Rosu Lup and friends knocked an LP release show out of the park

Rosu Lup | photo by Matthew Shaver | www.brightloud.com

(Full disclosure of the writer: Since discovering Rosu Lup a bit more than a year ago, I have become friends with a few of the members, and contributed the biography to their website)

The past few weeks have been a stark reminder that the largest portion of the creative landscape are not the millionaires or even thousand-aires I sometimes get to cover. Many of them are working class, as blue collar as the city they call home. Philadelphia has been an explosion of working class musical talent is the scant 5 years that I’ve lived and loved here. For Rosu Lup, that has culminated in a breezy album called Is Anything Real.

They sure know how to throw a hell of a party to celebrate.

A night full of friends and fans, Rosu Lup and their extended family put on their best show I’ve seen yet. Johnny Brenda’s really suits their sound, and they packed the stage, literally to the brim, with some fantastic talent that helped them really flesh the music out. Special appearances by the talented Sierra Cook on vocals for “Roanoke,” as well as an extended stay by Rachel Icenogle on cello, and Asher Brooks on trumpet, really helped to bring some muscle to the songs. Rounding it all out with a charged performance of the title track and an understated Sharon Van Etten cover, they’ve definitely come to realize what they want from music, and made it happen.

Levee Drivers came to celebrate, and to say goodbye to bass player Ben Plotnick, who is moving far, far away. And what a bon voyage it was. I maintain a strong record of never having seen a bad Levee Drivers show, and Sunday night was no exception. Always explosive, their forthcoming debut album is certain to be an exciting piece of music if it maintains even a tenth of what they put out on stage.

The evening was kicked off with an unexpectedly energetic set by Philly’s Hemming. Originally just Candice Martello, she has now fleshed out the performance to feature a full band. Make no mistake, there may have been some missteps as they gained their footing (it’s only their second show), but they are a FULL band. Balls-to-the-wall honest-to-god b-a-n-d. It was my first time witnessing Hemming in any fashion, but I thought the roof was gonna hit the ground and hearts were gonna explode.

So, as I dragged myself to work this morning, bloodshot eyes, with an energy drink in each hand, there were still hints of a smile on my face as I thought the same thought I’ve had a thousand times before after nights like that: Totally worth it.