What Goes Down, Comes Back Up : Sun Airway

October 8, 2008 by · Leave a Comment
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Just found out today that Bag of Songs and Philadelphia favorites the A-Sides, who released one of the best discs of 2007 in Silver Storms, are sadly no more. There’s a glimmer of good news in the clouds though, Jon and Patrick are forging ahead with a new project called Sun Airway. Here’s the first taste of their new sound. Fans of the shimmering, majestic music of the A-Sides, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed, it’s good stuff. Give a listen.

Sun Airway – Waiting On You

[WEBSITE] [MYSPACE]

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5 On A Friday : The Doctor Is In, What’s The Trouble ?

May 9, 2008 by · 1 Comment
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According to Wiki, trouble is a problem, an obstacle which makes it difficult to achieve a desired goal, objective or purpose. It refers to a situation, condition, or issue that is yet unresolved. In a broad sense, a problem exists when an individual becomes aware of a significant difference between what actually is and what is desired.

But sometimes, it’s only just a board game, waiting for you to take your turn.

1: The Replacements – I’m In Trouble
Buy Sorry Ma Forgot to Take Out The Trash
2: The A-Sides – Always In Trouble
Buy Silver Storms
3: Dave Edmunds -Trouble Boys
Buy Tracks On Wax 4
4: Man Man – Big Trouble
Buy Rabbit Habits
5: Limbeck – Trouble
Buy Trouble

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The Top 25 Albums Of 2007 – 11 to 15

December 21, 2007 by · Leave a Comment
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Part 3 of the Top 25 Albums Of 2007. These were some of the ones shuffled around the most as I worked and reworked the final list. Stayed tuned for some giveaways in conjunction with the top ten getting posted.

11: New Pornographers – Challengers
While I liked a few of their older songs their albums felt like a lot of filler, this one delivers from beginning to end. New Pornographers sound more like a band than a “supergroup” on this one making it their best album yet. I have to add though, the live show I saw, even with Neko and Dan Bejar in tow, was a bit disappointing, good but not great.

MP3: New Pornographers – Myriad Harbour
Buy Challengers

12: Bruce Springsteen – Magic
Bruce pulls the E Streeters in for one more go around and makes what is his best rock album since Born In The USA. Although not as direct as John Fogerty on Revival he manages to deliver his own political agenda as well. The Phil Spector-ish Girls In Their Summer Clothes may be the best single of the year.

MP3: Bruce Springsteen – Radio Nowhere
Buy Magic

13: Spoon – Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
Spoon sounds like no one else. To me it’s not as immediate sounding as their last, Gimme Fiction, but still filled with great pop songs. You Got Yr. Cherry Bomb and The Underdog are instant classics.

MP3: Spoon – You Got Yr. Cherry Bomb
Buy Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga

14: The A-Sides Silver Storms
If Chris Martin of Coldplay had the same Springsteen obsession that Win Butler of Arcade Fire has, it would probably sound something like Philadelphia’s A-Sides. Expansive and dramatic without the overkill, they’ve created a shimmering, beautiful record that solidifes their place as a band on the rise.

MP3: The A-Sides – A Florida Grove
Buy Silver Storms

15: Iron and Wine – The Shepherd’s Dog
The warm intimate folky feel of the disc is something that immediately grabs you and transports you to another place. Delicate hypnotic percussion, soft strummy guitars, a sprinkling of other ambient sounds all woven together by Sam Beam’s softspoken vocal style, create an almost spiritual vibe to the whole thing that is just mesmerizing.

MP3: Wolves (Song of The Shepherd’s Dog)
Buy The Shepherd’s Dog

Previous 16 to 20 21 to 25

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LIVE: 11.02.07 The A-Sides,Say Hi(to your mom),The Velvet Teen @ Johnny Brendas

November 3, 2007 by · Leave a Comment
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Some photos from last night’s show with The A-Sides, Say Hi(to your mom), and The Velvet Teen at Johnny Brenda’s In Philadelphia. The Velvet Teen kicked it off with an extremely loud but excellent set and a sound that falls somewhere between Radiohead and Mission Of Burma. Say Hi was up next with an enjoyable set of their catchy pop. A couple months on the road since I last saw them has only made the A-Sides even better. A blistering version of Sidewalk Chalk from their first record being one the amazing highpoints of ther set.

The Velvet Teen
Say Hi




The A-Sides



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One Down, Many More To Go (No Radiohead Content)

October 2, 2007 by · Leave a Comment
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Bag Of Songs turns one this week. Wow, has it been a whole year already ? Thanks for coming along for the ride, hopefully you heard something you liked, or made you laugh, or at least surprised you in some way. A very special thanks to all the artists who have been featured here and to all of the great friends I have made along the way that make it matter.
Lot’s more goodies still to come , stay tuned.

Here’s a mixed dozen of the amazing independent artists that have been featured here over the past year.

Bag Of Songs Turns One
01: Chelsea Taube – Save My Soul From The Devil [MYSPACE]
02: The Swimmers – Pocket Full Of Gold [WEBSITE] [MYSPACE]
03: Creeping Weeds – Billy Pilgrim [WEBSITE] [MYSPACE]
04: The A – Sides – A Florida Grove [WEBSITE] [MYSPACE]
05: Elliot Jack – My Tongue In Vickie [WEBSITE] [MYSPACE]
06: Bless 1 – Starving Artist [MYSPACE]
07: Birds.Fled.From.Me – The Resisted [WEBSITE] [MYSPACE]
08: Morgan Ryan – Hallelu [MYSPACE]
09: Shrinking Islands – Swallowed In Grace [WEBSITE] [MYSPACE]
10: Desmond Reed – New [MYSPACE]
11: The Celebrities – East Coast Girls [WEBSITE] [MYSPACE]
12: Saturna – Pop Rocks [WEBSITE] [MYSPACE]

ZIP: Bag The Whole Dozen

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LIVE: The A-Sides at World Cafe Live 9-20-07

September 21, 2007 by · Leave a Comment
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Philadelphia’s The A-Sides new album Silver Storms is a shimmering, glorious, epic sounding pop record released this past Tuesday. This afternoon they brought their equally amazing live showto the World Cafe Live for a live broadcast on WXPN.
Here’s a couple pictures and a link to the archived live show on NPR’s site.
Next week they embark on a tour that will bring one of Philadelphia’s finest to all the corners of the country. Head on out and see it for yourself when they come your way.

