British Sea Power

British Sea Power are an all-male quartet based in Brighton, UK. A rather conceptual indie band — one that’s been compared more than once to Joy Division. Formed in late 2000, their live shows began to receive notice early on, thanks in no small part to the large stuffed birds that perched on stage and the militaristic uniforms worn by the band members. Rough Trade’s Geoff Travis was taken aback by one of the group’s (literally) wild performances and signed them right away. Attractively positioned exactly midway between Laibach and Belle & Sebastian, they draw inspiration from James Osterberg, Charles Lindbergh and the works of mesmerist, pleasure-ground manager, magic lanternist and pioneer film-maker George Albert Smith.

After their first single came out on Rough Trade, British Sea Power supported Pulp on their Forestry Commission tour.  By this point, BSP were gaining a reputation as a astonishing live act. A Rolling Stone review of the 2002 Reading festival dismissed all the other performances in a couple of lines, before dwelling on the BSP set at length: “Fuck this puerile drivel, we’re going to see British Sea Power… All of them have crazy acid-fried stares, the bass player is wearing tree branches on his head and one deliriously psycho-delic tune concludes with singer Yan beating on the drum-kit with a large stuffed owl. British Sea Power rule.”

The Rosebuds

A husband/wife duo from North Carolina who create exquisite, studio-polished, Reagan-era pop sheen tapping a serious vein in the children of the 80s. Lead vocalist Ivan Howard sounds an awful lot like another dude with two first names: George Michael. So have the Rosebuds lost their Southern charm and mischievous tendencies? Not in the slightest. Live it’s fun, lively, spontaneous pop bliss (even though most of the songs are darkly romantic gems about love, betrayal, and loss) Merge Records.

Jeff Lewis Band

Highly regarded ‘anti-folk’ artist from New York, or maybe Portland. Rapid fire lyrics with Camper Van Beethoven-like atmospherics. Rough Trade Records.

Aunt Dracula

Spacey, psychedelic tunes featuring a Waffle Wolf who hands freshly made waffles to audience members. Come early and come hungry!

Paper Trigger

With the release of their debut ’Riot Lovers’ EP, Philadelphia’s papertrigger have crashed into people lives with an astounding and relentless energy, drawing comparisons to such acts as Blackheart Procession, Beirut, Ben Folds Five and late-era Radiohead. Their songs and live show carry an undeniably epic quality about them, and yet pull on universal feelings that you’d be hard-pressed not to give in to. Theirs is a ghostly and intricate universe, full of winsome tides of raw energy, soaring guitars, haunted group chants and marching band pomp.

Hermit Thrushes

Indie Rock from Philly recalls 90s twee and ramshackle early Pavement.

Indian Jewelry

Magic comes in all shapes and sizes.

Sometimes in the shape of a bucktoothed overweight kid who nurtures six-string dreams until he discovers diet pills help him work out harder.

Sometimes it is a basketball player who makes a spirited fast break and goes up for a layup but breaks his leg in the three places upon landing and later turns to pounding the skins after realizing that his prospects in the NBA have been shattered by the same fateful landing that shattered his femur.    Read the rest of this entry »

Bonde Do Role

Bonde Do Role were discovered in Brazil and were the first signing to Diplo’s Mad Decent label. An art-school take on baile funk, pairing the biggest, silliest samples ever with comically dirty shout-rapped Portuguese lyrics. Just signed to Domino Records.

The Deathset

Whilst originally forming in Sydney, TheDeathSet have traversed the world delivering their super high energy and memorable club punk spaz attack. Now based in Baltimore, America they have extensively toured in the DIY, punk and club circuits with a sound that uniquely attracts audiences in all those scenes. Utilising just two highly distorted guitars and microphones, with a third member being their post-casiotone, electronic club backing beats, they have left smiles and sweat on audiences throughout the world with their extensive touring.

Rad Racket

The Artists formerly known as Red Rocket bring thick Zappa meets Minutemen punk rock chops back to Johnny Brenda’s. Crazy guitar solos, puzzling time shifts and D. Boon-esque vocals make Red Rocket a local band worth knowing.  Solid rock with delicious riffs and mind-bending proggy thrash-magic.

