Written and Photographed by: Max Bennett

Philly Music Fest offered an eclectic array of local acts at numerous venues in and around the city. And at Johnny Brenda’s on Oct. 23, Philly Music Fest got turned up to the proverbial 11 with a ripping show featuring headliner Sheer Mag and The Out-Sect in support.

The show got going at about 8:17 p.m. with The Out-Sect coming in hot with their surf rock offerings. Both the lead guitar and lead vocals were trembling with tremolo, reminiscent of Link Wray’s 1958 classic “Rumble.” The five-piece band also includes an organ, which complements the 50s and 60s aural aesthetic of The Out-Sect.

By their third song, The Out-Sect was going hard in the pain, to use a basketball reference, as the Sixers kick off their season. Bassist Laura Nunzi was putting in work on her instrument. Despite her stature, she kept the beat thumping and thundering on what can often be an unwieldy instrument due to its long neck and sometimes backbreaking weight.

The band played what they said was a cover song, but neither myself nor my two friends recognized it. Still, adding a cover to a set is always a fun surprise for audience, at least to me. Ideally, a cover isn’t just a near note-for-note recreation, like the horrid Weezer cover of Toto’s “Africa.” Nor should it be a disastrous revision akin to Fall Out Boy’s “We Didn’t Start The Fire.”

Anyway…

Unfortunately, and maybe because it was a weeknight show, I could tell The Out-Sect’s set wasn’t going to be too long, and when they reached the latter half of their time, they really ramped up the energy.

They tore through the back half of the set list, which felt more punk than surf, but the throwback sound was still the underlying motif of their final songs.

I regret to say that while the performances were killer, the mix felt lacking. It’s frustrating to know stellar musicianship is happening right in front of you, but that certain instruments are lost in the noise. I would have loved to have that organ a bit louder for the set, but maybe that’s the way The Out-Sect likes their sound.

I also have to note the rather unique guitars wielded by frontwoman Lisa Russo and lead guitarist Grey Haas. Haas was playing a guitar from Vox, which is known more for its amplifiers than instruments. I couldn’t pin down what axe Russo was using. The classic Gibson and Fenders are iconic visually and sonically, but seeing lesser-known gear brands on stage always piques my interest. Not to mention, they sounded great for the surf rock vibes.

Sheer Mag hit the stage at about 9:22 p.m., but before they came on, a representative from Rock to the Future took the mic to tout the group’s efforts to help get kids into music, which got a warm reception from those in attendance. After all, we were all there because we love music.

Check out Rock to the Future online here.

I was only loosely aware of Sheer Mag before the show. I sadly missed them a few years ago when they opened for Coheed & Cambria in Harrisburg, and after seeing them at JB’s, I’m kicking myself.

Their energy was incredible.

The band came out of the gate very hot, and I was thinking about bands like Thin Lizzy and Boston hearing the incredible lead guitar work from Kyle Seely. Seely told me after the show he’s as inspired by The Allman Brothers Band as by Thin Lizzy, which isn’t surprising, but his lead work is more histrionic than the laid-back jams that Duane Allman and Dickey Betts laid down.

Vocalist Tina Halladay’s belted her way through the set in her high-register voice. The feat of keeping that range for an hour is Herculean at the least. I racked my brain to pull a reference for who she reminded me of vocally, then it hit me: New Edition, specifically the sung vocals on “Candy Girl.”

Bassist Hart Seely (Kyle Seely’s brother), rhythm guitarist Matt Palmer, and touring drummer Evan Campbell held the fort down with rumbling bass, cranked out chords, and pounding drums while Halladay and Kyle Seely shredded the set.

All together, the band forms something unique and special. And fans of Sheer Mag already know this; I’m just late to the game.

Like I said, Sheer Mag Live is like mid-to-late 70s guitar rock with the vocals of New Edition’s Ralph Tresvant.

And that makes sense why they were on a bill with Coheed & Cambria, who are known for the high vocals and intricate riffing.

Watching the Seely brothers take up the same microphone while they jammed on was very fun to see. The brothers jumping to the mic simultaneously to belt out “moonstruck” during the titular song “Moonstruck” from their album “Playing Favorites,” which was released this year on Jack White’s Third Man Records, made me smile every time they did it.

Campbell had a moment to show his chops on the skins with a nice drum break, reiterating that without him, Hart Seely, and Palmer, Sheer Mag’s goal of delivering blistering 70s rock and punk-inspired modern-day protest music would fall flat.

But they succeed fully.

