That Mag - August 2013 by That Mag

VOL. 1 Summer « August « 2013

IN THIS ISSUE 4

EDITOR’S LETTER

DAVID UOSIKKINEN’S In the Pocket

REVEREND PEYTON’S Big Damn Band

ASLEEP AT THE WHEEL

AMY HELM

CARAVAN OF THIEVES

MARC SILVER

YARDS BREWERY and the Folk Fest

OTIS TAYLOR

THE STRANGE HEAT

DAVID WAX MUSEUM

SLEEPY MAN BANJO BOYS

RICHARD THOMPSON

SIERRA LEONE’S Refugee All Stars

THE ROYAL NOISE

TOY SOLDIERS

STAR AND MICEY

THE STRAY BIRDS

THE LAWSUITS

KID FELIX

SWEET LEDA

MO LOWDA & the Humble

MORNING FUZZ

GOING GREEN at Folk Fest

TONY TEDESCO and the Full Fathom 5

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Staff: Brenda Hillegas, Editor-In-Chief Angel Espindola, Art Director Jodie Saueraker, Web Designer Brian Cronin, Managing Editor Dan Emmons, Content Manager Contributing Writers: Brenda Hillegas, Dan Emmons, Erinn Fortson, Evan Kramer, Jane Roser, Andi Bricklin, Emily Meenan, Christian Pezzino, Matt Kelcher, Stephen Krock, Michele Zipkin, Erin Sullivan, Mely Duong, Lexi Bissonnette, Malana Battle, John Pfeiffer Photography: Ahron Foster, Bill Miles, Michael Weintrob, Dallyn Pavey, Steve Acito, Kristen McMaster, Mark Wilkens, Jason Varney, Evan Simone, Birch Miller, Jay Dickman, Matthew Novak, Kirby Desmarais, Jake Jacobson, Ryan Farber, Cheater Slicks, Chris Medlar, Joe Schaefer, Ed Esposito, Angela Noblett, Scott Warren, Jordan Harvey, Pamela Kittky, Katrina Elise, Tom Pieczkolon, Tim Branscum Interns: Malana Battle, Michelle Singer, Michelle Neigut and Avalon Lee Publisher: Brian Cronin Contact: www.ThatMusicMag.com THAT MAG 1341 N. Delaware Avenue, Suite 208, Philadelphia, PA 19125 Questions & Comments: E-Mail Brenda at editor@thatmusicmag.com Distribution: Mirror Image Media Ardmore, PA 19003 Advertising E-Mail: ads@thatmusicmag.com

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Note from the Editor

few years ago, when we were known as Origivation Magazine, our Philadelphia Folk Fest issue featured Taj Mahal on the cover. I was responsible for telling all of our readers about each band and musician performing. By doing this, I discovered a lot of new music myself and have seen many of those bands perform live since then. Now, as editor for this magazine, I’ve spent the past few weeks reading over all of the interviews my writers have done with some of the musicians performing at both the folk fest and our own Liberty Music Festival. This time

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around, it wasn’t the new music that impressed me. It was how in-depth some of these interviews are and how much more there is to a band than just music. You’ll read interviews with bands who struggled to avoid the mainstream and to be taken seriously with what they play. Some musicians left their hometowns to find inspiration, some created bands with family members. Other band mates met each other growing up and stuck together to create music. Here, you’ll discover bands easier than they were discovered themselves. For many bands, it’s not as easy as throwing a song on YouTube or Facebook and watching your fan base blow up. For others, it was social media who helped them get where they are today- a group of young boys became one of this year’s Folk Fest bands because of the amazing bluegrass music someone discovered them playing from a video online. For another band, in need of instruments and a way out of a refugee camp, a documentary highlighting their situation brought them to tours of the US and a spot on this year’s folk line up. The right blend of sounds, the ability to stand out and not stop per-

forming the type of music they’ve always wanted to play is the reason why many of this year’s festival performers are on the stage this August. Philadelphia and the surrounding areas are incredibly lucky. Though it’s fun to venture halfway across American for a three-day long festival to see your favorite bands and give-up the ability to shower, we also have many music festivals in our backyard. With the music featured here, the upcoming Made in America festival in September and many more yet to be announced throughout the upcoming months, there’s plenty to discover in our city. I’m proud to live here, where the music scene is never lacking and there are way too many bands to choose from each week. Some of the bands you’ll meet in this issue call Philadelphia home. But, to read about so many bands who are excited to finally have a chance to play here or who always have Philly as a stop on their tours are reasons why I never want to leave this city. And if we keep having the ability to bring you new music and put on amazing shows, I’m not going anywhere.

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David Uosikkinen In The Pocket « By Jane Roser

« Photo By

Steve Acito

The Essential Songs of Philadelphia

nless you’ve been living in a shack in the desert for the past 30 years-with no TV, Internet or phone-then you’ve heard of The Hooters. They are the iconic band that put Philly rock music on the map. Their debut album, Nervous Night, was released 28 years ago and gave us the hit “And We Danced”, sold over two million copies and (if you’ve ever seen the music video) made us nostalgic for a little thing called drive-in movie theaters. I spoke with drummer and founding member of The Hooters, David Uosikkinen, about his band In The Pocket, which will be performing on the main stage of the Philadelphia Folk Festival August 17th, and what inspired him to create this project. “I lived in California for 20 years and when I came back, the city seemed to have gone up a few notches from when I left. When I walked through Rittenhouse Square, it was exciting, there was a European vibe and I didn’t remember it being like that. It got me thinking of music that inspired me growing up in Philly and I wanted to pay homage to that.” Uosikkinen picked songs that he really enjoyed and tapped musicians to appear on the album that he had always wanted to work with (or had worked with in the past)- Jeffrey Gaines, Ben Arnold WWW.THATMUSICMAG.COM

and Eric Brazilian, to name a few, hopped on board to make the dream a reality. “I wanted to give back to the community and bring attention to Philadelphia schools,” he says. The proceeds from album sales go directly to Philadelphia’s Settlement Music School, where the only requirement to attend is a love of music and a desire to learn (Kevin Bacon, Chubby Checker and Kevin Eubanks are all alumni). The band just recorded a new song, Todd Rundgren’s “I Saw The Light” and if you pick up this album at the festival or on the band’s website (http:// songsinthepocket.org), you will find a treasure trove of Philly goodness, almost as scrumptious as a cheesesteak, but much more filling. Songs such as Robert Hazard’s “Change Reaction”, Youth Camp’s “All My Mondays” and The American Dream’s “I Ain’t Searchin’” are just a taste of what you will find on In The Pocket’s eponymous album and the live show will be a not-tobe-missed event worthy of an “I was there” story to tell the grand kids. In case you’re wondering, the band’s name came about while Uosikkinen was working for Mp3.com, a digital music company based in California. “People coming to Mp3 wanted music recommendations and I referred to a magazine called “In The Pocket: The Essential Songs of Rock”. My co-worker,

Guy Eckstine (son of jazz legend Billy Eckstine) would always say “Dave, you’re the In The Pocket guy.” Teaching music is another of Uosikkinen’s loves as “there is nothing better than watching someone get that a-ha moment and then see them go on to do big things. Students who come to me are serious about learning something for a while; they practice and are very dedicated.” As someone who comes from a family of educators and understanding how much patience, passion and dedication

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VOL. 1 Summer « August « 2013 is necessary to not only be a good teacher, but to witness the impact you make on your student’s life and their future is huge. Speaking to Uosikkinen about his love of teaching was an incredible experience; his kindness, sincerity and respect for his craft would inspire even Ferris Bueller to actually go to class. And learn. And love it. There’s also a super nifty side project Uosikkinen has called Dave U Drums

where he’ll record a custom drum track for your song- just upload a scratch track and he’ll send you a finished drum track within three days. “I’ve received some interesting stuff and clever songs. I always try to be positive and help them out.” Being the drummer in such a world renowned band made me curious as to which artists Uosikkinen would have liked to have seen perform live. “John Bonham. I

would have loved to hang out with him and also Keith Moon. I met Buddy Rich when I was a kid and he’s great, but Bonzo...” So if you have August 17th free, be sure to catch In The Pocket live at The Philadelphia Folk Fest. Maybe you’ll be inspired to see the light and dance like a wave on the ocean, to be a rock and not to roll.

« Michele Zipkin

« Photo By

Big Damn Band Build Bridges Between Old and New in Blues

everend Peyton’s Big Damn Band will bring their musical vivacity back to the Philly Folk Fest this year. “We had a great time the last time we played it. It was a really cool festival,” shares Reverend Peyton. Their music captures old time blues and hillbilly styles mixed with rock swagger; their undeniable passion for what they do makes them one of a kind. The Indiana-based trio works hard to bring music to the public, and their rip roaring performances send crowds rockin’ and reelin’. They have a knack for breathing originality into old styles of music, which is no easy feat The group is comprised of Reverend Peyton, dazzling audiences with his explosive guitar playing, his wife Breezy tearing it up on the washboard and vocals, and Ben “Bird Dog” Bussell busting out dance-worthy drum beats. Their latest record is Between the Ditches, which is packed with delta blues-inspired, folkinfluenced, Americana-tinged music. Peyton grew up listening to the music his dad was listening to at the time- blues rock like Jimi Hendrix and Neil Young, and some hillbilly tunes. Then curiosity got

Birch Miller

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VOL. 1 Summer « August « 2013 the better of him, and he decided to go way back in the line of musical influences and listen to musicians who inspired the ones he initially listened to, and so on. He soaked up the music of artists like B.B. King and Muddy Waters. Peyton started out playing music with his younger brother, Jamie. Then, one day after a gig at a party following his high school graduation, he experienced intense pain in his left hand and could no longer play guitar at that point. He was initially told he would never play again, but after seeking other medical advice, found a doctor who could fix his hand. After a year and a half of not playing and a week after the surgery, he met his wife to be, Breezy. “Even from early on, Breezy believed in my songs. That’s what really inspired me to get the guitar going again and make it a focus in my life.” The recording of Between the Ditches signifies a turning point for the band because they approached recording it like they were really going to make a record, instead of

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recording live like they had their previous albums. A handful of their albums made the Billboard top ten for blues, some of which were recorded in one afternoon. They spent three weeks recording this latest album. “We’ve always been a live band, that’s what we were known for. After we made this record, it changed a little bit. We figured out how to make records and we liked it a lot. I feel like this record is more me than any other record,” Peyton says. Bands like Reverend Peyton, who write good songs while being true to themselves, are to be cherished. “We just have to find those fans one at a time,” says Peyton. “We’ve never had some rich benefactor or major label. We’re an independent band that has been supported by independent radio stations, independent record stores... just independent people.” One thing about Peyton’s music that makes it stand out is his ability to play the finger picking style of guitar, which is when multiple parts of a song are strummed on

one guitar. The player might finger one part of the music with their thumb and strum chords or a melody line with their other fingers. When Peyton was younger, he would hear Robert Johnson and Charlie Patton play the finger style, and wasn’t sure if it was one guitar or two. “When I first heard someone do that, basically playing two things at once, it blew my mind. The whole concept of being your own bass player, your own rhythm guitar player- it’s so cool. I love trying to take it to new places,” Peyton shares. With each record they make, the group learns something and polishes their skills. The lifelong process of writing songs gives way to endless self-discovery. “I’ve gotten better, and I think a lot of it is that I’m willing to give myself more leeway and take more risks.”

