Written and Photographed by : Liv Foltiny

As the final remnants of orange and blue faded from the sky, I walked up to the TLA and was greeted by its illuminated marquee, which displayed the name of the night’s headliner, Fit For An Autopsy. Even though the night’s event started around 6:30 pm, there were still a few groups of people outside, conversing while the first band, Judiciary, performed. Being somewhat of an awkward social butterfly, I decided to talk with one of the guys in the closest group and, noticing his lanyard, thought I should ask if he worked at the venue. After politely informing me that he didn’t work at the TLA, he told me that he was there to perform with his band; this resulted in me apologizing and making a lame excuse for my inquiry. Upon learning I was speaking with Kyle (Carter) of Bodysnatcher, I explained that I was there to cover the show and gave him one of my cards in case the band would be interested in me sharing my photos with them.

Following my positive interaction with Kyle, I picked up my credentials and made my way to the photo pit just in time for the second band of the night, Sylosis, who hadn’t been in the U.S. for the past 11 years. A few songs into the band’s set, Josh Middleton (lead vocalist, lead guitarist) took a moment to hype up the other bands as well as address the crowd directly. He openly acknowledged to fans that he might sound a bit “off” since he was getting over a cold and stated, “I don’t take this shit lightly. I’m very happy to be here, even if my face looks like I’m miserable. Just know that I fucking appreciate your support. Thank you so fucking much.” With the crowd pumping fists and headbanging along to their music, Sylosis continued their set, playing with an undeniable fervor that could easily be felt from the energy and vibrations emanating from the stage.

Shortly after Sylosis finished, Distant, coming from the Netherlands, took to the stage. Filled with enthusiastic headbanging, guttural vocals, and interactions with the crowd, Distant’s performance built upon the energy stemming from Sylosis’ set. From Elmer Maurits’ emphatic, sweeping movements on bass to Nouri Yetgin’s spinning while playing his glittery guitar, Distant had all eyes on them. Plus, with Alan Grnja (lead vocalist) encouraging the crowd to run in circles and form walls of death, which he did before and after making hearts and blowing kisses to the crowd, the band made sure everyone was fired up and ready for more. At 8:45 pm, Bodysnatcher began to play, and, like Distant, they engaged in plenty of headbanging, dynamic motions, and rousing the mass of people in front of them. Having caught a glimpse (and taken a quick pic) of their setlist on the stage floor, I could tell you that songs like “Infested,” “Human Disdain,” and “Black of My Eyes” were part of the band’s itinerary for the night. Toward the end of their set, the band took a moment to speak with the crowd, asking if anyone had ever lost a loved one to addiction. Subsequently, they proclaimed that their final song, “Murder8,” was dedicated to everyone who succumbed to it. Following Bodysnatcher’s goodbyes to the audience, it was only a matter of time before the final band performed.

Around 9:45 pm, the house lights dimmed, yielding to the stage lights one last time to reveal the night’s headliner, Fit For An Autopsy. Like the previous bands, Fit For An Autopsy participated in headbanging and other acts associated with metal artists. However, while all of the bands undoubtedly connected with the crowd, Fit For An Autopsy seemed to do so on a different level. With crowd surfing continuing throughout their entire set, it was obvious the band not only had a substantial number of fans present but also knew how to incite them. From several fans crowd surfing more than once to the copious thrashing in certain parts of the venue, one thing was indisputably clear: the crowd was hooked. Performing at least a dozen songs, including “Pandora” and, conclusively, “Two Towers,” Fit For An Autopsy played for a little over an hour, ending their set by 11 p.m. As someone who doesn’t listen to deathcore music, I understood almost nothing being sung during the show, but that didn’t prevent me from enjoying it. Having the qualities of a successful show, the concert was full of enthusiastic performances and crowd work, as well as notable mutual respect and support between all of the bands. Overall, it’s safe to say that Fit For An Autopsy gave their fans a helluva night and a preview of their newest album on this stop of their The Nothing That Is Tour. You can check out The Nothing That Is wherever you stream music!

Fit For An Autopsy

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Bodysnatcher

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Distant

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Sylosis

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Last September (2022) was my first time attending a show at the TLA and my first time writing a show review. Back then, I witnessed one of my favorite bands, Palaye Royale, bring their Fever Dream to Philly. This time, I was there to experience the Favorite Daze of an underrated band that’s quickly joining the ranks of my favorites — the Neon Trees.

Doors opened at 7 p.m., but my friend Stan and I made sure we got to the TLA a little bit before then so that I could pick up my credentials at the box office. At that point, there already was a line of people outside, waiting and set to rush into the venue as soon as the staff members said it was okay to do so.

