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Sofar Sounds: Philadelphia Concert Review with Aaron Brown, DRGN King, The Gallerist, and Mo Lowda & The Humble, January 26th, 2013

A few days before Saturday's show I found out about the secret Sofar Sounds: Philadelphia house concert.  I saw the lineup was DRGN King, The Gallerist, Aaron Brown and Mo Lowda and The Humble.  They had me at DRGN King; I was in! 

Sadly, despite being in Philly for nearly 4 years now, and a big music fan, I didn't know much about the line up.  I knew DRGN King was streaming their new album on the Key as I coincidentally just started listening to them a week prior.  They had a Spinner.com mp3 of the day freebie, and I found  a track from last year on the The Key Studio Sessions Volume 3,

I found a Mo Lowda and the Humble album on Bandcamp, and a song from The Gallerist on Bandcamp.  The only reason I struck out on Aaron Brown was because I didn't search for the correct band Aaron & The Spell.  It didn't matter, I was in. House concerts are the best way to get an intimate look at new bands.  Why not go?

There is such a great equalizer at these events.  You walk in the same door as the band.  You can chat with the bands, make friends with the bands, share a beverage, and shake hands.  You see these artists in a rare comfort zone, just chillin' with some friends!  For those readers that have not taken a part in an event like this, seek one out.  Soak it in & enjoy the experience!


Sofar Sounds: Philadelphia Jan 26th, 2013  
  Artists - Thoughts - Set lists!!


 1st up was Aaron Brown of Aaron & the Spell
The TRI-STATE INDIE AWARD nominated INDIE R&B/FUNK/SOUL BAND OF THE YEAR artist  Bucks Local News Artist to watch for 2013 and NPR 10 Artists You Should Have Known In 2012 went on first.  He advised the crowd he was feeling a little under the weather, but you would not have known based on his set.   He's described by many as Soul, which can be a lot of things to a lot of people.  I'll clarify by likening Aaron Brown to the Soul side of Ben Harper.  Despite the unlucky draw of the starter slot, he did outstanding, with his tunes.  No songs from his album Sing but the surprise cover at the end was incredible.  So peaceful yet strong!



Set List -                        Album or Origin
1. 'Believe In You'                 ** new **
2. 'Somewhere Around'          ** new **
3. 'Bleed Me Dry'                 ** new **
4. 'Purple Rain'                 Prince cover


*** VOTE HERE FOR TRI-STATE INDIE AWARDS

Aaron Brown - Purple Rain @ SofarSounds: Philadelphia



2nd slot -  DRGN King - Quickly becoming one of Philly’s bands to watch, DRGN KING, was recently signed to Bar None Records and released their debut full-length Paragraph Nights on January 22nd.  In other cool recent news the Philly equivalent of Broken Bells released a cover of “96 Tears,” the Question Mark and the Mysterians, premiering on Spinner.com!

Due to an engagement party, the lineup was singularly handled by singer/songwriter Dominic Angelella.  The set wasn't the blow out party that the single 'Wild Night' might cause you to expect, but it was great to see/hear the talent behind the songs.

DRGN King - Wild Night @ SofarSounds: Philadelphia


Set List -                        Album or Origin
1. 'Wild Night'              Paragraph Nights
2. 'Holy Ghost'              Paragraph Nights
3. 'Parasitic Twin'
4. 'Warriors'                   Paragraph Nights

DRGN King - Holy Ghost @ SofarSounds: Philadelphia


3rd The Gallerist - Philly (via Boston) based folk outfit, The Gallerist, considered by WXPN's the Key as "... one of the Philadelphia folk scene's best kept secrets "is ready to change that status to one of Philadelphia's best"

Mike Collins' vocals were great for the room, not over powering but just right! A Falling Waltz lead track 'Songbird' was short and sweet to lead off the set.  It felt like a near facsimile of the album, which is no small feat considering it's a new city, new line-up, and in a living room!

Perfectly meshing with the album tracks were two more new songs from the revised The Gallerist line-up.


The Gallerist - Helium @ SofarSounds: Philadelphia


Set List -                                Album or Origin
1. 'Songbird'                           A Falling Waltz
2. 'Washed Away'                   A Falling Waltz
3. 'Helium'                                ** new**
4. 'Yesterday's News Today'   A Falling Waltz (revised)
5. 'Old Skin'                              ** new **


The Gallerist - Old Skin @ SofarSounds: Philadelphia



4th - Mo Lowda and the Humble - With a gracious "take it or leave it" attitude Mo Lowda and the Humble, offer up their tunes on Bandcamp welcoming you to their party.  For their first acoustic performance at SofarSounds:Philadelphia, they kept the party rolling with their bluesy funky style.  With their groovy bass lines these guys should do very well in the post-Sublime, Citizen Cope obsessed Philly scene.


Set List -                                      Album or Origin
1. 'Mile-long Sandbars'             This is Planet Earth
2. 'Explorations'                                Demo
3. 'Knocked Out'                         ** new **
4. 'I Don't Know'                          ** new **

Mo Lowda and the Humble - Knocked Out @ SofarSounds: Philadelphia

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