VARIOUS ARTISTS: SONGS FROM THE SIXTH BOROUGH
(A Plain Parade Third Anniversary Compilation)
Philadelphia is nationally known for its hip-hop and R&B acts, but until recently, the rock scene would garner nothing more than Hooters and cheesesteak jokes from tastemakers outside the Delaware Valley. The Hooters (the band, not the restaurant chain) and cheesesteaks ("wit" please) are just fine, but take a closer look. The tides are turning.
Matt Pond PA and Audible have been prominently featured on The O.C. Dr. Dog have received accolades from the New York Times and Rolling Stone, toured with My Morning Jacket and have recently signed to indie powerhouse Rough Trade. The Capitol Years were given the rare distinction of being the opening band on the Pixies' inaugural reunion gig. Hail Social wowed audiences across the country opening for Interpol and signed to Polyvinyl Records. Espers stunned crowds across the US and UK opening up for acts such as Devendra Banhart, were recently rated #33 in Uncut Magazine's "Best of 2005" (beating out indie heavyweights Bright Eyes and M.I.A.) and appeared on Believer Magazine's newest compilation alongside the wonderfully local Cynthia G Mason. The Spinto Band were adopted by former SPIN editor/current Stolen Transmission label owner Sarah "Ultragrrrl" Lewittinn, and their their song "Oh Mandy" has become the soundtrack to many dancefloor freakouts and more recently, a Sears commercial. Pitchfork's heaped critical praise to Espers, National Eye, Man Man, Pattern Is Movement, Make A Rising -- just to name a few. And don't forget the whole ongoing Nick Hornby/Marah love-in.
In short, Philadelphia is poised to be fucking huge. To add to its buzzworthiness, Plain Parade is pleased to announce the release of Songs From the Sixth Borough, a compilation featuring eighteen Philadelphia artists covering Philadelphia musicians of past and present.
To celebrate their third anniversary of being a part of Philly's music scene, Plain Parade organizers Sara Sherr and Maria Tessa Sciarrino asked local bands to share a cover by another Philly artist, past or present. Who knows the city's musical history better than its musicians?
Songs features a wide variety of bands from Philadelphia's thriving independent music scene. A quick glance at the tracklisting shows the depth of the city's musical history from power pop to soul, punk rock, hip hop, indie rock -- even television jingles. Each band takes the best of the original material and combines it with their own unique sensibilities, turning "Songs" into a unique snapshot of the city's current music scene.
Songs will be available for digital download courtesy of Apollo Audio on Tuesday, November 22nd.
TRACK LISTING
01 Dragon City "I Saw the Light"
Original: Todd Rundgren
02 Sympathizers "White Picket Fences"
Original: Late Night Television
03 Method and Result "Private Eyes"
Original: Hall & Oates
Hall & Oates were Megan's first concert!
04 Golden Ball "Voices"
Original: Espers
05 The A-Sides "Expressway to Your Heart"
Original: Soul Survivors
"Expressway" made it to the Top 5 in 1967, making it Gamble & Huff's first hit.
06 Cordalene "The River is Pale and the Water is Wide"
Original: Bitter, Bitter Weeks
"The first person I thought of when you wanted to do a comp of Philly bands covering Philly bands was Brian McTear. He's been
executing the idea in his set for years, so it seemed like the right
thing to do. We asked Brian if we could do one of his songs, explaining
that we know his music is really personal, so maybe there would be songs
he would want us to stay away from. We used "The River is Pale..." as an
example of something we should probobly avoid (as its about
recovering from a close friend's death). He wrote back and said he would
be honored, and that "The River is Pale" would be great; so we took the
challenge. It was strange singing people's names I've never met, but I
think its one of his best songs. He did tell Jamie he thought it sounded like
"heavy metal without the heavy metal." (Mike Kiley, Cordalene)
07 This Radiant Boy "Sliding"
Original: Franklin
08 The Jane Anchor "CIA"
Original: The A's
At the very impressionable age of 7, one member of TJA's life would be transformed forever. Standing on the side of the stage, Brian gazed in awe as his uncle, Michael Snyder, laid down the backbeat for The A's at a record release show. The debut release by The A's on Arista featured a song called "C.I.A." that, unbeknownst to the band, would transform this 7 year old boy. Now, a bit older, the idea was presented to the band to cover a song by a Philly band and his eyes lit up. This was the perfect opportunity for us to pay homage to a band so influential and I hope this may rekindle an interest in The As.
09 Hail Social "New American Apathy"
Original: Mazarin
10 Lee, Jae-Won "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun"
Original: Robert Hazard
11 Bitter, Bitter Weeks "Never Enough"
Original: She-Haw
12 Rifle Nice "Move Closer to What Deaner Was Talking About"
Original: Al Ham/Ween
13 Walker Lundee "Cowboys to Girls"
Original: The Intruders
14 Evil Janet "Subtle Things"
Original: Cynthia G. Mason
CGM appeared on the Believer Magazine covers compilation, which was one of the inspirations for this album.
15 National Eye "Snowing in April"
Original: Like Moving Insects
16 Rarebirds "Trampoline"
Original: Brother June
"When I heard about this comp, I was torn because there were too many great Philly bands to choose from. I didn't want to just cover a great song, I wanted Rarebirds to give our rendition of one that held some sort of greater meaning on a personal level to me. After tossing around a few possibilities, I remembered about a great little band fronted by a really good friend of mine, Ben Faranda. I think that Brother June never got enough of the recognition they deserved. It's been kind of heartbreaking for me to see such a wonderfully talented person unable devote as much as he would like to new song writing ventures due to a recent medical diagnosis. This is why it means so much to me that he not only gave us his blessing on doing the cover, but he also honored us with a guest appearance singing harmonies on the recording."(Carolynne McNeel, Rarebirds)
17 Andrew Chalfen "Blue But Not Really"
Original: Joey Sweeney
Free Fact: Dean Clean of the Dead Milkmen plays drums on this song.
18 Motherfucking Clash "Take Me Apart"
Original: the Dead Milkmen