Aaron and the Spell

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April 16, 2013 | 9:00 AM | By

Dawes, Dr. John, Lianne La Havas, Phosphorescent and more playing XPoNential Music Festival 2013

DawesLos Angeles rockers Dawes, New Orleans piano legend Dr. John, UK soul singer Lianne La Havas and Brooklyn Americana outfit Phosphorescent are among the 20 acts announced today for the 2013 XPoNential Music Festival, happening July 26th through the 28th at Wiggins Park and the Susquehanna Bank Center in Camden, NJ.

Joining the already-announced Saturday night SBC lineup of The Lumineers, Dr. Dog and Polica is Vancouver ethereal roots act Wake Owl. In addition, local acts on the bill include Aaron and the Spell, DRGN King and The Districts.

Weekend passes to the XPONential Music Festival are available now through WXPN membership. New and renewing members will get a pair of weekend passes to Wiggins park and lawn seats to the SBC show for a pledge of $24 month. More information can be found here.

The Lumineers (Sat 7/27 @ Sus. Bank Ctr.)
Dr. Dog (Sat 7/27 @ Sus. Bank Ctr.)
Polica (Sat 7/27 @ Sus. Bank Ctr.)
Wake Owl (Sat 7/27 @ Sus. Bank Ctr.)
Dawes
John Butler Trio
Dr. John
Trampled By Turtles
Michael Kiwanuka
Brett Dennen
Lianne La Havas
Justin Townes Earle
Jose James
Last Bison
Kopecky Family Band
Lord Huron
Phosphorescent
Fleeting Ends
DRGN KING
The Stray Birds
The Districts
Aaron & The Spell
Alo Brasil

FILED UNDER: Artists, Concert Previews, Events, Aaron and the Spell, Dawes, Dr. John, DRGN King, Lianne La Havas, Phosphorescent, The Districts, XPoNential Music Festival, XPoNential Music Festival 2013
March 7, 2013 | 9:18 AM | By

Tonight’s Concert Picks: Veronica Falls at Johnny Brenda’s, Obits with Creepoid at Underground Arts, Aaron and the Spell at The Tin Angel

VeronicaSlumberland / Bella Union artists Veronica Falls hit Johnny Brenda’s tonight.  The London-based four piece are indie pop born and bred, having come together after three members (two from Sexy Kids and one from Your Twenties) met at a Comet Gain show.  Now touring in support of their second full-length Waiting for Something to Happen, Veronica Falls got their start releasing gothy / punk-pop singles on Brooklyn’s Captured Tracks label.  The current LP, however, is much brighter sounding than the early efforts with a Pale Saints-esque shoegaze quality.  Tickets and information for tonight’s 21+ show with Cold Showers and Juan Wauters can be found here.  Watch their video for “Teenage” off of Waiting below.

Continue reading →

FILED UNDER: Artists, Concert Previews, Events, Scene, Aaron and the Spell, Allison Polans, Cold Showers, Creepoid, Johnny Brenda's, Juan Wauters, Le Yikes Surf Club, Murchant, Obits, Tin Angel, Underground Arts, Veronica Falls
December 10, 2012 | 3:58 PM | By

Does cover art make the album? (plus 10 great album covers from the Philly scene in 2012)

Hideaway

Hideaway Music in Chestnut Hill uses album art as wall art

We can all agree (I hope) that the old “can’t judge a book by its cover” adage applies just as easily to albums. From Magical Mystery Tour to Rumours, The Talking Heads to The Smashing Pumpkins, and even this year’s standout Cat Power LP Sun, there’s a rich history of great music hiding behind heinous artwork. So does album art matter?

I think no and yes. “No” in that it’s about the music, not the packaging. In a world of digital listening, we interact with the songs themselves more immediately than ever before – there’s not that barrier of a bizarro / ugly sleeve to “get over,” in the event you find the sleeve bizarro and / or ugly. But also, “yes” in that cover art is still a way an musician represents themselves and their work. It may no longer be a first impression, but it is an impression, and you can almost look at it as an indicator of how much care they put into their overall project. And even on a more practical end, sure, physical releases no longer drive sales, but they are prized by collectors – the 180 gram vinyl editions and so forth are the sort of thing where people use the download card, then frame the LP cover and hang it on their wall. Would you really want to have Grimes’ frantic scribbled acid freakout hanging in your living room? (Okay, maybe you do.)

This week, UK music and culture blog The 405 listed their worst and best album covers of the year – lively reads, always – and it got me thinking about the role album art plays in 2012. Do you ignore it? Do you (like me) get antsy when your iTunes doesn’t have artwork for all its mp3s? What was the worst decade for album covers? (Hint: the 90s.) Which album covers blew you away this year? Which made you wretch? Discuss in the comments section, and check out some standout Philadelphia album covers from 2012 after the jump. Continue reading →

FILED UNDER: Artists, Recordings, Aaron and the Spell, Cough Cool, Everyone Everywhere, Family Band, Heyward Howkins, Hop Along, Lushlife, mewithoutYou, Sun Airway, The Wrecking Crew
September 4, 2012 | 5:34 PM | By

Download The Key Studio Sessions Vol. 5 (feat. The Spinto Band, Turning Violet Violet, Heyward Howkins + more)


The latest edition of our Key Studio Sessions compilations is out today – now streamable and downloadable from Soundcloud! Dig into the best of what we’ve been doing since May with The Key Studio Sessions Vol. 5, including some sprightly indie pop from The Spinto Band, driving country-folk from Carsie Blanton, funk jams by Swift Technique and hip-hop from Ground Up. Special thanks to guest engineer Jeff White and production assistants Fred Knittel, Madeleine Lesperance, and Dan Malloy as well as photographers Kate Bracaglia, Eric Ashleigh, David Kain, Michael Passanante, Kevin Kennedy, Rachel Barrish and Bryan Shreck for sharing their work.

