JUMP Summer 2012 by JUMP Philly

ISSUE #6

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SUMMER 2012

MEET PHILLY'S NEXT HIP HOP HEROES

MOOSH & TWIST INSIDE: THE ROOTS, CHILL MOODY, THE TOUGH SHITS, EL MALITO, MIC STEW, COLD FRONTS, RESTORATIONS & MUCH MORE

CONTENTS | Issue #6 Summer 2012

THE JUMP OFF Cold Fronts, Dessie Jackson, El Malito and the 33rd Century, the Holmesburg Jam, Ruben Polo, Restorations, The Spinning Leaves, Rowboat Casino, Vacationer, The Astronauts, Anthony Caroto, Mic Stew, The Tough Shits.

MUSIC & POLITICS Councilman David Oh has big plans for Philly: a week-long, city-wide, international music festival.

THIS PLACE ROCKS Cups & Chairs serves tea and music. The Jeffrey Palace is a hipster frat house. Little Berlin combines art and music.

MUSIC & EDUCATION Kehinde Ardrey gives North Philly kids life lessons while teaching them how to play West African drums.

COVER STORY: MOOSH & TWIST They are still teenagers and yet, they are taking the hip-hop world by storm. They haven't even dropped a full-length album but they've toured across the country. Meet Philly's next hip-hop heroes.

COVER STORY: THE ROOTS PICNIC Kevin Stairiker has a one-on-one conversation with Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter, who founded The Roots with Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson 25 years ago. Plus, we catch up with Chill Moody, who will perform at the Picnic. And we check out some of the other artists worth seeing this year.

MODERN BROPAR Mattitude strolls down memory lane after finding a bunch of Polaroid photos from Philly punk shows.

FOOD THAT ROCKS Rebel Rock Bar & Bites has live music and self-serve beer at your table. And we show you other dining options near Festival Pier and the River Stage.

the JUMP concert calendar Check out who is playing in the city.

LINER NOTES Fishtown artist Jeffro Kilpatrick grew up surrounded by music. It continues to influence his art.

COVER PHOTO: OCD: Moosh & Twist, by Marie Alyse Rodriguez. BACK COVER: The Roots, by G.W. Miller III. CONTENTS PAGE: (top to bottom) The Roots, by G.W. Miller III. El Malito, by G. W. Miller III. Dessie Jackson, by Rick Kauffman. Cold Fronts, by Rick Kauffman. 4

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Publisher's Note

Appreciate The Positives After Jay-Z announced that he would curate the 28 or so acts that will play the Made In America music festival at Eakins Oval in September, I immediately hopped online, looking for the lineup. While searching, however, I stumbled across a Brooklyn-based website and I was incredibly annoyed by the comments I found. You want to complain that Jigga is coming to Philly rather than holding the two-day event in Brooklyn? That's fine. Whatever. You want to complain about the cost of tickets or that many of the festivalattendees will stand on asphalt for most of the show? That's legitimate. But the bulk of the comments on the website had absolutely nothing to do with the actual event itself. "Philly is the armpit of America," an anonymous commenter wrote – without any prodding, only minutes after the original post went up. Yeah, yeah, I know. The Internet is full of trolls and haters. And sure, this comment is not nearly as bad as most comments about Philly on that crappy website. Just about any time there is info about a Philly event on that site – as well as on many other sites (even locally), people always start chiming in about needing a Kevlar vest for their visit or bitching about how scared they are to come here. Seriously? Is that all we are to the rest of the world? A place to be feared and ridiculed? Here's the deal. I'm from the Greater Philadelphia region and I've lived in the city proper for around 18 years. I've been a journalist for the entire 18 years and for much of that time, I covered crime. I know the realities of living in Philadelphia. I've had several cars broken into. I caught a burglar breaking into my bicycle shed one time. A kid slugged me with a brick right in my kisser, about a block from my house. Somebody actually took a dump on the side my house a few years ago. We know it was a person because they wiped their ass with their button-down shirt and then left it behind our car. There was a shit stain on my wall for months. A group of teenagers pulled a gun on me once. I ran before they could do anything. It turned out they had just shot a kid on the same block only minutes before. I found the victim sitting on a stoop on my block, smoking a cigarette while waiting for an ambulance. I'm not saying that we don't have a lot of assholes and a serious crime issue in this city. What I'm saying is that we're so much more than that. Jay-Z is coming here. He'll play the same location where hundreds of thousands of people will enjoy the fireworks and peacefully watch The Roots play on the Fourth of July. He'll hold his event in a city where there is incredible music happening in every corner of town, every night of the week, year-round. There is so much awesomeness here – just look at the diversity of talent we feature in this issue. That's what people should remember when they think about Philly. That goes for the locals, too. We can't ignore the negatives but that doesn't mean we have to harp on them, espcially when there is something special happening within our music scene. - G.W. Miller III JUMPphilly.com

publisher G.W. MILLER III senior staff SOFIYA BALLIN, KELSEY DOENGES, LAUREN GORDON, COLIN KERRIGAN, CHRIS MALO, MEGAN MATUZAK, BRANDEE NICHOLS, KEVIN STAIRIKER staff LAUREN ARUTE, RACHEL BARRISH, BRITTNEY BOWERS, MIKE BUCHER, CARY CARR, MADDY COURT, CHESNEY DAVIS, GRACE DICKINSON, BETH ANN DOWNEY, MATTHEW EMMERICH, JESSICA GRIFFIN, ASHLEY HALL, SARAH HULL, MORGAN JAMES, RICK KAUFFMAN, DANA LUCCHINE, KIM MAIALETTI, JILLIAN MALLON, NIESHA MILLER, BRENDAN MENAPACE, CAROLINE NEWTON, ELIZABETH PRICE, MARIE ALYSE RODRIGUEZ, CHAD SIMS, KIRSTEN STAMN, BRITTANY THOMAS, BRIAN WILENSKY, BREE WOOD contributors ANTHONY CAROTO, JEFFRO KILPATRICK, SCOTT THOMAS McCLENNEN, JOE PERRI, RYAN TEMPLE chief copy editor AARON JOLLAY assistant to the publisher KIARA McKNIGHT these folks believe in JUMP and we love them for it KYLE BAGENSTOSE, RUSS CAMPBELL, MEREDITH EDLOW, LAURA HUGGETT, MIKE MORPURGO, LIZ SCHILLER WE PRINT 10,000 FULL-COLOR ISSUES FOUR TIMES PER YEAR, IN MARCH, JUNE, SEPTEMBER AND NOVEMBER. WE DISTRIBUTE THEM FREE AT PHILLY AREA MUSIC VENUES, STUDIOS, RESTAURANTS, RECORD SHOPS, BARS, CLOTHING BOUTIQUES, GYMS, BOOK STORES, COFFEE SHOPS, UNIVERSITIES, CLUBS AND OTHER PLACES WHERE MUSIC LOVERS HANG OUT. IF YOU WANT MAGS AT YOUR LOCATION, EMAIL US AT JUMPPHILLY@GMAIL.COM. JUMP is an independent magazine published by Mookieland Inc. Our mission, simply put, is to show off Philly's music scene. This is a full-on community effort. If you want to get involved, if you have story ideas or if you just have something to say, contact us at jumpphilly@gmail.com. Find us on online at jumpphilly.com or facebook.com/jumpphilly. Follow us on twitter - @jumpphilly. We really need advertisers. Advertising money allows us to print this magazine and tell stories about the awesome people doing awesome stuff in Philly. By supporting JUMP, you are supporting the local music scene. Philly rocks. Spread the word. JUMPphilly.com

Photo by Rick Kauffman.

Back to Basics Cold Fronts make good music with real instruments, as Caroline Newton discovers.

Craig Almquist is 20 minutes late. When he finally arrives, he frantically jumps out of his car and offers to buy drinks or snacks as an apology for his tardiness. He’s the vocalist for Cold Fronts, an old-school rock band that makes infectious, danceable songs. He’s a recent college grad but his future, he says, is in making music, not sitting at an office desk. “I feel a little crazy,” he admits. “I feel like to make it in the music industry is like playing the lottery. But I have every intention of making Cold Fronts a career.” All the members – Almquist, guitarist Shaky Jake, Jake's brother Dylan Hammill on bass and drummer Alex Smith – grew up in South Central Pennsylvania. Shaky Jake and Almquist were rivals in high school. “I went to a battle of the bands show, watched Craig win and thought I could certainly do better,” Shaky Jake says. “I started a band with my brother and we beat Craig the following year.” JUMPphilly.com

The pair tried collaborating on projects and tried to be friends but it didn’t work out. They even dated the same girls for a while, which made things worse. “We were actually kind of like enemies at one point,” Almquist says. Almquist and Shaky Jake both found themselves living in New York at the same time, their lives drifting together by their common love for music. The two met up and began writing songs, realizing they now work well together. They picked up Smith and Hammill in 2011 and have been recording and performing ever since. “We always call it ‘four-car garage rock’,” Almquist says with a laugh, describing their sound. “Or ‘riff rock’ because of the guitar riffs in it.” Cold Fronts doesn’t use loops and they don’t stand in front of Macbooks while performing. “It's so easy to take a laptop on stage and play to a track,” says Shaky Jake. “I support electronic artists who create new sounds and push the boundaries of music but I can't agree with a rock band using electronics to supply a bigger sound or fill in drum loops. It's all possible with live (continued on page 8) COMEBACK KIDS: (L to R) Craig Almquist, Shaky Jake, Dylan Hammill and Alex Smith want people to appreciate talent, not just electronics. 7

The Artist Drawn to Music Our Caroline Newton learns a Tyler art student has found an audience in the music world. Photo by Rick Kauffman. Dessie Jackson sits on her bed cross-legged, running her charcoal-covered hands through her brown hair, and apologizing for the messy makeshift art studio she calls her room. Jackson started out drawing potato-head people when she was a kid but her talents were refined under the watchful eye of her Japanese babysitter. “She would push me to draw a lot and she taught me traditional Japanese form,” Jackson recalls. “We would do ink, focusing on copying anime images and such. That’s where my passion started to grow.” Now 20, the Tyler School of Art student has a grocery list of accomplishments. Jackson’s first commissioned piece was featured in the Ephrata-based metalcore band Texas in July’s music video for “1000 lies” in 2011. The song is about finding yourself and as the song progresses, the video shows Jackson crafting an ink on paper portrait.

Equal Vision Records promptly bought the piece, which now hangs in their office. “There has always been something more interesting about her work,” says Texas in July bass player Ben Witkowski, a longtime friend of Jackson’s. “I remember back in our high school years when she would just draw on her walls in her bedroom, always working on something, hands always marked up.” Jackson’s dream isn’t to make art for bands but all of a sudden musicians are calling her up. “Music is not my audience but fine art and music go hand and hand,” she says. Not only is Jackson’s art featured in Texas in July’s video, she also designed the band’s guitar picks, which a few lucky fans get to take home at the end of shows. The picks are caricatures of the band members and the tour manager. “It’s cool to know that my art is on something that literally makes music,” Jackson admits, her eyes lighting up with excitement. She started publishing her work on a tumblr

page last year and that has drawn attention. Alongside her work with Texas in July, Jackson’s designs are featured on T-shirts for Philadelphia-based record company, Back to Back Records. One of the designs is a caricature of Joe Hardcore. She’s currently designing the album artwork of a collaborative music project called The Fortress, which includes Brendan Brown of The Receiving End of Sirens. And Jackson was recently chosen to design a T-shirt for The Hundreds, an apparel company that focuses on Southern California’s skateboarding, surf, punk and hiphop cultures. She’s so busy, she works at all times of the day. “I like working at four in the morning,” she confides. “It’s such a weird time to be up. You’re dirty and you’ve had five cups of coffee and after 20 hours of work and living off of 7-Eleven snacks, I can finally step back and be proud.”

(Cold Fronts, continued from page 7)

their own garage, The Rathaus in West Philly. Last year, if you asked Almquist what are his favorite kinds of shows to play, he would’ve said basement shows. But after chipping a tooth, getting shocked and having gear stolen, basements have lost their appeal. Plus, Cold Fronts spent the winter touring with mewithoutYou in larger, cleaner venues. For the first time, the one-year old band experienced life on the road, performing and selling CD’s to people they’ve never met. “We checked into a hotel (in Kalamazoo, Michigan),” Almquist recalls. “The guy pretty

much just said ‘I don’t care what you guys do. You guys can get drunk. You guys can get stoned. Just please don’t cook meth.’ It was the first time I’d been accused of potentially cooking meth! And he’s like, ‘Seriously, this place will burn down.’” They played at SXSW and recorded in The Stroke’s old studio. Then they came home to Philly. “I love Philadelphia, but sometimes I hate Philadelphia,” Almquist says. “I feel like if I lived somewhere in New York, I would just love it and I would have no inspiration.”

musicians if you take the time to work out all the parts.” Cold Fronts have an early 2000s Strokes-like sound, which is rooted in 70s New York punk. “I'd love to see more bands get back to the basics of what made rock and roll so appealing to begin with,” Shaky Jake continues. “It was more about attitude and less about popularity. Fuck 'em.” Rowdy kids from all over Philly have come to see Cold Fronts play at various venues and in 8

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Photo by G.W. Miller III.

