Right in the heart of Fishtown sits the gem of Philly’s live music scene, Johnny Brenda’s. One of the best small venues for over ten years, the place feels like a shrunken down gothic opera theater with a balcony overlooking a turn of the century burlesque club. I often leave feeling like the bands I’ve seen have played a personal show for me. I know the next time around they will be playing a much larger venue but feel ecstatic I got to see a rising band playing music they love, for the love of live music.  Ivan & Alyosha and Twin Forks (formerly Twin Falls) show on Thursday was no different.

I only knew two things about the bands Ivan & Alyosha and Twin Forks before seeing them live. 1. Twin Forks was a new band formed by Chris Carrabba, the lead singer of Further Seems Forever and Dashboard Confessional. And 2, Ivan & Alyosha were the headlining band and the show sold out, fast.

Before Twin Forks took the stage to open the night, there was a buzz beaming across the venue floor.  Already more packed than I am used to seeing at the venue for an opening act, I sensed that something special was about to take place and I was the only one who had yet to discover why.  I asked people around me who they were there to see.  Three girls next to me said they were excited for Chris Carrabba and a couple behind me expressed how amazing Ivan & Alysoha are.

Soon after 9:00 pm, Twin Forks emerged out of the dressing room and began taking the stage.  Lead by Chris Carrabba with an acoustic guitar strapped to his chest, three other band mates followed.  Chris took center stage behind a microphone, an adorable girl with a mandolin, who I would later find out is Suzie Zeldin from the band The Narrative, took the far left microphone.   One gentleman picked up a bass, the other jumped on drums.   Chris started to strum his guitar, the mandolin started to pick and I instantly knew that I was in for something different compared to Chris’s past musical endeavors.  The band started to build and come together and exploded into happy indie folk rock led by Chris’s powerful, emotional vocals.  By the end of the song people had their feet stomping, hands clapping while Chris sang, “That’s the love that can’t be broken!” This would be a recurring theme for the rest of the night, and I was 100% OK with that.  The strongest songs came when Suzie and Chris sang together, weaving their happy  vocals with lyrics about love, reminiscent of Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zero’s “Home”.  You could sense from Chris’s lyrics and the happiness in his new found sound that he had fallen in love with music all over again.  His days in Dashboard were behind him and he was 100% OK with that.   

By the time Twin Forks ended their set and left the stage the energy in the crowd was contagious.  The feeling I had at the beginning of the show about something special happening tonight WAS happening and this would only get stronger once Ivan & Alyosha took the stage.   

The crowd started to clap and cheer as the 5 piece, all male band Ivan & Alyosha walked into the room and commanded the stage.  With a drummer in the back, three guitars and one bass up front, lead singer Tim Wilson began strumming his guitar and his fellow band mates followed as they all burst into more indie folk rock.  The couple behind me bounced up and down singing along with the intricate harmonies of the four men singing onstage backing Tim’s lead vocals. Guitars soared, harmonicas slide back and forth across smiling mouths and the band all danced together while  Tim sang, “The sun was shining through my window; we’re making music, making music!”  There was no doubt that the sun was actually shining through a window across the band when they were creating these songs.  Their songs had traces of The Lumineers, Arcade Fire, and Simon and Garfunkel with soaring group harmonies reminiscent of Mumford & Sons and Fleet Foxes but raw, less produced and less commercial.   The crowd once again started stomping their feet and clapping their hands along to the bands lyrically compelling, uplifting, motivational songs.  I found myself singing along with the crowd and even though I did not know any of the lyrics it didn’t seem to matter.

By the time the night was over we were all one big, sweaty, happy mess.  Both Twin Forks and Ivan & Alyosha shined as rising indie folk bands and  I walked away ecstatic I got to see them at a time when they were playing music they love, for the love of live music.  

At the end of the show I had a chance to talk to Suzie Zeldin and Chris Carrabba from Twin Forks, who were some of the nicest musicians I have ever had a chance to talk to:

JC (Midcoast): Suzie, you were one of the most adorable people I have ever seen onstage, how did you end up singing in Twin Forks and was that a mandolin?

