Root Down in the Shadow

In just a few days, THIS SATURDAY, a line-up of epic proportions is ready to be unleashed AT THE RIVALS HOUSE . Last month, we started off the joint series at the Rivals House with rockers Up The Chain and Satellite Hearts .  This month were turning down the volume and doubling the lineup.  Four acts will take to the mic with Sean Hoots, Emily Ana Zeitlyn (Divers), Ladybird, and The Rivals all ready to wow audiences.  Ranging from Folk-tonk to Bluegrass to cutting edge rock, these four local outfits are some of the best Philly has to offer. The event is limited, so be sure to RSVP.    While the event is NOT FREE, please be prepared to pay according to how awesome you think the night is going ($10-20).  To get an idea of what incredible fantasitic-ness you'll be a part of, here are a few videos to get you ready. Sean Hoots from his recent Cover Club session Emily Ana Zeitlyn of Divers at Johnny Brenda's The Rivals from their recent Cover...

Hoots & Hellmouth are back at their rightful place, the stages of Philadelphia, as they have begun a residency throughout May on Wednesday nights in at Philadelphia’s Boot & Saddle .   The event marks a first for both band and venue, as this is the group’s first-ever hometown residency and the club’s first since local concert promotions agency, R5 Productions , reopened the South Philadelphia landmark's doors in September 2013.   Now that the first ever residency week at Boot & Saddle is in the books, it's a great time to check out Hoots & Hellmouth as they go through new material in front of fans and friends alike in anticipation of their upcoming recording sessions this summer. The band—led by founding members Sean Hoots and Robert Berliner —will be debuting new material each Wednesday night in May.  One such song, "Move Me" was first presented with the Root Down In The Shadow series Cover Club earlier this year and will be amongst...

#CoverClub 2.0 @Nomad Recording Studio by #CoverClub * As The Root Down In The Shadow #CoverClub team starts to unveil it's latest sessions and plan the next session, it's time to release some of this killer audio for your downloading pleasure. The Bernhardt Family Band - Photo by Bob Sweeney The sessions recorded in January back at Nomad Recording Studio feature Sean Hoots, The Bernhardt Family Band, Up The Chain, and Dominic Angelella of DRGN KING. The set includes 3 unreleased originals and only 1 previously released track. Covers on the download include Toy Soldiers and The Lawsuits. If we can get a release to include the Sean Hoots/BoyzIImen cover or Dominic Angelella's Dead Milkmen cover we'll add it asap! Keep an eye out for more tracks from our Breakneck Studios session 2.0 including Mat Burke, Levee Drivers, Lucy Stone, and Leaf & Tree. While the first sessions are set up as #FreeDownload currently on SoundCloud for Breakneck Studios session ...

After dinner and a beer at Boot & Saddle recently, crossing the threshold of the venue was more than going to a concert; it was a chance to go back in time.  For the evening, the talented outfits of Foxhound, Hezekiah Jones , and Ali Wadsworth transformed themselves into Nirvana , the Lemonheads , and Pearl Jam .  On any ordinary night, this would be a stellar line-up without any covers, but just talent alone.  But for this Saturday night, it stood to be an incredible night; recreating a night that many music fans wish they would have ever been a part of. First up was Foxhound.  Normally the duo of Chris Kasper and Kylie Ryan , they recruited some friends to make Nirvana MTV Unplugged in New York happen.  Sean Hoots, complete with ripped jeans and a tied on flannel, played an acoustic bass and Tom Bendel was on drums.  Just as Nirvana took some liberties for the live recording, Foxhound made this their own as well as they played the wh...

Earlier this week we revealed the Sean Hoots solo cover of the BoyzIIMen hit 'It's So Hard To Say Goodbye To Yesterday'.  In just a few days, the video has already crept near the top of our most played #CoverClub videos.  It was during a winter session three weeks ago at Nomad Recording Studio where Sean Hoots also recorded an original song with the working title 'Move Me.'  Even in the raw state that is presented via Cover Club; 'Move Me' has the rare quality of being a song you feel well acquainted with within seconds of hearing it. Cover Club | Sean Hoots "Move Me"  'Move Me' is amongst a collection of songs Hoots & Hellmouth are working on fine tuning in the next several weeks in preparation for an upcoming release.  It's possible it could be played in the annual Valentine's Day shows at Tin Angel .  For sure, you'll hear it during their residency in May at Boot & Saddle . Sean Hoots has been busy remove...

