Halloween Mix

It's that time of the year again, so we put a seasonable mix together. No matter how you plan to raise hell tonight, all of us at IA wish you the happiest of Halloweens.

Siouxsie & The Banshees - Halloween
Ministry - Everyday Is Halloween
Oingo Boingo - Weird Science
Nina Simone - I Put A Spell On You
Thrushes - Halloween
Dead Kennedys - Halloween
Joy Division - Dead Souls
Otis Redding - Trick Or Treat
Metric - Monster Hospital (MSTRKRFT Remix)
A Place To Bury Strangers - To Fix The Gash In Your Head
The Misfits - Monster Mash
Ray Parker Jr - Ghostbusters
The Ramones - Pet Semetary
Michael Jackson - Thriller
Editors - Blood
DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince - Nightmare On My Street
Robert Johnson - Hell Hound On My Trail

Indie at The Abbey's Halloween Spectacular

Tonight, we are having indie at the abbey’s Halloween party at The Abbey in Harrisburg. The evening features Baltimore’s Thrushes and Louisville, KY’s People Noise. Even better, there will be $2 off of Belgians and admission is free with a costume ($2 without). The show starts at 9 and Halloween appropriate music will be played all night. You can even register to win a free tattoo.

For those of you who aren't familiar, People Noise is the new shoegaze type band band formed by Zeke Buck of VHS or Beta fame.They hail from Lousiville, KY. Baltimore's Thrushes are known for killer live shows that feature lush female vocals over large soundscapes. If you are fans of groups like Jesus & Mary Chain and My Bloody Valentine, you will enjoy this group.

This should be a great show, so hopefully I will see some of you there.

Upcoming Shows:

11/07/07
The Epochs (Brooklyn, NY)
Wakey! Wakey! (New York, NY)

11/14/07
Tartufi (San Francisco, CA)
Low Red Land (San Francisco, CA)

11/28/07
Canadian Invasion (Philadelphia, PA)
Monogold (Brooklyn, NY)

12/05/07
The Jaguar Club (Brooklyn, NY)
The Shackeltons (Chambersburg, PA)

This series is brought to you by IA, Jersey Mike Presents, WiAB Records and Appalachian Brewing Company. It is sponsored by our friends at 717 Tattoo.

People Noise - The Killing Fields
Thrushes - Heartbeats

David Bazan and All Smiles

David Bazan (Pedro the Lion) and All Smiles bring great songwriting and smooth sweet pop to the IA area. If you want a quieter Halloween scene, check these guys out.

10/31: Johnny Brendas, Philly
11/01: Black Cat, DC w/ Lavender Diamond

David Bazan - Fewer Broken Pieces (live)
All Smiles - Pile Of Burning Leaves

Halloween in the Balt/DC Region

Morrissey - credit
Morrissey has a couple of regional shows coming up. He plays tonight at Rams Head Live in Baltimore and follows that up on Friday with a show at Constitution Hall in DC.

The Bravery has their Halloween show tonight at 9:30 Club with Murder Mystery supporting. They will be following that with an official after party at Rock 'N Roll Hotel, that includes a performance by Be Your Own Pet.

Morrissey - November Spawned A Monster
The Bravery - An Cat Dubh (U2 Cover)
Be Your Own Pet - October, First Account
Murder Mystery - Love Astronaut

This Week's Releases

After a few weeks full of releases, there is finally a bit of a lull. We get two movie soundtracks to movies featuring Joy Division and Bob Dylan, as well as a couple of releases by some lesser known artists. Take a listen and enjoy as always.

The first soundtrack we have is from the film I'm Not There, a documentary by Todd Haynes about the great Bob Dylan. The film features six different actors that are used to portray Dylan at different stages in his career. The soundtrack features many artists on two discs, including Sufjan Stevens, Sonic Youth and Yo La Tengo. This is a must have for any fan of quality music.

Yo La Tengo - I Wanna Be Your Lover
Full Album Stream

Our next soundtrack is for Control, a movie that is finally getting released in the US after a successful run in festivals and over in Europe. If you haven't heard, the movie features the rise and fall of one of the most influential bands, Joy Division. The movie mostly focuses on Ian Curtis and his love affair, epilepsy and his much too soon demise at 23. The soundtrack features songs from Joy Division, David Bowie, New Order (Joy Division minus Ian Curtis), Iggy Pop and others. This album is another that will be hard to do without.

