Kevin Devine and the Goddamn Band put on a damn good show at the North Star Bar

As I sit here typing this, my ears are still ringing a constant high-pitched buzz, but I don’t mind.  Any discomfort is well worth it after the mind-blowing night I just had.  I saw Kevin Devine for the fourth time, this time at the North Star Bar, and was again blown away.  It’s not just his consistently top-notch performances that left me in awe–the crowd presence was phenomenal.  I’ve seen Kevin Devine and the Goddamn Band before, but never headlining, and never at a small venue.  When I saw them open for Thrice and Brand New on previous occasions, I was really into the performance, but not everyone was.  This was different.  In this tiny room that can’t hold more than a couple hundred people, every single person was there for the same reason–to see Kevin and his band play.

If you don’t know anything about Kevin Devine, he started out as more or less a solo act.  Just a guy and his acoustic guitar, but over the course of six full length albums his music has evolved into a full band endeavor.  His most recent album, released last month, Between the Concrete and Clouds, is the first album that features the band on every song.  For the first time in his career, there’s not a single song with just Kevin and his acoustic guitar.  In my opinion, Kevin Devine is one of today’s most underrated songwriters.  His musical catalog spans genres from the acoustic folk that dominated his 2006 album, Put Your Ghost to Rest, to the full band catchy indie rock of his latest release.  His introspective, sometimes political, and richly poetic lyrics are really what made me fall in love with his music.  The literary qualities his lyrics have are hard to come by, and as a lover of literature and words, I was hooked after the first song I heard, “No Time Flat,” which he opened his set with last night.  Generally ignored by the mainstream music media, Kevin has built his fan base without much help besides his relentless touring schedule and opening for much bigger acts like Brand New, Thrice, Nada Surf, and Manchester Orchestra.  Although it’s relatively small, Kevin has an extremely dedicated fan base, as I saw first hand last night.

Shows to Check out in October

Rather than name a show or two each week, I’ve decided to give you guys all my recommendations for October at once.

10/2/11  Explosions in the Sky with The Antlers at the Tower Theatre

10/8/11  James Blake at the Trocadero

10/10/11  The Rosebuds at Johnny Brenda’s

10/13/11  Thrice with O’Brother at the Electric Factory

10/19/11  Wild Flag at the Union Transfer

10/21/11 Kevin Devine and the Goddamn Band at the North Star Bar

10/25/11  Cymbals Eat Guitars at the First Unitarian Church

These are all bands that I can attest to being well worth your time and interest.  If I mentioned the opening bands, it’s because they are also very good and worth checking out.   There are tons of other great shows this month hosted by r5 Productions that I haven’t listed here.

I recently saw the Rosebuds open for Bon Iver at the Tower Theatre.  They were absolutely awesome live and won me over right away, which is pretty hard to do when you’re there to see a band as intriguing and amazing as Bon Iver.  I’ve had the pleasure of seeing Thrice six or seven times, and can honestly say that they are one of the few bands that may actually be better live.  O’brother, Thrice’s opener, is one of the best heavy bands out there you haven’t heard of yet.  I’ve also seen Kevin Devine several times and will be attending the North Star Bar show.  Kevin Devine is an incredibly talented songwriter, and I believe he’s one of the most underrated artists around right now.   The other bands and artists I mentioned I haven’t seen live, but recommend nonetheless.

 

So, do you have any recommendations to add?  If you do, leave a comment.

Philly’s hippest new venue is now open for business

Union Transfer on opening night. Credit: xpn.org

R5 Productions, an independent production company in Philadelphia started by Sean Agnew, has finally opened the doors to its newest and nicest venue yet, The Union Transfer.  For the last decade, r5’s main location has been the basement of the First Unitarian Church, which made for an incredibly intimate experience between bands and concert-goers, but lacked air-conditioning and a decent sound system.  Located at 10th and Spring Garden, the Union Transfer was originally the home of a train depot station that is its namesake.  More recently the space was occupied by the now defunct Spaghetti Warehouse restaurant.  The new venue features multiple levels, including a balcony with multiple bars and a maximum capacity of 1,000 people, although the stage can be moved forward to provide a smaller atmosphere that will hold 600 people.  Since I’ve been attending concerts in Philly there has been a need for a venue like the Union Transfer, a place that falls between the large capacity of the Electric Factory and Theater of the Living Arts and the tiny capacity of bars such as Johnny Brenda’s.  The venue opened on Wednesday, September 21, with a sold-out headlining performance by the band, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah.  Attendees say that the venue is beautiful and has a stellar sound system.  So far, the Union Transfer has quite a few shows booked for the rest of 2011, and tickets can be bought at the venue’s box office with no additional service charges or online.  Personally, I cannot wait to attend a concert at the Union Transfer, and I think it will do wonders for Philly’s music scene.

In other Philly music news, The Trocadero has cut ties with Ticketmaster for good and will now sell tickets through TicketFly, the agency that r5 uses.  This is great news for concert-goers on a budget, like myself.  I’ve often been unable to afford tickets because of Ticketmaster’s high service charges, and I generally avoid using Ticketmaster for this reason.  TicketFly features much lower service charges, and the partnership will evidently benefit the Trocadero greatly.