VillageGreenProductions.net -- W e l c o m e !

Friday, Sep 10th / 8pm @ M Room

"Sample-heavy punk and dub, with spacey soul elements. Add in his angelic voice and poignant lyrical sensibility and the results are akin to Gnarls Barkley meeting Big Audio Dynamite."

Adam and Dave's Bloodline

Adam & Dave's Bloodline, a band who has cruised the Philly scene in recent years, are shape-shifters. The band has never shied away from genre-bashing techniques in the past - one of their older songs called "The Traveler", Petersen once said, was essentially fused together from the Crystals' "Then He Kissed Me" and Bob Dylan and the Band's "You Ain't Goin' Nowhere" . These guys deliver rock and pop with guitar hooks aplenty. At times sounding radio-ready while unabashedly indie-rock, A&D's Bloodline are a solid troupe of noisemakers.

Faux Slang

Faux Slang layers vocal harmonies reminiscent of 60's pop over heavy synth, kinetic drumming, and dynamic guitars that border on ambient. While drawing influence from bands like The Velvet Underground and Yo La Tengo, Faux Slang incorporates post-rock and post-punk with rhythms that are infectious enough for the tastes of today.

M Room
15 W. Girard Ave.
Philadelphia
PA
$10 / 21+

Saturday, Sep 11th / 7pm @ M Room

Elsinore

"Elsinore play honest, mid-00s OC pop with a dose of soaring, arena-rock tendencies. Think of an indie Death Cab (ha!), pre-TV deals and celeb-marriages, making sonically perfect, big anthems. Think what it must’ve been like to see Coldplay before they were huge, maybe playing clubs around the UK on one of their first tours. They rely on keyboard and guitar driven arrangements, meticulously put together. Kind of like Headlights but with less twee and more swagger. Or Envy Corps; their melodies are huge..."

El Fuego

El Fuego is a 5 piece Philly rock and roll band. Songwriter Joe Reno blends 60's pop/garage rock, old school power-pop and '77 style punk with energy, passion, and a warm blanket of love and kindness. This fire is proving to be a glimmer of hope in a world filled with darkness and shit.

Mini Mammoth

Three Philly-area musicians got together after a hiatus from playing live music, with a goal of delivering catchy, danceable indiepop to the ears of the masses. They practiced. They wrote songs. They decided it was a band.

M Room
15 W. Girard Ave.
Philadelphia
PA
$8 / 21+

Wednesday, Sep 15th / 9pm @ M Room
***CANCELLED***

The Parlotones

From Johannesburg, South Africa--"The Parlotones are known for their electric, polished stage performances delivered against the backdrop of their deftly crafted and darkly romantic lyrics. Their sound, described as alternative in their formative years and influenced by the likes of Muse, Radiohead and the Smiths, has evolved substantially becoming more refined and focused with each album. The band experiment sonically with their sound and various structures are utilised in their songs, including the typical Doo-Wop cycle or traditional Folk structure. t took the band’s debut album ‘Radiocontrolledrobot’ two years to reach Gold status and their follow up ‘A World Next Door To Yours’ achieved this in a couple of months. Three months later the album was certified Platinum. Testimony to just how much the band has grown over the past few years.’ A World Next Door To Yours’ remained on the South African top 20 sales chart for more than twelve months and, with sales in excess of 80 000, is currently South Africa’s biggest selling rock album of this decade – having achieved Double Platinum Status. The album spurned seven radio singles, a very unique situation."