The band took a short break before playing two final songs, closing with “Fan the Flames,” their most popular song on Spotify and likely all other platforms, which was released a whole decade ago. That goes to show Sheer Mag has built a dedicated fan base and has surely weathered many a storm. Few bands can claim those successes.

Sheer Mag

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The Out-Sect

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Written and Photographed by Angel Park

This past May, Canadian rock four-piece PUP along with support bands Pinkshift and Sherman played to a packed house at Franklin Music Hall. 

This tour marked the celebration of the group’s latest album, “The unraveling of Pup band, and the first show the band had played in Philadelphia in over two years. There was a buzz of excitement reverberating throughout the crowd as they waited impatiently to get into the venue as doors opened. A fan even enthusiastically claimed, “I’ve seen these guys play live since 2014; I’m so f—-ing happy they’re back!”

As the clock hit 8:30 and the house lights dimmed down, the crowd quickly clamored to the front as the members of the opening band, Pinkshift took the stage. This Baltimore, MD-based group kicked off their set with rowdy, punk-rock-inspired energy, with lead vocalist Ashrita Kumar greeting the crowd with a loud, “What’s up Philly?” before going right into the opening chords of their first track. While still very new to the punk music scene, Pinkshift had the crowd moving and even moshing along with their distorted, rebellious tunes. With a new album reportedly in the works for release soon, indie punk fans should keep an eye out for more Pinkshift music in the future. 

Next up were Philly locals, Sheer Mag. Since forming in 2014, the group has released two critically praised studio albums titled “Need to Feel Your Love” and “A Distant Call.” Heavily inspired by throwback 70’srock and punk ethos, the group had every classic rock music headbanging along as they played through tunes such as “Steel Sharpens Steel” and “Hardly to Blame.”

And last but definitely not least, PUP arrived on stage following Sheer Mag’s set. The eruption of ecstatic cheers from the crowd was deafening, and lead vocalist Stefan Babcock took it in stride, smiling as he strapped up his guitar and led the group into their opening track. There wasn’t a single song that fans weren’t mouthing the words to, and several crowd surfers waded their way through the packed audience. Packed with humor and fun pop-punk beats, PUP’s performance was a delight for both fans and new listeners alike.  

photo credit: Julie Ann Shaw

Written by Julie Ann Shaw

Coheed and Cambria came to Southern California to celebrate 20 years of gifting this world with genre-defying music based on the comics created by lead singer, Claudio Sanchez.

However, they did not come to Los Angeles, San Diego, or any other major city that has built a reputation for filling our souls with music. Coheed and Cambria decided they would play a sold-out show at Pappy & Harriet’s, a restaurant and music venue with an indoor and an outdoor stage, several outdoor bars and food stand for hot dogs and hamburgers, which sits on the edge of a very small town in the middle of the desert outside Palm Springs.

photo credit: Julie Ann Shaw

Pioneertown is exactly what it sounds like, originally built in 1946, as not just a set for western movies and television shows, but as an actual functional town where the cast and crew could live and play while filming. Today, in addition to remaining a functioning western livable filming set, it is a tourist attraction with almost daily western shows in the middle of Main Street. The fact that Coheed and Cambria decided to play in a venue like this made the show extraordinary and just plain fun.

To start the evening, the opening band was the Philadelphia-based band, Sheer Mag, with Tina Halladay (vocals), Hart Seely (bass), Matt Palmer (rhythm guitar/keyboard), Giacomo Zatti (drums), and Kyle Seely (lead guitar). Halladay owned the stage like no one I had ever seen before. The second she started singing all attention was on her and it was impossible to pull yourself away from the stage as she is a  remarkable combination of Janis Joplin, Stevie Nicks, Madonna, and Cyndi Lauper. 

The lights went down and Coheed and Cambria, Claudio Sanchez (lead vocals, guitar), Zach Cooper (bass), Travis Stever (guitar), and Josh Eppard (drums), took the stage.

photo credit: Julie Ann Shaw

After happily standing in the freezing desert for hours, with absolutely zero cell service, and only the alcohol and hot dogs to keep us warm, we were more than ready for them, and the massive amount of hair that was about to fly around on stage. They opened with In Keeping Secrets Of Silent Earth: 3, which was quickly followed by You Got Spirit, Kid.

They continued to excite the audience with an expansive set that included a taste of their upcoming album, Vaxis-Act II: A Window Of The Waking Mind, a continuation of their Amory Wars storyline, with the song “Shoulders.” Next came a three-song throwback to their first album, The Second Stage Turbine Blade, with “Junesong Provision,” “Devil in Jersey City,” and “Everything Evil.”

photo credit: Julie Ann Shaw

The set was periodically interjected with stories of when they were first starting out 20 years ago, and no one understood what they were trying to do. However, now, they are overcome with gratitude to have such a loyal and wonderful following who embrace their eccentric artistic adventures, stories, and characters, and are willing to drive to the middle of nowhere for a chance to become a part of the fantasy world that they have created.

