Tuesday, December 02, 2008
It's here - the streaming MP3 version of the earSnake Holiday / Winter mix - Oh Come All Ye earSnake. You can play the tunes here in the upper right hand corner of the page. If you click on the logo a little player window will pop-up.

Enjoy it and don't forget you can get a copy of this magical musical melange on CD at the Oh Come All Ye earSnake party on December 22 at National Mechanics (3rd and Chestnut - fun starts at 9 PM)

Thanks to all the wonderful artist who contributed to this album. We feel it really tells the whole tale of the holiday saga. Here's a track list:

Zelda Pinwheel - "Little Drummer Boy"
William Fields - "Shchedryk"
Gemini Wolf - "Glowing Lights"
Carl Franke - "Grandpa's Egg Nog"
JSIC - "All I Want For Christmas"
Lillie Ruth Bussey - "Well It Seems"
Lillie Ruth Bussey - "Holydaze"
Gemini Wolf - "Snow Song"
Mikronesia - "Skating"
Solomon Slowburn - "American Christ"
Carl Franke - "Here Come The Evil Snowman"
Paper Masques - "Auld Lang Syne"

Monday, December 01, 2008
earSnake is pleased to announce a new band on its roster - West Philadelphia Orchestra. These guys are, without question, one of the most awe inspiring and fun live bands in Philadelphia right now.

They've got a new album in the works which will be released here on earSnake sometime in 2009. Until then we're distributing their self titled debut album that they've been selling at shows and over at CDBaby.

Here's their bio / manifesto to find out everything about West Philly Orchestra you wanted to know, but were afraid to ask.

West Philadelphia Orchestra is making a better, happier, more communal world (or trying to). We play music rooted in Eastern European folk music traditions, but we do it with our own voices - Philadelphia voices nourished by jazz, soul, punk rock, soft pretzels and cheesesteaks, and blended with the voices of our community. As a village band, we aim to inspire the people of our community, create celebrations and parties, and make the city even livelier. We play concerts on big stages, concerts in tiny corners; we play house parties and block parties, benefits and protest rallies, weddings, and any occasion for celebration. Everywhere we play, feet stomp, hands clap, hips sway, people grab hold of one another, lift their glasses, and celebrate life, its absurdities, and what is best in us.

Since its inception in Fall of 2006, when the group was just 7 neighborhood friends who basically met at a local bar, the group has expanded to become a broad musical community. These days we have up to 14 musicians currently playing with us, including trumpets, tenor horns, sousaphone, sax, clarinet, violins, viola, drums, and 3 singers. In 2 years, not once has the band been exactly the same combination of players on any 2 concerts. For parades and acoustic outdoor events, we'll surround you with pounding drums and shimmering brass. In Clark Park, a small bar like Fiume, or maybe even your living room, our 'chamber' group (strings plus clarinet, recorder, and tapan) plays lively acoustic music that swings from sweetness to sorrow. Many folks in the band play several instruments, making us a versatile and unpredictable bunch. In the age when pop-stars are created by media moguls and record factories, and touring bands beg to be heard, we are just a collection of people who hang out and make good music.

The band has played many places, including Philadelphia's Kimmel Center, Rosenbach Museum, Khyber, North Star Bar, Fiume, and we play every 2nd Thursdays at Tritone Bar. We've also played NYC's Goldenfest and Mehanata Bulgarian Bar, as well as clubs throughout the Northeast. We've collaborated with other Philly bands, including being the horn section for our fellow West Phillians Dr. Dog. In 2009, we are planning a collaborative concert with the Camerata Philadelphia orchestra, and are seeking other collaborative projects in the future.

