Scan & Dan
Dan Finnemore, one of the two founding members and original songwriters for Low Cut Connie, is returning to the US after 7 years back home in Birmingham, England. Finnemore is joined by his two old tourmates James Everhart (Cosmic Guilt and Scantron) and Will Donnelly (Low Cut Connie, Scantron, Lady HD) and an all-star band composed of members of Philly buzz band, Cosmic Guilt. Expect a night of pure garage rock versions of Finnemore, Scantron, and Cosmic Guilt songs as well as a deep selection of covers. Tickets are $12 in advance and $15 at the door. All shows at Dolphin Tavern are 21+
Moonshine
Depending on whom you ask, the esoteric effects of lunar cycles can be wide-ranging: good fortune, human fertility, ocean tides, werewolf prevalence and loss of sanity among them. For the like-minded musicians, DJs, dancers and visual artists who make up the Moonshine collective, the planetary satellite above all inspires their eponymous monthly event, driven by an inclusive ethos and a shared love for experimentations in dance culture.Since its founding in 2014, Moonshine has carved out an enviable niche in Montréal’s nightlife milieu by celebrating a wide range of fledgling local talents, championing Afro-futuristic, bass-heavy, electro-funk sounds, and bringing together communities that wouldn’t necessarily cross paths otherwise. As the name indicates, the lunar-based Moonshine recipe has the collective throw an all-night, sensory-soaked party on the Saturday after every full moon in ever-shifting, unpredictable locations across the city, always strictly disclosed via text messages. With fresh cuts supplied by resident DJs Pierre Kwenders, San Farafina, and AKantu, visual installations by Boycott, and a slew of live musicians and performers that have included Kaytranada, Dâm-Funk, Le1f, Venus X, Uproot Andy, Bambii and Branko, the parties have become a staple of the after-hours scene, in Canada and abroad, with appearances in NYC, LA, Paris, Brussels, Milan, Lisboa, London, Barcelona and Santiago just to name a few.“The essence of Moonshine came out of parties we used to throw in our kitchens,” recalls Kwenders. “We felt like we couldn’t go out and find what we had cooked up in that kitchen. It’s one of the reasons we started Moonshine: to share that with more people who felt just like us, and who didn’t have access to such sounds or vibes.” Still going strong four years on, Moonshine has also begun making use of the aesthetic, network and structure it established with the parties to promote affiliated artists, expanding its vision from ephemeral moonlit soirées to an expanding catalog of genre-busting music, art and apparel.Doors 9:30pmAll events at Dolphin Tavern are 21+
Sweet Juice Fundraiser
Mister Right: THE bruno mars of Philadelphia! Mister Right has only been doing drag for a year and a half but is taking this city by storm! He’s got the moves/looks/ and the voice. You can never go wrong with Mister Right. Popcorn Daddy: Popcorn Daddy is a pop-folk duo created by Melina Harris and Shona Carr. With an immense appreciation for harmony, these two artists mix earnest, vulnerable songwriting with tongue in cheek social commentary to develop musical performances that are both deep and whimsical. Through their engaging and catchy tunes, Popcorn Daddy aims to share the chemistry and passion of their friendship – or their ‘poppity-pop’ as they like to call it – with audiences everywhere The Lunar Year: The Lunar Year is a rock and roll band from Philadelphia and Katie Hackett is the psychedelic rock and roll poet of The Lunar Year. Hackett was first drawn to songwriting and poetry as an escape from her fundamentalist childhood. After leaving religion in 2016, she entered into a period of reclusiveness, releasing her first two albums in the indie folk/post rock genres (Herodias, 2017) (katie bird, 2020). The project was reborn in 2022 in its current form: an art rock band exploring queerness, environmentalism and the surreal. The band went on 3 full length tours in 2023 in support of their new single Don’t Kiss Strangers. Sarah Knittel Sarah Knittel is a theater artist, festival co-founder, event producer, and clown. She helped found Free Fringe Philly festival, which creates accessibility to Fringe work in Philadelphia by eliminating costs and ticket prices while supporting the artists. Free Fringe Philly won a coveted arts spot on the Best Of 2021 list from Philly Magazine. Sarah on a stage has been described as “totally engaging” and “the work of a pro, fearlessly engaging the audience from start to finish, until we are all practically co-stars, or at least co-conspirators.” (Broad St Review) Hailed “Philly Actors Who Are Better Than You (at acting)…” (Phindie) The creator of Ben Franklin Sex Party and NIGHTMARE FUEL, a brutal clown show, which won the “Spirit of the Fringe” award in 2019 at Cincinnati Fringe. It was also one of the recipients of 1812’s Jilline Ringle Fund. It garnered four stars in Edinburgh Fringe and was lauded as “a quintessential niche fringe experience” by the Wee Review. She produces a multitude of events throughout Philadelphia including a monthly variety show called HELLRIDE, Mischief Night, and Hellride Freak Mic (the only alt mic in Philly). doll.redacted Although DJ doll.redacted has only been on the scene for a year and a half, he has quickly become one of the go-to house selectors in the Philly underground scene. While he considers disco his first love, his speciality is combining his love for house, techno & pop to create powerful & playful dancefloor moments. When doll.redacted is in control of the dancefloor, you can expect heavy 90s house vocals, cheeky pop edits, disco classics, lush techno and more. He runs a monthly party, Diva Worship, at Dolphin Tavern first Thursdays of the month, which focuses on Femme-Forward dance music. Sug Daniels Sug Daniels is a Delaware born, Philadelphia based, singer-songwriter story-teller, and producer who is using the tools around her to capture the emotions of an era. Daniels’ work is as colorful, vulnerable, and charismatic as her personality. She thoughtfully combines elements of folk, R&B, and soul alternatives to create personal and tender music interlaced with messages of truth and positive change.
