The Key » The Gallerist

Tonight’s Concert Picks: Cheap Dinosaurs at PhilaMOCA for Tuesday Tune-Out, Swift Techniqe at The Blockley, The Gallerist at Kung Fu Necktie

Julie Miller — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 16:06:06 +0000

Continuing their month of Tuesday Tune-Outs, 8static presents Cheap Dinosaurs tonight at PhilaMOCA. The local chiptune / rock band will perform a set of their “wall of sound” productions before screening the 1982 independent sci-fi film Liquid Sky. Like their Tuesday Tune-Out predecessor Chipocrite, Cheap Dinosaurs recently performed at Mag Fest in NYC where they participated in a showcase of chiptune music makers. Admission for tonight’s all-ages event is a suggested $5 donation at the door; more information can be found here. Watch a live video of Cheap Dinosaurs performing at PhilaMOCA from April 2011 below.

Mardi Gras may have been last week but Philly funk ensemble Swift Technique are bringing Bourbon Street to The Blockley tonight. Celebrating their fifth year as a band, Swift Technique have traveled far and wide and have shared the stage with many top-tier acts, including The Meters, Questlove and The Fela! Band. The seven-piece also recorded a Key Studio Session last summer, which you can stream and download here. Tickets and information for tonight’s 21+ show with Earphunk, Dirk Quinn Band and Black Stars can be found here. Listen to “Route One to Route One” by Swift Technique below (it was the most-listened to track of The Key’s Volume 5 compilation last year).

Philadelphia-via-Boston folk trio The Gallerist play Kung Fu Necktie tonight. The project of singer-songwriter Mike Collins, The Gallerist released their debut album A Falling Waltz in 2011. The traveling roots of the band may have anchored in Philly’s terra firma for now, but A Falling Waltz betrays The Gallerist’s roaming desires with gypsy-esque rhythms and lyrics of faraway places like the Delta. In recent months, the indie outfit has been playing a tight show circuit including an appearance at January’s intimate Sofar Sounds event. Tickets and information for tonight’s 21+ show with Tan Vampires, Old Abram Brown and The Sun Flights can be found here. Below, watch The Gallerist perform “Old Skin” at Sofar Sounds.

Tonight’s Concert Picks: The Gallerist at North Star Bar, Laser Background at Kung Fu Necktie

Naomi Shavin — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 14:15:06 +0000

The Gallerist’s Mike Collins boasts Boston roots, but he sounds more Blue Ridge Mountains or the Mississippi delta than Bean Town. Collins writes sinewy, textured bluegrass. He’s not a musician with a lot of tricks or frills, and his resulting recordings are sparse in a way that allows their lyrical and emotional content take the spotlight. Collins has relocated to Philadelphia in recent years, and will be taking the literal spotlight at North Star Bar tonight. He’ll be playing with Moon Palace, Bombadil, and Mostly Maybe. Tickets and information for the 21+ show are available here. Below, watch the video Collins made for Kickstarter in 2011 in which he explains his recent work and upcoming project.

Laser Background tags itself as “pop candy dream magic psych Philadelphia.” That sounds about right. The project has an aesthetic straight out of the Twilight Zone and a sound that could have been used as theme music for Lost in Space if the series were turned into an arcade game. The man behind the lasers is Andy Molholt, formerly of The Armchairs. This local Philly talent is touring the East Coast in the next month, so be sure to catch him before he hits the road. Laser Background will be at Kung Fu Necktie tonight with Spanish Prisoners and Avery Rosewater. Tickets and information for the 21+ show are available here. Below, watch a video we recently shared for Laser Background’s “Weird Conscience.”

Laser Background – Weird Conscience from Laser Background on Vimeo.

Rising Band Watch: Listen to The Gallerist’s A Falling Waltz (playing One Shot Cafe on 11/3)

Skye Leppo — Fri, 02 Nov 2012 17:15:18 +0000

The Gallerist, led by Boston native Mike Collins, may just be one of the Philadelphia folk scene’s best kept secrets. The group’s 2011 album, A Falling Waltz, carries itself on songs with lively narrative lyrics and captivating melodies in the same vein of artists like The Civil Wars and The Avett Brothers. It shouldn’t come as a shock that the album was audio mastered by Jeff Lipton, who has worked with Bon Iver and City and Colour. Collins and his bandmates showcase their storytelling magic in tracks like “Washed-Away” and “Crumbs.” Listening to A Falling Waltz is like a conversation with an old friend, and it’s only a matter of time before the band strikes the right note to get noticed past Philadelphia and Boston. Catch the band tomorrow afternoon at One Shot Cafe for a free show at 1:30; more details can be found here. You can stream A Falling Waltz in its entirety here. Below, watch The Gallerist perform their title track from A Falling Waltz.