The JUMP Off

Puerto Rican, Party-Rapping Platypus Maddy Court talks to El Malito about life in the 33rd Century, where he and his band hang when they aren't in Philly. South Philly-based hip-hop artist El Malito isn’t afraid that people will hate his music. He’s afraid they might not pay attention – as hard as that may be, given his proclivity to strip down to his briefs during live shows. “I did a show in Manayunk and there were some dudes sitting at the bar,” he recalls. “As I was doing the monologue and stripping, they were all, ‘No, no, don’t do it.’ Those cats, they couldn’t freakin’ handle it.” At least those cats in Manayunk were hating. A lot of El Malito’s surprisingly cerebral songs deal with just the opposite – people trying to pigeonhole him or failing that, dismiss him. Maybe that’s why he’s obsessed with the possibilities of space, which he claims to travel around in a time machine powered by fruit. “When I’m here on earth, I have all the same trappings of everybody here,” Malito says. “But when I get away, I take a ride past 18.15.230901 or all these other places in outer space. I’ll go through a wormhole in my time machine and just get away from it all. But when I’m here, it’s just like, ‘I’m a platypus because people look at me weird.’” El Malito, who’s 37 and goes by Les Rivera offstage, has a CV that includes such job titles as hip-hop dancer, filmmaker, diver, performance JUMPphilly.com

artist and gymnast. On the verge of the release of his first album, he’s grappling with how to present himself and his music in one palatable package. He’s not sure it’s possible. “My thing is the platypus because I’m made up of all these things that don’t necessarily make sense,” he says. “It can throw people off a little bit, but whatever. That’s on them.” El Malito was born in Puerto Rico. He relocated to West Chester with his family when he was 10. As a high school student, he dreamed of becoming a doctor and was accepted to the University of Pennsylvania. The high tuition caused him to instead enroll at La Salle University. He joined the Rennie Harris Puremovement dance company when he was a freshman. Soon he left school altogether to tour with Puremovement full-time. He always meant to finish college, he says, but dancing professionally and traveling the world for more than a decade was an education in itself. El Malito saw his dance company experience enormous success in Europe, only to be greeted by crickets in their hometown. “It’s really, really, really tough here for a musician or any kind of artist,” Malito says. “But if you persevere and get out of Philly, you will rule anywhere you go. You will have the

thickest rhino skin ever." El Malito and his bandmates – named the 33rd Century after the futuristic ideal where Malito finds inspiration, have slowly built a loyal following in the area. With Ruthie Meadows on guitar, Jebney Lewis on bass, Melinda Gervasio on drums and El Malito rapping in Spanish and English, the group gets crowds dancing. Their zany live performances involve original video projections and two dancing alien sidekicks named Luke I Am and Your Father. The aliens are El Malito’s shameless, commercial alter egos. The duo performs a song called “Girl Hike Your Skirt Up,” full of racy lyrics that El Malito tries to avoid. He occasionally performs in a yellow tracksuit as a nod to Bruce Lee’s The Game of Death. He sometimes dresses like George Washington, complete with a powdered wig, as he did at his birthday show in March at Milkboy. “We still haven’t categorized what we do,” Malito says. “But we’ll figure that out.” El Malito may not know how to pigeonhole himself or his music but he does know that he has something to say, and that the music is fun. The 33rd century, apparently, is a giant party and El Malito is inviting you to come. 9

The Accidental Bluegrass Tradition Lauren Gordon learns how a basement guitar lesson evolved into a 40-year old weekly jam session. Photos by Scott Thomas McClennen.

first jam occurred. It was just Steck and here is barely a crowd at the Hop friends Dave Purtle and Mike Coonan, Angel in Northeast Philly, save for and Steck’s cousin Bill Sullivan. a few German food enthusiasts “It wasn't a bluegrass band, ” says Steck. and a small Thirsty Thursday group. “It was just four guys with guitars teaching But that's OK. When it comes to an oldeach other how to play. It was basically an fashioned bluegrass session band like acoustic jam, mostly pop tunes, and didn't the Holmesburg Jam, things like crowds, evolve too much from there until Fred practices and ticket sales never matter. came around.” “It is not a show, “ clarifies Fred Moore, Sullivan rented an apartment in a big one of the longest jammers, who started ramshackle house on Frankford Avenue a few short years after the Holmesburg where his sister Fran and her husband, Jam began in 1972. “A show requires Fred Moore, lived. The jam began to take rehearsing. We just get together and have place on Thursday nights in Sullivan's fun. If you come, you come. If you don't, kitchen and occasionally in the yard. that's fine too!” THE REGULARS: Bluegrass lovers show up every Thursday “We had some amazing parties,” Moore On the second floor every Thursday to jam together at the Hop Angel. says with a smirk. “Sometimes we'd go until night, the Holmesburg Jam members swig of his beer, Moore begins strumming his 2 or 3 a.m. My wife was not happy. But she gather to play some of the most fiery and guitar. The chaotic sounds of tinkering turns always left the bedroom window open, and passionate bluegrass music you’ll ever hear, into an unbelievably melodic flow and an every Thursday night I'd climb through it.” just like they’ve been doing for four decades. explosion of talent fills the room as each player Outside, the jam would light fires (more On this particular jam night, 12 people make seamlessly follows the other's lead. like pyres) and gather around for a night of an elongated circle in the restaurant's limited drinking, dancing and playing. space and the room fills with the sounds of n Holy Thursday, March 30, 1972, in “We didn't get in any trouble with the fire guitars, fiddles, basses and mandolins being George Steck's parent's basement department,” Steck reminisces. “They came plunked, picked and otherwise getting tuned. on Marple Street in Holmesburg, the around the first couple times. If they got calls, Suddenly the tinkering stops and with a final

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The JUMP Off

heir summer escapades attracted talented musicians in the late 80s, including the late Fran Hoffman and Ed Pollak, a retired psychologist and professor who jams five nights per week with different groups, from Fox Chase to Wilmington. “Some people don't like playing with new people,” scoffs Pollak. “I never got that. The best feeling is learning new players.” Pollak has become an expert on jamming etiquette. For instance, eye contact is key, since the band leader for that song will give whomever they want the right to a solo during the jam. In strict jams, it is a cardinal sin to have more than one bass player and in some others, newcomers have to patiently wait to fill in when a more experienced player is missing. “I once heard us called a third tier jam,” confesses Steck. “It is not very advanced. Those big ones are exclusive. The thing I am proudest of with this jam is that it is open to everyone. We've had people who come in here and barely know how to play a chord or two but they enjoy playing. We may never see them again but they came here and they learned how to play.”

hen Terita Reeve and her husband joined a new church and heard a guitar player during services, they discovered a rekindled passion for the instrument. They had both always loved music, bluegrass being among her favorites. They picked up their axes after years of neglect and then found the jam through some online research. “Everybody was very welcoming,” Reeve claims. “Everything I really learned about bluegrass I learned from here. They are all phenomenal teachers, like Ed. They'll critique you, but you are a better player for it.” Now, Reeve and her husband are weekly regulars.

ver the past 40 years, the jam has migrated from riversides, to bars to bowling alleys (their outside jams were put to an end when an outsider fell into the fire). But while the location has often changed, the passion and the spirit of the jam has never faltered. “A couple beers, a couple tunes, that’s all it is,” says Steck. “It was never meant to be a big tradition. It was just four guys, hanging out and playing music. Nothing lucrative. Bluegrass and lucrative are oxymoronic. It is basically the camaraderie, something we all love to do and will do for as long as possible.”

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Photo courtesy of Ruben Polo.

they knew what it was and sometimes they would come by and listen to music. People would show up but you never really knew who was going to. Junkies would just come up, listen to music and fall asleep. It wasn’t the best neighborhood in the world but it was always peaceful.”

Emo Isn't A Bad Word Jump's Elizabeth Price sits down with Ruben Polo, a guitarist with Facts, the 90’s era emostyle band, and post-hardcore/emo band Secret Plot to Destroy the Entire Universe. Where are you from Ruben? I'm originally from north-central New Jersey. I got lucky. I came up with bands from the New Brunswick screamo scene – The Assistant, You & I, Thursday. Most of the shows I went to were at a small club called Chrome in Perth Amboy. When did Facts get together? We started out of an old band I was in called Down, BEAST! There's Brian Mach on drums, Douglass Horn on bass, Eric Picard plays guitar and Will Dickerson is our singer. We've been going strong since August.

What do you like about the Philly music scene on the whole? That if you put your ear to the ground, you can find a good show almost any night. There's always something to do, and that really helps touring bands as well. Have you always been based out of the Kensington-Port Richmond area? I wish. I love it out here because no one can find me! All of my friends live in other parts of the city and they never want to come to Port Richmond because they're scared of it. So, no one bothers me. And I have an excuse to not hang out!

You guys are recording right now, correct? We finished up recording the full-length last month (March). Now we're just waiting for the mixing and mastering to be done, which we're doing ourselves. Dan Anderson, from my other band Secret Plot to Destroy the Entire Universe, has a background in mastering. He and I are going to put it out on vinyl through his Philly-based label, Kat Kat Records. This is Facts' first full-length and we're likely to have another EP done by the end of the year. You shamelessly describe your two bands as emo. Do you see anything unique about the trajectory of the genre? Oh yeah. Even little things like The Barbary doing Makeoutclub – the ad says in bold letters "EMO." It definitely depends which generation you grew up in, and how you view the tag. To me the Cap'n Jazz scene got big here, about four or fives years ago. Algernon Cadwallader is a good example. It became a lot easier to do an almost emo/pop-punk that can get very loud and abrasive but still have very pretty guitars. It became fun again.

Your house now, it has a name and you do shows out of it, correct? Yes. TWOB-House, The Wrath of Bong. We've been doing shows on-and-off there for two years. It was great until a show in December got shut down. I did one more show in January and then called it quits for a while. Now, since I'm leaving (to tour) in three months I decided, fuck it. We'll just stay until the cops show up. You're touring the country this summer with Secret Plot. Any shows here before you leave? We're trying to set it up. That band hit the ground running. We formed in November, toured in December. We put out a demo after four practices. Now, we just finished recording the drums for the full-length. I'm just trying to finish living out my stupid kid-in-the-van dream that I've had in my heart since I was a little kid. I'm giving myself until I'm 28. I'm 26 now. Just so I can say, "I've seen the country and played in someone's basement in Utah." Then I can go back and become, like, a normal person. 11

Photo by G.W. Miller III.

The JUMP Off

Grown Up Punks Gaining Buzz Restorations went from being a casual project into a critically acclaimed band, as Beth Ann Downey learns.

on Loudon doesn’t really know what kind of day it’s going to be. He sits outside of the Rocket Cat Café in Fishtown, eating a tomato, avocado and veggie cream cheese sandwich, which he had to wait way too long for. But there was little else within walking distance of Miner Street Studios, where Loudon’s Philly-based indie rock band Restorations is in the process of recording a new 7-inch album, titled A/B. Slow food is a small price to pay to record in one of the most wellknown studios in the city. Loudon and the other band members are quick to mention how much they’ve enjoyed it, and that Sufjan Stevens had just been there just a few days before. “This will be the fun day,” Loudon suggests, noting that the more laborious task of tracking drums and many of the lead guitar parts had been done the day before. Today is devoted mostly to vocals. In fact, Loudon just finished a 30-minute vocal warm-up. He had never prepared for recording like that before. After the sandwich, he’ll be ready.

