CHARLIE HEIM - drums, arranging
JOSHUA MACHIZ - bass, arranging
ALAN ENS - guitar, vocals/lyrics, arranging, keys, producing, some engineering, cover design/layout
See this Instagram photo by @randomteasessions * 17 likes
Alan Ens [self-titled]
Johnny Showcase - The Octopus!
"...a thick, sweaty psychedelic funk masterpiece." - Philadelphia Magazine
Source: http://www.johnnyshowcase.com
Song of the Day
Customized staff paper for use in private lessons, composition, or just sketching out some ideas. Available for Piano, Drum Set, Guitar and Bass with TAB.
![song of the day [bass].jpg](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5159a2fde4b01288f25138bb/1464182315878-99SBIKDN7N1J07BMSFCS/song+of+the+day+%5Bbass%5D.jpg)
![song of the day [guitar].jpg](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5159a2fde4b01288f25138bb/1464182362193-8S989ICJLOGG2CG3G9WT/song+of+the+day+%5Bguitar%5D.jpg)
![song of the day [piano].mus.jpg](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5159a2fde4b01288f25138bb/1464182574019-SDSIIIYB8YXC2T0WVCER/song+of+the+day+%5Bpiano%5D.mus.jpg)
![song of the day [drums].jpg](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5159a2fde4b01288f25138bb/1464183378074-V0XYHZVSHZU2FAXN2UD6/song+of+the+day+%5Bdrums%5D.jpg)
Concert Review: Grady Hoss and the Sidewinders →
Heavy Brushes
Bass Guitar Basics
Getting started with the ol' 4 string.
Kenny Gamble Philadelphia Award Ceremony
The GuitAlphabet
The GuitAlphabet introduces note reading on the guitar, while familiarizing the student with the fretboard.
UPDATE: Now featuring a southpaw-friendly version!
William Gruff wins Best Rock Album [Updated]
The Syracuse Area Music Awards - or SAMMYs - have nominated William Gruff's Binghamton EP for Best Rock Album. How about that.
[UPDATE 3/7/15:] WE WON!!! Thank you to all of the listeners and musicians that participated in the SAMMYs.
The Syracuse Area Music Awards have been celebrating the Central New York music scene since 1993, and this year they've invited us to the party. Our band has a lot of connections to the region, from our favorite recording studios (More Sound and SubCat) to our favorite spacetime nexuses (Binghamton), and it *feels nice* to have some love going all 'round.
The awards ceremony will take place on March 6th, and is highlighted by Lifetime Achievement Award recipient (and Phish drummer) Jon Fishman.
We're incredibly grateful to have been nominated, and are honored to be included among such talent musical company. Have a listen to Binghamton, as well as our more recent releases, at the Music page.
William Gruff - Prepare To Meet The Dead
Reposted from William Gruff's SoundCloud
This little EP entitled Prepare to Meet The Dead is a small collection of gypsy tunes recorded live in studio in front of a small audience at SubCat recording studio as part of their ongoing SubRosa series to promote the indie music scene in Syracuse.
We were fortunate enough to take part in this and walked away with strong takes of a few tunes we felt were best recorded and released as live tracks. Our very own Vince Federici mixed and mastered them to give them a little shine before release.
One of our favorite reviews came off our first record, "I was slack jawed by the end of the first track". We'd like to think we're still living up to that standard and through constant experimentation we try to bring you music that is as diverse and exciting as the world we live in. Save for that first full length record, our EP's tend to be stylistically organized, and this new EP is no different.
Recommended food and drink pairing: Schnitzel and Vodka
2014 in Review: Favorite Concerts →
Johnny Showcase and Buried Beds are highlights from the year in Philadelphia music.
While this year certainly had its ups and downs, I couldn't be happier with the music and performances I got to be a part of. There were some banner moments for me as a drummer, and The Swollen Fox picked two of them in two separate top ten lists.
The Philadelphia music scene is many things, and while not the biggest or most influential, it carries our city's diverse, stalwart artistry. Shout outs go to fellow list mates and musical compadres: TJ Kong and the Atomic Bomb, Perseverance Jazz Band, and Divers - and of course to the other great bands that I didn't see but are great.