Once inside the TLA, we waited for the show to begin as people made their way toward the barricade before the stage. Some remained and chatted with their friends, while others went to check out the merch stand or struck up a conversation with someone new; the latter ended up being the case for Stan since a wrestling fan recognized him and asked him about an upcoming show. Shortly after this, the house lights went out, and we were greeted by the stage lights as the first band, Silent Rival, took to the stage.

Knowing nothing about the band, I didn’t know what to expect from Silent Rival’s performance; however, it quickly became apparent that they had the energy to get things going. Between Sara Coda‘s graceful yet powerful vocals, Joz Ramirez‘s immersive guitar playing, Brock Bowers‘ precise drumming, and Yutaka Sao‘s passionate and, at times, wild bass playing (you know, the kind where he’d have the bass over his shoulders behind him while playing), Silent Rival captured the crowd’s attention. At the end of their set, Etai Abramovich (drummer of LAUNDRY DAY) joined them for their final song of the night, followed by the band expressing their thankfulness and a quick set change.

A group of young men donning school uniforms (picture Jack Black in School of Rock) bearing an emblem-style logo containing “LAUNDRY DAY” greeted the crowd. They took no time getting into their set, and after having explained how they were friends that all met in high school, their camaraderie was undeniable. They not only fed off each other’s playfulness and positive energy but also ensured each member had their moment in the spotlight. Examples of these moments included Etai Abramovich and Sawyer Nunes (vocalist, guitarist, and keyboardist) switching places on the drums and keyboard and Sawyer and Jude Lipkin (vocalist) alternating between providing the main vocals.

LAUNDRY DAY’s energy never waived at any point, either. None of the band’s members stayed still for too long, and they moved about and covered the stage. One of the best instances was when Sawyer and Henry Pearl (bassist) got together behind Jude and had their own little instrumental face-off, repeatedly cycling between leaning toward and away from each other while smiling the entire time. Their joy was infectious, and it continued to live on after their final song and thank yous as Etai, upon being handed a sign from the crowd, made sure to sign it (and possibly got his bandmates to sign it) before handing it back to its creator.

Following LAUNDRY DAY’s performance, there was one final set change. The back portion of the stage was lowered, and the dark fabric that was present the whole show thus far was replaced. As the new backdrop rose, the crowd was welcomed by a wall of magenta fabric displaying the logo of the night’s headliner — the Neon Trees.

Except for some blue lights, the stage was dark as the Neon Trees made their way out and began to play “Versions of You,” which brought about a somewhat melancholic ambiance. That particular mood didn’t stay for long, though, as the lighting changed from dark blues to a brighter and wider variety of colors while the band passionately belted out “Favorite Daze,” an upbeat, self-reflective song they released as a single over the summer.

Playing for nearly an hour and a half straight, the Neon Trees took the crowd through the eras of their music thus far. From “Animal” and “In The Next Room” to “Nights” and “New Best Friend,” their set was a carefully constructed kaleidoscope that represented them as artists. For a newer fan such as myself, you couldn’t have asked for more — and that sentiment didn’t just apply to their selection of songs.

From what I saw, it’s safe to say that each member could still express their individuality while working together. No one had to hide any part of their identity to fit into some kind of mold formed by society’s bullshit expectations. Tyler Glenn (lead vocalist) danced across the stage in a shimmering suit, swung the mic around in the air, and playfully teased the crowd here and there. Elaine Bradley (drummer), armed with rainbow earrings and a humorous graphic t-shirt, never missed a beat. Chris Allen (guitarist), dressed in black and white clothing adorned with fringe, glided through space as fabric extensions on his sleeves followed his movements, and Branden Campbell (bassist) swayed and played without losing his hat. All of this exemplified how the band embodies the notion that fully embracing yourself as an individual is just as important as being able to work together. Like the individual pieces inside of a kaleidoscope, each member of the band stood out on their own while coming together to create something truly incredible — a wonderful daze of great music, stunning showmanship, and an intimate connection Philly won’t soon forget.

Neon Trees

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Laundry Day

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Silent Rival

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photo credit: Angel Park

Written by Angel Park

On June 15th, genre-bending indie artists, Dreamer Boy and BENEE packed the TLA to capacity in anticipation of the incredible show that Dreamer Boy and Benee were about to perform. This show marked one of many cross-country stops on their North American tour.

The music of Dreamer Boy is best described as an immersive and transporting experience. His hazy synth-filled sound has earned him critical acclaim, some calling it “subtly beautiful.” With two widely praised albums on his roster, Dreamer Boy quickly landed on the radar of indie genre fans. Live, Dreamer Boy‘s set was like a high-energy-filled, annotated dance party. Feeding off the excited cheers of the crowd, he powered through fan-favorite tracks such as “Over Everything,” “Jumpshot,” and “Keep The Pace.”

