Results tagged “electricfactory”

       

Somewhere in the midst of the Phillies giving us one coronary after another, we lost track of the fact that we went to the Factory a couple Saturdays ago to check out a couple of our favorite live acts, Paramore (MySpace) and Paper Route (MySpace). It's not that the show was forgettable; we just get a little crazy around Phillies playoff time.

This post won't be the first to bemoan the acoustical nightmare that The Electric Factory can be. In fact, I hadn't returned there since seeing Tool over a decade ago mainly because mosh pits and tinny sound are no longer my thing. But the promise of an Andrew Bird show got me back to the Factory's sticky concrete floors and tinnitus producing sound. Fortunately, Bird survived the bee stings he endured during last week's interview with Phillyist, and as always, he didn't disappoint.

Andrew Bird (MySpace) may very well be one of the most interesting musicians around right now. His self-proclaimed description as a "Chicago-based multi-instrumentalist, lyricist and whistler" does not do justice to the layered, richly subtle musical spectacles he offers audiences night after night. He could add that bees love him, as a swarm decided to descend upon our interview. Bird lands in Philly again this weekend, and if you haven't seen him live, it is time to end that gap in your concert-viewing repertoire. Check out the show details below the interview.

Happy Friday, Philadelphia! Still not sure how you want to get your weekend started? Here are our ideas:

Phillyist will be interviewing Andrew Bird before his show at the Electric Factory on October 25. What should we ask him? Let us know in the comments and maybe you'll see your question answered next week!

We have a confession. Let's just get it out there, because the truth will set us free, right. We're not 16-year-old angsty girls, and yet we still find Paramore (MySpace) inexplicably compelling and listenable. There, we said it. We feel much better now.

When you speak to singer/musician Trevor Hall on the phone, you get the impression that he is, in the words of Eddie Izzard, "relaxed and groovy." When you listen to his self-titled album, that vibe comes through, but so does a very chill energy that reaches out and relaxes you while you're tapping your foot along to the music.

You have to be willing to struggle. It sounds kind of dorky but if you really wanna do it—and you have to really want to do it—then you have to make that conscious decision to put everything you have into it. You have to make a promise to yourself and have an incredible amount of perseverance. You also can't be too good for anything. Learn to talk to your audience and sing because if there's any talent there, people will notice. Be in the right place at the right time, and that comes with being in as many places as you can be. The more you place, the more venues and just random places you play, the better your chances are for success.

We've lamented—frequently—the craptastic acoustics at the Electric Factory. The warehouse venue has made even some of our favorite acts, who we know are great live performers—The Honorary Title being the most notable example—pretty much unlistenable. Could someone, anyone, conquer the cavernous, metallic echo chamber that is the Factory?

By John Alexander

Bummed LA and NY got final Nine Inch Nails shows, but Philadelphia was left out? We have just the good news to cure your blues. Them Crooked Vultures, better known as "Dave Grohl's New Supergroup," released a very select few US tour dates this week and oh, look at that—lucky us, Philly is on the list! While Gothamist and LAist were turning mighty green (no shows for them as of right now) we were busy cherry picking the online presale this morning. After forty full minutes of severe Ticketmaster password failure we finally managed to our golden ticket into what promises to be an epic Electric Factory event.

Remember last week when we recommended grabbing one of the few remaining tickets to see the Yeah Yeah Yeahs with Amanda Blank? Some of you lovely readers must have heeded our advice because the house was sold-out packed by the time YYY took the stage on Wednesday. If you didn't seize the opportunity when you had the chance—hate to say we told you so (no we don't) but you missed out big time, cause holy crap the Yeah Yeah Yeahs are great in concert. And if you tried to get in and couldn't, we are ever so sorry. Truly we are. We recommend consoling yourself with close-ups of Karen O in her glow-in-the-dark poncho and the recently released Heads Will Roll remix EP.

        

Here at Phillyist, we've been to our fair share of punk shows. We're well aware that there are certain rules that go along with attending said shows. Even though we know better, we broke almost all the rules at Rise Against/Rancid/Billy Talent. Inappropriate footwear? Check. Expensive sunglasses and camera that might get crushed in a mosh pit? Check. Thank god we brought along our ability to fling guys twice our size into the pit for our own protection.

If you like It's Blitz!, the new record by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs as much as we do, you probably got your tickets to tonight's Electric Factory show long ago. If you didn't, we highly recommend you reconsider. With an album this good, and a reputation for an outrageously awesome live show, it's a can't miss. Have plans? Change 'em and snag one of the remaining tickets. You'll thank us later.

What's not to love about the Miniature Tigers? The hipsterriffic foursome rocks throwback facial hair and bad Christmas sweaters almost as hard as they rock killer harmonies and painfully clever lyrics. (Seriously, we defy you not to love the intent or the rhyme scheme in lines like: "This is not a test or an SOS / I'm no longer on a quest to get girls undressed.") Plus, we support any band that embraces its inner nerd enough to feature a Dharma Initiative sticker on any instrument.

About a month ago, when we wrote about Camper Van Beethoven on these pages, we commented that that band's legacy is probably defined less by its own music and more by the number and quality of the bands that it inspired. And now, fittingly, we'd like to tell you about a band that clearly listened to, and learned from, CVB: Miniature Tigers (MySpace).

