Birds of Maya

*Proof of Covid-19 vaccination required for entry*

*Attendees are encouraged to wear masks while not actively drinking*

Doors - 8PM

Urideath - 9PM

Heavenly Bodies - 10PM

Birds of Maya - 11PM

BIRDS OF MAYA

A long era of dull ringing and nothing else in our ears is over. Once again, winds of warm guitar and humid thunderheads of bass and toms rumble all around. With Valdez, Birds of Maya are back in flight. And like the first song title explicitly states, this latest is a soaring blast of riffers, rife with punk rock abandon, sludge, treble, distortion, neck-throttling rock n roll solos, pummeling drums and bass and half-shouted/half-gargled vocals, all of it half on and half off the mic. For the good times as always, these Birds!

That’s how they’ve done it: fast and heavy, hard, live and loose, amid accumulating piles of empties, in appropriately informal environments since 2004-ish, with their three LPs (on Holy Mountain, Richie and Little Big Chief) ripping us up whenever they drop. With each release, our thirst has increased, but to our horror, we haven’t found any fresh feathers from their tree in the new release bins since 2013 (and seriously, who among us can remember that far back?). In the past five years or so, there’s been a couple gigs here and there, but intensities in cities other than Philly has always been a rare thing. And with no Ready to Howl 2 on the schedule, you MUSTA wondered...were these an extinct Birds? Nah! Somewhere in Philadelphia, Jason Killinger, Ben Lea- phart and Mike Polizze played on — preferably outside (the shows are always extra-good), but wherever, really. Still making it happen as always: taping everything they play — with bass, drums, guitar and vocals fighting for space in the condensing mics of cheap recorders — then tossing the tapes aside, for consideration at a later moment. Time is a test that Birds of Maya recordings need to pass before they see the light of day.

Valdez is a good example, although it’s also an exception to their regular M.O.. It was recorded in 2014 at Black Dirt Studios in other-state New York. Yeah: Birds of Maya packed up their shit, drove out of North Philly to a recording studio hundreds of miles away and made an album. Kinda nuts. And then didn’t release it until...well, yeah — now! It’s not like it wasn’t a good time. After a Purling Hiss session there, Mike and Ben talked with Jason about how it would be a great time for Birds of Maya too, so they got a bunch of tunes they liked into shape — that is, different shapes on different days. But nice shapes. Once they got to the studio, they loaded in and set up, curious to see how they felt playing in a different room. Pretty good as it turned out — running through the songs that first night, they accidentally recorded the whole album! Then they finished up the next day, mostly. Trading the crushed harmonics of their basement tapes for studio-grade mics, overdubs in the mix, and only slightly less-bruised harmonics, their roiling essence not only survives, but thrives, non-stop, on Valdez, stuttering, screaming and stomping through six circuitous numbers.

At the time this was recorded, Birds of Maya were standing on the other side of ten years kick- ing around town, suddenly far away from the primordial ooze they’d flopped forth from. The streets where all this had happened on were changing, with new money rolling in, but they were the same old Birds, content with their libations and ear-splitting variations on old favorite Stooges chords. The cover art of Valdez is a couple images from those days, glimpses at the old grass roots before they were ripped up by developers to build condos. But nothing ever really goes away. Valdez is a totem of the wildness that refuses be tamed.

HEAVENLY BODIES

S.Bailey-drums, lap steel, synths, loops and samples

A.Burrows-bass, guitars

D.Burrows-guitars, keyboards

URIDEATH

North Philly damaged bedroom matinee metal from Uriah Killinger of Solvo and Hoagie Jungle.

In accordance with Philadelphia's citywide mandate, attendees will be required to show proof of Covid-19 vaccination for entry to all Johnny Brenda's events. Please note that negative PCR / antigen test results will not be accepted. We ask that you bring your vaccination card, a copy of your vaccination card, or a legible photo of your vaccination card on your phone. Full vaccination must be completed at least 14 days prior to the date of the event. If you are unable or unwilling to provide proof of vaccination, we will refund your tickets in full. Please feel free to e-mail us at [email protected] with any questions or concerns.

All Johnny Brenda's events will be presented in accordance with city & state guidelines and requirements as of the date of the event, which could include changes to capacity, attendance prerequisites, procedures, and other protective measures. Any updated protocols will be included in your ticket reminder e-mail closer to the event date.

Event Venue

Johnny Brenda's, 1201 N. Frankford Ave, Philadelphia, United States