Philly Sound Clash @ World Cafe Live (2/21/08)

Philly Sound Clash | Photo Gallery

Against my better judgment of avoiding "Battle of the Bands" events, I was excited for the 2nd Annual Philly Sound Clash (presented by PhillyCarShare) - it was gonna be my first time at World Cafe Live and I'd heard some good things …

caUSE co-MOTION! @ Johnny Brenda's, Philadelphia (2/19/08)

caUSE co-MOTION! | Photo Gallery

I'm easily won over by herky-jerky guitar playing and fart jokes (or, in this case, butt-cheek jokes), but caUSE co-MOTION! back that up with the kind of music I can really dig... fast, sloppy, and with shitloads of reverb. It's the …

Get yer spreadsheets ready!

Yup, the SXSW Music Showcase schedule is up. However, being the SXSW veteran I am, I know that Tecate and PBR will more likely dictate my schedule than any spreadsheet I so painstakingly plan on putting together. This is just about the only time of year I put my crazy …

Sian Alice Group @ Johnny Brenda's, Philadelphia (2/19/08)

Sian Alice Group | Photo Gallery

Tonight's showing at Johnny Brenda's probably wasn't what the members of Sian Alice Group were expecting. I get the feeling that the London-based group had gotten used to playing packed theaters throughout Europe in support of space …

Local Band Spotlight: Home Blitz

http://www.oliverlopena.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/02/hb.jpg' alt='Home Blitz' border=0" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 5px 5px 0px 0px" />Shit yeah! I gave my wife some flowers for Valentine's Day and now she's letting me blog for half an hour... YEAH! Consider this the first of many a few artist spotlights I plan on posting during the time running up to SXSW. After seeing the list, I did a quick …

2nd Annual Philly Sound Clash @ World Cafe Live

"Here's the idea: 12 local bands. 12 songs. 1 CD of Philadelphia music. After voting is finished, the top 12 bands will be featured on a compilation CD to be distributed all over Philadelphia! We'll also take the top 6 bands to battle it out at the Philly Sound Clash …

Official SXSW Band List!!!

The official list is up! I've already given the list a once over and (upon initial Ctrl-F-ing) I found plenty to be excited about. Tim Fite (my favorite artist of 2007) has alluded eluded me for long enough... looks like I'll finally be able to catch him in Austin, …

Photos: Mahjongg @ Johnny Brenda's, Philadelphia (1/28/08)

Mahjongg | Photo Gallery





Mahjongg @ MySpace

DOWNLOAD:

Mahjongg - Problems | mp3 (via Spinner)

Mahjongg - Hot Lava | mp3

Giants by 23!

I took out a sub-prime 2nd mortgage on my pad and put it all on Big Blue... it's my lock of the century!

Not really, folks... just jumping on the bandwagon. I couldn't resist posting this video.

Anyway, one of my posts got h4xored so I decided to finally upgrade to the …

Photos: RunRunner @ Johnny Brenda's, Philadelphia (1/28/08)

RunRunner | Photo Gallery



RunRunner: URL | MySpace



DOWNLOAD:

RunRunner - False Alarmed | mp3

RunRunner - Set A Trap | mp3

Get Him Eat Him @ Johnny Brenda's, Philadelphia (1/28/08)

Get Him Eat Him | Photo Gallery

As I'm sure you're well aware, 2008 is the year that unassuming, Ivy League-educated, indie pop bands reign supreme. There were only a few people in the crowd, but the members of Get Him Eat Him still sported big grins, cracked plenty …

The 2007 Music Blog Zeitgeist (ex-Bloggregate)

The Hype Machine Presents: The 2007 Music Blog Zeitgeist | URL

Bloggers are so predictable. No surprises here... Radiohead, Arcade Fire, and The National took the 1, 2, and 3 spots, respectively, for best albums of the year (as decided by blogger consensus). None of …

So as to not lose my remaining reader(s)...

I might as well provide a brief update. Call me lazy (or old), but I haven't been to any shows yet this year. I've been too preoccupied with beating Pokemon LeafGreen (because I'm old school), catching up on my DVD viewing, shooting film, trying to master Guitar Hero …

Japan Nite 2008 Lineup @ SXSW

The SXSW updates are slowly (and unofficially) trickling in, but the official Japan Nite lineup has been announced. I don't know a damn thing about any of these bands, but that doesn't matter. No matter how potentially ridiculous or absurd any of these bands may be, …

Best Shows of 2007

I'm not done with 2007 just yet. I attended a shit-ton of shows last year - these were my favorites.

10. Explosions In The Sky @ the Society for Ethical Culture Concert Hall, NYC (2/20/2007) | Blog Post

9. Golem @ the Mercury Lounge, NYC (8/9/2007) | Blog Post

8. …

Best Albums of 2007

Here are my top 10 favorite LPs of 2007; please consider any glaring omissions to be completely intentional.

10. Elliott Smith - New Moon [Kill Rock Stars]

My sentimental pick for the year - 24 songs worth of previously unreleased demos, b-sides, and other …

Margot & the Nuclear So and So's @ the Church, Philadelphia (12/11/07)

Lineup: The Private Sea, Le Loup, Margot & the Nuclear So and So's



Margot & the Nuclear So and So's | Photo Gallery

The First Unitarian Church is legendary for being one of the only/few places in Philly for the under-21 patron to catch a decent show (thanks to Sean of

Ra Ra Riot: New Site & Live mp3

Ra Ra Riot | Photo Gallery

Ra Ra Riot are back in the studio and have a new site up with photos, blogs, videos, etc. With all of the recent photo uploads on their Flickr page (e.g., Milo cooking spaghetti or Wes playing pool), I'd been hoping that they'd be doing …

Vineland Music Festival 2008

Props to Music Snobbery, The Music Slut, and Brooklyn Vegan for already making the announcement. Below are the details.

Via NME: The people behind the Reading, Leeds and Glastonbury festivals have set up a new bash in North America. Festival Republic have teamed up …

The Pipettes @ the North Star Bar, Philadelphia (11/14/07)

Lineup: Monster Bobby, Nicole Atkins & the Sea, The Pipettes



The Pipettes | Photo Gallery

Sorry... no time to write a full show review. Don't fret, though - one will eventually be posted on Junkmedia.org. I have to confess that I'm a sucker for The Pipettes - I …