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Asleep at the Wheel Forty Years On – VOL. 1 Summer « August « 2013

« By Brenda Hillegas

he Philadelphia Folk Festival takes place each year at Old Pool Farm. But, for Ray Benson, a Philadelphia native and founding member of Asleep at the Wheel, his band got its start on another farm. We’ll get to that in a minute. Benson is a self-taught guitarist and has been playing professionally since he was eleven-years-old. Many moons ago, he joined his sister in her folk group, The Four Gs. They played all over Philadelphia and in 1961, this group performed with the Philadelphia Orchestra during a concert focused on the younger crowd. George Britton, a musician and stage performer who co-founded the Philadelphia Folk Song Society and the Folk Festival, eventually became Benson’s guitar teacher. After years of performing in the Philadelphia area and a stint as a basketball player in high school (he’s a pretty tall dude), Benson was urged to come to an

Along for the ride was Lucky Oceans, a Philadelphia native who also grew up playing music with Benson. The duo headed to West Virginia in 1969, brought LeRoy Preston into the mix and the band that would soon be known as Asleep at the Wheel began rehearsing and writing songs in that cabin. Starting out in a little club in Paw Paw, it wasn’t too long until two hippie buses pulled up and someone mentioned hearing about Benson’s band in that tiny town. Those people introduced themselves as the Medicine Ball Caravan and invited Asleep at the Wheel to play with them in. Benson and Oceans made a few phone calls to round out a full band and make their way to Washington, D.C. with the caravan. The tour, one of the last traveling hippie festivals, found Asleep at the Wheel opening a large concert featuring Alice Cooper, Hot Tuna and Stone Ground. A year later, American country rock band Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen invited Asleep at the Wheel to move out to Oakland, California. Soon after, Van Morrison was interviewed for Rolling Stone, telling the magazine, “There’s some relatively unknown group around that I really dig. Asleep at the Wheel plays great country music.” Morrison’s quote put the band on the map and their debut album, Comin’ Right at Ya was released in 1973 by United Artists. In ‘74, Willie Nelson encouraged Asleep

This Band is Far From Asleep apple farm in Paw Paw, West Virginia with his friends. “A friend said ‘hey we are caretaking a farm, come here and get your band together’,” says Benson. “We lived in a 20-year-old log cabin that’s still there today! It was cool!” 8 • THAT MAG AUGUST

at the Wheel to move to Austin where the band is now based. And in 1978, they won their first of nine Grammy’s- best country instrumental performance for “One O’Clock Jump”. By then, Asleep at the Wheel’s members were, no doubt, the kings of Texas swing. “Lots of musicians tell me they learned to play this music by listening to us,” says Benson. “Dozens of western swing bands carry on these traditions.” Though Asleep at the Wheel are considered to be “kings”, Benson jokes that his band is the Grateful Dead of country music. “Radio won’t play us but people come to see us!” The fact that the band wasn’t considered mainstream and their exploration in western swing music were reasons why Asleep at the Wheel changed record labels many times throughout their career. Their debut album was released by United Artists but, by the earlier 80s, they moved to MCA. Around the same time, co-founder Lucky Oceans left the band. The mid-80s found the band switching again, to Epic Records, and working on commercials and movie soundtracks (including producing the soundtrack of Matt Dillion’s movie, Liar’s Moon). A couple more record label changes and various new line-ups in the band eventually lead them to where they are today. “We keep cranking out hits,” Benson explains. “We did what we wanted. Now, we formed our own record company so no one tells us what to do.” Last year, a Kickstarter campaign was created by Benson for that very reason. He needed funding for a documentary about the band and their four-decades of history. Sure, he could ask a big corporation for the $25,000, but then the documentary wouldn’t necessarily belong to the band. “When you make records, [the labels] own them,” Benson says. “When you go to a label, they mess with creativity, they own the thing. We can own this after [it’s done].”Benson asked Asleep at the Wheel fans for help to cover costs for post-production, labor, editing and music clearance fees. “We had to by rights to a 1976 Dina Shore show with Bill Cosby, rights to footage, songs.” Of course, all good Kickstarters WWW.THATMUSICMAG.COM

VOL. 1 Summer « August « 2013 come with some pretty great incentives for the fans. “I don’t think they trusted me,” Benson laughs as we talk about his offer to come cook dinner for those who donated on a certain level. “No one took me up on it! I’m a good cook!” On a positive note, other fans approached them with incentives of their own. “A guy from England said [he would donate] if we backed him up on songs. Sure!” The band’s initial goal of $25,000 was exceeded by $10,000. Asleep at the Wheel: On Screen and On Stage was shown while they toured, the screening first following by a concert by the band. That documentary, however, was not the first time Benson and the rest of the band have been on the screen. “[We did a movie with] Dolly Parton and Gary Busey, but you can’t get it on DVD,” he says. The movie he is referring to is 1991’s Wild Texas Wind. The band also appeared alongside Meatloaf in the 1980 movie, Roadie. Asleep at the Wheel also spent plenty of time performing on stage. Not just as a band, obviously, but in a musical. In 2005, Benson and the band began “A Ride With Bob”, a production that follows the travels of singer/songwriter Bob Willis. It includes 15 of Willis’ well-known songs and the musical toured throughout the country. Right now, it appears the musical is done. “I’m not saying never,” says Benson, “but we did it for eight years. We filmed the last performance but we need to film it again, hope to put it on DVD. It’s really hard to tour with it but we did pretty darn good!” But, Benson has other things to focus on first. Up next for him is the third in a series of tribute albums to Bob Willis. “Willie [Nelson] is on it, Blind Boys of Alabama, Avett Brothers, Old Crow Medicine Show, Buddy Miller, George Straight,” Benson WWW.THATMUSICMAG.COM

says of some of the performers. The album is currently in progress. He also hopes to release a solo album in the fall, focusing on his own music and not western swing. So with all these projects, a new Asleep at the Wheel album may have to wait. “We have so many ideas, but so much to do!” he says of the all things related to the band. Until Asleep at the Wheel has new tunes for you to listen to, you can hear all of their other music at this year’s Philadelphia Folk Festival. “I never got to go,” says Benson of the fest. “All my friends did. And now, 50 years later, I get to play! It’s a thrill!”

As Benson said earlier in our interview, people who play western swing music learn from Asleep at the Wheel. This style of music can be heard in many bands popular today. “Forty years ago, not a lot of people were playing roots music. Our biggest concern was to preserve western swing,” Benson says. “If you look around, Avett Brothers go back to roots, Old Crow Medicine Show does the same thing.” Benson is absolutely right. Changing record labels more than once and a having plethora of band members come and go does not make Asleep at the Wheel a band searching for the right sound to make them to fit in with the mainstream. These changes

After four decades of playing as Asleep at the Wheel, Benson says it’s the ever changing line up that is one of the reasons the band still continues on today. The close to one hundred musicians who have performed with the band at some point all individually influenced and inspired Asleep at the Wheel. “It keeps us viable,” he explains. “It’s a tough life traveling. We also play a very specific kind of music [and many members] want to try something else now. Lucky ended up in Australia!”

show how much effort this band has made over forty years to preserve the music they love. They’re not changing to please you. If you don’t like the music they play, don’t listen. But keep this in mind- folk festivals and folk music, or any genre really, may not exist today if it weren’t for bands like Asleep at the Wheel who wanted to carry on the music they love.

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« by Christian Pezzino

Amy Helm was last here in 2004, performing with the New York based roots band Ollabelle. « Photo By Bill Miles

fter nearly ten years, the folk-rock/ gospel singer-songwriter Amy Helm returns to the Philadelphia Folk Festival for the first time since her 2004 performance with the New York based roots band Ollabelle. But this time, the daughter of folk rock legend Levon Helm continues her father’s musical legacy on a slightly different note. “I just felt I had something to say that would work in a solo capacity,” she reveals, as she currently prepares for a lengthy summer tour in support for her upcoming album due for release in the fall of 2013. She also plays regularly at Levon’s Barn in Woodstock, NY where she currently hosts the infamous ramble sessions and teams up with local musicians every Friday night. Her musical talent has certainly not fallen far from her father’s drum kit. Since the early 2000s when Ollabelle formed in a small club on Manhattan’s Lower East Side, she has released three studio albums and one live compilation. At the same time, she was also managing to co-produce her father’s Grammy award-winning comeback album Dirt Farmer, which won Best Traditional Folk Album in 2007 and marked Levon Helm’s triumphant return after his battle with cancer. But this time

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VOL. 1 Summer « August « 2013 around, she’s doing things her own way. “I’ve been playing music for as long as I can remember,” she reminisces, “but this time I’m not producing, just singing, which is a real luxury for me.” Growing up and performing with her father in the Levon Helm Band and The Midnight Ramble has had a tremendous influence on her own musical endeavors, helping shape her path to where she is now. Among others, she has shared the stage with Mavis Staples, Emmylou Harris, Dr. John and Elvis Costello, and has certainly distinguished herself as a solid musician in the realm of folk. Above all, however, she mentions her father as her greatest teacher. “Seeing him play music of that caliber was an incredible gift—it made me a stronger singer and player because of it.” Evident from her new single, “Roll the Stone”, Helm is beginning to emerge from the spotlight and cast her own shadow, one which promises to stand proudly beside her father’s. Her powerful, soul-driven vocals resound with the emotional upheaval as she dealt with her father’s passing early last year. She continues to play with an insatiable fervor, striking a healthy balance between country twang and bluesy, heartwarming rhythms. While she spent her college years far away from her father’s spotlight obtaining a degree in psychology at a university in Wisconsin, she eventually found herself performing music after resisting, in her mind, the unstable career path and life being a musician entails. She claims that “when you play music, you don’t choose, you have to do it.” True passion, she believes, is a universal feeling, and acts upon musicians the same way as doctors, lawyers and carpenters. “The opportunity comes to match the need. That’s the cool thing about living.”

