Root Down in the Shadow

The concept of a cover song video series is nothing new.  However you have to have something special to make it stick.  For Root Down In The Shadow in honor of our deep love of the Philly scene, we've made sure our cover videos are Philly-centric.  Other famous cover series each have their own special element.  For the Onion's AV Undercover , they start with a list of bands to be covered and unveil the surprise cover artist week by week.  For UK band, To Kill A King 's series, Ralph's Balcony , the videos are a collaboration between Ralph Pelleymounter &/or To Kill A King, plus their special guest, learning each other's songs.  The most prolific may be Live At Daryl's House , the infamous session where bands come to Daryl Hall 's house and record some songs together with Daryl and his all star cast of session musicians. At Cover Club we never intended to copy any series' specific style, but if we had to take one thing from any of these sessions,...

  Welcome back to Cover Club.  This week we premiered the popular Our Griffins cover of Strand of Oaks "Last To Swim" .  The emotional cover was spread about the internet by favorite sites, WXPN 's The Key , Philebrity , The Deli Magazine - Philadelphia , and Swollen Fox .  This type of publicity for Our Griffins is soon to be the norm.  This year has been a steady climb upwards, for the band.  Opening at Johnny Brenda's for Lost In The Trees , a trip to SXSW , opening for Kishi Bashi & Buried Beds at the TLA , and night-cap slot at the fun Communion Club Night at Underground Arts are just a few examples of Our Griffins' hot shows.  This Friday, they play the Former Belle release show at Bourbon & Branch with Maitland and Jeremiah Tall.  And for what quite possibly is their most exciting show yet, in late July they play the incredible XPoNential Festival .    Our Griffins at Johnny Brenda's - Photo Dan McGurk ...

This summer, just a few days old, is already filling up with more and more momentous and unforgettable shows and lineups.  In the last week, the beautiful photos from Pastorius Park where Hezekiah Jones played circulated Instagram, the larger than life Firefly Festival loaded up your Twitter feed when New Sweden made their big stage debut.  # MakeMusicPhilly had more bands and stages than you could imagine, leaving no chance of seeing every band you wanted to.   The pang of regret gets harder and harder to ignore as more amazing lineups are introduced each week.  The only cure to cancel out this regret is finding the next awesome lineup.  This week, the show to see is presented by Philadelphia Folksong Society .   Hezekiah Jones headlines the event at Johnny Brenda's , anchoring the lineup for a special Lovers League album release show .   Joining the event are New Sweden , who will soon have a headlining release show of their own in ...

You would think for Cover Club, a series based on covers, that it might be heavily influenced with what might be popular with viewers.  However, that's the least of the considerations for the amazingly respectful Philadelphia bands doing these Philly-centric covers, celebrating their scene.  Some choices are born from days shared on the road, like Joe Fletcher with Toy Soldiers or Aaron Brown covering Allison Polans/Paper Trees .  There are instances from days shared in the studio, such as Kevin Killen covering Ben Arnold .  In some cases, the songs chosen are based simply on mutual love of Ween shared between Root Down In The Shadow and the cover artists including Brian Strouse & Vanessa Winters or The Fleeting Ends. For today's session, the path to the cover started as a fan catching shows.  Alex Luquet of Our Griffins told Root Down In The Shadow all the details:  "The first time I saw Strand of Oaks was two years ago at Union Tran...

Poster by Jennifer Prough All Photos by Lindsey Borgman It’s been a long time since I've gone to see bands at a college, let alone step foot into a fraternity house. Nearly two decades of shows since I've been enrolled in college, I never really imagined I would ever find myself back at one for some musical entertainment. For the May Sofar Sounds: Philadelphia show, there we were at the most improbable of locations, a Jefferson Univ. Med School fraternity in Center City attending a show. Sofar Sounds: Philadelphia curated a fabulous five band in the nicest fraternity house I've ever stepped foot into. (Disclosure, I never really did go to many true fraternities in my college days, and this was a hardly a frat house with all the studying going on.) For the Sofar Sounds show we discovered the bands as they took their turn at the stage. The first to make an appearance was BFA the band from NYC. BFA the Band The evening started off with BFA the Band (Bachel...

Name: Mat Burke Photo by: Elizabeth Thorpe Style : Bloody folk rock Current Project: Just finished a new EP with Josh and Brian of The Lawsuits.  It's currently being mastered and will be released late this summer.  Members : Mat Burke - Clumsy chords, screaming harmonica, bitter words Most unique show : I'll play almost anywhere (ya know because I'm a whore) and when I was asked to play a variety show in Birmingham I jumped on the opportunity. I had never heard of any of the other bands in the lineup but was up for anything and excited to hear them. I opened the show, did my thing, and then headed to the bar.  Everyone was super nice and cool. The band playing next even picked up my bar tab. My back was turned away from the stage while they set up so I was shocked when I turned around to see two grown men rapping in bunny outfits. It was like Donny Darko mixed with country rap... I would open for them again if they asked (ya know beca...