Suzie: Awe Thank you! Yes, that was a mandolin! I have been part of an indie rock band called The Narrative out of Brooklyn for five years now.  A few years ago a friend who knows Chris suggested that we send each other some material.  Since Chris lives in Florida we would email each other songs back and forth and it started from there.  I did some guest vocals with Dashboard and when Chris decided to start Twin Forks he asked me to be part of it.  I am really excited to be a part of it; it is some of the happiest music I have ever had a chance to play.

JC: Chris, the last time I saw you live was in 2007 at a big venue in Atlantic City, how did you transition from the sound of Dashboard Confessional to Twin Forks? By the way, that was one of the happiest shows I’ve ever seen.

Chris: Thank you! That means a lot.   I have been interested in making this kind of music for a long time now.  A few years ago I picked up my guitar and started writing and it has grown from there.  You see, being part of Dashboard Confessional the fans expected a certain sound from us.  I felt like I had to write songs in the style of Dashboard and couldn’t detour from that.  Now I can and it means so much to me that people are enjoying and feeling the love and happiness that I am creating with Twin Forks. 

By Jonathan Cresson

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Cowboy Indian Bear already won our hearts simply for having an awesome band name and some of the nicest band members around. However, if that’s not enough to also win you over, then their new album will. 

The Lawrence 4-piece band’s new album Live Old, Die Young is officially out now. It’s complete with the band’s signature cool harmonies, chill indie pop vibe and interesting percussion arrangements. You can stream the album in full over at Spinner and buy it via the Record Machine.

If you like what you hear, be sure to join the band for the CD release shows where they’ll be performing for two nights only as a 9-piece band. The first show is Thursday, April 25th at Davey’s Uptown in Kansas City (21+). Then they’ll be in their hometown of Lawrence, Kansas on Friday, May 10 at the Lawrence Arts Center for an all ages show.

Check out “Let It Down” off Live Old, Die Young:

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The last time Scottish rockers Garbage tried to perform in Kansas City, they weren’t graced with the most cooperative weather. This time, they opted for an indoor performance at Harrah’s Voodoo Lounge. Without the threat of weather grumping up their crowd, Garbage was free to really rock out.

Singer Shirley Manson seemed extra into this performance and bantered with the audience. At one point she quipped that she got the band back together after hanging out at Coachella and thinking the bands were all horrible. She called Butch Vig and Garbage was back together.

Photographer Scott Spychalski was at the performance and shares the following photos from the event. IO Echo opened for Garbage.

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Last time Alt-J visited Kansas City, they were simply an opening act at a radio show. They were even missing a member due to illness. But they must have made an impression because when they announced that they’d be back for a headlining gig at the Midland Theater, the April show almost immediately sold out.

Now with the full band in attendance, the British indie rockers continued to woo Kansas City with their unique tunes and multi-part harmonies. Tunes like “Breezeblocks,” “Fitzpleasure” and more made for a night of memorable music and the guarantee that Alt-J would continue to be welcome in Kansas City anytime.

Photographer Erica Bortolan-Cassella shares these photos from the concert:

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We all have different tastes in music and different reasons for liking what we do. Obviously it is more than just the sound we like it is how those sounds make us feel. A particular album could have gotten you through a hard time or every time you hear that song you get all nostalgic and think of old friends. But maybe it became something more.

I think of music as an experience, an experience that can spark a whole series of actions, feelings and other experiences. Sometimes those experiences effect you so specifically that they helped make you who you are today.

Here is an email from a friend discussing why he is so excited about the new David Bowie record “The Next Day“. I enjoyed this background story so much that I asked if I could share it on the site.

You don’t have to have a shared interest in  David Bowie or any other bands or artists pointed out to understand everything written below. It doesn’t matter because you have experienced something indescribable with music as well, and you can relate.

I wanted to explain why I am excited for the new Bowie record.

Twenty years ago, I was 13 years old and I liked Nirvana. They were the first band that I told my parents I needed to get their CD for Christmas and the first band that began to slightly shape my young malleable persona. I tried to grow my blonde hair a little longer and thought about cutting holes in the knees of my brand new Levi jeans. I also asked my mom to buy me flannel shirts in which she replied, “Flannel shirts? Your father’s closet is full of them; he wears them for house work.”

