Tag: Philadelphia PA

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Philly’s Vixen77 Shares a Gritty and Defiant Rocker

Philadelphia-based guitarist Caitlin D’Agostino has dreamt of playing in an all-women rock band since she was in high school. And after playing in the City of Brotherly Love’s punk scene for a handful of years, she decided to put in dream in motion in late 2018 when she started Vixen77, her latest band, which references female energy and the influence of the ’77 punk rock revolution. Fittingly, the band specializes in a loud, aggressive, rebellious and downright fun take on rock ‘n’ roll that’s nostalgia-inducing — and necessary.

The band re-emerged from pandemic-related lockdowns with a new lineup featuring D’Agostino, Elizabeth Cartwright (bass), Jaz (bass), Sarah Novack (drums) and Samatha Joan (vocals, harmonica), and since then have released a string of attention-grabbing singles, which has lead to packed, headlining shows in the Philly area and an opening slot for Wayne Kramer on his current MC5 tour.

Building upon a growing profile, the Philly-band punk outfit’s highly-anticipated full-length debut Easy Access is slated for a Friday release through Megaforce Records. Recorded in a breakneck 72 hour recording session at Retro City Studios, Easy Access‘ 12 songs navigate life through love and rock ‘n’ roll. And so far, the album has earned support from KEXP, Sirius XM, WXPN and others.

Vixen77 shared the last pre-album release, “Royalty” earlier today. “Royalty” is a gritty and defiant AC/DC-like rocker centered around D’Agostino’s bluesy power chord-driven riffage, a locked in and chugging propulsive rhythm section paired with Joan’s self-assured, snarl. The new single sees the Philly-based outfit adding their names to a lengthy and growing list of women-led acts who boldly and unashamedly kick ass and take names.

“‘Royalty’ is about feeling a sense of purpose in playing music and doing it on your own terms,” the band says. “It’s about loving and playing music your whole life and centering so much of your energy on it. It’s also a good memento mori and reminder to live in the moment because we’re here for a short time, so do what you love.” 

News/Announcements by William Ruben Helms

12 years ago, I started what has been for me — my life’s work.

And honestly, when I started this site, I couldn’t have imagined three-quarters of the things I’ve done and experienced over JOVM’s history to ever happen. 

  • I’ve covered roughly 1,100-1,200 shows in NYC, with a handful of shows in Chicago, Baltimore and Philadelphia.
  • I’ve covered about a dozen or more festivals, including traveling to Montreal for M for Montreal back in 2019. 
  • I’ve been a panelist at Mondo.NYC Festival and at New Colossus Festival, speaking about PR, promotion and press for indie artists, giving my perspective as a indie blogger. 
  • A few years ago, I made a cameo in a JOVM mainstay’s music video. It’s a very noticeable spot towards the end of the video. It was a fun experience, but so far no one has called me about acting gigs. Maybe I need to stick to the writing and photography? 
  • I couldn’t have imagined photographing George Clinton, Patti LaBelle, Snoop Dogg, Blondie, Nile Rodgers, Roky Erickson, Philip Bailey, Blind Boys of Alabama and so many others, as well as this site’s countless mainstays.
  • I wouldn’t have met the countless colleagues and musicians, who have become supporters and friends. And by far, music friends have proven to be the very best of friends. 

JOVM turned 10 in June 2020. And during the middle of the very worst of the pandemic, things seemed — understandably — bleak. And although we’re slowly managed to claw our way back to a degree of normalcy, in which gathering together can happen, things across the music industry still seem rather bleak: Touring has always been a big financial risk for musicians but COVID-19 has made it even more complicated, because musicians are out there risking their health and lives — because they need to make money to live. 

We’re all trying to figure out how to maneuver in a new, confusing and uncertain landscape that may well be with us for an indefinite period of time. But with these past 12 years under my belt, I have no intentions of going anywhere. 

I strongly believe that I’ve managed to carve out a unique spot in the blogosphere, a place that I feel is desperately necessary because both the music and media worlds are often so incredibly homogenous. Someone out there has to do something different. And representation in every aspect matters. So in many ways, this has to continue. 