As the night went on, each song was greeted with more excitement than the last, playing fan favorites like “A Favor House Atlantic” and “The Suffering.” The smog on stage intensified as the lights and lasers glowed through, creating the illusion of being inside one of their pieces of sci-fi artwork.

Then came the finale. If you could only make it for two songs, these were the songs to show up for. The first encore was “The Liars Club,” another insanely mind-blowing taste from their upcoming tenth studio album, Vaxis-Act II. Last, but not least, came the song. The song introduced Coheed and Cambria to millions of people, myself included. The song that made me fall in love with them and jump at the chance to drive three hours each way just to see them, “Welcome Home.”

Connect with Coheed and Cambria

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Connect with Sheer Mag

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For my money, the best music festival of the calendar year doesn’t happen in New York or Chicago. It doesn’t take place on some sprawling lot with thousands of fans adorned in problematic headdresses and garish neon jerseys. It doesn’t cater to just one crowd, be it hyped-up EDM-freaks, twee indie kids or gauntlet-clad metalheads. It takes place across the city of Raleigh, North Carolina and, like the state itself, it’s an unassuming place where dozens of cultures get the chance to thrive and intermingle.

Hopscotch Music Festival celebrated its sixth year of operation from September 10-12. The fest, started by promoter Greg Lowenhagen and always held in the NC capital, continued in the tradition of inviting artists of every genre, both local and internationally-known, to perform for music-lovers in the city’s many great venues. In fact, with a slew of before- and after-parties, as well as many official and unofficial daytime showcases, Hopscotch is what I imagine SXSW must have been like before it blew up to its current mind-boggling proportions.

This was my first time actually making it to Hopscotch. Much to my chagrin, I was always out-of-town or busy with school or flat broke whenever the festival rolled through Raleigh each September. This year, with a photo pass around my neck (another first — I’m far from a professional photographer), I set out to make up for all the years I missed, and discovered the festival was everything I could hope for from such a shindig, let alone one a mere two hours away from my own home.

Ought (all photos by Max Miller)

One of the clever aspects of the scheduling at Hopscotch is that the major headlining acts playing the main stage at City Plaza go on earlier in the evening, leaving festival-goers free to catch more acts at smaller venues into the middle of the night. By the time I had experienced the springy nerve-rock of Ought and the orchestral post-rock of Godspeed You! Black Emperor, whose fans soldiered on beneath umbrellas in the face of a sudden-but-fitting outbreak of rain, my first night at Hopscotch had hardly even begun.

Godspeed You! Black Emperor

In addition to City Plaza, the festival this year was spread across eleven other venues within a perfectly walkable handful of blocks of downtown Raleigh. Although Hopscotch features everything from experimental noise acts to rappers to extreme metal bands, each venue’s lineup was generally tailored so that an attendee could enjoy the evening at a single club. Of course, exploring the variety the festival has to offer was encouraged, too.

Forn

Leaving City Plaza midway through Godspeed’s set as the rainstorm mercifully let up for a moment, I headed around the block to the Lincoln Theatre, where Superchunk frontman, Merge Records co-founder and local legend Mac McCaughan played an energetic set with his current group the Non-Believers, a trio of younger kids whose reckless enthusiasm surely recalls Superchunk’s salad days. Afterwords, I made my way over to the Pour House to get my dose of metal for the weekend. The room was packed for local stoner-doom stalwarts Solar Halos, whose psychedelic riffage entranced the crowd. Following them was Boston sludge-slingers Forn, who do the legacy of such downtuned bands as Grief, Noothgrush and Thou proud.

Battles

New Orleans sludge titans Eyehategod were slated to headline the Pour House that night, but had to cancel. In their place was Richmond thrash revivalist supergroup Iron Reagan, who I’m sure were more than capable of filling EHG’s Doc Martens. I couldn’t say for certain, though, because I was headed back to the Lincoln to see Battles. Although bleary-eyed and exhausted by the time their 12:30 AM set rolled around, I had heard too many good things about the New York math experimentalists’ live show to miss it. They did not disappoint. Multi-instrumentalists Ian Williams and Dave Konopka aptly recreated the densely-layered synth, bass and guitar loops of their records in real-time, but the real show was drummer John Stanier, who keeps time like a mesmerizing metronome, and whose drums sounded more massive than any other live drums I’ve ever heard.

