Our weekly concert picks: February 4–February 11
What we’re checking out this week!
What we're checking out this week!
Thursday, February 5: Natalie Prass
Natalie Prass is a new name on the scene: a Nashville-bred, Virginia-based songwriter with expressive eyes and a sweet, honeyed voice that is often described as "Disney princess-esque." It's an appropriate descriptor: her debut, self-titled record, released last week — is filled with perfect pop structures, lush orchestration, and grand instrumental swells of emotion that hearken back to Motown and '70s soul — over which her voice glides, weightless. And while her sudden arrival on the scene seems equally magical, in reality, Prass has been soldiering in the background for years; Natalie Prass was recorded back in 2012; before that she had been living and gigging in Nashville for more than a half-decade. She almost quit music altogether early last year, frustrated with a musician's broke life and the record slow progress — before landing a break touring with Jenny Lewis in late 2014. The tour inspired her to keep pressing on, and this Thursday, she plays her first headlining show in Philly. Come prepared to fall in love!
8:30 at Boot & Saddle, 1131 S. Broad St., $10–12. Tickets available here.
Friday, February 6 through Sunday, February 8: The Wonder Years
The Wonder Years are among the fore in today's pop-punk scene, a scrappy bunch of dudes I probably would have been obsessed with myself had they debuted in the late '90s in New Jersey (à la Saves the Day, my high school adoration) instead of the mid-'00s in PA. Formed 2005 among friends in Lansdale, PA, the band started off as unknowns, and through hard work and relentless touring gradually rose to the ranks of stars, with their most recent record, The Greatest Generation, debuting at number 20 on the Billboard charts and earning a nearly perfect review from AbsolutePunk. Combining boisterous major chord rock with confessional-style vocals — about youth, desperation, heartbreak, and growing up — The Wonder Years stand out from contemporaries thanks to front man Dan "Soupy" Campbell's raw and incisive vocals, and a sense of emotional honesty. This weekend, they play a trio of shows at Union Transfer, performing their last three records in full, one each night. Come rage like you're a teenager, feelings of awkwardness not required.
7:00 Friday through Sunday at Union Transfer, 1026 Spring Garden St., sold out.
Saturday, February 7: Bardo Pond
8:00 at Underground Arts, 1200 Callowhill St., $10. Tickets available here.
Sunday, February 8: Parquet Courts
Parquet Courts are a punk band (Brooklyn by way of Texas), whose smart, snarky, shreddy nugs hearken back to a time when punk music had balls, or at least some sort of genuine emotion. On debut record Light Up Gold, these emotions run the gamut from simple hunger (see: weedy diatribe "Stoned and Starving") to concern about the future and making the most of time. On the surface, it's a simple formula — yet by matching frustration (and hunger) with real aggression, Parquet Courts tap into something resonant and fun, without ever taking themselves too seriously. In the past year, they've seen a spike in popularity, thanks to a Best New Music tag from Pitchfork and dozens of fun, high energy shows (I was pretty much a convert before I saw them in 2013; afterwards I was a full-on disciple). This Sunday, they bring their raucous jamz to the Church basement, where many 40s will be pounded in their honor.
8:00 at the First Unitarian Church, 2125 Chestnut St., sold out.