Following Dreamer Boy was headliner BENEE. This New Zealand singer caught the eyes and ears of indie pop fans everywhere with her angelic voice and captivating stage presence since she first began releasing her music in 2018. Fast forward to now, and BENEE has dropped her debut album, titled, hey u x, and developed a loyal fanbase both in NZ and across the U.S.

Live, BENEE‘s stage presence was unmatched. Her incredible voice and charismatic personality kept fans entertained throughout her performance, and the crowd loved every minute of her set. Fans sang along as BENEE performed beloved singles such as “Supalonely” and “Doesn’t Matter.” In between songs, she took the time to interact with her fans, cracked jokes, and even proclaimed how impressed she was with a sweet, handmade hat gift from one of her fans in the front row.

All in all, both artists put on a fantastic show. BENEE‘s voice is incredible, and Dreamer Boy‘s dancing was top-notch. If you haven’t listened to either of these artists yet, now is the time to start!

Connect with Dreamer Boy

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Connect with BENEE

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Dreamer Boy and Benee Photo Gallery

It was hard to even get into to the place; the venue is already intimate in size and on Monday night, it was sardine-can packed with people. The stage is small, but the performers made the best of their space as it was full of instruments.

Bishop Briggs was sporting her classic pigtail buns and army coat for the show. She had lots of energy and had to stop singing to catch her breath at one point from all the dancing and jumping around. Her voice live was incredibly powerful and feminine. She really gave it her all and the audience fed off her energy with cheers and movement. She also performed her two main radio hits “River” and “Wild Horses” and left the stage almost abruptly, but not before thanking the crowd.

There was about a 30-40 minute break between sets and you could feel people getting anxious for Kaleo to come on. Even so that when each of the intermission music tracks ended, they would start applauding and yelling, as if encouraging Kaleo to come out earlier.

Kaleo had a 9:30 start and began the show with a single spotlight on lead singer, Jokull Juliusson. He started whistling (a very impressive whistler might I add) as they opened with “I Can’t Go On Without You”. Just as the rest of the band cut in, more lights came on, bolts of faux lightning flashed on the venue’s dark purple curtains and reflected of the candelabra chandeliers- quite dramatic, but it worked.

Juliusson ended the song in his celebrated, falsetto voice and broke into “Save Yourself” immediately after. He then spoke out to the crowd stating how enthralled he was to have a sell-out at a venue like the TLA on a Monday night. Cut to southern swagger and they began to perform “Broken Bones”.

The band members were all wearing different styles of attire and seemed very focused and intense during the performance. Getting the reputation of somewhat of a sex symbol, Juliusson was rocking a white button down, semi-popped collar and a little chest showing. His guitar was beautiful; tri-colored of red, white and medium-toned wood. All members were very versatile, the bassist went back and forth between that and the keyboards, the drummer came forth for the softer songs to tap on the tambourine and play smaller percussion instruments.

They then played “Automobile” and my personal favorite, “All the Pretty Girls”, which had a slower pace. They then went right back to rocking with “No Good” and “Walk on Water” which I might add, had many members in the audience holding up lighters in admiration- a move I haven’t seen in a while. I appreciated it.

As the concert came to a wrap, they performed “Way Down We Go”. In closing, this is a great act to see live. Juliusson is so talented it should be a crime. The way he pours himself into each song and just flows from one alto to the next is bound to give anyone goosebumps and leave them wanting to hear more. Their acoustics were great and the culmination of the band in general was impressive. I would definitely recommend catching their show next time! Hey, they’ve only been touring for 18 months and already played in 47 states- Philly multiple times! I’d keep a look out.

All photos by Matt Kelchner

In front of a packed crowd Saturday night Kristian Matsson, aka The Tallest Man On Earth, ran through a career spanning set that had more than one surprise worked in. Due to a scheduling conflict, the Swedish folk singer was moved from the Fillmore down to rock the TLA, a venue much smaller than those he has grown to for performances. Thanks to the switch to a more intimate venue, Matsson’s charismatic stage presence was amplified for a special weekend night on South Street.

Kicking things off was folk singer and multi-instrumentalist Basia Bulat. Her opening slot Saturday night marked her fourth visit to Philadelphia so far this year and judging by the crowd’s reaction, many of them were not witnessing her for the first time. This time around, Bulat was all by her lonesome on the stage.

Bulat made good use of the extra floor space. With instruments scattered around her, she worked her way song after song, switching from one to another. After starting off with the ukulele assisted “Infamous” and moving to the acoustic guitar for a pair of tunes, including “Tall Tall Shadow”, Bulat picked up her signature autoharp. Her night ended the same way in started, picking up the guitar again for “Fool” and then ending with another ukulele based song, “It Can’t Be You”.

