Katie Frank & The Pheromones release show at Milkboy with the Lawsuits and Kevin Killen - concert recap
Contributing writer Michael Southerton is back with more details on the Philadelphia scene. One part writer - one part musician, Mike brings his unique voice to Root Down In The Shadow for a point of view only a musician could explain.
On assignment for his view on the Katie Frank release show, check out his assessment of openers Kevin Killen and the Lawsuits; and headliners Katie Frank & The Pheromones:
Eventually on the Highway to Hell the vagabond will find himself at Robert Johnson’s Crossroads. There, he must make his decisions; though not in haste: a soul is terrible price to pay for a fruit tree, however bountiful, after all. So rather than press forward to Rosedale, the vagabond may benefit from a few minutes listening to cautionary tales and wary words from Philadelphia’s Kevin Killen, who seems to have found a home at that very crossroads. With an old Ephiphone bluesbox and a voice that subtly hints of Brian Johnson, Killen blends vintage vibe with a neofolk flair. On Friday night, the thin, crackling timbre of his old guitar brought me back to my parents’ basement, listening to 78s on the old Victrola. What’s interesting about Killen is how he lends his producer’s talents (he helped engineer Katie Frank’s Counting Your Curses) to his live show. Despite playing solo, he was accompanied on stage by an array of effects pedals, creating sonic loops and lush reverb that could have made his archtop wonder what dream it had awakened to. Opening the show for his friends, Killen took the crowd to the crossroads, and there left us wiser, ready for the next step.
Today, the catch-all term “Americana” has been used to describe Mumford and Sons and Neil Young, frailing banjos and twanging guitars. Rooted in blues and folk, and in an of itself a genre over a century old, it’s hard to do something new. 12 bars. Verse / Chorus / Verse / Chorus; or, if you’re going be very “Ballad in Plain D” about it: Verse / Verse / Verse / Verse / Verse / Verse / Verse / Verse / Verse / Verse / Verse / Verse / Verse.
But Philadelphia’s The Lawsuits are new. Though their Americana sound could resonate on the sun strings in Laurel Canyon, the songs of Brian Dale Allen Strause are mini lessons in pop structure and melody; and a Lawsuits’ live show is a master class in McCartneyism, Motown, and AM Gold. Which is your favorite Lawsuits’ hook? The one you can’t help but sing along to? Do you shout along to the acapella chant of “My ebony rose”? Or maybe you can’t help but plead, “Knock knock, Honey, let me in.” “Arts and Crafts” always pleases the crowd as they assert, “Hey, here we are!” Or, perhaps, your favorite Lawsuits moments are the ones that crave complete silence: Vanessa Winters circling a major scale chorus of “Woahs” at the climax of “Long Drive Home,” as if she is Ariel, and her voice would make the covetous sea witch, Ursula, lurk in doorways.
When they hit the wood on Friday, The Lawsuits turned the world with a rapid fire run-through of shout-along songs. Rhythm men Josh Friedmen and Brendan Cunningham, along with the effects palette of guitarist Joe Bissiri, kept things tight with few breaks and seamless transitions between songs that called to mind the slick sonic segues of Sam Cooke’s Live at the Harlem Square Club.
Part ballad, part blues, part musical, part Motown, part hit, part history; this is Americana, Lawsuits-style. Put it all together, and you’ll discover Americana is it’s core: prolific and diverse, pioneers carting keepsakes of an old world.
As winter continues to pile on oppressive layer after vengeful layer of snow, a new Katie Frank record keeps you focused on summer. The very best days of summer. Katie Frank’s new album Counting Your Curses has the feel of late August: the dog days are over; the harvest is near. One last beach trip. Pennant races. Counting Your Curses is youthful enough to lift your spirits, and mature enough to respect the seasons it took to ripen. At her record release, Katie Frank showed why she is becoming a force to be reckoned with in the Philadelphia scene.
With a cast of familiar characters, (she was joined by Killen on guitar and The Lawsuits’ Joe Bissiri on bass,) Katie Frank and the Pheromones shined as the night’s headliner. What really struck me about Frank is her ability to shift between band member and frontwoman. With her cutaway Martin in hand, the Pheromones are tight unit, and Katie Frank is reminiscent of Lydia Loveless or Grace Potter. In this role, she is one of the Pheromones, her right hand strumming in time with the hi-hat; she chooses not to stand out, but to blend in. The effect is a communal experience, each member feeding off of each other, the vibe becoming infectious.
As the set evolves, so does Frank. She sits her guitar down, and suddenly transforms herself into a star. She commands the mic and the stage like Grace Slick or Stevie Nicks; and in these moments, the band ignites. Katie is the spark to the flame; her energy is enough to nourish the soul of a hungry band, and enough to warm a February crowd with a summer’s worth of songs.