L 12

oudon has a right to be optimistic about a lot of things these days. What started as a “casual band” for him and his Restorations bandmates – guitarist Dave Klyman, guitarist/keyboardist Ben

Pierce, bassist Dan Zimmerman and drummer Carlin Brown – has turned into something a little more serious, thanks to the warm reception of their debut self-titled LP, which was released last year. The metaltinged, 90s-bred indie rock that the album put forth blended elements of shoegaze and Americana, and was dubbed as music for grown up punks. A buzzed-about performance at Fest 10 in Gainesville, Florida last October didn’t hurt either. Among other accolades, Restorations was given the title of “Best Debut” at the hardcore festival by Alternative Press Magazine. Klyman likened the press reaction to the after that show to the jerk movement of the zombies in the “Thriller” video. Buzz is a welcomed noise for this collection of longtime musicians, all of whom were in other serious bands before or still have other RESTORED: (Above, L to R) Carlin projects. Restorations was Brown, Dan Zimmerman, Jon Loudon, started by Loudon and Ben Pierce and Dave Klyman. Below, Klyman as an escape from the A-side of the band's 7-inch release their former post-hardcore that drops in June. band, Jena Berlin, after recording and touring a lot but cashing in very little. “This band really let us dial down, just chill out for a bit and really enjoy what we were doing for a while,” Loudon says. “Not having any real expectations on it really helped us write. It changed everything, our JUMPphilly.com

whole approach. It’s a much happier environment for sure, hence the name of the project.” But even with the 7-inch release, a forthcoming sophomore LP, a newlyminted fan base, label involvement and opportunities to tour that could be taken if the band were to go full-time, Loudon says that things are even easier now. “We got really good at just sort of learning how to make music without having to worry about any level of success or support or anything,” Loudon says with a laugh. “It’s just been so long with us, you know, playing small shows and doing it ourselves. So now it’s a bit of a surprise that it’s connected. But there’s always pressure, especially when, you know, people are sort of paying attention.”

barefooted Jon Low gives Loudon tips while he tracks vocals. Low, who has worked with Dr. Dog, Kurt Vile and Sharon Van Etten and is known for his involvement with the XPN/Miner Street recording project Shaking Through, is producing the Restorations 7-inch. Having also mixed their LP, his excitement to be working with their material again is palpable. “It’s nice because this is the kind of music I grew up listening to,” Low says. “I don’t get to work on loud music that much. So it’s kind of refreshing. It’s very refreshing.” Low wants Loudon to fake strum his guitar in the live room so that he can get his timing down. Loudon requests a capo, a clamp that goes on the fretboard and makes the guitar pitch higher. “Excuse me, I’m Jon Loudon and I need a capo to play air guitar,” jokes Pierce from behind the deck. They do whatever Loudon needs to get that third-generation Billy Joel sound (the second-generation being Gaslight Anthem’s Brian Fallon, whom Loudon admits he sounds like). It’s a tone almost unexpected from Loudon, who talks in a somewhat high-pitched, rushed manner, but projects a low, raspy singing voice when performing scream-o vocals.

Tue 6/5: Gina Sicilia Tue 6/12: the defog Wed 6/13: Payton Taylor Thu 6/14: Founder’s Day

ALL SHOWS ALL AGES

“Hey kid, in time they’ll forget you, just do what you’ve gotta do,” croons Loudon on the album’s track “A” as Low continues offering instructions. “Singing to sound good is not something I’ve really ever done, at least since I’ve been playing in bands,” Loudon says. “I keep finding new things I should pay attention to.” Being a decent songwriter , and having talent in general, isn’t something Loudon owns up to easily. He writes lyrics as “hodgepodges of little scenes,” blaming not being a good enough writer on an inability to piece together overarching themes. But while writing about “the boring stuff,” Loudon admits he does take writing very seriously. He said track “A” is about the feeling that age doesn’t matter, and that things don’t always matter as much as you think they do. “But ‘B’ is about waiting for the trolley,” Loudon says. “There’s not much to it. Writing is very cathartic for me because it’s like being able to talk about and describe things that you don’t get to talk about much in conversation.” It's more than just Loudon, however. He credits the success of the band to their collaborative song writing. With everyone sharing ideas and keeping their egos in check, it’s kept them from getting in ruts.

his creative approach is evident in the studio as the pace lags a little bit while the band hashes out guitar parts and harmonies for back-up vocals. This has led Loudon to change his opinion, deeming yesterday as the “fun day.” Even though the mood is more tense, it’s still noticeable that the songs on this 7-inch are turning out slightly more pop-sensible – maybe even happier – than the older material from the Restorations catalogue. Was knowing that the band has a few things to be happy about rubbing off in the music? The notion is brushed off. “I assure you,” Loudon says, “the other songs on the record that’s coming out will be just as mopey as the last ones.”

Fri 6/15: Kid Felix Fri 6/29: Mamas Love Fri 7/6: New Sweden Fri 7/20: Michele Karmin

20 DOWN 6/20: FICTION THE MAHLORS/LEVEL VIBES/LOCAL DUB 7/20: PASSAFIRE CANON LOGIC 8/11: THE ME & THIS ARMY SAUCE ALL SHOWS 18+ 9/15: MAMBO KUF KNOTZ

DCSConcerts.com

The JUMP Off

Leaves Unbridled Photo by Megan Matuzak.

Megan Matuzak learns about The Spinning Leaves latest release, Head Aglow.

In the basement of the Wolf Building at 12th and Callowhill, a group of friends, family and newcomers are bathed by the cool purple lights in Underground Arts, a new creative incubator. By the merch table, Michael Baker’s red suit and shimmering ruby neck pendant draw people to the 7-inch copy of The Spinning Leaves latest EP Head Aglow. Barbara Gettes' boots click and clack as she approaches the table, and two musical architects of the indie/folk project, The Spinning Leaves, are united. “There is an honesty that came out with the album,” Gettes begins “Our first album was an explosion of love,” Baker continues as he adjusts his purple Hawaiian shirt covered in fish and seashells. “It was happy, magical and exciting!” “And dreamy,” Gettes adds. “This one is serious and honest,” Baker says, and then takes another drag from his cigarette. “It’s about power unbridled, fire and dreams.” Head Aglow carves out the reality of the pursuit of love, music and life for the Spinning Leaves, Gettes notes with sincerity. The EP was released in late April, near the anniversary of the start of a cross-country tour last year. In the months after that adventure and their return to Philadelphia in August, The Spinning

Leaves wrote Head Aglow, re-establishing the relationship of the bandmates and their ability to communicate through music. “It’s about relationships,” Baker explains as he glances at Barbara. “When two people come together, they can just mess with each other in a zillion different ways. It’s the most beautiful thing to not be alone but at the same time you can hurt each other as much as you can help. It’s a beautiful, spacey waltz, a meditation on the fact that there are two people right beside each other and it’s beautiful that they are together. But there is beauty and ugliness to it all the same time.” Gettes and Baker sing together throughout the track “Knife Arms.” They speak to each other in the song, revealing some painful truths. The track traces the ups and downs of a weathering relationship, which was hard to sing about at first Gettes admits. The second track, “Shades of Red,” is about a burning fire. Baker notes that it was the only song they wrote together completely. Although they had so much to say to each other, music was the only way to fix the distance in their own lives. “We had lost sight that music was our joy,” he says. “We were talking about what we were doing instead of doing it.” Photo by Silvertower Photography.

Captain Of The Boat Ryan Temple talks to Ryan ‘Sib’ Cybulski, former frontman for Spanish Blue, about his new project, Rowboat Casino. Rowboat Casino is an unusual name for a hip-hop project. What’s the meaning behind it? On the surface, you have a rowboat, which is a vessel completely capable of being operated by one person but with room for passengers who are always at the mercy of the man with the paddles. Coming from such a large band (Spanish Blue), where each and every decision had to be accepted by 4 or 5 other bandmates, I always longed for that sole responsibility. There's no one to blame or praise for any failures or successes except the captain of the boat. On the other hand, the casino represents not necessarily the risk involved in venturing out on your own, but the potential that lies within that decision. Sometimes the odds are in your favor. Sometimes they're not. Spanish Blue was a full band. How has working almost exclusively with various local artists and producers affected your writing style? It hasn't affected it much at all. Either I write in waves or sudden bursts of inspiration. Always have. I can go weeks at a time without opening my notebook once, then fill a third of it in just a couple of days. Most of the writing was, and still is, done in the wee hours of the night with some headphones, a jar of kush, and case of beer – and then just applied to whatever suits it best. Who are the Philly artists you’ve yet to work with but would like to? Well, I've recently had the honor of linking up with the legendary DJ Too Tuff from Philly's own Tuff Crew through my long-time friend, and fellow hip-hop artist, Bad News Bars. To me that's crazy considering we use to JUMPphilly.com

play his Philly anthem "My Part of Town" when we were like 11 to 12 years old until the cassette would break. It was literally one of the classics that made me fall in love with the whole culture of hip-hop. Then Spanish Blue covered the song at live shows and it became a fan favorite. And now, Too Tuff will be on the ones and twos for my next Rowboat show. Life has an inspiring way of coming full circle. As for artists I would love to work with now, I'd have to say anyone from the entire Army of the Pharoahs camp. I'm not sure if my style is hardcore enough for the likes of Vinnie Paz (JMT) and Reef the Lost Cauze, but those are the artists that I listen to the most and who inspire me to make in-your-face music that comes right from the heart, while preserving the purity of what has become a diluted movement and culture. 15

Photo by Joe Perri.

The JUMP Off

From Pop-Punk To Chillwave Beth Ann Downey uncovers the mystery behind Vacationer, the new project from Kenny Vasoli, former lead singer of The Starting Line.

he Starting Line’s song “Islands” hinted at what the band’s Philadelphia-based former frontman Kenny Vasoli is now going for with his new project, Vacationer. “Let’s sail away, find our own country. We’ll build a house and beds out of palm trees,” sang Vasoli on the track, which was featured on the band’s 2007 album Direction, their last original release before disbanding the following year. Written in a different time and place — and about a different girl — Vacationer’s debut LP Gone, aims to transport the listener to a place like that island described but with its chillwave electronic elements, lavish layers and catchy beats. “We make very serene, for lack of a better word, chill music,” Vasoli says, acknowledging the departure from his pop-punk rock roots. “It’s just really hard to get yourself worked up listening to our music, I think. It’s not designed to make you feel sorrow really, or aggression. It’s more just very much like a muscle relaxer for your ears. It’s just like a sittingon-the-beach, toes-in-the-sand kind of feeling, at least to me and the guys that I make it with.”

asoli’s foray into the dreamy, electronic sound comes after a rockheavy career in both The Starting Line and his experimental/indie project that followed, Person L. But when Vasoli got his hands on albums by Beach House, Radio Department and Neon Indian, he quickly became interested in starting his own pop-sensible electronic act. All Vasoli needed was the right team, which he found in Matthew Young and Grant Wheeler, both of the Brooklyn-based band, Body Language. “I just liked the sound of it and I liked the songs a lot, so I was really pushing to work with those guys,” Vasoli says of hearing Body Language at the insistence of his manager and former Starting Line guitarist, Matt Watts. “I went up [to Brooklyn], and it was just like a blind date. We did one session together and a lot of good stuff came out of it. We actually wrote the better part of the song ‘Great Love’ that’s on the record. Then we just made a thing out of it every other weekend. It was really great. It was just such a natural progression. Working with those guys was like the most effortless experience for me. I can’t believe the product of what came out of us working for such a short time together.” Though the band had already been touring, little news came out about Vasoli’s new project until the end of January, when they released the three-song Gone EP and the voice behind the smooth beat and bird calls of “Trip” or the soft croons and hand claps of “Gone” was unmistakably that of the Starting Line and Person L singer. Vasoli says he wanted his involvement to remain shrouded in mystery until people had the time to judge Vacationer for the music, not because his name was attached.

“I didn’t really want to ride the coattails of anything I’ve done in the past,” he says. “I think if you’re trying to do something truly different, then that’s probably the worst thing you can do because then people have expectations. There’s really nothing that annoys me more than people expecting something out of me.”

long with a new sound, Vasoli shed his teenage angst in favor of the tranquil positivity of each Vacationer track. He admitted that much of the album was written about a personal experience with a girl (again, not the same girl that “Island” was written about) and has no reservations about chronicling his experience with her for everyone to hear. “It’s really nice because that reflected on an extremely positive time in my life where I was feeling an intense love,” Vasoli says. “I’m glad that I have a bookmark in my life to really capture the spirit of that. I can listen to these songs and know exactly what was going on. It was a really beautiful memory.” Vasoli’s new memories will be made on the road for the indefinite future. The rest of this year will involve “tons of Vacationer,” with new tour plans still in the works. But on the musical journey that spans multiple successes and failures, genres and decades, a few months on the road away from home doesn’t seem to scary for the singer. “I’ve always just been on a journey to write the best songs that I can,” Vasoli says. “I’ve never really felt too comfortable with staying stagnant in the same type of sound. Just with my tastes in general, my tastes are always changing from year to year. I’ve never really been a slave or a purist to tradition or what I’ve been listening to. It’s always been kind of ever changing. It feels good to have people respond to the different things that I do because I definitely go out on a limb with a lot of the choices that I make creatively. The fact that people have still been staying along with me is a really good feeling. It’s very affirming.”

JUMPphilly.com

Photo by G.W. Miller III.