As I do every month, I want to thank the following folks and organizations. Without them this past few years — and especially this year — wouldn’t have been remotely possible: 

Sash

Alice Northover

Bella Fox

Jenny MacRostie

Janene Otten 

All of those folks have been generous Patreon patrons. Of course, feel free to check out the Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/TheJoyofViolentMovement. And if you’re able to support, your support will be greatly appreciated and continuously shouted out. Any amount really helps. Seriously. 

I must thank the folks at Creatives Rebuild New York. I’m relieved, proud and humbled to be included in their Guaranteed Income for Artists program. The money I’ll receive over the next 18 months will be put to good use — keeping this little dream of mine going. I don’t think there’s enough words to thank them — or to show how grateful I am. (I’ll keep trying, of course!) 

There are other ways you can support. 

You can also support by checking the JOVM shop: https://www.joyofviolentmovement.com/shop 

You can also support my following me on the following platforms:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/william_ruben_helms 

Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/yankee32879 and https://www.twitter.com/joyofviolent 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheJoyofViolentMovement

And you can hire me for headshots, portraits and events. Seriously, I’m available for that, too. You can click here: https://www.photobooker.com/photographer/ny/new-york/william-h?duration=1?duration=1# or you can contact me directly.

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: Palm Ghosts Shares Power Ballad “Cross Your Heart”

Throughout the course of this site’s 12 year history, I’ve spilled copious amounts of virtual ink covering Nashville-based indie rock act Palm Ghosts. Led by singer/songwriter and producer and Ice Queen Records founder Joseph Lekkas, Palm Ghosts can trace its origins to when Lekkas lived in Philadelphia: After spending a number of years playing in local bands like Grammar Debate! and Hilliard, Lekkas took a lengthy hiatus from writing, recording and performing music to book shows and festivals in and around the Philadelphia area. 

Lekkas initially started Palm Ghosts as a solo recording project — and as a creative outlet to cope with an incapacitating bout of depression and anxiety. During a long, prototypically Northeastern winter, Lekkas recorded a batch of introspective songs that at the time, he dubbed “sun-damaged American music,” which eventually became the project’s full-length debut. After a short tour in 2013 to support the album, Lekkas packed up his belongings and relocated to Music City, enticed by its growing indie rock scene.

Palm Ghosts’ third album, 2018’s Architecture was a decided change in sonic direction with Lekkas crafting material influenced by the 80s — in particular, Cocteau Twins, Peter Gabriel, Dead Can Dance, New Order,  The Cure, and others. 

Much like countless musical acts across the globe, Lekkas and his bandmates spent the forced downtime of the pandemic, attempting to be as busy as they possible could: They wrote a ton of new material informed by a year or so of quarantine-related isolation, socioeconomic and financial instability, protests and demonstrations.

Last year, the JOVM mainstays released two albums, their fourth album, Lifeboat Candidate and their fifth album, Lost Frequency. Lifeboat Candidate was a fittingly dark, dystopian effort full of confusion, fear and dread that drew from the events and circumstances of the year preceding its release. Interestingly, Lost Frequency is a much different album: Initially scheduled for a 2020 release, Palm Ghosts’ fifth album harkens back to before the pandemic, when things seemed more or a less normal and carefree — or at least somehow a bit less uneasy and desperately urgent. In some way, the album’s material feels both celebratory, escapist, and perhaps even somewhat nostalgic. But paradoxically, the album’s material lyrically brings confrontation to the forefront, reminding the listener that nothing is normal — and that normalcy and the desire to return to it is extremely destructive.

The JOVM’s mainstays forthcoming sixth album Post Preservation reveals an entirely different side of the band. The album’s material features love songs — and there’s even a hint of optimism and some light showing through the cracks. But it’s still 2022, and there’s still plenty of darkness and discontent to the proceedings to balance the sunniness of much of the material. Conceived as a sort of soundtrack to a long lost John Hughes film, Post Preservation is full of nostalgic longing for a world that no longer exists, except in our hearts and minds.

Post Preservation‘s latest single “Cross Your Heart” is a swooning, hook-driven power ballad that sonically is one-part Psychedelic Furs‘ “Pretty in Pink,” one-part Simple Minds‘ “Don’t You (Forget About Me)” and paired with earnest, lived-in lyrics that describe being in — and perhaps out of — love, at the end of the world.

