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John Shavel of Sympathy and the Lion - Photo by Kettle Pot Tracks
Fleisher Art Memorial - Philadelphia, PA |
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| Photo By Dan McGurk |
Spring is upon us here in Philadelphia. It's time to start exploring again and shaking off those winter blues. What better way to celebrate than by going to check out a venue and band for the first time? I thought it was a great idea, so off I went to
Fleisher Art Memorial for an afternoon show with
Sympathy and the Lion.
Fleisher Art Memorial at first glance appears to be your standard gallery with classes and community space, but it also has a 19th century church connected to it where they occasionally host some shows! For this Sunday's show in the front of the old church, the bands were tucked neatly in the choir chambers with fans at arm's reach sitting comfortably in the small pews.
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| Photo By Kettle Pot Tracks |
Cardinal Arms, the musical arm of artist/poet/song-writer
Bevan McShea was first to delight fans. With a black acoustic guitar and a soft,
Ben Gibbard-ish vibe, Bevan comforted the fans in a cathartic way that an afternoon-at-a-church allows. McShea was completely relaxed in front of the mic, even while mixing in some new songs, seemingly getting some emotional relief himself.
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| Photo By Dan McGurk |
Kettle Pot Black was next and
Mike Batchelor played the set solo with his booming voice and guitar. He talked a lot about his songs, with some about his mom, some his wife and kids, but regardless of muse he clearly likes to write songs that are fun to play back. While he described his style as "screaming some and singing a few," it's a stark contrast to Mike Batchelor the friend; with an aggressive guitar style and vocal parts booming, it's a complete 180 from his personal laid back style.
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| John Shavel of Sympathy and the Lion - Photo by Dan McGurk |
Sympathy and the Lion, the Lancaster duo of
Michael Burke and
John Shavel, wrapped up the afternoon. The self-described art-folk sound was a perfect way to forget winter, and really
everything else for that matter.
Mike Burke's vocals and John Shavel on cello were such a lovely mix. More so, the special combined harmony of the duo was another wonderful sound all together, reminiscent of Simon & Garfunkel where they were completely unique but together created a hallmark sound.
The band was a delight, as they put on a showcase of their work, including several songs from the 2015 "demo"
Remnants. Throughout the set, I repeatedly found myself thinking about where I'd like to see the band next and which other recent soul-cleansing bands, such as
Haunt the House and
Max García Conover, to have on this dreamy line-up.
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| Photo By Kettle Pot Tracks |
The next show at Fleisher Art Memorial is 5/2 with Julia Ranier for her album release party.
Great share !!
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