Buried Beds
In June of this year, I had the distinct pleasure of doing 10 shows on the east coast with Philadelphia's chamber pop wizard band Buried Beds. Touring in support of the magnificently talented Kishi Bashi, we brought our show to the TLA on June 6th, 2014. It my first time playing that stage, and a good time was had by all. The night has been ranked as an Editor's Pick in the Swollen Fox's 2014 in Review top 10, and I'm honored to have been a part of it.
Johnny Showcase
While playing the TLA certainly crossed an item off the ol' bucket list, this August 20th gig is gonna need a bigger bucket. Of funk. A big bucket of funk. I GOT TO OPEN FOR GEORGE CLINTON!!! It was an inconceivable gift to set up my drums and play that night, and the Fox's Elizabeth Thorpe (and the sold out crowd) seemed to agree it was worth remembering. In summary: George. Clinton. Parliament. Funkadelic.
Thanks to the editors, writers, and photographers at The Swollen Fox, and all the killer musicians and bands in Philly. Here's to the New Year!
Read the full article: http://theswollenfox.com/2014-in-review-favorite-concerts/
Jewels & Tinware nominated for Outstanding Album of 2014 →
The new album from the Alex Radus Trio has been nominated for the 16th Annual Lehigh Valley Music Awards' Outstanding Album of 2014. Whoa. If you're a resident of the Lehigh Valley, or a "music industry insider" that works within the scene up there, you are eligible to vote! Click here to cast your ballot.
Get the new album Jewels & Tinware on Amazon.com, and direct at www.alexradus.com.
Jewels & Tinware gets high praise in the Lehigh Valley
The Trio performing at Godfrey Daniels in Bethlehem, PA
After some great shows in support of our new release, the Alex Radus Trio has been receiving critical acclaim for Jewels & Tinware. Local music mags Steel Notes and The Elucidator had some great things to say about Alex's songwriting, singing and guitar playing, as well as the "perfect amount of interplay" provided by myself and Dan Manchester.
Win Tickets to Halloween Freak Freak from JUMP Philly →
If you want a pair of tickets to party with Johnny with PCX and Josh Hey, like us on facebook and email us at FreeJumpStuff@gmail.com (give us your name and put “JOHNNY” in the subject line).
Guitar Basics
Here's a bit of reference material for the guitar student. Guitar Basics features some simple notation and fretboard diagrams to help get familiar with the instrument. Available in common keys C and G Major.
UPDATE: Now featuring a version for the lefties out there!
Alex Radus - Jewels & Tinware
Dig the new record, finally released. We recorded most of the tracks for this record nearly three years ago, and I'm very pleased to have it see the light of day. Since those recording sessions, we've been steadily gigging in Philadelphia and the Lehigh Valley, honing the arrangements, and turning heads.
The record features some fantastic guest musicians - namely Dave Cahill on the first single We Can't Play Like Django - and genres including the jazz, the funk, the blues, and everything in between.
Alex Radus - Guitar, Voice
Dan Manchester - Bass
Charlie Heim - Drums
The Swollen Fox recaps our show with Parliament Funkadelic
Opening for George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic
Click the link below to read the article, and/or check out this little fan-made vid of us chugging through our tune "Night of the Electric Love Phoenix". There are no words to describe how much fun this show was. The Swollen Fox was there to tell the tale, noting our Mystic ability to warm the crowd and keep the funk:
At least the opener, Philadelphia “absurdist soul” band Johnny Showcase, is always in the mood for theatrics... a formidable band with catchy hooks, hilarious lyrics, and great basslines, as Sweeny and Baker have surrounded themselves with The Mystic Ticket—featuring some of Philly’s best musicians—and also enlisted the support of solid backup singers The Truth.... by the chorus of the raunchy "Hit It From The Back," the band had won [the crowd] over.
Listening List: Small Group Jazz
There are thousands of fantastic small group records out there, and I've compiled a smattering of classics to get you started. This is by no means a complete list, and I hope to bring you more soon. Until then, in no particular order, here's 12 albums you should hear.
Developing the Bass Drum v.1
This worksheet introduces 16th-note syncopation on the bass drum, picking up where Rock Basics II left off.
Stuck In My Head: Django's Minor Swing
Every once in a while, a song gets lodged so firmly in my mind's ear that it plays itself consistently for years. While this may be some sort of occupational hazard, I think everyone can relate to the ol' ear worm dilemma. Stuck In My Head is an ongoing series of posts about my experience with this, from the perspective of someone who hears AND plays these dastardly catchy melodies.