Root Down in the Shadow

Bandade Music is very aware of the power of music in our lives. Formed in Nashville in 2015 and now located in Philadelphia, Bandade works to build community, raise awareness, and fight cancer through music. So far, they’ve had support from Alabama Shakes , Jason Isbell , Florence Welch , Sam Beam of Iron and Wine , and more; and since their move to Philadelphia, local artists are playing a major role in the Bandade community, helping to raise funds to fight cancer, and transforming an ordinary Wednesday night into an opportunity to be part of a larger purpose. Last month, Philly artists the dove & the wolf and Dirty Dollhouse highlighted the most recent Bandade benefit, and Root Down in the Shadow was there. Learn more about Bandade and see their calendar of upcoming shows at MyBandadeMusic.com . the dove & the wolf the dove and the wolf - photo by Dan McGurk Upon first listen, Paris turned Philly expats the dove & the wolf stir something gloriously familiar

"From the Notebook" is a new series at Root Down In The Shadow, that will explore great experiences with bands and events that didn't make it to the web within a normal deadline, but were too good not to share.  If all goes well we'll let that original moment simmer and provide some additional insight beyond our first take.  Our first subject: Dirty Dollhouse. Chelsea Mitchell All Photos by Lindsey Borgman unless noted  Chelsea Mitchell Dirty Dollhouse Who is Dirty Dollhouse ? Who is Dirty Dollhouse ?  Officially Dirty Dollhouse is the all-beautiful, all-female Chelsea Mitchell-Amber Twait-Vanessa Winters trio.  The lush harmonies of these long-time friends are the crux of any Dirty Dollhouse tune.  But which band is really Dirty Dollhouse?  Is it only the trio? Or, is it a full-band extravaganza?  Chelsea Mitchell Some fans already caught their first glimpse of Dirty Dollhouse at one of their rare shows in 2014.  The ladies had been play

The final #CoverClub entry from Nomad Recording Studios session 2.0 is here at last.  We're proud to present Up The Chain covering The Lawsuits .  Rounding out an intense line-up of Sean Hoots covering Boyz II Men 'It's So Hard To Say Goodbye To Yesterday' , DRGN KING 's Dominic Angelella covering the iconic Dead Milkmen , and The Bernhardt Family Band covering Toy Soldiers, Up The Chain takes on the most challenging cover of the session. Originally known as "Walk You Home", the song was originally a track by the Lawsuits frontman Brian Dale Allen Strouse on his solo release Peace, Turkey!, "Walk You Home" is one of many love songs written by Brian Strouse through the years and featuring Brian on piano with a little harmonica.  Unfortunately, the song was not well-known as the album was overshadowed by the more successful Lawsuits release Darleen , put out in the same time period.   Here's the original track by Brian Dale Allen Str

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 well

Sofar Sounds: Philadelphia - February 2014 The Art Dept welcomed Sofar Sounds: Philadelphia Photos by Lindsey Borgman Photo by Lindsey Borgman, Poster by Jennifer Prough Going to Sofar Sounds: Philadelphia on a monthly basis is a chance for renewal.  It's always a fresh start as you head to a place you've never been, to open yourself up to four bands you might not have listened to yet, and be ready for an unexpected set of emotions.  I found my destination - the bright, open gallery known as the Art Dept. I walked into the space and was immediately drawn to artwork displayed of these characters.  Part of the current exhibition Everybody Dates: New work by Ellen Haines , the figures were charming and their thoughts were interesting and funny.  Before bands had begun it was already a good night, I chatted with a few folks as the crowd gathered in and soon enough it was time to take our seats on the hardwood floor.  I was ready to let the Sofar Sounds experience b

Photo by Jeff Coon This week, the session of the new Philadelphia-centric music series #CoverClub, features Brian Strouse & Vanessa Winters at Break Neck Studios where the members of Philadelphia band, the Lawsuits, covered Ween !  Ironically, just as I lamented here are week ago, that 'Fine Quality' covered by Chelsea Mitchell was being rescued from the growing stack of incredible songs by the Lawsuits on the new album Cool Cool Cool .  Brian and Vanessa dug further into the Lawsuits catalog for this week's original session track! 'Dancing In Church' is a Lawsuits throwback.  In fact, it's technically on a solo Brian Dale Allen Strouse album, 18 South Main.   The 2010 album was early tinder for Strouse, as several tracks made it onto other releases.  Two songs became tracks on the subsequent Lawsuits album Darleen ('Hot Water Blues' and 'Mermaid').  The dark 'Hurricane Blues' a lament of a broken relationship, became a ste

Earlier this year here at the indie Philly blog, Root Down In The Shadow, we started the fun series #Philly Presents , ...bands writing about other bands. The most common reaction from bands to this project: "Wait? Are we covering other bands?" And so #CoverClub was born!  This week, the featured #CoverClub artists are Brian Strouse and Vanessa Winters of  The Lawsuits .  On a very chill afternoon in October, Brian and Vanessa came in to Breakneck Studio for their session.  Coincidentially they came in right as Chelsea Mitchell was recording her version of the Lawsuits' 'Fine Quality'. The band Brian Strouse chose cover was Ween.  Ween ?   Ween is just one of those bands.  You'll never hear them on the radio.  You didn't see them on MTV or VH1, but maybe once in their lengthy career.  Someone had to introduce you to Ween.  For Brian Strouse it was his older brother.  My experience was through an older brother too, not mine, but my frien