Allman Family Revival

Written by Eric Sperrazza

My childhood had a soundtrack of some of the greatest and most diverse music by the people in my tribe raising me. I have vivid memories of my father’s love of southern rock and how Creedence Clearwater Revival, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and the Allman Brothers Band would permeate through the car, as he would shuffle me back and forth to extracurricular activities.

Over the years, I grew an affinity for the sounds that would put wind into my Dad’s proverbial sails and I always keep an eye out, to this day, for moments I can share with him to celebrate the love of that genre he instilled in me. Luckily, for me, I didn’t have to search too hard for the next opportunity to make a memory with him!

On Thursday, December 9th, the Allman Family Revival will be front and center, at The Met in Philadelphia, for their annual multi-hour celebration and tribute to the legendary Allman Brothers Band.

A sheer spectacle of musicianship, I experienced no small amount of pleasure in speaking to Devon Allman, son of Gregg Allman and co-founder of the Allman Betts Band, about how the show got started.

“In 2017, I lost my Dad,” Devon said. “After six months of grieving, I realized I was denying myself of the power of healing through music and invited a bunch of friends to a comeback show. My agent came back and said San Francisco wanted the show at the Fillmore. I thought it was so cool because my Dad lived in San Francisco throughout the 90s and it became a second home to us. They only had one date to offer, though, December 8th,” he explained. “Which also would have happened to have been my Dad’s 70th birthday. I thought ‘Holy Shit! That’s serendipitous!’ So, we decided to make it a birthday present for my Dad and made it a tribute to him. It started off so innocently and then it evolved to where New York, Denver, and then more wanted the show.  Now? We are in our 5th year and we have 31 offers which we whittled down to 18 shows.”

And evolved, it did. Today, everyone from Kenny Wayne Shepherd, G. Love to Lilly Hiatt, and Robert Randolph perform during the Allman Family Revival show. The structure of the actual show was described by Devon best when he said, “It’s amazing that all these musicians put three weeks aside, every year, to be a part of this. So, I modeled this event after The Band’s famous 1976 concert, ‘The Last Waltz.’ The Allman Betts Band will be the house band, and we will play a few songs and then begin introducing guests. The guests perform their take on an Allman Brothers song and then a song they are famous for. So, they can promote their music and then take on one of my Dad’s songs.”

It is truly an epic night honoring one of the greatest American songwriters and musicians in American history, but what of younger music lovers that might be unfamiliar with the Allman Brothers Band.

Devon had a message for them. When asked to give his elevator pitch to the new school of music fans, he was quoted as saying, “It’s a continuation of the wild wild west! We are doing it the way they did it in the ’60s and ’70s. Anyone who is out of their pop phase and looking for good organic music, this is the real stuff. I mean, good God!  It’s a clinic in the electric guitar up there on that stage. If you are a fan of the electric guitar and you missed this you seriously missed the show of the year!”

Here’s the rub; If you miss the show this year, there is no guarantee that Philadelphia may always be on the annual tour stops. As Devon impressed upon me, there are so many markets that want this show and only so many days to perform so they may mix up where they go, from year to year. With great urgency, it would behoove anyone on the fence to get a ticket to the show and be a part of the Allman Family Revival.

As for me? I will be there, celebrating my father’s 70th birthday and celebrating Gregg Allman along with everyone else. As I sing Midnight Rider in the audience along with a cavalcade of stars on stage, I will simultaneously be honoring my dad and the lessons he imparted to me on what fun southern rock can be…even for a Yankee like myself.

Doors open at 7 pm at The Fillmore and the show kicks off at 8 pm. Tickets are still available here.

Hope to see you there!

Connect with Allman Family Revival

Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Spotify | Apple Music

The song is heavily influenced by ’60s and ’70s garage rockers and even has bits and pieces of the psychedelia via David Bowie, classic rock via the Eagles, and rock via 21st Century Motorcycle Club. The track features an incredibly electrifying guitar solo.

Gregory Jiritano (Lord Sonny the Unifier) explains:

Throughout history mysterious people have appeared to come from places beyond the scope and consciousness of this earth. They are the prodigies, prophets and mystery men and woman of the future, advising people with cautionary tales, directions that need to be sought, paths that need to be taken or even redirected towards a higher way. They are the ones bringing new technological or scientific advances that far out shine those before them.  Of course there are some who are misunderstood and shunned from society as well as those who come but their gifts do not reach fruition for various reasons. This is a video of one such Starman who came and was too overwhelmed with the realities of the human experience in 2019 to begin to cultivate any changes. He came and he saw the madness around him and left.”

Stay tuned for Lord Sonny the Unifier’s upcoming new record release, Final Notice, and take a listen to “The Starman” below.

Philadelphia natives Oldermost released their latest album, How Could You Ever Be The Same?, today via Antifragile Records. This album is the band’s fourth release and features a collection of a few previously released tracks as well as new music.

The album has a more classic rock feel to it [than previous releases]. The first two songs could be categorized as more soft rock, but “The Danger of Belief” is more upbeat. Think a combination of U2, Tom Petty, and Bruce Springsteen, with hints of these musicians coming through on each song. The album feels strangely cozy, familiar and homely, while also transporting listeners to a new place.

The track “Finally Unsure” is the only song where the production is a bit muddy. The vocals compete with the instrumentals at many points, making the lyrics a bit difficult to pick up at those moments in the songs. The rest of the album is solid and clear, making the other parts excusable. On “Play By The Rules,” it’s the only song that is a bit more modern, but even the echo resembles the effects used by U2.

