Pitchfork

For little teenage me, the worst thing about being underage wasn't not being allowed to drink legally. It was not being able to go to shows in bars. Growing up in Philadelphia, I cried myself to sleep over missing Sonic Youth side projects at the Khyber and third-tier Sub Pop grunge bands at Dobbs.

Thank god for R5 Productions. The Philly show promotions agency has been putting on all ages gigs at various venues around the city since I was a wee one, entertaining kids with the best indie, punk, noise, hip-hop, and emo acts on the road. Through the years, I saw Rainer Maria, KARP, Bright Eyes, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Out Hud, Liars, Delta 72, Wesley Willis, and countless others at R5 gigs, mostly in the basement of the First Unitarian Church at 22nd and Chestnut. While those shows were often hot, sweaty, and crowded, they were always cheap, well-organized, and super fun.

And--perhaps most importantly--R5 has always remained refreshingly free of corporate influence. Even as the Clear Channel stranglehold on the Philly music scene grew stronger and stronger, R5 continued to succeed as DIY independents.

Next week, R5 will celebrate their tenth anniversary with ten powerhouse shows. The lucky children of Illadelph get to experience a vast swath of the indie universe, from Animal Collective and the Go! Team to Love Is All, the Gossip, and Arctic Monkeys, all at intimate venues. Jenny Lewis and Thanksgiving are even playing inside the First Unitarian Church!

Here's the full lineup for R5's anniversary celebration:

03-20 Jenny Lewis with the Watson Twins, Jonathan Rice, Whispertown 2000 - First Unitarian Church Sanctuary
03-21 Silver Jews, the Braid Sisters - Starlight Ballroom
03-22 Animal Collective, Storsveit Nix Noltes - Starlight Ballroom
03-23 The Go! Team, Love Is All, cause co-MOTION! - Starlight Ballroom
03-24 Mates of State, The Gossip, Maria Taylor, Panther - Starlight Ballroom
03-25 Comeback Kid, Ignite, First Blood, This Is Hell - First Unitarian Church (afternoon show)
03-25 The Books, Jose Gonzalez, Death Vessel - International House
03-26 Arctic Monkeys, Spinto Band - Starlight Ballroom
03-27 Eisley, Brighten, Simon Dawes - First Unitarian Church
03-28 Thanksgiving, Watery Graves of Portland, A John Henry Memorial, Privacy - First Unitarian Church Chapel

Other performers on the R5 schedule for the next few months include the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Art Brut, Avail, Appleseed Cast, Acid Mothers Temple, Jamie Lidell, Mount Eerie, Isis, Mogwai, Sunset Rubdown with Frog Eyes, Jens Lekman, Soul Position, and Prefuse 73 with Edan.

Philly represent!