Tycho

My second night at Hopscotch got off to a slow start, but made up for itself by the evening’s end. I arrived at the plaza shortly before San Francisco electronic musician Tycho and his band took the stage. Tycho’s chilled out moods, borrowing equally from dreamy indie and deep house, weren’t exactly my bag, and the set was plagued with technical difficulties that forced the band to stop for long stretches to figure out how not to overload the power supply. TV on the Radio were up next, headlining the City Plaza stage for the night. The unclassifiable group drew perhaps the largest crowd I saw all weekend, and although they are exalted by many rock fans of the ‘00s, they’ve never gripped me with more than passing interest. I left their set fairly early — it was time to head to Tír Na Nóg.

Leapling

Although Friday night boasted many fine acts who would have been a pleasure to see, from Roky Erickson to Natalie Prass to Pusha T to Tashi Dorji, the lineup at Tír Na Nóg, a large Irish pub next door to the Pour House, ensured I would spend my evening there. Opening the bill were local rockers SMLH, whose synth-tinged numbers could land them in the same league as Car Seat Headrest or Alex G someday. Following them were New York’s Leapling, whose debut LP Vacant Page is one of this year’s more underrated rock albums. I use the term “rock” loosely, though, for Leapling combine chiming, minimalist guitars with sparse, melodic bass lines and jazzy drumming into a unique, dynamic sound that comes across even better live than it does on record.

Mitski

Next came a solo acoustic set from singer-songwriter Mitski, who has steadily been gaining more acclaim for her immaculately-crafted songs of heartbreak and Millennial angst that resonate honestly while avoiding cliche or artifice. With only her acoustic guitar and classically-trained voice, she didn’t deafen the pub like the acts surrounding her, and the murmurs of the crowd farther in the back could be heard throughout her set. But for the group standing front and center holding on to her every word, the reward was a beautiful, intimate performance that left more than a couple people around me in tears.

Pile

The final act playing Tír Na Nóg that evening was Pile, Boston’s own masters of noisy, emotionally-jarring post-hardcore, and my personal favorite band. When I lived in Philly, I would never miss their appearances in sweaty, cramped house shows and basement parties. This was the first time I had seen them in a legitimate venue, and it didn’t diminish their unique energy one bit. Pile run like a well-oiled machine, and their parts, be it Rick Maguire’s country-tinged vocals, Matt Becker’s discordant guitar chords, Kris Kuss’s falling-down-the-stairs drumming or Matt Connery’s massive overdriven bass tone, sound as good live as they do on record, if not better. By the end of their set, the audience was stomping and cheering for more. The band acquiesced with an encore of the caustic, sardonic “Rock ‘n’ Roll Forever With the Customer In Mind.” With goofy guitar solos and silly lyrics, the song may be meant as a joke, but it was the perfect way to cap off such an explosive performance.

Dwight Yoakam

Hopscotch’s third and final night kicked off with a set by the Vibekillers, a local bar-rock band who wowed a small but dedicated crowd with a mix of originals and covers like the Kinks’ “The Contenders” and the Jim Carroll Band’s “People Who Died.” They were followed by American Aquarium, a local southern rock group with a large following in the city — they’ve played Hopscotch many times over the past six years. City Plaza’s headliners for the final night were classic LA punk rockers X and country legend Dwight Yoakam. At face value, the two acts might seem diametrically opposed, but Yoakam was actually known for sharing bills with punk bands in the ‘80s, including X in their heyday. With X dressed like the folks you wouldn’t want to mess with at a biker bar and Yoakam’s band in rhinestone-encrusted suits, both groups provided solid, if not a little nostalgic, performances.

Ameriglow

As the evening continued, my friends wanted to check out Ameriglow, the latest project of Greensboro’s Yakob Darden, formerly of Israel Darling. The group embodied classic American-tinged indie rock from what I saw of their performance, but midway through their set, one of my friends began to feel sick and ended up having to leave, taking my other buddy with him. Since I didn’t have a solid plan in mind for the night, I decided to wander around the city to different venues, checking out what the festival’s last evening had to offer. I wound up at Neptune’s, in the basement of Kings Barcade, for a set by Oulipo, a Raleigh-based experimental group who would often come through Asheville, NC when I was in college there. I had only seen them once or twice then, and was surprised to find they’d spiced up their sound with touchstones of cheesy ‘80s pop, including Vangelis-esque synths and “Careless Whisper” sax solos. Next, I headed over to Slim’s to catch Atlanta garage-punks WYMYNS PRYSYN, with the intention of sticking around for Philly’s own rising stars Sheer Mag.