« Photo By

Ahron Foster

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« By Michele Zipkin

ypsy-swing quartet Caravan of Thieves writes music that not only evokes moments of fun and dancing, but they write music with a message. They have an incredible talent for conveying thought-provoking ideas through energetic, carnival-esque songs. Their high-intensity performances provide an escape from the banality of everyday life. These Connecticut natives make stylistically diverse music based on a veritable melting pot of influences from rock to folk, jazz to classical. The band was initially conceived by Fuzz Sangiovanni and his wife Carrie Sangiovanni. After spending time playing with each other as a duo, they realized that they liked the ease of singing together with acoustic guitars and wanted their music to have a swing element with a fun, lively vibe. The two eventually infused a gypsyjazz flavor into their sound, which was about the time that they started getting together with their current violin player, Ben Dean. He was able to play the kind of jazzy, folky runs that Carrie and Fuzz had envisioned, and it was then that they thought

up the idea of Caravan of Thieves. Not long after that, they teamed up with Brian Anderson, an upright bass player, and the quartet got off its feet. After five years of playing and singing together, the group recently released their third album, The Funhouse. Through the metaphor of a carnival or carousel ride, the album as a whole conveys the overarching idea that life can lock you into a particular path, forcing you to abide by its rules and constraints. But you can either get swept away by society’s rules, or you can realize that “…you’re not just a passenger on the ride where you can get distracted by all the bells and whistles,” explains Carrie. The essence of Caravan of Thieves’ music is twofold- they want to communicate their philosophies on life, but they also want to whisk the audience away to their world of rhythmically upbeat, melodically haunting music; they want people to dance and forget about their everyday obligations. Regarding The Funhouse, “We wanted people to feel like we’re bringing them into a carnival or amusement park. We wanted to have fun with this,” says Fuzz. One of the most intriguing songs on the album is “Raise the Dead”, a

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VOL. 1 Summer « August « 2013 waltz-like, Victorian-esque song that conjures up memories of the people who are no longer with us. Not only does the song celebrate those who accomplished a lot while they were alive, but it reminds us of the people throughout history whose contribution to society did not get recognized until after they were gone. “There are the people out there who have achieved so much after they diedthat’s why we reference people like Mozart and Emily Dickinson- whose recognition

didn’t come until years after they were gone. And you want to come back to them and say I don’t know if you realize this, but you influenced a lot of people,” shares Fuzz. When the group performs the song, they will often get off the stage and go out into the audience, encouraging them to sing along. “When you’re right there with [the audience] face to face, the connection that comes with making music with them just tops it all off and makes it a unique experience,” explains Carrie.

Ultimately, the band wants to make music that inspires listeners to have their own unique vision of the essence of the song, and discover how it connects to their own lives. “Each song is kind of a capsule; it’s a very small thing. [The listener] will get a chuckle out of it, it will inspire them in some way, it will make them see life in some way that they haven’t seen it before.”

Silver « Photo By Jason Varney

Marc Silver

takes us through the inspirations of his miner town « By Stephen Krock

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he triumphant new album from Mark Sliver, A Miners’ Town, begins: “Hail, hail, the gang is all here / riding into town with their barrels in the air.” As you ride the persistent guitar intro under the grey skies into this fictional every-town, you’re accompanied by a spaghetti western whistle and back country winds. Immediately, you know that you aren’t just in for a series of well-crafted tracks. You’re about to take a stroll through this dusty, destroyed world. Meet its denizens. Meet their demons. As the opening track says, “a miner’s town is a harbor of souls / where the railroads cross, the black gold flows.” Before he could bring this place and its story to light, however, Silver had to take a short break. From city life and from promoting his stellar band, The Stonethrowers (who are no strangers to

be invading the mountains surrounding his peaceful, isolated cabin. He saw a “town turned black / nothing left that ain’t burned” and “blood in the sand [that] was spilled on demand by the guile of the entrepreneur.” Then, he looked deeper and wiped off the windows of the broken houses to see the people and the problems inside. A pair of young lovers. The ghosts of the town’s miners. And he also found room in this town for himself. “I grew up in St. Louis,” Silver says. “Amidst all the standard Midwest religious beliefs and conservative ideals.” At 17, he graduated and moved to Colorado, working in construction. “It was a period of time when my friends were all talking about what life should be like when they were 25,” he continues. “There were all these expectations of life and I found that none

defiant second act to this folk opera that ends in one last hopeful note: “No Gates Shall Withhold Him,” Silver’s moving tribute to the folk artists that came before him. It is only right and just, then, that Marc Silver will be uttered in the same breath as these artists. And there is no more perfect place to join them than on the Philly Folk Fest stage. He moved to Philadelphia in 1997 to study guitar at the University of the Arts and then carved out a career like any musician worth his salt. You owe it to yourself to seek this man out. I rarely say this, but if you don’t like Marc Silver, you just plain don’t like music.

is GOLD the Philly Folk Fest). Silver retreated to Dushore and Ricketts Glen Park, up by the Endless Mountains near Wilkes-Barre, PA. “It was my own personal Walden,” he says. “I thought of Thoreau, watching the lake freeze and unfreeze. It played an important part in getting back into writing.” In this secluded, self-sustained cabin, the inspiration came flowing in rivulets. All that he needed now was a story. “I had already been noodling with plenty of guitar riffs, melodies with no words,” Silver says. “I teach music at an elementary school and monitor the first grade class during lunch period. I’ll sit and quietly play the guitar, trying to record myself.” It was in his veritable fortress of solitude in Pennsylvania’s mountains, that Silver found his story. “I was out at a nearby sustainable farm, Berry Fields,” he recalls. “I was handed a flyer about how the area was getting the heck drilled out of it.” It was then that Silver took extra notice to the armies of dump trucks that seemed to

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of those expectations fit in with me…and I thought, ‘I don’t have a friend in the world that knows what I’m going through.’” Silver externalizes the battles in his head, which kept him tongue tied back then, in the stunning track “In Colorado.” He fled to Colorado “blowing smoke out on the wind / dreaming of the ‘me’ he might soon be.” In Colorado, he kept his secrets “close as a shadow.” In the end, however, he would win those internal battles. And in Colorado, he would come out to his best friend. It is an appropriate turning point in the album, as it leads into the townsfolk rising up and fighting back against the demons that plague them. The corporations pushing the miners into an early grave. And personifications of the religious persecution facing the boy that moved to Colorado. It’s a dark and

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Yards Brewing Company and the Folk Festival « By Matt Kelchner

oug Mashington tells me that “beer and music are certainly synonymous with each other, just like beer and food” Yards Brewing Company off Delaware Avenue. Mashington is one of the sales reps for the local makers of craft brews. His territories include Delaware County, Chester County and half of Philadelphia. It was through his brother, Steve, that Mashington was able to escape his 9-to-5 and begin working at Yards. It was also through Steve Mashington that the brewery would forge a partnership with the Philadelphia Folksong Society that would lead up the yearly creation of a special beer for the Philadelphia Folk Festival. “It’s a great thing for us,” Mashington says, “it’s a demographic of customers that we want to be our customers and a target demographic/customer base and the folksong society provides that avenue to reach out to them”. But the brewery does not

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see the concert attendees just as another demographic. The festival has been around for over 50 years and has deeply embedded itself into not only the music scene in Philadelphia, but in many other communities as well. Yards Brewing Company also enjoys working with different groups. “From our side, it wasn’t just a marketing thing. It was more being a part of the Philadelphia community,” says Mashington. “[The Philadelphia Folk Festival] is the type of thing we want to support locally,” he later adds. The two have been working together for several years, providing alcoholic beverages throughout the day as people take in the music and festivities. In 2011, the brewers came up with a special lager. In 2012, it was a Kölsch. While Mashington was not able to share with me the special beer for this year, he did hint that it would probably come from the German side. He also gave me glimpse into how the company comes up with each special brew. For starters, Yards looks for two main things in selecting a type of beer. They want it to be light and seasonable. When

it’s in the thick of the hot and humid MidAtlantic summer, a dark, heavy beer will not be too enjoyable for most. They also want something people can drink a lot of, so beers like dark ales and porters would not work out for many. When it comes to the beer making, the Philadelphia Folksong Society stays relatively hands-off. They let the beer makers do what they do best, make beer. Yards takes their expertise and explores outside of their usual realm when it comes down to the special Folk Fest beer. Mashington tells me, “the guys that are in the brew house actually doing the brewing, they make English ales all day long. Making a German lager or something different is fun for them. It’s their opportunity to have free reign and make whatever they want.” And just how does a small craft brewery in Philadelphia set up serving beer in the middle of farm country in Schwenksville? They bring everything up but the kitchen sink with them. If they could, they would probably bring that, too. Mashington adds, “I mean, everything’s so remote up there. You just can’t run back to

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VOL. 1 Summer « August « 2013 the brewery and get it. You have to bring everything you need.” “We get a draft truck, it’s a refrigerated box truck with the caps on the side, and we’ll pack that thing full of kegs, food, water, Gatorades. That thing’s packed. And also all of our other equipment. We set up fans underneath the tent to try to create circulation. Anything we can possibly need is packed into this truck and the company van,” Mashington says. “We will get up there Thursday morning and not leave until either late Sunday night or early Monday morning”. Not everything is about beer for the guys from Yards, though. On top of that, there are the many different artists to see, the rural sights to take in, and the unforgettable experiences to share with

friends and strangers alike. One thing that the festival is known for is the impromptu jam sessions with those staying the weekend in the camping areas. Mashington shares with me memories of seeing people going from one campsite to the next, instruments in hand and joining in different circles and meeting new people. “That’s what’s fun about walking around the campground late at night”. And the jamming doesn’t stop there either. Mashington also shared with me stories from last year of people asking if they could come under the Yards beer tent to find their own space to rock out. “Our only thing with that [was] just don’t do it while people are on stage,” Mashington tells me as he recalls the many different people who came and went last year.

« Photo By Evan Simone

« By Evan Kramer

tis Taylor is one bad dude, and his reputation in music stands strong. In my opinion, the most dominant trait that Taylor possesses is his rough, stern voice. Otis Taylor’s music would probably play if you were epically riding a horse with a poncho WWW.THATMUSICMAG.COM

on, through the plains of Utah, while the sunset faded behind you. I cannot stress how much the power of his voice intensifies the listening experience. An inspiration is a mandatory element in creative minds, but Otis Taylor describes his music passion as more of an obsession. “Well, my last album was inspired by something that someone said, but I don’t know what inspires me. I’m more obsessed

Mashington’s favorite acts from the past folk festivals he has attended? “For the past two years it’s been the Sunday closing act. I guess there’s something emotionally tied into it for me, too, because it’s the end”.

with music than inspired,” Taylor says with his mighty voice. The addiction of music manages Taylor’s production, and proves just how badass he is. If that’s not enough evidence then look at the album cover for Contraband by Otis Taylor. He’s seriously the coolest guy. The mixture of blues, jazz and folk that Taylor incorporates into his music has led him to construct his own personal genre, which he has labeled as “TranceBlues”. Taylor describes this as “music with repetition. The repetition gets the people lost in the music, and they lose a sense of time. If I played a song for five minutes or twenty minutes, there would be no difference to them.” A musical hypnosis is Otis Taylor’s ambition, and it makes his sound almost unable to be categorized. To aid him in his musical construction are two reliable instruments: the guitar and the banjo. His relationship with his instruments is quite unexplainable to him, but my assumption is that it helps to increase the “Trance-Blues” experience. Taylor and I keep going off topic, but I had to compliment him for his song, “Nasty Letter”. Taylor told me the song was, apparently, featured in two popular films: Shooter and Public Enemies. Public Enemies also features another song of his, “Ten Million Slaves”. Music appearing on action movie soundtracks is quite a feat, and explains how much power is embodied THAT MAG AUGUST • 15

VOL. 1 Summer « August « 2013 within Otis Taylor’s music. Currently, Otis Taylor is traveling the world on tour with his four band members. Taylor tells me, “I’ve known Anne for five years, the drummer for four, bass guitar for two, and I’ve known my lead guitarist for fifteen years, and he’s been on two of my CDs, so we have a very good relationship together.” Asking about his familiarity with the city, Taylor has “played at cafes, a couple bars in Philly, but it was long time ago. I met one of the original guys that started the Philadelphia Folk Festival. I’m still excited to play there because I’ve never played at a Philadelphia Folk Festival before. The folk festivals were a lot different back when I was a kid playing folk music.”