Atomic Tom

The story of Atomic Tom begins in Brooklyn. The record that is The Moment was recorded over four months in a tiny apartment with the band's close friend, Ben Romans as producer. Microphones were set up in the hallway, the bathtub and the kitchen; amps and empty guitar cases lined the walls, and the vocal booth was a repurposed utility closet. Despite noise complaints, one of them leading to a shutdown by "New York's finest", the LP left the studio dressed in larger-than-life sounds. Lead vocalist Luke White began writing demos in 2006 with Philip Galitzine on bass, adding guitarist Eric Espiritu in 2007. By early 2009, drummer Tobias Smith completed the circle. "We knew we had the green light," says Luke. After countless New York area shows, ATOMIC TOM started to hear their lyrics shouted back at them at shows, "We knew the time was right for a full-length record." From the exhilarating electronica-meets-arena-rock shuffle of "Let Let Go", the epic romanticism of "We Were Never Meant To Be", and the hauntingly delicate "Play That Dirty Girl", ATOMIC TOM'S debut LP demonstrates remarkable musical ability and diversity, married with an innate sense of how to connect with an audience on a grand scale. "It's possible to reach each and every individual in an eighty thousand seat stadium," claims Philip. "You can make an enormous, towering sound and still say something deeply meaningful and musical." They plan to do just that.

M Room
15 W. Girard Ave.
Philadelphia
PA
$12 / 21+
Purchase Advance Tickets!

Saturday, Sep 18th / 9pm @ M Room

+/- {Plus/Minus}

NYC act +/- {Plus/Minus} was originally conceived in 2001 as a vehicle for the songs of Versus guitarist James Baluyut, but the act quickly evolved into a full-fledged band, with the addition of fellow Versus guitarist/vocalist Patrick Ramos and drummer Chris Deaner. This new incarnation of +/- {Plus/Minus} was an entirely original construct, layering wistful pop with dynamic and complex arrangements and fusing rich, dense guitar sounds with polyrhythms drummed, strummed and programmed.

Audible

In Simple Intervals is the second album by Philadelphia 6-piece band Audible. Recorded in songwriter Mike Kennedy's home studio (i.e, his bedroom), this ten-song follow-up to Audible’s 2005 Polyvinyl Records debut Sky Signal documents the sound of an unlikely band growing up and moving beyond their early sound. Intervals sees Audible's songwriting becoming more ambitious, retaining its off-kilter sense of melody while reaching towards more robust arrangements and greater sonic texturing. With influences ranging from the clean pop precision of Fleetwood Mac to the ragged guitar interplay of 90s indie legends Polvo (both referenced in two song titles), In Simple Intervals is louder, and quieter, than their previous music. It is the sound of a band challenging, and affirming, their love of making songs.

Ghosts in the Valley

"A three piece Philadelphia band fueled by Fugazi-esque bass lines, Dinosaur Jr. style vocals and a lack of attention span over three minutes. The result is a ‘reckless fun’ in rock music somewhat lost since the likes of the Replacements."

M Room
15 W. Girard Ave.
Philadelphia
PA
$10 / 21+
Purchase Advance Tickets!

Sunday, Sep 19th / 8pm @ M Room

Hallelujah The Hills

The band's ensemble structure (cello, trumpet, and melodica) and learned lyricism echoes the stage-packing sounds of Arcade Fire, Danielson, Bright Eyes, and Decemberists, while its shambolic, maximalist barroom aura recalls Robert Pollard, another songwriter infrequently at a loss for words.

Old Love

After playing in Philly fixture Bottom of the Hudson and briefly touring with Brooklyn's Black Acid, Old Love – Will Chambers’ current project – is a departure from the indie sludge of former efforts. Relying on only guitars, bells, vocals and the occasional snippet of found sound, his inaugural EP, My Silver Jubilee, is five carefully constructed songs inspired by nature and books about it, literature and popular histories of yesteryear. Finger-picked guitars provide both melody and rhythm while hushed vocals channel an intimacy that avoids being confessional. Recorded with an inborn ‘beg, borrow, or steal’ approach, My Silver Jubilee was constructed with a number of hand-me-down instruments, a handmade guitar and an outdated digital recorder. The recordings of these motley tools were mixed and mastered by Steve Gretz (Goodnight, States) and in March of 2010, My Silver Jubilee was self-released, initially as a free digital download and later as a short run CD. Chambers is currently playing live shows as Old Love accompanied by a friend on glockenspiel while working on a larger collection of songs – some of which will be recorded, others which will only be played in secret and still others which will be broken into pieces and put back together in shapes entirely new.

