Vile's an upbeat guy, but he does agree that Halo's got a cynical undercurrent. See lines like "Society is my friend, it makes me lie down in a cold bloodbath."

As album titles go, Avant Gold is pretty on-the-nose for a band like Ryat.

"I'm not ashamed to say I'm a rapper, but sometimes, rap is boring."

So far, the only solid details that have emerged center around an alleged scheme in which bar and restaurant owners were told to purchase beer from Chappy's Beer Butts and Bets, a South Philly distributor, to "curry favor" with L&I. A lawsuit expected to be filed this week, which City Paper has obtained an advanced copy of, will likely fuel that speculation.

When news breaks, we make jokes.

"Not only did you not have permission to leave your cell, but you were not invited to this 'invitation only' affair, " he reprimanded himself in writing.

The Philadelphia music scene is a beast. It's given to mutation and stagnancy, as adept at wallowing in its own filth as it is at striking out to affirm its primacy.

At the turn of the millennium, few local bands got more love from City Paper than The Bigger Lovers.

Katy Goodman's new femme-pop incarnation pays tribute to Grandma's favorite girl groups.

We understand that David is destined for a greatness threatened by domestic bliss, but what that means to the grand design is left frustratingly vague.