Help a Local Musician Fighting Breast Cancer

In recent months our good friend, guitarist Marisa Salazar from Da Rezarekt, has been fighting breast cancer. For only .99 (or more if wish to donate more), you can download the new track, “Fight” by Da Rezarekt. All proceeds will go to Marisa who’s financial well-being has also been compromised courtesy of her inability to work at this time. Please help. We know that you can.
Download here: www.darezarekt.bandcamp.com

What Are You Doing to Make Your Band a Success?

In the latest issue of JUMP Magazine you’ll find the debut of my DIY column for bands. Physical copies of the publication can be found throughout Philadelphia where all the cool kids go (including The Grape Room, yeah).
- Anthony

From JumpPhilly.com:
Performing live is a wonderful and rewarding experience. Any musician will tell you. There’s nothing quite like it. The bigger the crowd, the more invincible you feel. But herein lies the question – how big is your crowd?

There is this perpetual myth that venues are responsible for putting any and all bands in front of a packed club on any given night of the week. As impossible as this sounds, many bands cling to it like organized religion.

So, now what?

Oftentimes the problem is that neither party understands their role in the equation. Many venues expect instant financial results with only a minimal investment.

Read more HERE.

Stargazer Lily’s Singer Formerly Known as Steph Hayes Shares Story of Becoming a Man

From Philadelphia Weekly:
In the years since first breaking out in the early 1990s with seminal Philly band Stargazer Lily, Steph Hayes has graced almost every local stage and countless others across the country while playing in different projects: There’s the solo stuff, sometimes with back-up band the Good Problems, plucking bass with Chris Schutz and the Tourists, plus a regular gig singing back-up alongside Stargazer Lily co-founder Sue Rosetti for slide-guitar impresario Slo-Mo.

Socially, a relaxed rock-star swagger and a chiseled porcelain face has long made Hayes a heartthrob to lesbians in this town.

But while almost everyone in Philadelphia knows Steph Hayes, it’s just now becoming common knowledge that for years, Hayes struggled with a secret burden.

Read more HERE.

Steph – thank you so much for the years of music and for being such a great person through and through. We wish you all the best in future endeavors and can’t wait to have you on our stage again.

Tara – we’re sorry if you got fired for mentioning The Grape Room in this article.

YourLocalNote.com: Supporting the Philadelphia Music Scene

The good folks at YourLocalNote.com are sponsoring this Friday’s show at The Grape Room with The Great Socio, Pawnshop Roses, Joe Duffy and The Day Life. The site has become an excellent resource for what’s happening in the Philadelphia music scene. Each week a new podcast with music and artist interviews is uploaded to the site. This weeks podcast features Anthony Caroto (Grape Room booking guy), Alberto Muñoz (The Great Socio) and Zil (Pawnshop Roses). A big ‘thank you’ goes out to founders RJ MacKay and Mike Stringer for including The Grape Room and for promoting the scene.

JUMP Magazine Fall Issue Launch Party: This Saturday

Join us this Saturday, September 10, as JUMP Magazine proudly celebrates the release of their fall issue. JUMP Magazine is a quarterly-printed music publication dedicated to the Philadelphia music scene.

Performances by:June Divided, The Strange Heat, Michael Stoutenger, Declan Bennett and Cait Black.

JUMP Magazine website

Schoolly D picks up a weekly column on Philebrity

From Philebrity.com:
Philadelphia native Schoolly D is widely considered the original gangster rapper. Schoolly has recorded nine studio albums, including PSK, Saturday Night, Smoke Some Kill and Welcome to America. He has scored numerous films, such as King of New York and Bad Lieutenant, and lent his composing and vocal talents to popular cartoons including the cult hit Aqua Teen Hunger Force. Currently, he is working on several projects including a forthcoming collaborative album.

Schoolly’s debut column for Philebrity, in which he passes on some Valentine’s Day advice for the fellas.

Read more HERE.

Schoolly D returns to The Grape Room on Friday, March 4 with his band, Cookie Rabinowitz. Also on the bill: Don McCloskey, Fat Daddy Has Been and Andrew Jude.

Amos Lee Goes Straight to #1, Huzzah?

From thefeast.com:
Philadelphia’s Amos Lee released his latest LP of funky folk, Mission Bell, last week. Yesterday, it reached #1 on Billboard’s album chart, a milestone that used to be every artist’s dream, but now, signifies nothing as much as the swiftly changing music industry. Lee’s album, with only 40,000 copies sold, immediately became the lowest-selling LP ever to reach Billboard’s #1.

Lee, who was born in Philly and went to Cherry Hill HS East, had released three previous albums on Blue Note, none approaching the popularity of his latest effort. The artist, whose sound encompasses a kind of Stevie-Wonder-meets-James-Taylor-in-a-jazz-club vibe, has been busy promoting the album’s release, and headlining an International Tour, so he must be doing something right.

Read more HERE.

Origivation Magazine: Reader’s Choice Awards

From indie-monster.blogspot.com:

Origivation Magazine’s Reader’s Choice Awards Show will be Thursday, March 10th, 7:00pm – 10:00pm at The Legendary Dobbs 304 South Street Philadelphia, PA. Cover is $8. Check out the Nominees below.

Best Pop Act: Ike, The Fractals, Post Post, The Beekeepers
Best Indie Rock Act: Cheers Elephant, Toy Soldiers, The Quelle Source, TJ Kong & The Atomic Bomb
Best Folk Act: Up the Chain, Sisters 3, The Spinning Leaves, Bells Bells Bells, The Bird Choir
Best Singer/Songwriter (Male): Hezakiah Jones, Ryan Tennis, Don McClosky, Chris Kasper
Best Singer/Songwriter (Female): Birdie Busch, Suzie Brown, Christine Havrilla, Hunter Gatherer, Christie Lenee
Best Live Show: Dr. Dog, Da Rezarekt, Man Man, Downtown Harvest
Best Touring Act: Good Old War, Free Energy, Dr. Dog, Hoots & Hellmouth
Best Music Venue: Milkboy Coffee, World Cafe Live, Johnny Brendas, North Star
Best Open Mic/Oen Jam: Triumph Brewery, Dawson St. Pub, McGuilicuddy’s, World Cafe Live
Best Music Video: The Swimmers, Metropolis America, Parachuting Apostles, Sun Airway, George Stanford

Read more HERE.

The Grape Room is now on Foursquare

Foursquare – “a location-based mobile platform that makes cities easier to use and more interesting to explore” – is now part of The Grape Room’s social networking arsenal. Users (that’s you) can log in via Facebook and ‘check in’.

Checking in before 10pm? Have a $3 pint of #9 / Magic Hat, Sly Fox, Troegs, Victory Pils, Victory Hop Devil or Yards.

http://foursquare.com/venue/2115623

LAUNCH Music Conference: More panelists announced

The LAUNCH Music Conference has announced more panelists. Among them… Dan DeFonce (Love As Arson Booking Agency), Leah Urbano (Crimson Management), David Silbaugh (Grammy Chapter Board Advisor/Summerfest) and Josh Maloney (director of A&R for Dean Guitars and DDrum).

Click HERE for the most current list.