Local indie group Turning Violet Violet play Kung Fu Necktie tonight. The Key Studio Session alums carve out chamber alt-rock songs on the fringe of art-rock that seem bathed in a purple glow, though that might just be residual effects of their band name. Either way, the songs on Turning Violet Violet’s debut full-length Double Cure are swathe-y, sweeping compositions that strike all the right feelings chords. Tickets and information for tonight’s 21+ show with TeamMate and Donora can be found here. Revisit Turning Violet Violet’s Key Session here and watch their video for “Cold Bread” below.
Ross Bellenoit
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Tonight’s Concert Picks: Ellie Goulding at The Electric Factory, Auctioneer with Ross Bellenoit at Puck, Leather at Kung Fu Necktie, Dope Body at The Depot, Riley Road at World Cafe Live at The Queen, XPN Welcomes Tommy Conwell to The Blockley
Following up her Free at Noon performance today, Ellie Goulding headlines the Electric Factory tonight. The British electronic / pop musician released her LP Halcyon late last year after topping both BBC’s The Sound Of 2010 poll and the Critic’s Choice Award at The Brit Awards that same year. Blending infectious synth hooks and soulful singer-songwriter lyrics, Goulding has placed herself in the center of a resurging musical venn diagram that includes Lykke Li, Jesse Ware and Emeli Sande. Tickets and information for tonight’s all-ages show can be found here. Below, watch the video for Halcyon single “Anything Could Happen.”
John Francis’ City of Love Festival to benefit local church’s hospitality effort
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. Continue reading
Unlocked: Get a sampling of Ross Bellenoit’s genre-crossing work
This week, we welcomed the return of Unlocked – The Key’s regular series spotlighting new and significant releases by Philadelphia musicians – with a look at Ross Bellenoit and his Home Songs project. The Boston-native-turned-Philadelphia-resident shared his solo craftemanship with three home-recorded EPs released over the span of several months this year. The songs on the three EPs represent a transitional period in Bellenoit’s life; though some of the songs were started in 2010 (when the guitarist began experimenting with his home-recordings abilities ) they really came together in the last six months, after Bellenoit took a hiatus from touring with other bands to focus on his own material.
We went in-depth with Bellenoit’s solo work in this Unlocked installment – from a review of Volume 3 and the Home Songs trio as a collection, to an interview with Bellenoit on his process and influences – but that paints only a partial picture of Bellenoit’s life as a musician. To gain a complete understanding of just how big a role Bellenoit plays in his peers’ careers, we have to look at his discography as a whole. With production, songwriting and instrumentation work for Lauryn Peacock, Birdie Busch and Hezekiah Jones (just to name a few) under his belt, the full picture of Bellenoit’s life as a musician shows a ubiquitous and deeply respected talent in the Philadelphia music scene; a true musician’s musician.
Check out a selection of Bellenoit’s genre-crossing work below. And celebrate the completion of Bellenoit’s Home Songs project tonight at Underground Arts. Continue reading
Unlocked: Ross Bellenoit on progressing from classical to rock to recording at home
He was trained in music in his native Boston, but Ross Bellenoit came into his own as a musician here in Philadelphia. When he arrived in town nearly ten years ago, he formed an early bond with a community of musicians based in South Philadelphia and was quickly enlisted to play guitar for many of them. Soon, he began playing for touring groups as well – like Brooklyn-based alt-folk combo The Sweetback Sisters – and in 2010, released his first collection of his own songwriting, Eight Track Mind. This year’s Home Songs series of EPs, which we’ve featured all week on Unlocked, show a tremendous growth in songwriting, production and overall style – which is interesting, considering that these songs are essentially demos recorded at home, with slight studio embellishments after the fact. Bellenoit and I grabbed lunch a couple weeks ago to talk about his growth, his process and parallels he has with a certain pop singer from Sweden.
The Key: With everything that you’re musically involved in, how do you find time for your solo stuff in the midst of all that?
Ross Bellenot: I find myself consciously having to make time to do it. It’s actually really interesting lately, for the past maybe like six months, because I’ve been not on the road anymore. And when I initially made that decision to not be on the road anymore, you know, I was like, “Great, I’ll have more time to focus on my own stuff.” It doesn’t quite work that way. I have to hustle a lot more than I was when I was on the road to sort of keep the same sort of level of income coming in. A lot of things have been taking up a lot more of my time, and I ended up delving into a lot of other projects, too – like Divers, and I started playing with Matt Landis’ group Minor Arcana, and Early Ape, I’ve been playing with those guys.
TK: Wow.
RB: So, yeah, it’s like, there’s been a lot of things on the plate. And, uh, I was hoping to have started recording the next full-length while all these EPs were being released. It’s been really hard to like set that time aside to make it happen. But, I’m always writing songs Continue reading
Unlocked: Get a look inside Ross Bellenoit’s home in the video for “Besides”
This week we’ve been featuring Ross Bellenoit‘s collection of EPs, Home Songs Volumes 1 – 3, in Unlocked, The Key’s regular series showcasing new and significant releases from Philadelphia musicians. It’s called Home Songs because Bellenoit recorded the bulk of the music at home, in the comfort zone of his living room. For this collection, his goal was immediacy – pinning a song down and documenting it when it’s fresh, before he’s had time to overthink. We’ll explore that philosophy and process tomorrow, when Ross tells us more in our interview. First, though, it seems appropriate to get a look at the house he speaks of. This video was made for “Besides,” the opening track on Home Songs Volume 1, and in it you see the songwriter wear many hats – percussionist, guitarist, accompanist and singer. When he celebrates the conclusion of the Home Songs project this Friday at Underground Arts, we presume there will only be one of him onstage – but how cool would it be if Ross and his Band of Bellenoits?
Home Songs Volumes 1-3 is the featured album in this edition of Unlocked; hear the spotlighted track “Down to One” in Monday’s post, read yesterday’s album review; and check back tomorrow for an interview with Bellenoit.
Unlocked: The Key’s review of Home Songs Volumes 1-3 by Ross Bellenoit
As a guitarist, Ross Bellenoit is a true expressionist. From spacey solos to smart tones, textures and accents, he’s worked with performers like Birdie Busch and The Sweetback Sisters to transform their music from “singer-songwriter” into so much more. So it’s interesting to approach him as a solo artist in his own right – what kinds of songs will he sing, and write? Will they be drifty, dreamy and epic, or will he mix in brash rockers, or contemplative strummers?
This week, Bellenoit celebrates the completion of his Home Songs trilogy, a series of three EPs he’s self-released since the spring. And as we wrap up listening to Volume 3, and reflect back on Volumes 2 and 1, it becomes clear: Bellenoit does all of the above.
If you had to characterize this set, it would be his late night at the rock-and-roll bar. Opening with a punchy, jagged cover of Richard and Linda Thompson’s classic “I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight,” Bellenoit jumps immediately into the single “Down To One” – which we heard yesterday as the featured download in this week’s UNLOCKED. Loosely a musical homage to “One” by Harry Nilsson, it also rocks a vocal melody similar to classic Elliott Smith or, digging even further back, The Beatles. Lyrically, it’s a study of trends and dubious trendsetters with chameleon identities: “The minds you’re deceiving are close to believing that they could be the new renegade.” So is he taking a critical character study of Nilsson himself here, or talking more generally to folks who overstep the bounds of the collaborator / producer role he so cherishes? It’s unclear, and the compelling lyrical mystery shows that Bellenoit’s skill lies in telling stories and studying characters as much as his slinging his six-string. Continue reading