Chris Kasper – “Blue It Be” from ‘The First Hundred Years are the Hardest’
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“Blue It Be” is a song from Chris Kasper’s new album, ‘The First Hundred Years are the Hardest’. I’ve been a fan of this song ever since I heard it live months ago – even when I misheard a few lyrics. I’m glad that the new album is finally being released so I can play it as often as I choose. “Blue It Be” is yet another great example of Chris Kasper’s songwriting brilliance.
“If blue it is, then blue it be – just like the one sky, like the seven seas.”
WXPN welcomes Chris Kasper CD Release Show at World Cafe Live (Philadelphia, PA) on Friday, November 4, 2011 | Show 8:00pm | With: Vandaveer, Adrien Reju | Tickets: HERE | All Ages
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Brian Seymour Speak To Me Of Young Love (2011) Track List: |
Brian Seymour is not an artist that I’m familiar with. Seymour’s new album, ‘Speak To Me Of Young Love’ was actually suggested to me – it was not an album that I found on my own. Anyway, I’m always open to music suggestions because you never know when you’ll find a gem of an album like Brian Seymour’s ‘Speak To Me Of Young Love’.
‘Speak To Me Of Young Love’ is twelve rock inspired songs that will put you though an array of emotions but the pop presence makes the music sound happy and lighthearted. Brian Seymour’s voice is delightful, familiar, and somewhat raspy like a permanent “morning voice” – I like it. The songwriting on this album is very heartfelt with a lot of passion. I love the production quality on this album – the vocals are so crisp and the backing vocals are hauntingly good. It is so nice to be able to listen to an album in its entirety and afterward be in some state of marvel. And that is exactly how ‘Speak To Me Of Young Love’ left me feeling.
As with any album I have some definite standout favorite tracks. “Every Tomorrow” is a great opening song because first impressions mean a lot and this song makes you want to hear more of Brian Seymour. “What’s Wrong With Me?” has straightforward lyrics “what’s wrong with me – Is you” and absolutely beautiful backing vocals. “Coffee Song” is an all-around great song that will make you want to dance because “it’s gonna be a good day.” Take notice of that excellent wall of sound at the end of “Where’d You Go Idaho” – aww, those guitars sound amazing. Man, why is that “na-na na-na na” in “Made In Ft. Wayne” so catchy? The album closes with “They Call This a Living” a powerhouse song with brilliant lyrics “and they call this a living but it don’t feel that way – it’s just what I do for money not what I do for me.”
In conclusion, ‘Speak To Me Of Young Love” is an excellent album by Brian Seymour and I highly recommend you give it a listen.
[LISTEN] Here is the title track “Speak To Me OF Young Love” by Brian Seymour
WXPN Welcomes: Brian Seymour – CD Release Party! on Thursday, November 3, 2011 at 8:00PM at Tin Angel (Philadelphia, PA) | Tickets: $10 | With: Steph Hayes | Ages: 21+
Brian Seymour: Website | Facebook | BandCamp | Twitter
In its second year, Philly Sings Philly returns to The Fire every Tuesday night in November. Philly Sings Philly is about contemporary Philly artists covering songs by other Philly artist. So, it’s not solely a bunch of Philly musicians covering songs written by the artists in that same bunch of Philly musicians – those artists involved actually get quite creative. As long as it is Philly music then you might hear it covered on any given Tuesday night at The Fire during Philly Sings Philly. It’s that “anything is possible” vibe that makes Philly Sings Philly so much fun and an event that you owe yourself to experience.
Last night was the opening night of Philly Sings Philly and it was great. Ron Gallo opened the show and Ryan Tennis & The Clubhouse Band closed the show – with Sean Hoots, The Spinning Leaves, Suzie Brown, A Fistful of Sugar, Kiley Ryan and more playing as well. Some of the highlights from last night include: The Spinning Leaves covering Chubby Checker’s “Limbo Rock” with a limbo contest, Brad Hinton Band with a very rocked out version of “Albert Hash” by Hezekiah Jones, A Fistful of Sugar’s take on Boyz II Men was very entertaining, and Kiley Ryan’s cover of Chris Kasper’s (The Lowlands) “To The Other Side” was beautiful. All of that is only a very small portion of last’s night’s great show.
Thank you to Brad Hinton for organizing the Philly Sings Philly residency.
Hopefully I’ll see you next Tuesday (and every Tuesday in November) at The Fire for another night of Philly Sings Philly.
I did not capture any video or photos from last night but please check out Lisa Schaffer Photography and MAK for possible material.
