Philadelphia Weekly

CHECKING IN WITH THE PHILLY THROWDOWN

As I write, the Philadelphia Throwdown Tour--the roving confab of Matt Pond PA, Lefty's Deceiver and Bitter, Bitter Weeks--are en route from Monterey to Los Angeles, engaged in what BBW singer/songwriter/producer Brian McTear describes as a "double figure 8" around the country. The tour is significant not only because of the quality of the acts--and even the disparity within the indie-rock rainbow of chamber pop, math-ish introspection and dark folkiness--but also because it's one of the better and more ambitious articulations of the current Philly rock thing we have going. As they spread the word of our thing far and wide, a noble cause indeed, I gave the kids a call to see how things were going.

First things first: Who's hooking up?

Mike Kennedy [drummer, LD and MPPA]: "Me and Kris [Muller, LD bassist] are totally hooking up. But that's about it. Also probably [engineer] Amy and McTear, but I can't vouch for that ... "

How have the shows been?

MK: "The shows have been pretty good for the most part. We've been playing some pretty interesting shows--like we played this high school for gifted kids in Alabama, and they were clearly starved for entertainment down there. They were asking for autographs and we were like, 'You know we're not famous, right?' We've also been playing acoustic in record stores and stuff, where you just hear the clicking and clacking of people rifling through CDs."

When you guys talk to the people at the shows, do you get the impression that there is some kind of awareness of the great crop of rock bands we currently have in Philly?

Andy Williams [singer and guitarist, LD]: "I think there is some awareness to some extent, as well as us just wearing other bands' T-shirts and stuff."

Brian McTear [Bitter, Bitter Weeks]: "Most people just think that Philly is in Tennessee, so ... "

AW: "And we also printed up these posters that have a Liberty Bell and make sure to say that we're all from Philly ... I get the impression that people are surprised that all these bands are from Philly. And I think as far as the bill itself, it works out well with Matt Pond PA's set serving as sort of the bridge between us and Brian."

How important do you think what you're doing right now is in terms of raising that awareness?

AW: "It's really hard to say. For Lefty's, most of the towns in the West we haven't played before. For MPPA, it's an extension of a lot of touring they've already done. And with Brian being on tour--having recorded so much of the music in [Philadelphia], I think the people on this tour have as good a handle as anyone as to what's going on in Philly. And inevitably, wherever we go, the conversation will get started."

Brian, what part of your producer brain is on at the shows, having recorded so much of the MPPA and LD catalog?

BM: "There have been a lot of times where I've had to do sound, but what was really cool was that at one of the in-stores, during the MPPA set, they played a vocal part in a song that I originally came up with in the studio. And when Mike sang it, I totally watched this girl in the audience clench her fist and be like, 'yes.' It was good to know that it worked out in real life. Even at the shows where the turnout is low, the people there--who always tell us that, 'Oh, you got hosed, you should have played at this other club'--are delightfully surprised at how good the bands are."

How have your sets been going?

BM: "It's been really good. At a bunch of the shows, we were like, 'God, I wish I had recorded that.'"

MK: "After we go to Vegas tomorrow, you might need to check back with us. I might not get back in the van."