On Saturday, August 29th, Popwreckoning favorite Joy Ike will be playing at Ardmore (just outside of Philadelphia), Pennsylvania’s  Milkboy Coffee with Brooke Annibale and Joel Rakes. The show starts at 8PM and tickets are $8 in advance or $10 day of.

Joy Ike – “City Lights”

Ike released debut Good Morning last year to great acclaim. Fellow blog Wildy’s World says, “Joy Ike is the real deal; a singer/songwriter with something to say and ample to talent to deliver it. A warm and inviting voice wrapped up in strong and generous piano-driven pop/rock arrangements is the general recipe for Ike, who may be the best thing to come out Western Pennsylvania in a decade or more.” We think you’d be hard-pressed to disagree.

Milkboy Coffee
2 East Lancaster Avenue
Ardmore, PA 19003
Joy Ike, Brooke Annibale, Joel Rakes
$8 advance / $10 day of ($2 byob fee)
buy tickets

If you’re closer to the middle of the state, you can catch Joy today at the Flood City Festival in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. You can also catch Grace Potter and the Nocturnals at the fest, too!

Tour Dates:
Aug 23 – Flood City Festival / Johnstown, Pa.
Aug 29 – Milkboy Coffee / Ardmore, Pa.
Sep 09 – Amani Intl. Coffeehouse / Pittsburgh
Sep 14 – Geneva College (BFCat) / Beaver, Pa.
Sep 25 – Sweetwater Center for the Arts / Sewickley, Pa.

Joy Ike: website | myspace | @ reading terminal market

I owe the world an apology. I’ve known about the beautiful song stylings of Pittsburgh’s Joy Ike for just over a year, and I haven’t shared it. Last weekend, Ike played at Philadelphia’s Reading Terminal Market, a nontraditional music venue, though she wasn’t out of place amongst the other vendors. Nestled in between the food court’s The Original Turkey and Tommy Dinic’s Roast Pork and Beef sat Ike’s Yahama keyboard, manned by Ike herself, and local accompanist Josh Cohen on rainstick and djembe, whom she found via Craigslist.

Throngs of Philly natives and tourists alike roam the Reading Terminal Market on a daily basis, and on this day, many were lucky enough to be serenaded as they shopped for fresh produce and meat, stopped in to browse, or sat down to enjoy a meal. Those dining in the food court sat transfixed by Ike’s gorgeous voice as a performed songs from last year’s Good Morning and 2006’s Before These Words Were Ever Spoken… Many, myself included, remained glued to their chairs long after they’d finished their sandwiches, and I my [overpriced] sushi.

Dozens of passersby stopped mid-stride to admiringly catch an earful of Ike’s crooning, place bills in her tip jar, sign up on the mailing list and buy their own copies of Good Morning. She engaged the crowd with brief anecdotes and by dedicating “Hey, Where Are The Kids?” to two adorable little girls in the audience. Following a beautiful performance, Joy was gracious enough to take a photo with the Popwreckoning gig pig (below).

Joy will be traveling the East Coast this summer (dates below) and I strongly encourage you to head out to at least one. Otherwise, Joy Ike’s Good Morning is available now through Amazon and iTunes.

Tour Dates:
May 21 – Main Street Farmers Market / Washington, Pa.
May 24 – Concious Cafe /  Carnegie, Pa.
May 30 – Pop Up Pittsburgh /  Pittsburgh
May 30 – The Altar Bar – Sardonyx Music Conference / Pittsburgh
Jun 04 – Club Cafe / Pittsburgh
Jun 06 - Right by Nature Natural Foods Store / Pittsburgh
Jun 06 – ArtDimensions AutismSpeaks Benefit /  Pittsburgh
Jun 12 – Grove City Strawberry Days /  Grove City, Pa.
Jun 12 – South Side Presbyterian Church Coffeehouse / Pittsburgh
Jun 13 – Your Inner Vagabond / Pittsburgh
Jun 16 – Community Human Services Benefit /  Pittsburgh
Jun 18 – Teavolve /  Baltimore *
Jun 19 – Joe Squared / Baltimore
Jun 20 – TBD / Baltimore
Jul 02 – Busboys & Poets / Washington DC
Jul 11 -Your Inner Vagabond / Pittsburgh
Jul 15 - Howlers Coyote Cafe / Pittsburgh
Jul 23 – Shadow Lounge / Pittsburgh
Jul 30 – Vine & Bean Cafe / Cleveland *
Jul 31 – Victorian’s Midnight Cafe /  Columbus *
Aug 01 – Findlay Market /  Cincinnati *
Aug 01 – Rohs Street Cafe /  Cincinnati *
Aug 02 - Sitwells Coffeehouse /  Cincinnati *
Aug 06 – D’Vine Wine Bar and Lounge /  Wexford, Pa.
Aug 20 – WYEP Third Thursdays/  Pittsburgh
Aug 27 – TBD /  Philadelphia *
Aug 28 – TBD / Philadelphia *
Aug 29 - Reading Terminal Market / Philadelphia *
Aug 30 – TBD / Philadelphia *
Sep 05 – SLB Radio / Pittsburgh
Sep 12 – Carnegie Arts & Heritage Festival / Carnegie, Pa.

* w/ Brooke Annibale

Joy Ike: website | myspace