On assignment for his view on the Katie Frank release show, check out his assessment of openers Kevin Killen and the Lawsuits; and headliners Katie Frank & The Pheromones:
Kevin Killen
Eventually on the Highway to Hell the vagabond will find himself at Robert Johnson’s Crossroads. There, he must make his decisions; though not in haste: a soul is terrible price to pay for a fruit tree, however bountiful, after all. So rather than press forward to Rosedale, the vagabond may benefit from a few minutes listening to cautionary tales and wary words from Philadelphia’s Kevin Killen, who seems to have found a home at that very crossroads. With an old Ephiphone bluesbox and a voice that subtly hints of Brian Johnson, Killen blends vintage vibe with a neofolk flair. On Friday night, the thin, crackling timbre of his old guitar brought me back to my parents’ basement, listening to 78s on the old Victrola. What’s interesting about Killen is how he lends his producer’s talents (he helped engineer Katie Frank’s Counting Your Curses) to his live show. Despite playing solo, he was accompanied on stage by an array of effects pedals, creating sonic loops and lush reverb that could have made his archtop wonder what dream it had awakened to. Opening the show for his friends, Killen took the crowd to the crossroads, and there left us wiser, ready for the next step.
The Lawsuits
Today, the catch-all term “Americana” has been used to describe Mumford and Sons and Neil Young, frailing banjos and twanging guitars. Rooted in blues and folk, and in an of itself a genre over a century old, it’s hard to do something new. 12 bars. Verse / Chorus / Verse / Chorus; or, if you’re going be very “Ballad in Plain D” about it: Verse / Verse / Verse / Verse / Verse / Verse / Verse / Verse / Verse / Verse / Verse / Verse / Verse.
But Philadelphia’s The Lawsuits are new. Though their Americana sound could resonate on the sun strings in Laurel Canyon, the songs of Brian Dale Allen Strause are mini lessons in pop structure and melody; and a Lawsuits’ live show is a master class in McCartneyism, Motown, and AM Gold. Which is your favorite Lawsuits’ hook? The one you can’t help but sing along to? Do you shout along to the acapella chant of “My ebony rose”? Or maybe you can’t help but plead, “Knock knock, Honey, let me in.” “Arts and Crafts” always pleases the crowd as they assert, “Hey, here we are!” Or, perhaps, your favorite Lawsuits moments are the ones that crave complete silence: Vanessa Winters circling a major scale chorus of “Woahs” at the climax of “Long Drive Home,” as if she is Ariel, and her voice would make the covetous sea witch, Ursula, lurk in doorways.
When they hit the wood on Friday, The Lawsuits turned the world with a rapid fire run-through of shout-along songs. Rhythm men Josh Friedmen and Brendan Cunningham, along with the effects palette of guitarist Joe Bissiri, kept things tight with few breaks and seamless transitions between songs that called to mind the slick sonic segues of Sam Cooke’s Live at the Harlem Square Club.
Part ballad, part blues, part musical, part Motown, part hit, part history; this is Americana, Lawsuits-style. Put it all together, and you’ll discover Americana is it’s core: prolific and diverse, pioneers carting keepsakes of an old world.
Katie Frank & The Pheromones
As winter continues to pile on oppressive layer after vengeful layer of snow, a new Katie Frank record keeps you focused on summer. The very best days of summer. Katie Frank’s new album Counting Your Curses has the feel of late August: the dog days are over; the harvest is near. One last beach trip. Pennant races. Counting Your Curses is youthful enough to lift your spirits, and mature enough to respect the seasons it took to ripen. At her record release, Katie Frank showed why she is becoming a force to be reckoned with in the Philadelphia scene.
With a cast of familiar characters, (she was joined by Killen on guitar and The Lawsuits’ Joe Bissiri on bass,) Katie Frank and the Pheromones shined as the night’s headliner. What really struck me about Frank is her ability to shift between band member and frontwoman. With her cutaway Martin in hand, the Pheromones are tight unit, and Katie Frank is reminiscent of Lydia Loveless or Grace Potter. In this role, she is one of the Pheromones, her right hand strumming in time with the hi-hat; she chooses not to stand out, but to blend in. The effect is a communal experience, each member feeding off of each other, the vibe becoming infectious.
As the set evolves, so does Frank. She sits her guitar down, and suddenly transforms herself into a star. She commands the mic and the stage like Grace Slick or Stevie Nicks; and in these moments, the band ignites. Katie is the spark to the flame; her energy is enough to nourish the soul of a hungry band, and enough to warm a February crowd with a summer’s worth of songs.
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