Philly Music Fest expands to seven days, with Mt. Joy, Low Cut Connie, Mannequin Pussy, and more

It’s Philly Music Fest week.

In its sixth year, the all-local, nonprofit music fest proudly proclaiming “Philly is our genre” is expanding to seven nights.

The fest staged at independent music venues around the city (and in Ardmore) begins with a kickoff event on Sunday at Concourse Live, restaurateur Avram Hornik’s new subterranean Center City live venue.

The opening night party offers a chance for Philly music industry types to schmooze with one another, but it’s also open to the public with two worthy acts: psychedelic country Philly buzz band Cosmic Guilt and Peter Matthew Bauer, known for his work with The Walkmen and his 2014 song “Philadelphia Raga.” Bauer has just released a new album, Flowers.

The fest then gets underway with back-to-back nights at Ardmore Music Hall on Monday and Tuesday with Mt. Joy, and a Wednesday night upstairs-downstairs event at World Cafe Live headlined by Low Cut Connie.

Screaming Females play Johnny Brenda’s on Thursday.Hip-hop collective Working on Dying take over REC Philly on Friday, and Shamir tops a bill at The Dolphin that same night. The fest closes with Mannequin Pussy on Saturday at Underground Arts.

“That’s going to be the template for future years,” says Greg Seltzer, the Ballard Spahr attorney and local scene supporter who founded the festival in 2017. “One week a year will be Philly Music Fest week. We’ll highlight a couple of the national headliners that have broken out. We’ll highlight emerging bands.

“And we’ll just take a minute — or a week — and say, ‘Wow, we live in a great music city, and there’s a different show every night.’ It’ll be a weeklong Philly Music Festival, Philly music scene takeover.”

To date, the PMF has donated $275,000 to Philly music education programs including Rock to the Future, Live Connections, Girls Rock Philly, Musicopia, Settlement Music School, and Philadelphia Youth Orchestra. Last year’s total was $75,000, Seltzer said. This year, he hopes to up that number to $100,000.

The PMF has two other facets. Tech Tour is a free happy hour event from 5-7 p.m. on Oct. 13 at Guru Technologies at 121 S. Broad St. that aims “to mine the intersection of tech and music communities,” Seltzer says. Ali Wadsworth will lead a Live Band Karaoke session.

Then on Saturday at noon, an Inside Hustle session at World Cafe Live will address an imbalance in the Philadelphia music scene: lots of talent, not so much music industry.

That gratis session will start with a panel featuring Marisa Dabice of Mannequin Pussy, Adam Weiner of Low Cut Connie, Jill Ryan of Great Time, and Bets Charmeius of Ill Fated Natives, followed by an opportunity for attendees to query booking agents, producers, publicists, lawyers, and managers.

Here’s my list of who not to miss at this year’s fest. The second night at Ardmore Music Hall will be broadcast on WXPN-FM (88.5) and the Tune In radio app. More information about tickets, set times, and how to RSVP for Tech Tour and Inside Hustle is at phillymusicfest.com.

When the PMF lineup was announced, one act couldn’t be revealed because the band had another gig in the Philly market it had to play first. The mystery headliner turned out to be indie folk band Mt. Joy, who had a date at the Skyline Stage at the Mann Center last month.

The jammy pop band, named after a faux mountain in Valley Forge National Historical Park, comprises the core duo of Sam Cooper and Matt Quinn, who first played music together while students at Conestoga High School in Berwyn. They reconnected in Los Angeles, finding an audience with their 2016 single “Astrovan” and growing it with their sunny new album, Orange Blood. They play Monday and Tuesday at Ardmore Music Hall. The shows are sold-out but secondary market tickets may be available on the lyte.com ticket exchange app. ardmoremusichall.com

The Philly R&B singer is the daughter of director M. Night Shyamalan. For those who have watched Shyamalan’s Old, she sang the ballad “Remain.” Her new single, “Echo” shows off her vocal prowess, drawing inspiration from Greek mythology with a dialogue between Echo, the mountain nymph cursed to repeat everything she hears, and the wood nymph Syrinx. Saleka opens for Mt. Joy on Tuesday, along with Stereo League.

Low Cut Connie performances are always no-holds-barred rock and soul showcases and all-inclusive revival meetings. This one ought to be special because it will feature because a number of guests, including Shamir, Alexis Cunningham, Marshall Allen of Sun Ra Arkestra, and one noteworthy Philly band who cannot be named. Wednesday at World Cafe Live.

After moving to Nashville and making his name with his 2017 solo debut Heavy Meta, Philly prodigal son Ron Gallo returned home in 2020 and released the arty, pandemic-informed, Peacemeal last year. He’s back in full-on garage rock mode with “Entitled Man,” his first release on the Kill Rock Stars label. Opening for Low Cut Connie at WCL, along with Kayleigh Goldsworthy, Lady HD, and Perpetual Motion.

This adventurous Phiily sextet is led by trumpeter Emanuel Ohemeng III. Members employ traditional jazz instrumentation but strive to bring elements of trap, rock, and R&B into the mix as they blend originals with a range of covers, from Freddie Hubbard to Nirvana. Also opening for Low Cut Connie.

The power trio, fronted by blazing guitarist Marissa Paternoster, who got its start in the mid-‘00s in New Brunswick, N.J., is headlining this hometown Philly show. Paternoster — named the 77th greatest guitarist of all time by Spin — is an electric performer, and the bill includes two uncompromising young Philly bands in Ghösh and The Ire. Thursday at Johnny Brenda’s.

It’s about time Shamir made his PMF debut. Since moving here in 2015, the Las Vegas native who made his name with the electropop hit “On the Regular,” has been a creative force, releasing seven indie rock records — the most recent of which is the challenging, underrated Heterosexuality — as well as starting his own Accidental Popstar record label. Originally scheduled for MilkBoy Philly and moved to The Dolphin Tavern. Friday at Dolphin Tavern with Echo Kid and Max Swan.

» READ MORE: Philly indie-rock artist Shamir’s new album focuses on his queer identity. So why is it called ‘Heterosexuality’?

This PMF hip-hop event will go off at REC Philly, the Fashion District talent incubator in the news for its plans to open a location in Miami in 2023. The Working on Dying producers collective tasted mainstream success with 12-year-old rapper Matt Ox’s 2017 hit “Overwhelming” and have since landed tracks with Drake and Playboi Carti. The show features Philly rappers Robb Bank$ and NxG, plus special guest actor/rapper/comedian Zack Fox, who recently appeared on Abbott Elementary. Free with RSVP. Friday at REC Philly.

The Philly punk band fronted by Marisa Dabice has evolved over the last decade from an almost purely fast and furious approach to something more varied and nuanced. Not that the trio — whose songs were sung by Angourie Rice in Mare of Easttown — has sacrificed raw power. The 2021 Perfect EP mixed the polish of “Control” with aggressive abandon of “Pigs Is Pigs,” a righteous protest song against police brutality sung by bassist Colins Regisford. Saturday at Underground Arts.

Philly singer-songwriter Alex Farr made a strong impression with their 2021 four-song EP Small, and has continued to shine on spare, self-assured, jazz-inflected tracks like “Resolution” and “Water & the Wind”. A live session they recorded this year for WXPN-FM’s The Key, featured a six-piece band that pointed toward broader musical ambitions. Opening for Mannequin Pussy at Underground Arts, along with Empath and Riverby.