Cola ~ Knifeplay ~ Nina Ryser ~ THEERICSCHUMAN
*All events are 21+ valid ID required for entry*7 PM Doors8 PM ShowCOLACola is a new project from former Ought members Tim Darcy and Ben Stidworthy formed with US Girls drummer Evan Cartwright. “Blank Curtain” provides an exciting hint of the way the new project picks up some of the threads of the pair’s earlier work and weaves them into engaging new shapes, constructing a driving tangle of guitars around an arresting performance from Darcy. “What started as stripped-down open D songwriting with a CR-78 soon became a full album and new band. We wanted to see how far we could stretch our compositions with just drums, one guitar, one bass, and one voice.Blank Curtain is a quarter note kick drum pushing 240 bpm, a drone-like chord progression, and declarative vocals cutting through the haze. If you could invert the color of the Blank Curtain, you might have something like a Chicago house track that sounds like a band in a room.”KNIFEPLAYKnifeplay is a band that eludes definition, existing somewhere between the nihilistic detachment of shoegaze and the emotional honesty of folk songwriting, they’ve made a slow and careful shift from being the solo bedroom recording project of songwriter Tj Strohmer to a collaborative, production-focused studio-recorded band. But through their ever-expanding genre palette, range of fidelities, and a long list of collaborators runs a unique mood that ties everything together. Informed by his experiences living in Philadelphia and their contrast with his rural southern Maryland upbringing, Strohmer’s sometimes straightforward, sometimes dreamlike lyrics feature scenes of darkness from many different aspects of life. He deals with themes of death, drugs, heartbreak, abuse, and self-destruction, all expressed through an androgynous vocal style, which, combined with the band’s lush, often dense orchestral instrumentation gives a beautiful lightness to the heavy subject matter. Knifeplay has earned a dedicated cult following since their 2017 debut with their home-recorded Eps, acclaimed debut album Pearlty (2019), a lengthy B-Sides Compilation (2020), and an EP Hurt Someone (2021 Born Losers Records). The latter of which was a part of their 2021 studio work with acclaimed Philadelphia engineer/mixer/producer Jeff Zeigler.https://linktr.ee/knifeplay_music NINA RYSER https://ninaryser.bandcamp.com/album/paths-of-color-2Plus DJ THEERICSCHUMAN
BabyJake ~ Animal Theater ~ Gooseberry
*All events are 21+ valid ID required for entry*7 PM Doors8 PM ShowBABYJAKEMixing dance music, soft rock, hip-hop, and R&B in a style he calls “urban pop,” singer BabyJake first gained attention for his emotive 2016 single “Little Mess.” In 2018, he re-emerged with the buoyant, feel-good single “Miami.” Raised in Fort Myers, Florida, BabyJake first began playing guitar around age eight. By the time he was 14, he was performing his own songs, drawing inspiration from singer/songwriters like Crosby, Stills & Nash, Jackson Browne, and John Mayer, as well as his love of hip-hop and R&B. In 2016, while in college, he issued his debut EP, Little Mess, featuring the yearning title track ballad. Herring also collaborated with producer !KE on a remix of the song that caught on online, generating thousands of plays. However, finding himself unhappy with college and looking for more creative focus, he decided to take several years off to reevaluate his musical direction. He eventually relocated to Los Angeles and adopted the stage name BabyJake. In 2018, he returned with the single “Miami,” which showcased his more R&B- and electronic-influenced side that he dubbed “urban pop.” A second BabyJake single, “Cigarettes on Patios,” arrived in June 2019, followed by the EP Don’t Give Me Problems, Give Me Wine, in 2020. http://www.itsbabyjake.com/https://open.spotify.com/artist/07Asx51VtMw5kbNXKrpZlq?si=KeVUjHAyQE-xmXkRq4hBRAANIMAL THEATERAnimal