Don't "Say No" to War on Drugs

It was during the Nixon years when America officially declared a "war on drugs."
Ticket editor Aixa Torregrosa recently asked me what I thought of the Philly band The War on Drugs, and I told her I hadn't yet heard enough to form an opinion even though they've been around for nine years. That was, until I heard this song:



 Ignore the noisy first 33 seconds and the hazy "Day in the Life" shoegaze ending ... but yeah, buddy! It's like Paul Simon meets the dreamy atmospheres of The Ocean Blue with some saxes thrown in.
Right now it looks like they're touring Australia, New Zealand and England -- selling out a lot of these concerts too.

Bucks County band with quirky nom-nom releases sixth album

Alternative rock outfit Birdie Num Num and The Spirit Squad -- long-time regulars at John & Peter's in New Hope, by the way -- are up to six full-length albums now with their latest, "Subject to Change."

While making the album, they learned in almost hilariously tragic fashion why analog is dead. They had six reels of old-school tape, which they were planning to spool up, hit record and let run -- something that fits with the Bucks County band's jam-then-develop-the-best-bits style of songwriting. They recorded their first take at their studio, Robot Recordings, only to hear dead silence when they played it back. The playback head of the tape machine was shot. 

Ha, ha, ha "Subject to Change," indeed!

Among the album's tracks that you can hear on the band's Soundcloud page are "The Creek" and "Ride The Pony." 

 Birdie Num Num and The Spirit Squad have had a whopping 36 different members, that have rotated in and out since 1999. But today, they are drummers Todd Mason and J.P. Wasicko, R.J. Gilligan on bass and vocals, Joe Montone on keyboards, and Joe Ujj, who formed Birdie Num Num after a previous band had been courted by the likes of Geffen and Sub Pop during the '90s grunge explosion.

For live shows and more om-Num-Num-Num, go to   

www.facebook.com/birdienumnumandthespiritsquad