The JUMP Off

Soaring In SW Philly Kiara McKnight hangs with The Astronauts, whose name honors Guy Bluford, the nation's first African-American in space.

he tan colored house on 66th street looks like every other rowhome on this quiet Southwest Philadelphia block. Then the front door swings open and out walks Steve “Pace-O Beats” Ferguson, clad in a red Sheridan Generals sweatshirt, black skinny jeans and red Vans to match. He sits on the steps outside, embracing the warm spring day while waiting for his partner, Lamont “Mont” Brown. After 20 minutes, Mont arrives, fresh from work in his dark blue U.S. Airways uniform, and they make their way to the room where all of The Astronauts’ songs are born.

ont Brown and Pace-O Beats came together in 2009 to form The Astronauts, a rapper/producer combination that creates danceable music but also encourages their fans to be themselves no matter what other people say. “If you stay true to what you do and stay focused, anything can happen,” Mont says. “That’s why we’re The Astronauts. Because anything you want to do in life, you can do it. Look at Guy Bluford.” The duo’s moniker pays homage to Guion “Guy” Bluford, the first black astronaut to enter into space in 1983. Bluford, a West Philadelphia native, attended Overbrook High School. He was told by a guidance counselor that he was not college material and should take up a trade instead. Unlike many African-American men who were given the same advice at the time, Bluford ignored it and went on to earn his bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering at Penn State University, a Ph.D in Aerospace Engineering from the Air Force Institute of Technology and a masters degree in business administration from the University of Houston-Clear Lake. “The Astronauts is a metaphor meaning you can do whatever you want,” says Pace-O. 18

READY FOR TAKEOFF: Pace-O Beats (top) and Mont Brown at 66th and Elmwood. “Because who would’ve thought the first black astronaut would be from West Philly?”

ace-O sits down at a marble-top dinner table, in his makeshift recording studio – a Macbook Pro covered in skateboard

stickers, and to a 26-inch monitor with speakers stacked up on each side. He plays a beat he came up with the night before. As the bass kicks in, Mont energetically bobs

(continued on next page) JUMPphilly.com

his head up and down, an intense look upon his face. Suddenly, he begins to freestyle a verse, going off of the pure emotion of the beat. His verse flows out effortlessly like a rap veteran who has been doing it for years. And in a way he has. Mont has always had a passion for music and a love for hip-hop culture. When he was 11, an older cousin showed him how to write rhymes, stoking the flames of his interest in music. But he credits seeing Mase for making him really want to pursue music on another level. “I was like, ‘I really want to do what he do,’” says Mont, now a 25-year old MC. “And that’s how I really started doing that shit.” Pace-O Beats' background in music goes a little deeper. He got his first taste of music in the first grade when his parents enrolled him in piano lessons. Everyone on his father’s side of the family knew how to play an instrument. But it wasn’t easy for him to tell his friends he had to practice the piano. “I didn’t even think it was cool,” the 25-year old producer explains. “From first to eighth grade, I didn’t even tell people about it. I wanted to play football. So I would go do that, and then go take piano lessons. People used to clown me about it.” That all changed, however, during the summer of eighth grade when he heard N.E.R.D.’s “Rock Star.” “I always was into other stuff,” he says. “I guess you could say I was on some weirdo stuff. So when I seen Pharrell I was like, ‘Yo, this is my dude right here. I want to be just like this dude, yo.’ And that’s what really inspired me to make beats.”

he Astronauts have worked with numerous Philly artists like Meek Mill, Gillie da Kid, Chic Raw and Freeway. They’ve also worked with Lil Chuckee from Young Money and the Diplomats’ Hell Rell. But they’re interested in collaborating with artists beyond hiphop as well. “It’s a difference between a rap song and a record,” says Mont, whom DJ Diamond Kuts hailed as the "Wale of Philly." “I want to make records!” The Astronauts have already begun working on a collaborative project with the local indie pop/punk band Members Only. “Pace-O and Mont are two of the coolest and smartest guys we have met in the business,” Members Only drummer Gabe Rosen says excitedly. “They have really shown us a lot of love. The fact that they are so excited about working with young kids like us is inspiring. And fucking awesome!”

he Astronauts created much of the music in the documentary, Tailor Made: The Bucky Davis Story, which drops on June 19. Directed by Damony Giles, it chronicles the life of Mont’s father. Davis was a promising young boxer who put his career on hold when he joined Philadelphia’s ultra-violent crime cartel, the Junior Black Mafia, thinking it would provide a better life for his family. Davis was murdered on Mother's Day in 1990. “That goes to show I’m not about that life,” Mont states defiantly. “It was so negative what he was doing but he had a good reason for doing it. He wanted the best for his family. I just take the hustle that he was doing and put it into my music.” As the beat begins to fade out, Pace-O already has a hook formulating in his head and beings to record himself singing the hook. Once he finishes he looks up at me and says, “And that’s pretty much how we do it.” A year ago, The Astronauts were patiently waiting for their big break. They keep dropping new music and reaching new audiences. This spring, they performed with Theodore Grams and Chill Moody, and that touring bill will likely continue. The Astronauts have always seen success in their future, despite what anyone else has thought about them, and they plan to keep that optimistic mentality throughout their career. “You just gotta put your faith in God and just go,” says Mont. “That’s all we doing.” JUMPphilly.com

The Quarterly DIY

Your Website Is Your Home We signed up for MySpace, PureVolume, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, ReverbNation, GarageBand, BandCamp, Soundcloud and countless other help-your-band-get-noticed websites. Each site is slowly moving towards irrelevance – some have already arrived – as the next best thing waits for its moment to shine. But through it all we’ve maintained a steady home, fortified from the fades of social media: our websites. Or have we? Signing up for a social media site is easy and the allure is simple – it’s free and lots of other people already use it. Lots of people, but not everybody. To cast the widest net possible, your band needs a website. A www.[band name].com. All businesses need a website. The benefits to having a website are instant. Potential fans have a starting point to discover your music, watch videos and know when and where you’re performing next. It also allows visitors to click their little hearts out and visit any ANTHONY of the social media sites your band is present on. CAROTO This is, by far, more beneficial than just saying, “Check us out on Facebook, y'all!” Now don’t panic – web design is not the big scary monster it used to be. In fact, the ability to build a site has been so dumbed-down for mass consumption that now anyone (including myself) can cover the basics. To start, purchase the domain name of your band. If your band is called Taco Pudding, purchase TacoPudding.com. If you do this through GoDaddy.com, it’ll cost you $12.17 for one year – and that’s without all the add-ons like email (i.e. band@tacopudding.com), extra bandwidth, hosting, etc. You don’t need that stuff. Just buy the domain name. Forwarding this domain name is easy too. Just look for the tab that reads “domain management.” So who’s hosting your site? Among your options are WordPress and CD Baby. WordPress is 100 percent free and easy to use. It’s synced up with Google Analytics and allows users to opt for the blog or static page format. CD Baby is also very good but will cost you $20 per month. The benefit of using CD Baby is that your site, and more specifically your music, will be distributed to all of the major outlets – iTunes, MP3.com, Amazon, etc. CD Baby is also tied in with managing your social media sites and allows users to organize and utilize an effective email list. In the meantime, while your actual site is being worked on, it’s ok to temporarily forward your domain name to the social media site of your choice. Just be sure that the site you choose is up-to-date. Anthony Caroto founded Origivation, a Philly music magazine, in 2001. He sold off the magazine in 2006 and then bounced around the country before returning to Philadelphia in 2010. He now works at The Grape Room in Manayunk, doing a variety of tasks including promotion and booking. 19

Photo by Mike Bucher.

The JUMP Off

The Rapping Optimist Sofiya Ballin meets Mic Stew, your favorite Philly rapper's favorite rapper.

ichael Stewart starts his day with prayer, coffee and a cigarette. In that order. “God puts me in perspective, humbles me,” he says as he takes a drag. Known as Mic Stew, he’s your favorite Philly rapper’s favorite rapper and there isn’t a mic in the surrounding area he hasn’t touched. Stewart has recorded more than 120 songs and released six projects, with more coming soon. Today he’s hosting a block party sponsored by Red Bull. There’s an open mic for freestyling but he’s often asked for free drinks rather than to take the mic. He watches a basketball game going on while the DJ spins for a small crowd. “Music in general is very rehearsed, very packaged, especially commercial hip hop,” Stewart says “Not as many people grow up actually loving to rap. I want to create something people can grow up with.” Born and raised in Royersford, Pennsylvania, Stewart has been rapping since he was 12. “I would walk down the street and start free styling in my head,” he says. He moved to Philly in 2008 to attend Temple University. He’s since won accolades and numerous battles in the city, including the 2011 Red Bull EmSee competition. That gave him the right to compete in front of Eminem. He’s working on two projects, one of which is a yet untitled EP due out this summer. “It’s specifically written for people to have a good time,” he says. “Everything feels good.” His impending debut full-length album, All Good Things, takes on a darker tone. “It chronicles struggles that I go through personally,” Stewart explains. “It’s me ranting about things that make me unhappy, being cynical and critical of both myself and my environment.”

t’s getting windy and a small cypher begins to form. Stewart sits on the bench and watches. Just a few days ago, he opened for Raekwon at The Blockley. 20

“Raekwon is one of the most badass people alive, so calm and so honest with his work,” Stewart says. “Sitting in a room with him, I felt very nervous. I felt like a child, so humbling. Onstage, it was a blast and it was a bigger honor and bigger experience than expected.” Stewart jumps up mid-sentence and grabs the mic. His hair is pulled back in a low ponytail so you know he’s serious. Mic Stew begins to flow with a bouncy cadence and high energy that his performances are known for. After a few minutes, he sits back down, slightly breathless but smiling broadly. “I let my excitement spill into the crowd,” he says. “It’s kind of like high school dances. A few brave souls will dance and encourage the others to dance. As an MC, I look at myself as the first person on the dance floor.” As a Temple student, he originated the Friday afternoon Bell Tower cypher that continues today. Other Philly artists have cited the cypher as their starting point and Stew as source of encouragement. “The fact that people come out and say that is surprising,” he says. “It means a lot. It’s an honor to be able to help people in that way.” He freestyles and writes everyday when he’s not making phone calls, booking gigs, promoting, cross-promoting or recording in the studio. He manages his own career, which is a hassle, but he has a large support system behind him, especially his family.

“They promote when I come home or have big ticket out in Philly,” Stewart says. “My little brother knows every lyric to every song. My big brother just told me that he’s proud of me and that he finds me inspiring. My dad gives me tips on what he thinks people would want to hear and how I can get my foot in different doors. My mom, she’s always pulling strings. I have my whole hometown pulling for me.”

s people begin to leave the Red Bull event, Mic Stew raps even when there is virtually no audience. His head bobs to the beat and his hand moves rapidly, punctuating the words coming out his mouth. “My rhymes are an extension of myself, so to ask me to rhyme is like asking me to go out to lunch or asking me to breathe,” he says. “It’s fully integrated into who I am. It’s natural, it feels good.” All Good Things will portray him as a realist, maybe even a pessimist, but his unwavering belief that all good things will come is evident in his persona, and it reveals his inner optimist. “Try to eat three square meals, get plenty of sleep, make sure your shoes are on the right feet,” he says. “Feed your pets, brush your teeth, when possible buy a sandwich and water for the homeless.” He pauses for a moment. “If you like what I’m doing,” he adds, “share my music.” JUMPphilly.com

Photo by G.W. Miller III.

Rockin' Witty Shits

The Tough Shits know how to have a good time, as Brian Wliensky discovers. Not too many bands in Philly have had their lyrics stolen by Bruce Springsteen. And there probably aren’t too many bands in the city who are self-diagnosed, manic-depressive Scotch snobs who are down with performing in drag when the opportunity presents itself. The Tough Shits wrote, “Hard times come/ Hard times go,” before the Boss wrote the same line in his new song, “Wrecking Ball.” “We’re going to make a YouTube video to prove it, too,” jokes singer Mark Banfill. Actually, their entire first LP, co-released in February on Burger Records and The Colonel Records, was recorded well before “Wrecking Ball.” They laid down the tracks two years ago for The Colonel. Then, well, nothing happened. “Our good friend Bryce at Colonel paid a lot of money to fund the recording and that was cool,” says guitarist Nick Carlisi. “But for whatever reason – we’re not even sure, it never came out.” Luckily Avi Spivak, who did the album artwork for the self-titled album, got tired of it being stagnant. So Spivak took it upon himself to send it to Burger Records. Burger ate up the album’s witty, garage/pop tunes like “Early Grave,” which pokes fun at JUMPphilly.com

suicide, and “Holding a Seance,” about being light as a feather, stiff as a board. The album’s more than ideal closer, “Hombre de la Cocaina,” (English translation: cocaine man) is bilingual and it refers to exactly what it suggests. Burger helped them get gigs around the country after the album dropped, including a show at the Iron Bear, a “bear bar” in Austin, Texas where the band performed in drag. “We took the drag thing really seriously,” says drummer James Horn. “We spent a hundred dollars of band money and painted our nails and stuff. The other bands basically just wore ratty, old dresses.” (The Tough Shits want the rest of the details of that night kept off the record.) Other nights on their national tour weren't so great. “Being on tour is kind of like being manic depressive,” says Banfill. “And I think it’s because we all kind of are. The first show on tour was kind of shitty because we were excited to be on the road, so we got too drunk and stuff started breaking. So the next day we were just like, ‘Ugh, why am I doing this?’ But then we played a great show and it’s all good again.” Their last show on the tour, in San Francisco, was significant for the Tough Shits, they say,

because folks remembered them from their tour about five years ago. Carlisi, who says he doesn’t know much music happening now, cites the Beach Boys as major influence. When they signed to Burger, he says he learned “there is some good stuff out there.” Others in the band may know the new stuff but they certainly don’t seem to like it. “I looked up that video of Lana Del Ray on SNL,” says Banfill. “It wasn’t really that bad. Sure, it was awkward but it wasn’t really that bad. And then, soon after, that Bon Iver was on and holy God damn it, it was some of the most boring, dumbest, shittiest shit there is.” In Bon Iver’s defense, Banfill and guitarist John Heald have some high-end taste. In Scotch, at least. “Try the Highland Park 12,” Banfill says. “It’s God’s nectar.” Heald seems to be all business about his Scotch because he says some others are “less than superlative." But the Tough Shits' collective personality isn’t some high class, special night out affair. And they reflect that in their music. “What you look for in a band is what you look for in a person,” says Banfill. “You don’t want to be with someone who’s serious. You want someone who’s fun, well-rounded and witty.” TOP SHELFERS: (L to R) Mark Banfill, Nick Carlisi, John Heald and James Horn at Grace Tavern, where Carlisi tends bar. 21

Photo by G.W. Miller III.

