A Huge Weekend

Another summer weekend with a boatload of shows to check out. Here's what's going on.


Summer is the time for festivals and this Saturday the Download Festival rolls through the Philly area for the only east coast date of this three city festival. It is a huge line-up featuring The Killers, Iggy Pop & The Stooges, Ghostland Observatory, The Parlor Mob, The Duke Spirit, Colour Revolt, Louis XIV, Sia, The Whigs, The Airborne Toxic Event, Eli Reed, and Philly's own Man Man. It'll be a hot one, so go prepared. For all details of what you can bring to the Susquehanna Bank Center (The E-Center, Blockbuster, whatever you called it), check out the festival website.

mp3: The Parlor Mob - Cant Keep No Good Boy Down
mp3: Colour Revolt - Naked and Red
mp3: Sia - Electric Bird
mp3: The Airborne Toxic Event - Sometime Around Midnight

As far as the rest of the weekend goes, a huge number of local and national acts are playing the area.

The minimalist acoustic sounds of Bon Iver are joined by Bowerbirds, who are re-releasing Hymns for a Dark Horse, for two shows. Thursday they are in Philly at the First Unitarian Church, then head on down to DC for a show at the Black Cat.

mp3: Bon Iver - Skinny Love
mp3: Bowerbirds - In Our Talons

Dubbed "The thinking-mans Wilco", Earlimart are on tour and making two stops in the area, starting in Philly Friday at Johnny Brendas. They are joined by Philly locals Sunshine Recorder and JJL (otherwise known as Like A Fox). Saturday, check out Earlimart at the Ottobar in Baltimore.

mp3: Earlimart - Song For
mp3: Sunshine Recorder - Hemmingway
mp3: JJL - Vertical Dance

Aimee Mann is playing quite a few shows over the next few days. You can catch her with The Submarines at the 9:30 Club on Saturday, then she plays back-to-back shows at the World Cafe starting Monday.

Priscilla Ahn is also making a run through the area, starting Saturday at the Tin Angel in Philly, then heading to Jammin Java Sunday where she hooks up with Willoughby. Those two are also at Rams Head in Annapolis for a Tuesday show.

Before gracing us with their presence for our Saturday Anniversary show next weekend, Bellman Barker are pulling a two-for. They will be at the Metro Gallery Saturday with Baltimore's The Courtesy Line and then travel to Philly to perform with DC-mates The Caribbean and Brooklyn's Soren Well.

mp3: Bellman Barker - Charles Kil
mp3: The Courtesy Line - Make It Up
mp3: The Caribbean - The Go From Tactical
mp3: Soren Well - Black Transmissions

Thursday

It's very light on Thursday. Other than Bon Iver/Bowerbirds, Philly's own The Extraordinaires are playing Johnny Brendas.

mp3: The Extraordinaires - The Chicken The Egg or The Song

Friday

The Duke Spirit is playing a Free at Noon at the World Cafe before their performance Saturday at the Download Festival. Also, Hello Tokyo are performing at The Fire.

mp3: Hello Tokyo - Kiss Me Good-bye (remix)

Saturday

The World Cafe seems to be the happening place this weekend, this time with The Apples In Stereo.

Down in DC at the Black Cat, Virgin Records artist We Are Scientists are touring in support of their new album Brain Thrust Mastery. They are joined by Oxford Collapse, who also have a new album BITS coming out Tuesday.

mp3: The Apples in Stereo - Energy
mp3: We Are Scientists - Chick Lit (remix)
mp3: Oxford Collapse - The Birthday Wars

Sunday

Finishing off the weekend is Philly's The Bee Team. In the midst of a I-95 tour with DC's Deleted Scenes and The Never, they are at Millcreek Tavern, then start the week off in DC at Black Cat.

Across the river at IOTA, catch locals Prabir & The Substitutes and Greenland.

mp3: Deleted Scenes - Fake IDs
mp3: The Never - Cavity
mp3: Prabir & The Substitutes - Slow
mp3: Greenland - Shipwreck on the Watery Eye

Hello Tokyo and Five Four Unleash Themselves Upon DC

Former DC (and current Brooklyn) band Hello Tokyo just released Sell The Stars this week and they are celebrating with a release party in their former hometown. They will be playing Rock and Roll Hotel tonight.

Sell The Stars


Joining them on the bill, is DC's own Five Four. The ladies (and gentleman) are celebrating a release of their own. At the show, they will be unveiling Bang Bang Robot.

My Love Song

The Regional Weekend

It's a good weekend in the IA region. I've already mentioned the Northern Liberties Winter Music Festival. Here's what going on elsewhere.

Friday


Joe and I will be heading to Harrisburg, PA Friday night to The Abbey checking out the best thing to come out of Chambersburg probably ever, The Shackeltons and one of my Best of Philly 2007, Papertrigger. They are joined by two other Philly bands, Jotto and Univox.

Yeasayer/MGMT/Fang Island @ Johnny Brendas SOLD OUT!
Hoots and Hellmouth @ Jammin' Java

The Shackeltons - The Breaks
Papertrigger - Fox Hunting
Jotto - Backyard Circus
Yeasayer - Sunrise
MGMT - Time To Pretend
Fang Island - The Landing
Hoots and Hellmouth - Want On Nothing

Saturday


The big show is at The Fire for the Music fest, but if you can't get in there A.K.A.C.O.D., featuring former members of Morphine, are at The Red and The Black. Imagine the same Morphine you knew and substitute feminine lead vocals.

Drug Rug/The Bye Byes/Movable Type @ North Star
Hello Tokyo @ DC9

A.K.A.C.O.D. - Trouble Part 1
The Bye Byes - Brass Tacks
Movable Type - Edward Said
Hello Tokyo - Radio

Sunday


Local faves finish off the weekend in two separate shows. Our friends Bellman Barker are joined by Tereu Tereu at The Lab and Exit Clov share the stage with Pash at The Recher.

De Novo Dahl @ Velvet Lounge
Scary Monster/Dan Malloy/Papertrees/Rarebirds @ The Khyber (Benefit for Action AIDS)

Bellman Barker - Two Bees
Tereu Tereu - Lion Bear
Exit Clov - Violent Berries
Pash - ABCD
De Novo Dahl - The Funk
Scary Monster - Gold
Dan Malloy - Things Are Looking Brighter
Rarebirds - Wishing Well

Eskimo Joe in Philly

Join me at The Khyber Thursday night to check out, Eskimo Joe, coming to us all the way from Australia. Already multi-platinum in their home country, they are ready to conquer America with their third release, Black Fingernails Red Wine. They are joined by synth-pop artists from Montreal, Badflirt, and Birdy Num Num & The Spirit Squad, sporting members from Ween and The Buzzcocks.

Eskimo Joe - Black Fingernails Red Wine
Birdy Num Num & The Spirit Squad - Buffet

Also going on in the city, The Electric Factory has the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and The Fire has Hello Tokyo, originally from the DC scene, now representing Brooklyn.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Gold Lion

Hello Tokyo - Radio