LUNACY
BLOODSTREAM Presents:LUNACYShanghai BeachChains of DesireThe Dolphin Friday, August 16$12 Advance, $15 Door21+ LUNACY LUNACY, a dystopian shadow figure located in rural Pennsylvania – which is a character set in the empty corroded future that focuses on themes of loneliness, emptiness, and mental illness. A character that often fits the description of late 80’s and early 90’s post-apocalyptic films. The project rose to the surface in 2016 releasing a set of 4 track demo recordings and consistently released material every 6 months until the release of the debut album “Age Of Truth” on Third Coming Records in Winter 2019. All releases have always been based around art and design of a specific release and have always been released in limited colorways, always selling out quickly. The project often described as lo-fi, noise and ambient explores different elements of shoegaze, minimal synth & post punk while developing a sound unique and identifiable to the project. https://lunacy.bandcamp.com/ Shanghai BeachShanghai Beach is the dark minimal synthpop solo project of Brooklyn-based Steven Salazar. With influences running from obscure 80s minimal synth music and noir style films, Shanghai Beach creates a cinematic environment for your ears. He has been a staple in Brooklyn’s dark underground scene for the past several years and has toured extensively in the US. https://shanghaibeach.bandcamp.com/ Chains of DesireChains Of Desire is a Columbus, OH based solo project of Jonathan Thompson (Child of Night). The sound is an amalgam of synthpop and industrial that channels the sounds of decay.https://chainsofdesire.bandcamp.com/
Scorched Koser Bee Monsters
KOSER is an award winning fun and frisky five piece, with Thin Lizzy guitars and Amy Winehouse vocals. KOSER swims in the alt rock pool, diving deep into the galactic glitter grunge side. KOSER is known for their infectious stage presence, punchy hook writing, and impressive genre melting. If you’ve ever wondered what a two-headed sax man looks like, come to a KOSER gig and they’ll show you. Scorched Waves, is an indie rock sensation hailing from Stevens Point, WI. Self described as “Groove-Punk” The quintet has comparable sounds to the likes of Arctic Monkeys, The Killers, The Bravery, and The Kooks offering a unique blend of Indie/Alternative Rock, Post Punk, and Pop Punk. BEES! is an Arcade Rock band from Philadelphia. It’s not like they’re the bees; it’s more like you’re in a horror movie being chased by giant radioactive bees, screaming “BEES!” Inspired by The Presidents of the United States of America, Queens of the Stone Age, and the music from Super Mario World, a BEES! show feels like you’re back in a 90s arcade. Sacred Monsters bring forth a unique blend of raw emotion and unapologetic energy, crafting what they proudly dub as “sad girl rock.” Drawing inspiration from the grunge-infused sounds of Veruca Salt and the Breeders, while also tipping their hat to the infectious hooks of Weezer, Sacred Monsters carve out their own sonic niche in the Philly indie rock scene. ALL EVENTS AT DOLPHIN TAVERN ARE 21+
GIFT & Hooveriii
GIFT Surprise—psychedelic Brooklyn, NY quintet GIFT unwrap what Rolling Stone calls “a portal to another dimension” on their debut album, Momentary Presence, out October 14, 2022. On GIFT’S kaleidoscopic debut, bandleader TJ Freda & co. uncap the lens to project their vibrant spectrum of psych, krautrock, dream pop, post-punk, noise rock and electronica upon the vacant surfaces of the mind—inviting listeners to, in the words of countercultural guru Ram Dass, “be here now.” “[It’s about] being with yourself, not by yourself,” says Freda. “You are never alone. You are always with yourself.” Momentary Presence exists, and that’s enough. There is no beginning and no end. From the percolating, in medias res intro of album opener “When You Feel It Come Around” through the swirling, gliding and expansive conclusion of “Here And Now (Time Floats By),” GIFT retains the element of cosmic surprise. Treat yourself to Momentary Presence at finer record stores and streaming apps on October 14, 2022—only on Dedstrange.HooveriiiLos Angeles psych-rock Hooveriii (pronounced “Hoover Three”) shares first take of the album by way of A Round Of Applause’s opening track, “See.” The band’s Bert Hoover notes, ” “See’ is about trying not to take life for granted. Some things are easier said than done. It’s our first song to feature Anna Wallace singing along with us and it came together rather seamlessly. It was a pretty bare bones jangle jam until the band filled it with ear candy.”Though created in large part by founder Bert Hoover, Hooveriii has grown to include Gabe Flores (lead guitar and vocals), Kaz Mirblouk (bass and synths), James Novick (synths), and Owen Barrett (drums).Hooveriii derived the album title from the late-80’s Roky Erickson song “Click Your Finger Applauding the Play.” “That’s too much of a mouthful,” Hoover qualified. “My title, A Round of Applause, just came one day, and we were like, ‘Yo, that sound like a Gentle Giant record.’ “ALL SHOWS AT DOLPHIN TAVERN ARE 21+, NO EXCEPTIONS.