After sprinting out and around the stage to greet his eagerly awaiting fans, Matsson settled at the center to begin his night. Following him out, albeit without a quick lap, was his band. Starting off with “Winds and Walls” off 2012’s There’s No Leaving Now, Matsson would take his fans through almost every one of his releases. All four albums were covered, as well as the Sometimes the Blues Is Just a Passing Bird EP.

It was about this time a year ago that Matsson began performing with a band behind him. Coinciding with the release of Dark Bird Is Home, the simple setup of bass, drums, keys and sometimes fiddle and pedal steel gives both old songs and new fuller, rounder feelings. Despite the short time together, the full band iteration of The Tallest Man On Earth ran like a fine tuned machine.

That isn’t to say that there wasn’t some one on one time between Matsson and the crowd. He alternated several times between full band and solo. Songs like “1904” and “Burden of Tomorrow” featured the full group while others such as “Love Is All” and “Little Nowhere Towns” had just Matsson up on stage.

Right after playing one of his oldest and most well known songs, “The Gardener”, Matsson teased the crowd by dangling a secret in front of them. After describing taking some time off to go back home and getting back to songwriting, he explained that a new song would be released in the upcoming week – “Time of the Blue”, which he then proceeded to play. Shortly after came “Timothy” a song about his longtime friend and current Philly resident Timothy Showalter aka Strand of Oaks.

As the night came towards the close, “King of Spain” was played and received one of the biggest reactions from the crowd. The only way to one up one of the biggest hits from the prolific songwriter? Bringing out a best friend that he previously sang about to play on the set’s final song. With guitar in hand, Showalter walked about as Matsson and company began playing “Dark Bird Is Home”. A few verses in and the two were going head to head, at times literally, dueling guitar licks back and forth.

It only took a few moments for Matsson and his band to come back out for a two song encore that was comprised of “The Dreamer” followed by “Like The Wheel”. The Swede mentioned several times throughout the night his gratitude towards the Philly fan base for being so passionate with his music year after year and Saturday night was no different. With a few more roars The Tallest Man On Earth said his goodbyes and walked off stage, truly living up to his moniker.

When I first walked into the TLA on South Street, I was surprised at the lack of people that were inside for the Mind Sweep Tour. The small amount of under 21s waited by the barrier, while an equal amount of over 21s hung out in the bar area drinking to pass the thirty minutes until the opening band went on.

Luckily, by the time South Jersey based hardcore band, Chasing Safety, went on, more people had filled into the venue. The hardcore band played songs from their first full album, Season Of The Dead, while Johnny, the lead singer, promoted the new album, NOMAD, with a DIY sleeveless shirt as he moved around the stage intensely. After throwing their banners into the crowd during their last song, the band quickly exited.

White Noises, a fairly new band out of LA, walked onto stage as a few crowd goers screamed their love for the band. The enthusiastic lead singer, Shawn, ran onto stage to join his bandmates who had begun the set already. The band quickly moved around to their songs from their first EP, Aren’t You Glad, which was just released this past February. Due to a cable malfunction, bassist David quickly ran to fix the problem. Shawn easily took control of  the stage and called crowd surfers up, handing them the microphone as they were carried over the barrier. The band finished after their 25 minute set and dramatically threw their instruments onto the stage in front of them in the heat of the moment.

Now that the crowd, who packed the lower level of the TLA, was pumped up, Hands Like Houses was welcomed on stage with cheer. The Australian band started off their short set with “I Am”, which allowed the crowd to relax somewhat with their indie rock/hardcore sound with Matt “Coops” Cooper on lead guitar, Alex Pearson on rhythm guitar, Joey Tyrrell on bass guitar, Matt Parkitny’s powerful drumming, and  Trenton Woodley’s clean vocals. It was clear before they even went on, you could tell that this band would be different than the two hardcore bands before them because they were burning incense before they went on.

After three short sets for the opener, I didn’t really know what to expect from British band, Enter Shikari. Having listened to them in high school, I was familiar with some of their music, but haven’t heard anything newer from them. Ten minutes prior to their start time, a recording of a ’50s entertainment announcer came on to countdown the minutes until the performance between the ’80s music they had playing.

When the recording came down to one minute, the crowd was anxiously waiting until they began to chant “And still we will be here, standing like statues”, which is a line in a handful of the band’s songs. The chanting gave me chills as I watched the anticipating faces of the crowd behind me. Finally, the members of Enter Shikari came onto stage waving hello as the stepped into the spots on stage. Lead singer, Rou Reynolds, stood by his microphone until the first song “Enter Shikari Reprise Solidarity” began, a song that uses the line the crowd was chanting. As the song went on, Rou and bassist, Chris Batten, moved around each other with ease as the ran around the stage. Crowd surfers were coming up left and right, one even jumping out of the security guards arms in order to high five Rou.

