Being a local rock star may be harder than you think.
The Temple News interviewed members of Philly-based bands The Teeth, The A-Sides and Man Man for stories of the prudence and prestige that define the lives of professional musicians here in the land of cheesesteaks. Below are seven rules to live by if you want [...]

If there were to be a king of accordions, it would be Benny Cintioli.
The owner of Cintioli’s Music Center in Northeast Philadelphia makes sure his store serves as a bastion of anyone’s musical needs.
“We have everything you can think of that’s a musical instrument,” said employee Andrew Skalski.
Indeed, they have every instrument imaginable - guitars, [...]

Unlike most record companies, Manny Strong Records stresses the importance of family and community and cares about providing the highest quality product for the cheapest price.
Promoting fresh hip-hop with a positive message is the goal behind the North Philadelphia-based label that was founded by aspiring artist John “Black Cease” McCay.
Cease, 23, of Erie Avenue, is [...]

REVIEW - “Never forget where you came from.”
These are some of the earliest words on American Gangster, an album that’s proof that Jay-Z will never forget where he came from.
Call it Brooklyn, call it the streets. But whatever you call it, Jay-Z is defined by it. Hova’s gangster roots play a huge role in the [...]

He emerges from behind the pillar, his step hurried. His clothes - khaki pants and a plain T-shirt - are appropriate for the setting. He sets up his violin and begins to play outside of the tiny McDonald’s at Suburban Station.
It is 9:30 a.m. For most of the people hurrying in and out of the [...]

REVIEW - A band called The War on Drugs is a band you’d expect to be wild. Or at least political to the point of tear gas. But Adam Granduciel and Kurt Vile, who each play a pharmacy’s worth of instruments, spent their time in the green room of the First Unitarian Church on Nov. [...]

Philadelphia-based indie rock act Dr. Dog will perform live at the Fillmore at the TLA on South Street Nov. 10.
For many listeners and fans of the band, this is where the mystery ends. But it isn’t the whole story - in fact, this isn’t even the half of it.
Behind Dr. Dog, The Teeth, The Capitol [...]

MTV’s channel geared toward college students, mtvU, will host its fourth-annual Woodie Awards show Nov. 17. Unlike the entertainment-heavy Video Music Awards, the Woodies focus on the musical achievement of independent artists, handing out awards that honor everything from originality to effective viral marketing, all of which are determined by online voting.
Stephan Friedman, the general [...]

FreshoutMedia.com, a Web site for people to share their passion for music and art, isn’t afraid to explore uncharted territories. Its user-friendly site breaks down the barriers that keep independent and underground artists silenced.
It is also a hub for readers and writers of the underground media to speak their minds. If you want to find [...]

REVIEW - I thought singer-songwriter Josh Ritter was going to be very excited to talk to me last week. After seeing him be genuinely affable on stage in September, I assumed the next time we’d meet, I’d be catching up with an old friend.
But Ritter turned out to be just a thoughtful guy who didn’t [...]