Joy Division - Love Will Tear Us Apart

Other Great Releases:

The Caribbean (from DC)

Populations: "To Go From Tactical"

Nicole Atkins

Neptune City: "Party's Over"
full album stream

Ian Ball (from Gomez)

Who Goes There: "Failure"

Say Hi/The A-Sides/The Velvet Teen

The A-Sides - credit
Seattle's Say Hi (To Your Mom), Philly's The A-Sides and California's The Velvet Teen have teamed up for a tour. You have several chances to check them out this week:

10/30/07: Black Cat, Washington, DC
11/01/07: Mojo 13, Wilmington, DE
11/02/07: Johnny Brenda's, Philadelphia, PA

Say Hi (To Your Mom) - Northwestern Girls
The A-Sides - Diamonds
The Velvet Teen - The Raining Curtains

The Go! Team

credit
UK's The Go! Team are making their way through the region. You can check them out as follows:

10/30/07: 9:30 Club, DC
10/31/07: TLA, Philly

Grip Like A Vice

The Rest

Ryan Adams - credit
A few other shows are happening in DC tonight...

Ryan Adams @ Constitution Hall
Viva Voce @ 9:30 Club
Caspian @ DC9

Ryan Adams - Come Pick Me Up
Viva Voce - We Do Not Fuck Around
Caspian - Further In

Tuesday In Philly

It's a twofer in Philly on Tuesday. At The Northstar Bar are Annuals and Manchester Orchestra. This is a great venue to get up close and personal to the bands.

Annuals - Bleary Eyed
Manchester Orchestra - The Neighborhood Is Bleeding


Elsewhere, Johnny Brendas has uber-sweet pop artists Lavender Diamond. They are out on tour in support of their latest album, Imagine Our Love.

Lavender Diamond - Oh No


Additionally, UK's The Lodger will be at Mojo 13 in Wilmington.

The Lodger - Getting Special

Big Saturday In Philly

Lots to chose from tonight. Hell, see them all!

The Swimmers

Johnny Brendas keeps getting bigger and better. A little write-up in RS Hot Issue. The best bands around and always supporting the best of the local scene. Saturday, Philly's own The Swimmers are having their CD release party for the long awaited Fighting Trees. Hometown artists Audible and Denison Witmer join the fun.

The Swimmers - It's Time They Knew
Audible - Fireman
Denison Witmer - Little Flower

Over at The Manhattan Room, more local artists rock the night. The Great Halloween Debate (whatever that means) is on featuring Grammar Debate!. Creeping Weeds , The XYZ Affair from NYC, and from the 'Burgh Life In Bed join the show.

Grammar Debate! - Believe It Away
Creeping Weeds - Eternity Is A Long Time
The XYZ Affair - Little Fool
Life In Bed - Logic Is Your Best Defense

Lastly, The Khyber has some great acts from all over. From Leeds, UK is The Lodger. They are joined by Canadians Small Sins, electro-pop goodness, as Spin said "Imagine if Jack White had a crush on Kraftwerk". Local quintet Brown Recluse Sings who are comparitive to The Shins and Page France are the openers.

The Lodger - Getting Special
Small Sins - Stay
Brown Recluse Sings - Western Meadowlark

Homecoming Mix

Oh my! It has been ten years since I started my senior year at Ursinus College. And those alumni people bombarded me with propaganda to go to homecoming this Saturday. Of course, I caved. Free beer tends to do that. So, in memory of some of the the most carefree years of my life (eventhough I remember only about half of them), I compiled some songs that are a propos to those years. Enjoy!

Gene - We Could Be Kings
G. Love and Special Sauce - I-76
Cornershop - Brimful of Asha (bonus: Fatboy Slim remix)
Bloodhound Gang - You're Pretty When I'm Drunk
Catherine Wheel - Eat My Dust...
Morrissey - Satan Rejected My Soul
The Ocean Blue - Past Future Perfect
Pulp - Common People
Jeff Buckley - Last Goodbye
Chris Isaak - Graduation Day

This Week's Releases

There are so many releases this week, it's crazy. We even have EPs and singles to go along with our usual assortment of great LPs. Get ready to spend some time listening to great music and then break out those pocketbooks and get ready to spend some dough.