Once the songs “Sorry You’re Not A Winner” and “One True Color”, I left the photo pit and quick hurried to the upstairs balcony to get a good view of the band and the rest of the crowd I couldn’t really see before. After the band played an old one that I recognized called “Destabilise”, they told the crowd that it was now time for the “crazy” part of the set. That they wanted to see the crowd dancing the best the could. Before the song “Paddington Frisk”, Rou gave a quick definition of the meaning behind the name, which is the “dance” one does as they suffocate. While this was happening, guitarist , Rory Clewlow, climbed on top of the crowd to play the song. In order to take a break from the crazy part of the set, they played one of their calmer songs “Constellations”. But the break didn’t last long as the band continued on with songs like “Gandhi” and “Torn Apart”, which created a circle pit and some moshers in the crowd. When “Torn Apart” was finished, Rory told the crowd that the next song was the last song, but paused and smiled at the crowd before adding “Or is it?” implying an encore to their set. The band “ended” with another old song, but a crowd favorite “Mothership”.

They exited the stage as all bands do and once gone the crowd began to chant again, but some how they were louder than before. Chris was the first to reenter the stage, followed by Rory, then drummer, Rob Rolfe, who instead of walking to his drum set, when to the front of the stage and put his arms up to pump up the crowd even more, though I didn’t think it was possible. Once he sat at his drums, Rou came back on stage to introduce the next song they were playing, which was “Redshift”. They quickly went through that song into the next one, “Anaesthetist”, and they all ran around stage like orderly madmen. As they ended their performance with “The Appeal ll”, Rou told the crowd that they only had two more minutes to go crazy. Rory climbed back onto the crowd, who helped him stand and play. Chris ran into the crowd to the circle pit and played as many ran around him. Rou climbed on top of speakers as he also played guitar, before meeting with Chris back on stage and running around in circles with him. Rob threw his drumsticks into the crowd and Rou jumped on the speakers next to the drum set, grabbing one of the stage lights and shining it everywhere as the song finished up. When the song was finally done, Rory climbed back on stage and Chris threw his guitar into the crowd while a dozen of hands grabbed onto it trying to claim it.

When Enter Shikari walked off the stage for good, everyone began to leave as well. Sweat poured off of most of the fans so going outside was a nice treat for them. Many hung out outside, talking to some of the bands that played early and recalled their memories from the show they just saw as others made their way home with no voice and huge smiles on the faces.

“So like I said we’re Game of Thrones from HBO,” Evan Weiss, singer/guitarist and mastermind behind Into It. Over It., mentioned a few songs into their headlining set Sunday night at the TLA. Yes, they were going up stiff competition to close out the week, but that did not stop fans from coming out to Weiss’ return to his former stomping grounds. Along for the ride were longtime pals The World Is A Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid To Die, fellow NJ rockers Pinegrove and the greatest rock and roll band (according to Weiss) the Sidekicks.

Despite early door times and hitting the stage first, the South Street venue was far from empty for Pinegrove. A buzz has been building behind the band ever since the release of their impressive sophomore effort, Cardinal. The album dips into twangy, rootsy “alt-country” and draws comparisons to early Wilco and Built to Split. Tracks like the one-two punch of “Old Friends” and “Cadmium” put Cardinal on full display Sunday night. The lone exception was “Recycling”, an older tune that was pulled out. Pinegrove made it clear that the hype surrounding them was by no means an overstatement.

After soundchecking to riffs from “Never Let You Go” and “Iron Man”, the Sidekicks kicked their set off with the first two songs from Runners In The Nerved World, “Hell Is Warm” and “Everything in Twos”. The band has not released anything since last year’s release so their night mainly featured cuts from the album. They managed to add a few older songs like “DMT” as well as a new song titled “Twins Twist”. For their grand finale, Weiss joined the Ohio natives for an energetic (to say the least) rendition of The Jim Carroll Band’s “People Who Died”.

Silhouetted by lights running across the line of instruments behind them, The World Is A Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid To Die filled the stage for awe-inspiring set. With roots firmly set in post-rock, the band pulls in influences from seemingly any and everywhere. Sunday night focused largely on their highly acclaimed album from 2015, Harmlessness, as well as a pair of 7” singles that were released before and after.

Ranging from a soft whimper to massive, buzzing wall of sound, older tracks like “Heartbeat in the Brain” and “Picture of a Tree that Doesn’t Look Okay” were mixed in with Harmlessness songs that included “We Need More Skulls” and “January 10th, 2014”. Their night ended with brooding chants of “Away with God, away with love” from “Katamari Duquette”. If you haven’t made it out to a The World Is… show yet, do yourself a favor and check out one of the most unique, refreshing acts out there right now.