Music & Politics

Philly Music International G.W. Miller III talks to first-term at-large City Councilman David Oh, who wants Philadelphia to host a massive, week-long, city-wide music festival in 2013. It sounds like you have big plans. What do you have in mind? It’s not so much that I have big plans. I’m on a new City Council committee, which is the committee on global opportunities and the creative/innovative economy. What I see is that our city is really kind of poised on the cusp of becoming something – or not becoming something. Call it a crossroads. As the world’s kind of tightening our economy, Philadelphia has to identify what we can offer in this global world. What are the things that government can do to foster the creative economy? There are a number of things. One of the things that could come right away is for government to be the glue that brings everything together. For example, the city spends a certain amount of money on tourism. Is it productive? Do we get more out of spending a dollar for music, making a music destination point or creating more concerts and opportunities for live music, than we do by spending it on tourists who aren’t coming to Philadelphia and spending their dollars? We can also use our public assets to have concerts. We can have a large, international music festival. If there would be a major festival, what would be the city’s role? You need the big name artists and they need to be able to make money. We can enhance that by making it a music week, inviting international musicians and tourists to come and participate in 22

Philadelphia’s big, international music week. For musicians who want to play and need a public stage, we can provide them opportunities for them to play – at train stations, our bus station, our public areas. We can put a concert on at the Art Museum area and have free concerts for people. By the city promoting and putting itself behind a big music event, we’re trying to do a couple things. One is to generate the dollars that will bring people to the city during times when the city really isn’t that active, like during the summer months. The second thing is that we want to make Philadelphia a place where the creative and innovative workforce likes to be, where they will want to make their home. That workforce is very mobile and has the ability to choose where they live and work, based upon the environment that areas have. This idea about music, the arts and the creative economy – is it a recognition of something that we have or something that we need? It’s a recognition of something that we have but we have not really taken advantage of in the way that we should. There are a thousand attacks going in their own direction. By having a big event, we can kind of galvanize them and give them an opportunity to start pushing out the things they have been doing. You are assembling a music advisory board. Who are the folks involved? We’re collecting representation from a

wide breadth of music. As a legislator, in order to create laws, we need to know what’s happening. If I don’t talk to international investors and manufacturers, I don’t know what they liked about our city or what they didn’t like. Without knowing, you can’t really adjust. Same thing with the music industry. We’re going to talk to musicians, producers, everyone. If these folks come behind having a big music festival, we can come behind that. In what way? One, by having it. By putting advertising dollars behind it. By coalescing it around this one week where we get optimal mass. What would a success look like? It would have to be big. The size of it is one of the issues. We have done smaller music festivals and those are fine. To have a signature event for the city, it would have to be large. We would need the highest level performers. We’d need five or six major performances. We’d need people coming from out of town, staying for the weekend or the week. We’d have to line up hundreds of acts throughout the city. Do you have an idea when it will happen? We have a ballpark timeline of June or July of 2013. That’s not that far of f. It’s not that far off and maybe it won’t happen then. But we’d then look at 2014. JUMPphilly.com

Photo by G.W. Miller III.

This Place Rocks

The Neighborhood Elixer: Tea & Music A Queen Village tea shop serves more than just liquid refreshments, as Kim Maialetti discovers. Kylie Tsai is quick with a smile and a wave when customers enter her tea café at the corner of 5th and Monroe streets in Queen Village. Like an old-fashioned apothecary, Tsai dispenses remedies in the form of hot or cold tea for whatever ails you. Need to relax? Have a little chamomile. Feel a cold coming on? Try some lemongrass with peppermint and honey. Had a little too much fun over the weekend? The detox tea will have you re-energized and clearing the cobwebs from your head in no time. Tsai offers nearly 50 different types of tea at her 2-year-old café, aptly named Cups & Chairs, where locals linger throughout the day and gather for monthly music nights and open mic sessions. “My vision for a tea shop was that it should be comfortable and relaxing,” says Tsai, explaining that the couches are for families to lounge, the long tables for students to study and the round tables and chairs for people to talk. “It’s really exactly how I wanted it.” Born in Taiwan, Tsai moved to the United States in 1993 to attend graduate school in Michigan. After earning her master’s degree in computer science, she worked as a systems analyst for 10 years, eventually moving to Philadelphia and to work at pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson. Then, she decided to quit. “One day I just felt like I had been doing this job for too long,” recalls Tsai, 39. “I was sick and tired of working so hard for other people. I said, ‘You know what? I want to be my own boss.’ I figured why not work on my dream.” Tsai continued to spend her days analyzing the safety records of certain drugs but devoted her nights and weekends to studying tea and creating a business plan for Cups & Chairs. As the daughter of a successful Taiwanese businessman who often entertained clients with the best oolong tea money could buy, Tsai had a head start. She remembers how in Taiwan, tea sellers would go door-todoor peddling low quality oolong and how her father would always buy just a little to keep the sellers moving along. “In my house there would be good quality oolong and bad oolong,” Tsai says. “I guess I am trained to differentiate between what is good and what is bad. It’s just instinct.” Tsai choose to open Cups & Chairs in Queen Village because of the neighborhood feel, the sense of community and the foot traffic. The building where the café is located was once a fabric store but had long been vacant. Nonetheless, its price tag proved a stretch for Tsai and almost killed the project when she ran out of money before opening. It couldn’t have happened at a worse time. The economy was collapsing and lenders weren’t loosening up their purse strings for anyone. Except for one bank – Port Richmond Savings. JUMPphilly.com

Tsai explains that the Chinese believe there is always a special person who will help you along your way. In a sense, she feels that way about Port Richmond Savings and in an even greater sense, about the neighborhood in general. “I have so many, many, many customers who are supportive,” Tsai says. “This neighborhood supports me. I also need to support this neighborhood.” To that end, Tsai hosts open mic nights and Cups & Chairs opens her café to local musicians and artists. 701 S. 5th Street Her first music night, however, failed to be a hit. “I tried to have my first music night on Yom cupsandchairs.com Kippur,” Tsai says, laughing at her poor timing. “Nobody came.” Since then, she’s paired with David Simons, who owned the Khyber Pass and Trocadero in the late 80s and the 90s, when Nirvana and Pearl Jam ushered in the grunge era. Today, Simons works as an artist developer with Conquer Entertainment and is a fan of Cups & Chairs, where he is a devoted customer. After learning Simons was in the music business, Tsai enlisted his help to book monthly music nights, which occur one Friday every month and are aimed at promoting local and regional singer-songwriters. “It’s a small place but we pack them in,” says Simons. “It’s a lot of fun.” A thriving local music scene is a key element for a vibrant city, Simons and Tsai agree, and businesses like Cups & Chairs can play a key role. “The whole arts and entertainment side of building a successful urban spot for people to live is crucial,” says Simons. “The kinds of people who want to live in a hip, urban environment want to have access to more live entertainment and music.” 27

This Place Rocks Photo by Rick Kauffman.

Jeffrey Palace West of Fishtown, north of Northern Liberties (find Victor on facebook and get the details yourself)

Little Berlin

2430 Coral Street littleberlin.org

At Little Berlin, don’t expect the usual wine and hors d'oeuvre art-opening template. Instead, prepare for art that runs the gamut of traditional to highly conceptual, add a keg and often some kind of musical performance. Started as an artist collective in 2007, it has since grown into a member run co-op, producing member-curated exhibitions accompanied by live music. Some of the Philadelphia-based acts that have performed there include Bleeding Rainbow, Acid Kicks and Quiet Quilt, among many others. “Music is so accessible,” says Masha Badinter, who joined the collective in 2009. Pairing art and music helps Little Berlin members present their shows in a more communal way. “Live performances create a different context of art viewing because you're not in this stale environment,” says Badinter. “There is music, and your friends are there, and there's not as much pressure to sit there and understand the art. Its just more open and free flowing.” JUMPphilly.com

trying to dance. It works out really well for both bands.” For the more up-and-coming bands, the space provides an awesome opportunity to meet other musicians and play in a totally unpretentious, positive environment. For the better known groups, it’s a great break from the typical scene. And some big names have and will continue to make appearances at the Jeffrey, thanks to a sweet connection with the London-based collective SoFar Sounds. SoFar Sounds does what they call “viral tours” in cities all over the world, where they host bands in more intimate, alternative spaces. When they book in Philly, the Jeffrey is their go-to spot. “One night they’re here,” boasts Genarro, “and the next, they’re putting on a show in a $12 million loft apartment in South London!” The place operates off of donations, with a good chunk going to the touring bands. “We get all kinds of people here, from 19-year-old UArts chicks to 40-year-old dudes,” Genarro shares. “We see people come back to the door after finding money so they can donate. They’re having that good of a time!” - Brittany Thomas

The public has taken notice. In the five years Little Berlin has been in existence, the collective has gained a strong following and a reputation for exhibitions that have a welcoming social aspect. “We're really pushing to have more music,” says Little Berlin member Kelani Nichole. One way that Nichole says that has developed is with Little Berlin’s partnership with Bands in the Backyard (BITBY) this summer. The monthly music web series and now promotional group has put together a music festival that is being held in the recently cleared out lot next door to the Viking Mill studio building, where Little Berlin resides. The Fairground Festival is part of a Kickstarter campaign by BITBY, in which 50 percent of the funds raised will go to Little Berlin in their effort to match the $10,000 grant they were awarded by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. “I just love that stage,” BITBY founder and editor Kyle Costill says about the courtyard leading into Little Berlin’s gallery. The courtyard is where many of the collective’s past music shows have taken place. For Costill, he says, Little Berlin creates a special space for their audience. “For people who are into music, they’re getting

Photo by Mike Bucher.

When your house is, on any given night of the week, swarming with your bandmates, their bandmates and their bandmates’ bandmates, then the thing to do is just surrender and turn that place into an all-out underground music venue. Well, that’s the conclusion 23-year-old Victor Genarro came to, anyway. The Jeffrey Palace started out a few years before Genarro got there in 2010 as a sort of home base for a group of local film students. But for the past two years, the place has been a rotating house of musicians. And while on any given night of the week it might appear to be a house of 20-something’s like any other, on at least one night per month, these people pack all four stories of their home by hosting shows that headline bands like Philly locals The Lawsuits and Toy Soldiers, Wilmington’s The Spinto Band and London’s The Brute Chorus. “We had no neighbors and a ton of musician friends with awesome equipment,” says Genarro, who currently plays in three bands – Mountjoy, Rebecca Way and the Lesbians, and Los Ombres, all of which practice in the Jeffrey’s basement. Five people reside among the dozens of guitars, bicycles and empty bottles. “It’s a freakin’ hipster frat house,” Genarro jokes. “What can you expect?” They’re really not trying to make the place anything more than what it is. They aim to provide an alternative space where bands can play and promote one another in a totally laid-back setting, where people can come out, have a few drinks, do some dancing and wind up mingling with the bands. “We like to book our shows with really small bills, typically two bands and a DJ,” says Genarro. “We encourage short, tight, awesome sets where we say, 'Play your best eight and kill it on the floor.' Typically, we do one band at 11p.m. and the other at midnight. That way everyone’s drunk and

the added experience of seeing art,” he says. “And the people who are into art are getting the added experience of viewing bands.” Nichole agrees. “There is a happening around the art,” she says. “It gets people out who would never seek out an exhibition. It has the effect of exposing more people in the community to the artwork.” “Its kind of the nature of Little Berlin, too,” adds Nichole. “Little Berlin's kind of like a platform to be open to the community to make crazy stuff like that happen.” - Chesney Davis 29

Photo by G.W. Miller III.

