Summer Blogging

So I volunteered at work to be the summer music blogger. It's part of an initiative called associate engagement, which I take to mean acknowledging and attempting to bridge the gap between work and home life. I volunteered because although I love to write, as with everything else, if I have a deadline I get it done, if not, nothing gets done. I also thought just maybe it'd be a networking tool, maybe someone else out there at my work place has a passion for music like I do. Maybe someone out there is in need of a music reviewer. My first blog published this week, along with a pic and bio - I found that part embarrassing. I am going to repost my blogs here, along with some personal tidbits that I left out of the work blogs.

Joseph Arthur at Milkboy Coffee Ardmore, PA June 5, 2010

I’ve been a fan of this indie artist for a few years now, but had yet to see him live. I had heard he put on a fantastic live show, and this one well exceeded my expectations. Milkboy holds maybe 50 people so I was looking forward to the intimacy only a small venue can bring. The stage set up included an easel and a very large canvas- which meant he was going to paint for us as well.

Joseph Arthur is an artist in every sense of the word, musically and visually. Joseph came on stage to do soundcheck and launched right into the show from there, making jokes about blurring the lines between pre and actual showtime. Joseph has a pretty vast catalog to draw from and he did just that, playing acoustic and electric guitars, harmonica, and adding musical and vocal loops to enhance the sound. His falsetto added to the mix. Comical banter between songs rounded out the show, engaging the audience above and beyond the music. It was during his last song before the encore where he proceeded to paint while singing, the musical loops providing his accompaniment. It was a wonder to watch. I cannot wait until he comes back to this area again, but in the meantime, Joseph has an art show at Ven and Vaida in Olde City until the end of June. I’d recommend checking it out.

http://www.josepharthur.com/

Broken Bells at The Electric Factory June 6, 2010

Broken Bells was formed by famed producer and artist Brian Burton (a.k.a. Danger Mouse) and James Mercer of The Shins and released their self titled record this March. I can best describe it as part pop, part electronic, part experimental, all melody and lots of fun, but I wasn’t sure how it would play out live. Turns out the live act was a total of 7 musicians, including 3 keyboards, 2 drum kits, trumpet, bass, and at times up to 4 guitarists. I enjoyed witnessing the music being transformed into something harder and edgier yet retaining its original qualities as well. The Electric Factory, one of my favorite rooms in Philadelphia, was almost at capacity Sunday night and my daughter and I had a great time. The band played almost the entire album, and filled in with covers that I would have originally thought were oddly chosen, but ended up fitting in perfectly: Smokey Robinson’s “You Really Got a Hold on Me” and a version of “Crimson and Clover” that was more reminiscent of Joan Jett than Tommy James. Broken Bells is definitely going to remain in heavy rotation throughout the summer.

http://www.brokenbells.com/

So those are the official blogs. Here's what I left out. At the Joseph Arthur show I was feeling real good, not artificially, but genuinely. Being in close proximity to a man and his electric guitar with all sorts of pedals and electronic devices sets my heart aflutter. Then when said man started painting and getting all messy, well, that completely did me in. I was head over heels. However, I regained my composure in time for a post-show conversation. The most hysterical part of that show was when my friend asked me for the artist's name, and for some crazy reason I replied with the name of one of his crew members. I know that doesn't sound funny at all right now, but we were cracking up over it. On the drive home, I was cracking up about it all by myself. It's one of those moments where you can look back, and laugh so hard your belly hurts.

At the Broken Bells show, which I attended with my daughter Teresa, we sat on bleachers at the back of the floor. Top row, which gave us a good, centered view of the stage. Usually at the factory, if I am not upstairs sitting on a stool in the bar area, I am right up front against the stage barrier, so this was a totally new position for me. I pointed her in the direction of the old posters from past shows and let her explore the venue on her own. I almost felt like I was passing on the torch. It seems now that I am taking my daughter to shows, I notice many more parents and kids in attendance as well, which is a good thing. We both cheered and clapped together during the show, but during the encore she wanted to stand up. So we did. Then I sat down, realizing that she was having an amazing time, dancing and going crazy as she should. So rather than be the embarrassing mom, I sat down and let her do her thing. I'm glad she wants to go with me to shows. Our next one will hopefully be EvelynEvelyn on Friday, which I will use for my next blog. It actually excites me to think about going to a concert, and having to write about it. I hope I can continue.

One more thing, my daughter also serves as my editor. She has no qualms about criticizing my writing, and honestly, besides being an awesome writer herself, she is much more familiar with the current grammatically correct writing style. This arrangement is a win-win for both of us.