Theater is a rock band based out of Philadelphia, PA. The band is made up of singer/songwriter Dan Donnelly, lead guitarist Steve Devine, bassist Pat Foley, and drummer Dylan Lomax – a group of lifelong friends and musicians who’ve started a new project that goes back to their roots of Rock & Roll but with a modern feel. Animal Theater is currently in the studio working on a full-length album with a targeted release date in the fall of 2022 – with singles to be released in the meantime. You can follow them along the journey on Instagram @animaltheaterpa – Spotify to be created shortly. GOOSEBERRYGooseberry is a 4-piece band from Brooklyn, New York born during the Fall of 2019. Their combination of blues, R&B, and indie rock is a recipe for a unique sound that Gooseberry delivers in each song. The band consists of Asa Daniels (formerly of Baked Goods) on guitar/vocals, Evin Rossington (drums), Sam Rappaport (keys, vocals), and Will Hammond (bass).https://www.gooseberryband.com/
Homeboy Sandman ~ Deca ~ Darko ~ Torito
**All shows 21+ – valid ID required for entry**Doors: 7 PMShow: 7:30 PMHOMEBOY SANDMANHomeboy Sandman is an MC from NYChttps://homeboysandman-mmg.bandcamp.com/album/anjelitu-2DECADeca is a Hip-Hop/Rap artist from Colorado, currently based in NYC.https://deca.bandcamp.com/DARKO Darko the Super is the weirdo rap superstar alter ego of Evan Souza. Born in the bosom of suburbia in 1993, Darko the Super wrote his first song at the tender age of 5. A prolific mad genius on the beats and microphone, also the mastermind behind indie label, U Don’t Deserve This Beautiful Art. Darko has collaborated with the likes of Lil B, MC Paul Barman, Homeboy Sandman, Open Mike Eagle, and Mr. MFN eXquire. His favorite album of all time is “Hello Nasty” by the Beastie Boys. Darko has stated his biggest inspirations in life are Bill Hicks, Frank Zappa, and Andy Kaufman. Other influences on his style are E-40, Kool Keith, Del the Funky Homosapien and Ghostface Killah. As a producer, J Dilla, Madlib, and MF Doom have had the biggest impact on Darko’s production technique.https://darkothesuper.com Torito Whether in his grungy basement studio or on the shoddy stage of a local watering hole, Torito provides a deluge of multisyllabic wit, absurdist imagery, personal musing, and societal reflection. It’s a bit like observing a psychotherapy session in which the shrink foregoes the typical elevator music/Yanni/nature sounds playlist in favor of a carefully curated beat set, and the patient attempts to keep a partial grasp of reality, voices all of his thoughts in complex internal rhyme schemes, and wears a leather bull mask. After self-producing his previous two albums, 2018’s “Fabric Scraps” and 2020’s “Meat Circus”, Torito collaborated with Philly producer Small Professor for 2022’s “Soiled”, out 7/29 on U Don’t Deserve This Beautiful Art. https://toritorhymes.bandcamp.com/
**CANCELED** Dead Boys ~ Suzi Moon ~ Tone Bandits
THE DEAD BOYSThe Dead Boys are an American punk rock band from Cleveland, Ohio, United States. The band was among the first wave of punk, and regarded by many as one of the rowdiest and most violent groups of the era. They were formed by vocalist Stiv Bators, rhythm guitarist Jimmy Zero, bassist Jeff Magnum, lead guitarist Cheetah Chrome, and drummer Johnny Blitz in 1975, with the later two having splintered from the band Rocket From The Tombs. The original Dead Boys released two studio albums, Young Loud and Snotty, and We Have Come for Your Children.The Dead Boys were initially active from 1975 to 1980, briefly reuniting a few times in the mid-1980s, and then later again in 2004 and 2005 for the first time without Bators, who had died in 1990. In September 2017, Chrome and Blitz reunited the band with a new line-up for a 40th anniversary tour along with a new album, Still Snotty: Young, Loud and Snotty at 40, a re-recording of their debut album. The new lineup includes vocalist Jake Hout, guitarist Jason “Ginchy” Kottwitz and bassist Ricky Rat, alongside Chrome and Blitz.SUZI MOONSuzi Moon’s effortless channeling of classic ‘77 punk rock spirit with a modern twist continues to evolve and grow. This second twelve inch with Pirates Press Records picks up where her debut left off sold out before street date and the likes of Iggy Pop singing her praises on the BBC! https://suzimoon.bandcamp.com/TONE BANDITSBack alley Rock and Roll with a punk vibe and a Philly attitude. https://soundcloud.com/joe-bandit-998984113
