Root Down in the Shadow

All Photos by Lindsey Borgman Jonas Oesterle February 16th, 2014 at World Cafe Live , TRI STATE INDIE threw one hell of a party.  The day of the Third Annual Tri State Indie Awards day was filled with celebratory fun and killer music.  Jonas Oesterle hosted the event with The Living Sample as the house band, who by the way are a much better combo than Seth Myers and The 8G Band with Fred Armisen on Late Night .  The event showcased so much of what is awesome with the Philly music scene. The camaraderie in the building was impressive.  Tri State Indie really captured it well, when co-founders Rich McKie & Stephanie Seiple-McKie explained "the event is not solely Tri State Indie's award show.  It is the award show for the whole scene."  They are completely spot-on, as there were an impressive number of bands playing and being nominated, not to mention all the presenters representing a huge cross-section of the local industry.  To furthe...

  Tri State Indie , your regional source for big announcements, contests, interviews, reviews, and upcoming shows and festivals is ready to kick off the official start of the 2014 music year.  With year-end reviews behind us, the calendar page turns in grand fashion with the "it" function of the year: the fabulous Tri State Indie Awards .  Tri State Indie brings all the bands together to celebrate everything from the previous year, focusing on Philadelphia and the vibrant regional music scene. This is the third presentation of arguably the best local/regional annual awards show anywhere.  It's a must-attend event.  Unlike the Grammy Awards or other television awards show where people feel a part of the party following along with Twitter or Facebook from your couch.  You must be in attendance to soak in everything great about the Philadelphia music scene. The main event starts at 6pm with fabulous artists taking the stage between awards.  ...

New venue Boot and Saddle has been doing a solid job of attracting some hot new acts such as Those Darlins and Cibo Matto to town.  The venue is set up for long-term success with a good menu and separate areas for the bar and shows.  If they keep bringing stacked local line-ups such as last Thursday, it will quickly be a new favorite for many.  Toy Soldiers front man Ron Gallo had the headline slot for the night and brought friends Lucy Stone and Jay Purdy to fill out his bill.  Fresh off of a release of his solo work Live At Kettle Pot Tracks, Ron Gallo was backed by local boys Satellite Hearts and Levee Drivers multi-instrumentalist Kyle Perella on lap steel. Jay Purdy started off the night with a captivating solo set, allowing his playful melodies and unexpected lyrics to display a very unique brand of songwriting.  Normally front-man of The Extraordinaires , Jay seemed at ease on his own while switching back and forth between whimsical tunes o...

What a great weekend of music.   I can honestly say there are few places that have such a multifaceted multi-genre scene as the Philly area.  You can really pick from an a la cart menu of bands and venues and not be disappointed.  This weekend for Root Down In The Shadow, included a Friday night show at Maxwell's on Main in Doylestown, the Tri State Indie Awards, and a mixed bag at Kung Fu Necktie.   ║CRAFT CULTURE║ February 15th ║  THE LAWSUITS TAKE-OVER with JEREMIAH TALL ║ Buck's county superstars The Lawsuits were the pick to start off the weekend.  The cover was FREE, but the quality was great.  Jeremiah Tall brought his one man extravaganza to open the night.  (Can you even call it that, when they don't go on until 10-ish?).  The Lawsuits, deep in their home territory, played a good selection of new tracks including the popular 'Ten Cent Piece'. TSI MUSIC AWARDS (the pre party) On Sunday, Tri State Indie Music Awards ....