Philadelphia Extreme Super Metro Area May Concert Previews

Time for another update on the ol' concert calendar.   Although based in Philly, I check out shows from Boston to DC.  In April, I managed to see shows in Lancaster, PA & Boston, but I keep my eyes out for great shows that shouldn't be missed.   

As always I want to share my finds!  Hopefully you can find your town on the list as well.

I've taken the liberty of highlighting shows I'd go see if I had the freedom and time to travel more!!

WHO I WANT TO SEE IN PHILLY!!!!

First, I'll mention two local Philly bands

The Lawsuits have two major dates:

5/11 with Big Fat Marker @ Hard Rock Philly – show @9pm.. just $7

5/23 playing with the Steel Wheels @World Café Live – Wilmington, DE @9pm

The Levee Drivers also have some big dates:

5/9 – Silk City – Philadelphia, PA 8:00pm

5/16 – North Star Bar – Philadelphia, Pa 8:00pm

5/31 – The Fire – Philadelphia, Pa 9:00 pm 

National act, HoneyHoney, comes to town!  

This fantastic up & comer has a great new album.  I'm away for the weekend, otherwise I'd tell you if it was a debut!  No matter, it's fantastic.  I found a few free tracks along the way, gaining "My Old School Friends', and 'L.A. River', but the daytrotter.com session sealed the deal for me.  This band is as far on the country side of the alt-folk side as you can be, without officially being country.  Whatever you want to call them, just don't miss them!

With: James Morrison
May 8	Boulder, CO	Fox Theatre	BUY
May 9	Lawrence, KS	Granada Theater	BUY
May 10	St. Paul, MN	Fitzgerald Theater	BUY
May 12	Nashville, TN	Cannery Ballroom	BUY
May 14	Philadelphia, PA	World Cafe Live	BUY
May 15	New York, NY	Webster Hall	BUY
May 16	Washington, DC	9:30 Club	BUY
May 19	Boston, MA	Royale	BUY

May 25 George, WA Sasquatch Music Festival

Under the category of who I'd want to see if I had some more travel $$$$$
Charles Bradley  & Menahan Street Band
If you don't know that Charles Bradley story by now, head to his site and read up @http://thecharlesbradley.com!   This James Brown facsimile, has a timeless sound and personally, is an inspiration to all of us struggling to find their way in this crazy economy or on this bigger scale of things, that marathon many of us call "life".

May 18 • Nelsonville Music Festival • Nelsonville, OH

May 20 • Great Googa Mooga • Brooklyn, NY

May 26 • Sasquatch • George, WA

Jun 2 • Mountain Jam Festival • Hunter, NY

You obviously don't read the blog if you don't know about Spirit Family Reunion.  At this point in their career the powder trail is lit and the keg is not to far away from exploding!  Will it be the new album?  Will it be their Newport Folk Festival appearance?  At some point the Spirit Family Reunion explosion will go off!
Spirit Family Reunion!
May 11 TomTom Festival   Charlottesville, VA
May 12 Mercury Lounge, New York, NY
May 21 Jammin' Java, Vienna, VA



Punch Brothers
May 7, Scala, London, UK  TICKETS
May 9-10, White City Music Festival, Tel Aviv, Israel  TICKETS
June 2, Appalachian Uprising, Scottown, OH  TICKETS
June 7-10, Bonnaroo, Machester, TN  TICKETS
June 16, Clearwater Festival, Croton-on-Hudson, NY  TICKETS
June 22, Red Rocks, Morrison, CO  TICKETS #
June 24, Telluride Bluegrass Festival, Telluride, CO  TICKETS
June 30, ROMP: Bluegrass Roots & Branches Festival, Owensboro, KY  TICKETS



BLIND PILOT
May 25, Les Schwab Amphitheater, Bend, OR 
May 25-28, Sasquatch!, George, WA
May 28, Red Butte Garden Amphitheater, Salt Lake City, UT 
May 29, Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Morrison, CO
May 31, Harrah's Council Bluffs, Council Bluffs, IA +
June 2, Molson Amphitheatre, Toronto, ON *
June 3, Blossom Music Center, Cuyahoga Falls, OH * 
June 5, Webster Hall, New York, NY
June 6, The National, Richmond, VA
June 7, Neighborhood Theatre, Charlotte, NC 
June 7-10, Bonnaroo, Manchester, TN 



Brown Bird
(supporting Horse Feathers)
5/06 - Providence, RI - The Met   - TICKETS
5/07 - New Haven, CT - Cafe Nine   - TICKETS
5/09 - New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom  - TICKETS

(supporting Trampled By Turtles)
5/16 - Lawrence, KS - Granada  - TICKETS
5/17-Boulder, CO - Boulder Theater  - TICKETS
5/18 - Denver, CO - Ogden Theater   - TICKETS
5/19 - Salt Lake City, UT - The Depot   - TICKETS
5/21 - Solana Beach, CA - Belly Up Tavern   - TICKETS
5/22 - Los Angeles, CA - Henry Fonda Music Box   - TICKETS
5/24 - Yosemite, CA - Strawberry Music Festival - TICKETS
5/25 - Portland, OR - Crystal Ball Room  - TICKETS
5/26 - Vancouver, BC - Vogue   - TICKETS

5/27 - Spokane, WA - Carrs Corner


Under the category of I have no clue if this will happen?   The Barr Brothers come back from Europe and have a Philadelphia gig.  But their Philly show is part of Non-COMMvention,  "an annual gathering for radio programmers from adult album alternative radio (AAA) and public radio stations from across the country, giving them a chance to preview new music from artists angling for airplay." (xpn.org)

At this point public tickets sales are not open, so we'll see if this gets to happen for this lowly blogger!

