Root Down in the Shadow

This week for CoverClub we get to be extra excited. This week, Pine Barons are playing our favorite festival: XPoNential Festival and they have a great cover for us to share! Cover Club | Pine Barons "January 1979" (mewithoutYou) Now based in Philly, these New Jersey exports weaned on mewithoutYou in high school. It's All Crazy! It's All False! It's All a Dream! It's Alright was out at the time, but it was Catch for Us the Foxes that the fellas gravitated to. For Pine Barons they all agreed "it's different from our band and so fun to play. It encompasses being a high school student and wanting to yell. Plus a song we can all agree on" During their #CoverClub session, when they recorded the amazing cover of mewithoutYou' s "January 1979" they also treated us to a studio version of "Clowns."  Expected to be part of a full length album, being recorded in Head Room Studios in Spring of '16, this

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 .

Welcome to Season Two of Philly-centric video series, Cover Club. Cover Club is best conceptualized as “A special brand of Philly covers”, akin to The Onion’s AV Undercover series but with one caveat: the song being covered must originally be from a Philly artist.  Vita and the Woolf - photo by Lindsey Borgman Jennifer Pague- Photo by Dan McGurk It's an exciting time for the young band Vita and the Woolf !  Last fall they released their debut EP Fang Song, played a Sofar Sounds: Philadelphia , kicked ass at the Communion Club Night , recorded a Key Session , took part in Philly Sings Philly, played all over town, and were featured in an in-depth interview with WXPN's the Key . If that cross-section of their recent schedule wasn't enough, on-tap is an even crazier next month.  According to Jennifer Pague , the principal member of the band, "What's next is March Tour down to SXSW . We are hitting 10 states and playing a bunch of shows. Then we a

Welcome to Season Two of Philly-centric video series, Cover Club. Cover Club is best conceptualized as “A special brand of Philly covers”, akin to The Onion’s AV Undercover series but with one caveat: the song being covered must originally be from a Philly artist. Vita and the Woolf joined by Tutlie for #CoverClub - photo by Lindsey Borgman We're ready to reveal the final band of Season Two of CoverClub. Wrapping up our second recording session at Cambridge Sound Studios in South Philly, young rising stars Vita and the Woolf tackled the exciting Clap Your Hands Say Yeah!  In the video, Jennifer Pague grabs the bass and leads her band and session-mates Tutlie as her chorus!  Cover Club: Vita and the Woolf "Satan Said Dance" (Clap Your Hands Say Yeah) Last November for Philly Sings Philly Jennifer Pague covered Dr. Dog 's "Shadow People" to a positive response so it was a logical choice for Cover Club.  Until a few days before our second sess

Welcome to Season Two of Philly-centric video series, Cover Club.  Cover Club is best conceptualized as “A special brand of Philly covers”, akin to The Onion’s AV Undercover series but with one caveat: the song being covered must originally be from a Philly artist. Director Bob Sweeney in action filming Tutlie at Cambridge Sound Studio - Photo by Lindsey Borgman Tutlie is hands down one of the most exciting bands I've had the chance to work with in the last year.  In a year where I had to pick & chose which shows to go to, as I had a newborn at home; it was great to see Tutlie continually popping up on the radar.  First it was the Communion label "Club Night" at Underground Arts and later at Sofar Sounds: Philadelphia .  I was thrilled when we were able to sit down to talk about "who" they were.    As I got to know them, one thing was sure; they had to be a part of Cover Club .  When we started booking for Season Two , they were a must to incl

Welcome to Season Two of Philly-centric video series, Cover Club. Cover Club is best conceptualized as “A special brand of Philly covers”, akin to The Onion’s AV Undercover series but with one caveat: the song being covered must originally be from a Philly artist . Small Houses - video capture (Mike Batchelor/Kettle Pot Tracks)   Back in June 2013, the first time I met Small Houses was a Sofar Sounds: Philadelphia show in the Northern Liberties section of town.  The adopted Philadelphian felt like a friend from the minute you met him. From the J une 2013 Sofar Sounds Philadelphia review : "First on the bill, at the Northern Liberties new row home, was Small Houses: the Michigan-bred, Philadelphia-based, rambling one-man band.   The crowd settled in rather quickly, whether coming in after work or arriving from another #MakeMusicPhilly show.  For his set, Jeremy Quentin treated the crowd to raw cuts from his 2013 release Exactly Where You Wanted to Be and two new yet t