The lyrics of each song avoid cliches. Each word paints a line, and the lines all come together to paint a painting that transports a listener to a specific scene in the songwriter’s life. The similes and metaphors illustrate events in such a way that each song is accessible to many, despite what you get out of the song.

Despite some muddy instrumentals, this album is a must-listen for fans of 70s-80s rock music. In a world filled with musicians experimenting with electronic sounds and unrealistic lyrics, it is refreshing to hear a band go back to the roots of classic rock while putting their own sound and story into the mix.

Rating: Refreshingly nostalgic

Facebook • Twitter • Instagram • Spotify • Soundcloud • iTunes

Artist: Queen

Album: Hot Space

Year: 1982

When most people think of their favorite Queen albums, they typically choose classics like News of the World, Night At the Opera, or Day at the Races. However, Hot Space, released in 1982, is often overlooked, despite having “Under Pressure.” It is just one of those albums that only have a few songs that people know while the others get lost in space (pun intended).

The album art of “Hot Space” is more colorful than their other covers. It features a contemporary feel with pictures of the four members of the band overlayed with colors that resemble a modern art painting. This contemporary feel also translates to subjects in songs, from cursing to breastfeeding.

“Staying Power” is the perfect start to the album. It is catchy and upbeat, making the listener want to stay for the rest of the album. For those who are fans of Broadway musicals, this song has a strikingly similar feel to “Land Of Lola” from Kinky Boots. “Back Chat” has a similar feel, though not as pronounced,

“Body Language” is one of the few songs on the album that ever became popular. It has a jazz feel and is provocative, more so than any other Queen song. It was a song that was ahead of its time, having come out in the early 80s. It is discretely sexy at a time when such things were not openly discussed.

Despite being overlooked, this album addresses issues that are still relevant. “Calling All Girls” just so happens to be this year’s theme for Mercury Phoenix Trust theme for this year. They are getting young people involved in raising awareness of HIV and AIDS, the disease that Freddie himself suffered from and ultimately died of.

Another powerful song that speaks volumes into contemporary times is “Life Is Real (Song for Lennon).” The line talks about Freddie breastfeeding himself. This topic is still so controversial, yet the song was released in an earlier era. The song also states that “Life is a bitch,” which is a huge deal where cursing in songs or any public art was not the norm.

Overall, this album is vastly underrated as it still pertains to relevant issues while having interludes of songs that are less serious. The contemporary issues within the songs are still as relevant and controversial today as they were when the album was released in 1982. This only proves that Queen’s music is timeless and that Freddie’s legacy will never die.

There was an Eagles playoff game happening Saturday night.  Everyone was either at the game or glued to a TV at home or at their favorite watering hole.  The town looked so empty, even the Schuylkill looked like Armageddon had hit.

The crowd filed in and once folks found a spot, they weren’t giving an inch to anyone.  They were there for the sensational Dorothy Martin of Dorothy. Despite that, fans of solid, classic hard swinging rock were packed tight as sardines into the TLA as the opening act, New Jersey’s, In Our Glory took the stage.

Dorothy is a blues rock band from LA with one of the most impressive singers to come around in a long time.  Lead singer, Dorothy Martin is larger than life, ballsy, strikingly beautiful and has a huge, husky voice reminiscent of legends like Ann Wilson, Janis and Grace Slick.  Backing her is an accomplished band anchored by monster drums.

It was ladies night at TLA as robust lead singer Gina Petro stepped to center stage backed by a muscular band.  They launched into a very strong set of power ballads and all-out rockers.  The second song, “Ace of Spades” (not a cover) had the house rocking.  The bass player was the cheerleader yelling at the crowd to clap their hands and give it back to the band.  The entire group had swagger and attitude. They were the perfect lead-in to the headliner.

When the lights went down and the band led into “White Butterfly’” Martin strolled to center stage, posed with arms raised holding a lit cigarette dramatically above her head.  The orange glow and wafting smoke signaled the entrance of a woman with attitude who was in charge for the evening.  Grasping the mic and wearing a pair of aviators, she raised the roof from the first note.

Dorothy’s song selection spanned solid ballads all the way to stadium anthems like the foot-stomping “Wicked Ones”.  A nice touch is when the band is left to jam on a few tunes, especially the swampy “Raise Hell” with its mandatory hand-clapping beat.

In fact, “Raise Hell” is the perfect way to describe this singer, “Young blood, run like a river/Young blood, never get chained/Young blood, heaven need a sinner/You can’t raise hell with a saint.”

Halfway through the set, Martin looked out at an audience, in which some folks may have been doing a little pre-gaming while cheering on the Eagles before the show.  She gave a heartfelt confession about personal challenges with alcohol and asked everyone to take care of anyone who may have had one too many.  It was sincere, self-deprecating and spot-on.  And then she got the party restarted!

Watching Dorothy Martin in her leather bell bottoms, long black sequined top, and flowing scarves were like stepping back in time.  While singing, she grabbed the mic and leaned into the crowd with confidence, daring the audience to look away.  When the band had a few bars to air it out, she would dance or twirl, losing herself in the music.

I met a number of audience members along the barricade.  One was a seven-year-old girl in the front row attending her first concert.  Her mother told me they met Dorothy Martin prior to the show for a meet & greet with autographs and a visit.  Word is that Martin is down to earth with ego in check.  Thinking with her overall talent and personal charm, this is an artist we’ll be seeing for many years.

For more info on Dorthy and their tour dates you can go to their website.

In the meantime, check out the “Raising Hell” video:

(Photos by Dan Williams)