Music & Education

Building Character By Banging On Drums Chesney Davis listens to the rhythms and learns about the West African instruments at a workshop for North Philly children.

ehinde Ardrey sits in a circle with a drum between his legs and eight children, ranging from elementary to middle school, watching him. Each of them has traditional West African instruments in front of them. Ardrey leads off, bouncing a few measures on the head of a djembe drum, and soon the room is filled with layers of thumping sounds that force you to move. One boy with a bylaphone leans forward and bobs his head with every bar stroke. A younger boy taps lightly on a junjun, shifting his eyes between his fellow musicians, Ardrey and the drum between his knees. The dynamic of creative freedom and precision technique is infectious as the sound flows out of the room and into the hallway, causing a woman walking by to start dancing with the rhythm. This group of young musicians is the Ananse Boys and Girls Club Drum Ensemble, a West African/hip-hop fusion percussion group.

Ardrey, who is also a mentorship coordinator for the Boys and Girls Club, instructs the group twice per week at the Fairmount Boys and Girls Club, located in the John F. Street Community Center on Poplar Street near 11th. Having practiced traditional African drumming and dance since childhood, Ardrey began the class as an effort to return music programs to the Fairmount location in 2010. Then, they had just sticks and trash cans, so he and his students played hip-hop beats. “Our kids are already musically inclined,” says Ardrey, 31, who is called Mr. K. by his students. “We see them banging on tables. We see that drive is in them.” As interest in the class grew, Ardrey decided to introduce West African-style drumming. As a solid collection of students formed, he began to encourage the children to blend the African rhythms with hip-hop sensibilities. BEATMAKERS: Kehinde Ardrey (top right) with some of his students.

he year-round program is the first of its kind in any of the Boys and Girls Clubs and excitement for it happened quickly. “I’m pleased to see our Fairmount club is building an impressive arts and culture program around the drumming success that they’ve had,” says Al Mollica, the interim CEO of the Boys and Girls Club of Philadelphia. Mollica adds that although arts and culture is one of the Boys and Girls Club’s core initiatives, because of limited resources, musically based programs like this sometimes do not receive much funding. But with the help of a $3,000 grant from the Renaissance Grant Program, 10 West African instruments were purchased, as well as 15 denim dashikis – traditional West African shirts, which the students wear during performances. Upon receiving the new instruments, Ardrey says he was committed to teaching his students not only how to play the instruments but how to maintain them. He also taught them the origination and history of each instrument, encouraging his students to do research on their own as well. Sy'mear Williams, 11, says that for him, learning the different words associated with African drumming is like learning a new language. “One of my dreams was to know another language other than English and now I do,” JUMPphilly.com

the young junjun player says. “When I search a word, it tells me a meaning of the word. Then Mr. K. starts telling us about the language and what they call the drums.”



aming the group Ananse was central to Ardrey’s cultural lessons revolving around the instruments. The word is steeped in Ghanaian folklore. Ananse is among the most important characters in the culture, a great storyteller whose motives were not always pure, though he was very clever and always seeking wisdom. Ardrey says traditional drums are inherently full of wisdom. “They are very folkloric,” he says. “So they have a lot of stories. There is a lot of history behind the drums.” The goblet-shaped djembe, for instance, is know as the peace drum, and it was used to mark peaceful occasions. The bylaphone – sometimes spelled balafon, dates back to the 12th century in Mali. It was often considered a sacred instrument and used only during ritual events. “Every single member in the program is African-American but they had virtually no knowledge about West African music,” Mollica says. “So they're learning about their own heritage.” Ardrey says that although he is the instructor and he began playing when he was 8-years old, he is always practicing and learning. “The stuff I’m teaching is endless knowledge for me because I’m still learning,” he says.

   

rdrey adds that in addition to teaching skills, the class’ goal is to nurture creativity, while instilling the character-building traits like discipline, commitment and dedication. “The overall mission is to add to the inner talents that the kids already have,” Ardrey says. Stephan Riley, who plays the junjun and congos, likes the balance of creative freedom and discipline in the class. “I think the class teaches you how to be yourself and not to put a front up when you’re around other people,” says the 14-year old Riley, who also plays guitar and sings gospel in his spare time. “It teaches you how to be an individual and not somebody else that you’re not.” Ardrey hopes his students are able to explore ideas of success that are alternative to conventional paths. “For me, it’s so important for kids to gravitate toward what they want to do,” Ardrey says. “So many times we get pulled from our hobbies, which are really what we want to do. I think I’m in a unique position to show them that your hobby can be all you do if you put in enough time and develop enough talent. It’s there.”

JUMPphilly.com

Cover Story

SAY HELLO TO THE CITY KIDS OCD: MOOSH & TWIST ARE TAKING PHILLY ON THE ROAD. Cary Carr spends the day with Philly's next hip-hop heroes. Photos by Marie Alyse Rodriguez.

liver “Twist” Feighan runs across Walnut Street unconcerned with the traffic lights and oblivious to the cars that just miss him. He takes off his hat right before the wind steals it from his shaggy, brown hair. With his hands up in the air, he seems so carefree. He is young and he feels invincible. He directs his big brown eyes at his partner, DeQuincy “Moosh” Coleman-McRae, who stands patiently on the sidewalk, waiting for the right time to make a move. Reserved and modest, Moosh keeps a steady pace, aware yet undaunted by the bustle of the city. A gray beanie resting atop his head, Moosh laughs in harmony with Twist before meeting him on the other side of the street. The duo, both 19, may seem like opposites at times but they’re perfectly in sync, antsy for their future and prepared to take over the world with their beats.

fter meeting in the first grade at The Philadelphia School, near Fitler Square, they started exploring their musical talents together. By eighth grade, they had recorded their first hip-hop song. Feighan and Coleman-McRae became OCD: Moosh and Twist during high school. The name came natural to them. Feighan, taking a cue from the novel Oliver Twist, adopted Twist as his new identity while Coleman-McRae made use of his childhood nickname, Moosh. Considering the pair’s obsession with all things music, paired with their relentless goal to make their own sounds perfect, OCD just fit. By the time they graduated from high school, they had put out their first mixtape, Up Before The World. They’ve been going non-stop ever since. They have more than one million views on their music video for the Journey-sampling hit “City Kids.” They have shows booked all over the country. Their third mixtape, The Vestibule, brought Moosh and Twist national attention, transforming them from regular kids in high school to full-time musicians. “We’re running a business right now,” Moosh says, taking a second to look up from his cell phone. “We realize that more than before. In high school, we were spitting, making music. But now, we’re CEOs of our own business.”

JUMPphilly.com

oosh starts to pull on the glass door at UBIQ, the sneaker shop on Walnut Street – one of the locations in the “City Kids” video, and says, “You know we got to get some free stuff.” When the duo walks in, it seems as though they know everyone, and everyone wants to know them. Twist flirts effortlessly with a salesgirl as Moosh’s eyes light up over every colorful pair of sneakers he can get his hands on. Leaning over a display table, they act as though they’re the stars of their own reality TV show, broadcasting their conversations for customers to hear and often times speaking in unison. Surrounded by brightly lit racks of shoes, they take a seat on a pair of oversized chairs next to a fireplace in the back room of the shop. The two look like they own the place but no one seems to mind. Moosh and Twist check their emails while simultaneously talking to one another about the upcoming promoting they have to do, shows they must prepare for and people they need to meet. “We just want to play music,” Twist proclaims, bored of his cell phone and ready for the next adventure.

he two work hard, putting in long hours in the recording studio, steadily producing new material. They write their own verses, oftentimes pulling inspiration from one another. Whether their songs deal with family troubles, relationships or memories of high school, they make it a point to keep their material personal. “One thing that people are attracted to is the fact that it’s just real,” the loquacious Twist says of their music. “We aren’t super partiers. We don’t do drugs and all that stuff. We just talk about what we know and we think people like to listen because they can relate to it.” Even for those who don’t regularly listen to hip-hop, Moosh and Twist’s music is approachable. They offer their own spin on the sound, rhyming over danceable, poppy beats. Twist has a surprisingly gruff voice and both vary the pace of their flow, infusing songs with bursts of energy. They keep their lyrics and performances fun, energetic and positive. “We want the music to speak for itself,” Moosh explains. “We want people to get through situations to our music. I want people to fight to our music. I want people to laugh to our music. I want people to have fun to our music, to have sex to our music, anything. It’s music. Embrace it.” Their Philly fans seem to appreciate the pair’s attitude. The day they 33

(continued from page 33) released their latest mixtape in January, Moosh and Twist headlined their first big show at the TLA. There was a line wrapped around the corner with people waiting to get in. The TLA show was a true turning point for them. After a few years of playing smaller venues for fifty people or fewer, or being part of the opening act, they were now headliners. They were Moosh and Twist, the real thing, with fans anxious to get a taste of their sound. “It was dope because we’ve been seeing shows there since we were kids,” Moosh says. “And we opened up for cats there but it’s a different thing when you’re headlining.” Twist saw one of his favorite groups, Chiddy Bang, perform at the TLA a few years prior. “I was there screaming and jumping,” Twist explains. “And three years later, we had kids screaming and jumping for us. That’s all I need in life.”

eam OCD is used to exploring Philly. It’s where both grew up and it’s the place they know best (even though Moosh’s family relocated to the burbs, and he went to Haverford High). From spending all day playing at local basketball courts to hanging out at Rittenhouse Square, they see the entire city as home. And despite the numerous places they’ve toured and their plans to move wherever their music takes them, Moosh and Twist never fail to take the city with them. “Philly taught us a lot,” Twist says. “It teaches you to hold your own. You kind of have to have a level of confidence.” “Philly’s everywhere we go,” Moosh clarifies. “Even if we’re out in California or New York, we bring Philly there. Now that’s Philly.” Team OCD also appreciates the music Philly has to offer. They both look up to Meek Mill as the city’s ultimate rapper and they gain insight 34

from the sounds of Jill Scott, Beanie Sigel and their all-time favorite, The Roots. Last summer, they performed inside the side tent at The Roots Picnic, a memorable day when they got to meet their hometown heroes, as well as Nas, Wiz Khalifa, Mac Miller and Yelawolf. “We were backstage with a bunch of cats who we looked up to, and it kind of felt like for a day, everybody was on the same level,” Moosh says. They performed in front of thousands of screaming fans and basked in the warmth of the hip-hop family-like setting. “There was a basketball court, and Wiz Khalifa might be shooting with an 8-year old who was there,” Twist describes. “It’s a music day. Everyone’s there for one reason." Moosh and Twist will be back at the Picnic this year, seasoned after a year of touring the United States and Canada, and boasting fresh material.

he boys hang outside on the corner near Pine Street Pizza, a regular haunt. It’s early in their day and they still have no definite plans other than venturing through the neighborhood and hanging out at the recording studio later. “There is no typical day because we travel a lot for shows,” Twist says while fixing his mussed hair, a product of the strong wind (and from waking up in mid-afternoon and rushing to meet Moosh). “We don’t have a set schedule, which is part of the reason why we like doing what we do.” Their heads are full of big dreams but they’re focused, anticipating their next steps toward success. They’re psyched up for their 33-city tour across the country this summer with Aer, the reggae/hip-hop duo from Massachusetts. And they have a ton of music they want to record and release. Moosh and Twist have only just begun. “You guys still spitting?” asks a random pedestrian near the pizza shop. “You know it,” Twist answers, smiling at Moosh. JUMPphilly.com

Cover Story

EVEN AFTER 25 YEARS, THE ROOTS ARE

STILL PUSHING BOUNDARIES Kevin Stairiker converses with Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter, who founded The Roots with Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson in 1987.

