The Key » Levee Drivers

Tonight’s Concert Picks: Man Man at Union Transfer, Beach Fossils with Heavy Medical at Johnny Brenda’s, Penrose at Underground Arts, Erykah Badu at The Electric Factory

Julie Miller — Sat, 02 Mar 2013 14:59:53 +0000

Local wild men Man Man close out a month long national tour at Union Transfer tonight. About to release their fifth studio album this summer, the eclectic rock outfit talked to The Key’s Kate Bracaglia recently about pre-show tea drinking rituals, Instagram posts and the “natural progression” of the new album from 2011′s standout Life Fantastic. Tickets and information for tonight’s all-ages show with Murder By Death and Northern Arms can be found here. Stream and download “Mayan Nights” from Man Man below. UPDATE: tonight’s Man Man show is sold out.

Indie shoegaze / pop outfit Beach Fossils headline Johnny Brenda’s tonight. According to an interview with Village Voice, frontman Dustin Payseur wrote 75 songs for the band’s just-released LP Clash the Truth before paring that number down to the fourteen found on the tracklist. The final version of the album floats from basement-y shoegazing punk to gauzy pop, all within the sublime confines of a beachy vibe. Tickets and information for tonight’s 21+ show with local bass / drum duo Heavy Medical can be found here. Stream the title track from Clash the Truth below.

This week’s Unlocked feature with Penrose culminates tonight with a show at Underground Arts. The local blues / rock trio is celebrating the release of Circe, an album steeped in Greek mythology and blues traditions dealing with existential and philosophical themes. Recorded with Bill Moriarty, Circe is the band’s second full-length, following up 2010′s Devil’s Grip. Learn more about what went into making the record in our interview with the brothers here, then read the review here. Tickets and information for tonight’s 21+ show with Levee Drivers, The Lawsuits and St. James & The Apostles can be found here. Stream and download “Life of Mud” from the new LP below.

Life of Mudby Penrose from Circe Download

Erykah Badu will perform her debut album Baduizm at The Electric Factory tonight. The soul / jazz singer-songwriter and activist was a prominent member of the Soulquarians in New York alongside Questlove, Robert Glasper and Bilal and she is credited with sparking the neo-soul genre with her first record, for which she won two Grammy Awards in 1998. Badu’s most recent release was 2010′s New Amerykah Part Two (Return of the Ankh). Tickets and information for tonight’s all-ages show can be found here. Watch the video for “On & On” from Baduizm below.

The Swollen Fox Presents: Toy Soldiers with Goodnight, Texas and August John Lutz II (of the Levee Drivers) at Kung Fu Necktie tomorrow evening, 2/15

Bruce Warren — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 17:34:55 +0000

Goodnight, Texas

Tomorrow evening, Friday, February 15th, music blogger The Swollen Fox presents Toy Soldiers, Goodnight, Texas, and singer-songwriter August John Lutz II (from the Levee Drivers) in concert at Kung Fu Necktie. The show starts at 7:30 pm; you can get tickets and more information here. You may recognize The Swollen Fox’s name if you follow his great music blog, but you may also recognize it from the WXPN Concert Calendar, which he works on for WXPN. The Fox has put together a terrific show with two of our favorite local bands along with Goodnight, Texas, an indie-folk group with roots in San Francisco and Chapel Hill, North Carolina. They released an excellent rootsy/rocking/folking record last October called A Long Life Of Living that’s been getting a lot of play WXPN’s Singer Songwriter Radio. Try the record for yourself below.

John Francis’ City of Love Festival to benefit local church’s hospitality effort

Julie Miller — Mon, 17 Dec 2012 19:35:13 +0000

The Broad Street Ministry

One of the many wonderful things about the Philadelphia music community is its desire to rally around causes and make a difference in the city. As cliched as that sounds, its true – the latest example being hometown musician John Francis‘ new City of Love Festival, benefiting Broad Street Ministry and their “Breaking Bread” hospitality initiative. Amidst debate over whether or not outdoor meal services for the homeless should be allowed in Philadelphia, the Broad Street Ministry has created its own safe haven for the city’s homeless men and women where they can receive a hot meal and a variety of services (including medical attention, art therapy and assistance for veterans) every Thursday afternoon.

Francis founded the secular City of Love Festival to help Broad Street Ministry pastor Bill Golderer reach his goal of increasing servings to nine hot meals a week in 2013. The festival will be a bi-annual event, with the first concert happening on Friday, January 12th at Underground Arts. The bill for the evening includes sets from The Districts, Levee Drivers, The Lawsuits, Caleb Hawley, Sean Hoots (of Hoots & Hellmouth), Kuf Knotz, Ross Bellenoit Band, Ryan Tennis, Blayer Pointdujour & The Rockers Galore, Zach Djanikian and John Francis & The Midnight Choir, plus special surprise guests.

The City of Love Festival is presented by the Philadelphia Folksong Society and is free for PFS members, with a suggested donation to aid in the Broad Street Ministry’s efforts, and $12 for non-members. The event is 21+; more information can be found here. Below, watch John Francis perform “Who” in Nashville.

Katie Frank plays Underground Arts tonight with Levee Drivers

Julie Miller — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 21:12:09 +0000

Philadelphia singer-songwriter Katie Frank joins Levee Drivers tonight at Underground Arts for an evening of folk and bluegrass. Frank released her debut Covered Bridge Road EP in September, and she’ll be supporting the release with a couple of more dates coming up this month including a show at The Grape Room in Manayunk on October 19th . Tickets for tonight’s 21+ show are $5 at the door, which opens at 8:00 p.m. Stream Covered Bridge Road below through Katie Frank’s Bandcamp.

Covered Bridge Road by Katie Frank

Photo Recap: Ron & Marley Present Levon Helm Tribute at World Cafe Live

Rachel Barrish — Wed, 13 Jun 2012 16:43:51 +0000

Last night, the World Cafe Live stage was full of country rock ‘n rollers all from Philly, playing tribute to legendary southern rocker himself, Levon Helm. The audience was dancing up a storm and enjoying the good vibes, with two keyboards, two drum sets, and seventeen bands total, it was an evening to remember.
All photos by Rachel Barrish.

Philly musicians pay tribute to Bob Dylan on a new tribute album

Bruce Warren — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 13:35:51 +0000

Andre Lipke

Andrew Lipke, Nicole Reynolds, The Bailey Hounds, Levee Drivers and nine other Philly bands have covered Bob Dylan songs on a new compilation called Dylan 70: Philadelphia Pays Tribute To A Legend. The album is a celebration of Dylan’s 70th birthday. Download the album here. Below, listen to Andrew Lipke’s cover of “Just Like A Woman,” “North Country Girl” by Nicole Reynolds and “All I Really Wanna Do” by Anna Christie (of Sisters 3).

Tonight’s Concert Pick: Levee Drivers + Andrew Lipke at The Fire (moved from Kung Fu Necktie)

The Key — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 14:30:40 +0000

Tonight’s Levee Drivers show—previously scheduled to be held at Kung Fu Necktie—has been moved to The Fire. Levee Drivers performs with Zach Zaitlin, Andrew Lipke, and Ron Gallon at 8 p.m. at The Fire; tickets to the 21+ show are $8. You can listen to Andrew Lipke’s recent Key Studio Session here.