On November 1st, 1994, 6 months after Cobain’ death, MTV released “Nirvana Unplugged”. I made my mom drive me to Sam Goodies to get my hands on anything that could possibly be “new” material from Nirvana. I got the CD, went up into my room and pressed play. The first 3 songs were raw, stripped down versions of songs that I knew and loved. Then track 4 came on and it changed everything. Everything. An unfamiliar guitar riff kicked in and Cobain began to sing lyrics I did not know, “We passed upon the stairs, we spoke of was and when…”

A cover song?

I thought, Nirvana is good but who ever came up with that guitar riff and those lyrics is a genius.

I opened up the Liner notes and read:

Track 4 “Man Who Sold the World” written by David Bowie. David Bowie? Doesn’t he sing “White Wedding”? No, that is Billy Idol. Who is David Bowie?

In 1994, this was not as simple of a question to ask as it is today. I couldn’t type into Google, “David Bowie” or instantly stream his material on Spotify or ask Siri “Who is David Bowie?” The only thing I knew is that I needed to find out who Bowie was and I needed to hear more. For the first time I became a music detective and this hasn’t left me since. I walked to the local library, opened the card catalog and looked up Bowie’s name. I found countless references in books entitled “The History of Rock n Roll” and even his own book called “David Bowie: A Rock n Roll Odyssey”. I opened these books and the stories I read and the images I saw were truly alien and I felt my small 13-year-old world instantly shift and open up into something new, colorful and exciting. I saw him in photos with people I never heard of before, Andy Warhol? Who is that and what is with that wig? I saw images of a flamboyant Bowie, literally looking like an alien, in a Japanese Kabuki dress and wearing makeup. He was on his knees, playing his band mates guitar with his mouth. He was simulating sex, gay sex. I quickly turned the page and read an interview from 1972 where Bowie came out as gay. I felt light, like the weight of my paranoid closeted adolescence lifted off my body and floated to an all accepting Cosmos. These thoughts that were eating away at me, making me think I was weird, wrong, not normal, all of a sudden became OK. I was instantly connected, hooked and had yet to hear the rest of Bowie’s music.

I spent the next few years saving up money and buying as many Bowie albums that I could at the local chain record shops. His music, his lyrics, his album artwork all spoke to me in a way that I could not explain and I kept this all a secret. When I turned 16, I got a job and a car. I spent my time driving around to independent record shops from Philadelphia to New Hope to Princeton. I was looking for any rare material by Bowie, VHS videos of his live concerts and music from any band somehow with a connection to Bowie. I bought music by bands that influenced Bowie and I bought music from bands that said Bowie influenced them. My musical world had truly opened and there was no stopping the over-whelming amount of musical material I got to enjoy. I eventually got to see Bowie live 3 times, which I can only explain as the best, most natural high I have ever felt. It inspired creativity in me and gave me an uncontrollable urge to want to create my own music and perform my own music live…

2003 was the last David Bowie album. I was excited to open the artwork, read the lyrics and listen to the music. I felt like I was 13 years old again, hearing new music for the first time. Bowie taught me that the excitement and creativity birthed from just being young should never fade, no matter how busy we are in our modern, stressed out adult lives.

On January 8th, 2013, I woke up with my first thought being, it is Bowie’s Birthday! I looked over at my phone and saw 2 texts from friends; I never have texts awaiting me at 6:00am. Both texts read, “Bowie has a new album.” Excuse me? For the past 10 years I had been checking the Internet frequently for word of a new Bowie album. There was never any word of new material. Though it was difficult to imagine, I had accepted that Bowie had completed his musical journey. Still lying in bed, I searched on my phone “New Bowie Album” and instantly breaking news of a new Bowie song, new music video, a new album and images of new album artwork digitally exploded in my face. The first ever musician to have an online music website somehow kept the fact that he was recording a new album completely a secret for two years. In a world saturated with information, Bowie truly shocked the music community. Other musicians, producers and record executives commented that this could change how bands and record labels handle new releases. At 66 years old and years out of the spot light, his new song “Where are we now” went to number one on I-tunes, pushing aside Rihanna and Taylor Swift. This seemed impossible to almost everyone, including myself.