The Pauses ~ Honeythunder ~ Disaster Artist
**All shows 21+ – valid ID required**THE PAUSESWith their sophomore release Unbuilding (Arctic Rodeo Recordings), the Pauses have hit their sonic geyser, and attentive listeners can marvel at the resulting indierocktronica glints and glitter. Based in Orlando, Florida, the Pauses are multi-instrumentalist Jason Kupfer, vocalist-bassistkeyboardist Tierney Tough, and drummer Nathan Chase. Produced and mixed by J. Robbins (Jawbox, Burning Airlines), his influence can be heard in the heavier guitar propulsion that churns under the allure of the electronic ear candy on the surface. This combination live makes dancing feel like a decision the whole room made at once. On Unbuilding, the Pauses have evolved their collaborative songwriting, and few tracks show the pop heft of that effort as well as “Digital Detox.” It slams you almost like a wall of sound, with Tough’s typically clear-as-a-bell vocal distorted to great effect, evoking ‘60s girl groups with warped sensibilities. Trumpets, timpani, cello, theremin and electronic elements are called upon to create the Pauses’ authentic sound, and then whisked away to allow the vocals space, as in the sparse, unusual dreamscape on “Had/Have.” Other times, the sound can bound in bilateral increments, like the playful piano to guitar crush of “The Means.” Their range is key, with loud live rockers like “Don’t Wake Me Up” and “Animus?”, which is particularly intense as it dangles wildly at the album’s end and concludes, “What a way to feel nothing real.” That line evokes an overarching theme of the album, which gazes into the black mirror and is smart enough not to take it seriously. Songs like “Eventually, Everything Connects,” “Digital Detox” and “Don’t Wake Me Up” suggest a rebellion against the online drone, with lines that invite you to throw your arms up and sing out, “I don’t need the details shoved down my throat.”https://thepauses.bandcamp.com/HONEYTHUNDERFriendly punks making indie grunge in a basement in West Philadelphiahttps://honeythunderphl.bandcamp.com/album/thats-baseball-babyDISASTER ARTISThttps://disasterartistband.bandcamp.com/
**CANCELED** The Bombpops ~ The Last Gang ~ Riverside Odds
**All shows 21+—valid ID required**Doors: 7:00 PMShow: 7:30 PM THE BOMBPOPSWhere The Bombpops had a Fear of Missing Out on their 2017 debut full-length, their highly anticipated follow up shows what happens when you’re too involved—with booze, bad situations, and behavior that’s unsustainable at best and destructive at worst. This is Death in Venice Beach (Fat Wreck Chords, March 13th), the comedown after the high, when clarity pierces the morning-after haze. It’s right there in the title, an allusion to Thomas Mann’s celebrated novella about the price of an artistic life. The Bombpops co-founder and singer-guitarist Jen Razavi read it as the band debated titles for their second full-length. “It’s a cautionary tale to those that want to become an artist,” she says, “but it’s also really comforting to artists who can’t help or necessarily contain being who they are and what they’re drawn to.” https://www.instagram.com/thebombpops/?hl=enTHE LAST GANG The year is 2021. America is still fighting its way through an ongoing pandemic, currently fueled by the ignorance of millions who have decided science isn’t good enough for them. Countless