We go out in stormy weather, we rarely practice discern (Spoon – The Way We Get By). No cars go where we know, between the click of the light and the start of the dream (Arcade Fire – No Cars Go). The new war will get you, it will not protect you, but I will be there with you when you turn out the light (Spoon – Paper Tiger). Sleeping is giving in, no matter what the time is. Sleeping is giving in, so lift those heavy eyelids. People say that your dreams are the only things that save you (Arcade Fire – Rebellion).

That was fun. I just looked up lyrics to some of my favourite Arcade Fire and Spoon tracks (I’ve been a huge fan of both since high school) and a few of them flowed together to make a little story. I couldn’t resist because of all the recent hype about the film Inception (what’s with Leo’s role always having to do with a dead or dying spouse?) and the lyrics were about sleep and dream states and all that jazz. By the way, I thought the movie was pretty awesome. Go see it if you haven’t. Dreams are a fun concept to mess with.

Back to the music! I haven’t actually heard much of Spoon’s most recent release, Transference, but people have said great things about it. I’m more of an old school Spoon fan, I guess, ‘cause I think the only stuff I really have listened to is from when they first started out… Oh how time flies! The Arcade Fire is going to be releasing a long-anticipated album, The Suburbs, on August 2nd (UK) and August 3rd (US and Canada). Maybe if you’re lucky they’ll have them at the merch table a day early? If they do, you should mail me a copy ;) it’s almost my birthday, y’know.

I haven’t gone on much about how the music actually sounds because they’re both pretty big names now in the indie world and I betcha you’ve heard their songs before, even if you don’t know it. Example: that track that they used for the Where The Wild Things Are trailer but was never actually in the movie? That was the Arcade Fire. You like them. I promise you do. Spoon has been featured in a few car commercials, one that comes to mind is for Acura.

The bottom line is that I love both of these bands a whole whole lot and I think that you do, too. You should definitely, definitely try and make it to the Mann Center on August 2nd (next Monday) for the show!

Monday, August 2, 2010, 7:30 p.m.
Arcade Fire w/ Spoon
Mann Center for Performing Arts, 5201 Parkside Avenue, Fairmount Park, Philadelphia PA, 19131
Get Tickets

The heat is on. Inside Philly’s favorite music venues, that is. Forget the weather report and take a look at some of this week’s hottest shows. We’re not chefs here at Bits & Watts, but we bet you could fry an egg on any one of ‘em.

Tuesday

J-Roddy Walston and The Business w/Josh Olmstead Band @ The Khyber - 8 pm, $10
*Don’t plan on cooling off here. The tunes will be so hot, you’re definitely gonna wanna dance. Maybe bring one of those little spray fans with you to keep hydrated. (Alex blogged 'em up good...clicky click to read.)

Wednesday

Wynrise w/Filligar & Spencer Mulder @ Grape Room – 9 pm
*Filligar is a hot new band out of Chicago. They’ve just released an album with a whole lotta short films by some amazing directors to go with it. Check them out on the band's fancypants website. Then go see them burn it up at the Grape Room.

Thursday

Gold Motel, Mark Rose @ The Fire – 7 pm, $10
*Their hair alone is hot. And have you seen the lovely Greta Morgan? HAWT with a capital A-W-T. You will sweat the sweet sweat of love.

Friday

Restorations w/Ghastly City Sleep, The Summer Pledge & A City Safe From Sea @ Kung Fu Necktie – 7:30 pm, $8
*We can’t predict the weather, but we can predict that things are going to get heated up at Kung Fu Necktie on Friday night. These bands have a new edge on them that could cut through the atmosphere and burn the tiles of the Space Shuttle. Or something.

Saturday

Laura Cheadle @ Blockley – 9 pm, $5
*Take a listen to Ms. Cheadle on the Bits & Watts homepage player and just try to pretend that 5 dolla won’t make you holla. This is a voice so hot, you’re gonna need protective gear.

Sunday

The Wailin’ Jennys @ World Café Live – 8 pm, $25
*Hottest show of the week. Three foxy chicks with one hot sound. They’re Canadian, so perhaps they’ll bring a cool breeze with them. Doesn’t matter. Go anyway. Who cares if it’s a school night?

Monday

Jaded Son, Experience. Hold., The Coastline, Bright and Early @ North Star Bar – 8 pm, $7
*Punky, experimental, rock, electronica. There is some new hotness here that should get you going on a Monday night. Don’t simmer down just because the work week has started again.

If this heat isn’t hot enough for ya’, click here to see a full list of this week’s shows.

All Ages this week:

7/27 Chromeo w/Holy Ghost, Telephoned & Javo @ The Troc – 8:30 pm, $20

7/28 Seu Jorge and Almaz @ The Troc – 8 pm, $27

7/28 Parachuting Apostles w/The Nonstop Mint & Vitamin Cheese @ The Fire – 8 pm, $7

7/29 Bearings, Highlites, Spraynard, Holy Hour @ The Fire – 6 pm, $5

7/30 Voltaire w/Black Tape for A Blue Girl, Unto Ashes, Nicki Jaine & The Twilight Garden @ The Troc – 8 pm, $10