Though obviously excited for anything new by Bowie, I was honestly under-whelmed by the first two songs released off of “The Next Day”. I have never been a big fan of singles and Bowie has never been known as a single releasing musician. “Where are we now” and “The Stars are out tonight” were good but I knew when I heard the album in its entirety that they would magically make sense and sound all new in the context of the album. What was great were the strange and creative music videos accompanying the songs. Tilda Swinton, dressing as an androgynous Bowie? Yes, please!

So last night, one week until “The Next Day” was to be released, I got word that the entire album was streaming for a limited time for free on I-Tunes. The excited 13-year-old me instantly kicked into gear and it was a perfect night for it. I had the entire house to myself. I hooked up my Bose speakers and let the “The Next Day” engulf me. It is fantastic. After 50 years in the music industry and 26 studio albums David Bowie has made one of the best albums of his career. I am not just saying this as a Bowie fan but I am saying this as a fan of music. The album is full of guitar riffs that are dirty yet shimmer with life, horns explode inside mid-tempo ballads and drums snare over top of pure Bowie-esque anthems. Bowie’s unique vocals deliver fragile lyrics reminiscing about ideal versions of his past then burst with criticism and paranoia about where all of our futures could be headed. The two songs that under-whelmed me as singles over-whelmed inside the album and showed me that music can still give me so much excitement that I started to tear up with happiness. This is why, the forever 13-year-old music detective, is excited.  Not just for  ”The Next Day” but all the other new and old music there is to share and discover, and now it is easier than it ever was before.

 

-J.C.

 

David Bowie’s “The Next Day“, is available now to pre-order and comes out on March 12th.

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Alright all you die-hard Die Hard fans. As I am sure you are already aware Bruce Willis is back in action as John McClane only this time he is finding himself on foreign soil after traveling to Moscow to help his wayward son Jack — unaware that Jack is really a highly-trained CIA operative out to stop a nuclear weapons heist. With the Russian underworld in pursuit, and battling a countdown to war, the two McClanes discover their opposing methods make them unstoppable heroes.

We are giving away passes to see an advance screening on Tuesday February 12th (of course, Kansas City area only)

Enter the contest here. And don’t forget to click on the “tweet to confirm” button on the 2nd page of the form. We have several passes so be sure to pass a link to this post off to all of your friends so they can go to!

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Last night, up and coming band Radkey wowed a decent-sized crowd at Club 906 in Liberty. Anyone expecting this teen trio to croon syrupy pop a la Hanson would be sorely mistaken. These guys are hardcore, in your face punk rock with lead vocalist Darrion (Dee) Radke’s voice reminiscent of The Misfits’ Glenn Danzig.

The group is made up of three brothers: Dee (guitar/vocals), Isaiah (bass/vocals) and Solomon (drums). They played a 45 minute set of original songs, all of which were solid and kept the crowd rocking.

Given they’ve been performing together in public for a little over a year, Radkey have a seemingly bright future if they continue to develop on their already solid base. If you haven’t already had the privilege of seeing them perform, do yourself a favor and get out to a show. Their next gigs are at Czar Bar, Dec. 21, and Riot Room, Feb. 3. You can find them online at radkey.net and on twitter @RadkeyRock.

Photos and review by Graham Green

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Hugs, handshakes and high fives travel across the crowded floor of Lincoln Hall in waves of excitement and anticipation. Ex-choir members break out into their favorite Top 40 songs, raining intricate roulades upon the rest of the audience as they wait for Pentatonix to take the stage. A young college student next to me turns to her friends — “Oh my God, you guys, I think I’m going to cry.” The lights dim. She cries.

Having devoted my entire high school career to competitive show choir and vocal jazz ensembles that were deemed nerdy by the popular kids and musically reductive by the band geeks, it was a little disorienting to see the hype surrounding acapella music these days. But after a season of flawless performances and an almost unsurprising win on NBC’s reality show The Sing-Off, it’s not hard to see how Pentatonix has garnered such a substantial following.

Acoustic singer-songwriter SJ opened the performance. SJ, accompanied only by drummer Derek Cintron, creates a mellow sound that is part Jack Johnson, part Jerry Garcia.   With his casual stage presence and simplistic lyrics such as I like the way you always ask for another song and how we always get along. I like the way you always dress for me. I wish you could see what I see in “I Like You,” SJ seemed like a more appropriate fit for a quaint coffee shop in a small college town than a sold out venue in the heart of Chicago. After a quick plug for his most recent album, Coffee: Strong Brew Edition, SJ closed his set with a mild and tender song titled “Fresh Soul.” Cintron chimed in on the harmonies in a seamless tenor that melted into SJ’s vocals. A somewhat colorless performance, Cintron’s warm timbre sprinkled throughout the performance managed to bring it to life.

