YAY!!!!!! One of my favorite dance music producers, Duke Dumont, will be in Philadelphia tonight to play Snacks at The Dolphin! Tickets are only $5 and you can get them here or at the door.
Duke Dumont had me when I first heard his track “No Money Blues”, and every song I heard since became a new favorite. Perfect for the dance floor, “Need U (100%)” and “The Giver” have been go-to songs for me whether I am getting ready, getting through the work day, or out with my friends. I can’t wait to hear all of those tracks live tonight on the dance floor with some of my best friends! Duke Dumont will be heading to Boston next and finishing this tour in Montreal before heading back to tour the UK. Make sure you get your tickets here!
*Note: The show in Philly was originally scheduled to be at Voyeur, it is now at The Dolphin, see you tonight!
BANKS released a gorgeous new track today co-written and produced by my ultimate music-crush Orlando Higginbottom (Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs). “Warm Water” is a luscious slow jam featuring the uplifting beats synonymous with Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs signature sound, addicting lyrics, and breathtaking vocals of Banks. This track further proves Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs can do absolutely no wrong, and Banks is a force to be reckoned with.
“Warm Water” will be available via iTunes (US/UK), Amazon and Spotify May 27th through Good Years Recordings.
In more brilliant news, Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs will be coming to Philly for the first time, Thursday June 6, to play a DJ set at Morgan’s Pier.
Morgan’s Pier re-opened for the summer last Thursday and is offering a slew of incredible shows including this epic set from Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs. The show will be $5 at the door, but you can get your tickets in advance through Ticketfly here.
I met Orlando after having one of the best dance workouts of my life during his DJ set on a rooftop in Austin at SXSW in March. He told me about this show after I gave him a hard time for not ever playing in Philly, and I have to tell you I this show at Morgan’s Pier can NOT come soon enough. I fully plan on bringing every single one of my friends. Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs will also be playing Governor’s Ball in NYC that weekend so make sure you see him live there as well!
This week has been a whirlwind of crazy and awesome. I saw Nile Rodgers on Sunday, The Breeders on Monday, Palma Violets on Wednesday, and The Veils and Lantern last night. Though I’m a bit exhausted, I’m completely stoked to see Lovelife, Gold Fields and Capital Cities at the TLA before heading to Maryland tomorrow for Sweet Life Festival!!
Lovelife are a synth-pop group formed by Lee Newell and Ally Young. The band features members of deceased UK band Viva Brother (formerly known as Brother) and they are now based out of NYC. The band has released two self-produced EPs, made their SXSW debut this year, and are now supporting Capital Cities on their US tour which stops in Philly tonight! Between Lovelife and Gold Fields, everyone at the TLA will get a major dance workout before Capital Cities even takes the stage.
You can definitely find me on the dance floor, hopefully dancing hard enough so everyone around me comes out of their shell and gets into the groove. If you go see live music, you should never be scared, shy, or ashamed to really take it in and give the energy the bands give to the fans, right back to them. It gives a whole new life to experiencing live music, and makes everyone have way more fun.
The show starts tonight at 8PM and you can buy tickets at the TLA box office!
*Sigh* I think I’m in love again with Tame Impala! Though, to be fair, I never really stopped…
Tame Impala recently went into the studio of an Australian radio station and were asked to do a cover. Naturally, they chose one of their favorite songs, “Prototype” by OutKast (RIP/Please Come Back). Their banter before the song makes my heart even more sad we are not best friends yet and Nick and Kevin’s rendition of Andre 3000 is too good to be true.
Between the spot-on back and forth vocals, dreamy guitars, and baby-making bass line, Tame Impala’s version of “Prototype” makes you weak in the knees and makes you really want to go to the movies. I cannot wait to see this band live again, and to hear more new music from them, cover or not! Make sure you pick up a copy of their new record Lonerism from your local record store or here through their website!
Last Sunday the Queen of classical guitar, Kaki King, played World Cafe Live in Philadelphia. Sad on a plane leaving Texas, I sent my friend Rick to the show…and he loved it.