M Room
15 W. Girard Ave.
Philadelphia
PA
$8 / 21+

Wednesday, Sep 22nd / 8pm @ Johnny Brenda's

Electric Six

"Electric Six is done trying to not sound like their first record Fire. Electric Six wants to sound like their first record Fire. Electric Six wants big loud guitars and fuzz basses intertwined with the occasional r&b jam. However, Electric Six has been to Estonia. Electric Six has been to Chile. Electric Six belongs to a food co-op and Electric Six works out at the gym. Can it really go to that place? The answer is our sixth album KILL. The answer is yes we can sound like the first album. But we are going to sprinkle it with what we’ve learned. We can go back to the skull-crushing guitars and disco grooves, but they will be cooked in an avant-garde reduction sauce."

The Constellations

Southern Gothic is all about what happens in The Constellations’ Atlanta stomping grounds afterhours, a spectacle rife with seedy scenes and eccentric personalities, and propelled by a manic energy that hustles the audience deeper into the unexpected. Your tour guide on this madcap adventure is the magnetic frontman and vocalist Elijah Jones—the ringleader of the twisted circus that is The Constellations—who spent two years writing and recording the album with producer Ben H. Allen. “Atlanta is strange,” says Jones, “because we’re all basically pushed together.” The hip-hop heads, punk rockers, and indie kids all rub shoulders and mix it up. Southern Gothic reflects that inclusive diversity in its far-reaching sound. One expects nothing less from a singer who cites Tom Waits and Cee-Lo of Goodie Mob and Gnarls Barkley as his musical heroes, working with a producer who name-checks Fela Kuti and Gorillaz among their record’s key influences. The band’s name refers to the myriad musicians from the regional scene who either contributed to making the album or have since played in The Constellations live band. One luminary who drops in is Cee-Lo, who added a verse to the electro-rocker “Love Is A Murder.” Another guest is suburban rapper Asher Roth, lending his playful rhymes to “We’re Here To Save The Day.” Other highlights include the funk number “Felicia,” for which Jones drew inspiration from the laidback ‘70s vignettes of Iggy Pop and Lou Reed, and the album’s centerpiece, “Step Right Up (A Tribute To Tom Waits).”

Johnny Brenda's
1201 Frankford Ave.
Philadelphia
PA
$15 / 21+
Purchase Advance Tickets!

Thursday, Sep 23rd / 8pm @ Johnny Brenda's
PHILLY F/M FEST PRESENTS:

A Sunny Day In Glasgow

"The songs hum like electricity and thump like groundswells, surprising and shifting with innovative pacing and dynamics. But they also sound natural and unhurried, seamlessly patched...A Sunny Day in Glasgow are writing years ahead of where they should be for such a young band, forming gargantuan records of consistently enjoyable and inventive melodic rock."

East Hundred

“A group of songs that roam between the dream-pop jangle of the Sundays and the sharper punk edges of Rainer Maria…the album’s refusal to bury hooks or play coy with Beril’s front-and-center lead vocals gives East Hundred the refreshing, confident air of a radio-ready pop band”

Honeychurch

"Honeychurch blends the influences of Neil Young, Nick Drake, Mojave 3 and The Byrds to make gorgeous pastoral music ... lush, organic, orchestral, aching, ethereal..."

Johnny Brenda's
15 W. Girard Ave.
Philadelphia
PA
$10 / 21+
Purchase Advance Tickets!

Friday, Sep 24th / 8pm @ Johnny Brenda's
PHILLY F/M FEST PRESENTS:

Field Music

Field Music are a band from the UK who formed in 2004. The band’s core consists of brothers David and Peter Brewis (who at one time played drums for fellow Sunderland band The Futureheads), with Andrew Moore. Their line-ups have at times featured members of both Maximo Park and The Futureheads. “Slippery lyrical ambivalence and knotty orchestral pop that’s at once both damaged and gorgeous”-Spin Magazine

Creeping Weeds

“Creeping Weeds get the mix of wistful dislocation, gentle melancholy, andjangling, enveloping melodies just right on their debut album….Definitely a bandto watch.”

