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Philadelphia Film and Music Festival -- September 23-26, 2010

Philadelphia Film and Music Festival – First Year Starts With a Bang
Philadelphia, PA, USA – September 23-26, 2010
by Kate Strollo

Taking a cue from Austin, TX, Philadelphia recently launched its own 4-day event mirroring the annual, and highly regarded, South by Southwest festival. Including the participation of over 30 venues throughout the entire city, the Philadelphia Film and Music Fest (abbreviated Philly F/M) celebrated the rich, local music scene as well as showcased several independent and alternative films. Also in the mix was a record and exhibitor fair as well as the first annual neighborhood block party, Girard Fest.

I began my weekend Friday night at the World Café Live located in the University City district. The line-up for the night consisted of Felix Lighter, Black Landlord, and Philadelphia superstars, The Dead Milkmen. Felix Lighter initially seemed like your typical indie rock band, but were able to differentiate themselves from every other west Philly local with their added mix of blues and funk. Yet it was Black Landlord who stole the spotlight with their fusion of lyrically keen hip-hop and jazz. Consisting of roughly nine outlandish performers, it was hard to take your attention off the stage for the fear one might miss something. To top off the night, The Dead Millkmen played to hundreds of screaming fans. Obviously no surprise here considering the band's stage presence alone, especially from front man Rodney Linderman who several times pushed his way into the middle of the crowd, is enough to have you up and moving on your feet. But that's not to say that the music was bad, not at all! Bringing back both the instrumental and vocal sounds of old school punk, I left late in the night feeling as though I had witnessed something truly rare in this day and age.

-Read the full story at UnRatedMagazine.com

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