Root Down in the Shadow

This week for CoverClub we get to be extra excited. This week, Pine Barons are playing our favorite festival: XPoNential Festival and they have a great cover for us to share! Cover Club | Pine Barons "January 1979" (mewithoutYou) Now based in Philly, these New Jersey exports weaned on mewithoutYou in high school. It's All Crazy! It's All False! It's All a Dream! It's Alright was out at the time, but it was Catch for Us the Foxes that the fellas gravitated to. For Pine Barons they all agreed "it's different from our band and so fun to play. It encompasses being a high school student and wanting to yell. Plus a song we can all agree on" During their #CoverClub session, when they recorded the amazing cover of mewithoutYou' s "January 1979" they also treated us to a studio version of "Clowns."  Expected to be part of a full length album, being recorded in Head Room Studios in Spring of '16, this ...

For those of you that didn't see the invitation to the Root Down In The Shadow HQ House Show with Haunt the House, Dan Blakeslee , and Kettle Pot Black : Sorry, watch the video below to see what you missed. For those of you that did see the invitation, but chose not to come.  You might not want to watch this video... And I told you so. Haunt the House, "Vampyre" live from RDitS House Show 7/13/15 from Michael Batchelor on Vimeo . Check out more tunes by the band here and keep an eye out for more tour dates. Meanwhile, they're playing Newport Folk Festival on Friday!!

Less than a week away, the XPoNential Festival looms large on the summer music horizon.  The schedule has been released and it's time to start plotting out your must see bands, meeting with friends, and where to put your chairs each day! Luckily for us, some of the festival performers have put in their two cents on which bands are worthy of your attention.  Israel Nash Sunday 1:40pm - JerseyArts.com Marina Stage Band Most Excited to Share the Festival Stage with : Courtney Barnett: ( Sunday 3:55pm - River Stage) "Courtney's done so much lately. I’ve been a fan for a little bit, as we keep crossing paths on the circuit, SXSW etc. To keep seeing Courtney, on the lineup, at all these festivals is awesome! Somehow I haven’t been able to catch her set yet, so this will be the first time to see her live. Her new album ( Sometimes I Sit And Think, And Sometimes I Just Sit ) is great. Courtney Barnett is such a great poet, while doi...

Back in April for Record Store Day, the #CoverClub crew went to Main Street Music to cover Anthony D'Amato's in-store session.  It was tons of fun as we did some video inside (see original "Rain On A Strange Roof" below) and then took a jaunt over to the canal to do another shoot of Marah's "Walt Whitman Bridge."  The session was a blast, and all the details are over at the CoverClubPhilly.com site. Afterwards, keeping an eye on the internet buzz.. I found something spectacular!  Many fans and artists love music for the same reason... the connection.  And this, is a connection! Anthony D'Amato — Rain on a Strange Roof from Michael Batchelor on Vimeo .

The Hezekiah Jones Cover Club session had been in the works for over a year when it was recorded in early April of this year at Cambridge Sound Studios . Since it was first discussed, a lot has changed in that time, but one thing that hasn’t is Johnny Miles place among the band as a favorite artist. According to Raph of Hezekiah Jones, “Johnny Miles is a songwriting hero and I am honored to also call him a friend. It was hard to pick just one song from such a prolific and talented writer.” Raph explained, “Sailors” is off of Sign of the Times ; one of my all time favorite albums. Johnny Miles’ lyrics melt me. The session was recorded in April at Jim Salamone ‘s Cambridge Sound Studios with Matthew Phillips , Todd Mecaughey , and Alex Kopertowski . Cover Club: Hezekiah Jones "Sailors" (Johnny Miles Cover) Sign Of The Times by Johnny Miles In less than two weeks, patron fans who supported the band via their PledgeMusic campaign will be receiving the...

As a editor of Root Down In The Shadow, I make all the decisions about deadlines and features and such.  I also get stuck sometime and fail to put a piece out.  Maybe it wasn't the right time, maybe a "dealine" is missed.  Whatever the case is sometimes things just don't happen.  But, the musicians didn't fail to play the show, the contributors don't fail to show up.  There's always a good time to post a review, even if it is eight months later.  So, I present another piece "FROM THE NOTEBOOK." Divers, now know as Arc Divers play tomorrow for what stands to be an amazing show with Israel Nash at the Malvern Summer Stage.  So, there's no better time than now to share Wayne's free flowing piece.  Arc Divers - Photo by Wayne Gallagher Presented in it's original form: Divers. Johnny Brenda's. Friday night in Fishtown Philadelphia. I arrive early, too early. The sun is still out, the street bounces with people on thei...

Sofar Sounds: Philadelphia, where has the year gone?  Already the June show has come and gone and already the July and August shows are being planned.  Too much time has passed without a recap; so with no further ado: Best of Sounds: Philadelphia 2015 ... so far... (plus Dec 2014). December 2014: Brian Dale Allen Strouse (of the Lawsuits) / Dominic Angelella (of DRGN King) /  The Naked Sun / The Kalob Griffin Band Photo by Julie McGurk Poster by Jennifer Prough Photo by Lindsey Borgman The December '14 Sofar Sounds: Philadelphia show was one of the best on record.  Ugly Sweaters, food donations for Philabundance, and an all local-lineup at this super cool Fishtown  former candy shop turned apartment.  For this holiday show, each band was asked to be prepared with a holiday song each. Just as each Sofar show is typically extra special with stripped down instrumentation and personnel, the holiday song choices for the event ...