Music-loving students came together May 16 in Mandell Theater to jam to indie rock band Motion City Soundtrack for the Antoinette Westphal College of Media Arts & Design’s sixth annual MAD Dragon concert. MAD Dragon Records teamed up with Motion City Soundtrack to produce a seven-inch vinyl series titled “Making Moves,” featuring new songs by [...]
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Philly’s hip-hop summer lineup looks promising
As summer rapidly approaches, it’s time to block off some dates on the calendar for an amazing group of concerts coming through Philadelphia over the next few months. It’s only right that we start with this week’s huge announcement from Jay-Z and Mayor Michael Nutter, in which they unveiled the Budweiser Made in America festival, [...]
You should be celebrating: The Clash
Throughout popular music history, it is a common trend that even a great band has growing pains. A great deal of hard work is needed in order to decide what you want to sound and look like and to polish that aesthetic to perfection. Of course, getting there is only half the battle. The legendary [...]
Meek Mill sets high standards for ‘Dreams and Nightmares’
To kick off 2011, Philadelphia rapper Meek Mill signed a joint record deal with Warner Bros. and Rick Ross’ Maybach Music Group. Since then he has been featured on the label’s collaborative album, “Self Made,” and has released two installments of the “Dreamchasers” mixtapes. With his debut album, “Dreams and Nightmares,” coming Aug. 28, Meek [...]
Radio 104.5 gets the summer block party ball rolling in Philly
As Philly’s local alternative rock station, Radio 104.5 offers a melodic fusion of the genres. It mixes hits by rock icons like Stone Temple Pilots, Pearl Jam and Foo Fighters with singles from more recent indie bands such as Of Monsters and Men, Foster the People, and Gotye. Indeed, the DJs — Wendy, Stephen, Johnny [...]
We Were Promised Jetpacks treats fans with a spellbinding performance at Union Transfer
We Were Promised Jetpacks stepped onstage May 5 at Union Transfer without any lead-in music or introduction. They grabbed their instruments and promptly started their first song, “Short Bursts.” The Scottish quartet didn’t spend time trying to coerce the crowd into engaging in their set. They didn’t ask anyone to clap or sing along. They [...]
The Trans-Siberian Orchestra narrates the life of Beethoven
I’ll admit it: halfway through my latest concert experience in my hometown of Reading, Pa., I realized how truly bizarre it was that I was surrounded by a crowd of people rocking out to “Flight of the Bumblebee,” the finger-melting classical orchestra piece from the 1800s. However, if there’s anything that the world-famous Trans-Siberian Orchestra [...]
Jones returns with cool new sound
Norah Jones seems to have a rubric for expressing heartache and melancholia. Creating simple, soothing yet lovelorn songs has made her a pillar of jazz and blues music. With her latest album, “Little Broken Hearts,” Jones slightly tweaks her sound as she croons about what she knows best. Singer/songwriter Norah Jones released her fifth album [...]
Conspirator enters the spotlight
As of late, the music world has been seized by a new wave of electronic music that has caused disc jockeys to come out of the woodwork. However, while many flock to their computers and turntables, there are still some musicians out there who are working to achieve an electronic sound while using more “conventional” [...]
B.o.B makes a flat comeback
After a very successful debut with “The Adventures of Bobby Ray,” B.o.B is back with his sophomore effort, “Strange Clouds,” which was released May 1 on Atlantic Records. With this album, the artist also known as Bobby Ray has no chart-topping singles, as opposed to his three hits the first time around en route to [...]
Underwood takes rightful place on country throne
The queen of country, Carrie Underwood, is back after three years with her fourth album, signed with 19 Recordings Ltd. After listening to “Blown Away” you’ll find that it’s an apt title. Underwood started the month at No. 1 on iTunes and is ready to sit back atop her throne after the May 1 release [...]
Philadelphia energized by up-and-coming band Free Energy
The music industry is building a conglomerate of the synthetic: mannequins whose concerts revolve around putting on a spectacle with bright lights, robotic dance moves and outfits that look like they belong in an abstract art exhibit rather than on a human being. However, Free Energy proved to be as real as it gets after [...]
Drexel’s D & M releases third EP ‘Wait For Me’
After some discussion while sitting backstage before their April 15 CD release show at World Cafe Live, members of the Drexel-based band D & M agreed that they would settle for being the third-biggest band in the world. “We don’t want to be the biggest. I don’t want to have to spend too much time [...]
You Should Be Celebrating
A common theme among great musicians and their albums is that they are rarely directionless. If an artist fails to change his or her tune for years, it’s going to become stale no matter how good it really is. An evolving sound — and with that, an image — turns a good band into a [...]
Sam Sparro delivers the funk to World Cafe Live
Sam Sparro, the Australian musician whose electro-funk hit single “Black & Gold” made waves back in 2008, visited Philadelphia for the first time April 23 to perform at World Cafe Live in front of a small but enthusiastic crowd. Sparro rocked an ivory coat, retro wayfarers and his finely groomed mustache during the performance, which [...]
Say Anything packs the TLA
Say Anything performed live last Sunday night at the TLA in Philadelphia to a packed crowd. Opening acts included Tallhart, Fake Problems and Kevin Devine & the Goddam Band. Say Anything played such songs as “Shiksa (Girlfriend),” “Woe,” “Every Man Has a Molly” and “Walk Through Hell.” South Street may harbor a certain flare for [...]
Neon Trees’ sophomore album has plenty of funk
Hailing from Provo, Utah, Neon Trees is an alternative rock band who gained recognition from touring with The Killers. “Picture Show” is the band’s second album. The music industry just got a lot funkier and wavier with the sophomore album “Picture Show” by Neon Trees, released April 17. The band gave a preview of what [...]
RRE at World Cafe Live
The idea of a band playing two consecutive nights in one city is hardly anything new in the world of music. Most often, bands will do this simply because they are popular and want all of their fans to get a chance to see them perform. Typically, fans choose to attend one show, assuming both [...]
Dayglow, the ultimate paint party with hardcore beats
“I awaited as the clock turned 12, watching every second go by, just to ensure I bought my Dayglow ticket,” my roommate said two months ago. I thought she was crazy, only to find out that a majority of Drexel students feel the exact same way. Curious about the hype Dayglow created, I decided to [...]
Empires brings indie rock vibe back to Philadelphia
The real rock ‘n’ roll dream is not fame; it is the ability to do something you love for a living. Music is about sharing what you create and building something bigger than just the men with the instruments. There doesn’t seem to be a present-day band that understands this more than Empires. The Chicago-natives [...]
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Senior featured on reality show
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Dragons flex muscles in Aberdeen Dad Vail Regatta
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Drexel softball waves goodbye to it’s all-time home run leader
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Motion City Soundtrack joins forces with MAD Dragon Records for series
- Philly’s hip-hop summer lineup looks promising
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