Root Down in the Shadow

Somehow Sofar Sounds : Philadelphia is hitting their 4th Anniversary. The now world-wide phenomenon was a few shy of twenty cities world-wide when Philadelphia joined the ranks. These days, the shows are all over the globe and it seems like there are just shy of twenty dates in NYC alone each month. It all started in London, back in 2009, and slowly spread during the next two years to New York, Paris, DC, Los Angeles, Pune India, Houston, Brighton, Seattle, New Dehli, Sydney, Madrid, Berlin, Toronto, Dallas-Forth Worth, and Glasgow before hitting the City of Brotherly Love.  During the next 10 days I'm going to look back at four years of Sofar Sounds: Philadelphia trying to give my version of the best videos. Please comment and share what were your favorites. #8 Our Griffins - Not Entirely Here Some bands just seem to be made for Sofar Sounds.  Our Griffins seems to be one of those bands.  For the 2nd Anniversary show in November 2013, Our Griffins joined us

Back in April for Record Store Day, the #CoverClub crew went to Main Street Music to cover Anthony D'Amato's in-store session.  It was tons of fun as we did some video inside (see original "Rain On A Strange Roof" below) and then took a jaunt over to the canal to do another shoot of Marah's "Walt Whitman Bridge."  The session was a blast, and all the details are over at the CoverClubPhilly.com site. Afterwards, keeping an eye on the internet buzz.. I found something spectacular!  Many fans and artists love music for the same reason... the connection.  And this, is a connection! Anthony D'Amato — Rain on a Strange Roof from Michael Batchelor on Vimeo .

Sofar Sounds: Philadelphia, where has the year gone?  Already the June show has come and gone and already the July and August shows are being planned.  Too much time has passed without a recap; so with no further ado: Best of Sounds: Philadelphia 2015 ... so far... (plus Dec 2014). December 2014: Brian Dale Allen Strouse (of the Lawsuits) / Dominic Angelella (of DRGN King) /  The Naked Sun / The Kalob Griffin Band Photo by Julie McGurk Poster by Jennifer Prough Photo by Lindsey Borgman The December '14 Sofar Sounds: Philadelphia show was one of the best on record.  Ugly Sweaters, food donations for Philabundance, and an all local-lineup at this super cool Fishtown  former candy shop turned apartment.  For this holiday show, each band was asked to be prepared with a holiday song each. Just as each Sofar show is typically extra special with stripped down instrumentation and personnel, the holiday song choices for the event were also non-standard. 

Photo by Lindsey Borgman Fresh off of a stunning Sofar Sounds: Philadelphia performance Anthony D'Amato joins Arc Iris at the Tin Angel , this Thursday.  Before the show, here are five things Philly music fans need to know about Anthony D'Amato. 1. Anthony hails from Blairstown, NJ and has spent lots of time in the NJ & Philly area.  His first show in Philly was actually at the Tin Angel, featuring Francis Dunnery and David Sancious with Birdie Busch opening." 2.  D'Amato was featured on a World Cafe Next from WXPN in 2011 with David Dye . Anthony D'Amato: NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert 3. The second show Anthony ever played as a solo artist was at the Tin Angel opening for Jesse Malin. Anthony D'Amato - Good and Ready [Official Video] 4.  Anthony's favorite show in Philadelpahia was Bright Eyes at the Academy of Music touring for I'm Wide Awake It's Morning 5.  His favorite "now" Philly band is Strand of Oak