Taylor’s sound is almost unable to be categorized. With a guitar and banjo, he brings listeners into amusical trance worth experiencing. I ask Taylor if he would be performing songs from his new album, My World Is Gone, and fortunately, he will be, so expect to hear that. Concerning the strong title, I ask Taylor where he acquired it, “I put on a festival, and I’m backstage with Mato Nanji. We’re relaxing, and eating. Then I hear Mato say, ‘My world is gone’. I almost fell off my seat, and then I looked at my wife. I told Mato that I made it into an album.” Otis Taylor stands proud of his heritage, and represents it to his fullest potential. As for the future of his music, Taylor wishes to keep that information on the down low, but I’m confident it will be something epic. If you’ve never heard of Otis Taylor then you’re missing out on an excellent listening experience from a true bad-ass.

« By Lexi Bissonnette

he best part about forming a band is that there are no set rules. No number of people or instruments, no age style enforced. Local Philadelphia indie rock band, The Strange Heat, is no exception. Having finished up a concert the night before, they were happy to talk about it… and the free beer and popcorn. Teasing was in no short supply as Olivia Flocco, the band’s youngest member, stayed out of the beer talk. “I meet Terrance during music education. He was teaching my sister,” says Andrew Warren. Flocco and James McCreavy joined in much the same fashion. What’s a new band’s goal? Release an album. The Strange Heat released their self-titled in April. “It’s a nice snapshot of where we are right now as a band. The next CD will be a testament to the coming of the band- we will knock your face off,” says Terrance Gaines. Warren explained that four of five songs were written when Flocco and McCreavy joined the group. All are looking forward to stepping up their game and fully collaborating on their next release. Not having been a part of the creative process doesn’t stop Flocco and McCreavy from bringing something to the band. “My charming good looks,” jokes McCreavy. Flocco’s take on her input was as quirky as her band mates’. “I bring the estrogen. I bring the sassiness and the pop feel to the band.” Warren responds with a smart quip and Flocco shares that they love to play fight.

Gaines was more reserved, saying he brought experience as the oldest. Until Warren jokes that his girlfriend is jealous of Gaines and vice versa because of all the time they’ve spent together for the album. The band is inspired by Philly in a very different way. “If we have a desire for the beautiful cheesesteak we go get one. It influences how we move and write as musicians more than the sound,” explains Gaines. Touring is a large part of the band’s summer. But they agree, playing at home is the best. “It’s like when you’re homesick and finally get to come home to your friends,” says Warren. While they love performing at home, they know that performing in other areas exposes them to others and helps them grow. They’ll be in Philly for Liberty Music Festival this summer. An honor they were all very grateful and excited about. “I was at the beach with my friends and I remember hanging up the phone and running around screaming,” recounts Flocco. And they’re looking forward to performing with a few bands they’ve had the met prior and to meet more. But like all things, nothing is ever perfect and the band has high aspirations for the coming year. Warren wants to open for national acts on tour, Gaines wants the band to gain their own personal sound and McCreavy and Flocco are looking forward to getting better with the band. Ambition and a tour schedule mean a busy summer for The Strange Heat.

« Photo By Scott Warren 16 • THAT MAG AUGUST

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« By Emily Meenan

avid Wax Museum, a Boston duo that “kicks up a cloud of excitement with its highenergy border-crossing sensibility,” fuses together multiple genres to create what they call “MexoAmericana” music. To date, they have four albums- each has been self-released, supported by grassroots efforts and an incredibly active touring schedule. Their most recent album, Knock Knock Get Up, is “less minimalist and more mature” than their three previous albums. It was released in late summer of 2012, has gained the band even more acclaim than was already had, and features three singles (so far). David Wax Museum began to develop their culturally fused sound when David Wax graduated from Harvard University. He then studied Mexican folk music and tradition along the Mexican countryside on a yearlong fellowship. During his time there was when he first began to dabble in the field of blending his Midwestern folk with the traditional Mexican Son music. Suz Slezak, the other half of David Wax Museum, was home schooled in rural Virginia by her father and delved into old time, Irish, classical, and folk music. In 2007, one year before the band’s first album was released, they met and merged their

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« Photo By Rouxby Music musical tastes and influences. According to Wax, getting involved in Mexican style music helped him “become a better songwriter.” “I think that there is a certain singer-songwriter voice that’s easy to fall into if you are playing in this American folk idiom,” Wax explains. “As soon as you get out of that, and there is a brightness and a different energy propelling the song forward, it forces a different kind of song to emerge.” Although listeners have said that Knock Knock Get Up is a movement away from the Mexo-Americana style, Wax and Slezak claim otherwise. “I don’t see it as moving away. I think it’s just a more sophisticated intertwining of the two styles,” Slezak tells. “I don’t know if folk music is ever pure anyway.” To say that David Wax Museum has an active touring schedule would be an understatement. They have toured not only with The Avett Brothers, but also The Carolina Chocolate Drops and The Old 97’s, just to name a few. They toured the US and made a lot of stops in Europe. David Wax Museum truly realizes the gravity and importance of making a lasting influence on listeners and connecting with new fans. “The goal is to reach a wider audience and that, of course, means touring across the country and making connections with the

fans,” Wax says. The band does indeed know how to captivate an audience and draw in fans. Not only is their sound unique, so is the way in which they make that sound. Slezak plays the quijada, a donkey jawbone, when she’s not playing the fiddle. “I had seen people play it down there [in Mexico] and had thought for some of the songs that we were doing, that had the real strong Mexican rhythms, it just wasn’t working having the fiddle — something was missing,” Wax explains. “So I suggested to Suz that she try to track down one of these jawbones. I didn’t know how she’d be able to find one, but it actually wasn’t that hard. She found some on the Internet.” Not only do they tour and play club and house shows like crazy, but David Wax Museum is also a staple at festivals worldwide. Festivals account for a large amount of their European stops, including a few coming up like the Southern Fried Festival in Scotland and WOMAD (World of Music, Arts, and Dance) in Wiltshire, UK. David Wax Museum has quite a few United States festivals coming up as well, from the New England area to the West coast, and everywhere in between. David Wax Museum has been awarded heavily for their musical triumphs, as is heartily deserved. In 2010, they won a contest for a spot to play in the Newport Folk Festival, which many consider to be where they had their “breakthrough performance.” They were also the winner of the Americana category in the Boston Music Awards in 2010, and were named one of the “ten bands that rocked South by Southwest” by Time magazine after playing it in 2011. Their most recent album, Knock Knock Get Up, has been given praise by many large publications, including The New York Times. Make sure to keep your eyes on David Wax Museum and watch for their next move because so far, they only have gotten better with age. THAT MAG AUGUST • 17

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« Photo By Matthew Novak

« By Melissa Duong

on’t be fooled by their fresh young faces and dismiss Sleepy Man Banjo Boys and their music. It’s neither a passing fad nor a passing fancy for these boys. To underestimate their talent would be a great shame. With much dedication and energy, these young boys have come a long way since their small beginnings. The bluegrass band consists of the Mizzone brothers: 11-year-old Jonny, 14-year-old Robbie, and 15-year-old Tommy, who play banjo, fiddle, and guitar respectively. Initially, the band started out with Tommy backing up Robbie’s fiddle playing with his guitar, and then from there, Jonny took up the banjo. The sounds coalesced together perfectly and easily, allowing the three brothers to form a band just like that! Peculiarly, the origin of the band’s name came from Jonny’s pension for lying on his back and closing his eyes while practicing his banjo. Sleepy man, they called Jonny, and thus the 18 • THAT MAG AUGUST

band was deemed the Sleepy Man Banjo Boys. Inevitably, a YouTube video of the trio was posted, and it went viral. The band was shocked by the explosion of popularity, and shortly thereafter, they were contacted by a majority of the late night shows. With no live stage experience in their pockets, they put on a brave face and a great show for the likes of David Letterman. Some other places that they graced the world with their very energetic and upbeat sound, which only gets more unique with each release, include The Grand Ole Opry and Carnegie Hall. Not only do these boys have talent, but they have the commitment and fierce drive rarely seen in the young that has allowed them to continue to draw in the audience. In fact, they were invited to The Grand Ole Opry a second time! Interestingly enough, bluegrass is not popular among the younger generations, so

we are led to wonder what drew these boys to it. “We like how bluegrass is unique- it’s different from what most kids are listening to,” says Robbie. “It’s a very technical type of music with precise timing and we find it extremely fun to play and listen to. We also like the fact that it’s American’s music. It originated here, and we want to keep it going. We don’t see enough young people at many of the bluegrass festivals, and we want to change that.” Popularizing such a classic and technical genre of music so that it appeals to the mainstream will be no easy feat, but the boys are enthusiastic that they can do it. Approximately a year went by before the Sleepy Man Banjo Boys released their second album in October 2012, The Farthest Horizon. Although they had accumulated much more experience, they found that their second album posed a greater challenge than the first. Not only WWW.THATMUSICMAG.COM

VOL. 1 Summer « August « 2013 did they have to intensely record and write simultaneously, but they also had to write many of the songs on that album. Over the course of three years, since their initial YouTube viral release to the release of their second album, they have improved their technical skills as musicians. They have continually grown and gotten better as a band, each member feeding off the energy of another, by constantly practicing together. Furthermore, this allows them to get to know each other’s strengths, weaknesses and play styles more and more. You would think that these brothers would be sick of each other after being together all the time, but no hard feelings here, only love and a strong bond that arose out of strife towards a common goal: spreading and popularizing American bluegrass music all over the world. Talk about ambition! Another interesting factor that the boys have incorporated with their music, specifically their live shows, is the addition

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of bass and mandolin players. Overall, the boys have seen this as a great enhancement to their live performances, because these other string players allow the Sleepy Man Banjo Boys to produce and emanate an even fuller and richer sound. “You really need bass and mandolin with bluegrass,” Robbie states. A difficult question was posed to the boys when asked to pick their absolute favorite and most meaningful songs that they have created. All of these songs probably bear some meaning to these boys, after all, they did create and perfect these songs over countless of hours of practice. After much thought, they concluded that their favorites were probably four originals that they had written. “Man from Danville” written by Tommy, “Time Lapse” written by Robbie, “The Farthest Horizon” written with their uncle Chris, and “Jonny’s Tune” obviously written by Jonny. Not one singular person is responsible for all the songs, which serves to pose as another

advantage and wonderful characteristic that these boys have. The ability of all of them to write provides the audience with a broader range of song styles and choices. It gives the songs different flavors and exposes different facets of bluegrass, when all the band members are capable of writing songs. The amount of talent here is astounding. In addition, The Sleepy Man Banjo Boys recently started working with the William Morris Agency and Dreamcatcher Artist Management. With all their success, it’s so easy to forget that these three are just young boys who, while working hard, are having fun doing what they love. That’s one of the main characteristics that probably draws in the audience the most, their fresh youthful spin on classic bluegrass and refreshing dedication. “With all that said, we love inspiring people with music and giving God the glory- and we never want to lose that,” says Robbie.