So The Roots Picnic this year is gonna be the first time the festival is two days. Is it making its natural evolution into a full-weekend festival? Ever since we started doing it, there’s been a larger audience and it’s only logical for it to be spread over two days this year. And very possibly in the near future it could grow into a full weekend event with more stages and we’ll be able to implement a wider variety of artists. How much of a hand do you have in picking the artists for the Picnic? The artists that play The Roots Picnic are hand-selected by Questlove, myself, our management, Richard Nichols, Sean G. from Sports and Financial Group, and that’s how we put it together. It's based on artists we desire to see and work with, and artists we’re fans of, things like that. When you’re seeking out an “old school” act to bring up, like De La and Rakim this year, are you thinking about what names will bring people there or is it all purely personal preference? Like, to pull a random name out of the air, could you see someone like Kool Moe Dee in that spot? The reason you see Rakim and De La and everyone you see in that spot at The Roots Picnic – like Public Enemy, Wu Tang, Nas – those are the people that are either our peers, that we’re major fans of, or people that came a generation before The Roots and were super, super influential as far as what it is we do. As far as Kool Moe Dee? Kool Moe Dee is dope and I have an uber appreciation for Kool Moe Dee as one of the first freestyle/battle artists and just as gritty and intelligent as he was coming off the top. But no, I don’t think we’d put Kool Moe Dee on the bill. I don’t think he’d be as well received by the audience at the Picnic as some of the artists we’ve had at that spot before. Do you see the Picnic growing out of the Festival Pier, like maybe encompassing a bigger area or maybe moving to another area in Philly? I don’t know cause like, where else could we have it? I think at one point, 36

we had considered having it at Fairmount Park, like around the Plateau or a more open, grassy traditional picnic area. But yeah, if it turns into something like a Friday-Saturday-Sunday thing, then it could very possibly be something that gets moved out to the park. But that’s the only other place I can see it happening in Philadelphia. I wouldn’t wanna do the Roots Picnic on the Parkway AND the Fourth of July at the Parkway, you know? Truth. Switching gears to Undun, who was the first to come forth with the general outline of the album? Was it sort of a group thing or did someone come in and say “Hey! I got this idea for a concept album about death told in reverse!” Sonically, it was a group thing. I’d written lyrics before I knew they were going to be on Undun that became the foundation of all my lyrics on Undun. But the actual concept for Undun was the brainchild of our manager. He came up with the whole idea of basing it around one protagonist character – “Redford.” It seems like a real “for the fans” type of album as opposed to one reaching for people who have just been introduced to The Roots through Late Night. Would you agree with that? Absolutely. Our concern with doing this Late Night gig and taking on all the other stuff that we’ve taken on in the past two or three years is that people that have been supporting The Roots forever don’t feel as if we’ve abandoned them, you know what I’m saying? But we definitely take that into consideration. In a way, is it like there are two different Roots operating? Man, there are so many more than two Roots operating! There’s like 10 different Roots operating. I was talking to Patty Crash a couple months ago and she was talking pretty vividly about how she had been invited on your tour bus and freestyled a bit and suddenly she was singing “The Day” on How I Got JUMPphilly.com

Photo by G.W. Miller III.

Over. Do you think that you guys are more willing to put on younger or more unknown artists because of how you were treated at the beginning of your careers? You know, I don’t know what it is but I just don’t front. If it’s something that I can’t front on, then I won’t front. So if there’s any artist that I come into contact with or interact with on the road, if they prove themselves as a credible musician or a worthy writer or a dope lyricist or singer, I’m gonna try to figure out a way to implement what it is they do and fuse it with what it is we do so that we can both become better from the collaboration. That’s what happened in Patty’s case. I just invited her on the bus to spit, thinking that it wouldn’t go any further than that. But she was dope and she wanted to go on for hours and she and I exchanged verses on the bus and that’s what sparked an interest in hearing what else she had to offer. Do you think there is a connection between when you started and now? I think the connection is that The Roots haven’t changed, you know? We’re the same. We have the same ideals and fundamentals that we had starting out. Had it not been for A.J. Shine and Richard Nichols and King Britt and the countless people who let us come rock on their radio shows and play at those small Philadelphia venues, then there would be no Roots. Sometimes I’m in a position to put someone on. Sometimes I’m not. But if I am and someone’s worthy, then I’m not gonna not put them on, you know? Someone had a belief in The Roots and if you can convince me or if you’re dope enough to make me believe in you, then I’m gonna try and rock with you. One last thing. It seems that The Roots came up at the same time as some of the acts that you play with at the Picnic. Do you see yourself more as JUMPphilly.com

an elder statesmen or someone that’s still pushing the boundaries? I feel like we’re both. I think we’re elder statesmen simply based on a time perspective, you know? The Roots, we’re a black band. Like, a band of African-American men who play live instruments and rap and sing, and we’ve been around since 1987. We’re elder statesmen whether we want to be or not. The challenge is to continue to push the envelope with the records that we put out. And if we reach a point where we’re not pushing the envelope, then maybe we won’t put out any more records. Right now, we still have a lot of stuff to put out because the envelope has to be pushed. I mean, I remember when I was introduced to The Roots through Phrenology and I was pretty astounded that the first album, Organix, came out in ‘92. I don’t know how much of a feat that is, but there aren’t many people from our graduating class who are still working on that level or higher. It’s a pretty select group. You’ve got Nas, Common… Yeah, Nas, Com, Wu Tang, Mobb Deep, Redman and a bunch of other guys who just didn‘t last as long, for whatever reason. But that’s who we’re trying to do this for. We represent all of these dudes. It’s a blessing to be here and making music and not feeling like we’re compromising our integrity. I feel like I don’t say anything that I don’t stand for, you know what I’m saying? I don’t feel like I have to tone down my lyrics, ever, you know? And I don’t know if it’s that people don’t hear what I’m saying or something but my lyrics really haven’t changed from the jump. It’s a little bit political. It’s a little bit street. It’s a little bit advisory. And it’s always been that way. It’s just a blessing to still be able to do what we love to do and get paid to do it. 37

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Cover Story

Picnic Primer St. Vincent photo by Kirsten Stamn. Diplo photo by G.W. Miller III.

Kevin Stairiker presents four acts you have to experience at The Roots Picnic this year.

The Moody Takeover Our Sofiya Ballin checks in with Chill Moody, the West Philly artist who is ready to take on the world - after he plays The Roots Picnic. Photo by Colin Kerrigan inside Sigma Sound. Despite releasing the third album in his Valentine’s Day series, dropping a 15-track mixtape in April and preparing to take the stage at his biggest show ever, Chill Moody continues to stay true to his moniker. “I’m chillin’,” he says. “I’m continuing on with the plan I set for myself. The plan was to make Chill Moody a household name. Now, I want people to know me internationally.” In October, he's planning to perform in Germany. In June, though, Moody is sharing marquee space with The Roots, Rakim, De La Soul and others on the 5th annual Roots Picnic lineup. “It’s inspiring,” he says. “It’s a testament to how hard I’ve actually been working. After the Picnic, I plan to take the show on the road, to a lot of different fans I haven’t had the chance to meet yet.” The West Philly native, however, will always stay true to his roots, he says. Last year, after a vicious 4-minute freestyle on the Cosmic Kev “Come Up Show,” Moody ended with the incendiary statement: “If I ain’t on that freshmen cover next year, freshmen take cover.” He was referring to XXL magazine’s annual cover featuring the rising stars of hip-hop. “The people who are on there represent different parts of hip-hop, different regions in the country,” Moody explains. “There really wasn’t anyone from Philly. It wasn’t really me saying I deserve that cover.” He wants Philly represented. In response, he named his most recent mixtape, which dropped in April, Freshmen, Take Cover. He hopes to release his first album under a label, and headline his own tour. The Roots Picnic, he says, is only the beginning. “I don’t go out and say I deserve anything,” he says. “I go out and show you I deserve it.”

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DIPLO

At this point, it seems like everybody wants Diplo. While he's fresh off of an unexpected hit with Usher, Diplo long ago hit his stride and has been reaping the benefits. He was born in Tupelo, Mississippi but Philadelphia welcomed him with open arms and has since claimed him as our own. A slow and steady climb up the rickety ladder of popularity led him to producing/co-writing M.I.A.’s breakthrough “Paper Planes,” which became his breakthrough as well. Diplo has been jet-setting the world in search of new types of music and new artists to work with to expand his musical palette. After all that, Diplo still shows mad love for his adopted home.

DE LA SOUL

Whether or not you were there from the outset of the D.A.I.S.Y. age, you should know that De La Soul are a vital ingredient in the recipe of hip-hop history. Filling the vital “old-school” spot in this year’s Picnic, De La Soul are an interesting choice because they never really fell off. While some albums received more critical acclaim than others, the past 25 years have more or less been something of an award tour for the ever-loveable and highly-respected trio of Posdnous, Maceo and Dave. Classics like “A Roller Skating Jam Named ‘Saturdays’” will have attendees dancing with abandon.

a year after the release of ST. VINCENT Nearly her third album, Strange Mercy, Annie Clark, a.k.a. St. Vincent, is riding on the crest of a wave of ever-growing success. Clark‘s music career began in earnest after playing with the Polyphonic Spree and Sufjan Stevens, gaining live experience while working on her own music as well. She released her debut Marry Me in 2007. Long since removed from the sensitivity of Marry Me, Strange Mercy is the sound of a glorious collapse, the kind that promises a performance even more intense than the recordings themselves hold. old, Danny Brown finally arrived in the form of DANNY BROWN Ata free31-years album that still has people totally baffled a year later.

Proclaimed as Spin’s best hip-hop album of 2011, XXX is the type of bizarre masterpiece that hiphop fans clamor for. Early in the album, Brown declares that he makes “anti-clean rap,” so rest assured that his stage act is not for the faint of heart. Even though Brown isn’t one of the main headliners at the picnic, his name will be on everyone’s tongue by the end of the weekend.

Photos by Grace Dickinson.

Food That Rocks

The Rock 'n' Roll Hangout Our Grace Dickinson drinks from the table taps at Philly's newest rock 'n' roll restaurant.

att Sorum walks around Rebel Rock Bar & Bites and then pulls Spring Garden spot with his wife. The two also own ZeeBar and Delilah’s, out his cell phone to call his roadie. both located on the same strip as Rebel Rock Bar & Bites. “Can you get the drum set over here?” Sorum asks. The couple became motivated to open up their own rock bar after a trip His roadie, hanging out at Delilah’s, the nearby gentleman’s club, heads to Vegas a few years ago, where they heard a DJ spinning ‘Guerilla Radio’ over and steps into the cold, empty bar. He quickly sets up the drum kit in by Rage Against the Machine. the middle of the concrete floor. “I just thought that was the coolest thing,” says Exley. “It gave me the “What’s your favorite song?” Sorum asks Rebel’s owner Bryan Exley. inspiration to open this place.” “How about Alice in Chains ‘Would?’” Exley answers. Other notables have since stopped by, like Poison’s C.C. DeVille, whose Without hesitation, Sorum, the former autographed guitar hangs on the wall. But Guns ‘n’ Roses and Velvet Revolver Rebel’s focus is on the local scene. drummer now with The Darling Stilettos, “Sure, we’d love mainstream acts in the delves into the drum line of the 90s alt future,” says Exley. “But we’re really just rock classic, pausing only briefly to ask trying to build a local music scene where Exley if he’ll sing along. people can enjoy local talent.” Sorum is used to performing for a Exley says he’s a child of the 90s, so his sweaty, packed crowd. But tonight, it’s favorites are bands like Pearl Jam and an audience of just one – Exley, who Staind. Rebel, though, caters to all types breathes fog into the November air as he of fans, with different events every night sings his lungs out to his favorite song. capturing a wide spectrum of rock genres. Sorum is here at midnight taking a peek Mikey PriMadonna picks the bands at the new bar, and spontaneously testing on Industrial Night Sundays, inviting out its acoustics. Technically, he is Exley’s groups that resemble Ministry or Nine first musical guest. But he’s one of many Inch Nails. On Wednesdays, Billy Gale, MUSIC & BEER: Rebel Rock Bar & Bites owner Bryan Exley rock talents to come. the Jason Mraz-sounding singer from in a booth with self-serve beer taps. Philly’s Burnt Sienna, selects local singer/ songwriters to play the first floor stage. Fridays feature Rebel’s resident ne month after Sorum’s visit, Exley opened the two-story Rebel band, a local group that will rotate every three months. There are also Rock Bar & Bites to the public. The concrete has been replaced punk nights, rock ‘n’ roll pop culture quizzo nights and various DJ parties. with dark wooden floors and the previously bare walls are now Between live acts and DJ events, expect to hear everything from Sublime covered with posters of Jimi Hendrix, Pink Floyd, The Smiths and various to AC/DC to the Red Hot Chili Peppers booming throughout the 75-seat other music legends. restaurant. Rebel also features a TouchTunes jukebox, which allows “I always wanted a rock ‘n’ roll corner bar and felt that Philly needed a customers to select music via a smartphone app right from their seat. place like that with a grown-up feel,” says Exley, who owns the Front and