I must be in an electronic mood these days, because my pick for this week is Holy Fuck's newest apply titled LP. After seeing these guys open for !!! this past summer, I was blown away and instantly tried to find out all I could about them. Their sound is similar to Battles, but they are unique enough to keep the bands pretty separate. With great beats and synth, their songs will be stuck in your head for days. Head over to their MySpace page to stream the entire album.

"Lovely Allen"


Another favorite of mine this week is Soft's Gone Faded. I have featured a song off this album before in my weekly mix, because of how much I really enjoy listening to this album. A band that had been off my radar prior to this album, they have really cemented themselves in my list of great releases this year.

"Dumb Blood"


One of the great singles released this week is by up and coming Vampire Weekend with Mansard Roof. This two song single contains "Mansard Roof" and "Ladies of Cambridge." These guys are making heads turn all over the place and are getting more followers every day as more and more people discover them. Their self-titled debut album should be out in January and this single gives you a little taste of what it's going to be like.

"Mansard Roof (live @ KEXP)"


It seems like plenty of artists that I have featured in my mixes are releasing albums this week and this band is no different. Yeasayer has their debut album out finally, called All Hour Cymbals. A mix of rock and electronic similar to the Animal Collective, this group has been gaining recognition throughout all the indie scenes. These guys were featured on a KEXP live in-studio performance at CMJ last week. They were not selected for a podcast, but give "Sunrise" a listen to see what I mean.

"Sunrise"


This next group is one that I had not heard of before, but I am glad I found them. West Indian Girl has their latest with 4th & Wall. This is a superb album and I can't stop listening to it. The music, the harmonizing voices along with some great lyrics really make this CD amazing. A fun album with a great upbeat sound is really hard to pull yourself away from.

"To Die In LA"


Other notable releases this week:

Ween

La Cucuracha: "Your Party"

Ryan Adams

Follow the Light EP: "Down In A Hole (Live)"

Saturday Looks Good to Me

Fill Up the Room: "Make A Plan"

Black Dice

Load Blown: "Kokomo"

Babyshambles

Shotter's Nation: "Delivery"

The Scotland Yard Gospel Choir

The Scotland Yard Gospel Choir: "Aspidistra"

Phosphorescent

Pride: "A Picture of Our Torn Up Praise"

The Warlocks

Heavy Deavy Skull Lover: "So Paranoid"

The Whigs, The Broken West, Wild Sweet Orange On Tour

The next big thing from Athens, The Whigs are on tour with their own brand of southern indie-rock. Merge Records artist The Broken West, who have been featured on prime-time TV shows, joins them as well as Alabama's Wild Sweet Orange. Be sure to check them out this weekend.

10/26: The Khyber, Philly
10/27: Rock and Roll Hotel, DC

The Whigs - Violet Furs
The Broken West - Down In The West
Wild Sweet Orange - Ten Dead Dogs

The New Pornographers

The Canadian superband The New Pornographers hit the area this weekend playing two sold out shows. Opening is Scottish songstress Emma Pollock. If you have your tickets, enjoy the show. Otherwise, assume the position and get them the usual shady ways.

10/26: The Troc, Philly
10/27: 9:30 Club, DC

The New Pornographers - My Rights Versus Yours
Emma Pollock - Paper and Glue

Tonight

A worthwhile event tonight at Rock and Roll Hotel...

Thursday in the Philly Region

It's a busy end of the week. So get out of the rain and check these shows out:

Philly's rootsy folk band Lowlands are having their CD release how at Johnny Brendas. They are joined by Doylestown-bred artist Peasant and Charlemagne.

Peasant - Those Days
Charlemagne - We're Gonna Hate All Over This Town

Over at The Fire, Scale Model and Le Concorde from Chicago bring the windy city sound to Philly. You can also catch Le Concord Friday at Mojo 13.

Scale Model - Merry Go Round
Le Concorde - Parallel Lives

Speaking of Mojo 13, DC's Carol Bui is there Thursday night. This is the place for a real close up experience.

Carol Bui - Modern Dance

She Wants Revenge and Kenna On Tour

Hitting the area hard this weekend with three shows in the IA region, She Wants Revenge supports their new album This Is Forever. With them is Kenna, a mix of soul, funk, and electronica that borders on disco, but is so much better. And as a bonus for the Baltimore show, buy the SWR album before hand at Records and Tape Traders in Towson, get a wristband, then go to the show. That's all the details I got.

