Who’s got the junk? Rattle off a list of cities with the best music scenes for me. Whaddya got? Austin? Seattle? Chicago? Athens, Georgia maybe? What about Philadelphia? I ask only because I care. And because the city of brotherly love would be near the top of mine.

Over the past five or six years bands like Mazarin, Shellito, Need New Body, Dr. Dog, Espers, and even the Spinto Band have worked their way into my rotation and never really left. And now Blood Feathers have joined the party.

Named for the new or developing feathers which still contain blood in the quill, Blood Feathers have taken flight with their debut album Curse and Praise (Box Theory Records). Perhaps it’s the result of selective breeding? Featuring Mazarin front man Quentin Stoltzfus on drums and Mickey Walker on bass, Blood Feathers also includes Ben Dickey on guitar and Drew Mills (Aspera). Mills’ reedy voice at times brings to mind Tom Petty (Meddlin’), at others Geddy Lee (Cat Can Coo Too), and still others Colin Meloy (Sea Legs). It’s pretty sumptuous stuff – perfect for a Sunday afternoon drive.

Blood Feathers don’t have a website, but you can listen to some of their stuff on their MySpace page, or head on over to Apollo Audio where you can listen to and pick up a copy of Curse and Praise.

• Listen to Origins
• Listen to On a Holiday
• Listen to Meddlin’