Welcome to Season Two of Philly-centric video series, Cover Club. Cover Club is best conceptualized as “A special brand of Philly covers”, akin to The Onion’s AV Undercover series but with one caveat: the song being covered must originally be from a Philly artist.   We started Cover Club as a means to share the diversity and strength of the Philadelphia scene.  So when we had a chance to collaborate with Kettle Pot Tracks for a Small Houses session of Cover Club, we jumped at the chance.  This session represents a culmination of so many things going right.  It goes back to the June 2013 Sofar Sounds: Philadelphia show when I met Small Houses.  He had recently done the local On The Hill Sessions for Kettle Pot Tracks, a site that is/was one of the places we would look to find more out about bands from Philly.  So when I got a call, last summer from Mike Batchelor of Kettle Pot Tracks, "hey Jeremy Quentin is here recording, do you want to do a Cover Club with him?" t

Welcome to Season Two of Philly-centric video series, Cover Club. Cover Club is best conceptualized as “A special brand of Philly covers”, akin to The Onion’s AV Undercover series but with one caveat: the song being covered must originally be from a Philly artist. Photo by Bob Sweeney Cover Club | TJ Kong "Post Apocalypse Blues" The TJ Kong Cover Club session at Cambridge Sound Studios "living room" was complete, like most of our sessions, with the recording of an original tune.  Ironically, "Post Apocalypse Blues" was one of the very first songs ever written for TJ Kong & the Atomic Bomb , according to Dan Bruskewicz , front man of TJ Kong .  While this may be throwback original having been recorded on Idiots (2010) & Manufacturing Joy (2012), it was a fresh choice for the session.   According to Dan, "we love playing it in a stripped down setting, such a different blues feel." While enjoying this fresh take on an old-

Welcome to Season Two of Philly-centric video series, Cover Club. Cover Club is best conceptualized as “A special brand of Philly covers”, akin to The Onion’s AV Undercover series but with one caveat: the song being covered must originally be from a Philly artist. Photo by Bob Sweeney Photo by Bob Sweeney In late 2013 at the Philly Sings Philly event, I first met Dan B . of TJ Kong .  Truthfully, I hadn't yet figured out that he wasn't actually Mr. Kong.  While the "real" TJ Kong, was actually Major T. J. Kong, the B-52 bomber pilot from Dr. Strangelove . Philadelphia's TJ Kong and the Atomic Bomb is a band full of Dans & Joshes dropping musical bombs (the band has two Dans and two Joshes in it). I've seen Dan B. cover "Standard Human" from Purples solo at Church of Kong (a brunch song-writer series at the former Nodding Heads Brewery ), but it was with Joshua Machiz on bass joining Dan B. that this cover, really takes on new li

Hey There Ladybird album art A few weeks back, we tossed a curve ball at our followers, releasing a cover song on a Thursday when we put out the Ladybird cover of Jersey Corn Pickers ?  What gives, right?  For Cover Club, covers are Monday, originals are Thursday, right?  Well sometimes you just have to break the mold.  Since we only released one video that week, to make it up to our fans we have two more Ladybird videos from their Cover Club Session , live from Church of Kong . First, we present to you their original "Traveling Song" written by Cecilia Ferneborg.  This original is expected to be on an upcoming album that is in the works by the three hard working ladies of Ladybird.  Meanwhile, the trio put out an EP this spring to whet your Ladybird appetites.  Hey There Ladybird is available now on Bandcamp.com . Ladybird - "Traveling Song" As a special treat for our #CoverClub followers, we are also unveiling a second cover.  "High On A Mou