10/25: TLA, Philly
10/26: Ram's Head Live!, Baltimore
10/27: Black Cat, DC

She Wants Revenge - Written In Blood
Kenna - Say Goodbye to Love

Stars Shine Bright in Philly

Montreal-based Stars come to Philly Wednesday night in support of new album In Our Bedroom After The War. This show has been moved from The Starlight Ballroom to The Troc. All tickets will be honored! Joining them is Australian singer-songwriter New Buffalo, who has written for Feist and tours with Broken Social Scene.

Stars - The Night Starts Here
New Buffalo - City and Sea (Lady Nameless)

Tonight at DC9

Division Day - credit
There is a really good show at DC9 tonight. Los Angeles' Division Day is in town supporting Beartrap Island . They will be joined by local favorites The Caribbean.

Division Day - Enjoy The Silence (Depeche Mode cover)
Division Day - Tigers
The Caribbean - The Go From Tactical

NME Rocks Philly

The Hold Steady - credit
The NME Rock 'N' Roll Riot Tour 2007 is heading to Philly tonight. Check out The Hold Steady, Art Brut and Demander at TLA. The tour will come back around and hit DC near Thanksgiving.

The Hold Steady - Stuck Between Stations (Live @ Lollapalooza 2006)
Art Brut - Formed A Band
Demander - GMT

The Sky Drops Hang On

Wilmington, DE band The Sky Drops is a favorite of mine. I just saw them play a great set last week and now they have a new video for "Hang On." There have been a lot of quality videos put out by regional bands lately and this is no exception. Enjoy!

The Sky Drops - Hang On


Hang On

Le Loup Live Podcast

Photo by Doron Gild

Last week, DC's Le Loup took NYC by storm. In addition to playing a ridiculous amount of shows, they recorded an in studio for KEXP. The station was nice enough to share the recording...

Le Loup live on KEXP 10/15/07 (mp3)

You can also see live video for a couple of tracks here:

"Sea Took Me"
"I Had A Dream I Died"

Zulu Pearls

Adding to the regional rush on videos lately, DC's Zulu Pearls have a new clip for "Wasted." Enjoy!

Vampire Weekend Session

Vampire Weekend has been one of the best discoveries of 2007. Leave it to the fabulous Daytrotter to bring them in for a session featuring some brand new tracks.

Bryn
I Stand Corrected
M 79
Oxford Comma

New Apes

DC's Apes will be releasing Ghost Games through Gypsy Eyes next February. We have the first single for your enjoyment.

Beat of The Double

Monday in DC

The Shins - credit
The Shins/Spoon/Vetiver @ Merriweather

The Shins - A Comet Appears
Spoon - Don't You Evah
Vetiver - Angels' Share (w/ Hope Sandoval)

Owen/Kevin Devine/Andy Hull @ Rock 'N Roll Hotel

Owen - Bad News
Kevin Devine - Just Stay
Andy Hull - I'm Not Ready To Forgive You

Dead Confederate/Arizona @ The Red and The Black

Dead Confederate - The Rat
Arizona - Some Kind of Chill

Monday in Philly

Film School - credit
Yo La Tengo/Jack Rose @ First Unitarian Church
*For our DC readers, also Tuesday at Birchmere*

Yo La Tengo - Sugar Cube
Jack Rose - Red Horse

Film School/Eulogies @ Johnny Brendas

Film School - Two Kinds
Eulogies - One Man

Bellman Barker Hits The Road

credit

IA Birthday Party artist Bellman Barker are out and about in support of their latest album Anise and Anisette. They are doing shows all over the region. Never heard of them? Here is what Joe had to say previously:

Anybody who is familiar with my personal musical taste, knows how much of a feat it is for Bellman Barker to get a nod on my best of list. This EP is full of catchy, sun-drenched pop. The thing that makes these songs stand out, is the substance that exists behind them. Sugar usually washes away pretty quickly, but not in this case.

10/21: Mojo 13, Wilmington w/ Tereu Tereu
10/23: The Khyber, Philly w/ Small Town Fires
10/24: The Abbey @ ABC, Harrisburg w/ Warm in the Wake
10/27: Velvet Lounge, DC

Charles Kil
Molly Maroon

Johnny Brendas Saturday Night

Big show in Fishtown tonight and a rather interesting mix of artists. Castanets, from San Diego and featuring members of Pinback, Rocket From The Crypt and Tristeza, headline the show. With them are the aptly labeled next-one-to-blow-up-and-become-famous The 1900s. See them in a more intimate setting before they become huge. Philly songstress Birdie Busch and electro-folk (!?) artist Ponieheart add the local flavor.

