The Weekend in Philly

Summer is heating up and so is the Philly music scene. Friday night I'll be at the Guster and Ben Kweller show on Festival Pier. Chris Cornell is at the Borgata in Atlantic City, so gamble a little, then rock out. Or you could just wait until Sunday and check him out at the Electric Factory. The Grand Opera House in Wilmington is hosting a sold out White Stripes show. If you don't have tickets to that show, good luck. They are going for around $400 on the resale sites. If none of those are in the cards, go local at The Khyber in Old City with Philly-electro sounds Crooked Looks and East Hundred supporting Brooklyn's In Flight Radio and Ladycop.

Saturday enjoy the reggae groove of Matisyahu on the Festival Pier. Or you could head into University City and enjoy Bucks County's (they are quite proud of that) Illinois at the World Cafe, fresh off last weekends performance at the eXPoNetial Festival.

Guster - Two Points For Honesty
Ben Kweller - Magic
Chris Cornell - Can't Change Me
The White Stripes - Icky Thump
Crooked Looks - Pay Day Baby
East Hundred - Meantime
In Flight Radio - Come Back and Stay
Matisyahu - King Without a Crown (live at Stubb's)
Illinois - Screendoor

Not So New Release Tuesday: Lost and Gone Forever

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, the Not So New Release has returned. To kick off the resurrection, I have selected the album that brought me and I am sure many others into the Guster fold. Much like the previous albums Goldfly and Parachute, LAGF is power acoustic pop. Nothing really sets this album apart from other Guster releases, yet it is the most accessible. The songs are extremely catchy. You always find yourself singing along and the hook gets stuck in your head for the better part of a week. If you delve a little deeper, the lyrics in most of the songs have an anger/angst to them, even the most melodic (Either Way, for example). Maybe the boys from Tufts had a bad break-up or something.

What sets these guys apart is the live shows. I have seen them about 4 times, first right after this album came out and instantly bought everything available. They are crowd interactive and watching stick free percussion is always entertaining. Grab this album first if you are a Guster novice or listen to it again if it is a little dusty, then be sure to catch them when they show up in your area. They will not let you down. Enjoy the tunes.

Barrel of a Gun

Either Way

Happier

Two Points for Honesty