R5 Productions is a Philadelphia-based do-it-yourself concert promotion outfit started in 1996 by French emigrant cum Ardmore, Pennsylvania native Sean Agnew.[1] It is well known in Philadelphia for hosting national punk and indie rock acts. R5 has a reputation for high-quality shows in intimate venues. Most notably, current national acts such as Vampire Weekend, She & Him, Animal Collective, Broken Social Scene, the Arcade Fire, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Jimmy Eat World played concerts booked by R5 Productions in small venues like the basement of the First Unitarian Church. The company gets its name from the Paoli/Thorndale Line which was originally known as the R5, the SEPTA Regional Rail line that connects the Main Line to Philadelphia.
R5 Productions was founded by Schirmeck-born, Ardmore-raised Sean Agnew. Although born in the Alsace-Lorraine region of France, the Schirmeck and Metz born Agnews left France in early 1981 after Sean and his brothers (Guillame and Justine) endured an extended hospital convalescence following an attack by a crane. The Agnews made a good life in the New World, and throughout high school, Sean excelled in academics as well as collecting hip hop cassingles. Despite his early academic success, Agnew was rejected from the Rhode Island School of Mortuary Science. Following his drop-out from his second-choice Drexel University. Prior to attending Drexel University, Agnew lived in Ardmore ("the Compton of the East Coast," according to a 1999 Wall Street Journal article) with his mother, Ismelda, and his father, Spiro Agnew (no relation to the politician), whose career in the entertainment industry is perhaps best remembered for his storyboarding and directing Billy Joel's "You're Only Human (Second Wind)" music video.