What is this music we play exactly? Well, the music of Eastern Europe is fantastically varied and the history of the music is complex. Each town and region has its specific music, which was created over generations, but more importantly perhaps, as musicians travelled and different communities came together, the songs and styles were shared, borrowed, and so forth. The way in which languages evolve and merge over time, influenced by trade, social conditions, changing cultural practices, technology, geography, and so forth is basically how all folk music evolved too. As members of WPO began discovering great musicians such as the Kocani Orkestar, Elvis Ajdinovic, Boban Markovic, Romica Puceanu, Gyurga Pindjurova, Besh o Drom, and so forth, we began borrowing sounds and adapting them to 21st century Philly. We also play our share of klezmer music, which has been experiencing a growing revival around the world over the last 30 years with bands like Klezmatics, Shtreiml, and Klez Dispensers (disclosure: our bandleader Gregg plays with the latter, and Shtreiml sometimes too). Our original material is deeply inspired by and indebted to the Eastern European traditions. We don't try to compose music that would pass for 'authentic,' but allow our imaginations to take hold. We stretch, experiment, and push ourselves to find greater expression to the music.

In October 2008, we released our debut record, 'WPO' - pre-released with hand-made covers in April. It features original material, and some radically revisioned traditional songs. The album features the vocals of Jack Ohly and Janos Perge, solos from Elliott Levin and Katt Hernandez, and compositions from Gregg Mervine, Larry Toft, and Brendan Cooney.

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

The holiday season is upon us and earSnake is bringing back the noise! earSnake will bring you a new podcast/CD collection of holiday, wintertime, Christmas themed music and a holiday party at National Mechanics.

Here's the scoop:
Oh Come All Ye earSnake
earSnake Holiday Show
celebrating the season and all things earSnake

Monday December 22

sets by:

Paper Masques (members of Zelda Pinwheel and The Teeth)
Gemini Wolf
Shawn Kilroy
JSIC (Jalima Shani's full band)
Lillie Ruth Bussey
Carl Franke
plus special guests

Free copies of the CD

9PM

Monday Night Club
hosted by A.D. Amorosi and Needles Jones

National Mechanics
22 South 3rd Street (3rd and Chestnut)

Friday, November 07, 2008

Here's a review of CFranke's delicious CD - http://www.soniccuriosity.com/sc369.htm

CARL FRANKE: First Berries after Hibernation (CD on Earsnake Recordings)

This release from 2008 features 46 minutes of amiable electronic music.

Gentle electronics are boosted by inventive e-perc, generating a quirky coexistence that is rarely obtrusive and definitely enjoyable.

The electronics harbor a haunting air whose influence invigorates in a subtle manner. Ethereal patterns unfurl to generate a starlit foundation for the sparse embellishment of more agile sounds. These keyboards produce twinkling riffs whose reverberations are crystalline and crisp. While those riffs manifest in a minimal definition, their resonance possesses a lush maturity which is pleasantly entrancing.

Despite the sometimes simplistic nature of the instruments, the results are distinctly expert and bewitching. The melodies cavort with optimism, coaxing smiles from the audience. The use of bass elements is rare, and when it occurs their deep mood is tempered by attendant highs that sparkle in an infectious fashion.

The e-perc flows in a relaxed manner, lending a tasty element of oomph to the drifting tuneage without ever straying into overt distractions. The complimentary quality exhibited by the charming melodies and peppy rhythms is delightful.

These compositions establish a congenial mood that can serve as companionship on lonely nights. The tunes are soft yet engaging, conjuring a cool sanctuary from the hardships of life.

Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Lillie Ruth Bussey got a great writeup in today's Philadelphia Weekly. The article praises her highly anticipated album Truthful Little Ditties which comes out next Tuesday (8/19).
(photo by michael persico)

"you’d have to be some sort of monster not to enjoy such warm-hearted, homespun tunes..."

Read the entire article here or pick up a copy of the paper today.

A reminder the Truthful Little Ditties release party is in one week. Don't sleep, nap, be lazy, say "next time" or "that's lame". Come to this! Like the article says, "it’s a rare chance to see three bands (and a DJ) that sound completely different from each other but have bonded —thanks to earSnake­—in the midst of our city’s increasingly crowded music scene."

Wednesday August 20
Silk City
5th and Spring Garden. Philadelphia
Gemini Wolf, Lillie Ruth Bussey, Zelda Pinwheel and DJ Bilwa
9pm - $8 - 21+
Lillie Ruth Bussey and Gemini Wolf, earSnake, album / single release party!