Weekday Music

The year is soon coming to an end, the college students are done the first semester and heading home and looking for something to do. Quite a few shows during the week for those looking for something to fill the time usually spent working or studying.

Photo from artist myspace

Playing back-to-back nights at the Birchmere, Aimee Mann is having a sort of homecoming (born in Midlothian, VA). Out on tour promoting @#%&*! Smilers, these shows Monday and Tuesday are sure to be a good time.

Monday

The guys at R5productions call this possibly the best show they saw all year. See what the words are all about when Bon Iver comes to the Troc in Philly. Opening is Scandanavian folksinger Kristian Matsson aka The Tallest Man On Earth, who happens to be the latest to receive the title 'the next Dylan'. Some say it's true. Get there early to find out.

For something a little more local, Galaxy Hut is hosting Rose and Brandon Butler.

mp3: Bon Iver - Skinny Love
mp3: The Tallest Man on Earth - I Wont Be Found
mp3: Rose - Another Sad Song
mp3: Brandon Butler - Sparks

Tuesday

Great show at the Ottobar in Baltimore with Ra Ra Riot. Also on the bill are So Many Dynamos from the St. Louis area, who are set to release their new album The Loud Wars on Vagrant Records in the spring. Californians Princeton round out the lineup.

Staying in Baltimore, the Metro Gallery gets a little sleazy with Sleazetone artist Ssion. A little bit of disco with some electro-punk under some thinly veiled smutty lyrics, it will get you dancing.

mp3: Ra Ra Riot - Dying Is Fine
mp3: Princeton - The Waves
mp3: Ssion - Clown

Wednesday/Thursday

Not much to say about Wednesday other than Messiah College is having a great free show with Philly's Pattern Is Movement. It's a great venue and you usually can get up nice and close.

Thursday is much more lively. Johnny Brenda's is hosting a great local lineup with Secretly Canadian locals The War On Drugs. Philly's premiere banjo folk artist Joshua Marcus is set to open with Comoros.

Deleted Scenes is having a CD release party for the new disc Birdseed Shirt at the Black Cat. Exit Clov, who puts on a great show, will also be on the bill as well as La Strada from NYC.

The Oranges Band are back in their hometown, still living it up after their release of The Oranges Band Are Invisible. Catch them at Talking Head with Sal Bando, featuring former members of Two If By Sea, and Philly band Blood Feathers

Eyes Night of the Baltimore Round Robin happens Thursday at Sonar. The big name band on the bill is Beach House, but so many more will be playing in the round for you. And down at The Red & The Black, catch Karate Coyote from Columbus.

mp3: Pattern is Movement - Bird
mp3: The War On Drugs - Taking The Farm
mp3: Joshua Marcus - Coal or Smoke
mp3: Deleted Scenes - Get Your Shit Together for the Holidays
mp3: Exit Clov - Violent Berries
mp3: La Strada - The Sun Song
mp3: Beach House - Master of None
mp3: The Oranges Band - ArtStar
mp3: Blood Feathers (album stream)

The Local Weekend

It's the weekend again. You know what that means, a ton of shows to choose from.


If you aren't going to either of The Black shows (Kids or Keys) Friday, there are plenty of other options. A few shows are pulling back-to-back nights, starting in DC Friday and landing in Philly on Saturday. Back in September, Local H was on tour with a set full of B-Sides and unreleased music. Now with a new album just released, they are back in the area supported by Lions from Austin. Local act in DC is CTC and Twelve-Twenty in Philly.

5/16: DC @ Rock & Roll Hotel
5/17: Philly @ The Khyber

Local H - Toxic

Looking for bouncy pop? Then check out Los Campesinos! At the DC show, they are joined by The Aquarium and Pash.

5/16: DC @ Black Cat
5/17: Philly @ Johnny Brendas

Los Campesinos! - We Throw Parties, You Throw Knives
Pash - Palindrome

Finally at the bigger venues, there is DeVotchka with the folkish stylings of Basia Bulat.

5/16: DC @ 9:30 Club
5/17: Philly @ TLA

DeVotchka - How It Ends
Basia Bulat - In The Night

For the one city shows, there are plenty, mostly in the DC area.

Friday

Wye Oak/Pattern Is Movement/Engine @ Metro Gallery, Baltimore

Wye Oak - Warning
Pattern Is Movement - It's The Wine

Saturday

The Alphabetical Order @ IOTA, Arlington (FINAL SHOW FOR TAO EVER!)
The Long Blondes/Drug Rug @ Rock & Roll Hotel, DC
Junior League/John Bustine/Garland of Hours @ Black Cat, DC
Bell X1 @ Rams Head Tavern, Annapolis

The Alphabetical Order - Submarines

Sunday

Cotton Jones Basket Ride/Rarebirds/Bellman Barker/Astral Lounge @ M Room, Philly
Bishop Allen/War On Drugs/Deleted Scenes @ Black Cat, DC

Bishop Allen - Click Click Click Click
The Cotton Jones Basket Ride - Had Not A Body

St. Vincent

credit
St. Vincent is out on tour again and will be in the region for the next couple of days. Foreign Born will be offering support on both dates and Philly's Pattern is Movement will be joining them in their hometown.

2/26/08: St. Vincent/Foreign Born @ Rock 'N Roll Hotel
2/27/08: St. Vincent/Foreign Born/Pattern Is Movement @ First Unitarian Church

St. Vincent - Paris Is Burning
Foreign Born - Into Your Dream
Pattern Is Movement - Right Away

This Week's Mix

As there was no mix this past Friday, we will have two this week. All of the songs for this mix were recently sent to us in promo e-mails.

Nick Jaina - Power
Pattern Is Movement - Right Away
Jeremy Jay - Airwalker
Disintegrated Einstein - Nevermind the Mollusk
Hysterics - Mostly Untitled
Downliners Sekt - Scope Creep
Yeasayer - Final Path (Daytrotter Session)
The XYZ Affair - All My Friends
The Coco B's - Modern Lover
The Lisps - Familiar Drunk

Pattern Is Movement Keeps It Going

A bio typically is not the main reason that I check out one of the innumerable tracks that grace my inbox everyday. However, when I saw that Philadelphia-based Pattern Is Movement's two members, Andrew Thiboldeaux and Chris Ward, "met at the ages of 13 and 14 --- as part of a Christian hip hop group" and were "raised in strict Pentecostal households and schools (see Jesus Camp)", I definitely was intrigued. The band will be touring this summer (dates to follow) and if the single "Right Away" is any indication, these could be the cats to see during those sultry nights when you need to get your groove on. With a wall of sound created between Andrew's vocals and keys and Chris' drums, they're reminiscent of a much more contained Polyphonic Spree or Arcade Fire.

All Together, the band's latest album and first as a two-piece, will be released on Hometapes on April 1, 2008.

Right Away

Oh yeah, here is a video of them covering Radiohead's "Everything In It's Right Place"...

Pattern Is Movement CD Release

Tonight, The Fire is hosting a night of noise/math rock featuring Philly's own Pattern Is Movement, who will be releasing a new 7". Joining them is So Many Dynamos from St. Louis, another Philly band Hermit Thrushes, and all the way from Denmark, Slaraffenland.

Pattern Is Movement - It's The Wine
So Many Dynamos - Search Party
Slaraffenland - Show Me The Way