This Kaki King show was extra special because she is on tour celebrating the 10th Anniversary of her first album, Everybody Loves You, and performed the album in its entirety. Kaki King started the show alone, picking up her acoustic guitar she began playing the album, with stories about each song in between each breathtaking track. Switching guitars after each song, Kaki King fans were treated to the stories behind each track. Fans who have loved the album for ten years, as well as new fans, were treated to a unique and rewarding experience: being a part of a live storytellers from such a brilliant, award-winning artist. Kaki informed the crowd that her entire family was in attendance, along with her wife and her wife’s family. She said it was the first time their families were meeting!
Kaki King then incorporated tracks from her other albums, such as Legs To Make Us Longer and her new album GLOW. After playing for over an hour, Kaki took a mere 15 minute break before taking the stage once more with her band. She continued to play for another hour, with more selections from Glow, …Until We Felt Red, and her other albums, which included not only her intricate guitar work, but her delicate, mesmerizing vocals. The Philly fans stood in a state of quiet awe the entire show, loving every minute Kaki graced the stage.
Once the show ended, the crowd demanded an encore, which she so graciously obliged by playing an encore on slide guitar. Kaki King then greeted fans and signed her cds and vinyls before heading out to continue her world tour. This May, Kaki King will be playing Portugal, Turkey and Australia. You can find her tour dates here!
I was so stoked to have one of my friends experience such an incredible show, and I can’t wait to catch her next time she stops in Philly! Check out her music below and make sure you go to your local record store and pick up a copy of Glow!
After coming back from an epic weekend in Dallas and Austin (post to follow later) I am so stoked to return to Philly if only for all the incredible shows happening this week.
One of my favorite artists from the UK, Tom Odell, will be playing Johnny Brenda’s tonight with Jeremy Messersmith as support. Tickets are only $12, you can get them here or at the door. The doors open at 8pm and the show starts at 9pm.
Odell, who is 21, grew up in Chichester and starting writing music at the age of 13. He moved to Brighton, to immerse himself in the epic music scene – which I thankfully got to experience on my last visit to the UK. Tom says of his experience in Brighton,
“I just didn’t stop writing songs for an entire year. I used to stroll around Brighton with this massive keyboard and just go to these open mic’s all around town – and it was so demoralizing, but also really good for me”.
Tom Odell moved to London after signing a record deal with Columbia. He released his acclaimed debut EP Songs From Another Love last year, earning him the obsession of many new fans, including me, and the prestigious Critics’ Choice Award at the Brit Awards. Tom Odell is touring the US now in support of his upcoming debut full-length album Long Way Down which is available for pre-oder now on iTunes, Amazon, Deluxe signed CD or my favorite Deluxe signed vinyl.
Whenever I watch live videos of Tom Odell online and listen to how powerful his sound is through my headphones I get chills. I can’t even put into words how thrilled I am to see him tonight at one of my favorite venues in Philly. Don’t miss what is bound to be one stunning performance from this brilliant musician tonight at 9PM at Johnny Brenda’s!
What a great morning, to wake up and see this in my email. The 1975 released a gorgeous new video for their single “The City”, and as I expected I’m obsessed with it. Shot in black and white, the video features some breathtaking imagery of not only the band playing, but tiny stories played out by actors, some with moving projections of city life covering their skin. Their single “The City” is one of the incredible tracks from their self-titled upcoming album The 1975 due out (hopefully) this September. I seriously cannot wait for this record to come out. I need to make sure there is a vinyl with my name on it on my record player no later than October 1st…it will most likely be on constant rotation in my house from that point on (sorry I’m not sorry in advance housemates!). But until then, their next EP IV will be out May 20th! The 1975 will be back in the US to tour with The Neighbourhood! Both bands will be playing Johnny Brenda’s in Philadelphia on June 25th, tickets go on sale tomorrow at noon here!