Looking for more? Visit WXPN’s Soundcloud page to download The Key Studio Sessions Vol. 1 through Vol. 4.

FILED UNDER: Aaron and the Spell, Carsie Blanton, Cousin Brian, Crash Course in Science, Ground Up, Heyward Howkins, Hurry, Lauryn Peacock, Panic Years, Pet Milk, Purples, Swift Technique, The Bailey Hounds, The Great Unknown, The Key Studio Sessions, The Spinto Band, Trouble Everyday, Turning Violet Violet, Vintage Kicks
August 24, 2012 | 2:15 PM | By

Unlocked: Listen to an archive of Aaron Brown’s appearance on the WXPN Philly Local Hour

Photo by John Vettese

In our Unlocked interview yesterday, Aaron Brown talked about his band Aaron and the Spell existing as either an intricate, arranged soul-rock ensemble, or a solitary acoustic act. Acoustic is how we were introduced to Brown, when he appeared on Helen Leicht’s Philly Local Hour on WXPN. You can listen to and download an archive of his appearance below.

Sing by Aaron and the Spell is the featured album in this edition of Unlocked; hear the spotlighted single “Don’t Cry” in Monday’s post, read Tuesday’s album review; watch Aaron’s video playlist in Wednesday’s post, read an interview with him from yesterday. And stay tuned to The Key for future album spotlights on Unlocked.

FILED UNDER: Artist Profiles, Artists, Downloads, Recordings, Aaron and the Spell, Unlocked
August 23, 2012 | 3:00 PM | By

Unlocked: Aaron Brown of Aaron and the Spell on connecting with the past and valuing space

Aaron and the Spell | Photo by John Vettese

This week on Unlocked, we’re featuring Sing, the debut album from emerging Philadelphia soul ensemble Aaron and the Spell. When songwriter Aaron Brown wrote the title track of his record, he was drawn to a childhood memory of visiting his grandmother in Florida and attending her very music-oriented church. While not necessarily spiritual, he wanted to capture that emotion and channel it into his songwriting, which has taken a roundabout journey from aggressive punk rock to melodic soul. I chatted with Brown on the phone this week to get his perspective on the path he’s followed.

The Key: Let’s start with “Sing,” and your grandmother’s church in Florida. What about that memory was so interesting for you?

Aaron Brown: It was such a contrast from living in the city. When I was going there, back in the 80s and 90s, it was on a dirt road, there was one room, they didn’t have any air conditioning. There was cows, you could see cows from the window. There was a cemetery in the back, and everybody buried in the cemetery was a relative of mine. It’s something that means a lot to me, that feeling that there’s just generations of family and just oldness around.

TK: Right now, your music is very is very soul / rock oriented. But your background as a musician is in completely different styles.

AB: It’s been a long journey. For a while I was heavy into Nick Cave, and [his album] Murder Ballads. I was based around Scranton for a while, and there I was really into really aggressive styles of music. I was into ska for a while, and the local punk scene in Scranton. And the music I was making at the time, my band was called Alien Red, and it was this very super aggressive, way aggressive. One of the songs that was on the record we made was called “Kill the Dog,” another was called “Capitalist Condition.” Super aggressive stuff. I think that album is on iTunes still!

TK: What was your role in the band, did you sing, did you play guitar?

AB: I sang, wrote the words and played guitar.

TK: Was your style of singing much different from where it is now?

AB: Yeah, it was just very forceful, quite a bit of screaming, very loose. If you think of John Lennon and the Plastic Ono Band, the first solo record he was making where he was doing a lot of screaming and just letting his voice go where it was going to go, it was kind of like that. Just doing stuff, not necessarily thinking about it. Continue reading →

FILED UNDER: Artist Profiles, Artists, Interviews, Aaron and the Spell, Unlocked
August 22, 2012 | 3:00 PM | By

Unlocked: Aaron Brown of Aaron and the Spell shares his video playlist of influences

Listening to Aaron and the Spell‘s new full-length Sing, you can tell that songwriter Aaron Brown pulls from a large pool of influences. The primary sound is soul, for sure, but there’s a lot more going on than just that. We asked Aaron put together a video playlist of artists that have shaped him as a songwriter. Here are his picks.

Wilco “Side With the Seeds”

“I am a huge fan of Wilco and was so excited to see them at the XPoNential Music Festival. They definitely seep into my music (especially this song).”

Nina Simone “I Love You Porgy”

“Maybe my favorite musician ever. This is the tune that first broke Nina to a wider audience and it happened in Philadelphia! I believe she used to live in West Philly for a time. I’m always walking Philadelphia hoping to bump into one of her relatives still living here.” Continue reading →

FILED UNDER: Artist Profiles, Artists, Aaron and the Spell, Bilal, Jacques Brel, Nick Cave, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Nina Simone, Sananda Maitreya, Terence Trent D'arby, Unlocked, WIlco