// Letters to YVYNYL //

premiere: Strange Parts - Weathersby

 / I keep telling everyone that talent grows here in Philly. 

Hi Mark,

It’s a true pleasure to make your acquaintance. My name is Attia Taylor! I’ve been following YVYNYL for a MINUTE. It’s true, I’ve been a reader/listener since my days as a teen on the Philly music scene. Thank you for existing and putting out good music.

I’ve since moved to NYC to follow my dreams and now here I am 6 years later doing something of that nature in research for a woman’s health non-profit. Moreover, in that time I have been working with my musical soul-mate, Corey Duncan of Oh! Pears to write a full length album. We sent emails across the country (he lived in Seattle at the time) with drum tracks, lots of humming, ambulances in the background, and a lot of mumbles. After some trips to Seattle and too much two buck chuck, we had an album.

Fast forward to about a year later I went down to Philly and Corey flew in to start recording the full length album with Jeff Zeigler in the middle of winter. We recorded for about three or four days but decided to lay down my vocals toward the end. The morning of the day I was to record all of my vocals I fell on an icy driveway, hit my head, and broke two of my teeth. My boyfriend rushed me to the hospital and his childhood dentist came in on a weekend to bend my front tooth back in place. Immediately after my trip to the dentist I went to the studio and youtubed how to sing through a lisp (chewing gum while singing does not work). This was one of the most physically painful and truly empowering experiences of my life. Never forget!

With all this said, our album is finally finally finished. Strange Parts is here and there are no lisps to be heard.

! Let me know if you’re into it. Otherwise, if you don’t respond to this I’ll be forced to look for a mailing address.

All the best, Attia T.

P.S. – We’re opening for Adia Victoria at Johnny Brenda’s on October 17th.

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We Philadelphias are working on creating our own High Line using old and unused train tracks crossing through the middle of our fair city, refashioning it into Rail Park.

After 8 years living here, I’m as stoked as anyone to see such a project emerge into possibility. To help, buds of mine are throwing a fundraiser at Union Transfer on Wednesday, December 4th, and I’ll be there to see an evening with Philly all stars:

• The Walkmen
• Sun Ra Arkestra 
• Sharon Van Etten 
• Spank Rock 
• Birdie Busch 
• Light Heat 
• Chris Ward (of Pattern is Movement) 
• Mary Lattimore and Jeff Zeigler

Ticket are available here, certainly for a fun time. Word on the street says that Spank Rock and The Walkmen will be collaborating with the Sun Ra Arkestra. Learn more on their website or from WXPN’s The Key.

Video created by The Good Motion Project.