GANG

GANG is Amanda Damron and Jaclyn McGraw, with The Big Kids (Nicole McGraw and Tim Sonnefeld). Amanda and Jaclyn provide the vocals, while the big kids administer the beats. Blending rock and roll, hip-hop, club, dance, punk, and intergalactic madness straight from Pluto. Rat Poison, it comes from the center of the Earth.

The Long Blondes

The Long Blondes’ songs reflect a number of influences, including 60s pop, Buzzcocks, The Ramones, post-punk and new wave. Traces of work by another Sheffield band, Pulp can also be seen in their recordings, their debut album was indeed produced by Steve Mackey, bassist of Pulp. The prominence of these various influences varies from song to song. Jackson’s vocals have been compared to Ari Up of The Slits, Deborah Harry of Blondie and those of Au Pairs. Dorian Cox’s backing vocals are also very similar to those of former Pulp frontman Jarvis Cocker. The music features angular guitars and prominent bass guitar lines. However, the band themselves claim somewhat more eclectic influences than their sound suggests, citing Burt Bacharach, Holland-Dozier-Holland, Chinn and Chapman, and Stock, Aitken and Waterman as influences. The band gained notoriety early on in their career for their bold proclamation “We do not listen to The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, The Doors or Bob Dylan. We chose an instrument each and learnt to play it.”

Drug Rug

Rambunctious ans quirky pop music from Cambridge, Mass. Boy girl vocals, tambourines and slippery Velvet Underground arpeggios weave a web of blissed out melody.

Bamboo Shoots

Emotive dancerock from Brooklyn/Jersey.

Yo Majesty

Three freaky Florida femmes with rhymes spicier than Salt -N-Pepa and bombastic beats that’d make J.J. Fad proud (eat your humps out, Fergie). This old-school girl trio may be naughty — check out the choppy synth bobs and bossy braggadocio of “Kryptonite Pussy” and “Hustle Mode” — but the fierce delivery makes it come off fresh, never forced .

Does It Offend You, Yeah?

Does It Offend You, Yeah? are often compared to dance-orientated acts like Daft Punk, Justice and Digitalism. However, NME has also compared them to bands like Muse and !!! due to their heavier, more ‘live’ sound.[1] The group are known for their raucous live shows, which often end in stage diving and broken instruments.
They have remixed songs for major acts such as Muse and Bloc Party. They supported The Cribs on the NME Awards Tour, which took place at venues across the UK and Ireland at the start of 2008

Bennie E

Philly MC with chronic mic influenza.

First annual FUNSTIVAL with mucho bands, djs, performers, etc.

Plus DJ Royal T (freestyle/electro/funk)
Pink Skull
And…dance performances, raffles, and more.
21+ Proper ID Required 

Los Campesinos!

Los Campesinos! play superbly crafted indie pop that bounces off walls like Love Is All, grins with the childlike exuberance of Bis, and throws the toy chest into its arrangements like Architecture in Helsinki. Glockenspiels and pizzicato violin veer into reckless guitar riffs and full-bodied handclaps– or fizz over, like Mentos and Coke, into happy-stupid crescendos. Gareth shares lead vocal duties with the similarly pseudonymous Aleksandra Campesino!, and their boy-girl exchanges give the music an extra, sweet frisson. Newfeld’s treatment turns “You! Me! Dancing!” from a lo-fi rallying cry into an unstoppable force for converting spindly legs into dancefloor blurs… Beneath all the exclamation points, Los Campesinos! sneak in charming lyrics that range from the everyday to the absurd.  -Pitchfork

June 30th at Johnny Brenda’s - Get your Tickets before it SELLS OUT!

Tickets for ALL shows are now available at the downstairs bar! Come on by and pick up a pair at our CASH-ONLY ticket vending setup.

Of course you can also order them from the comfort of your home through www.johnnybrendas.com.

Either way, we’re thrilled to offer you the convenience of this new service. Just come on down, have a seat, grab a tasty local brew or JBs cheeseburger, and ponder the following:

Dead Meadow, Foals, American Music Club, Film School, The Kills, Clinic, Earth, British Sea Power, Bonde Do Role, plus much more.