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From The Desk Of The Van Pelt’s Chris Leo: All The Weirdos Along The Delaware River

The Van Pelt‘s Stealing From Our Favorite Thieves (1996) and Sultans Of Sentiment (1997), in hindsight, provided a number of significant indie-rock mile markers. The band was led by Ted’s brother, Chris Leo; Stealing recorded by Alap Momin (ex-Dälek); bassist Toko Yasuda went back and forth between TVP and Blonde Redhead after that record; and both albums saw the light of day via cult label Gern Blandsten. After being out of print since the turn of the century, the original tapes have been mined for reissue treatment by Spain’s La Castanya, allowing listeners to trace the band from its gorgeously melodic and incendiary, post-hardcore beginnings a la the Jazz June and Texas Is The Reason to a more subdued, Slint-like bent with Leo’s increasingly spoken-word vocal style by the time the last notes ring out on Sultans. Leo will be guest editing magnetmagazine.com all week.

Leo: Philly already rules, so it might be tough to imagine that as you move further out, it just keeps getting cooler, but it does if you know what rocks to look under. Maybe you were fortunate to get to see a concert put on by German-Mexican twins Zach and Zeke in the Wilkes-Barre zone. Or maybe you stumbled upon a hidden forest recording session of Dragon Turtle and friends. Or maybe you’re a fan of porn star intellectual Conner Habib. Or maybe you stopped for some classy drinks at an Inn On The Delaware Water Gap and happened to have caught a set by Ludovico Rogallini. Point is, these woods are filled with artists making stuff just because. Check out this album by Our Bodies Themselves, some band from Bucks County that goes through all the trouble of making and recording fantastic music … just because.