lives have been lost or disrupted by an inefficient government loaded with corrupt politicians, egged on by snake oil salesmen who are inexplicably given nightly platforms on cable TV or allowed to spread their disinformation through social media. Make no mistake: Rome is burning. We are fiddling.Pissed off yet? So is The Last Gang. https://www.thelastgang.com/Riverside OddsFronted by RW Hellborn’s gravely vocals and a larger-than-life stage presence, along with Matty Cobra’s combination of blues rock meets punk riffs, Riverside Odds has been sharing their signature blend of ‘Speed-Punk Rock-N-Roll’ across the country since 2013. Cutting through genres like a razorblade with an energetic stage performance that is anything but mundane, Riverside Odds has been described as “a perfect blend of Black Flag, Ramones, Clutch and Motörhead.”Www.riversideodds.com
worlds greatest dad ~ Best Bear ~ Elephant Jake ~ Valendina
**All events 21+ — valid ID required for all events**Doors: 7 PMShow: 7:30 PMworlds greatest dadworlds greatest dad is an emotive indie band from Atlanta, GA.https://worldsgreatestdadmusic.bandcamp.com/ELEPHANT JAKEElephant Jake is an Indie-Punk band from Orange County NY.https://elephantjake.bandcamp.com/BEST BEARBest Bear is an indie rock/pop band based out of Philadelphia, PA. Members include Jeanette Lynne, Gwen McFadden, Charles D’Ardenne, and Storm Paul.https://bestbear.bandcamp.com/album/its-complicatedVALENDINAhttps://soundcloud.com/the-band-valendina
King Buffalo ~ Heavy Temple ~ Screaming Rattler at First Unitarian Church
ARTIST PRESALE: Tuesday, June 7th from 10AM Local – Friday, 6/10 at 9AM local. PASSWORD: REGENERATOR Doors: 7 PMShow: 7:30 PM KING BUFFALOKing Buffalo is the trio of vocalist/guitarist Sean McVay, bassist Dan Reynolds, and drummer Scott Donaldson. Since forming in 2013, the self-proclaimed “heavy psych” band has made its name via 4 Full-lengths, 4EPs, and tours with Clutch, Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats, All Them Witches, The Sword, and Elder. King Buffalo will issue their fifth full-length, Regenerator, on Sept. 2, 2022, as a self-release in North America and through Stickman Records in Europe. Preorders will be available on June 10th via http://kingbuffalo.bigcartel.com. Written and recorded by the band with mixing and engineering by Sean McVay and mastering by Bernie Matthews, the seven-song outing is the third in King Buffalo’s stated ‘pandemic trilogy,’ following Two of 2021’s Best Albums in The Burden of Restlessness and Acheron. Both of those albums – like 2018’s Longing to Be the Mountain, 2016’s debut, Orion, and the various EPs and other offerings they’ve made over the last eight years – made bold declarations about who King Buffalo are as a band, and Regenerator is no different. As McVay, Reynolds and Donaldson continue to explore the outer reaches of modern psychedelic songcraft, melding progressive rhythms, drifting atmospheres and accompanying surges of electricity, the new collection only further establishes them as one of the brightest lights shining in underground rock today.https://kingbuffalo.bandcamp.com/HEAVY TEMPLEA trio of psychedelic doom metal deviants, here to take you on a wild ride.https://heavytemple.bandcamp.com/SCREAMING RATTLERLet these rattlers loose and they’ll scream toward the sky with golden crackles in their wake. Revel in the Joy of these powerful rockers. Southern kissed rock AND roll done the heavy way from Philadelphia.screamingrattler.com
Ouroboros ~ Mose ~ Headband
OUROBOROShttps://ouroboros2.bandcamp.com/album/dark-placesMOSEhttps://linktr.ee/moseofmanayunkHEADBANDhttps://linktr.ee/headband_music
Petrol ~ Puriden ~ Glenn Matthews
**All events 21+—valid ID required for entry**Doors: 7 PMShow: 7:30 PMPETROLhttps://petrolphl.bandcamp.com/album/cheap-hotelPURIDENhttps://puriden.bandcamp.com/track/youll-find-outGLENN MATTHEWShttps://glennmatthews.bandcamp.com/