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More Music: «« February 19th | March 5th »»

Browse This Issue: February 26th, 2009

This Week's Issue
Big Risk, Big Reward
The Painted Bride pulls the curtain back on the creative process with its experimental Big Ears project.
by Shaun Brady
The two performances that constitute the actual public component of the Big Ears project are the result of a months-long process of interaction and community-building. John Hollenbeck essentially became musical drill sergeant to a dozen gifted Philadelphia musicians, attempting to transform them into a cohesive unit through a two-week residency.

Web Exclusive
The Traveler Has Come
Somalian hip-hop and the wrath of K'Naan.
by A.D. Amorosi
"Music is all just visual to me," says K'Naan. "Its lyrics and words are power. And when combined with the right melody, they have infinite potential. I am an artist not a journalist or a politician."

Soundadvice
Get Out!
Alela Diane | Stebmo | Hilary Hahn | Mariza | Matt Wilson's Arts and Crafts

Hang The DJ:
Ego Better than the Real Thing
U2, No Line on the Horizon
by J. Edward Keyes
With No Line on the Horizon, U2 have made their first bona fide AOR record, which is industry shorthand for a record that has a lot of music but no songs. Predominantly a meditation on love and commitment, it meanders for nearly an hour without ever stumbling on anything like a melody. In some pockets of the pop universe this is considered brave. In most of the rest of the world, it's just considered boring.

Music Picks:
The Music Tapes
Wed., March 4, 8 p.m., $12, with Nana Grizol and Brian Dewan, First Unitarian Church, 2125 Chestnut St., 866-468-7619, r5productions.com.
by K. Ross Hoffman
Music Tapes for Clouds and Tornadoes is a particularly creaky incarnation of the Elephant Six aesthetic, what with Julian Koster's warbly blurt of a voice, fetish for antiquarian recording devices and reliance on novelty-factor instruments like banjos, toy organs and his beloved singing saw.

Tindersticks
Wed., March 4, 7:30 p.m., $23-$35, with Dawn Landes, World Café Live, 3025 Walnut St., 215-222-1400, worldcafelive.com.
by Michael Pelusi
The Nottingham, England-based Tindersticks specialize in a more subdued aesthetic, cushioning Stuart Staples' deep, quavering vocals with cinematic strings and all-around elegance.

Composer Portrait: Julius Hemphill
Thu., Feb. 26, 7:30 p.m., $12-$18, World Café Live, 3025 Walnut St., 215-222-1400, worldcafelive.com, arsnovaworkshop.com.
by Shaun Brady
Though attention is always paid more to creation than to interpretation, late Texas saxophonist Julius Hemphill deserves to be honored as much for his skill as an arranger as for his compositions.

MUSIC . Blog Posts
ADVENTURES OF AN OPEN-MIKER: Mugshots Coffeehouse in Fairmount
by Matt Cantor
810 days ago
There were only six performers Tuesday night at Mugshots in Fairmount—and it was wonderful. Everyone got to play four or five songs, and »»
VIDEO REVIEW: Lady Gaga's "Born This Way"
by Massimo Pulcini
811 days ago
Alien outer space births, DMT trip sequences, facial spikes, and unicorns — what will she (err…Capital S-H-E) think of next? When Lady Gaga released »»
10 Track Mind: Playfully subversive
by Eric Schuman
811 days ago
I set my iPod on shuffle. Here’s where it led me … 1. Alice Cooper - “Teenage Lament ‘74” From Muscle Of Love, the last album where “Alice Cooper” referred »»
The Roots Picnic 2011 Lineup!
by Eric Schuman
812 days ago
Behold, the lineup for this year's Roots Picnic! As usual, it's anything but your average day-festival lineup. As always, The Roots Crew themselves will »»
CONCERT REVIEW: The Low Anthem @ First Unitarian Church, 2/25
by Matt Cantor
812 days ago
The Low Anthem got their timing right. At a moment when woodsy, Americana-inspired lyrics are approaching the mainstream (think Fleet Foxes, »»

MUSIC . Listings

Rock/Pop | Jazz/Blues | Folk/World | Classical/New Music

MUSIC . Extras

Local Support: City Paper's bi-weekly local music podcast. Hosted by Jon Solomon.

City Paper Music Store: Listen to what we write about.

MUSIC . Picks
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Thu., Feb. 26, 7:30 p.m., $12-$18, World Café Live, 3025 Walnut St., 215-222-1400, worldcafelive.com, arsnovaworkshop.com.
by Shaun Brady
Though attention is always paid more to creation than to interpretation, late Texas saxophonist Julius Hemphill deserves to be honored as much for his skill as an arranger as for his compositions.
Wed., March 4, 8 p.m., $12, with Nana Grizol and Brian Dewan, First Unitarian Church, 2125 Chestnut St., 866-468-7619, r5productions.com.
by K. Ross Hoffman
Music Tapes for Clouds and Tornadoes is a particularly creaky incarnation of the Elephant Six aesthetic, what with Julian Koster's warbly blurt of a voice, fetish for antiquarian recording devices and reliance on novelty-factor instruments like banjos, toy organs and his beloved singing saw.
Wed., March 4, 7:30 p.m., $23-$35, with Dawn Landes, World Café Live, 3025 Walnut St., 215-222-1400, worldcafelive.com.
by Michael Pelusi
The Nottingham, England-based Tindersticks specialize in a more subdued aesthetic, cushioning Stuart Staples' deep, quavering vocals with cinematic strings and all-around elegance.
 
 
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