Evan Weiss grew up across the Delaware River in Cherry Hill, NJ and is not shy about his love for the Philadelphia area. Homecoming shows are always strong showings for Weiss and Into It. Over It. While Sunday night was not a sell out it was by no means a weak outing, both with the band and their fans. Case in point, the now infamous Tyler who Weiss brought on stage during the break in “Upstate Blues”; a fan who was at his sixth show of the tour.

Weiss has amassed a hefty catalogue of songs under his Into It. Over It. moniker. He’s also amassed an almost equally large catalogue in his various other projects as well but Sunday night was Into It. Over It’s time to shine. With Standards only a few weeks old, it should come to no surprise that a number of tracks made their way onto the setlist. “No EQ” and “Adult Contempt” allowed for Joshua David Sparks to show off some of his incredible drumming on the record. “Anesthetic” shared some of the newer territory that Weiss & Co. explore and one of the lead singles, “Closing Argument” helped kick off the show.

As much as Standards was covered at the TLA, Weiss was not shy to pull out older material. Proper and Intersections had almost the same showing throughout the night. “Anchor” (which Weiss came out to play solo as the very first song) and “Pinky Swear” represented 52 Weeks. “Augusta, GA” and “Brenham, TX”, two staples from Twelve Towns also made their way in. “Ravenswood” a rare appearance from the IIOI/KOJI split came with the help from Pinegrove guitarist Josh Marre on slide guitar, as well as forming the Joshua Tree-io with the two Josh’s in Into It. Over It.

The night came to an end much the same way most, if not every, Into It. Over It. show does, with “Midnight: Carroll Street”. Over the years this song keeps growing in energy and emotion as a show closer. Sunday night was no different. With a fading voice and band members drenched in sweat, Evan Weiss gave his former city another reminder that he hasn’t quite forgot about them yet.

They Might Be Giants rolled into Philly Sunday night and slayed a sold out crowd at the TLA.  The house was packed with folks of all ages, the majority Millennials who remember them fondly from their childhood.

One audience member remembered “Istanbul” being played in a Simpsons episode.  Another mentioned “Particle Man” played in Tiny Toons. Most remember “The Boss Of Me” as the theme for Malcolm in the Middle.

The show began with a solo classical guitar intro played by guitarist Dan Miller.  No introduction.  Just Miller walking on stage, pausing to tune his guitar, then strolling to center stage with a harsh backlight launching into a plaintive instrumental version of “Istanbul”.  After a few minutes, the rest of the band wandered out, took their positions and cranked it up to a full version of the hit Four Lads cover.

This was the beginning of a marathon forty song “double set,” as described by co-founder and lead singer John Flansburgh.  In full disclosure, some songs are less than a minute long, while most are two to three.  The crowd knew most and happily sang along.

John Linnell, the second member of the founding duo, manned keyboards and even picked up a clarinet, which was gleefully mocked by Flansburgh.  That joke continued with bassist Danny Weinkauf who one-upped Linnell with a bass clarinet.

Rounding out the band and keeping the evening tied together was fine drummer Marty Beller.  The logo on his drum head was simply “They.”  You can fill in the rest.

While all the songs were light and witty, Farnsburgh is the show.  He is a lovable nerd in a seersucker jacket and plays it up with an endless dose of self deprecation.

All evening he played off the fact that they’ve been together for thirty years and how he can no longer remember which album contains which songs.  The audience sure did with their wild applause as each tune or album was mentioned.

The set began with eighteen songs and then an “encore” of seventeen more.  But wait, there was a second encore of “I Was Dancing in a Lesbian Bar” and “Birdhouse in Your Soul.”  If that wasn’t enough, there was yet another encore that contained “Number Three,” “Dead” and “Fingertips.”

That was finally it.

To this crowd, these guys absolutely ARE giants.

Photo by Joel Sadler

“There are men too gentle to live among wolves.”

Sean Scolnick, better known by his catchy moniker Langhorne Slim, was inspired to write “Wolves” (off his new record The Spirit Moves) when his friend sent him a copy of the James Kavanaugh poem upon which it’s based. Langhorne kept going back and re-reading it, feeling deeply connected to its content and “finding truths that I believe have lived within my spirit before I was flesh or something, it felt very ancient. That was one of the easier songs to write; it seemed to land upon me instead of having to battle for it.”

Released August 7^th by Dualtone Music, The Spirit Moves has become Langhorne Slim and The Law’s highest charting record on Billboard’s Top Current Albums chart and has received a slew of high praise for the album’s heart, honesty and “emotional carnage”. Exploring themes of change, growth and new beginnings, the album is the first Langhorne Slim and The Law album not to be recorded in New York, but rather in a new hometown: Nashville.

