34th Street Magazine is part of a student-run nonprofit.

Please support us by disabling your ad blocker on our site.

Music

Fomenting the groove

When Marxist revolutionary Ernesto "Che" Guevara was captured in Bolivia and summarily executed by the Bolivian army, he never dreamed that a Penn a cappella group would name themselves in his honor.

by OMRADE JON

Wild ride

Two years ago, a car making an illegal turn struck 19-year-old Community College of Philadelphia student Melody Gardot as she peddled through Old City on her bicycle.

by JON LEVIN

New Rules of the road

Labeled by some as the second-coming of supergroup the Wu-Tang Clan, Harlem rap group the Diplomats have garnered the attention of the masses with their "pink movement." The group's leadoff man, Juelz Santana, has returned with his second solo album, What the Game's Been Missing!, backed by platinum plaque producing powerhouse Def Jam.

by ,

Spreading the gospel of rock

On most days the First Unitarian Church seems like any of Philadelphia's religious congregational centers.

by TODD GRABARSKY

Seth Cohen's ipod, you've done it again

When a show loses its edge, there's no reason for its soundtrack to suffer as well. By consistently bringing relatively unknown yet talented artists into the spotlight, "The O.C." enriches the musical horizons of many a viewer.

by NDREW LEE

Guilty Pleasure

Andrew Thompson and his genius found me when I least expected it, and I'm not surprised. It was serendipity, or karma, or something Eastern or something.

by 34TH STREET

A Composer Comes of Age

I almost feel as if I'm channeling music when I improvise," says jazz saxophonist Ron Kerber. Performing at Chris's Jazz Cafe in Philadelphia on a warm November night, his eyes are shut, and at the climactic moments his countenance becomes mangled.

by JON LEVIN

Black and Blues

On their way to the bathroom on a flight to Seattle, the Black Keys spotted the lead singer from Train in first class.

by ALEX JACOBS

The Super Furries Move on

We killed them. We cut them up, and we had one last show where we had little children dressed up as yetis.

by JIM NEWELL

Television killed the indie-radio stars

While their shows have always been received favorably by fans, Wilco has not built its reputation as a live band.

by ALEX JACOBS

Tangled up in Jew David Berman turns focus inward

Four years after Bright Flight, David Berman returns to his post as the poet laureate of indie rock.

by NDREW LEE

Hanson: The 'Street' Interview

Street Music: How is your latest album Underneath different from you older stuff? What were you trying to achieve? Isaac Hanson: I would say Underneath is probably the most mellow record we've done over the years.

by JON LEVIN

Of Mouse and men

MF Doom and DJ Danger Mouse are so hung up on gimmickry that to call The Mouse and the Mask a "concept album" comes almost as an afterthought.

by JIM NEWELL

Hopping on the Band Wagon

Death Cab for Cutie isn't just [Ben] Gibbard's band," drummer Jason McGerr says, speaking about the group's lauded lead man.

by JON LEVIN

Boys Falling in

During last year's Vans Warped Tour, a hand-held radio was stolen. After being threatened and even bribed by tour security, the culprit demanded only one thing in return for the over-expensive piece of equipment -- to meet Fall Out Boy.

by TODD GRABARSKY

Unbreakable

In Toronto, if you're not in Broken Social Scene, you're aching to get in. A total of 17 members are credited for their latest release, an eponymous follow-up to 2003's critically acclaimed You Forgot It In People. While individual projects within the band such as Stars, Feist, and Metric have achieved success in the indie realm, the combined output amounts to a blissful musical orgasm that you could never expect, even from a group with that much talent. What separates this Canadian collective from supergroups like the New Pornographers is a well developed willingness to experiment.

by NDREW LEE

"Gasolina"

Barrio Frio In Israel this summer, I lived with three girls from Bogot‹¨«. They were insane.

by 34TH STREET

Athletic Abilities

Music publications triumphantly announce when they've found "the next big thing" from the U.K. After the tenth time, it becomes hard to tell if they actually listen to some of these bands for any reason other than the fact that they're (gasp) British.

by 34TH STREET

Old man trouble

Any McCartney-branded album is bound to be a "big deal." Sales-wise, the quality of the music is almost trivial.

by JON LEVIN

Anniemal Instinct

In the world of pop music, Scandinavia has always been a source of successful imports. From ABBA to Ace of Base, these acts have remained unapologetically "pop," climbing to the top of the U.S.

by TODD GRABARSKY

PennConnects

Most Read