Tag Archives: wprbpresents

WPRB Welcomes Jonathan Richman On Sunday 10/12!

WPRB & R5 Productions are downright honored to present an evening with the legendary, god-like JONATHAN RICHMAN (OF THE MODERN LOVERS) this Sunday, October 12th, in the sanctuary space at the First Unitarian Church (2125 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia). This show is a seated, ALL-AGES show and starts at 8PM!

Shhh — do you hear that sound? It’s the sound of WPRB’s brain collectively melting. We can’t believe Jonathan Richman is coming to Philly, and we get to bring this show to you.

“Jonathan Richman has been writing songs, making records and performing live for most of his life, winning fans and making friends around the world with his guileless honesty and playfully catchy compositions. He’s revered by countless fellow artists, and has built a remarkably loyal international audience through his tireless touring. His deceptively straightforward songs embody timeless qualities of humanity, optimism, emotional insight and a boundless sense of humor, untainted by cynicism or transient notions of hipness.”

That’s what his official bio says, and well, we can’t argue with it. At all.

Sunday, Sunday, Sunday! Will we see you there? Let us know in the comments!

WPRB Welcomes Wire On Friday 10/10!

WPRB & R5 Productions are proud to present an evening with post-punk legends WIRE on Friday, October 10th at Johnny Brenda’s (1201 Frankford Ave, Philadelphia). This is a 21+ show, and the night kicks off at 9PM!

Since 1976 Wire have, if we may crib from Roxy Music for a sec, remade and remodeled punk in ways that continue to impact thousands of bands today. Pink Flag, Chairs Missing, and 154 sound just as fresh as they did back in the day. But don’t mistake Wire today as a mere reunion act. Send (2003) and the Read and Burn series (2002- ) hold up amazingly next to the rest of their storied discography.

We couldn’t be more psyched about this show, and we hope to see you there! Stop by the WPRB table to say hi!

Sunday: Team WPRB Hits The Road!

On Sunday September 14th, WPRB hits the streets for the 2008 Bike Philly event. Bike Philly is a family-friendly bike tour — not a race! — that explores the streets of Philadelphia, car-free. This event is put together by hardworkin’ folks at the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia. Come cheer on WPRB, or better yet — join us!

WPRB Presents the Silver Jews & Monotonix on 9/9

WPRB & R5 Productions are proud to present an evening with Drag City recording artists the Silver Jews (pictured) and Monotonix on Tuesday, September 9th at the First Unitarian Church (2125 Chestnut St.) in Philadelphia. Doors are at 8PM and the show’s all-ages.

Stay tuned to WPRB — you can win tickets to this show! Visit the WPRB table at the show to say hi and pick up free swag!

Um, what can we say about the Silver Jews (or its mastermind, DC Berman) that won’t make us sound like sycophantic fangeeks? Here goes: From 1990′s Dime Map of the Reef 7″ and onwards, Berman & co. have merged Americana and poetry into a constantly compelling package. (And oh, the Pavement connection never hurt, too.) The band is currently on tour in support of its sixth album, Lookout Mountain, Lookout Sea.

Israeli garage-punkers Monotonix open up this show and if you haven’t caught their live show yet, you’re missing out. It’s a sweaty mess of fun that hearkens back to the days of when stoner rock and maximum riffage were pretty edgy. I mean, look at that guy in the photo to the right — he’s drinking beer out of an smelly old Adidas and he’s not even a contestant on Fear Factor!

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Tonight: WPRB presents the Fringe Festival Preview Show!

Green Chair Dance Group (Photo credit: Philly Fringe Festival)

Tonight’s the last night of the preview shows for the Philadelphia Fringe Festival, and we’re proud to be a sponsor of it. If you have trouble deciding on what to see, well then, these previews are the perfect thing to help make up your mind.

The previews are being held at the Plays and Players Theatre (1714 Delancey Place) in Philadelphia. Doors open at 8PM. If you missed our ticket giveaways, fret not. The previews are easy on the wallet, at a mere $5.00 a ticket. If you like what you see, you can purchase tickets for the actual events right there!

Streetalkin.com has some great footage from one of the previous preview shows, if you need a preview to the preview!

Party On: Upcoming WPRB Sponsored Events Sneak Peek

CaUSE Co-MOTION! at the WPRB-sponsored show on August 16th.

This past Saturday’s sponsored show was such a blast that we thought now’s a good time to give you a sneak peek at upcoming WPRB events. We’ll be writing more about these bands and adding some extra shows as time goes on, so stay tuned to this spot.

We hope you’ll consider attending one (or more!) of these! Meet WPRB DJs and staff, get some free WPRB swag, and of course, watch some amazing bands. Last but not least, we’ll be giving away tickets to all of these shows on WPRB!

WPRB FALL 2008 EVENTS
Schedule subject to change.

MON 08-25
Philadelphia Fringe Festival Preview
At Plays & Players Theater (1714 Delancey Place, Philadelphia, PA)

SAT 09-06
Hotrod Hoedown
At the United German Hungarian Club (4666 Bristol Road, Oakford, PA)

TUE 09-09
Silver Jews, Monotonix
At the First Unitarian Church (2125 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA)

FRI 10-10
Wire
At Johnny Brenda’s (1201 N. Frankford Avenue, Philadelphia, PA)

SUN 10-12
Jonathan Richman (of the Modern Lovers)
At the Sanctuary at First Unitarian Church, Philadelphia, PA

Interviews & Live Reports From Free Yr Radio!

