On April 27, I went to a local music hall and bar called “Johnny and Brenda’s” to see a live performance by Speedy Ortiz.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Johnny Brenda’s is a bar, restaurant, and music venue located in the Fishtown section of Philadelphia. Featuring a world-class sound system, and a balcony (a rarity for a room it’s size), it is unlike any performance space in Philadelphia. It maintains the feel of an elegant, iconic historical social hall with design elements reminiscent of a turn of the century burlesque club or theater. Johnny Brenda’s bar is 1.3 miles from my house.

Heres a map!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

About Speedy Ortiz

 

 

 

 

 

 

“From their start as a full band, Speedy Ortiz found a warm reception in the Bay State’s rock underground, from Boston’s basements to Western Massachusetts’ experimental scene. In March 2012, the band recorded and self-released a two-song single (“Taylor Swift” / “Swim Fan”) with Paul Q. Kolderie (Pixies, Hole) and Justin Pizzoferrato (Chelsea Light Moving, Dinosaur Jr.). Establishing both creative momentum and a fanbase earned through near-constant U.S. touring, they continued with the Sports EP, a loosely conceptual 10″ released on Exploding In Sound that June.

Their debut album Major Arcana, named Best New Music by Pitchfork, saw the evolution of Speedy Ortiz from a lo-fi project into a wholly collaborative effort, marked by Darl Ferm’s thick bass lines, drummer Mike Falcone’s boisterous fills, and the counterbalance between guitarist Matt Robidoux’s anti-melodic playing and frontwoman Sadie Dupuis’s angular riffing. The end result is a band able to distill their influences and impulses into something at once dissonant and melodic.

For their Real Hair EP, Speedy Ortiz has teamed up with Paul Q. Kolderie once again, resulting in a collection brushed with effected guitars and pop-conscious vocals. Here Dupuis attempts to untangle concerns about misrepresentation of identity in four songs delivered with the band’s signature abrasive clarity.”-http://www.johnnybrendas.com/event/784507-speedy-ortiz-philadelphia/

This concert was the third concert of their tour to support their new album “Foil Deer.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I really liked this poster and I recognized the art from somewhere. I couldn’t quite remember so I did a little research. Turns out, the posters have been made by an artist named Michael DeForge. Michael worked with cartoonists of the kids television show Adventure Time. The style of art is reminiscent of the show.
Here is a short bio:

“Michael DeForge was born in 1987 and grew up in Ottawa, Ontario. He began drawing gig posters in high school order to get into clubs for free. He attended the University of Toronto and dropped out after two years in order to focus more of his mental energy on drawing dogs wearing sunglasses, or whatever. He spent a lot of time dishwashing. After a few years of experimenting with short strips and zines, he finished Lose #1, his first full-length comic, in 2009. It was published by Koyama Press and won in the Best Emerging Talent category at the 2010 Doug Wright Awards. Issue 2 of Lose was released in 2010, and issue 3 is scheduled to debut at the 2011 Toronto Comics Art Festival. His influences include Jack Kirby, Eduardo Munoz Bachs, Mark Newgarden and Hideshi Hino.”

The more I begin to explore the music of Philadelphia, the more I realize how linked visual arts and music are.

Here is a video of Speedy Ortiz performing at Johnny Brenda’s!