Root Down in the Shadow

Through the wonders of Twitter and living in a city with one of the worlds best radio stations and record stores, the stars aligned for Root Down In The Shadow' s Dan McGurk to sit down with Gabe Simon of the Kopecky Family Band between XPoNential Festiva l and an in-store session at Main Street Music ! Now, just in time for Kopecky Family Band's return to Philly on November 23rd, at the TLA , the interview is ready to be watched.  Eight segments take fans along for the ride, that has been the musical journey of the Kopecky Family Band! Part 1 :  "Mile Marker 1" Gabe Simon of Kopecky Family Band Check back throughout the month for more parts of the interview!  All eight will be revealed, leading up to the concert at the TLA on November 23rd! "Mile Marker 1": "Mile Marker 3"  "Mile Marker 2 indications"  "When did you know" "This is what it's all about" "Advice for up & comers"...

Oliver Craven, Maya de Vitry, Charles Muench of the Stray Birds - by Doug Seymour The Stray Birds will perform in Philadelphia on Friday, November 1 at World Café Live Drawing upon the richness of American folk music traditions, the signature power of The Stray Birds sound lies in outstanding songwriting that soars in three-part harmony. Raised on music within a few miles of farmland from each other, The Stray Birds were born of a compelling collaboration between two unique writers and vocalists-- the pure, luxurious voice of Maya de Vitry and Oliver Craven's richness of tone and depth of delivery. Grounding their sound in the unshakeable groove of bassist Charles Muench, The Stray Birds are a trio of captivating chemistry and sensitive musicality. From bustling street corners to silent halls, their performances speak to an uncompromising reverence for songs. Their debut cd was named one of the top ten Folk/Americana albums of 2012 by NPR. Eager for this Friday's sho...

For those of you who don't know what Sofar Sounds is here is their story: "We have created a movement which brings music lovers together in secret living room locations to hear some of the world's most cutting edge artists." **Unless noted,** All photos from Lindsey Borgman** Links to earlier SofarSounds: Philadelphia reviews October 19th - South Philly - Philadelphia, PA photo by Jeff Coon It's amazing how quickly turmoil and pending disaster can turn around.   Heading to the Sofar Sounds show with, what was expected to be, a nice cushion of time that disappeared quickly.  South Philly traffic was exceptionally heinous due to an outdoor festival.  Normally accessible garages were full.  Rain was intermittent.  On top of that, I realized it was also game 6 of the MLB American League Championship Series.  With the CMJ Festival having kicked off a few days earlier just a few hours away in NYC, would any music fans make it out tonig...

There has been many recent visits from some local bands to the  Daytrotter  studios out in beautiful Illinois. To join the list including The Lawsuits , Toy Soldiers , DRGN King  is Doylestown's own Night Panther ! I highly recommend checking this session out for a more stripped down version of their take on 80's dream synth-pop. Night Panther 's specialty is getting a party started, so if you want to see them in full action they'll be performing at the TLA November 2nd opening for Holy Ghost!

In early 2011, I was excited for the release of the Iron & Wine album Kiss Each Other Clean .  I had been keeping an eye on their website for details of shows and maybe a free single.  At the time, the depth of what you could find on the internet for music was burgeoning.  The fans had spoken and wanted more music, but the free-for-all that was Napster, etc was over.   With Kiss Each Other Clean, s omething happened, that I had never experienced before.  All the promo stuff that happened previously city by city, limited to local fans at record stores and radio stations, this now was out on the web for all to see.  There were many session from stations across the country.  Included in this promotional explosion was a video session at Daytrotter.com! Here it was a Daytrotter session in video form. Iron & Wine pre-Kiss Each Other Clean  - Jan 12, 2011: Daytrotter Studio, Rock Island, IL This was and still is a beautiful piece of recordi...

by guest contributer Emily Southerton If you had been walking down the streets of a Philadelphia fall on the evening of September 15 th , as the sun set on West Philly’s painted gables, you might have stopped momentarily at the doorstep of Nomad Studios. Outside, the autumn air is crisp and dropping like an apple from a tree, but looking through the glass, you’d have seen a living room scattered with warm folks, drinks in hand and smiling, eyes fixed on a September Sofar Sounds show. Murchant opened the evening. A Pennsylvania girl relocating to Joshua Tree, CA, Murchant sang a solo set, and backed herself with guitar and ukulele. Her voice is rich, and in “Credit Card,” rises quickly with complex melodies, supported by swells but gentle enough to warble with an enchanting vibrato. Eyes closed, bones and feathers tied around her neck, she taps her boot and smiles, which elicits a similar response from her audience. Her set was sweet well received, but it left me curious abou...

Saturday night, October 5th, something truly magical is going to happen.  The self titled  Ali Wadsworth album is going to be released in grand fashion.  We're talking G R A N D !  Cocktail hour, a secret band, a roving party, and the much anticipated release of the most #EPIC album of all time! The Ali Wadsworth band itself, is made up of members of Good Old War , the Lawsuits , Hezekiah Jones , Chris Kasper , and more! We're not talking epic as in my favorite over-used adjective, but epic as in over 50 potential writers contributing to a project!  The cross-section of the Philadelphia scene involved with this project is huge.  We're not even talking 6 degrees of separation or 6 degrees of Kevin Bacon or whatever.  The number of artists directly writing for or playing on the album is staggering.  Don't confuse things though.  This is not some weak celebrity all-star album or some vanity project.  This is a full on collaboration wi...

NEW LIVE INITIATIVE THIS OCTOBER IN NORTH AMERICA On the heels of the success of the 2012 “Austin to Boston Tour” (featuring Ben Howard, Nathaniel Rateliff, The Staves and Bear’s Den ) and ongoing residencies in New York City and Nashville, Communion will launch a new platform for developing, emerging and established bands to tour. Operating as a string of monthly club nights—modeled on the legendary Communion night in Notting Hill, London where the company was born—the new initiative will bring different artists to nine cities each month: New York, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., Bloomington, Louisville, Nashville, Minneapolis, Madison and Rock Island. The first series, beginning in October, will feature Rubblebucket, Roadkill Ghost Choir, Willy Mason, Australian duo Yacht Club DJs and additional support from local artists. The second series will return the next month with a new lineup to be announced .  Taking a look at Communion Philadelphia, of course I thought to focus ...