Castanets - Three Days Four Nights
The 1900s - When I Say Go
Birdie Busch - Mystical
Ponieheart - Don't Lie

The Alphabetical Order in Philly

Tonight at The Fire is one of DC's The Alphabetical Order. I've never seen them, but I met Gavin at IA's Anniversary show and he is a quality individual. So check them out, give them some love, and let them know you heard it from us.

Submarines
Constant State

This Week's Mix

I'm going camping this weekend, so I thought that I would make this week's list all songs that I would love to hear while sitting around the fire. Enjoy!

+/- - Trapped Under Ice Flows
Sufjan Stevens - Chicago (adult contemporary easy listening version)
Fields - Charming The Flames
Zulu Pearls - Dancing + Drinking
Pinback - From Nothing To Nowhere
Shout Out Louds - Parents Living Room
Voxtrot - Kid Gloves
The Vita Ruins - My Last Days On Earth
Wilco - Hate It Here
Radiohead - House of Cards

Spoon with The Ponys

The indie darlings from Austin Spoon are touring with The Ponys. Be sure to check them out. There is also a special show in DC on Monday, that I'll let Joe tell you all about next week.

10/19: Electric Factory, Philly
10/23: 9:30 Club, DC

Spoon - My Mathematical Mind
The Ponys - Let's Kill Ourselves

Explosions in the Sky Opening For The Pumpkins

Taking up a mini-residency at the Tower Theater that starts Friday night and then goes three days straight Sunday to Tuesday, is Billy Corgan and some other folks known as the Smashing Pumpkins. That's all well and good. I'm more interested in the opening act, Austin instrumental gods Explosions in the Sky. No lyrics, just four guys making music. The songs are so layered and complex, they do not require vocals. This band is making the new "classical" music. Even if you are not a fan of non-vocal music, give these guys a listen, they might just change your mind.

Explosions In The Sky - Welcome, Ghosts
Smashing Pumpkins - Rocket

This Week's Releases

After last week, it seems like there couldn't be anything left to release. However, this week doesn't disappoint and gives us some quality music.

My emphatic pick for this week is Underworld's Oblivion with Bells. It's not often that I get to write about one of my favorite artists of all time. Underworld has been a favorite of mine since I first heard Second Toughest In The Infants and they only grew on me as time went on. I currently own every album and after I learned that the band had come back from a 5 year hiatus, I nearly jumped out of my chair with excitement. The album does not disappoint and is one of my favorite CDs of the year. If you are a fan of any type of electronic music, then check these guys out as they were some of the ground breakers of anything electronic.

Ring Road

The Northwest music scene has been hitting it big this year and now have another point to add to the scorecard with The Blakes' new self-titled album. A long time coming, this CD has been much anticipated and now fans everywhere can get their hands on it. After playing some CMJ shows and a live set on KEXP just like Le Loop, these have really made a name for themselves as a bunch of rowdy guys playing great music. Give them a listen and see what you think.

Don't Bother Me

Now to go back in time, we get a couple of great live CDs. First up is The Jimi Hendrix Experience with Live at Monterey. Bust out the drugs and tie-dyed clothes (only kidding) and get ready to travel to a simpler time. I am personally too young to have experienced all the amazing things Jimi Hendrix came up with or did on stage, but I can at least get a hint of it from this CD.

Purple Haze

The second CD is from another group I have been a fan of for a large chunk of my life and that is R.E.M. who's aptly titled live CD is called R.E.M. Live. This CD has also been a long time coming and as a fan who has never seen the band live, this seems like the perfect opportunity to try and imagine what it would be like. I am a fan of live music, both watching it and listening to it; so I am always happy when an artist puts out something like this.

Man On The Moon (from Automatic For the People)

Other great releases this week:

Soulsavers

It's Not How Far You Fall, It's the Way You Land: "Revival"

Dan Wilson

Free Life: "Baby Doll"

Maritime

Heresy and the Hotel Choir: "For Science Fiction"

Kenna

Make Sure They See My Face: "Say Goodbye To Love"

Dragons of Zynth

Coronation Thieves: "Harlot Blues" (Daytrotter Session)