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ob DeFazio pulls into the parking lot on his custom-built chopper. After parking his fiery-red bike he’s named the “Shocker,” he walks into the bar, grabs a table with his fellow biker friends and pours himself a beer. It’s become a routine that he’s carried out nearly every week since Rebel opened. “It’s like everybody’s favorite corner bar but with a better atmosphere,” DeFazio says. While yes, DeFazio is friends with the owner, he’s not the only one privileged enough to grab his own pint from the tap. Rebel Rock Bar & Bites is the 10th bar in the country and the only bar in Pennsylvania to have a system of fixed-tap tables. This means that attached to each booth, there are two draft beer choices at your disposal, with lines that lead to a refrigerator holding the kegs. A computer system switches on the tap and measures how many pints are poured as the night wears on. “I love the tap set up,” says DeFazio. “It’s great when you get a group of people together because you can have the tap right there to yourselves. You don’t have to keep ordering. Some people drink faster than others, so with this, you don’t have to worry about a bartender and you can just fill up as you want.” Tonight, Difazzio chooses Blue Moon, opting for the Belgian wit bier over the IPA option, Dogfish. The choices rotate frequently but Rebel almost always pairs a light beer with a dark one, such as a Sam Adam’s Seasonal with a Coors Light, or a Dogfish with a PBR. They will also consider direct requests when called in advance. However, bar patrons aren’t only limited to the two choices at the tables. Additionally, there’s a separate draft list with four other rotating beers, as well as a fairly lengthy menu of bottled and canned beers. There’s also Rebel Rock Bar & Bites’ version of a Philly Special, consisting of a shot of Grand Marnier with a can of PBR. “We call it the High Class White Trash,” says Exley. The entire bar is bedecked in swagger from Grand Marnier. From the branded red snowboard that lines the railing leading up to the top bar, to the framed, 50s era poster advertisements, to the rouge color scheme throughout, Exley makes his drink of choice prominent in Rebel. In fact, on the upstairs bar sits a handmade case that displays 45 bottles of the high-priced cognac. Exley explains that they are in the process of establishing a Grand Marnier Club. For $125, anyone can buy their own bottle and store it in the locked case for future visits. Recovering the bottle works through a system that requires club members to give the bartender their name, code, and answer to a self-created, secret question. “So if your friends tell you they’re going by Rebel,” says Exley, “you can offer them to take a drink from your bottle by just giving them your combination.”

ebel Rock Bar & Bites also serves up a menu of classic American pub food with their own signature twists. For instance, they have the popular “opening acts,” like the pork belly sliders, cheesesteak wontons and popcorn chicken bites. The “second stage” features fries that can be topped by everything from cheese to gravy to truffles. Then there are the “feature acts,” including an array of burgers and sandwiches, all priced between $9 and $15. Don’t forget the “encore,” letting the night end with cinnamon buns, funnel cake or a brownie sundae. The kitchen stays open until 1 a.m. every night. “You must try the mac and cheese with bacon,” stresses DeFazio. “Although, if I’m feeling healthy, I’ll get the tuna tartar.” Whether reconnecting with teen spirit as Nirvana radiates through the speakers or seeking out up-and-coming live acts like Philly’s Cold Fronts, Rebel offers seven days a week of nonstop rock action. “I wanted it to be a place where I’d want to hang out everyday, a place with good music and good beer,” says Exley. “For rock fans, really nothing beats that combination.” Rebel Rock Bar & Bites (rebelphiladelphia.com) is open Monday to Friday from 4 p.m. to 1 a.m.; Saturday and Sunday from 1 p.m. to 1 a.m.

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Food That Rocks

Fueling Up Catching a show at Festival Pier this summer? Sure, they offer basic stuff there like hot dogs and massproduced beer. But why not check out the plethora of nearby food and booze options? Here are a few of our faves near the waterfront. - Seri Chao

The Blind Pig

Chef and owner David Hentz has created a simple and enticing menu that boasts sandwiches and entrees. “I’m not going to serve anything that I won’t eat myself,” he says. Try the Thanksgiving balls, fried orbs of turkey wrapped in mashed potatoes and stuffing, served with gravy and cranberry sauce. 702 North Second Street blindpigphilly.com

Delilah’s Philadelphia’s premier gentleman’s club has been attracting legions over the years with arguably the most beautiful women to grace the stage. They also serve up delectable entrees, including steaks that are flown in daily from Chicago. Show your ticket stub from Festival Pier and get in free. 100 Spring Garden Street delilahs.com

The Druid's Keep This is Northern Liberties' quintessential neighborhood bar. “The first night you come here, you'll make twenty friends,” says bartender Britney. They’ve got a great selection of drinks and a huge backyard where they project Phillies games onto an adjacent wall. Stop by and enjoy a dollar dog on game nights. 149 Brown Street 215/ 413-0455

“Yards offers a truly Philadelphia experience,” says Frank Mclaughlin, manager of the brewery's tasting room. Indeed, the smooth ales they craft reflect the hard-working morale of this great city. The brewery offers free tours on Saturday and Sunday from 12:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Visit the tasting room and enjoy a bowl of delicious bison chili. 901 N. Delaware Avenue yardsbrewing.com

Barcade Barcade brings back the thrill and simplistic charm of the arcade with classic video games like Double Dragon, Asteroids Deluxe and Ms. Pac Man, just to name a few. They also feature craft brews and signature sandwiches. During the summer, they’ll serve hot dogs and burgers out in the backyard. 1114 Frankford Avenue barcadephiladelphia.com 44

Bottom photos by Seri Chao. Top photo by Rick Kauffman.

Yards Brewing Company

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Thursday 6/21 Sharon Van Etten / Meg Baird Union Transfer $15 ALL AGES

SEE THESE SHOWS Thanks to TheSwollenFox.com for listing info. Check the site for the complete listings. • JUNE • Friday 6/1 The Coathangers / The Tough Shits / The Shakes Kung Fu Necktie$10 21+ Saturday 6/2 Grindcity / Mach22 / Dave Quicks Trio / Supreem & the New Experience / Joe Jordan World Cafe Live $12 ALL AGES Saturday 6/2 Hot Guts / California / White Suns / Clippers The Level Room $7 21+ Saturday 6/2 The Roots Picnic ft. The Roots / De La Soul / James Murphy / Tune-Yards & more Festival Pier $50 ALL AGES Sunday 6/3 The Roots Picnic ft. The Roots / Kid Cudi / Major Lazer / Chill Moody Festival Pier $50 ALL AGES

Thursday 6/21 Aaron Freeman World Cafe Live $20 ALL AGES Friday 6/22 Childish Gambino River Stage at Great Plaza $35 ALL AGES

Saturday 6/9 Discount Heroes / Early Ape / Eye to Eye / The Hawkeyes Milkboy $8 21+

Friday 6/22 Dangerous Ponies / Speedy Ortiz / UGH God / Cusses The Level Room $7 21+

Sunday 6/10 Jimmy Cliff / Beres Hammond / Luciano / The Movement / Trevor Hall, & more (Reggae in the Park) The Mann Center $25-$79.50 ALL AGES

Saturday 6/23 Jill Scott / KEM / DJ Jazzy Jeff The Mann Center $39.75-$99.75 ALL AGES

Sunday 6/10 Ceremony / Screaming Females / Leather / Waxahatchee First Unitarian Church $10 ALL AGES Monday 6/11 Unknown Mortal Orchestra / Doldrums Johnny Brenda's $12 21+ Tuesday 6/12 Battles / Work Drugs / Grimace Federation Theatre of the Living Arts $15 ALL AGES

Tuesday 6/26 Purling Hiss / The Young / Far-Out Fangtooth Johnny Brenda's $10 21+ Wednesday 6/27 Hezekiah Jones Pastorius Park FREE ALL AGES Thursday 6/28 Norah Jones The Mann Center $29.50-$59.50 ALL AGES Friday 6/29 Japandroids / Cadence Weapon Johnny Brenda's $13 21+

Wednesday 6/6 The Clean / Times New Viking Johnny Brenda's $15 21+

Friday 06/15 Eternal Summers / Bedroom Problems Milkboy $10 21+

Friday 6/29 Kuf Knotz / Fathead / Fractals / Vitamin F North Star Bar $10 21+

Tuesday 6/5 The Cribs / Devin Johnny Brenda's $15 21+

Saturday 6/16 Keane / Mystery Jets Merriam Theater $35-$45 ALL AGES

Thursday 6/7 Afrojack / R3hab / Shermanology Festival Pier $29.50 ALL AGES

Saturday 6/16 Jeff the Brotherhood / Heavy Cream First Unitarian Church $12 ALL AGES

Friday 6/29 Vintage Kicks / Coup Couroux / Stab and Grab World Cafe Live $7 ALL AGES

Friday 6/8 Kevin Killen/ GRIZ FDR Park FREE All Ages

Sunday 6/17 Destroyer / Sandro Perri Union Transfer $16 ALL AGES

Friday 6/8 The Bouncing Souls / Cheap Girls / Static Radio NJ The Trocadero $20 ALL AGES

Monday 6/18 Neil Diamond Wells Fargo Center $55-$120 ALL AGES

Tuesday 7/3 Beat Connection / White Arrows / Teen Daze Kung Fu Necktie $8 21+

Friday 6/8 West Philadelphia Orchestra / Raya Brass Band Johnny Brenda's $10 21+

Wednesday 6/20 The Hives Electric Factory $25 ALL AGES

Thursday 7/5 Robyn / DJ Rokk (Body Talk) Voyeur Nightclub $10 21+

Wednesday 6/20 Toy Soldiers Pastorius Park FREE ALL AGES

Friday 7/6 Faux Slang / Last Tide / Royal Shoals Johnny Brenda's $10 21+

Saturday 6/9 Blood Feathers / St. James and the Apostles Johnny Brenda's $10 21+ JUMPphilly.com

Saturday 6/30 Griefhound / Quiet Arcs / Shriner / Single Mothers The Level Room $8 21+

• JULY •

Saturday 7/7 The Dirty Heads (Radio 104.5 Block Party) The Piazza at Schmidt's FREE ALL AGES Thursday 7/12 K. Flay / Hank & Cupcakes North Star Bar $10 21+ Friday 7/13 Cockney Rejects / Sick of It All / Ducky Boys / Hub City Stompers Union Transfer $20 ALL AGES Monday 7/16 Best Coast / Those Darlins Union Transfer $18 ALL AGES Monday 7/16 Dick Dale North Star Bar $20-$25 21+ Thursday 7/19 Shonen Knife Johnny Brenda's $13 21+ Friday 7/20 Sleigh Bells (Making Time 12 Year Anniversary Hyper-Rager) Festival Pier $25 ALL AGES Saturday 7/21 Hot Chip Electric Factory $29.50 ALL AGES Saturday 7/28 Of Monsters and Men (Radio 104.5 Block Party) The Piazza at Schmidt's FREE ALL AGES

• AUGUST • Thursday 8/2 Fun. River Stage at Great Plaza $26.50 ALL AGES Saturday 8/4 PhillyBloco World Cafe Live $14 ALL AGES Monday 8/6 Good Old War Union Transfer $16 ALL AGES Thursday 8/9 to Sunday 8/12 This is Hardcore Fest ft. Terror / Earth Crisis / Ringworm / Maximum Penalty / Mindset / Naysayer / Lifeless / Build & Destroy Union Transfer $18-$110 ALL AGES Saturday 8/18 Dirty Projectors / Wye Oak Union Transfer $20 ALL AGES Saturday 8/18 mewithoutyou / Kevin Devine / Buried Beds Theatre of the Living Arts $17 ALL AGES

Liner Notes

The Rhythm Of The Artist Fishtown native Jeffro Kilpatrick writes about the connection between music and his artwork.

n June, I have an art show at Masthead Gallery based entirely on some of my favorite songs and lyrics. The title of the show is "Norris Street MixTape." My dad always had records on when I was a kid, and my grandpop had this extensive record collection of old timey music. Both my house and my grandparents’ house were on Norris Street in Fishtown, so I figure that’s where this all starts.

hen I draw, music is always playing, giving my hand a rhythm. Music has a direct effect on my work that I can’t get from studying other visual art. You can absorb music and process it while drawing, and it can affect your line quality. These are the first pieces I started for the show. I drew both in my Moleskine sketchbook. I drew this deep sea diver piece (at right) while sitting on the edge of one of the abandoned Greenberg piers in Fishtown. It was 5 a.m. on a Sunday. I was drinking coffee and drawing as the sun came up. The E.L.O. song “Livin’ Thing” shuffled onto my iPod. Because I was tired, lost in the drawing and my music was so loud, I didn't notice that the murky green water of the Delaware River was rising to the edge of the pier. A tugboat cruised by on the channel and pushed out a residual wave that eventually splashed over me. I came out of a daze and realized that my feet were submerged in the Delaware River. It made me laugh. The tide was coming in, not going out. This piece will be fully colored when framed for the show.

he other piece is based on Nick Lowe’s "The Beast In Me," which he wrote for his then father-in-law Johnny Cash. Cash recorded it on his American Recordings album in 1994. The song is simple Norris Street MixTape and sad and beautiful. I’d say Opening: June 16, 6PM – 10PM this is hands-down my favorite Masthead Gallery & Print Studio Johnny Cash tune. I heard it for 340 Brown Street the first time years ago in college. mastheadprintstudio.com It’s gradually become kind of like jeffrokilpatrick.blogspot.com my personal theme song. There will be around 30 pieces in the show, all based upon songs with meanings to me. There will also be limited edition prints for sale. Plus, I will be giving away free, crazy CD mixes with every purchase. JUMPphilly.com

ISSUE #6

SUMMER 2012

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EVEN AFTER 25 YEARS, THE ROOTS ARE

STILL ROCKING INSIDE: OCD: MOOSH & TWIST, CHILL MOODY, THE TOUGH SHITS, EL MALITO, MIC STEW, COLD FRONTS & MUCH MORE