Though we have official staff recaps coming at you shortly, have a listen to interviews we taped with some of the audience at last night’s Free Yr Radio event.

» Listen

Not only did we tape interviews, we reported live from the event on WPRB! Julia from x Clean Yr Room x chatted quickly with DJ KPC at 6PM ET.

» Listen

WPRB presents Vivian Girls, CaUSE Co-MOTION!, Crystal Stilts, Home Blitz, FNU Ronnies on Sat 8/16!

WPRB and our friends at 3914 Spruce Street are proud to present quite possibly the best jangly, noisy show of the summer with the Vivian Girls, CaUSE Co-MOTION!, Crystal Stilts, Home Blitz, and FNU Ronnies on Saturday, August 16 at 3914 Spruce Street in Philadelphia.

This is an all-ages show, and we’re giving away tickets all next week on WPRB, so stay tuned! (But if you do, this show is a punk rock-friendly $5!)

» Add this event on Facebook | Last.fm | Yelp! | Upcoming

And what of these fine musical acts? Walk with me, lover.

According to one of our DJs, “Brooklyn’s Vivian Girls are the hot shit of the whole international pop underground revival at the moment. The band swiftly combines the Softies, Dolly Mixture and occasionally the Raincoats in a way that doesn’t feel like an overt tribute act.”

“These dudes have a vibe that is pretty much glasses/geeky,” one DJ says of CaUSE Co-MOTION!, “though I bet this is just a bashful cover up for ruling a lot.” At WPRB we are more than happy to let Causeco’s geek flag fly. Ever since stumbling upon this band back on 2005, all of their 7″ EPs have found a home on our airwaves. Their next EP is due out on the venerable Slumberland Records label, and we can’t wait.

Speaking of Slumberland, Crystal Stilts’ first full-length will make its society debut on the label as well. We just got one of their records in the station, and we’re digging its heavy Flying Nun vibe. Pitchfork has been all over this band lately, so check them out before….

Just what can we say about Home Blitz that won’t sound like a massive load of incestuous ass-kissing? HB’er Dan DiMaggio does host a mighty fine show here on WPRB, after all. But if it weren’t for the band’s “scuzz-tinged homilies“, we wouldn’t have been hooked in the first place. Anyway, we’ve got three words for Home Blitz: Pride of Princeton.

Philadelphia’s FNU Ronnies kick things off. So says the review on their Meat 7″, “Another blistery slab of punk rock from [this band]… Screechy, garbled vocals that touch on electronic tweaks. But unlike their noisier/destroyed contemporaries, these for the most part, are actual songs that are juuuuust structured enough for you to sink some teeth into. Eat it up.” Well said.

Open Season: Free Yr Radio Ticketing Is Up!

As previously mentioned, WPRB & Free Yr Radio have teamed up to host a concert featuring Secret Machines and DJ Dave P on August 12th at the University City Urban Outfitters. We’re happy to announce that tickets are available, so visit Free Yr Radio’s website to get yours!

Click here to get your ticket! »

Tues 8/12: WPRB & Free Yr Radio present Secret Machines and DJ Dave P

WPRB and Free Yr Radio are proud to present the Secret Machines and DJ Dave P on Tuesday, August 12th, 7:00 p.m. at Urban Outfitters (110 S. 36th St.) in Philadelphia, PA.

This is a free, all-ages event! Visit FreeYrRadio.com to get your ticket to the show! You won’t want to miss this!

What is Free Yr Radio? It’s a joint effort between Toyota and Urban Outfitters to generate awareness and support for independent radio stations they’ve partnered with. This year, WPRB was selected as a program partner, and we’re honored. They’ve graciously organized this concert, as well as a benefit compilation, to introduce this year’s selected stations to new audiences.

And for a bit of some really amazing news: Free Yr Radio has donated a brand new Toyota Yaris for this year’s Membership Drive! Between October 1st and 8th 2008, one lucky WPRB listener will actually get to win this. More details to follow very, very soon.

And now, more about who’s performing!

WPRB and Secret Machines go back quite a-ways, at least to the age of Web 1.0, before MySpace and Facebook, in those heady days when Google stock was worth just as much as Station Manager Cody’s old 1984 Toyota Corolla SR5 (exactly $0, since he gave it to the Salvation Army).

Anyway, unlike that car the Secret Machines are as valuable as ever. Texan transplants to New York City, the Secret Machines are currently on tour, and we’re thrilled they’ve decided to visit Philadelphia! Since September 000 (Ace Fu, 2002) to their last record for Reprise Records, Ten Silver Drops (2006), WPRB DJs have been charmed by the group’s early-era Flaming Lips approach to “pop [choruses] with demented twists.” In a live setting, they’re just as compelling; after their set opening up for Blonde Redhead, another DJ remarked, “They played their entire set as if it was a continuous post-rock opera.” The band plans to self-release their forthcoming next album through the World’s Fair group.

Opening up our event is local DJ and nightlife wünderkind, Dave P. Since the mid-90′s, Dave P and his crew have hosted Making Time, Philly’s premier dance party featuring live music from The Next Big Things and more. Every time we give away tickets to it on WPRB, the phone’s are ringing off the hook. So yeah, we’re really psyched to have Dave — on his birthday! — take some time out for us.