Click here to listen to the archived live broadcast

Upcoming Tour Dates
Sep 25 2007 8:00P Numbers w/ Pinback Houston, Texas
Sep 26 2007 8:00P House Of Blues w/ Pinback New Orleans, Louisiana
Sep 27 2007 8:00P Club Downunder w/ Pinback Tallahasee, Florida
Sep 28 2007 8:00P The Social w/ Pinback Orlando, Florida
Sep 29 2007 8:00P Common Grounds w/ Pinback Gainesville, Florida
Oct 9 2007 8:00P The LC Pavilion w/Ted Leo & The Pharmacists Columbus, Ohio
Oct 10 2007 8:00P The Gargoyle w/Ted Leo & The Pharmacists St. Louis
Oct 11 2007 1:00P DAYTROTTER SESSION! You can listen at http://www.daytrotter.com/ Iowa City, Iowa
Oct 11 2007 7:00P The Redstone Room Iowa City, Iowa
Oct 12 2007 8:00P Metro w/Ted Leo & The Pharmacists Chicago, Illinois
Oct 13 2007 8:00P First Avenue w/Ted Leo & The Pharmacists Minneapolis, Minnesota
Oct 14 2007 8:00P The Aquarium w/Ted Leo & The Pharmacists Fargo, North Dakota
Oct 15 2007 8:00P THE A-SIDES – SAY HI – VELVET TEEN 28 CITY NATIONAL TOUR DRIVE DAY
Oct 17 2007 8:00P Bottom Of The Hill San Francisco, California
Oct 18 2007 8:00P Troubadour Los Angeles, California
Oct 19 2007 8:00P Glass House Pomona, California
Oct 20 2007 8:00P Plush Tucson, Arizona
Oct 22 2007 8:00P Halley’s Denton, Texas
Oct 23 2007 8:00P Emo’s Alternative Ausitn, Texas
Oct 24 2007 8:00P The Proletariat Houston, Texas
Oct 25 2007 8:00P The Red Star Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Oct 26 2007 8:00P Bottletree Birmingham, Alabama
Oct 27 2007 8:00P The Earl Atlanta, Georgia
Oct 28 2007 8:00P Local 506 Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Oct 30 2007 8:00P Black Cat Backstage Washington DC, Washington DC
Nov 2 2007 8:00P Johnny Brenda’s Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Nov 3 2007 8:00P Knitting Factory New York City, New York
Nov 4 2007 8:00P The Middle East(u) Cambridge, Massachusetts
Nov 6 2007 8:00P Zoo Bizarre Montreal, Quebec
Nov 8 2007 8:00P Sneaky Dee’s Toronto, Ontario
Nov 9 2007 8:00P Subterranean Chicago, Illinois
Nov 10 2007 8:00P Triple Rock Social Club Minneapolis, Minnesota
Nov 11 2007 8:00P Slowdown Omaha, Nebraska
Nov 12 2007 8:00P High Dive Denver, Colorado
Nov 13 2007 8:00P Kilby Court Salt Lake City, Utah
Nov 15 2007 8:00P Crocodile Cafe Seattle, Washington
Nov 16 2007 8:00P Doug Fur Lounge Portland, Oregon

[WEBSITE] [MYSPACE] [BUY Silver Storms]

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LIVE: 08.30.07 A-Sides CD Release Party @ Johnny Brenda’s

September 1, 2007 by · Leave a Comment
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This past Thursday at Johnny Brenda’s was another display of the amazing musical force that is currently swirling in Philadelphia. The A-Sides were celebrating the release of their brand new Vagrant Records CD Silver Storms (rls date 9/18/07) and brought The Capitol Years and Bitter Bitter Weeks along for the ride. It was a packed house for an all around astounding night of music kicked off with one of the best sets I’ve seen Bitter Bitter Weeks play yet. Capitol Years were up next, my first time seeing them and they were phenomenal, closing their set with a version of the George Harrison song Wah Wah including the addition of 7 or 8 special guests on stage to help out. Wow. Then came The A-Sides. I had seen the A-Sides play a somewhat disappointing set due to muddy sound problems a couple weeks back at the XPoNential Music Fest, but there were no problems Thursday night, and they delivered all I could have expected and more, encoring with a loose yet faithful version of Springsteen‘s Backstreets Here’s some photos of the fun.

Here’s a musical sample for you:
The A-Sides – Diamonds [WEBSITE] [MYSPACE]
Buy Silver Storms
The Capitol Years – You Can Stay There [WEBSITE] [MYSPACE]
Buy Dance Away The Terror
Bitter Bitter Weeks – Lo – res [WEBSITE] [MYSPACE]
Buy Peace Is Burning Like A River

The A-Sides
[PHOTO BY SinABox CAMERA]



The Capitol Years
[PHOTO BY SinABox CAMERA]
[PHOTO BY SinABox CAMERA]

Bitter Bitter Weeks
[PHOTO BY SinABox CAMERA]


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