Pentatonix took center stage as Kevin Olusola and Avi Kaplan dropped the beat for Usher’s “OMG.” Lead vocalist Scott Hoying charmed the audience with his swoon-worthy voice while singers Kirstie Maldonado and Mitch Grassi provided solid support for him with strong, unusual harmonies. Olusola, known for his almost robotic consistency of flawless beatboxing, spit out perfectly timed beat delays and reverse cymbals, something Usher and Will.i.am needed professional studio software to create.

After their dynamic open, Hoying announced that the evening’s show would be a bit different than their usual performance. Mitch Grassi, a vocalist who packs a powerful falsetto with an impressive range, was sick.  The group had to modify their 15 song set to accommodate his lost voice, letting the audience sing along to Mitch’s solo in “We Are Young” by Fun.; including an original song, “Gravity” performed by Maldonado and Kaplan; and featuring Olusola’s internet-famous beatbox cello solo.

From the Justin Beiber-Katy Perry mashup “Long As You Love Me/Wide Awake” to country toe-tapping “Stuck Like Glue,” this vocal ensemble knows how to create smart arrangements that showcase their range and individual talents. Maldonado’s flirty rendition of “Oops I Did It Again” in the Britney Spears medley left jaws dropped (and maybe a few girlfriends hostile) as she grabbed the collars of random men in the audience and serenaded them. In Rihanna’s “You Da One” Hoying lays sweet reggae-tinged vocals over Olusola and Kaplan’s carefully-timed dubstep tracks. The group closed on Beyonce’s “End of Time,” a final demonstration of their insane ability to create stylish arrangements that often sound better than the original.

Pentatonix didn’t make the audience wait long for their anticipated encore. The group administered hugs and handshakes throughout the audience as they performed their ever-popular cover of Nicki Minaj’s “Starships.” Their energy was unrelenting, and the gratitude they expressed to their fans before exiting was truly refreshing.

After a long line of a capella groups like New York Voices and Sweden’s The Real Group whose music never quite translated to the masses, Pentatonix may be the first vocal ensemble to take a capella mainstream. They are true musicians who deliver something more real than studio-crafted, artificial sound, and they are well on their way to revolutionizing how people see pop music.

Pentatonix Set List

OMG

Video Killed the Radio Star

Britney Medley

Love Lockdown

Stuck Like Glue

Gravity

Nature Boy/Baddest Girl

Long as You Love Me/Wide Awake

Meat and Potatoes

Cello Solo

You Da One

We Are Young

Let’s Get it On

End of Time

//

Starships

Pentatonix on Tour

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Jakob Dylan (who is really looking more like father Bob Dylan these days) reunited with the rest of the Wallflowers at The Midland in Kansas City on 11/15. They performed in front of a decent sized crowd with My Jerusalem.

Photos by Scott Spychalski

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Miles away from their hometown of Los Angeles, California, Milo Greene will take the Bottleneck by musical indie folk storm on Thursday, November 8th. The quintet is made up of Robbie Arnett, Graham Fink, Andrew Heringer, and Marlana
Sheetz sharing vocals and multiple instruments, with Curtis Marrero binding the music together on percussion. The band has been together since 2010 and hasone album under their belt. The self-titled album was recorded at Bear Creek Studios in Seattle under the direction of Ryan Hadlock (The Lumineers). After the album was released earlier in 2012, it quickly gained positive attention. Recently, the group performed “1957”, one of the album’s singles, on The Late Show With
David Letterman. They also delivered a very tight, well rehearsed, energy driven show at this summer’s Lollapalooza. Mile Greene has stuck to an intense touring schedule since Lollapalooza in an attempt to really make a name for themselves in the popular indie folk scene. Do yourself a favor and check these guys out.

Give Milo Green’s 1957 a listen to get pumped for the show!

Milo Greene on tour

by Katie Barrett

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