“I’ve gone through a lot of changes while living here, “says Langhorne. “I think that finding Nashville at that particular time in my life helped to support those changes. I was able to buy an amazing, magical house, so I’ve got a nicer place to stay when I’m off the road instead of sleeping on people’s couches or renting small rooms, which I was doing. I got myself sober, which was something that was a long time coming and that all kind of happened once I got here; I think I formed a connection here with my surroundings that I hadn’t found up until that point.”

Photo by Joel Sadler

Feeling he had a lot to prove to himself with this new record, a newly sober Langhorne needed to realize he could still make music and found a “beautiful and terrifying ordeal” on the road ahead. Persevering, he embraced any uncomfortable or frightening feelings instead of shutting them out and the result is glorious record chock full of all of that blood, sweat and tears.

In December, the band (which also includes drummer Malachi DeLorenzo, bassist Jeff Ratner and keyboard/banjo player David Moore) announced that Stetson would be sponsoring their 2016 winter tour and a limited edition Stetson X Langhorne hat would be available for sale online and at live shows. Several years ago, the band participated in Stetson’s Center Stage video shoot.

“Artists come in and film these really pretty videos in [Stetson’s] office and in return you get a couple of hats and a cool video,” explains Langhorne. “I wear hats every morning, afternoon and night of my life, and I love vintage clothes and have had aspirations to design clothes. Someone put into my head- why don’t you see if you can design a hat? So we checked with [Stetson] and to my amazement they were interested. I told them about my love of Buster Keaton and Huck Finn and Oliver Twist, and told them about this hat I had found in a second hand shop in Oregon and lost in a Nashville flood. I wanted to combine that with some other inspirations and they said ‘cool, let’s do it.’ I went to Texas and designed it with their hat maker Matt Deckard and we made 300 of them, one of which I’m wearing as we speak.”

Photo by Todd Roeth

Langhorne Slim and The Law have toured heavily for so long and they never hold songs back. When Langhorne writes a song, he plays it for the rest of the band and then they work it up at live shows. “We essentially learn it as we play it in front of an audience, so a lot of the songs that are now on the record aren’t necessarily new for us or for the fans that have been coming to our shows consistently; they may have heard it six months before the record comes out.

The album’s second single “Changes” is one Langhorne enjoys performing live and is also one a lot of fans sing along to. Auto Trader uses the song in their ads and it’s often aired during football games. “Every Sunday I get text messages that say ‘Holy shit, they’re playing your song’,” laughs Langhorne. “Having our songs in films and on television helps to get our music out there and we’re really grateful for that.”

On February 10^th Langhorne Slim and The Law will open for The Devil Makes Three at the TLA and being from Bucks County (bassist Ratner is from “one town over from me”), the whole family comes out to support them. “I played a solo show [at the TLA] as an opener when I first started out, but we’ve never played there as a band before. I’d pass it on South Street all the time as a kid and would dream of playing there,” says Langhorne. “It took awhile for us to catch on at home, so it’s nice that we’ve gotten some love in Philly. We get good crowds and enthusiasm and passion from our family and old friends, and from beautiful strangers, so it’s always an exciting event whenever we come home.”

Becoming defined as a band requires years of setup, and involves establishing a distinctive sounds, accruing a fan base, and spreading the word about the group as much as possible. For bluegrass dandies Yonder Mountain String Band, who have written, recorded, and toured as a group since the late 1990s, branding is an ongoing process. On the heels of their first piece of recorded music in two years, the band will be consistently touring until Valentine’s Day of next year.

According to the group’s bass player, Ben Kaufmann, the most noticeable change in the overall sound present on the Black Sheep LP is how straightforward the music itself is.

“This is the first album with our new lineup, which adds a fiddle to the band. As far as approach goes, it’s more similar to our first couple of records. We did our fourth and fifth records in L.A., and got to work with a great rock and roll producer, which was a differentiation from our normal sound. But for this album, we played acoustically and tried to not put any frills in there. At the same time, we wanted to maintain a progressive sound. It seems counter-intuitive because we went to a traditional bluegrass lineup, but a lot of these songs are non-traditional. We wanted these songs to be edgy, and we had to marry these seemingly opposite realities. But we pulled it off. This is also the first time we self-produced. As a result, we produced what’s easily my favorite record.”

Kaufmann, who hails from a small town in Massachusetts with less than 7,000 inhabitants, was accepted to NYU’s film school before realizing he wasn’t comfortable with big cities. However, his moderate dislike of sprawling urban landscapes doesn’t stop him from liking friends or musicians who come from those places.