Bass Drum of Death
BASS DRUM OF DEATH The point of an odyssey is to return home changed—still the same person, but deepened somehow, wiser and better, wearing your traveling scars proudly. Bass Drum of Death’s new album Say I Won’t is the end result of a journey that took singer and bandleader John Barrett from a small town in Mississippi and sent him across the world and back home again. The music still rips, with blown-out guitars and drums that sound like bombs going off, and the melodies are catchier than ever, hollered in Barrett’s trademark yelp. But the music hits differently now, more at peace with itself, propelled by a new swagger. Say I Won’t is the record of a veteran band finding its stride and leaning into it, stripping back the excess and finding the raw core of their sound. Say I Won’t, the band’s fifth record, comes at a time of massive change for Barrett, having relocated from New York to his hometown of Oxford, Mississippi during the pandemic. The record is also a homecoming of a different sort, with the band rejoining the ranks of Fat Possum, also in Oxford, the label that released their first record GB City in 2011. “Moving back to Oxford was a much-needed reset,” says Barrett. “When I started, I just wanted to play in a punk band and drink beers and travel around. I didn’t really think much past that. And I got really burned out. When I moved back home, I started writing songs again, just for fun. I realized I wanted this record to have more of a hometown feel. The switch back to Fat Possum was easy. It’s much better working with people I know and love and love everything they do.”DEAD TOOTH After an early stint drumming and singing in Haybaby (Tiny Engines), Zach James began writing and self-producing folk records in his bedroom, donning the name The Silver Spaceman. The project evolved into a post-punk band featuring Andrew Bailey (DIIV) on lead guitar. It snarled and simmered around darker texåtures, miles away from its early folk routes. James looked to his darkened smile and rechristened the project Dead Tooth. They gained momentum opening for bands like Hand Habbits, The Space Lady and Current Joys. After recording their second EP entitled Pig Pile, the pandemic disembodied the band as it did so many others. Sad, yet ambitious to keep the momentum going and release the EP, James rebuilt the project from the ground up. He added an EWI/Sax player and relinquished his own live guitar duties for a frontman stage persona. The new crew was quickly picked up by Rough Trade Publishing and Trash Casual Records. Shortly after, they went on to win OWL Winter Madness (a 16 band, 5 week long “battle of the bands” at Brooklyn’s legendary rooftop venue Our Wicked Lady). They then found themselves playing SPIN Magazine’s SXSW showcase alongside The Lemonheads, Bass Drum of Death and Pom Pom Squad. SPIN wrote of SXSW, “If there was someone who really broke out…it was Brooklyn’s Dead Tooth.” The band also became a large point of focus at Savannah Stopover where the local paper printed 33 photos of the festival, 18 of which were Dead Tooth. ALL SHOWS AT CONCOURSE LIVE ARE 21+, NO EXCEPTIONS
King Pari
Spike Hellis
DJ BABY BERLIN & OVER POP PRESENTS: 21+ SPIKE HELLIS (LOS ANGELES) VOID VISION (PHILADELPHIA)THE IRE (PHILADELPHIA) DJ BABY BERLIN (PHILADELPHIA) SPIKE HELLIS: Los Angeles based electronic duo Spike Hellis comprises of Cortland Gibson and Lainey, who got their start on Halloween of 2019. They self-released their first full-length, self-titled album in April 2022, under their imprint Over-Pop. The album chaotically shifts pace back and forth; the songs running into one another with no time in-between. The record opens with “Control (Rage)”, a layered, firm-handshake body-music track designed to hijack the amygdala. The kick drum resembles the steady flash of a panic button. You press it, but nothing happens—no relief. The irregular placement of snare matches