Blood Feathers

Ben Dickey and Drew Mills formed Blood Feathers in 2005 to perpetuate America's most important export, Rock n' Roll music. Sailing the same tradewinds that brought rhythm to the New World and shipped gospel, blues, and jazz back as a thank you note, Dickey and Mills write songs that snug into the grooves of your grandmother's 78s as easily as they download into the mystery of your IPod.

Johnny Brenda's
1201 Frankford Ave.
Philadelphia
PA
$10 / 21+
Purchase Advance Tickets!

Friday, Sep 24th / 8pm @ World Cafe Live
PHILLY F/M FEST PRESENTS:

The Dead Milkmen

Formed in 1983. We feel the legendary Philadelphia band, The Dead Milkmen, need no further description. If you don't know 'em, shame on you. If you do, this rare appearance will make your year.

Black Landlord

Rolling Stone describes this 9 piece musical machine as “what would happen if KRS ONE and JAMES BROWN showed up at your house and then wouldn’t leave”. We Just say it’s the best f**king record we’ve put out in years. Highly anticpated coast to coast this is pure Big-Band Hip-Hop Soul Music from the City of Brotherly Love.

World Cafe Live
3025 Walnut Street
Philadelphia
PA
$25 / All Ages
Purchase Advance Tickets!

Saturday, Sep 25th / 8pm @ Johnny Brenda's
PHILLY F/M FEST PRESENTS:

Asobi Seksu

“After a period as America's finest shoegaze revivalists, Asobi Seksu now leave genres behind and document the night sky”

The Swimmers

"Intensely personal songwriting couched in distorted synthesizer hooks, crushing electric guitars and dark reverb swells."

Like A Fox

There is a place within modern music where a foundation of rock-solid songwriting can be married to progressive Technicolor production, resulting in both satisfaction for the soul and brilliant sonic candy for the ears. Like A Fox have crafted a debut batch of songs that deliver on that promising union.

Johnny Brenda's
15 W. Girard Ave.
Philadelphia
PA
$10 / 21+
Purchase Advance Tickets!

Sunday, Sep 26th / 8pm @ North Star Bar
PHILLY F/M FEST PRESENTS:

Evan Dando (of The Lemonheads)

An intimate solo-acoustic performance!

North Star Bar
2639 Poplar Street
Philadelphia
PA
$15 / 21+
Purchase Advance Tickets!

Sunday, Oct 3rd / 7pm @ World Cafe Live

Van Dyke Parks

The Legendary Arranger, Performer and Author. A frequent Brian Wilson collaborator and one of the minds behind the Beach Boys ill-fated 'Smile' record. Smile has acquired legendary status as one of the great lost works of Sixties pop. Parks has produced, arranged, or played on albums by artists including Tim Buckley, U2, Randy Newman, Harry Nilsson, The Byrds, Cher, Rufus Wainwright, Sam Phillips, Ringo Starr, Frank Black, The Beau Brummels, Medicine, Keith Moon, Carly Simon, Little Feat, T-Bone Burnett, Toad the Wet Sprocket, Victoria Williams, Bonnie Raitt, Peter Case, Gordon Lightfoot, Fiona Apple, Sheryl Crow, Ry Cooder, Joanna Newsom, The Everly Brothers, Saint Etienne, Silverchair, The Thrills, Scissor Sisters, Laurie Anderson, and Susanna Hoffs/Matthew Sweet's covers collection!

World Cafe Live
3025 Walnut Street
Philadelphia
PA
$22 / 21+
Purchase Advance Tickets!

Monday, Oct 4th / 8pm @ M Room

Cotton Jones

The music of Cotton Jones speaks of transition: the passage from one form, state of mind, style or place to another. Songs become doorways to the past, or windows that open on some unnamed future, where innocence can still exist and perfection is thrown to the wind.

Pepper Rabbit

"The recordings present a unique musical vision, with Xander Singh and Luc Laurent displaying an impressive mastery of their twisted but tasty pop...A treat-filled introduction to a duo unafraid to pound around on a variety of instruments such as trumpet, banjo, and piano...Singh and Laurent seamlessly blend their influences into a unified sound."