May 15Brighton Music Hall Boston, MA May 16Le Poisson Rouge New York, NY May 17World Cafe Live Philadelphia, PA   May 18Mauch Chunk Opera House Jim Thorpe, PA May 20The Hamilton Washington, DC May 22SPACE Evanston, IL May 23Shank Hall Milwaukee, WI May 24Bryant-Lake Bowl Theater Minneapolis, MN May 26Bluebird Theater Denver, CO May 27Meadowgrass Festival Colorado Springs, CO
The amazing Regina Spektor, has a few North East shows prior to the release of her fourth major label album!  I have been incredibly impressed with her, since getting 'Fidelity' as a free iTunes download several years ago!
Thursday, May 10, 2012 at 7:30pm, Orpheum Theatre,   Boston, MA Saturday, May 12, 2012 at 8:00pm, Tower Theatre, Upper Darby, PA (Philadelphia) Tuesday, May 15, 2012 at 7:30pm, United Palace, New York, NY Tuesday, May 29, 2012 at 12:00am  Album Release Day: What We Saw from the Cheap Seats
Annie and the Beekeepers / Kelly and the Hermanos One of my favorite indie troubadours, Annie Lynch has re-assembled Annie and the Beekeepers and has been putting the finishing touches on their third album!  If you are in the NYC area and want a preview.  This is your chance! Annie and the Beekeepers / Kelly and the Hermanos Date: Fri, May 11, 2012, 8 pm Venue: 92YTribeca MAINSTAGE Location: 92YTribeca, 200 Hudson Street Event Code: TW12D41127   Annie and The Beekeepers formed in Boston's notoriously brutal December of 2006. The stillness and simplicity of New England's slow-paced winter resonates in the evolving sound created by the band, now located in Brooklyn, NY. "Together with her folk- and country-influenced bandmates, Annie and the Beekeepers create symphonic, slow-burning tunes that strike a lovely balance between heavy emotion and light, sparse sound." -Paste Magazine     Brooklyn-based   Kelly and the Hermanos draws from an eclectic mix of old country and soul, yielding a singular sound they call "Underwater Western." Their fan-funded debut album, recorded at Montrose Studios in Virginia, will be released at the end of May, followed by a summer of regional touring. Keep your ears out! Tickets: $10
I thought long and hard about catching this tour, but I've been a slacker lately, and I'm not even in Pennsylvania while I write this.  So tonight is out.. But great news.  Mike Doughy was announced as part of the 2012 XPoNential festival in late July!  So my compromise, is that I am buying the book to read on my trip to LA this month, and I'll see him in July!
Mike Doughty & “The Book of Drugs” Tour continues!!
05/06/12 Sellersville, PA Sellersville Theater Buy tickets 05/08/12 Alexandria, VA The Birchmere Music Hall Buy tickets 05/09/12 Annapolis, MD Ram’s Head On Stage Buy tickets 05/10/12 Charlottesville, VA The Southern Music Hall Buy tickets 05/11/12 Durham, NC Casbah Buy tickets 05/12/12 Knoxville, TN The Square Room Buy tickets 05/15/12 Indianapolis, IN Irving Theatre 05/16/12 Columbus, OH Ace of Cups Buy tickets 05/17/12 Buffalo, NY Asbury Hall (@ Babeville) 05/18/12 Hoboken, NJ Maxwell’s Buy tickets 05/19/12 Westhampton Beach, NY Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center The Devil Makes Three tour continues!  The Devil Makes Three's seemingly never ending tour crosses the country on new dates with  Flogging Molly and Gogol Bordello while they continue to bring their  live power to Festivals and headlining dates. The Devil Makes Three's true power is best experienced live and their latest release Stomp and Smash is a live LP recorded over a two night, sold out stand at the Mystic Theater in Petaluma by Kark Derfler, best known for his work with Tom Waits.
May 10 - Stage AE - Pittsburgh, PA *  May 11 - Lupo's at the Strand - Providence, RI *  May 12 - State Theater - Portland, ME *  May 17 - Cain's Ballroom - Tulsa, OK *  May 19 - Hangout Music Festival - Gulf Shores, AL   &&  May 20 - Variety Playhouse - Atlanta, GA ^^  May 21 - Maverick's at the Landing - Jacksonville, FL *  May 22 - The NorVa - Norfolk, VA *  May 23 - Capital Ale House - Richmond, VA    May 24 - Delfest - Cumberland, MD    May 25 - Grog Shop - Cleveland, OH    May 27 - Summercamp - Chillicothe, IL  &&  May 30 - Wooly's - Des Moines, IA    May 31 - Crossroads - Kansas City, MO    June 1 - Wakarusa Music Festival - Ozark, AR  &&  w/ Flogging Molly * w/ Gogol Bordello ^^ Festival Date &&
One last mention, for yet another great band I won't get to see this month is the David Wax Museum!  They hit the road with Joe Pug, going to several of my favorite cities!  Pittsburghers, if you don't go to this show.  I'm never telling you about another show again! 5/19/12 – Lincoln Hall – Chicago IL 5/20/12 – The Bishop Bar – Bloomington, IN 5/22/12 – Rumba Café – Columbus, OH 5/23/12 – Beachland Ballroom & Tavern - Cleveland, OH 5/24/12 – Club Café – Pittsburgh, Pa 5/25/12 – The Blind Pig – Ann Arbor, MI 5/26/12 – Horseshoe Tavern – Toronto, ON 5/27/12 – Mavericks –Ottawa, ON 5/29/12 – Brighton Music Hall, Allston, MA 5/31/12 – Bowery Ballroom – New York, NY 6/2/12 – 9:30 Club – Washington, DC