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Putting the « By Erinn Forston

ichard Thompson’s career stretches back almost as far as the Philadelphia Folk Festival. Six years after Gene Shay founded the music gathering in 1961, 17 year-old Richard Thompson was performing with Fairport Convention. When Thompson was in the band, he visited the festival twice during the 70s. Now in 2013, Thompson will once again head to Schwenksville, Pennsylvania for the three-day show. Like the festival, Thompson has grown over time, only getting better with age. Every year, he has been able to give listeners an innovative music and many consider his newest album, Electric, the best yet. “I wish I knew [how I keep finding inspiration] and I could get inspired more often!” says Thompson. “I think if you keep working on it, the goddess will look kindly on you eventually.” Having this philosophy has kept Thompson creative during his career. On each record he covers new terrain, searching for and discovering fresh sounds he can share with the world. Electric is no exception. “I’ve been recording since [1967],” says Thompson. “There’s a fine line between repeating yourself and having your own style. At some point, style morphs into cliché. So, I think you have to challenge the audience to expect new material and then they will challenge you back to produce new material. And I’m glad to say I have those kinds of fans at this point. I feel excited about the next couple of years and what we can do. I think it’s going to be musically really interesting.” Thompson’s sound contains influences from many different genres of music, but his work has been especially embraced for folk roots. “I don’t like labels, but if I have to have one, the folk description is maybe the most

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Richard Thompson’s Innovative Journey Through Music accurate,” says Thompson. “I am a traditioninfluenced musician, which some call folk, or roots, or Americana, and sometimes I play acoustic, which some people call folk. There are the worst labels.” Thompson has described Electric’s sound as a mix between Judy Collins and Bootsy Collins. And indeed, it contains funk reminiscent of Booty’s work with both James Brown and Parliament. Staying true to his folk roots, you can also hear the Judy Collins similarity Thompson refers to within Electric, especially on tracks like “The Snow Goose” and “Saving the Good Stuff For You”. “I think we’ve inventing a new genre which is sort of a funk-folk,” says Thompson. “I’m not sure the world is ready for it, but we’ve done it anyway. For the past decade, drummer Michael Jerome and bassist Taras Prodaniuk have been part of the Richard Thompson Electric Trio. This band formation was the muse for the sound of Electric as Thompson musically arranged tracks and wrote songs specifically with a trio in mind. “For this record, I was kind of inspired to write for a trio, to cover a more folky slant on Cream or Jimi Hendrix, The Experience or something; a less powerful power trio,” says Thompson. “This is really kind of a « WWW.THATMUSICMAG.COM Photo By: Pamela Littky

VOL. 1 Summer « August « 2013 trio record. It’s the core of the band I’ve been play for maybe the last ten years. We’ve done some trio shows and it’s a lot of fun and I thought it well, it’d be great to write for this lineup, you know. I found it quite inspirational. It’s an interesting way to look at writing.” Thompson found a producer in Buddy Miller for Electric. Miller has a legendary music career of his own. So, combining these two talents was a sure bet. The producer even stands in on rhythm and guitar throughout the album. Also making appearances on the record are Stuart Duncan (on fiddle), Siobhan Maher Kennedy, and Alison Krauss. Electric was recorded in Nashville at Miller’s home studio. “We sat around and played music,” says Thompson. “It was great fun. The reason we recorded in Nashville wasn’t to make a record that sounds like Nashville or to make a country record or to use a lot of local musicians, because we really didn’t. It was mostly to be in a house; we came to Nashville to be in a house.”

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Now living in Los Angeles, Thompson was born in West London. He was very shy as a child and had difficulty with his speech due to stuttering. Music was an escape in many ways for Thompson because of this. “The first time I heard rock and roll was probably Bill Hailey & His Comets,” says Thompson, in the 2003 BBC documentary Solitary Life. “My older sister had a good record collection; heavy on the Buddy Holly, which was great. She had some Jerry Lee Lewis records, Everly Brothers records. I do remember it having an impact on my brain.” Years before he made the Top 20 of Rolling Stone’s “Best Guitarists of All Time” list, Thompson established a reputation as a stellar musician early on in his career. He was playing guitar solos, equivalent to the pros, when he was only a teenager. These skills quickly turned the heads of Ashley Hutchings and Simon Nicol as fellow Fairport Convention band mates were quickly impressed with Thompson’s playing. Introduced through mutual friends, Thompson joined the band and began practicing alongside current members in suburban Muswell Hill, North London. The members practiced in a house known as Fairport, which is where the band got their name. One evening, while opening up for Pink Floyd at the UFO Club in London, Fairport Convention caught the eye of record producer Joe Boyd. Boyd was particular impressed with Thompson. “There was this group of very nice Muswell Hill grammar school boys and a girl playing American music,” Boyd recounts in a documentary. “Leonard Cohen songs and Richard Fariña songs and Bob Dylan songs, all being done in a kind of west coasty rock style. And then came the guitar solo and Richard just played the most amazing solo. He played a solo which quotes Django, from Charlie Christian; incredibly sophisticated little solo. And that really amazed me; the breath of his sophistication. On stage, Richard was very shy. He didn’t talk a lot. He seemed very serious, very absorbed. He was kind of hunched over his guitar, playing; very concentrated on his music. And Richard 22 • THAT MAG AUGUST

was age 17. And so, at the end of the gig, I was in the dressing room saying, would you guys like to make a record?” After meeting Boyd, Fairport Convention signed with Polydor Records and released their first, self-titled album in 1968. When their debut record didn’t take off as expected, Fairport Convention switched over to Island Records, signing a new contract with the label. The new few albums the band produced expanded its fan base and put Fairport Convention on the map. These records include What We Did on Our Holidays, Unhalfbricking, and Liege and Lief, which is an album considered to be essential to the English folk rock movement. By this time, Thompson had established himself as a songwriter, composing several songs for the band. During the recording of Unhalfbricking, tragedy struck for Fairport Convention. While driving home after a show at Mothers Club in Birmingham, the

band’s van crashed on the M1 motorway. Harvey Bramham, the tour manager, had been driving the vehicle. Drummer Martin Lamble and Thompson’s girlfriend, Jeannie Franklyn, were killed in the crash. “The accident probably made me grow up faster,” Thompson told Tim Adams during a 2010 interview. “I was 20. Just having to deal with death and losing friends was a difficult thing.” In 1971, Thompson left Fairport Convention. His first effort as a solo artist came in the form of Henry the Human Fly. The album was release in 1972 and produced by John Wood. Musicians appearing throughout the album’s 12 tracks include Thompson’s former band mates Ashley Hutchings and Sandy Denny, as well as then Linda Peters who would soon be a very important part of Thompson’s life, both professionally and personally. Although it is now regarded as one of Thompson’s best records, Henry the Human

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VOL. 1 Summer « August « 2013 Fly was not well received when it was originally released. It has been considered the worst selling Warner Brothers album of all time. “Henry the Human Fly is a bit of an eccentric record, but it doesn’t really appeal to enough eccentrics cause it only sold eight copies,” Thompson has said about his first solo release. “The singing on Henry the Human Fly is not very confident. That’s the real problem. I really wanted to sing the songs, but I didn’t do a good job.” Through the musical collaborations on this album, Thompson developed a closer relationship with singer Linda Peters. Thompson knew Linda through Fairport Convention, and after working together on Henry the Human Fly, the two started dating. In 1972, Thompson married Linda and the couple started more than a family together. For the next several years, they would record six albums together before dissolving all ties with each other in 1982. I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight was the duo’s first record together. It was released two years after they were married. The duo made a good match musically and the critics favored the couple’s albums throughout the years. After releasing their third album, Pour Down Like Silver, the Thompsons went on a music hiatus after deciding to practice their Sufism faith on a commune in East Anglia. The couple lived here for two years before returning to the music industry and recording First Light. Ironically, the last album the duo recorded together is considered the best during their entire career. Rolling Stone ranked Shoot Out the Lights number 9 on their 100 Best Albums of the Eighties list. By this time, Thompson and Linda’s relationship was rocky and when the Shoot Out the Lights was released in 1982, the couple was already separated and preparing for divorce. Even though their personal relationship had all but dissolved, they decided to embark on an American tour to support Shoot Out the Lights. By this time, Thompson had met his current wife, Nancy Covey, which further complicated things. After weeks of stress spent on what later was referred to as the “kick in the shins” WWW.THATMUSICMAG.COM

tour, Thompson and Linda ended their professional relationship with one another as well. His parting from Linda was Thompson’s continuation of his career as a solo artist. Hand of Kindness was released in 1983 and he hasn’t looked back since. Twelve studio albums later, Thompson remains ready to travel whatever road music takes him. “I think, first of all, you make records for yourself initially; just trying to please myself and be enjoyable,” says Thompson. “When you put a record out there you don’t know how it might translate or what will catch. People don’t always get it, sometimes it falls flat. It’s a surprise sometimes when a certain song catches.” Regardless of the countless awards and recognition he’s received throughout his career, which include Mojo’s Les Paul Award and the Ivor Novello Award,

Thompsons continues to be extremely humble about his works and talent, remaining a very grounded artist and never pursuing music for the wrong reasons. On Friday evening, August 16th, Thompson will be performing with his Electric Trio for the first time at the Philadelphia Folk Festival. In those early days, when Thompson played with Fairport Convention those first few times at the Pennsylvania music festival, he couldn’t begin to imagine where his career would be some 45 years later. “At that age, you aren’t thinking about the future,” says Thompson. “You’re mostly excited to be playing music and having an audience for it. We were probably thinking it was fun as long as it lasted and then we’d have to get real jobs.” It looks like that’s a bridge Thompson didn’t have to cross.

