Communion Philadelphia - Spotlight: Pearl And The Beard

Note: Photos by Lindsey Borgman

Pearl And The Beard came to Philadelphia as part of the Communion: Club Night Tour!  Judging by the time slots or the marquee it's hard to tell who the featured artist was for the night, but based on the majority of the music fans at Underground Arts migrating to the stage it was clearly Pearl And The Beard.  The chatter indicated about half of the crowd was beyond excited, while the other half was justifiably curious. 

Not the standard rock n roll lineup, Pearl And The Beard doesn't do anything "normal": no drum kit, no "lead" singer, a cello.  These cool kids have no reservations about doing things their way.

Photo by Lindsey Borgman

Back in 2011, Pearl And The Beard caught the wider attention of the music world with their second album  Killing the Darlings.  Tours with David Wax Museum, Lucius, You Won't, and Lady Lamb The Beekeeper helped build a base of rabid fans.

At the end of 2011, when this rookie blogger caught up with Pearl And The Beard for an interview, it seemed another album was imminent.  They were just in town to support David Wax Museum at The Crossings (First Unitarian in Ewing, NJ).  They came back less than a month later to nearby Wilmington, DE headlining World Cafe Live and then the next day headlined Kung Fu Necktie with locals Auctioneer & On The Water.  Momentum was building for Pearl And The Beard.

2012 was a time to expand their horizons.  Between their Audiotree Session and lots of marquee shows, including opening gigs with Ani DiFranco playing such awesome places as D.C.'s 9:30 Club.

In February 2013, the band went into the studio to record fan favorites from live shows "James" and "Devil's Head Down" as well as two other new songs.  At that point, Jocelyn Mackenzie explains, "we were faced with making an EP or adding to that group of songs.  We didn't want to just put out something for the sake of putting something out.  So we wrote all summer and returned to the studio in the fall with Nadim Issa at Let Em In Music in Brooklyn (Lady Lamb The Beekeeper)."

Previously, a Pearl And The Beard song was one that was cultivated individually and brought to the team for recording together.   This time, the key ingredient was "writing songs that are genuine to them", says Jocelyn.  When they went back to the studio with Nadim Issa, they re-recorded everything for a cohesive mix.   No longer is it obvious which is a "Jeremy song" or an "Emily song," instead a very very collaborative song.  This has Pearl And The Beard curious how the songs will sound finished and curious where these songs will take them.
 
While waiting for the final details on the upcoming new album, keep an eye on the under-construction pearlandthebeard.com site for some to-be-announced shows.  If you are having a hard time coping with the wait: check out a few songs from their Wild Honey Pie video session.


The Communion Philadelphia, March event, it was a fantastic night. 

Looking back at the rest of the lineup, here are some quick capsules on each band that played:

Worshyper
There's a new spin on Philly Soul. The local three-piece indie-electronica R&B act looked back and pointed forward at Communion on Thursday. Fusing drum loops with live bass guitar and ethereal harmonies, Worshyper soon had the crowd moving. Soulful ballads drew comparisons to R. Kelly and Maxwell. Catchy hooks and chorused ambiance swirled with driving beats suggested influences of Luther Vandross and Rufus with Chaka Khan. Passionate performances, a nod to the past;
- Michael Southerton


Drone Ranger

Soulful and funky with a splash of EDM and a whole lot of R&B: Worshyper just might be the night out you’ve been looking for. Philadelphia’s Drone Ranger kicked off Communion with a blazing set of psychedelic dream pop revival. Soaked in reverb and delay Drone Ranger could be mistaken for another spacey shoegaze act, but the details don’t lie: extra crunch in the guitars, the almost quicky tones from the Yamaha DX7, the punchy bass and drums...Drone Ranger have their eyes and ears set elsewhere. They are part Meddle-era Floyd, Cut the Crap-era Clash, and equal parts Methodrone-era Brian Jonestown Massacre and ...The Dandy Warhols Come Down. Drone Ranger’s first full-length is due out this summer, so keep them on your radar and expect to hear a lot more from them. - Michael Southerton


The Ghost In You 

Billy Polard is the one man machine that makes up The Ghost In You. Somewhere between Ben Gibbard, Elliott Smith, and Bon Iver; The Ghost In You captures your attention and keeps you in trance.  It was a special day releasing physical copies of his two albums (The Ghost In You & Wet Wood) for the first time.  While a momentous day for merch and lineups, The Ghost In You also put on a great set removing the shackles of a singer-songwriter label holding his own in the cavernous Underground Arts!
 - Dan McGurk


Bear's Den
Starting off with a banjo and a British accent in the music world with a bizarre Folk/Mumford fallout caused a little pause from the unfamiliar part of the crowd.  Being on the Communion label, it made it too easy to assume the U.K. trio of Andrew Davie, Joey Haynes, and Kevin Jones could be Mumford knock-offs.  Fortunately, Communion shows are all about your own talent and strengths and less about who you might be like.  Bear's Den does have some folk sensibilities, but doesn't hesitate to toss in some surprises.  The first unexpected move was swapping out the folk equipment for some electric gear.  The second was the Drake cover.  With two recent EP's (Agape & Within/Without), let's hope the next surprise is a full-length and tour!  - Dan McGurk

Vacationer

Fun-hop alt-indie-chill band Vacationer is made for summer time fun.  On the cold Thursday in early March, Vacationer was perfect for wishing it was summer.  Vacationer is comfortable anywhere anytime, but for Communion they were in their natural end of night slot, slinging hit after hit.  Be sure to catch then in less than a month, April 24th back at Underground Arts with Heavenly Beat & hellogoodbye.
- Dan McGurk