Author Archives: Mike Vasilikos
2013 is shaping up to be a great year for Philadelphia and the musicians who craft the soundtrack for the city. One early indicator is the new album from Philly singer-songwriter Birdie Busch and her band The Greatest Night. Birdie’s fourth full-length album further embraces her charming storytelling, but amidst a sonic backdrop that is all at once more confident and dynamic.
Recorded partly in Philadelphia and partly in Brooklyn, Birdie Busch and The Greatest Night greets us the first week in January. One can only guess after spending some time opening shows for fellow Philly indie-rockers Dr. Dog, the excitement of playing with a band rubbed off on Birdie. In fact, she enlisted Nathan Sabatino to record the new album. Nathan was the engineer for Dr. Dog’s Be The Void release last year. Most of Birdie’s new album was recorded live with the band and the result is batch of songs that breathe in a lot of open space, creating a dramatic musical canvas for her to craft her stories upon. It’s easy to get as consumed in the sonic space of songs like “Far from the Tree” and “Part of Apart” as it is Birdie’s clever songwriting. There are sweet, charming moments like “This Must Be” and quirky, vibrant songs like “Body Body” that keep making hit the repeat button. Continue reading →
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Photo by Pete Troshak | flickr.com/photos/petryfrompa/sets | twitter.com/shak74
Photo by Pete Troshak | flickr.com/photos/petryfrompa/sets | twitter.com/shak74
Photo by Pete Troshak | flickr.com/photos/petryfrompa/sets | twitter.com/shak74
Photo by Pete Troshak | flickr.com/photos/petryfrompa/sets | twitter.com/shak74
Photo by Pete Troshak | flickr.com/photos/petryfrompa/sets | twitter.com/shak74
You had to crack a smile as
Gary Clark Jr. sang to a sold out crowd “you’re gonna know my name by the end of the night” – the signature line to his trademark song “Bright Lights”. But trust me; there was nobody at the TLA this past Saturday night who didn’t know the name Gary Clark Jr. In fact, between nearly every song the crowd showered the Austin-based guitarist & songwriter not just with applause, but with chants of “Gary! Gary! Gary!”. It was a fanatical response to one of the most dynamic new artists in music. And on the heels of his full length debut
Blak & Blu, Gary gave Philly a performance that lived up to all the hype and all the expectations one could’ve expected. He and his band sizzled on straight ahead blues-rockers like XPN-favorite “Don’t Owe You A Thang” and album standout “Travis County”. And yes, the new tunes from
Blak & Blu came to life on Saturday night. “Blak and Blu” and “Ain’t Messin’ Around” were comfortable fits alongside some of Gary’s more traditional blues-rock staples. No one was safe from the bone-rattling close to the set as Gary and the band brought all the thunder the TLA could handle with the anthemic “Bright Lights”. Well, that until his encore of “Numb” – which may have had the walls shaking and sweating. The only downside of the night was when it ended.
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