaska


Sara photographed by Lauren Trzaska

"I need love, love, to ease my mind" drifted over the speakers at the Electric Factory last Friday, seconds before Tegan and Sara took the stage to The Supremes classic "You Can't Hurry Love".  The nearly sold out crowd screamed feverishly for the sisterly duo, and once T&S were in view, the crowd was in a frenzy.  Yes, the twins Tegan and Sara are the darlings of the indie scene with a huge female following - lesbians, feminists, and girls like us who wear our hearts on our sleeves.  And yes, there were some sensitive guys there too.  In typical fashion, T&S had matching new haircuts and tight pegged dark jeans. The show started with "You Wouldn't Like Me" and tore through lots of fan favorites, such as "Hop A Plane", "Where Does the Good Go", "Living Room", "Speak Slow", "So Jealous", and "The Con", and "Back In Your Head".  There were some highlights, to be sure - "Walking With A Ghost" which is not played live all that often by the band, was one.  Sara enlisted the crowd to sing the first verse acapella, and then the band kicked in with Sara on vocals for the chorus.  Another highlight was "When I Get Up" that merged into a cover of Rihanna's "Umbrella".  Sara professed her crush on Rihanna when she told the crowd "Literally and metaphorically, I would like to stand under her umbrella".  Also in usual T&S fashion, the twin sisters chatted a lot with the audience, endearing fans with their cute and funny stories.  We learned about their political affiliation, their love of Philadelphia, and Tegan's inspiration for "Give Chase" and "One Second".  And as Tegan also explained, the show was divided into four parts: 1) the intro; 2) songs about true love; 3) the new section; 4) old favorites.  Fans were not disappointed, nor were they left wondering about the state of Tegan and Sara's health.  In surely a bizarre move, they solicited a nurse from the audience to publicly answer a couple of health questions and feel a lump in Sara's neck, which sent the fans into another crazed frenzy.  Tegan then announced "Tegan and Sara, in good health!".  Thank goodness, we want the songs to keep on coming!

Tegan photographed by Lauren Trzaska


Sara photographed by Lauren Trzaska

Tegan and Sara - band site / vapor records / myspace

Echo and The Bunnymen / Glasvegas at Radio City Music Hall, 10/1

For long time Echo and the Bunnymen fans, Wednesday's show at the esteemed Radio City Music Hall in New York was history-making and nothing short of magical.  So how did a band from Liverpool, founded thirty years ago as a post-punk outfit with a drum machine, make it to the big stage?  Ten albums later (with an eleventh on the way), the Bunneymen are two men down but as legendary as ever.  Original members Ian McCulloch and Will Sergeant were joined by four younger lads as they graced the stage at Radio City to play two sets, including a full performance of their iconic and superb 1984 album "Ocean Rain".  This album is the band's best work, filled with voluminous emotion enhanced by a 35-piece orchestra.  When it was released in 1984, this album was a cornerstone of alternative music, both in the UK and the US, especially when you compare it to the ubiquitous Top 40 contemporary music at the time.  There was nothing else like it, and for many teenagers and young adults at the time (myself included), "Ocean Rain" was a gift from the heavens.

To celebrate the band's thirtieth anniversary, this Radio City show was the only one of it's kind in the US, with the Bunnymen having already played their UK show at Royal Albert Hall in London.  So it was a special night, no doubt, and Girl About Town was thrilled to be there.  The Bunnymen invited the it-band of the UK along, Glasvegas, who we had the great pleasure of seeing in Philadelphia the night before.  It can be stated, for the record, that Glasvegas is our new favorite band, and so it was a treat to see them two nights in a row.  However, their set at Radio City was vastly different than their set at Philly's North Star bar, due of course to the varying levels of intimacy at the two venues.  Glasvegas seemed dwarfed by the enormous stage curtains, and it was unfortunate that they played to a somewhat empty theater as many people were loitering in the lobby.  But the band sounded fantastic!  They played a seven song set, and frontman James didn't speak at all until just before their last song, where he humbly stated how he couldn't believe they were picked by the Bunnymen to play and they would just prefer to be in the audience.  James concluded, "We just love everything they stand for".  Our guess is that they had the most exciting night of all.

Our excitement started earlier in the evening, when we spotted Bunnymen guitarist Will Sergeant walking along side us outside the venue, sporting his new purchases from the Adidas store.  We also spied him whistling up to a waiting Ian McCulloch in a second story window.  Priceless!  Then the excitement continued at the show, with Mac donning a giant black overcoat, as the band opened the first of two sets with their modern rock classic "Lips Like Sugar".  Next came a psychedelic Doors-esque version of "Rescue", and then "Bring on the Dancing Horses" which was sublime thanks to Will's heavy use of the tremolo bar.  Hearts around the room were indeed breaking when Mac sang in his still-velvety voice "And shaking when I'm breaking your brittle heart". 

The band played new song "I Think I Need It Too", off of their forthcoming album "The Fountain", but we preferred classics like "Back of Love" and "The Cutter" with their blazing guitars.  Mac seemed jubilent and genuinely ecstatic to be in New York, where he stated several times "I have to tell you I am having a fantastic time".  The Bunnymen also paid homage to their heroes and played a cover of "People Are Strange" and "Walk on the Wild Side", the latter of which Mac proclaimed "It's a New York song, so you better f*cking sing along".  Some people sang, others clapped, but most of us were just in awe.  But little did we know the best was yet to come.