Chang’s cries of dysregulation, spiraling red-eyed after having lost command asking, “Will I regain control?” While presented as a song of despair, optimism and determination shine through in the final line as the question is taken back and turned into a statement, “Watch me regain control”. This is a theme that permeates throughout the album: Taking challenging times of despair and coming through the other end with hope and optimism. Spike Hellis (S/T) was made with the intention to feel jolting. Techno-tinged “Flight” is an SH-101 track wherein lyrical instructions for escaping a dream are chanted over the iconic rubber band sound, with the claps paying homage to Charlie’s “Spacer Woman”. “Slices” is the funky first single which leads into its supplementary counterpart, “Stitches”. Footsteps grow louder until it opens into a dark waltz. Samples of William S. Burroughs cackling ring out over Emulator arpeggios until we arrive at “Teardrops (Kisses)”. While it is perhaps the most light-hearted track on the album sonically, themes of social punishment and isolation push through the surface to reveal conflict at its core. Chang and Gibson trade off cries of shame and humiliation while distorted synths, swirling in polyrhythms, close out Side A.Since finishing the album, Spike Hellis has hit the road hard with zero hesitation—completing two full US tours and a handful of smaller runs within the span of one year. Blasting their bleak outlook and spreading their gospel of disenchantment and sarcasm, Spike Hellis announces their arrival. VOID VISION: Void Vision is the electronic solo project of Philadelphia-based musician, Shari Vari, formed around 2009 when the minimal synth and coldwave genres were undergoing a revival and rebirth thanks to labels such as Wierd Records (home to acts such as Xeno & Oaklander, Led Er Est, Martial Canterel, Automelodi, etc.) and Veronica Vasicka’s Minimal Wave, among others. Void Vision’s cold, analog tracks are dominated by Vari’s haunting, powerful voice. But unlike many others associated with the genre, the songs are quite dynamic in range and structure, referencing a cross-section of the last 30 years of electronic music, while retaining a strong sense of personality and soul that speaks for itself. DJ BABY BERLIN: Philly/NYC DJ/Booker/Streamer who is the purveyor of all things alternative and is known for her monthly dark 80s Dance Party A BLACK CELEBRATION. She will kick off the show with a set and is the host of this show.https://www.facebook.com/DjBabyBerlin
Maxwell Stern with Andrew Bryant (of Water Liars)
MAXWELL STERNHailing from the post-industrial shores of Cleveland, OH and now located in Philadelphia, PA, Maxwell Stern has been crafting his own version of reflective, punk-tinged pop-folk since the early 2000s. He has released a slew of LPs and 7″s with various bands (Signals Midwest, Meridian, Timeshares, Orbits), and has played shows pretty much everywhere including an abandoned restaurant in Wyoming, a mall in China, several squats in Germany and a pretty nice bookstore in Australia. He released his debut solo LP “Impossible Sum” in September 2020 on Los Angeles indie-punk stalwart label Lauren Records, featuring contributions from vocalist Laura Stevenson, steel guitarist Mike “Slo-Mo” Brenner (Wild Pink, Magnolia Electric Co.) and drummer Adam Beck (Sincere Engineer, Into It. Over It). He is definitely not the person writing this.ANDREW BRYANTAndrew Bryant is a singer-songwriter and producer from Oxford, Mississippi. He makes his own records and plays drums and other things in Water Liars. Andrew started playing music as a teenager in the early 90’s in an evangelical church in the rural south. After high school, he became involved in the Memphis DIY scene, relocating his music from the church to the small stages of art spaces and music venues. He began making his own albums in his home in the early 2000’s and toured constantly. In 2012 he teamed up with Justin Peter Kinkel-Schuster to form the band Water Liars. They made 4 albums together and played thousands of shows before giving it up. Andrew now lives in Oxford, Mississippi with his wife Sarah-SoonLing and his three children, making as much music as he can in his home studio.RED BIRDShttps://redbirds.bandcamp.com/ Red Birds deliver an honest and heartfelt take on indie folk music. Through their songwriting they explore the balance of work, family, creativity, and mortality while trying to have fun and stay comfy. ALL SHOWS AT THE DOLPHIN ARE 21+, NO EXCEPTIONS