WYMYNS PRYSYN

When I made it to Slim’s, a narrow dive bar with a tiny stage in the back corner, the place was so packed I could barely find a place where I could get a clear photo of the band. WYMYNS PRYSYN eventually began playing their brand of workmanlike garage rock, and were matched in enthusiasm by at least one person in a rubber unicorn mask. However, as the distorted guitars blared and even more people began to cram around the stage, I realized that the weekend had left me weary. There were many great acts left that evening I could have seen: Chelsea Wolfe, Cakes Da Killa, Porches, Godflesh and even an impromptu solo acoustic set by Waxahatchee. But by that time, I realized I had gotten more than enough out of my weekend at Hopscotch Music Festival. The only thing I really wanted to see now was my hotel room pillow.

Head over to our Facebook page to view more photos from the festival.

On Wednesday night, tour mates the Screaming Females and Pujol stopped at Johnny Brenda’s as part of the tail of their current tour. Together, the two bands have zigzagged and made their way across much of the country and were finally back on the east coast. Tapped to open the show were newcomers to the local music scene here, South Philadelphia’s own Sheer Mag. With expectations were already high going into the night, it ended up being one of the more energetic and wild shows to come to Johnny Brenda’s this year.

Sheer Mag (all photos by Matt Kelchner)

Kicking things off for the night were Sheer Mag. Fresh off the release of their debut 7”, the young band was looking to show that they are a force in the Philadelphia music scene. Concertgoers came out early Wednesday night which made for a packed Johnny Brenda’s for the five piece. Led by an incredible front woman in Christina Halladay, they ripped through a 30 minute set full of catchy, fuzzy garage rock meets power pop. Tracks like “Hard Lovin” and their Best New Music-ed “What You Want” quickly and easily won the crowd over. The impressive set showed the beginnings of the next big band to come out of Philadelphia.

The night continued with Nashville’s Pujol. It takes a special type of band to open for the sonic juggernaut that is the Screaming Females and Pujol were just the right one. Right from the very beginning, their clear cut, no nonsense breed of garage rock pick the crowd up right where Sheer Mag left them off. Led by Daniel Pujol, the four-piece played a number of tracks from their 2014 album KLUDGE, an album that has received rave reviews across the country.

Pujol

Singer/guitarist and mastermind behind the group, Daniel Pujol shared with the crowd lengthy back stories behind each of his songs. “Mission of God” was introduced as the band’s Blues Brothers-esque song and “Point of View” was for “all the lovebirds in the house”. Between these tracks and others like “Mayday”, “Pitch Black” and “Psychic Pain”, Pujol managed to squeeze in a newly written and unrecorded song “June Bug”. As their night came to an end Pujol managed to squeeze the most they could out of their time, filling it with an impressive amount of songs. As they began stripping down their gear and clearing the stage, the room was buzzing from one amazing set and in anticipation for another.

Words can only do so much to describe just exactly what a Screaming Females concert is like. They leave you winded, yet wanting more. Singer/guitarist Marissa Paternoster is a one woman wrecking crew who plays every night like there is no tomorrow and wednesday night as Johnny Brenda’s was no exception. Joining the Screaming Females and crowd that night was a camera crew who were there to catch every minute of the musical destruction that was about to happen.

Screaming Females

No introduction was needed as Paternoster, drummer Jarrett Dougherty and bassist King Mike took to the stage. Little was said to the crowd until well within their set. The solos from Paternoster were frequent. Somehow each one was better than the last, seemingly as if Paternoster was trying to outdo herself. The rhythm section laid down by Dougherty and King Mike was locked in Wednesday night. It would’ve taken the stage falling apart to throw the duo off.

Songwise they gave the crowd a career spanning set. While leaning slightly more to their 2012 release Ugly, the handful of albums that came before it were not ignored. “Extinction” and It All Means Nothing” were played early on led into older hits like “Buried In The Nude” and “I Don’t Mind It”. Their night came to an end as Paternoster jumped into the crowd while playing along to “Starve The Beat”. Despite playing her heart out the entire night, Paternoster took the time once the song finished to pick up any empty bar glasses that were left on the stage by those in the crowd, a feat that very well may have been a first for any artist to play Johnny Brenda’s.

Not many concerts at Johnny Brenda’s can bring out mosh pits but the Screaming Females did so with ease. Cheers for an encore brought the three piece from New Brunswick out for one final song, a blistering rendition of the Misfits’ “Where Eagles Dare”. As great as the Screaming Females’ set was, there could not have been a more perfect way to wrap up the night than hearing a room full of people sing along to “I ain’t no goddamn son of a bitch”.