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The Figgs don't mess around. The ricochet of the guitar dives out of the box like a well groomed Thoroughbred  Similar to a horse trained to race hard and fast, The Figgs come at you with gritty abandon.  The Figgs stil have their loyal fan bases gathered since the 90s, I believe because they still clingto their 90s roots with renegade guitar riffs, heady bass lines and driving  and lyrics that sweat.  "Grab Your Pack" is ripe with lyrics that to me feel like their take on the current world climate. The ricochet of the Mike's guitar fires back at you with frenetic urgency. Pete leans in with his ripped edges style of bass playing.    "Pressed white suit. A well groomed 'stache. Better exhale before your lungs collapse."  They rattle into harmonizing that sounds like a well worn sigh. Just hours before they were singing and dancing now they are covered in plastic. I pictured a posh pool party ...

Wildy intriguing and molded in a different manner, Mr. Smith and his seedlings of Houseplant are Philly's numero uno Spookadelic band. Self descbribed as " Vibrant promotions riddled with janky green screen effects are one of House Plant’s forte’s, and their generous sponsors usually bolster interesting characters (whether they’re real or fake" S mith and his gang design a full fledged musical experience not just for the ears but for the eyes as well. Building on a 70s atmospheric ambiance along with his signature look, rolling, long hair and retro sunglasses, Mr. Smith is making his way onto the emerging Philly scene.  Songs like "Colors" are jammed with spunky guitar solos, old school high harmonizing,leaning on lush reverberation levels.  Smith makes good use of his drummer in his stylized arrangements. His ability to create robotic sounds with his mic may sound cheesy but he makes it work to heightened advantage. He lends his own butter melted vocals ...

Essie sprang into action once she realized she could parlay her classically trained voice into the world of indie rock and roll.  Her voice shiver with operatic aria tones. She is at home singing classical music as much as she throws her voice into the ring to sing a Nirvana three part harmony. She is proud to let you know about her West Virginia roots and yes she knows the state bird. Her upbringing surrounded her with music. Starting in the church, she then wrangled her competitive spirit and then moved on to high school singing competitions where she excelled. She said she and a group of friends were noticed for their pipes and she thought they were nerds but "cool nerds" and the "popular" kids liked them. It is  hard not to like Essie who took her name from a play on her name Sarah Riddel.  Her songs are influenced by an interesting mix of artists  including Led Zeppelin Adele, Aretha, Janie and Elton. She moved to Princeton to pursue here...

Eli desires to wander back to where things made sense. Sarcasm Subdued. He will wait for the light to turn green. As green is his color of choice. Unpatrolled and insouciant talent emanates from this young man who has miles of travel under his belt. He is above his competition of which he has none. I don't know any else who is this young and revving up the 80s synth pop cycle complete with major production and heady fade outs.   Plus he drops sophisticated humor like a guru with a Napoleon Dynamite soul .  He imparts an old soul spirit by asking do you know what it's like to be soooo tiredddd!  Then he spits out the lyrics while crunching on his guitar.  Clad in his way over the top 80s skinny jacket, he burns the winning contract a level headed fuck you.  I watched Eli on a podcast where he exuded confidence and charm without seeming like he was so appreciative to be there. There is no over the top with Eli.  He is a level head green suit we...

Farewell Dogs is a sentimental, mature set of 6 songs. These tracks offer subdued melodies connected with worldly wise emotive lyrics, skillful guitar playing and arrangement. Barney Cortez not only crafts lyrics that pierce through your veiled avoidant coping mechanisms, he is a polished guitar player. See the video below where he lets loose on and shows the kids how it is done on a Goldfinch guitar (Kensington model.  Yet on Farewell he slows downs the pace while handling his acoustic guitar with deft charm. These songs invoke a 60s folky vibe while staying current with the introspective material. There are 2 dreamy, afternoon sun soaked interludes that conger up George Harrison in his enlightened state.  His vocal delivery tints the ear with a latent similarity to Elliot Smith, especially on the last track "Culture Club", he sings "Somewhere we are all in this culture club" Perhaps a stab at the current mood in the air.  Still t...

https://sasskicksass.bandcamp.com/releases   The level of talent coming out Philly is astonishing. I ask all the time what is in the water? Listening to my beloved independent radio station shaking the airwaves out of Philly,WXPN (88.5/91.9 wpn.org ), DJ great Dan Reed spun a tune that made me question if I had missed a hidden Big Star track. The catchy chorus and power popping riffs hit me with a hug of 70s love. He announced that it was a track from Sass, a local Philly band. Well color me happy. I welcome the return of some good old power popping rock and roll with heavy emphasis on crushing guitar playing. Sass is described by one Facebook fan as "The Sexiest band in Philadelphia Metro Area" Another fan writes "They are sassy, they are sexy, they are stone cold dangerous - and they rock!"  Sass is comprised of front man, the illustrious and talented Dave Cope, and 7 other members.  On "If Your Mother Only knew" Dave rocked it with 2 other ban...