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The Power of Music

Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars « By Lexi Bissonnette

usic has amazing powers within it. Perhaps none know the hope music can bring better than Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars (SLRAS)- a band formed in the turmoil and despair of a civil war that has flourished and created hope around the world. “It [music] has no boundaries. It is the language of the people.” says Black

it’s not like in America where you can find you need everywhere you go.” Gaining the instruments they needed came through donations from a Canadian relief agency. And once they had them, the music they were creating was nothing more than a form of self-expression. Something personal. “At first I was doing it for myself

to be for all of us. It helps people forget the past.” Playing now has a dual purpose for Black Nature and returning to the refugee camps home in Sierra Leone has never had a more powerful impact on him, to give hope to those there and reflect on his life now. “I feel blessed because there are people that don’t even have that opportunity [to return home]. I live in this country now, I became a citizen but one of the most exciting moments for me is when I arrive back home and I get to see friends and family.” A documentary by American filmmakers helped the band grow and spread their art. According to Black Nature, without it, their positive reach would not extend so far. “The documentary is actually the back bone of the band because it brought us to the outside world. We are grateful.”

Nature, a member of SLRAS Band members Ruben and Grace Koroma, Francis John Langba, Idrissa Banguara, Black Nature and others found themselves bound together in a refugee camp in Sierra Leone during a bloody civil war. Together they played and sang, bring inspiration not only to themselves, but others in the refugee camp. “It began by trying to keep our spirits up,” says Black Nature, who witnessed his own set of tragedy in the refugee camps before joining with the band and finding his own sense of hope and inspiration. Setting up a band was not the easiest in a refugee camp. “It was difficult at first; 24 • THAT MAG AUGUST

because of my experiences and the things that I encountered in the civil war,” Black Nature says. He witnessed his parents being killed and had his own demons to fight off through the creation of music. A dream he had fostered since childhood, before the refugee camp and the creation of SLRAS. “During the war, those dreams kind of swept away because the people who were the backbone of that, my mom and dad, were killed. I felt hopeless, like I had no future.” In expressing his own nightmares and fulfilling dreams of his own with his music, he realized the power in all music. “I discovered this is not just for me. This has

Listening to albums is not the only way to experience SLRAS. They have a full tour schedule that lends their talent and inspiration to many different locations and events around the world, from refugee camps to festivals. Each performance means a new crowd and a new group to deliver their message to, a new group to inspire and bring hope. Performing with other bands helps to inspire and add elements to the already eclectic sounds. Seeing the hardships and success of different areas helps bring topics for their songs. “I still have thousands of miles to run and the only way for to me grow is to learn from other people doing their things,” says Black Nature. Philadelphia’s Folk Festival offers the same to SLRAS. It is a great pairing as it is a non-profit event filled with musicians performing and sharing their craft. Performing there is another chance to share their message with music lovers and hopefully inspire someone in the audience. Black Nature is happy SLRAS has a place in the event and cannot wait to perform. “There is so much I can do with my music and I can change the world in a positive way.”

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VOL. 1 Summer « August « 2013

« By Erin Sullivan

he Royal Noise- a group of four guys who share a love for jazz, hard rock and playing music no matter what genre. Johan Harvey, the guitarist and manager of the band and saxophone player Mike Labombard started playing together in their garage. Add in Andrew Toy on drums and Rodrigo Pichardo on bass and things progressed from there. From 2010 to now, the band has released two EPs and two full-length albums along with performing in many venues across the country and increasing their fan base. “We all share a love for jazz, for funk, for hard rock, for disco, but most importantly we share an open-mindedness to blend the boundaries between genres. Savannah injected an inherently “southern” sensibility into our playing, and you can hear a lot of New Orleans influences in our sound. When we made the move up to Philly we were immediately well received and it’s great to be doing what we love up here,” says Harvey. Album release festivities took place

in mid-July for their new full length album Unbreakable. They performed at The Bitter End in New York City and World Cafe Live here in Philadelphia. The band is beyond excited to perform and celebrate the release. “It’s a progressive space funk odyssey! I love playing the songs off of this album with my favorite being “Tree Funk” which we’ve turn into a disco jam at live shows. People seem to really get into it,” says Pichardo. “We love the new album! It’s a culmination of a very tight lineup in Georgia and it is still evolving with some of the new personnel up north. We’re looking forward to playing the new album for people who will love it as well and who will enjoy the ever-evolving sound,” says Labombard. The Royal Noise has such a groovy, jazz sound and each song has an unexpected twist, like a different rift, or a unique sound. You can hear Labombard’s saxophone throughout the songs, which is reminiscent of a true jazz band. Then add guitar, bass and Toy on the drums and seeing them live « Photo By Jordan Harvey

would be a treat, because I’m sure each performance sounds slightly different. “The new album is a great footprint for an era of the band. It’s definitely a great piece of work, and tells a great story from start to finish, musically speaking. Touring in support of it has been an absolute blast and the response has been terrific. Funny thing is, our sound is already so evolved past what you hear on the album, meaning our translations of these tunes live these days are quite different from what you hear on the record. The more we play them, the deeper we dig into them and the richer the songs become,” says Harvey. The Royal Noise is set to tour around the tri-state area this summer, playing at various concert venues and festivals including Liberty Music Festival on August 16th at Legendary Dobbs. When asked about their extensive tour coming up, the following is what two band members are looking forward to most. “Winning over new fans of course! For a musician, there’s really nothing like touring in the summer: hot weather, rowdy crowds, and lot of music,” says Toy. “Meeting new people and making people dance!” says Pichardo. The members of The Royal Noise know what it’s like to be in the business of making music, what goes in to making album and performing live shows, and what keeps fans coming back for more. Toy says it’s important to be yourself in this industry and find what makes you unique. Labombard says no matter how good you think you played a song, you can always do better. Pichardo says it’s to have a business plan and develop a friendship with the people you play with. Lastly, Harvey quotes Isaiah Zagar, the Philadelphia mosaic artist. “Fall in love with your fans as much as you do with your music. You wouldn’t be here without them and they are the reason we should express ourselves. To quote Isaiah Zagar’s mosaic on South Street, ‘the artist and the patron share a symbiotic relationship - one cannot be fulfilled without the other.’”

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« Photo By Cheater Slicks

The Maybe Boys Summer Camp « By Dan Emmons

olk Fest Freshman, Toy Soldiers, is geared to give you the rock, rhythm and soul to go along with that funk of multiple days without a shower. No, this five-piece has nothing to do with the phenomenal 90’s animated/live action war movie between plastic actions figures, but their show is certainly battle tested. Fronted by Ron Gallo on vocals/guitar, and joined by Dominic Billet on drums, Bill McCloskey on bass, Matt Kelly on guitar, and Luke Leidy on keys, the soldiers have been putting in the field work to spread their sound. With two EPs, a sampler release, and the much anticipated The Maybe Boys album, the platoon has marched the east coast many times. Toy Soldiers have conquered the northeast and have even been spotted charging on southern states like New Orleans and the famous SXSW festival down in Texas. Called one of the “Top Bands to Watch in 2013” by USA Today, these Philadelphia natives are not to be missed on this year’s fest! Toy Soldier’s front-man and recent Tri-State Indie Awards host, Ron Gallo, took time out of his busy schedule to have an early morning chat. Always in a cheerful mood, no matter the hour, Gallo speaks light-heartedly about the most recent Toy 26 • THAT MAG AUGUST

Soldier shows. “Last tour was extremely inefficient,” he jokes, “we started up in Boston then went down to Nashville, up to New York, down to DC and ended up in York, PA.” Even though their GPS may have looked like the lines of a heart monitor, Gallo ensured me that it was well worth it and added that he would do it every time if the fans wanted it. While on tour, the band usually roughs-it in their 12-passenger van, but while in DC played a showcase in a high class hotel and were awarded some fantastic suites! Hard work pays off, but the band was not comfortable long. They headed to NYC for the Converse Rubber Tracks sessions where they recorded a live session of some new and old tracks for exclusive release on a vinyl 7’’ this 4th of July. Most recently, the guys had a memorable stop at Johnny Brenda’s in Philly where the band ended the show with Gallo jumping into the audience to dance the night away. “There have been a handful of occasions where at the end of the show me and our guitarist Matt will go out into the audience. We just said fuck it.” Their latest venture is the release of their latest studio album with producer

Bill Moriarty. To do so, the band is using Kickstarter to have their fans act as their record label. “We were able to afford the production of the record ourselves,” Gallo says, pointing out that “really all a record label does is hire certain services: publicist, radio promoter, distributer and of course manufacturing. We can do that on our own and still own all our rights.” The band plans on making the release as interactive as their show. Toy Soldiers are also excited to play the role of the fan while at fest. “When I went to the press conference where they announced the bands, I heard that Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars were playing!” He also noted that friends of the band and fellow Philly acts, The Lawsuits and Ali Wadsworth would be playing as well, giving the festival a very comfortable and fun vibe. So make sure you stop by the stage when these guys will be rockin’. When these warriors plant their flag in camp ground all bets are off. Whether it is their crazy gigging, stage show, or interactive experience with their fans, Toy Soldiers cannot be missed.

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VOL. 1 Summer « August « 2013

« By Erinn Fortson

rom the look on their faces, it’s evident that some of the extras didn’t anticipate the velocity of the slaps during the filming of Star & Micey’s “I Can’t Wait”. The music video was inspired by the song’s stomp and clap rhythm, and a King of Pop classic. So, picture the head shot frames of a diverse cast, similar to Michael Jackson’s “Black or White”; now imagine those same heads being toss to the side with the surprising force of a petite hand. Small statured Karen Redmond, also known as Lil Karen, is the woman doing all the hitting in the video. “Nobody really liked the idea except for Karen, the girl slapping everyone,” says the band’s acoustic guitar player and vocalist, Joshua Cosby. “[The people in the video] knew they were going to get slapped but she wouldn’t tell them when it was coming. She’d be like, okay, what you want to do is look over here because in a few seconds… Bam!” Ouch. I guess dynamite does come in small packages. WWW.THATMUSICMAG.COM