It's ironic that a series featuring an extensive collection of Philly-centric covers has also become a sounding board for adventurous new material as well.  The bands invited in for R oot Down In The Shadow' s Cover Club series are given two requirements, one Philly-centric cover and one original.  Time after time the original is an exciting new unreleased track ready to be unveiled to audiences way ahead of upcoming albums. For Kate Faust , she introduces "21st Century Man" to her fans, getting them ready for new material in 2015.   According to Kate, "it's going to be a lot different than Crucial Companion . It's very raw and pure and very truthful. I think it'll resonate deeply with a lot of people." If we follow Kate's trajectory, it will be quite the success.  After parts in other bands ( Toy Soldiers , Perkasie) and leading previous projects ( Lady ) Kate has been gaining more and more traction as she continues to fine tune her

For the final session of #CoverClub - Season One we spent the day at Nomad Recording Studio .  Underwater Country Club went wild with their Hall & Oates cover , Our Griffins channeled Strand of Oaks , and for the last act we turned the microphone over to a most intriguing artist.  This life-long musician has often been described as a chameleon, having been in dramatically different bands Lady and Toy Soldiers in the past, before turning her attention to her own creations.  Kate Faust has such a mature professional sound that she gets compared to accomplished artists like Tori Amos , Bjork, or Kate Bush.  She has the acclaimed album, Crucial Companion to her credit and continues to tease fans with bits and pieces of her new works.  A new EP will be released in early '15, and fans can expect a single this fall! Kate, while constantly looking ahead forging new exciting ground, does not shy away from honoring her inspirations.  Earlier this year she unveiled a cover o

  Earlier this week we unveiled the gutsy cover of Hall & Oates "You Make My Dreams Come True" by Underwater Country Club .   Gutsy in the sense that Darryl Hall is hard to replicate and Hall & Oates songs are just way harder to play than most people recognize.  But really, for Underwater Country Club, it wasn't gutsy at all, it's just sort of what they do.  Brothers Andrew Robinson & Skip Robinson with cohorts Anthony Coppa and Jack Zaferes are gearing up to take the Philly scene over, show by show, song by song.  With somewhat of a reckless abandon, they play their style of rock 'n roll with a confidence that most bands wish they had. The foursome has a new batch of songs they are so very ready to put out to the world.  Add that to their road-tested back catalog including their 2013 EP and they have a killer showcase ready for new fans and old fans alike to hear.  Brand new song "Heat Seeking Missile", captured at No

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 Gaining these growing audi

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 including Brad in t

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

Welcome back to # CoverClub .  For this special Thursday edition of we continue our journey abroad in Philadelphia by taking the team out to Church of Kong .  For those not in the know, Church of Kong is not a church in the typical sense, but it's an early afternoon of healing via Nodding Head Brewery beverages, wonderful music including TJ Kong , and the best congregation anywhere.  This curated monthly event is a great time for new music each month.  For this occasion we found ourselves in the presence of three sirens in the form of Laura Szklarski, Cecilia Ferneborg , and Sarah Larsen as Ladybird. Doing a Cover Club recording at a live event such as Church of Kong, doesn't allow all the safeguards that an in studio session would allow, but with three talented ladies like those of Ladybird it's amazing how smooth the recording went.  Re-listening to the set later, there wasn't a pang for an edit or re-take.  Ladybird is natural when performing and capturing the

Welcome back to # CoverClub .  Back in late March we ventured away from the studios and headed out into Bucks County to the Sluice Box, home of Joshua Britton (Pslamships) and Brad Hinton ( Brad Hinton Trio , Hezekiah Jones .)  Not only do Joshua & Brad make a lot of music at home at the Sluice Box, but they also bring in friends from time to time for more creativity.  Root Down In The Shadow was invited over for a #CoverClub session and together we invited Katie Frank & The Pheromones to play! Of course we did sessions with Brad & Joshua, but first let's present our guest: Katie Frank & The Pheromones: Cover Club | Katie Frank &t the Pheromones "I Love Rock n Roll" (Joan Jett) Since getting my first listen of Katie Frank & The Pheromones, I was stuck on what the "sound" was like?  There seemed to be a little country, there was a lot of Grace Potter , but I couldn't put my finger on it of what that "it" was.