Results tagged “music”

Rather appropriately, Prince's "Party Like It's 1999" served as ring entrance music to the the main event at The Get Up Kids TLA show. The newly reunited band is currently touring to support their Something To Write Home About 10th Anniversary CD + DVD. After the new year they're off to see our friends in Australia and Japan, but it sure was nice to have them visit us in Philly for two dates.

The world famous Mannheim Steamroller is giving what we are calling a "Christmas sneak peek" concert at the Academy of Music this Saturday, November 14th. As this is their 25th anniversary tour, the world famous instrumental group is bringing out the big guns and getting ready to rock your Christmas Tree sweater right off. Featuring both their incredibly popular Christmas music and a pretty impressive multi-media show, Mannheim Steamroller, or as we friends of the group like to call them, "Steam," offers a great way to kick off the beginning of that seemingly endless, but nonetheless magical, two month run up to Christmas awesomeness.

I saw Disney star Ralph Covert at the World Cafe Live on Sunday and I loved it.

Phillyist's quick-picks for your evening agenda.

When I previewed Stevie Wonder's upcoming performance at the Borgata, I was excited to say the very least. The event center at Borgata is large enough to hold the crowds that an artist like Stevie can draw, but it still feels intimate. My husband and I had fantastic seats and while we waited for the show to start we passed the time people-watching, which was a treat as everyone seemed to really dress up for this show. Maybe it was being at the Borgata or maybe it was the thrill of seeing Stevie Wonder in person but we felt under dressed—me in a black dress and heels and him in a suit, that's for sure. The Borgata, by the way, is one of our favorite places to catch a show when we we're down the shore. They always treat people well, especially Phillyist people, and although it's still a casino with casino-like pricing at some of their restaurants, we had no problem heading to Metropolitan and totally annihilating one of the greatest grilled cheese sandwiches we've ever had in our lives. Dinner for two (including a glass of wine apiece) was under $50.00.

Last week at the Annenberg Center, Phillyist attended a performance by trumpeter Herb Alpert and vocalist Lani Hall. Upon hearing about the show, this Phillyist's mother expressed surprise that Herb Alpert could still be alive, and indeed, the average age of the audience was remarkably high. Alpert began the show inviting these gray-haired fans to shout out questions, and by the end of the night he had realized his mistake: voices yelled, unprompted, "We love you!" or "Herb, I just want to say this: I love your music and I love your art!" Phillyist began to worry if Alpert and company would be allowed to leave the theatre at all, or whether he would be consumed in an elderly version of the finale of the movie Perfume.

The last time Bob Dylan went on tour in these parts, a police officer thought he was homeless and charged him with loitering. And judging from the reviews of his 47th album Christmas in the Heart, the icon's latest sound just might resemble a panhandler's plaintive tunes.

       

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.

Tomorrow night, the husband and wife jazz team Herb Alpert and Lani Hall will perform songs from their new album, Anything Goes, at the Annenberg Center. Herb Alpert is a trumpet-playing legend: an eight-time Grammy® winner, bandleader of the Tijuana Brass and co-founder of A&M records. Among the friends of Phillyist with longer memories, Herb is famous for his 1965 album Whipped Cream, the cover of which displayed a rather attractive woman wearing nothing but. This time around, however, Herb is performing with his wife, Lani Hall, a Grammy® winning vocalist since the 1960s—we expect both musicians to be fully clothed. They are playing in Philadelphia for one night only.

No World Series game tonight, folks, which means that you can head out to see what's actually going on in the Philadelphia area—as long as you aren't relying on SEPTA to get you there.

Sometimes I wonder what it would be like if my dad was a militant slam poet who used eardrum shattering electronic beats and industrial hip-hop to communicate his message of individualism, anti-conformity and transcending the shackles of racism that have affected him so deeply.

Really, so your plan was to spend your night off in between World Series games at home, resting your liver and your wallet? Well think again, because there is a tour rolling into Philly on Friday that takes crazy to a whole new level. Tell your checking account that everything will be okay, but trust us: Saul Williams is definitely worth going into overdraft for.

Hang on, baseball fans. This week, the city's spotlight belongs on the Spectrum, where it will shine for four nights on the men of Pearl Jam and the fans who kept the venue in business for over 55 years.

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.

Alright, Philly. You've got two days to prepare yourself for the World Series, so make sure you get some relaxation in now, because the tension is going to get ramped up as of Wednesday.

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.

Alright, there's no Phillies game tonight, so tonight is a good opportunity to un-glue yourself from the television and see what's going on in Philly before tomorrow's Game 5.

The first time I heard these words, I was in a nightclub in North London. My first reaction was, "Europeans really do listen to some weird shit...and I dig it." At the time, I had no clue that what I was hearing wasn't really European at all, but decidedly American, as these were the opening lines of "Danger! High Voltage" by Detroit rockers Electric Six (MySpace). That was the beginning of a four-month long borderline obsession with the disco-funk-pop-rock outfit responsible for such catchy, politically incorrect numbers as "Gay Bar" and "Infected Girls."

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.

Phillyist's quick-picks for your evening agenda.

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.

Phillyist's quick-picks for your evening agenda.

If you don't know singer/songwriter Erin McCarley's music, you should. Like, right now. You can start by listening to her full album on MySpace, and then coming to see her this Sunday, October 11, at World Cafe Live. Tickets are $13, which is a helluva bargain. (Her album, Love, Save the Empty, is only her first. Give her a year or two to really catch on, and tickets prices are going to skyrocket.)

Beth Ditto is busy. In addition to helming a band and starting a clothing line, the zaftig lead singer of Gossip (MySpace) recently (and bravely) dropped trou for the cover of UK-based LOVE magazine, giving pride and delight to fierce fat girls everywhere. In addition, she and the band have just kicked off a US tour in support of their latest album, Music for Men, cut with the aid of infamous producer Rick Rubin.

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?

These days, it seems like most bands lack staying power. We can't think of many bands topping the charts right now that will still be around in thirty-five years—but hey, not many of them have the panache and showmanship of KISS. Currently on tour with Buckcherry, the Detroit shock rockers will be releasing Sonic Boom, their first album in eleven years, in Walmarts and Sams Clubs across the country next week. But because pyrotechnics and light shows and really scary makeup don't translate well to CD, if you want to get the full effect of KISS's music, you need to see them live. And the band will be awarding one lucky Phillyist reader with a pair of tickets to catch the Philly stop of the "Kiss Alive 35" Tour, October 12 at the Wachovia Center.