Root Down in the Shadow

It's January 31st.. hardly the time to look back at the year prior.  But ripe with the awards season, Grammy's, Golden Globes, Tri State Indie Awards, etc it seems like the perfect time to share some thoughts about the year before.   2013 was a pretty damn good year for new music.  When compiling the year end list, it was remarkable how many outstanding Philadelphia based releases there were each month.  As with all things here at Root Down In The Shadow, we're going to skip retelling what you've read every where else.  Here we are going to do a Philly only year-end review!  Sorry to those of you who may be expecting Bastille , Aoife O'Donovan , J. Roddy Walston & The Business , or Phosphorescent on a year end list, like most things here at Root Down In The Shadow, this list will be Philly-centric!   Finally, apologies to Dr. Dog and Amos Lee, but I think everyone is aware already of B Room and Mountans of Sorrow, Rivers of Song.  A...

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!   The first sessions for #CoverClub were recorded in October, at the intimate Break Neck Studio under the sonic helm of Peter Joseph!   With the excitement over the series we couldn't contain ourselves, but couldn't continuously steal Peter.  Nomad Recording Studio graciously offered to be our alternate studio for the series and we quickly lined up more bands.  With Rob Swift and Tom Williamson of Nomad Recording Studio, the Session 1.0 includes Aaron Brown of Aaron & The Spell, Ron Gallo of Toy Soldiers, The Rivals and the Fleeting Ends!  The posts here at Root Down In The Shadow have been a blast to do, featuring the excellent videos by director Bob Sweeney assisted...

Earlier this week we released the incredible recreation of  Ween 's 'Tried and True' by the Fleeting Ends for #COVERCLUB !  The gritty version, done at Nomad Recording Studio, was a wonderful reminder that they are more than just alt-pop-rock wizards, but that they can seriously rock! Cover Club | The FleetingEnds "I Feel Cursed" To complete the #CoverClub session one of the many hits from Our Eyes Are Peeled , 'I Feel Cursed' was captured.  This Cover Club session recorded in December was the wrap of a really killer year for the band.  "2013 was a big year for us only because of Our Eyes Are Peeled . It landed us fantastic publications in Magent Magazine , Modern Drummer and many more.  Took us out on the road and got us into gear for future touring.  Local support has been fantastic.  Especially from WXPN .  We played this summers Xponential fest and it was by far the best day the band has ever had. Our Eyes Are Peeled   shot us i...

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.  In order to create an intimate and spellbinding atmosphere, we ask that nobody talk during  performances.  January '14 Sofar - January 17, 2014  Photos by Lindsey Borgman, Video by Bob Sweeney The Sofar Sounds: Philadelphia team is: Carolyn Lederach, Ken Winneg & Davis Howley Written by contributer Mariel Lorenz Photo by Lindsey Borgman On a frightfully cold day in January, one would think the weather would keep a crowd in the comfort of their own home, but music fans are different.  They do not let snow or cold get in the way of seeing great music.  As Shakespeare said "The show must go on" so of course it was no surprise to me that the first Sofar Sounds Philadelphia show of 2014 packed a row home in the Fis...

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! The final Nomad Studios Session 1.0 band for the #CoverClub series are the hardworking fellas from West Philadelphia, none other than the Fleeting Ends !  When the series was in the planning stages, it was clear that these energetic dudes had to be involved.  Seeing them back in August, at the Sofar Sounds: Philadelphia show, I realized that if their live show was such a close reproduction to their album intensity, then they would also be incredible for a studio session.  Turns out, instincts were correct and these guys brought their A game.  Never even considering a stripped down session, the Fleeting Ends came to Nomad Recording Studio ready to rock out. The Fleeting Ends selection ...

Earlier this week we released the raw and intimate Ron Gallo version of the Lawsuits ' 'Anybody's Girl' for #COVERCLUB !  The softer rendition gave ample pause to the heartfelt Brian Strouse lyrics as Gallo sang them on a cold December day in West Philly. It was this type of reflective day that Ron had back in Chicago a recently while on tour with Toy Soldiers, when the lyrics for his original 'Expensive Hair' started forming in his head.  The brand new song, part of an upcoming project, a kind of a concept album of sorts focuses on the humor of the American lifestyle. Cover Club | Ron Gallo "Expensive Hair" This new project is not to be confused with a just finished solo record that should be released sometime this spring,  his previous solo work Live at Ortlieb's released last spring or the impressive Toy Soldiers album The Maybe Boys released last fall.  'Expensive Hair' is an example of the most recent songs Ron has been writi...

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! The newest session in the #CoverClub series finds us at Nomad Studios in West Philadelphia with Philly's hardest working front man, the Ron Gallo of Toy Soldiers !  The selection 'Anybody's Girl' is from the Lawsuits new album Cool Cool Cool , just released in October 2013. Cover Club | Ron Gallo "Anybody's Girl" (The Lawsuits)  Video by Bob Sweeney(director) and Paul Lorenz - Audio by Nomad Studio In the past five years, Ron Gallo and the Toy Soldiers have shared bills with all kinds of bands big and small, in and out of Philly, but the logical choice for Ron's Philly-centric cover was none other than The Lawsuits.   The Lawsuits first came onto hi...