M Room
15 W. Girard Ave.
Philadelphia
PA
$10 / 21+
Purchase Advance Tickets!

Thursday, Oct 7th / 9pm @ M Room

Scout Niblett

On a surface level, this music can resemble PJ Harvey on Rid of Me or Nirvana on In Utero, both of which were also engineered by Niblett's collaborator Steve Albini. The substance is closer to Cat Power's Moon Pix and the early albums by the reclusive songwriter Jandek. Like them, Niblett has a way of making you hang on her every note, and making her guitar strings sound like some kind of fragile tether to sanity. Her voice is expressive and raw, shifting between wounded soulfulness and unhinged fury.

Holy Sons

From Portland, Oregon

Ladies Auxiliary

Spectral country and soul from Philadelphia

M Room
15 W. Girard Ave.
Philadelphia
PA
$10 / 21
Purchase Advance Tickets!

Thursday, Oct 14th / 9pm @ M Room

Pomegranates

"Shimmering self-professed "art-pop"...A youthful, open-eared quartet enlivened with a kick-ass record collection, ceiling-less imagination, ragged guitars, and songwriting chops for days."

Juston Stens and The Get Real Gang

Juston is the ex-drummer of Dr. Dog. He Shares a birthday with Ringo Starr.

M Room
15 W. Girard Ave.
Philadelphia
PA
$8 / 21+

Friday, Oct 22nd / 9pm @ M Room

Rocky Votolato

“After a casual listen, it might be easy to lump Rocky Votolato in with the downtrodden likes of Conor Oberst and Elliott Smith. But his songwriting is a bit more triumphant than theirs: Votolato would rather pull himself out of a gutter than wallow in it, focusing instead on the victory before the misery."-NPR

Ha Ha Tonka

"Novel Sounds is violent, literate, unapologetic Southern rock. With its angelic organ and snarling guitars, "The Outpouring" conjures the Allmans, "Hold My Feet to the Fire" drops gospel harmonies over a boogie-woogie backbeat, and the fingerpicked "Close Every Valve to Your Bleeding Heart" builds from tender to raging without a false note."-David Peisner, SPIN

M Room
15 W. Girard Ave.
Philadelphia
PA
$12 / 21+
Purchase Advance Tickets!

Sunday, Oct 24th / 8pm @ World Cafe Live

Hugh Cornwell (of The Stranglers)

Hugh Cornwell is one of the UK's finest song-writing talents and accomplished live performers. The original guitarist, singer and main songwriter in The Stranglers enjoyed massive UK and European success with ten hit albums and twenty-one top forty singles in the 17-year period he was in the band. The Stranglers etched themselves into the UK's musical psyche with Peaches, No More Heroes, Golden Brown, Always The Sun, Grip, Nice N Sleazy, Duchess, Walk On By, Strange Little Girl and Skin Deep.

World Cafe Live
3025 Walnut Street
Philadelphia
PA
$13 / 21+

Monday, Nov 1st / 8pm @ M Room

The Legendary Pink Dots

"The Legendary Pink Dots are a Netherlands-based rock band formed in August 1980 in the UK who, although distinctly underground, have been musically influential over the years. The band name was derived from pink dots of nail varnish on the piano in their squat, where founding members Edward and April lived. The band has as its focal point vocalist Edward Ka-Spel, who is, along with Phil “The Silverman” Knight, one of the original remaining members of the band. In the mid eighties the band resettled in the Netherlands, where they still reside today. Apart from Edward and Phil, the line-up has gone through many changes. Members such as Ryan Moore, a Canadian bass player, who joined in 1991 after the recordings of the Last Man to Fly with the Tear Garden (he joined as a session musician), went on to form their own labels and musical projects. See Twilight Circus and M Records. Their music is nothing if not original and it is difficult to categorise, but comparisons may be drawn with bands like Pink Floyd and Can. Their sound has been described as an amalgamation of psychedelic rock, industrial, synth-pop and avant-garde. They have released over 40 records and continuously tour the world."

M Room
15 W. Girard Ave.
Philadelphia
PA
$20 / 21+
Purchase Advance Tickets!