Julia Rainer crafts a clear cathartic musical vision. A power lies in the open expression of the singer-songwriter’s folk/Americana. Amid the serenity of open natural spaces, a stirring haunt develops. Perhaps, it’s that the lyricism casts vivid imagery into the atmosphere, resonating and reverberating throughout your being. Soulful vocals chronicle earnest narratives, serving as a catalyst to a captivating calm. Tonight at No Face Studios, Rainer will be joined by the duo of Hetepsa and Nu Ra, a.k.a. Camp Candle, whom dispense hypnotically sleek, airy electropop. The sparse, eerie, dimly illuminated yet resounding songs of Weekend Athlete find a way to linger/stay with you, completing this three-pronged local lineup. – Michael Colavita 

More places where you can find the locals this weekend…

No Face Studios (5213 Grays Ave.) FRI Camp Candle, Julia Rainer, Weekend Athlete

Johnny Brenda’s (1201 N. Frankford Ave.) SAT Mo Lowda & the Humble

Boot & Saddle (1131 S. Broad St.) SAT Chestnut Grove

Kung Fu Necktie (1250 N. Front St.) FRI Dear Forbidden, Valentina Janie/DJ Deejay, SAT Ramona, Teenage Bigfoot/DJSC, SUN Grave Blankets, Usti Waya

Underground Arts (1200 Callowhill St.) FRI DJ Shearn

The Trocadero (1003 Arch St.) FRI 21st Annual Philadelphia Tattoo Arts Convention Afterparty: Nightfall, Asthmatix, SUN Theory of a King, Enigmyst, 100 Men On Mars, Big Handsome, MarsDog

The Foundry (1000 Frankford Ave.) SAT DJ Love, Killsing, Yolo Ono 

World Café Live (3025 Walnut St.) FRI (Upstairs) Jackson Pines, SAT (Upstairs) Kayleigh Goldsworthy, Jesse Barki

The Fire (412 W. Girard Ave.) FRI Magnificent Birds of Prey, BEES, Good Morning, Daydreamer, SAT The Prisoners, The Barren Marys, Seeing Snakes, Vixen77

Ortlieb’s Lounge (847 N. 3^rd St.) FRI Deadfellow, Something Like A Monument, Chalk & the Beige Americans, Starterjacket, SAT The Dull Blue Lights, Scantron, SUN Barney Cortez, The Fleeting Ends, Earth Radio

Bourbon & Branch (705 N. 2^nd St.) FRI Bears Have Hearts, VAS, Firm Taqtics, SAT Tom Mackell, J Solomon, JW Farrell, SUN Mew Kardo, Jiliyah, Buckavali

The Barbary (951 Frankford Ave.) FRI Tigerbeats/Sweat Daddy, SAT TheresDrinkingToBeDone.com

Silk City (435 Spring Garden St.) SAT DJ Deejay, SUN Jacky Bambam, DJ Deejay

Fergie’s (1214 Sansom St.) SAT The Joe Borsellino Trio, SUN Rusty Cadillac 

Connie’s Ric Rac (1132 S. 9^th St.) FRI Rover Rover, Cubbage, SAT The Robinsons, Wrong Turn

Frankie Bradley’s (1320 Chancellor St.) FRI Dottie Riot’s Music Revue/Ben Aire, SAT Ed Christof

Voltage Lounge (421 N. 7^th St.) SAT Goalkeeper/Sad & Boujee 

The Tusk (430 South St.) FRI The Haunting, THE END A.D. Voodoo Death Cult

Century (1350 S. 29^th St.) FRI Loafass, The Boardwalk Kings, Wrong Turn, SAT Wrists (Tape Release)

The Grape Room (105 Grape St.) SAT The Output, Ryan Corcoran, Dom & Jesse, Cookie Rabinowitz

Ardmore Music Hall (23 E. Lancaster Ave.) FRI Splintered Sunlight, Wax Future, SAT Hannah Taylor & Rekardo Lee

Everybody Hits (529 W. Girard Ave.) FRI Beach Bod, SUN Past Life

The Pharmacy (1300 S. 18^th St.) FRI Fallible Being, Rasan In the Heyday 

First Unitarian Church (2125 Chestnut St.) SUN Alone In A Crowd :a Benefit for Howie: Pagan Babies, Let Down, Nowhere Roads

The Music Ward (Please contact one of the acts or venue for more info.) SAT Flux Capacitor, Solar Circuit

“Feeling anger after an encounter in which the rights of trans and non-binary folks and women were belittled and disregarded,” Julia Rainer penned a new single, “I’m Not Like You”. Paced by the percussion, the languid ring of guitar and the expansive vocal echo creates a track that hits at the core as Rainer satirically dives into one of the many divides that currently separates our society. Rather than embracing differences and finding common ground via empathy, fear is currently being used as fuel to justify and enable cruelty; however, art will always be here to push back - much love.

An assemblage of local artists unites on a new compilation benefitting FONE (Friends of Neighborhood Education). All the songs featured on Equal Loudness Vol​.​1 - Music to Benefit Philadelphia Public Schools were recorded at Miner Street Recordings, and released in collaboration with Weathervane Music. American Trappist, Cayetana, Square Peg Round Hole, Julia Rainer, and Bitter Bitter Weeks are among the cavalcade of contributors whom hope to raise awareness and funds for schools. This is an excellent example of musicianship paying it forward/back to the future by providing much-needed aid to education.

Featured on Spirits (Creep Records), a video for Julia Rainer's “Blood Run” has freshly emerged. Directed by Alex Blaszczuk, the imagery is stripped down to its cathartic core. Clearing one’s mind by walking amongst the trees and embracing the sun, a calm washes over you. Or is it just the blood?

Julia Rainer began her music career in a puppet band at the age of 10, and “after hours of listening to Hank Williams and Leonard Cohen,” taking what she absorbed, and fine-tuning her songwriting skills on earlier EPs, the burgeoning Philly singer-songwriter beautifully pieces together a lifetime of experiences and emotions into her deeply personal first LP, a release “about the people, places and things you carry around with you.” Admittedly, Rainer was kind of on our periphery before, but with Spirits (Creep Records), she totally has our attention, and deserves yours as well. Dig into her latest below, and take a moment to learn more about our Featured Artist(s) Poll Winner HERE.