Cheerleader shows off in Philly at Boot & Saddle / Ready for vinyl release of "Perfect Vision"

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? With hot singles "Perfect Vision", "Dreamer", and "New Daze", it was hard to imagine how the sounds would really translate to the stage. As a new band, how well would Connecticut transplants Joe Haller (vocals/guitar) and Chris Duran (guitar) gel with their Philly bandmates Joshua Pannepacker (Keys/Guitar), Paul Impellizeri (bass), & Carl Bahner (drums)?

There were a good number of fans ready to find out, and they didn't care how new the band was, who was local or who was a transplant; they came to enjoy the music. Cheerleader did their part and came to put on a show. What stood out the most, besides the cheers for "JOSH" was how perfect the performance of "Dreamer" was. Lead singer Joe Haller comes off a little more shy than the recorded vocals would suggest. Watching him perform the song, it's easy imagine that he wasn't writing about someone else, but perhaps writing while staring into the mirror and giving himself a little pep talk. Clearly the pep talk worked as here he was with longtime friend and roommate Chris Duran playing their tunes surrounded by other talented musicians. The "JOSH" fans were spot on with their admiration; he is the glue behind the live performance as his skills on the keys, etc. really made the translation from studio to the show.

Don't miss out on their new single "Perfect Vision" / "Waiting, Waiting" will be issued on limited edition vinyl on June 16 via Young & Lost / Bright Antenna and is available for digital download (released April 28). The vinyl will be a limited 300 release run.

For more Cheerleader, check out their "New Daze" video:

Cheerleader - New Daze

New Release Q&A - Sonja Sofya answers some questions for "Patterns We Know"

The buzz has been all about Sonja Sofya and her new album The Patterns We Know . Tonight Sonja Sofya and band take to the stage at Boot & Saddle in South Philly along with a great line-up featuring Arc Divers and the dove and the wolf. Right off the top we have some great reasons to expect great things from this album, such as produced by Ross Bellenoit at Turtle Studios and excellent musicianship by guitarist/producer Ross Bellenoit, bassist Jonathan Colman , and drummers Matt Scarano and Jonas Oesterle . But we at Root Down In The Shadow wanted to dig further and see what Sonja had to say about the album. Here's 3 questions we had for the songstress Sonja Sofya: RDITS: What was the impetus to make a full length record and why did you pick the people you worked with? At a certain point, playing and writing as much as I was, it felt like the logical next step, but I waited for a while, trying to find the "perfect" time to go into the stud

Bands Pick The Bands - 2016 XPoNential Music Festival Presented by Subaru - Artists Preview

Wooo Hooooo It's XPoNential Fest Time!!!! Every year WXPN brings a ton of great bands and artists to the Wiggins Park shore in Camden, NJ. With so many bands on the line-up it's daunting to figure out which bands to see. Fortunately, the way WXPN does the line-ups you CAN make it to every band should you choose. However, we all know it's going to be hot as hell. Not quite as hot as 2011 with the 100 degree days, but still super hot. Luckily for us, some of the festival performers have put in their two cents for which bands they are excited about. Rosemary Fiki starts the fest at 4pm today on the JerseyArts.Com Marina Stage. Let's see what she's recommending: Band Most Excited to Share the Festival Stage with : This is our first time time performing at XPoNential so to be completely honest, I'm super stoked to share the Festival stage with everyone! If I absolutely had to choose, I would say The Districts. We actually shared the stage wit

New Chris Kasper single - City By the Sea

Here's a wonderfully bluesy tease to the upcoming Chris Kasper album. New single "City By The Sea", is just enough to keep fans from getting restless, while he tours with Carsie Blanton along the West Coast. Hopefully there will be some local dates soon, as 2017 seems so far off right now. City by the Sea by Chris Kasper

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