“Some of my best friends grew up in the big city, and some of my other best friends grew up in small towns. They both share compelling spirits. The guy in the big city is probably familiar with how to navigate a big city but couldn’t handle living in a small town, and vice versa. I think it depends on upbringing, and can go any direction really. For me, I learned I couldn’t handle any big city for more than a couple days at a time. It’s not good for my constitution.”

Photo courtesy of Yonder Mountain String Band

Kaufmann formed his first band when he was in 6th grade. The band, Sanctuary Revival, was a play on his father’s former band called Sanctuary. It was through this and other bands he joined during his time in school that he learned to play bass and made many connections. While he doesn’t consider it a requirement to play in a plethora of musical groups, he believes it helped sculpt him into the musician and person he is today.

“The more people that you can make music with, the more it informs your own style. In a way, we should have conversations with as many people as we can, because it gives us a richer experience, and the same can be said for musical conversations. I can’t even count how many wonderful people we’ve shared the stage with over the years. Just the experience of rhythm and music is different between people. It can be very subtle sometimes, but every person is musically different. To learn and support everyone else’s experience of music and time is a wonderful and rewarding thing to do, even if you can only say you survived at the end of the day. It’s a very special and, in a way, intimate thing to share. Everyone is better served to play with lots of people, but you’re only gonna get tight if you play with the same group of people consistently. If you’re interested in being in a band rather than a sideman, it benefits you to play together as a group as much as you can.”

Yonder Mountain String Band’s website contains biographies of each group member, which are hand-written by that member. In Kaufmann’s story, he admits he can be a sensitive person, but believes being sensitive can have its advantages, both in the music industry and for life in general.

“That sensitivity also brings a tendency to be afraid in some capacity, which is a powerful, negative motivator. We have to increase our mastery over our fear, which is way easier to express in a sentence than to actually do. It takes time, and I struggle with it all the time. But on the other hand, that sensitivity gives me something compelling to sing or write about, and I wouldn’t change it even if it creates some embarrassing situations. But if you have good people around you, then that creates safe space to be true to yourself, to who you are. Sometimes I’ll admit being envious of people who seem stoic or solid, and I have this perception that you have to be that way in order to be strong. But then I remind myself that emotions we feel are what make us strong.”

Kaufmann has solid advice for anyone who considers themselves delicate as he does. “Never base your opinion of yourself on what anyone else has to say about you. You can inform your own development and growth through others’ feedback, but never let your sense of self-worth be determined by what anyone else has to say. You have to trust your heart even though sometimes it’ll make you cry or get angry. It seems like a whirlwind sometimes, but in the end I have to trust my heart and get it to overrule my brain sometimes.”

While Yonder Mountain String Band has been together for over a decade and a half, that doesn’t mean members of the band haven’t been shuffled around occasionally. While Kaufmann realizes success can be fleeting, he also acknowledges that as long as fans still come to their shows, he is living out his dream every day.

“In some ways, we had a pretty significant lineup change recently. I have a sense of importance about Yonder Mountain, and it’s something I believe in and have visions for. I will fight with every ounce of my energy to continue this project. I think we’ve accomplished a lot but have so much left to do. You have to be supportive and have fun too, and I’ve never had more fun than I’m having now. We’re also making our most compelling work now. When you have those things going on for you, it gets a lot easier. It would be a drag if people stopped coming to shows and the money stopped coming in. Provided we keep on this trajectory and the audience still enjoys coming to the show, I can’t think of anything else I’d rather do.”

The band recently had a show in Chicago recorded and streamed by Yahoo.com, and will have a show taped over the weekend by PBS for release in early 2016. While Kaufmann admits his shows get recorded in some way or another all the time, the knowledge of a large media presence is something he must consider yet not dwell on for too long while the band performs.

“You spare a thought to it certainly, and in some occasions you want to tailor the set list to make sure certain songs appear. But then you have to forget about it, and if there’s a point in time during the show where you become overly conscious of the cameras, then that’s bad because it pulls you out of the moment of making music. The best job you can do is when you’re immersed in the music in the moment. You should work in an acknowledgement to the cameras at some point, but our music is very improvisational, so we have to work around that.”

Philadelphia fans can catch Yonder Mountain String Band perform tonight at the Theater of Living Arts. When asked what he’d like to do outside of playing the show while in town, Kaufmann gave both a stereotypical and insightful response.

“The single most important thing will be cheesesteaks, and I think this is the case for a lot of touring bands. You base your experience in a city on the food you get, and it’s a big deal to us. I’d be lying if I said everyone in this band won’t be in line for a cheesesteak. But I love to walk up and down the street where the venue is because of the people watching and the shopping you can do. Once you get out a couple blocks, you get into that really cool old part of town with brick streets and old houses, and there’s something really good about walking those streets and taking it all in. You might even catch some inspiration.”