Vote for Dinner and a Suit

When we advised all our unsigned friends to submit a song or two for the soundtrack of Renee, the upcoming movie from To Write Love On Her Arms, it seems only South Jersey pop-rockers Dinner and a Suit took us up on it. [Click here] to go to page 9 of the submissions and vote for their track "It's Not Over", currently 169th in the standings. Voting continues until the 30th of this month, so hopefully we can move this uplifting anthem from local stalwarts up the rankings.

photo courtesy of Rebecca Cicione

The Fox and the Hound Show - 4/12/11

Our second show in April featured the premier of Mob Device's new track "Muscovite". We also encouraged unsigned artists listening to submit a song for the soundtrack to the upcoming To Write Love On Her Arms film, Renee. Don't forget to become a fan!

Show Review: Atlantic/Pacific

I missed Jarrod Gorbel, the first b-sides of the semester, because of a house meeting at my new residence in Harrisburg. Apparently Alex Brubaker did not deign to cover the show, so suffice to say that he is the frontman from The Honorary Title and my little sister felt the need to text me that To Write Love On Her Arms is on tour with him.

The next band to grace the Larsen Student Union with its presence was Atlantic/Pacific, fronted by a pair of music industry veterans. Garret Klahn most prominently played guitar and sang in influential '90s emo/hardcore outfit Texas Is The Reason, bookended with stints in Copper and New Rising Sons. John Herguth has played in House & Parish and The Love Scene before the two hooked up to form their current project. Billed as "psychedelic indie/folk", among other things, the duo plays live with the addition of a basic rhythm section.

To be fair, apparently a substantial portion of their equipment crapped out just before the show, surely a hard blow to any band that can be even tangentially linked to shoegaze. However, the show was simply uninteresting. The most positive comments I heard involved soundtracking mediocre movies, and quite a few students left early. The sound reminded me of a generic Guster by way of emo, and a lackluster performance gave me the impression these men are simply in a band because they don't know how to do anything else. In this era of television placements, however, perhaps all they need is to sculpt their niche sound and wait for commercial dollars to keep them afloat. A mildly catchy closing number offered a glimpse of hope, and Alex gave them the benefit of the doubt, so don't be surprised if these veteran rockers pull a great album out one of these days, but one thing is certain: Meet Your New Love is not it. This video captures the vibe pretty accurately:

If you'd like to make up your own mind, they are headed west with Gorbel at the moment-interesting coincidence-but they will return to the area without him at Kung Fu Necktie on March 4th. Hopefully they'll have some new gear.

Catching Up With Christina Grimmie

You may remember Christina Grimmie as the opening act for my birthday show to benefit To Write Love On Her Arms. That was the last independent show allowed by her manager, otherwise known as Selena Gomez' stepdad.

Since then she has been keeping herself busy getting even more YouTube famous, singing backing vocals for Gomez, and going into virtual hiding to avoid manic fans. A couple kids even tried to friend me on Facebook to get in contact with her. As an indication of her popularity, Billboard just reported that she is currently beating both Justin Bieber and Rihanna in a YouTube popularity contest, despite the former's self-parodying Super Bowl Best Buy ad. Vote for her here to ensure that I get to say "Remember when?" and "I told you so" when she becomes the new Miley Cyrus, but writes her own music. If you don't know who any of these people are, ask your preteen relatives.

Darry Miller & The Veil CD Release

This Saturday at the Chameleon Club in Lancaster, Darry Miller & the Veil will be releasing their EP "Green" on Ripple Creative Records. Supporting acts include Leona Avenue, They Were Only Satellites, Ak-Maurice (also featured on the EP), The Beggar Folk, and Dooligus. Tickets are $10 in advance, and come with a complimentary copy of the EP at the door. Contact the band for ticket availability.

If you can't make it out Saturday, they will also be playing at my birthday show, at which they will be donating a percentage of CD sales to To Write Love On Her Arms. I will be working Saturday, but I'm picking up my copy at my birthday show, and should be posting a review here soon after. Be sure to come out to at least one of these shows and support good local music!

I'm Promoting My First Show

Hey kids!
On my 21st birthday (June 4th), I will be promoting my very first non-college-related show at The Auction House in Audubon, NJ. It will benefit To Write Love On Her Arms, a cause that means a great deal to me due to the struggles of people that I love. Music will be provided by Troubador, Letters From The Prom, Pennsylvania folk trio Darry Miller & The Veil, and local YouTube phenomenon Christina Grimmie and friends. Tickets will be $10, and you can RSVP on Facebook here. Be sure to get tickets in advance when they become available and/or arrive early, as this is an intimate venue that is sure to sell out!

On a related note, help make sure that I do not lose the ability to promote in Philly before I get started, and help support the indie and DIY promoters and venues that have been creating such an awesome scene for us there by signing this petition against a city council bill that would require official contracts and other paperwork to be submitted to the city for approval 30 days in advance of each event. We don't want the arts in the same hands as the SEPTA strike.

Peace, love, and rock'n'roll,
Foxy