7/30 Will Brown @ MilkBoy Acoustic – 7:30 pm

7/30 Joy Ike w/Kurt Scobie @ Burlap and Bean – 8 pm

7/31 Evolv w/HONOR @ Chaplin’s The Music Café – 8 pm, $10

7/31 David Falcone @ MilkBoy Acoustic – 7:30 pm

7/31 Young Brizz @ The Fire – 7 pm, $8

8/2 Arcade Fire w/Spoon @ The Troc (Mann Center for the Performing Arts) – 7:30 pm, $29

I hereby guarantee that you, dear reader, whoever you may be, will at least tap your toes while listening to these guys. There is no way that once this soulful rock music reaches your ears that you won’t want to. I tell you this only having heard their new debut self-titled album, to be released on July 27 (yes! the very same day that you Philadelphia-area-dwellers can go see them in the flesh) and I can only begin to imagine how contagious their energy would be live. Soulful is definitely the word to describe their sound. I’m immediately reminded of all that music my dad would make me listen to when I was younger. So I guess I’m kind of reminiscing about the stuff my parents’ generation would reminisce about? Huh.

Don’t get me wrong, though. I’m not saying in a non-childlike manner that it’s “old” people’s music. If you can appreciate classic rock, all that great stuff that was being produced when the genre was born, then you will definitely appreciate J-Roddy Walston & The Business. I personally think they’re pretty awesome. I think the aspect of their music that gets to me the most is J Roddy Walston jamming on that piano like he was born to make people dance. Gosh, it just sounds so good, haha. Speaking of pianos, they recently did a little quickie tour in Manhattan hitting up nearly every outdoor piano set up by a project called Play Me, I’m Yours. If you’re curious about the project, as I was, you can check out an article about it here (http://bit.ly/bTIb36) - it’s a pretty neat idea. I’m all for encouraging creativity in the masses!

Anyway, as it appears that I’m beginning to get sidetracked (and I’m reaching my 300 word suggested limit for entries), I’m going to pack up and head home where I can shamelessly boogie to my heart’s content. Well, y’know, until the other people who live in my apartment come home.

As for you, you should most definitely try to get yourself down to The Khyber on July 27th to see J-Roddy Walston & The Business do their thing. If you can’t make it, be sure to check out their debut self-titled album, which will be released on July 27th.

Tuesday, July 27, 2010, 8:00 p.m.
J-Roddy Walston & The Business
The Khyber, 56 S. 2nd St, Philadelphia, PA 19106
Get Tickets

Can frogs holler? I kind of always thought they croaked. I guess that shows how much I know (a-ha-ha-ha, I knew I should’ve become a comedian! ... Don't waste those perfectly good tomatoes.) This sextet from PA seems to be an alt-country band by my assessment, and that seems kind of strange to me. But, take a listen -- it’s pretty good. I’m not much of a country music person myself (despite secretly enjoying some banjos and the occasional mandolin in the indie folk section of my music library) but somehow I don’t really mind the twangs amongst the otherwise mixed rock-folk-indie sound they have. Their lyrics tell stories, teach lessons, and raise questions, and are presented with the music through the medium of songwriter Darren Schlappich’s voice.

Sisters 3 have apparently been making music ever since they were small children and here they are, years later, performing live just for you! The very same Glen Marshall who produced one of Feist's (who is one of my favorite female artists) records, produced the sisters’ debut album, Star Spangled. Right now they are in the middle of recording a second album with indie label Vintage Modern so if you like them, keep an eye out for that ‘cause it’s coming out some time this year.

You can read up on what we have to say about Hezekiah Jones in a previous blog post, here (http://bit.ly/cZa9HJ). In sum, he’s a genius songwriter with songs that make people around here pace the office wondering a loud, "Now, how come I can't write a song like that?" I guess he makes it seem easy...

Saturday, July 24, 2010, 9:00 p.m.
Frog Holler w/ Hezekiah Jones & Sisters 3
North Star Bar, 2639 Poplar St, Philadelphia, PA 19130
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I love roots music. It makes everything homey and folksy. It is the perfect accompaniment to looking at family photo albums because it makes everything you look at a memory from Disney World’s Frontierland, regardless if it actually is or not. Inherently nostalgic and ootsy tootsy, it’s quintessential Americana, way more so than anything Jerry Garcia was associated with. Probably because roots music transcends time and space, I usually want a completely outdated beverage to go along with my roots music. Like sassparilla.

The Black River Kings are pure Tom Sawyer, through and through. They mix up their schtick with some really nice, wistful tunes and a healthy dose of foot-stomping licks. What a fun live show this is gonna be. I’ve gone on the record before, but any band with a mandolin and a lap steel is usually an excellent live show. The instruments just sound better live. If any of y’all have ever checked out a Slo Mo show, then you know. The BRK sound is steeped in some very fine classic American rock—I heard a little Aerosmith, some TP and the Heartbreakers (especially on “Highway Rider,” the lead dude is a dead ringer for Tom Petty), and even some Fleet Foxes. It’s the harmonizing, the guitar, friendly mandolin, and just the overall sound. Like they chew on pieces of hay while they’re recording.

This is really cool history-teacher-wearing-sweater vests music. It’s retro, but it’s chic. Funky. Dare I say, brassy. Davy Crockett is gonna pop out of the music player and start whizzbanging with a toy pistol. I heard a saltshaker at the beginning of one song. And of course, the obligatory but still awesome banjo!

Saturday, July 24, 2010, 9:00 p.m.
Black River Kings
World Cafe Live, 3025 Walnut St, Philadelphia PA, 19104
Get Tickets