Philly electro-dream-pop band Cheerleader has been bouncing around the world the last few months.  They played Philly's Kung Fu Necktie in March, were off to Austin for SXSW, back to Philly again to play MilkBoy in April, and off across the pond to the U.K. playing shows with the likes of The Hold Steady and Alvvays.   Like a teenager, the five-piece band comes and goes so frequently, you never really know when you'll see them next at home in Philadelphia.  With all the cool stuff going on for Cheerleader, it's a must see event. Last Saturday night at Boot & Saddle was their highest profile local show yet, playing a bill with a hodgepodge of area bands Dream Safari and Langor .  Dream Safari was an easy match on the bill with some electro pop sounds.  Langor, while not quite a sonic fit, is like Cheerleader in that you have to see them in person to truly appreciate. In the headlining slot, could Cheerleader stand up to the studio cuts...

For the final installment of Cover Club at the Sluice Box, Brad Hinton gives a tease of what's next for him with an unreleased track, "Middle Man".  Recorded in late March, the session featured three bands: Psalmships , Katie Frank & The Pheromones , and Brad Hinton.  Katie Frank sat in on the session and harmonizes with the Bucks County bluesman on yet another song of heartbreak. Cover Club / Brad Hinton "Middle Man" featuring Katie Frank Brad explains, "Most of my heartbreak songs are written as a way to deal with a relationship after it goes south, and "Middle Man" is no exception. It's basically a plea for consideration." But where does it fit for Brad Hinton?  When asked if it will be on his next album, Brad explained: "I've been writing material for my next album, which is tentatively titled Chickadee , and will complete a trio of bird-themed albums, Mourning Dove and Whippoorwill before it. It will be mo...

When booking the first session of Cover Club back at  Breakneck Studios in October 2013, musician Kevin Killen reminded "You know, we already do this;" referring to Philly Sings Philly.   Done each week in November, Philly Sings Philly, has numerous Philadelphia based artists covering each other on the stage of The Fire !  It must have seemed like more than coincidental when we were able to match up the release schedule of the first set of Cover Club videos with bands playing the celebration of Philly music.  Christopher Davis-Shannon , Kevin Killen , and Chelsea Mitchell each had their Philly-centric covers released and played Philly Sings Philly. Brad Hinton, folk & country bluesman, the organizer of Philly Sings Philly and subject of the very first Club release (Christopher Davis-Shannon doing "Mourning Dove ) was a more than natural choice to include in a future session.  In fact after seeing all the bands either covering Brad Hinton or inclu...

New Sweden is back with their first release in over a year.  The tease to the lovely Fabric Room EP, "Eighty Seven" picks up where they left off on 2013's New Sweden EP .   Rowdy and rockin', but still true to their Americana roots, "Eight Seven" is ready to be featured on your summer playlist. The whole EP is a must grab.  Coming out 7/15, it's seven tracks produced by Bill Moriarty (Dr. Dog, Hoots & Hellmouth, Man Man), its the perfect soundtrack for a backyard friends 'n beverages session.  Fabric Room , has the same problems that all New Sweden music has, it's so incredibly consistent that it's hard to put your finger on which song is your favorite.  One after another, the songs delight.  Click here , for pre-sale information.  The vote here is for the picking the SIGNED LIMITED EDITION ALBUM ARTWORK BUNDLE "Let's get this thing started, let my motor run" is a perfect line, emphasizing how ready New S...

Earlier this week, we unveiled the Psalmships cover of Honey Watts 'It's A Shame I Know" recorded during the Cover Club session at the Sluice Box .  During this late March session we also recorded this very intimate original "You'll Never See The Morning" from the upcoming I Sleep Alone.   Cover Club Psalmships "You'll Never See The Morning" * I Sleep Alone by Psalmships * With I Sleep Alone s et to be released in early July, big news came this week as Big School Records announced pre-order physical packages as well as some cd and digital orders via the Psalmships Bandcamp page this week.  Exciting packages are set to entice fans and collectors : 1. Vinyl package – 250 copies on oxblood + bone swirl colored LP + bonus 2-track 7″ w. download card (7″ contains 2 previously unreleased tracks and is limited to 100 copies. It will only be available with pre-orders or at the 7/11/14 release show in Philly!) ($18)or 2. CD package - ...

Welcome back to # CoverClub and welcome back to the Sluice Box ! We last presented from the Sluice Box two weeks ago, sharing Katie Frank and the Pheromones covering Joan Jett and the Blackhearts "I Love Rock and Roll."  You last found us in a sitting room at the Sluice Box, amped up and rocking out.  But don't be fooled, the rest of the session was stripped, raw, and intimate. When first putting together the session at the Sluice Box, I wasn't sure what the set up would be, but I knew to trust Psalmships , the anchor of our session.  You see, listening to Joshua Britton , the force behind Psalmships, is like a trust exercise.  Stand up, fold your arms, close your eyes and lean back.  As you fall back into Joshua's musical world, trust that your senses will enjoy what will soon envelop you.  In October I did this exercise at Kevin Killen 's suggestion, when he was dismayed that I didn't already know Psalmships. I chose to start with Songs For A Red Bi...