Shows This Week: Oct 31 – Nov 6, 2011
10/31/11: Fergie’s Open Mic One Year Anniversary – Fergie’s Pub (Philadelphia, PA)
10/31/11: A Very Spooky Open Mic Night – The Fire (Philadelphia, PA) w/ Cowmuddy
11/01/11: Philly Sings Philly – The Fire (Philadelphia, PA)
11/01/11: Kuf Knotz – The Blockley (Philadelphia, PA)
11/01/11: Birdie Busch – The Living Room (New York, NY)
11/04/11: Chris Kasper CD Release Show w/ Adrien Reju – World Cafe Live (Philadelphia, PA)
11/04/11: Illinois – Kung Fu Necktie (Philadelphia, PA)
11/04/11: Brian Salcido – Good Karma (Philadelphia, PA)
11/05/11: Amos Lee – Academy Of Music (Philadelphia, PA)
11/05/11: Ben Arnold – The New York Bagel Café & Deli (Glen Mills, PA)
11/05/11: Mason Porter – Kennett Flash (Kennett Square, PA)
11/05/11: Hezekiah Jones – Appel Farm (Elmer, NJ)
11/05/11: Pawnshop Roses – Dogfish Head Brewery (Rehoboth Beach, DE)
11/06/11: WXPN welcomes HOSTS for HOSPITALS – World Cafe Live (Philadelphia, PA)
11/06/11: Peasant – Milkboy Philly (Philadelphia, PA)
See you at a show!
WXPN welcomes Chris Kasper CD Release Show
with Vandaveer & Adrien Reju
World Cafe Live
3025 Walnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104
215-222-1400
Friday, November 4, 2011 | Doors 6:30pm | Show 8pm | Downstairs Live
As fans of Chris Kasper’s music we’ll definitely be there. Hope to see you there too.
Shows This Week: Oct 24 – Oct 30, 2011
10/24/11: Kuf Knotz – WTSR College Radio (NJ)
10/26/11: Kuf Knotz – World Cafe Live (Philadelphia, PA)
10/26/11: Alright, Junior. – Electric Factory (Philadelphia, PA)
10/26/11: Adrien Reju – Pianos (New York, NY)
10/27/11: Ben Arnold – Tin Angel (Philadelphia, PA)
10/28/11: Spirit and Dust – Flying Carpet Cafe & Bar (Philadelphia, PA)
10/28/11: Andrew Lipke – Steel City Coffeehouse (Phoenixville, PA)
10/28/11: Pawnshop Roses – Rockwood Music Hall (New York, NY)
10/28/11: Psalmships – Sponge (Richmond, VA) w/ Small Houses
10/29/11: The Everthere – The M Room (Philadelphia, PA)
10/29/11: Pawnshop Roses – Tom n Jerry’s (Milmont Park, PA)
10/29/11: Hezekiah Jones, Joe D’Amico – Steel City Coffeehouse (Phoenixville, PA)
10/29/11: Psalmships – The Garage (Charlottesville, VA)
10/29/11: Kuf Knotz – “Saturday Morning with Joy Keys” (Internet)
See you at a show!
Studio 34 is a lovely space located at 4522 Baltimore Avenue in West Philly. It is a place for yoga, healing, and arts. Since 2008 Studio 34 has been “fostering wellness and community through healing and creative arts”. And if you’re lucky you’ll be able to attend a live musical performance by some great artists like I did last night.
If I wasn’t running so late I might have caught all of Chris Bathgate’s set instead of one and a half songs but even in that short amount of time I truly enjoyed what I heard. Chris Bathgate (MI) is a singer-songwriter who performs solo but uses a looping technique to add layers and depth to his music. While some artists use looping and it ultimately distracts from their music Bathgate uses looping impressively. It was such a beautiful moment to be able to really listen to Chris Bathgate’s music in that space.
After a short break Small Houses (MI) took to the stage. Small Houses is Jeremy Quentin (vocals, guitar) with a guy playing drums and another guy singing harmonies. Small Houses produces acoustic, folk music with a minimal approach. Hearing Quentin voice with those harmonies was a wonderful listening experience. Great set!
Then it was Hezekiah Jones’ turn. The Jones in attendance this time were Raphael Cutrufello (Hezekiah Jones: vocals, guitar), Kiley Ryan (Kiwi Jones: violin, vocals), Phil D’Agostino (Pepe Jones: bass), Brad Hinton (Pocono Jones: guitar, vocals), and Kevin Killen (Psycho Jawn Jones: drums) — filling the room with a unique folkesque style. It’s no secret that I’m a real fan of Hezekiah Jones music because it is so good. Last night’s performance was fantastic. Hezekiah Jones sounded great. I think that was the first time I heard “Borrowed Heart” live – thanks to Nina for the request. “Borrowed Heart” is a song that allows Kiley Ryan’s voice to shine – yes, she can sing. Of course the set was filled with all the favorites and it felt so perfect to be sitting in Studio 34 hearing all the phenomenal music. And thanks to an overheated amp we got an extra special treat – Hezekiah Jones unplugged. It was amazing to hear Hezekiah Jones music unplugged and it’s moments like those that will stay with me forever.