After a brief intermission filled with film footage and photographs of the band's early years shown on the house screens (much of which we believe is from Will's personal collection), The Bunnymen came back accompanied by a twelve piece orchestra and a conductor.  The stage became lit with deep blue lights, mimicing the mood of the cover art for "Ocean Rain", and then we were transported within hearing the first notes of "Silver".  In an instant, just like in the Wizard of Oz when the film goes from black-and-white to technicolor, we were left breathless with the sheer beauty of the music, hearing it in a whole new way.  The highlight of course (if it's possible to have a highlight amidst an evening of sweet highlights) was "The Killing Moon", rendered utterly gorgeous and haunting with Mac's vocals and the intensity of the strings.  Before we knew it, Mac was singing "All hands on deck at dawn, Sailing to sadder shores, Your port in my heavy storms, Harbours the blackest thoughts" as "Ocean Rain", both the song and the album, drew to a close.  We wiped the tears from our eyes and walked out into the rainy Manhattan night.

Set One:
Lips Like Sugar
Rescue
Bring on the Dancing Horses
I Think I Need It Too (new song)
The Disease
All That Jazz
The Back of Love
All My Colours
People are strange
Nothing Lasts Forever/Walk on the Wild Side/In The Midnight Hour
The Cutter

Set Two:
Silver
Nocturnal Me
Crystal Days
The Yo-Yo Man
Thorn of Crowns
The Killing Moon
Seven Seas
My Kingdom
Ocean Rain

Echo and the Bunnymen - band site / warner brothers / myspace
Glasvegas - band site / columbia records uk / myspace

Rachel Yamagata - live at Johnny Brenda's, 9/24/08

Rachel Yamagata received a warm homecoming as she played to a sold-out, highly enthusiastic crowd at Johnny Brenda's on Wednesday. Not only was it her homecoming, but it was Rachel's birthday. Between songs she downed shots with members of her band, and as she stated several times throughout the evening, was having the time of her life! And it showed. Her charm and her raspy, soulful vocals made Girl About Town a quick fan of this Philly girl. Her down-to-earth and emotional songwriting is as heartfelt and addicting as her heart-wrenching delivery.

Rachel Yamagata at Johnny Brenda's

Rachel Yamagata was all smiles while celebrating her birthday in her hometown.

Rachel Yamagata at Johnny Brenda's

Word on the street is that if you become a local at Roosevelts, you might even be able to discuss her highly anticipated new album, Elephants, over a beer with the girl herself. It doesn't come out until October 7th, but you can pre-order order it, along with the EP Teeth Sinking Into Heart online here, and get a free autographed lithograph. 

Rachel Yamagata - band site / myspace

Cut Copy and The Presets at the Troc - 9/25

The Presets photo by Lauren Trzaska

We have been to the Trocadero over the years for countless shows of all sorts, but we were amazed how easily the Troc was transformed into Manchester's Hacienda at its heyday.  You see, all it takes is a pair of 80s oriented Australian dance bands, an amazing light show by the guys behind Daft Punk and Kanye West, and about a thousand people jumping wildly in unison.  Oddly, it felt like a gospel church on a Sunday, and when you get this from pop music you know it's gotta be good.

Enter The Presets, duo Julian Hamilton and Kim Moyes who are touring in support of "Apocalypso," the follow up to their 2005 debut.  The album, a big hit in Australia, has caused a cult following in their native country and beyond, and yes, even at The Troc.  The duo sounds a lot like Depeche Mode remixed by the Chemical Brothers, and if that sounds interesting to you, then you would have been in excellent company with all the party revelers.

The light show, utilized by The Presets, was the same for their tour mates, headliner Cut Copy.  Brilliant color combinations flashing in patterns and films rolling at the center made for one of the more engaging light shows we've seen, and even the Troc staff was impressed with the show.  When Cut Copy took the stage, their usual trio was accentuated by a second guitarist, joining them on the tour in support of "In Ghost Colours", their Aussie chart-topping current album.

Frontman Dan Whitford of Cut Copy, photo by Lauren Trzaska

If the music of Cut Copy sounds familiar to you, that's because it's hard to pin point the band's sound, since they are an amalgam of many things that made 80s synth pop so fantastic.  New Order is a clear jumping off point, but the rhythm section owes a lot to Roger Taylor era Duran Duran (think "Wild Boys").  We also heard snippets of Dead or Alive, Human League, and strangely, even Billy Ocean.  Surely their name Cut Copy points to this approach to their music, which should not be dismissed.  All rock and roll is derivative, depending on who you talk to, and often the best art is created as an appropriated collage and then reconstituted into something new.  And such it is with Cut Copy, and we have to admit we like it.  And while their music doesn't capture the same angst that was palpable in the Reagan-Thatcher era, it has it's own purpose for alleviating our own post millennium stress.

"What's up balcony! We can see you! You better dance!"  And so it began with this call from the stage from compelling frontman Dan Whitford, who provoked the room to erupt as one crowd explosion, especially when the songs collided one into the next with pulsing thunder like an extended remix and Dan held his arms outstretched like a preacher asking for an emotional response from his pulpit.  Things got more interesting when the guitars roared, shoegaze style, over the rest of the catchy synth pop.  Highlights were "Unforgettable Season", "Lights and Music", and encore "Hearts on Fire".  As the Aussies would say, 'that's bonzer!'

Cut Copy - band site / modular records / myspace
The Presets - band site /modular records / myspace