The accompanying video is nostalgia-fueled fever dream featuring the band playing the song together at what appears to be either a house party or a rehearsal space, fuzzy nuclear snow, images of sun-dappled forests, adding to the overall dystopian yet hopeful feel.

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: Boris Shares a Frenzied “Headbanger’s Ball”-Like Ripper

Formed back in 1992, Japanese, experimental heavy rock outfit Boris ((ボリス, Borisu) — currently core members Takeshi (vocals, bass, guitar), Wata (vocals, guitar, keys, accordion and echo) Atsuo (vocals, drums, percussion and electronics) with Mucho (drums) — settled on their current lineup in 1996. Since then, the members of Boris have tirelessly explored their own genre-defying take on heavy music.

In an effort to sublimate the negative energy surrounding everyone and everything in 2020, Boris wrote and recorded NO, one of the most extreme albums of their widely celebrated and lengthy career. The band self-released the album during the heigh of pandemic-related lockdowns, desiring to get the album out as quickly as possible. But interestingly enough, they intentionally titled NO‘s closing track “Interlude,” while planning the album’s follow-up. 

Released earlier this year through Sacred Bones Records W saw the band crafting material that stylistically ranged from noise to New Age, continuing their long-held reputation for dynamic and sonically adventurous work. While being disparate, the material is held together by a melodic deliberation through each song that helps the band accomplish their ultimate goal with the album — eliciting deep sensation. 

NO and W were conceived to weave together to form NOW, a pair of releases that respond to each other: The band followed one of their hardest albums with an effort that’s sensuous, lush yet thunderous. The result is a continuous circle of harshness and healing that seems more relevant — and necessary — now than ever. 

Throughout their 30-year history, the acclaimed Japanese outfit has a long-held reputation for being remarkably prolific. Their second album of this year, the 10-track Heavy Rocks (2022) is slated for an August 12, 2022 release through Relapse Records. The album, which is another installment of their Heavy Rocks series sees Boris channeling 70s proto-metal and glam rock through their own unique lens. 

“The world has changed over the last two years. Everyone’s thinking is simpler and pragmatic. Now, it is easier for everyone to grasp what is important to each of us,” the members of Boris say of the new album.

“We leave it to the future and pass it on. The soul of rock music is constantly evolving. A soul that transcends words and meaning to reach you – instinct, intuition, and fangs.

This is the heavy rock of Boris now.

As we land on our 30th anniversary, Boris continues to evolve, accelerating the latest and universal.

Boris does not lead anyone anywhere.

We just keep showing this attitude.”

So far I’ve written about two of the album’s previously released singles:

“She Is Burning,” a mosh pit friendly ripper that saw the Japanese outfit effortlessly mesh glam rock, punk and proto-metal while subtly hinting at hinting at early Soundgarden and Thin Lizzy.

and 

“Question 1,” a mind-bending and expansive track that features four distinct movements:

  • a furiously breakneck Headbanger’s Ball– meets D-beat punk-inspired metal introduction with screamo delivered lyrics for the song’s first 80 seconds or so. 
  • a lush post rock/post section featuring wailing guitars and layers of shoegazey feedback paired with thunderous drumming and a plaintive vocal delivery for the middle two minutes or so
  • a section that subtly meshes the Headbanger’s Ball-meets D-beat punk-inspired metal of the song’s introduction with a subtle bit of thrash metal
  • a dreamy acoustic guitar-driven coda that quickly fades out. 

The song manages to unapologetically kick ass and take names — while sending the listener into a mad frenzy. Play this one as loud as your ears can take. 

Heavy Rocks (2022)‘s third and latest single “My name is blank” is a decidedly Headbanger’s Ball-like ripper centered around dense layers of guitar pyrotechnic-fueled riffage, howled lyrics and thunderous drumming that’s meant to send the listener into a frenzy.

Directed by YUTARO (ART LOVE MUSIC), the accompanying visual for “My name is blank” features the band performing the song in an empty studio with flashing lights while a cape-wearing demon rocks out in the background. Also, there are a helluva lot of empty bottles of all kind — suggesting the demon may have drank a potion to become what they are, or some wild ritual.