Note: Photos by Lindsey Borgman Pearl And The Beard came to Philadelphia as part of the Communion: Club Night Tour! Judging by the time slots or the marquee it's hard to tell who the featured artist was for the night, but based on the majority of the music fans at Underground Arts migrating to the stage it was clearly Pearl And The Beard. The chatter indicated about half of the crowd was beyond excited, while the other half was justifiably curious. Not the standard rock n roll lineup, Pearl And The Beard doesn't do anything "normal": no drum kit, no "lead" singer, a cello. These cool kids have no reservations about doing things their way. Photo by Lindsey Borgman Back in 2011, Pearl And The Beard caught the wider attention of the music world with their second album Killing the Darlings. Tours with David Wax Museum, Lucius , You Won't , and Lady Lamb The Beekeeper helped build a base of rabid fans. At the end of 2011, when thi
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Despite being on a writing hiatus these last several months, I have not left my obsession of concerts and new music. I am very eager to share some of my recent exploits with my readers, including some albums to add to your holiday wish lists. But before it's too late, I owe some of you a much needed Concert Preview post! Here goes! First up: SPIRIT FAMILY REUNION . When Spirit Family Reunion comes to town, you won't be lost in the glitz and glamour. In fact, you rarely see singer Nick Panken outfitted in much more than a white T-Shirt! With or without setlist, what you do have is a pure love for the bringing their joyful noise to the fans. What comes to mind is Revival when listening to this sextet. Whether spiritual, traditional or folk, it's a sound that can only leave you warm inside and smiling on the outside. NPR Tiny Desk concert for Spirit Family Reunion go to http://spiritfamilyreunion.com/#shows Nov 14 Maxwell's Hoboken, NJ Nov 15 IOTA
Thanks to the fine folks at David Wax Museum, a year ago I found the most wonderful trio, Pearl And The Beard last November. It was a great start to my fan-hood of these Brooklynites. I saw them open for David Wax at the end of November , during an incredible show. I loved them, the wife loved them, and most importantly Molly loved them. Not to mention videos galore on the internets of these fantastically and artistically talented musicians. Jeremy Styles : photo by Jeff Coon Although I had my new Killing the Darlings vinyl and the most awesome Daytrotter session to listen to, my desire was to see them live again. This quest to see them again was frustratingly fruitless for the next year. I missed them in Wilmington, DE due to lovely back spasms (mine, not theirs). I had a conflict with a Brown Bird/Devil Makes Three show. There was another show in NJ that was cancelled. Then, I missed a free show in Harrisburg, Pa while I attended a closer Pokey LaFarge show at the
Recently I came across this incredible session by Pearl and the Beard with the folks @ Audiotree Live . It's not often that you find a session that you want to watch over and over again; maybe a track here or there, but not a full show. This breaks the trend. This session shows off everything wonderful about Pearl and the Beard. You get to really meet the band, while hearing their pure, incredible sound. It's a great sampling of their tracks, some new some older, some yet to be released. I saw Pearl and the Beard back in November by chance as they were opening for another uber talented band The David Wax Museum. I had about a week to get familiar with the band and while learning about the band I was so impressed and excited to see them, the opener , that I requested an interview before the show. They were just such cool, interesting folk, that I really could have spent a whole evening just hanging out and picking their brains. The results of that pre-show session
The best thing about living along the megalopolis of I-95 cities is the close proximity and ease of travel to each other! Here are the best upcoming shows that I have spotted for your viewing pleasure! If you go, please let me know how the shows were. I'll review as many as I make it to! FEBRUARY 13th PITTSBURGH Allen Stone @ Stage AE Young White guy with Soul... Are you sure? Check out his awesome single ' Sleep ' or ' Another Break Up Song' and decide for yourself! For more info check out this article by the Pittsburgh City Paper FEBRUARY 16th BALTIMORE Blind Pilot with Cotton Jones @Ram's Head Live. Although it is going to require me to take a day off, I'm going to head down to Baltimore. Two reasons: I saw them in November at Union Transfer and it was awesome, so I must go again. The second reason is a boneheaded one. I picked up their fantastic poster by drummer Ryan Dobrowski , and the band was hanging out afterwards and signing m
Pearl and the Beard recently sat down with Root Down in the Shadow for a casual look at some myths and legends about the band! Topics ranged from the silly to the serious, touching on their backgrounds and the awesomeness of the David Wax Museum ! Pearl and the Beard is three voices, one cello, one guitar, one glockenspiel, one melodica, several drums, one accordion, ninety-six teeth, and one soul. Former strangers Jocelyn Mackenzie, Emily Hope Price , and Jeremy Styles were united in the great city of New York. Each had migrated there from a far corner of the nation with naught but food in their pockets and money in their bellies. Each had the same true love. Since then, the three have nested, and their unique brand of brightly melodic songcraft continues to blossom of its own accord. The Brooklyn-based trio Pearl and the Beard released their first full-length album, God Bless Your Weary Soul, Amanda Richardson, spring of 2009, followed by the Black Vessel EP. They