Root Down in the Shadow

Wooo Hooooo It's XPoNential Fest Time!!!!  Every year WXPN brings a ton of great bands and artists to the Wiggins Park shore in Camden, NJ.  With so many bands on the line-up it's daunting to figure out which bands to see.  Fortunately, the way WXPN does the line-ups you CAN make it to every band should you choose.  However, we all know it's going to be hot as hell.  Not quite as hot as 2011 with the 100 degree days, but still super hot.   Luckily for us, some of the festival performers have put in their two cents for which bands they are excited about. Rosemary Fiki   starts the fest at 4pm today on the JerseyArts.Com Marina Stage. Let's see what she's recommending: Band Most Excited to Share the Festival Stage with : This is our first time time performing at XPoNential so to be completely honest, I'm super stoked to share the Festival stage with everyone! If I absolutely had to choose, I would say The Districts. We actually share...

In recent years if Philly music fans hadn't seen Ron Gallo a half-dozen or so times by mid-year, they must have tried to avoid him.  But as the calendar turned to 2016, Ron Gallo packed up his talents and left for Nashville.  This summer tour, including a stop at Philly's JOHNNY BRENDA'S, is the first chance for many to catch Ron Gallo in quite a while.  Let's see what Ron has been up to, as he chatted with Root Down In The Shadow. Once upon a time you were everywhere in Philly, but then after 1 (or 2) farewell show(s) you were gone to Nashville at the end of 2015 Part of moving to Nashville and leaving Philly behind, was not being stuck in the same old stuff, doing shows with the same crew, taking a step forward. Going to Nashville however meant playing shows with old friends like Jordan Hull and Joe Fletcher . Do you have fears of getting into the same ruts? i always have a natural fear of growing stagnant. even while in philly i could never sit still. t...

If you haven't noticed, we're big fans of Max García Conover.   A few months ago we chronicled Max García Conover's first videos with Sofar Sounds.   Now we're back as there are 2 more to share! Max has now done 8 Sofar Sounds across the country and if the other cities are lucky enough, hopefully more to of these posts will follow. Here's performances from Philadelaphia and Maine:     Eddie's Wine | Sofar Philadelphia As Much a Rising Sun As a Setting One (Part 2) | Sofar Maine   Hopefully his appearance from Nashville will be following soon!

As a music fan, one of my favorite activities is chatting about seeing amazing bands in interesting places.  While I'm stoked to see Pearl Jam later this month in an arena, I was more excited to see Lucius at mid-sized Union Transfer where I could be two feet away from them.  I'm edge of my chair excited to see J. Roddy Walston & The Business, playing the tiny Ortlieb's. Sometimes you know who to look for.  Sometimes you luck out and find amazing where you wouldn't expect it.  Sofar Sounds is a great way of finding magic in unexpected places.  Tonight we'll travel back through the Sofar Sounds: Boston archives for some gems.   Share some videos as you go and don't forget to sign up for your local Sofar Sounds IF you like what you see here, check out our top 20 performances of Sofar Sounds: Philadelphia in honor of their four year anniversary and to take a look at our friend Max García Conover's trip through some Sofar cities. November 2013 ...

Philly/CT band  Birds Over Arkansas ' is currently recording their full length release as a follow up to their 2014  Behind The Lights  EP.  Root Down In The Shadow is proud to debut the first single from this release, "Forgotten Lights." "Forgotten Lights" was first teased in an exclusive release for a RDITS house show in March featuring BOA , Kevin Killen , Chelsea Mitchell , and Max García Conover . Finally ready for the masses, "Forgotten Lights" is helplessly watching a loved one slip away into dementia. The song starts as a mellow Americana groove, and the split at the outro introduces the progressive rock elements to bring in the lyric "the flame blew out again." This was the pivotal point in the lyrics, signifying the change from someone who was slowly losing their faculties who has now seemingly become a different person. The switch from the easy, mellow groove to the frenetic time signature embodies this. Scott Haskitt - ...

Photo by Elmo Tham Virginia natives and Philly favorites Carbon Leaf have been serving up their unique brand of alt-country, Celtic, and folk-infused indie rock for 20 years. We put together a list of our top ten Carbon Leaf songs - it was no easy task given their extensive catalog. Here are our favorites in no particular order: What About Everything: The song that first introduced us at Root Down In The Shadow to Carbon Leaf, from their album Indian Summer that received heavy rotation on AAA radio and introduced them to a world-wide audience. Block of Wood: Poignant lyrics offering comfort after the loss of a family member: “In the ash I found an ember, something warm to help remember, a block of wood that used to be, a strong tall family tree.” The Boxer: An encore staple – a raucous, Celtic-infused rocker that won the band an American Music Award in 2002.  The song that EVERYONE knows! Tombstone vs. Ashes: Your body is merely a vessel - spiritual musings on h...

So what's a formula for a successful House Concert. 1. Find bands that fill your soul 2. Invite your like minded music fiends 3. Forget the rest, if you have music & friends nothing else matters. **** Some of you may have noticed some repetition to a Root Down In The Shadow House Concert.  But if a musician fills your soul, why would it be a bad thing to repeat?  Max García Conover , is one of those artists I will gladly go see everytime he comes through, even if it happens to be in a living room or backyard of a friend.  Haunt The House , who are coming this Saturday , is another one of those artists.  But hey, when you find something that works; stick with it. Last Friday we had a special show in Fishtown.  Max had a Thursday slot in Nashville for Sofar Sounds and a gig Saturday in Mt. Holly, NJ; so of course a Philly house show made sense.  Why not? Filling out the line-up were William Doobies & Dan Weirauch of New Sweden and Mike ...