Root Down in the Shadow

Those who wanted to extend their Halloween festivities into the weekend were in for a treat this past Friday.  Milkboy invited three local bands to cover well known artists.  And this wasn’t just covering a band – it was completely embracing it.  Song Dogs as Talking Heads ; Ross Bellenoit as Elvis Costello; and Val De Val as Alice in Chains . Ross Bellenoit  kicked off the night, taking the stage as Elvis Costello.  Ross decided to pay tribute to Elvis Costello by performing his 1986 album Blood & Chocolate cover to cover. Some might think this to be a risk mainly because it’s not well known. But in chatting with Ross he told me it was just something he had wanted to perform for quite some time and also was attracted to the challenge of performing this album on stage.  Joining him in this feat was   Patrick Berkery on drums, Joe Baldacci on guitar, keyboardist Matt Landis , Todd Erk on bass, and Sonja Sof...

Through the wonders of Twitter and living in a city with one of the worlds best radio stations and record stores, the stars aligned for Root Down In The Shadow' s Dan McGurk to sit down with Gabe Simon of the Kopecky Family Band between XPoNential Festiva l and an in-store session at Main Street Music ! Now, just in time for Kopecky Family Band's return to Philly on November 23rd, at the TLA , the interview is ready to be watched.  Eight segments take fans along for the ride, that has been the musical journey of the Kopecky Family Band ! Here are the first two segments:            "Mile Marker 1":                                        Mile Marker 3 "we're THE Kopecky FAMILY"       AND NOW.... Part 3(of 8)Mile Marker 2 ...

Through the wonders of Twitter and living in a city with one of the worlds best radio stations and record stores, the stars aligned for Root Down In The Shadow' s Dan McGurk to sit down with Gabe Simon of the Kopecky Family Band between XPoNential Festiva l and an in-store session at Main Street Music ! Now, just in time for Kopecky Family Band's return to Philly on November 23rd, at the TLA , the interview is ready to be watched.  Eight segments take fans along for the ride, that has been the musical journey of the Kopecky Family Band ! If you haven't already watched Part 1, be sure to start here with :  Part 1 :  "Mile Marker 1" Gabe Simon of Kopecky Family Band! Check back throughout the month for more parts of the interview!  All eight will be revealed, leading up to the concert at the TLA on November 23rd! "Mile Marker 2 indications"   "When did you know" "This is what it's all about" "Advice ...

In just a few hours a much anticipated Cultivar CD release show will begin!  Sweetbriar Rose plays tonight at the Old Swedes Church !  After two warm-ups, playing the Lovers League release show 10/26 at Connie's Ric Rac and the "CD Release Warm-up" at the Grape Room 10/30, the official release is tonight in grand fashion! Cultivar released this August is the newest work from songstress Heather Sha yne Blakeslee and her team of folk-stars Shane Leddy , Joy Theissen , EJ Simpson , and Walter Foley .  If you haven't checked out Cultivar yet, it has a full palate of instrumentation bringing Blakeslee's songs to a vibrant life!  From swanky muted trumpet, some fierce mandolin, and sultry vocals, this isn't your standard modern folk-rebirth album! After getting a glimpse of Sweetbriar Rose this summer at the Brandywine Folk Festival in Kennett Square, PA in a stripped down form, looking ahead to tonight's show one question remained.  Wha...

Through the wonders of Twitter and living in a city with one of the worlds best radio stations and record stores, the stars aligned for Root Down In The Shadow' s Dan McGurk to sit down with Gabe Simon of the Kopecky Family Band between XPoNential Festiva l and an in-store session at Main Street Music ! Now, just in time for Kopecky Family Band's return to Philly on November 23rd, at the TLA , the interview is ready to be watched.  Eight segments take fans along for the ride, that has been the musical journey of the Kopecky Family Band! Part 1 :  "Mile Marker 1" Gabe Simon of Kopecky Family Band Check back throughout the month for more parts of the interview!  All eight will be revealed, leading up to the concert at the TLA on November 23rd! "Mile Marker 1": "Mile Marker 3"  "Mile Marker 2 indications"  "When did you know" "This is what it's all about" "Advice for up & comers"...

Oliver Craven, Maya de Vitry, Charles Muench of the Stray Birds - by Doug Seymour The Stray Birds will perform in Philadelphia on Friday, November 1 at World Café Live Drawing upon the richness of American folk music traditions, the signature power of The Stray Birds sound lies in outstanding songwriting that soars in three-part harmony. Raised on music within a few miles of farmland from each other, The Stray Birds were born of a compelling collaboration between two unique writers and vocalists-- the pure, luxurious voice of Maya de Vitry and Oliver Craven's richness of tone and depth of delivery. Grounding their sound in the unshakeable groove of bassist Charles Muench, The Stray Birds are a trio of captivating chemistry and sensitive musicality. From bustling street corners to silent halls, their performances speak to an uncompromising reverence for songs. Their debut cd was named one of the top ten Folk/Americana albums of 2012 by NPR. Eager for this Friday's sho...

For those of you who don't know what Sofar Sounds is here is 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." **Unless noted,** All photos from Lindsey Borgman** Links to earlier SofarSounds: Philadelphia reviews October 19th - South Philly - Philadelphia, PA photo by Jeff Coon It's amazing how quickly turmoil and pending disaster can turn around.   Heading to the Sofar Sounds show with, what was expected to be, a nice cushion of time that disappeared quickly.  South Philly traffic was exceptionally heinous due to an outdoor festival.  Normally accessible garages were full.  Rain was intermittent.  On top of that, I realized it was also game 6 of the MLB American League Championship Series.  With the CMJ Festival having kicked off a few days earlier just a few hours away in NYC, would any music fans make it out tonig...