The 1975 on tour with The Neighbourhood:
June 4th – Tulsa, OK @ Vanguard
June 5th – Dallas, TX @ Trees
June 7th – Houston, TX @ Fitzgerald’s
June 8th – Austin, TX @ Antones
June 11th – Orlando, FL @ The Social
June 12th – St. Petersburg, FL @ The Local 662
June 14th – Fort Lauderdale, FL @ Culture Room
June 15th – Jacksonville, FL @ Jack Rabbits
June 17th – Atlanta, GA @ Vinyl
June 18th – Charlotte, NC @ Amos Southend
June 19th – Norfolk, VA @ The Norva
June 22nd – Rochester, NY @ Main Street Armory
June 23rd – South Burlington, VT @ Higher Ground Showcase
June 25th – Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda’s
June 26th – Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall Of Williamsburg
Headlining shows:
July 24th – Los Angeles, CA @ Troubadour
July 25th – San Francisco, CA @ Rickshaw Stop
By now, I am pretty sure you all know that this is how I feel about The 1975:
Like a million other hearts around the globe, my heart exploded when I heard The 1975 play an absolutely breathtaking cover of “So Good To Me” by Chris Malinchak, one of my favorite songs ever, for BBCR1′s Live Lounge Late last night. Although I’ve seen The 1975 live twice since March (spoiled, I know) I am on the edge of my seat waiting for them to release their new album (out May 20th UK) and come back to America to serenade me…I mean us.
After their last show in Philadelphia at Kung Fu Necktie I asked them when they are coming back. They reassured me that they would be returning to play Johnny Brenda’s with none other than fellow band-of-dreamboats The Neighbourhood, whose debut album I Love You is out now on Columbia! Lo and behold, I woke up to a Songkick notification today that this show will be happening at Johnny Brenda’s on Tuesday June 25th! Tickets are only $12 (what!?) so get one for you and all your friends when they go on sale this Friday at 12PM EDT here!!!
I have to say I have had a royally epic weekend. Two of my favorite people in the world were married Friday night, I spent my entire bank account at Record Store Day yesterday at some of my favorite shops (the money loss is sad but worth it), and took my Mom to see one of my childhood heroes, Paula Cole, live from the front row. Although Philly has had a dramatic change of weather (for the colder), I am excited to end my weekend by seeing two of my favorite bands whose music reminds me of summer. Splashh, who are making their Philadelphia debut, have a new album Comfort coming out June 2nd, and it is available now for pre-order in the UK here and US here. They’ve won my heart over with their singles “All I Wanna Do” and “Vacation”, so I am so excited to hear those songs and some new tracks off of Comfort live tonight when they open for Generationals. I can’t wait to get my dance on tonight and end this weekend the perfect way, by seeing two amazing and fun bands, forgetting that tomorrow is Monday the start of the workweek, and just living up the weekend for every last moment left of it. The show starts at 9PM tonight at Johnny Brenda’s and tickets are only $12 at the door, so make sure you come out tonight and have a dance off with me during Splashh and Generationals!
People are still asking me how SXSW was, and I can only really describe it as my personal heaven. Music literally everywhere all day and night. I got the opportunity to see some of my favorite artists I’ve never seen before, including one of my new absolute favorites, Rudimental.
I’ve heard Rudimental’s music before, and every track I heard I thought to myself “Wow, I really really like this”. But when I went to see them at SXSW I had no idea what I was in for. My friends all had other shows they wanted to see, so I said goodbye to them and stayed at Fader Fort for Rudimental. The next thing I knew, I was showered in incredible dance music and absolute positivity. Their instrumentals, vocals and lyrics just radiate hope. In this giant crowd of people I didn’t know, I was dancing, smiling, and got the chills as everyone around me sang back “I know you said it’s true I can feel the love can you feel it too? I can feel it all” during “Feel The Love” ft. John Newman, sung live by the gorgeous Thomas Jules. Another track that had me beaming during their set was “Waiting All Night” ft. (and sung live by) the beautiful Ella Eyre.
Ella Eyre’s voice is powerful enough on it’s own, but she sings with such passion and conviction, and just gives it her all on stage, I was a bit taken aback by how moved I was by hearing the song live. When I came back to my normal (non-SXSW) life, I was so excited to see that Rudimental released a new music video for the track, “Waiting All Night” featuring Ella Eyre. The video, which features all real clips of San Francisco born BMX Champion and Actor Kurt Yaeger, who, after an accident in 2006, became an amputee. The video, like their music and live set, is so beautiful and inspiring.
I was also ecstatic to find out that Rudimental is also coming to Philly for Jay-Z’s Made in America Festival August 31st and September 1st!! The festival was so much fun last year and if you didn’t get a chance to go, this is the year to do so…and make sure Rudimental is on your list of bands not to miss! Rudimental also have a UK tour coming up in October, dates below!