I am a Live Music Enthusiast – indeed.
Here are some of the many shows happening this week…
Shows This Week: Oct 17 – Oct 23, 2011
10/20/11: Adrien Reju – The Grape Room (Philadelphia, PA)
10/20/11: Hezekiah Jones, Shannon Pelcher, Kevin Killen – Bar 4 (New York, NY)
10/20/11: Cheers Elephant – The Nines (Ithaca, NY)
10/21/11: Birdie Busch – University of the Arts (Philadelphia, PA)
10/21/11: Ben Arnold – World Cafe Live at The Queen (Wilmington, DE)
10/21/11: Hezekiah Jones, Honey Watts – Gallery 263 Folk Festival (Cambridge, MA)
10/22/11: Mason Porter – MilkBoy Philly (Philadelphia, PA)
10/22/11: Hezekiah Jones – Studio 34 (Philadelphia, PA)
10/22/11: Carsie Blanton – Tin Angel (Philadelphia, PA)
10/22/11: Citizens Band Radio – Mexicali Live (Teaneck, NJ)
10/22/11: Cheers Elephant – Boulder Coffee Company (Rochester, NY)
10/22/11: Kuf Knotz – Nectars (Burlington, VT)
10/23/11: Laura Shay – Sharrott Winery (Blue Anchor, NJ)
See you at a show!
MilkBoy Philly is a new coffeehouse/music venue/bar located at the corner of Chestnut St and 11th St in Philadelphia, PA. As far as a music venues go (after all, that’s all I care about) it works. MilkBoy Philly has a nice, lengthy space on the 2nd floor where music artists play live. Depending on where you stand, as with all venues, and the type of music being played you can hear some decent sound in that venue. And that’s what is important to me as a music enthusiast.
The show was set to start at 9PM but I didn’t get to MilkBoy Philly until 9:30PM so I missed part of A Victim Of Good Times’ set. Most of their music contained screamed vocals drowned out by intense music (created by guitar, bass, and drums) – a style of music that I didn’t particularly like but the crowd there seemed to enjoy it. Carousel, a five member rock band, played next. As I think about their set, nothing really stood out (good or bad) but I did enjoy their music.
Illinois was the third and final band of the night performing with four members this time. Illinois is a phenomenal band from Bucks County, PA and seeing that band live is always the highlight of my day – I LOVE ILLINOIS! Illinois recorded music is an excellent listening experience but seeing them live is something else. They always seem to give it their all with every performance of their unique alternative rock style (it’s really hard to classify Illinois’ unique style). So, their set covered some tunes off of Lemonade Stand, with some songs from their forthcoming album (Self Titled Debut Album – it’s a joke), and some of their older material, before ending with “If You Love Something”. Then there was a crowd demanded encore. The absolute last song of their set was Arch playing “Missing Piece” solo on keys – or at least he attempted to play the song. Needless to say, Illinois is a must-see band.
Thank you to Y-Not Radio for hosting this show. Also, thank you to Illinois, Carousel, and A Victim Of Good Times for the music.
Upcoming Shows:
Oct 24, 2011: Illinois at Penn State w/ G. Love
Nov 04, 2011: Illinois at Kung Fu Necktie
Shows This Week: Oct 10 – Oct 16, 2011
10/10/11: Joshua Park – Fergie’s Pub (Philadelphia, PA)
10/11/11: Ross Bellenoit – The Fire (Philadelphia, PA)
10/12/11: Kevin Killen – The Mermaid Inn (Philadelphia, PA)
10/13/11: Sisters 3, Brad Hinton – North Star Bar (Philadelphia, PA)
10/14/11: Illinois – Milkboy Philly (Philadelphia, PA)
10/14/11: Griz – Johnny Brenda’s (Philadelphia, PA)
10/14/11: Laura Shay – Burlap and Bean (Newtown Square, PA)
10/14/11: Pawnshop Roses – Spike Hill (New York, NY)
10/15/11: Marc Silver – Sculpture Saturdays (Philadelphia, PA)
10/15/11: Cheers Elephant, Kuf Knotz – Blocktober Fest (Philadelphia, PA)
10/15/11: Joe D’Amico – The Social Lounge (West Chester, PA)
10/15/11: Tim Butler – Puck (Doylestown, PA)
10/15/11: Carsie Blanton – Coffee With Conscience (Westfield, NJ)
10/15/11: Citizens Band Radio – The Hose Down (Lebanon, NJ)
10/16/11: Kevin Killen – Chow and Tunes Fundraiser (Philadelphia, PA)
10/16/11: Andrew Lipke, Box Five – L’etage (Philadelphia, PA) *The Edgar Allan Poe Tour
10/16/11: Birdie Busch – The Keswick Theater (Glenside, PA)
See you at a show!
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