Tomorrow night, at the First Unitarian Church in Philadelphia, I will be meeting up with an old friend and watching a band I have really come to enjoy. The Low Anthem is the headline act, following a band named Bobby and former The Low Anthem band mate Daniel Lefkowitz as a solo act.
I came to first listen to The Low Anthem, based on a recommendation from my near & dear friend. I had started listening to their major debut What the Crow Bring
s while exploring the now defunct lala.com site. At the time it was nothing more than background music for me. That's no slam against their music as,at the time, it was mostly lighter breathy tracks, such as 'Yellowed By The Sun' with electric guitar and harmonica being featured. 'The Ballad of Broken Bones' is a quintessential Low Anthem track, with lyrics that stick, melodic pump organ, and one of the coolest uses of technology with cell phones echoing Ben Knox Miller's whistling. My other favorite track from the album is 'This God Damn House' which ironically for this tour, was written by then band member Daniel Lefkowitz.
When I first saw the Low Anthem, I hadn't determined I was a fan yet. I hadn't had a chance to listen to their next album Oh My God Charlie Darwin
, and certainly hadn't experienced their live show. After seeing them, at the Theater of the Living Arts, I walked away less of a fan, mainly because I spent most of the show chatting with friends, and I was turned off by the association with the headliner Josh Ritter. I was however, intrigued by their many instruments, such as the crotales, which are discs that are caressed with a bow.
Soon, I was able to spend some quality time with disc #2 OMGCD, and I was quickly hooked. I loved the folksy 'To Ohio
', 'To The Ghosts That Write History Books', and 'Ticket Taker
'. I really appreciated the musical compositions of 'Charlie Darwin
' and 'Cage the Songbird
'. Likewise, with folk greats Simon & Garfunkle who could make you smile with such calm pleasers as 'Homeward Bound
', but get you lively with 'the Boxer' TLA does the same by changing things up with anthems 'Champion Angel
', 'The Horizon is a Beltway
', and 'Home I'll never Be
'.
My second viewing of the Low Anthem also at the First Unitarian, was a tremendous redemption. Any hesitations of the band dissolved with their new material, further featuring of Jocie Adams and Mat Davidson, and exceptional opener Annie & the Beekepers
(Sorry Lissie, but I didn't get to partake with your set).
As far as Friday's concert goes, I am excited to get my first live listen of Daniel Lefkowitz. I picked up his EP from iTunes, featuring the beautiful ode to one of society's least thought of, with 'Gravedigger Blues
'. The Low Anthem will be featuring music from their just dropped album Smart Flesh
. I'm only a few listens in, on the album which came earlier this week, but immediate favorite "Apothecary Love' has been featured on many of their podcast live shows. You can't go wrong with this venue, and it will certainly be the last time the band plays a site so small in Philly.
![Smart Flesh (Deluxe) [+digital booklet]](http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=B004OLW1ZI&tag=rootdo-20)
For more info or listens. Go to itunes and search the itunes store for the Low Anthem, then filter by media type PODCASTS. Excellent and FREE listens are available, such as NPR Tiny Desk Concert, Newport Folk Festival, and a shorter exposure from Rolling Stone.
wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Low_Anthem
www.lowanthem.com
Live - 'Home I'll Never Be' from the Low Anthem
or
Daniel Lefkowitz Facebook Page
Daniel Lefkowitz 'Dreams Can Chase You Down' From the End Of The Road Festival in 2010
ENJOY!
I came to first listen to The Low Anthem, based on a recommendation from my near & dear friend. I had started listening to their major debut What the Crow Brings while exploring the now defunct lala.com site. At the time it was nothing more than background music for me. That's no slam against their music as,at the time, it was mostly lighter breathy tracks, such as 'Yellowed By The Sun' with electric guitar and harmonica being featured. 'The Ballad of Broken Bones' is a quintessential Low Anthem track, with lyrics that stick, melodic pump organ, and one of the coolest uses of technology with cell phones echoing Ben Knox Miller's whistling. My other favorite track from the album is 'This God Damn House' which ironically for this tour, was written by then band member Daniel Lefkowitz. When I first saw the Low Anthem, I hadn't determined I was a fan yet. I hadn't had a chance to listen to their next album Oh My God Charlie Darwin, and certainly hadn't experienced their live show. After seeing them, at the Theater of the Living Arts, I walked away less of a fan, mainly because I spent most of the show chatting with friends, and I was turned off by the association with the headliner Josh Ritter. I was however, intrigued by their many instruments, such as the crotales, which are discs that are caressed with a bow. Soon, I was able to spend some quality time with disc #2 OMGCD, and I was quickly hooked. I loved the folksy 'To Ohio
', 'To The Ghosts That Write History Books', and 'Ticket Taker'. I really appreciated the musical compositions of 'Charlie Darwin' and 'Cage the Songbird'. Likewise, with folk greats Simon & Garfunkle who could make you smile with such calm pleasers as 'Homeward Bound', but get you lively with 'the Boxer' TLA does the same by changing things up with anthems 'Champion Angel', 'The Horizon is a Beltway', and 'Home I'll never Be'. My second viewing of the Low Anthem also at the First Unitarian, was a tremendous redemption. Any hesitations of the band dissolved with their new material, further featuring of Jocie Adams and Mat Davidson, and exceptional opener Annie & the Beekepers(Sorry Lissie, but I didn't get to partake with your set).As far as Friday's concert goes, I am excited to get my first live listen of Daniel Lefkowitz. I picked up his EP from iTunes, featuring the beautiful ode to one of society's least thought of, with 'Gravedigger Blues'. The Low Anthem will be featuring music from their just dropped album Smart Flesh. I'm only a few listens in, on the album which came earlier this week, but immediate favorite "Apothecary Love' has been featured on many of their podcast live shows. You can't go wrong with this venue, and it will certainly be the last time the band plays a site so small in Philly.For more info or listens. Go to itunes and search the itunes store for the Low Anthem, then filter by media type PODCASTS. Excellent and FREE listens are available, such as NPR Tiny Desk Concert, Newport Folk Festival, and a shorter exposure from Rolling Stone.
wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Low_Anthem
www.lowanthem.com
Live - 'Home I'll Never Be' from the Low Anthem
or
Daniel Lefkowitz Facebook Page
Daniel Lefkowitz 'Dreams Can Chase You Down' From the End Of The Road Festival in 2010
ENJOY!
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