Hearing the enthusiasm in their voices during our telephone conversation, it’s pretty easy to determine that the men of Star & Micey really enjoy what they do. The band has been touring a lot this year and despite the gruesomeness associated with being on the road, Star & Micey wouldn’t dream of doing anything else. “Love it, love it, love it,” confirms Cosby. “I wish, like, every 15 days we could just go home for a day or two; ‘cause when you can do that, you just completely

recharge and you’re ready to go back out for another 15-20 days. Right now we’re on day 28 and man, I feel like I’m in another universe. But I’m still having so much fun, you know?” Last October, the band released their second album, I Can’t Wait, on Ardent Music. The EP was recorded in Oxford, Mississippi at Sweet Tea Recording Studio. Another album is in the works, with the band taking their new material with them on the road. “Our set right now consists of one, maybe two songs off the EP, one song off our first CD, and the rest are new songs,” says Cosby. “We’re kind of just biding our time and slowly building up the right songs to make another album.” In August, Star & Micey will be heading to Pennsylvania for a few performances. The first two will be at Musikfest in Bethlehem on August 7th and 8th. On the 15th, the band will be among the artists playing at the 52nd Annual Philadelphia Folk Festival in Schwenksville. The group is especially looking forward to their performance in July with Shovels and Rope. Star & Micey is scheduled to play with the folk duo at Minglewood Hall in Memphis, Tennessee on the 16th of the month. “They’re super sweet people,” says Geoff Smith of bass, vocals and percussion. “We’re good friends with Shovels and Rope. We’ve been kind of Twitter besties with them, so we’re really excited to finally get a chance to hang out with them. We met them last year in Fort Worth and they were super great people; very humble, very down to earth. We’re really looking forward to that show and it will just be really good to play in Memphis again.” Tennessee is where Star & Micey was born, starting with only Cosby and Smith. The two were friends in high school, experimenting with their own music projects before meeting Nick Redmond and Jeremy Stanfill later down the line. “You know, it’s like me and Geoff are trying to play football and we don’t THAT MAG AUGUST • 27

VOL. 1 Summer « August « 2013 have a quarterback,” explains Cosby. “Nick shows up and he’s like, well somebody’s got to throw this if you want to get to the touchdown; Nick shows up and starts making all the wheels spin; making all the right plays. And then Jeremy, who’s an artist in his own right, hopped on the drums and it was like putting gasoline in the car. “ “It was like in the movie The Mighty

Ducks when they get that kid Fulton,” adds Smith. “It makes the team a million times better.” It appears that through the band’s chemistry, Star & Micey has created its own winning team. Five years later, the musicians still consider each other to be essential parts of a whole; if just one piece is missing, the puzzle isn’t complete.

Three Harmonious Voices

“It takes every one of us or it doesn’t work,” says Cosby. “It’s been, over the years, me and Geoff for a while and that could only get so far, and then it was me, Geoff, and Nick, and that could only get so far. And now Jeremy is on board and it seems like the car is moving.”

Three String Instruments

One Groovy Sound C

ombine stringed instruments, a groovy folk sound and three beautiful, harmonious voices and you have The Stray Birds. Maya de Vitry, Oliver Craven, & Charles Muench hail from Lancaster, PA and have been making music together for a few years now. It all started when de Vitry asked Craven to be a part of her recording in 2010. Since then, they’ve made an E.P., added Muench to the mix, recorded a full length album and the rest is history. “We’re just excited to play at the Philly Folk Festival and Xponential Festival more than anything. We would love to see and hang out with the fellow bands and listen to some great music. We’re just going to do our thing being there and feed off the audience. We don’t sketch things out playing as much of our songs. Nothing is set in stone,” he says. Through listening to their full length album, they have such a unique sound that seems to come with ease and passion for the music and lyrics. They play their instruments and their voices mesh so well together, it’s just beautiful. Some songs like “Just Sayin’” off their full length self-titled album start with an upbeat sound, one could imagine a group of people line dancing to the melody. The violin is strummed through the entire song and Muench plays his upright bass for a solo, which you don’t always hear. Seeing them live would definitely be an experience for your ears and your dancing shoes! Each member grew up around music and classically learned how to play various

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« By Erin Sullivan

instruments. Craven took violin lessons early on and played alongside his parents in The Craven Family band. He then attended Temple University and not long after realized he wanted to explore the world. Similarly, de Vitry learned piano from her grandmother at a young age and learned violin as well. Later, as a street performer in Europe, fell in love with poetry and lyrics, and then went back to school. Muench plays bass and he attended West Chester University for music education. While he understands that technically learning instruments is important, he loves the

spiritual side of music. “Classical music helps you learn how to play technically. We are inspired by pop music and inspired by playing in an orchestra, not stylistically how you learned. It’s not my favorite form of music,” says Muench. When asked what advice he would give singers, songwriters and bands who are trying to make it in the music industry, Muench says “I don’t exactly know, but have an album that represents you and your sound and play everywhere you can.”

The Stray Birds

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VOL. 1 Summer « August « 2013

rian Dale Allen Strouse, guitarist, lead vocals and song-writer of The Lawsuits, likes chameleon-type artists. “[It] is what The Lawsuits self-identify as.” He goes on to say that he hopes this becomes more apparent with the band‘s upcoming album, Cool Cool Cool, which will be released this fall. If you ask this writer, however, I would say that The Lawsuits have already achieved their goal. One only needs to spend some time with the band‘s first effort, 2011‘s Darleen. In just the first two tracks, you‘re taken from an outdoor folk rock concert, full of blood pumping guitar strums and smooth harmonicas riding on the breezes, to a smoky bar with a beautiful woman cooing a soul cleansing torch song. Following some nostalgic 50s girl group backing and one wonderfully odd recorded monologue, you‘ve been taken on a short, visceral journey through the very essence of musical experimentation. That is what’s so loveable about The Lawsuits. Their willingness to play

with themselves. Let me rephrase that. They know who they are as artists, but they are not afraid of change, and have the confidence to stay true to what makes them The Lawsuits. 2012‘s Numbers strips away many of the “extra treats” of the predecessor in favor of a more subdued, acoustic sound. And from what I‘ve heard of Cool Cool Cool, the heavy piano rock and brass instruments promise to make their newest album another exciting round of musical chairs. “We are, and always have been interested in all types of music,” Strouse says. “You name the genre, we have a Lawsuits demo recording of it.” The gravelly, wailing quality of Strouse‘s voice is a delightful sound I can only describe as the lovechild of Cake and a young Bob Dylan. Unsurprising, then, that the artist himself finds much inspiration in the latter. “I know [it‘s] the sexy answer for songwriters, but I have drawn heavily from Dylan,” says Strouse. “Mainly because I appreciate how, as an artist, he has stayed

the same, but the music can change.” And change is something The Lawsuits have handled expertly. In a relatively short amount of time, no less. “I started The Lawsuits in the summer of 2008 while on a break from college,” Strouse recalls. “Different friends rotated in and out, growing as large as 11 members at one point. At that time things were just loose and fun, jamming with people who wanted to play music. Eventually, I linked up with Vanessa [Winter] and Brendan [Michael Cunningham] through a mutual friend, and a more sustained line-up was established. Josh [Aaron Friedman] joined on in 2009.” In these few years, The Lawsuits have succeeded in reinventing themselves again, without straying from their own foundations. Yet, there is no sign that the band is prepared to rest on their laurels. “To say ‚we‘ve arrived‘ is to say we have no room to grow,” Strouse says. “I believe that the trip is far from over.” Indeed.

« By Stephen Krock

« Photo By Ryan Farber WWW.THATMUSICMAG.COM

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wo’s company, three’s a crowd, six is... Kid Felix! This six-piece New Jersey band may have felt like a crowd at first, but now they work together harmoniously to draw a crowd to them. “At first, working together was definitely difficult,” guitarist Brett Hagen says. “We’ve found that, for us, the best way that works is that someone will come to the band with a riff or idea and then everyone will add their own ideas around that.” Having a sense of humor could be helpful, too. “When we can’t come to a decision, though, we usually resort to naked mud wrestling in the basement. Winner takes all,” Hagen jokes. They work well together, but their personal music preferences and tastes vary. “If you ask any of the band

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VOL. 1 Summer « August « 2013

« By Emily Meenan

« Photo By Chris Medlar

members for their three favorite bands, there would be very few bands that would even be mentioned twice. All of us having such a wide range of influences that we bring to the table help us to not sound like we are emulating any one particular band.” And this is true, Kid Felix has a unique sound that is all their own. They have been influenced by lots of 90’s grunge like Soundgarden and Pearl Jam, as well as more recent music like Manchester Orchestra or Brand New, and even some local legends like Circa Survive. Kid Felix has not one but two singles WWW.THATMUSICMAG.COM

being released this summer. “We’ve definitely grown as a band and as individuals when it comes to songwriting. We feel like we’ve been able to really create a sound that you cannot put into any specific rock category,” Hagen explains. He tells current fans to expect something new and unique. “What we probably look forward to most about Liberty Music Fest is being able to play at the venue that really gave us our start as a band. The Legendary Dobbs is the venue where we feel the most at home, and they have always treated us great there,”

Hagen reminisces. The Legendary Dobbs isn’t Hagen’s only favorite place to be in the City of Brotherly Love, they like South Street in general. “If we’re in the city, you can usually find us on South Street hanging out at The Legendary Dobbs or the TLA.” Kid Felix knows not only how to put on a show, but enjoys going to shows around the area as well. “Both of those places are not only some of our favorite places to play a show, but also to have a few drinks and watch a show.” When they’re not playing, they’re listening, so it’s easy to see why Kid Felix is so musically inclined. Although they love to hang around the city, Kid Felix has clearly been very busy lately, and has a lot under works for the future. “We currently have two new singles in post-production that will be released this summer. We cannot wait for our fans to hear them,” Hagen reveals. New fan or old fan, you’re going to hear some music that’s new to your ears when these guys get on the road. “We have also been writing a lot of new music, so our live sets this summer are going to have some fresh material.”

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Making Music Even Sweeter « By Malana Battle

« Photos By Angela Noblett

weet Leda will be performing for the first time at the 2nd Annual Liberty Music Festival. Julie Cymek knows how to own the stage at a show with her soulful, sexy voice! Owning the stage doesn’t stop there! This leading lady makes all of her moving around, sexy dancing, and flirting with her husband Jaime Horrigan during songs. Omar ElDieahy and Don Boyette complete the other half of the Sweet Leda family. Cymek and Horrigan fell in love and decided to do something they loved doing together…make music and perform. The two formed a band called Bittersweet. They also formed a family band called Leda’s Charm with Horrigan’s mother and step father, Don, who was diagnosed with 32 • THAT MAG AUGUST

cancer and passed away several years ago. After Don passed away, Leda’s Charm wouldn’t continue without him. The band wanted a name change, so they kept the ‘Sweet’ from Bittersweet and the ‘Leda’ from Leda’s Charm and combined the two to create Sweet Leda. This power couple works hard on and off the stage. They run the entire band and compose the songs. Cymek tells me Sweet Leda is a major topic of conversation at the dinner table. When asked what’s it like working with your husband she responds, “I think it’s very unique… it’s just such a special thing to be performing on stage. I feel like there aren’t a lot of things that are like it. So the fact that I get to do that when I’m up there, I get to look over and

he’s there and we’re up there and we’re making music together, it’s unlike any other experience. I can’t even describe it, but I think it’s so amazing.” In June, Sweet Leda was hand chosen to perform in Roots Rock Revival. Members of the North Mississippi Allstars and The Allman Brothers got together to form a music camp in the mountains in New York. “They decided to invite one band to join them and only one band to perform and they picked us! It was crazy! Actually, Butch Trucks, one of the founding members of The Allman Brothers, he’s the one who personally selected us and invited us to come play. So that was insane. We got like a week’s notice and we just dropped everything and drove six or so hours up to New York to do this event. It was fantastic!” Sweet Leda is always making new music. Cymek describes the new music as more positive songs. “‘Make It Happen’ and ‘Let It In’ are more about seizing the moment and figuring out what you want; and then just making it happen. I think the upcoming songs sound a little bit different from our album and there is our new song ‘Baby’ that’s on iTunes and that’s just a real, real sexy song!” When asked what a performance is like from Sweet Leda, Cymek replies, “High energy! We’re always moving on stage. I’m dancing everywhere; I just danced off my second necklace yesterday (at Summer Fest). A couple weeks ago, I was dancing around on stage and one of my beaded necklaces came undone, and then it just happened again yesterday. Some people say they like to come to a show just ‘cause it has a strong sexual energy vibe and they get a kick out of that.”

