Tag Archives: jumpphilly

Seismic Thrust @ World Cafe Live on Monday with Jackie Paper and Astro.

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Seismic Thrust is more than just a sex joke or the last few words of a one-liner.

The band has seen rapid expansion in the last few years, going from playing basement shows and suburban churches to landing gigs at Philly venues like the Fire and World Café Live. where they’ll perform Monday with Astro and Jackie Paper (see here for ticket info).

Zach Decker, Tiffany Harris, and Galen Huggins record jammy/folky/pschedelic tunes but perform loud and noisy with hints of punk at certain times. The group has dropped three self-recorded EPs and one full album, all named conveniently after the different times of the year the albums drop: Black Friday Sales was dropped on Black Friday 2011, Spring Breakfast around Easter 2012, and Py Thanksgi on Thanksgiving 2012.

The group formed when they were in the 5th grade, with Harris on drums and vocals, Huggins on bass and Decker on guitar and vocals. Strangely enough, when the group hit the 9th grade, Decker kicked Huggins out of the band. Decker and Harris continued as Seismic Thrust with a random not-so-reliable bassist before they re-accepted Huggins into the group. Instead of being awkward about it, the group puts Decker at the butt of the joke and plays it off as old news.

Today, the group is constantly looking for and playing gigs. Their tragic flaw is one to be kept in mind: they lose equipment at almost every gig they play and they never bother to replace it. When you see them live, there’s a strong chance that they are operating with a lot of borrowed stuff.

They all lead busy lives. Finding time to write songs nowadays is tough but they are trying to put together another full album.

“We don’t want to keep releasing EPs,” said Decker. “We want to wait ’til we have a few songs.”

Originally published on JumpPhilly.com

Why? @ Union Transfer.

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Why? came to Philadelphia last week and proved that frontman Yoni Wolf could probably rewrite the standard for prancersize.

Why? is on tour for about two weeks but not to promote an album. This short fall tour seems like Why?’s way to keep a strong fan base and have some fun performing. And they really do always look like they’re having a ton of fun.

The band draws longtime fans who sing their hearts out to every obscure song, even ones from Rubber Traits, a 2006 EP not everyone could place. Not surprisingly, Why? played their hot sing-alongs like “The Vowels, pt. 2” from Alopecia and “Strawberries” from Mumps.

“It’s always great to come back here,” said Yoni Wolf. “We have family here. Our parents are from here. It really does feel like coming home.”

The audience was mostly quirky-looking people of all ages. Awkward dancing was the common trait, as though the crowd was trying to emulate Yoni Wolf’s stage personality.

Preceding Why? was an ‘80s inspired ambient group, Grimace Federation. The Philly-based duo built on their downbeat trance songs slowly over 20 minutes until suddenly, the room was as energetic as a Lady Gaga concert. The lights flickered lightly over the crowd, getting brighter and more consistent as the group went on.

Dessa followed with powerful vocals and solid band backing. Margret Wander, known as “Dessa Darling” on stage, performed original songs with a sick flow and thoughtful harmonies with her backup singer, Aby Wolf. The group had its own fans at the show. Dessa was more than an opener for a lot of people that night.

Originally posted on JumpPhilly.com

Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats with DANAVA @ Underground Arts.

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Six TVs sat on stage, all tuned to static. Uncle Acid was in town.

Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats are touring North America for the first time and they kicked it all off last week at Underground Arts.

The English band drew a line around the block early. People shivered anxiously, with excited talk of seeing Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats for the first time live buzzing throughout the night.

When they finally took the stage, Uncle Acid played fan favorites like “Mind Crawler” from Mind Control and “Over and Over again” from Blood Lust.

“I believe in Uncle Acid,” yelled one passionate fan halfway through the show.

“I believe in you, Philadelphia,” said Kevin Starrs, the lead singer and guitarist.

The bandmates’ faces stayed nearly hidden for the entire two-hour set. Their feet were planted by their mics, except during a few rogue stomps. Uncle Acid’s first U.S. tour started well.

Opening for the band was the heavy metal/psychedelic rock group DANAVA. With amps cranked to full volume, DANAVA riffed hard with no real setlist. Occasionally, one bandmate would suggest the next song and the rest would just follow. The group performed a variety of hits from their four albums but “Longdance” from their self-titled album gained the most movement.

Dressed in women’s jeans and sporting hair down to their hips, the DANAVA bandmates’ ear-numbing act was a strong introduction Uncle Acid’s all-American tour.

Originally posted on JumpPhilly.com