Fun around town, for $10 or less:

Ah, the Electric Factory. We knew it was only a matter of time before they f'ed up another concert experience for us. Last Thursday's concert, headlined by Michael Franti & Spearhead, was scheduled to begin at 8:30 p.m. With four artists on the bill, and us not really caring about the lowest-billed performer (Cherine Anderson), we figured 8:45 was a perfectly reasonable time to arrive. And it would have been, except for a couple things. The Electric Factory clearly underestimated the number of people who had purchased tickets through will-call, together with the number of night-of-show sales there would be. The upshot of the Factory's piss-poor planning is that the box office was understaffed, and we found ourselves waiting in line to pick up our will-call tickets for almost 45 minutes. On top of that, the security person who was trying to keep the line orderly seemed to delight in the fact that so many people had to wait to get into the show.

When most rock fans think of Tom Morello, they probably think of Rage Against the Machine. Some might think of Audioslave. Very few will think of Morello's folk-rock alter-ego, The Nightwatchman (MySpace). But when Rage Against the Machine—always voraciously political and activist, both personally and musically—gave way to the apolitical Audioslave, the outspoken and outrageously intelligent Morello sought an outlet to express his politics musically. That outlet first came in the form of playing original folk-inspired protest songs at a Los Angeles coffee house open mic night. And there, The Nightwatchman project came to be.

A steaming hot pile of our favorite things from around the internets.

A few years ago, while I was an undergrad, an email went out to all of the Jewish students at Penn. (Whatever joke you're going to make there, don't. It's already been made.) The email informed us that an Orthodox Jewish reggae performer would be doing a special show at Penn. I chuckled at the gimmicky incongruity of the message and largely ignored it, probably opting instead to go to theatre rehearsal or a bar.

               

With Rise Against (MySpace), you've got to expect everything to be in your face: the attitude, the music, and the politics. So we weren't at all surprised when we walked into the Electric Factory and the first thing we saw was a table where PETA was handing out pamphlets about how meat is the number one cause of global warming. We tend to agree more with the PETA and with Anthony Bourdain when it comes to vegetarianism, but it's just part of the deal with Rise Against. So, accepting that...

We are so dedicated to bringing you the most comprehensive music coverage that we possibly can, that, as you may have read here or here, we covered both Thursday's and Friday's shows at the Electric Factory. Both featured performances by The Gaslight Anthem, Thrice, Alkaline Trio and Rise Against. This review will cover the first two groups. The Gaslight Anthem played an express set that felt like it ended before it began. They had drive and moxy, but their sound was confusing. Sometimes they were an Alkaline Trio offshoot, and other times they had a decidedly more mainstream "classic" rock sound. Their singer belted out a Springsteen-esque growl on more than one occasion.

Well, with the Phillies coming up with that big NLCS win last night, everyone in the city is probably in a pretty good mood today. So we wonder whether everyone's going to be too cheery to be appropriately angst-ridden at the Electric Factory tonight and tomorrow, when punk/hardcore standard-bearers Rise Against (MySpace) and Alkaline Trio (MySpace) will play what promises to be one hell of an aggressive show. (Or, because they're playing two nights, is it two hells of aggressive shows? Our sense of grammar is off this morning.)

Does your boss deserve to be wished a Happy Boss' Day?

Well, it's not. It's a Welsh band! Future of the Left (MySpace) is known as an alt-rock supergroup, due to the fact that it is made up of former members of other alt-rock bands (Mclusky and Jarcrew). Supergroups aren't always so super, but we're pretty impressed with Future's debut album, Curses! It's got a fun, punk-like sound, with clever, funny lyrics and great beats. Sometimes they sound like Shellac, but they don't get nearly as repetitive. We particularly like "Fingers Become Thumbs!", "Kept by Bees," and "Small Bones Small Bodies." So check out the band when Y-Rock welcomes them to the Electric Factory tomorrow night, along with Against Me! and Ted Leo & The Pharmacists.

Canadian singer-songwriters Tegan and Sara (MySpace) are coming to the Electric Factory tonight, and in honor of that occasion, we wanted to let you know we think they're cool, and that it's totally not just because they're lesbian identical twins. In fact, we didn't even know they were lesbian identical twins until we read their Wikipedia page. No, we like Tegan and Sara because we've been listening to their most recent album, 2007's The Con, a lot recently, and it's just really, really good. Seriously, there's not a bad track on this thing. We do have particular favorites: the title track, the creepy "Knife Going In," "Back in Your Head," "Burn Your Life Down," and "Nineteen." Sure, it's indie pop. But it's catchy, beautiful indie pop, with powerful vocals, clever lyrics, great beats, and lovely melodies. And it's certainly worth a trip to the Electric Factory tonight.

Happy Birthday Socrates! We wonder how he fits all 2,477 candles on his birthday cake...

Sex doesn't have to be boring. In fact, it can be a ratings monster and can even turn into a movie you don't have to hide between your mattress and box spring. Yes, we know. Everyone knows, creepzilla.

Remember The B-52s (MySpace)?