The Birdhouse – Temple U Basement Show
By Sean McCall
This local show will be held on March 26, 2016, in Philadelphia, PA near Temple University’s campus. Although it is a local Philadelphia show, the bands consist of other areas such as South Jersey, Asbury Lanes, NJ, near the shore, as well as other places in Pennsylvania. The bands to play next weekend are Teenage Halloween, Downer, Brandon Can’t Dance (PA), Water Polo (PA), Breaking Tradition, and Howlish (PA).
The first band, Teenage Halloween, is a Folk Punk band from the shore in Asbury Park, NJ. They are signed under a label called “That’s Stupid Records.” They have ten members in their band ranging from your normal guitar, bass, and drums combo -- to horns, saxophone, and even banjo. This band has a lot of energy and a very unique sound compared to most bands in this area, while using a very tasteful use of instruments you don’t usually see in bands in this area too often.
Teenage Halloween. Photo courtesy of Teenage Halloween
The second band to play is Downer from Tabernacle, NJ, which lies in the Pine Barrens. Downer is a 4-piece band with a huge sound. They have a very full sound while maintaining a good mix, and their singer, Josh O’Hara, has a very unique and powerful voice. He has a very high range, which helps this band stick out a lot in the huge melting pot of talented bands in our area.
Downer. Photo courtesy of Downer
The third band on this show, Brandon Can’t Dance, is another band with a unique style of music that you don’t hear too often around here. Their Bandcamp's genre tags include “electro pop, experimental, lo-fi, etc.,” but I would recommend checking them out yourself to categorize them. They’re definitely a group of talented musicians writing unique lo-fi music that will hit you right in the feels.
Brandon Can't Dance. Photo courtesy of Brandon Can't Dance
The fourth band on the bill is Water Polo, an alternative/emo band from Temple University. These four individuals are all very good people making very good music. It is very obvious they enjoy performing when you get to see them live. This group puts on a very fun show with feel-good, dynamically driven music, with lots of pretty sounding progressions and melodies.
Water Polo. Photo courtesy of Water Polo
The fifth band to play is an alternative band from New Jersey, called Breaking Tradition. This group is a five-piece band playing emotional and raw alternative music. With three guitarist/vocalists, their harmonies are consistently decorating each other throughout the songs. Many different layers of guitar and vocals are going back and forth, then clashing head to head constantly, making their music very dynamic and story-like.
Breaking Tradition. Photo courtesy of Breaking Tradition / Tyler DeMuro
Last, but certainly not least, to play was Howlish. This group is from Philadelphia as well, and they give me an alternative/indie vibe. Their vocals are very straightforward and feel-good. For some reason when I first heard their recordings, I was reminded of a newer Cage the Elephant kind of sound with their own style.
Howlish. Photo courtesy of Howlish
This show’s Promoter is Jordy Lyric, who books her own house shows in Philadelphia. She is a college student at Temple University studying Photojournalism. This show will be at “The Birdhouse” in Philadelphia, PA for only $5. So far, according to Facebook, 89 people are confirmed “going,”while 289 people are “interested,” so this show should have a solid turn out! If you are interested in attending this event you can find the Facebook event page, where you can confirm “interested” or “going,” here.
About the Writer
Sean McCall is a Music Business Technology Major studying at Rowan University with a Minor in Theatre. He has been attending shows and events since he was in middle school and has had his own band he’s been involved in for about 7 years called Breaking Tradition. He has been actively involved in the music scene since he was young and holds an overall passion for all types of music. He has an ear for music and tries to pick up as many instruments as he can. Sean has sung in multiple competitive honor choirs throughout the country, ranging from All-State Honor Choir to as far as All-National Honor Choir, and plans to take off in the Music Industry in as many ways possible. Sean also recently helped book a show in Glassboro with his friends, Alex Lavallee and Alex Bradley, and plans to book many more independent shows in the near future. With a passion for music, bands, and the overall scene, he is adding music journalism to his resumé to contribute even further into this talented area we call home.