Our first release from the 2.0 Session of Cover Club at Nomad Recording Studio features the boundless Sean Hoots .  Sean Hoots had been on the Root Down In The Shadow radar since catching him for the first time at the March 2013 Sofar Sounds Philadelphia show !  Since a well-rounded knowledge of the Philadelaphia music scene is certainly incomplete with knowing Sean Hoots and/or Hoots and Hellmouth .  Sean was a natural choice to include on the series.  'It's So Hard To Say Goodbye To Yesterday' was first made famous in the 70's by G. C. Camerson and it was later re-popularized by the legendary Philly R&B outfit Boyz II Men in the 90's.  When he first moved to Philly eight years ago, Sean moved across the street from the creative arts high school where Boyz II Men, the Roots and many others started years ago.  It's no surprise then how Sean feels about the aforementioned tune: "The a capella Boyz II Men version had always really struck me....

Saturday night, October 5th, something truly magical is going to happen.  The self titled  Ali Wadsworth album is going to be released in grand fashion.  We're talking G R A N D !  Cocktail hour, a secret band, a roving party, and the much anticipated release of the most #EPIC album of all time! The Ali Wadsworth band itself, is made up of members of Good Old War , the Lawsuits , Hezekiah Jones , Chris Kasper , and more! We're not talking epic as in my favorite over-used adjective, but epic as in over 50 potential writers contributing to a project!  The cross-section of the Philadelphia scene involved with this project is huge.  We're not even talking 6 degrees of separation or 6 degrees of Kevin Bacon or whatever.  The number of artists directly writing for or playing on the album is staggering.  Don't confuse things though.  This is not some weak celebrity all-star album or some vanity project.  This is a full on collaboration wi...

Photo by Lindsey Borgman Your band name: Sean Hoots/Hoots & Hellmouth Style: Anything with passion/fire/vibe. My general approach can be expressed by the formula Soul + X, where X represents any number of mixable styles (rock, folk, electronic, noise, etc.). Years on the Scene: Many years, to be sure. 8 with Hoots & Hellmouth , but I've been around a lot longer than that doing a whole host of musical things. Current Project and/or Members:  Hoots & Hellmouth is currently on a bit of a pause. 8 years of hard touring requires a breather at some point! In that space, I am exploring a variety of music, involving a variety of folks, everything from solo singing and soundscape-making to ensemble playing with some of Philly's best (and cutest), including Todd Erk , Jaron Olevsky , Tom Bendel and Carl Bahner . Any new album projects? Sessions in the works? All kinds of stuff in the works...I just did a trio session/show at Carl Ba...

With the music "season" starting with South by SouthWest in March, April has been such a great time for tours and new albums.  2013 is starting off the just as expected.  Here's some must see shows coming to towns near you. Purling Hiss are touring for their March release Water On Mars.  Their low-fi, indie-hard-rock sound is reminiscent of early Nirvana.  Regardless of who they remind you of, do yourself a favor and check out the fuzzy 'Lolita' 04 Apr 2013 Williamsburg, NY 05 Apr 2013 Johnny Brenda's Philadelphia, PA 06 Apr 2013 Metro Gallery Baltimore, MD 07 Apr 2013 Maxwell's Hoboken, NJ 09 Apr 2013 O'Brien's Pub Allston, MA  10 Apr 2013 BAR Nightclub New Haven, CT   12 Apr 2013 Brillobox Pittsburgh, PA   13 Apr 2013 Ace of Cups Columbus, OH 14 Apr 2013 The Garden Bowl Detroit, MI 15 Apr 2013 The Empty Bottle Chicago, I 16 Apr 2013 7th St. Entry Minneapolis, MN 18 Apr 2013 Linneman's Riverwest Inn Milwaukee, WI 19 Apr ...

Here's a post for the Sofar Sounds: Philadelphia 3-15-2013          Here's the January review For those of you that don't know what Sofar Sounds is here's 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. In order to create an intimate and spellbinding atmosphere, we ask that nobody talk during performances. We hold these pop-up gigs in over 30 cities across 5 continents" To listen to the show while reading the review, try the mixlr.com stream ** although it was mic'd in the back of the room, and the crowd was particularly enthusiastic, so it gets a little rough** ** All photos from Lindsey Borgman unless otherwise noted **   http:// www.flickr.com/ photos/linky-b/ It was an exciting March night in the Fishtown section of Philadelphia.  There was much to rejoice in: it was only a few days into the re-arranged su...