Root Down in the Shadow

Add caption Sofar Sounds: Philadelphia celebrated a fabulous 3 years this November!  With an as-always diverse line-up the super-secret house concert showcase continued to delight fans.  From burgeoning talent, to genre hopping to the unexpected, the November show was a night to remember! First up was Matt Phillips , a young pup hailing from North Carolina.  While he looks young enough to have ridden his BMX to the show, he's got the chops of an old-timer.  Nary opening his eyes during the whole set, his happiness was infectious as he played solo with his acoustic guitar.  "Move" was a vibrant number with his fingers all over the neck as he sang along.   His "Mediterranean Blues" had a simplistic vocal style reminiscent of James Taylor , while he played with a soulful innocence and his heart on his sleeve. Matt Phillips MATT PHILLIPS - Setlist November 2014 - Sofar Sounds: Philadelphia Coffee       ...

It's our favorite time of the year: XPoNential Festival time!  Like most things here at Root Down In The Shadow we're going to take a band-centric view of the festival and let them tell you who to go see this year at the 2014 XPoNential Music Festival Presented by Subaru, brought to you by WXPN . SATURDAY - RIVER STAGE - 12:30 PM-1:00 PM Davis Howley - Vox/Guitar - Commonwealth Choir Band Most Excited to Share the Festival Stage with : " Jenny Lewis & Dawes are both really significant to the band.  Rilo Kiley (Jenny Lewis' former band) was sort of the cross over artist for us, as teenagers moving from punk & hardcore to a new genre, they exposed us to country & folk in a modern way, but still bad-ass & sexy.  It's really expertly crafted music." Band Most Excited to see live at #XPNFest :   "We all became obsessed with Dawes .  Individually we started going to see them at shows, covering them at parties, drawin...

by Mariel Lorenz & Dan McGurk When you pull up to East Coast Recording Studio at 780 Falcon Drive, tucked away off of a Street Road industrial park in a Warminster, PA, you’ll see FUGE in huge letters above the entrance of the building. This was once part of the Naval Air Development Center Johnsville .  The centerpiece of this park was a centrifuge where future astronauts came to experience what the force of gravity felt like on their bodies. Technologies, like GPS, that we depend on so much today saw its development here too. Although the Navy has left the facility more than 20 years, the centrifuge is still there as part of an event space. Many companies have also moved in to set up shop, but one company here could raise a few eyebrows – a recording studio ran by a Grammy Award winning producer. Levee Drivers at N.A.S.A. control? East Coast Recording boasts an 1100 square foot live room. Not only could a band fit in here, but 50-70 of their friends as ...

For those of you who don't know what Sofar Sounds is here is their story: "We have created a movement which brings music lovers together in secret living room locations to hear some of the world's most cutting edge artists." **Unless noted, ** All photos from Lindsey Borgman** Links to earlier SofarSounds: Philadelphia reviews June 21st... Northern Liberties - Philadelphia, PA June's SofarSounds: Philadelphia was yet another testament to a winning formula.  Throughout the day, Philadelphia music fans had the opportunity to see quality musicians all around town for free , as a part of Make Music Philly.     Even with the opportunity to see an incredibly diverse selection of bands all around town like Toy Soldiers , Levee Drivers , James Hearne , September Call-up , Ang & The Damn Band , and Holy Ghost Tent Revival , fans and musicians alike were drawn to the monthly SofarSounds show.   What could possibly be better than seeing top qual...