Soul
Jill Scott is coming home, and in a big way. Saturday night sees the Grammy Award winner co-headline the Wachovia Center with Maxwell in support of her upcoming The Light of the Sun. After the show, whether you’re there or not, head over to Johnny Brenda’s for the official afterparty hosted by none other than Jill Scott herself.
» More Jill Scott to host her own afterparty
Cover songs are one of the many spices of a musical life, with good reason. There's nothing like hearing a heartfelt acoustic version of a song to give it a new meaning, or even an ironic update to a kitschy old classic. JC Brooks and the Uptown Sound do neither, instead giving a new life to another, newer Chicago classic, Wilco's "I Am Trying To Break Your Heart."
» More This week in awesome covers, JC Brooks and The Uptown Sound do Wilco
It’s that time again…The Kimmel Center welcomes summer with its annual Citibank Summer Solstice Celebration. The all day, all night musical blowout features a Hip-Hop heavy line-up, indie rising stars, improv dating, returning favorite acts, a late night DJ party and much more. You are also encouraged to BYOD (Bring Your Own Drum).
Lasting from 3pm on Saturday, June 19 until dawn on Sunday, the party showcases Philly-based talent and rising stars from around the region. This year brings crowd favorites like PhillyBloco, Rennie Harris RHAW, Bob & Barbara’s Drag Show, and the sunrise drum circle, as well as new-to-the-Kimmel Center artists.
Despite the complaints you may often hear about Philadelphia's music scene, from cliquish artists to finicky venues, no one can argue with the insane amount of talent in the city. For almost two years running, one of the best showcases for that talent has been the jam sessions at Elena's Soul Lounge.
Gritty, swaggering, crazy soul singer Jamie Lidell is gearing up for the release of his new album Compass which will be released on May 20. It is the follow-up to his quite successful 2008 release JIM and is being produced by Beck.
» More Jamie Lidell releases cool new single and video
If you're a fan of classic soul and haven't heard Mayer Hawthorne, you're pretty much blowing it. To hear a white guy who looks more like Elvis Costello than Sam Cooke sing songs like "Just Ain't Gonna Work Out" and "Maybe So, Maybe No" is pretty much mind-blowing.
» More Mayer Hawthorne and Washed Out make for a good Tuesday
View galleryBilal returned to his hometown for last night’s excellent show at World Café Live. Joined by fellow Philadelphians, U. City, the incredible soul singer gave a wonderful performance that left the crowd screaming for more.
The Afro Punk Tour is making its way to Philly for a stop at South Street’s Theater of The Living Arts on October 30th. Along with it comes Saul Williams, a dynamic poet, musician and actor from New York’s mid 90s poetry scene who eventually broke into the recording industry with the help of legendary producer and Def Jam co-founder, Rick Rubin. With three albums, four books and one movie written so far, Williams has progressed and changed as an artist in a way few can claim to. In anticipation of his arrival, we spoke to him about his art and its changes over the years, his involvement with Afro Punk and even manage to pick his brain about politics for a bit.
Real, raw and beautiful. These three words provide not only a accurate description of Philly soul queen, Jaguar Wright’s music, but also a succinct snapshot of her personality. Fittingly, her upcoming EP, Beautiful, and her performance tonight at World Café Live will give fans who have been missing real music a bit of that incredible, raw talent they’ve been yearning for.