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VOL. 1 Summer « August « 2013 « By Evan Kramer

t would be a folly to underestimate the musical talent and passion of Jordan Caiola, Shane Woods, and Nate Matulis. Their music ranges from a delicate melody to a high-energy rock powered by Caiola’s strums on the electric guitar. Whatever the mood, you can listen to Mo Lowda & The Humble. The future is always a mystery when listening to a song from this band. It’s difficult to predict what they will do next and questions race through your mind if they will keep the same beat, slow it down, speed it up, or tweak it a little. Mo Lowda & The Humble is a special band with dominant features that I feel are, usually, rare. “We all knew each other in high school, and we really started to take music seriously

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when we entered college,” Caiola says. The band has never really separated since high school, though, because the band members have also followed each other to Temple University where they keep experimenting with their musical talents. “We’ve been inspired by artists like Van Morrison and Pink Floyd, but what I think makes us so unique is our diversity, and ability to fuse it together,” Caiola admits. This fusion of diversity has led them to develop their first project; an EP titled, This Is Planet Earth, back in 2012. This year, the band will be releasing Curse The Weather on September 10th, according to Caiola. This Is Planet Earth and Curse The Weather seem to embody environmental topics, but as Caiola explains, “The environment has the ability to create all types of moods, which is one

of the reasons we like to intertwine it in our work.” If you’re anxious to listen to some tracks beforehand, Mo Lowda & The Humble has been selected (out of 200+ others) to perform at the Liberty Music Festival. “We are really looking forward to it. We are really excited to play!” Caiola explains, “We never played at the first one, so we are looking forward to how it’s going to be, but yeah, really excited about it.” The band’s interesting sound will definitely make them a memorable performance this year.

« Photo By Joe Schaefer

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VOL. 1 Summer « August « 2013 « By Emily Meenan

« Photo By Ed Esposito

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orning Fuzz is a four-piece New York band with a passion for all that they do, including their recently released debut album, Chasing Ghosts. “I would say that our album gives out the message to never stop chasing your dreams no matter what the situations are and to always hang on to your inner youth,” guitarist/vocalist Frank Fussa explains. “The biggest influence on most of the songs was the feeling of getting older and everything that we’ve grown to know changing so rapidly.” Morning Fuzz got their starts in 2009 and the journey to where they are now has been somewhat tumultuous. The band refused to let themselves lose sight of what they cared about. “Sometimes rock and roll music becomes pushed behind, and I feel like I won’t let that happen, in my world at least,” Fussa vows. Chasing Ghost is Morning Fuzz’s debut album, so some may expect the process to be drawn out or rocky. This didn’t seem to be the case for these artists, though. “We spent very long days in our tiny rehearsal space

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VOL. 1 Summer « August « 2013 getting the songs nice and tight and ready to record. Then, we flew out to Seattle to get away from our everyday life to focus on only recording the best record we could make. We stayed at our producer’s (Barrett Jones) house/studio (Laundry Room Studio) and recorded our album in about ten days. We basically lived out our record,” Fussa reveals. Morning Fuzz recently played an album release show at The Studio at Webster Hall, one of their “favorite venues to play in New York City.” Their next big event is Philadelphia’s Liberty Music Fest! “We are really excited to see who you Philly peeps put on your festivals! It seems like you guys got a cool music scene going on and we are really grateful that we get to come be a part of it.” Not only does he show his excitement, Fussa also promises one hell of a good time. “Anyone attending the festival who checks us out can expect a fucking rock and roll extravaganza!” These guys can’t wait to check Philly out while they’re in the area, especially the Rocky Balboa landmark. They plan on reenacting the running scene from Rocky I before hitting the stage at Liberty Music Fest. Fussa laughs, “We will take it all the way up the steps and jump up with joy and then run straight to The Legendary Dobbs and rock out ten rounds! Yoooo Adriannneee!”

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VOL. 1 Summer « August « 2013 « By Christian Pezzino

he 52nd annual Philadelphia Folk Fest is right around the corner and greener than ever! Leaders in sustainable thought, organizers at this year’s festival will not only entertain with an excellent lineup of world class folk musicians, but will also educate attendees on environmental issues and ecologically sound ways to live life a little more earth-friendly. Perhaps the most exciting aspect of the festival, Philadelphia Folksong Society partnered with Community Energy to offset the festival’s energy consumption entirely through wind power. Noah Swistak, Associate Director of the PFS, explained that, while the festival will not be powered directly through energy generated on these wind power sites, PFS has purchased renewable energy credits that add clean energy to the power grid and help fund more renewable energy projects around the nation by supporting and showing interest in solar, wind, and other sustainable energy sources. Burning fossil fuels releases carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Over time, these greenhouse gases lead to globally warming atmospheric temperatures due to their heat trapping ability. Over the course of three days, the festival consumes 56,000kWh of electricity—enough energy to power the city of San Francisco for three days! By supporting purchasing renewable energy credits (RECs), the festival will offset 39.5 metric tons of CO2-e GHGs, the same as removing eight automobiles from the road for one year. Nearly every festival has some type of waste organization handling trash, but PFS has taken their eco-conscious mentality a step further, and since festivals generate tons of wastes, the Executive Director of PFS has taken initiative to lead the way toward a more sustainable future through the implementation of a strict recycling and composting program. Spearheaded by their “green team”, waste stations are located throughout the campsite and concert grounds where waste is separated according

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VOL. 1 Summer « August « 2013 to paper, plastic and disposable trash. While composting bins are located only within the concert venue itself, the festival has expanded its composting program to include all pre- and post-show operations from June through August. Attendees and event organizers are not the only ones expected to participate. All food vendors must use recyclable or compostable utensils and packaging in their products—it’s part of their agreement! Consumers purchase nearly 50 million water bottles each year. Over 80% of them end up in landfills. Considering that these petroleum-based plastics may take over four hundred years to decompose, that’s a lot of waste! So Bring Your Own Bottle! For those craving a Folk Fest keepsake, Philadelphia Folksong Society and Yards Brewing Co. branded bottles will also be available for purchase. In the past, these bottles have reduced waste by nearly 800 to 1000 cups. If you love local microbrews, purchasing one of these bottles automatically grants savings of $1 on the next craft beer purchase. Attendees may utilize three free water fillup stations located conveniently throughout the campgrounds. So avoid consuming potentially harmful chemicals and reduce your carbon footprint at the same time— ditch (or recycle!) bottled water! With your help, the festival aims to reduce its waste by eight metric tons this year. PFS organizers aim to eliminate or reduce as much waste as possible over the course of the festival, but they also hope attendees will take this message home with them. In an effort to help attendees understand the importance of reducing their carbon footprint, various eco-workshops and environmentally related booths will be set up throughout the concert site. Although this year’s activities and workshops are still in the planning stages, previous years have featured an EcoVillage presented by the lovely folks at the Sustainable Living Roadshow, a group of volunteers who travel the country in biofueled vehicles dedicated to raising awareness on environmental issues through a variety of fun and ecologically sustainable workshops. This year, many green programs such as composting, renewable energy workshops, book readings, environmentally relevant discussions, along with sustainable food WWW.THATMUSICMAG.COM

programs, will be located in the new Cultural Tent area. While the festival aims to reduce waste on-site, organizers hope that their eco-responsibility will rub off on other festivals and encourage them to enact similar environmentally friendly practices into their own events. Philadelphia Folksong Society’s eco-conscious commitment educates patrons and enacts sustainable programs by offsetting their energy consumption through wind power in a time when environmental tragedies rock the earth. This is an organization which not only cares about having fun, but doing so through an environmentally friendly way.

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VOL. 1 Summer « August « 2013

« By John Pfeiffer

ew Jersey artist Tony Tedesco will never win any citations for shoe gazer protocol. When it comes to fashion and fitting in, he’s about as far outside the ring as one can get. However, that isolated location has the advantage in spades. It has allowed him to focus on music that naturally focuses on the needs of listeners tired of following play lists or blog requirements, and it has given him more newly born access to fans than any other attempt at the brass ring to date. Funny thing is when you refuse to follow a formula that’s never able to be caught in the first place; others notice what you’re doing and are attracted like a moth to the bug zapper. With that firmly in mind, Tony’s latest disc is the self titled, Full Fathom 5, and it boasts ten solid songs ranging from hard earned life regret to the confessionary

slow burn of abandonment and love. With a plethora of exceptional players, both recorded and live, Full Fathom 5 offer a great look at down and dirty living all wrapped up in a bonafide hillbilly bluegrass style. So how does it feel to be part of the Liberty Music Festival on year two? What’s been so amazing is how accommodating they have been in regards to making sure my set is a success for both the festival and my band. From advertising to the actual set time they have been readily available and very easy to work with. It is not my typical experience with festivals, and I can’t wait to meet these guys and tell them in person. What are the listeners saying about this new CD? For the most part, the response has been extremely positive. Some folks are

downright evangelical about the release. One thing that has surprised me is how wide the demographic range is of people that are actually getting into it. There are folks like Ian, from heavy bands like OS101 and Useless, sending out social media messages on a regular basis about how amazing he finds the record. At the other end of the spectrum, there are friends that are sharing it with people they go to church with. Yea, your mandolin player looks like a church attending tractor farmer from Kentucky; where did you find him? I’ll just say our first meeting took place out there near them corn fields where county 24 meets Rt 513, up off 206 in Chester. There was one pernicious storm afoot, wind and lightning with rain drops the size of cow pies falling. All of sudden, from out of nowhere I see this guy hitchhiking. Of course, I needed to stop; I mean that storm woulda’ drowned a fish. I can’t honestly go into the details, but I will say that both he and his mandolin case were bone dry. Bone dry.

The Liberty Music Festival August 16

« Photo By Katrina Elise 38 • THAT MAG AUGUST