Halestorm "Haleidays" show

Lzzy Hale of Halestorm, Copyright Pete Troshak

Halestorm 

Electric Factory

Philadelphia, PA

12/27/2012

Halestorm returned to one of their home bases, Philadelphia, on Friday for the first time since they got nominated for a Grammy award. The group thrilled a packed house at The Electric Factory with a staggering two and a half hour, 29 song mega-set. It was one of a handful of special “Haleiday” shows they are playing during the holiday season. The show consisted two sets – a “light” acoustic set and a “dark” electric set.

The acoustic segment opened with the band all in white, sitting on stools in a row. Lzzy Hale (in a white flowing dress!) playing piano, Joe Hottinger on acoustic guitar, Josh Smith on bass and Arejay Hale playing percussion on a white wooden board. The band played some of their ballads and quieter numbers and three killer covers – “All I Wanna Do Is Make Love To You” by Heart, “You Shook Me All Night Long” by AC/DC and “Gold Dust Woman” by Fleetwood Mac. The highlight of this set was Lzzy Hale alone at center stage, playing an acoustic guitar and singing “Hate It When You See Me Cry” – a B-side from the deluxe version of the album – while brother Arejay watched from the wings. Hale explained that she didn’t expect the positive reaction she received from the people who she let hear the song when she first recorded it, and that those reactions opened her up to writing more songs like it which ended up on the record. The “light” set closed with Lzzy again on piano playing the slow beautiful “Break In” to a spellbound crowd.
After a short break, the band returned to the stage for their electric set wearing their usual rocker garb, with Lzzy in a leather mini-skirt and jacket. The group opened their second set by tearing into “Mz. Hyde,” “Love Bites (So Do I)” and “Freak Like Me” taking the energy of the room to another level and not letting it down for fourteen more songs. Highlights included a stomping chant-along to the rarely played “Daughters of Darkness” and a cruching version of their signature song “It’s Not You.” They performed a hammering version of Skid Row’s “Slave to the Grind,” but the best cover of the night was a slashing, wailing cover of Judas Priest’s “Dissident Aggressor” with Lzzy ripping up the stage Halford style. They closed out with a pounding “I Get Off” and then encored with “Here’s To Us” and “I Miss The Misery” leaving every ounce of energy they had on stage and sending a smiling exhausted crowd out into a wintry night.

See my pics from the show here

Edit this setlist | More Halestorm setlists

Royal Thunder @ The Trocadero Theatre

Royal Thunder, Copyright Pete Troshak

Trocadero
Philadelphia, PA
12/16/12

Royal Thunder played a half hour set opening for Monster Magnet and showed why they should be the main event and not a supporting act. They opened strong with “Parsonz Curse, ” a lumbering descent into darkness that would’ve sounded at home on the first Black Sabbath LP. From there they alternated some of their shorter thrashier numbers with the longer dark songs, one of the highlights being the throbbing “Whispering World,” with throbbing bass and wailing vocals provided by powerful vocalist Mlny Parsonz. Parsonz is worth the price of admission alone – a rumbling bass player and an intense vocalist able to switch from hard to soft in a moment with a unique beautiful but rough voice. The band closed with the powerful, shifting “Blue,” a seven minute emotional and musical rollercoaster ride and then left the stage quietly, having made their statement.


See more Royal Thunder pics here.

Epica @ The Trocadero Theatre, Philadelphia, PA

Simone Simons of Epica, Copyright Pete Troshak

Trocadero Theater
Philadelphia, PA
10/25/12


Epica’s music is built on contrasts. Classical influences and the operatic soaring mezzo-soprano voice of Simone Simons vs. the rough growling vocals of guitarist/singer Mark Jansen and the band’s relentless, pounding riffs and rhythms. The band was tight and powerful, rattling the grand old building with a display of roaring metal thunder. Simons’ voice was in excellent form as usual, soaring sweet above the din to the roof of the one hundred forty year old venue and rolling out over the crowd in emotional waves.

The band kick-started their 80 minute set with the twisting and turning “Monopoly on Truth”, a new track that represents the light and shade of the band as well as anything in their catalog. They followed with ten more tracks of roller coaster highs and lows, hitting on selections from all five albums. The main set ended on with an explosive duo – a stirring rendition of “Sancta Terra” immediately followed by their first single, “The Phantom Agony”, which sacrificed no power despite being a decade old. They returned for the encore with the fantastic new “Storm the Sorrow” and followed it up with the gypsy tinged “Quietus” and finishing with a crushing “Consign to Oblivion”. It was a fitting end to a epic show that proved that the band’s name is more than just a name, it’s a goal they aim for and hit.

See more of my pics here

Setlist:

Monopoly on Truth
Sensorium
Unleashed
Martyr of the Free Word
The Obsessive Devotion
Cry for the Moon
Sancta Terra
The Phantom Agony

Encore:
Storm the Sorrow
Quietus
Consign to Oblivion

The Greatest

I was fortunate enough to be sent to photograph and write about Muhammad Ali receiving a Liberty Medal in Philadelphia.

my thoughts - http://www.phawker.com/2012/09/14/sidewalking-the-greatest/

And the most touching moment of the night, a moment between father and daughter...

Longwood Gardens featuring Lights by Bruce Munro

more pics - http://www.flickr.com/photos/petryfrompa/sets/72157631140324126/

Carnival of Madness Tour 2012 @ House Of Blues in Atlantic City, NJ

Amy Lee from Evanescence, Copyright Pete Troshak

Carnival of Madness Tour
House of Blues
Atlantic City, NJ
08/03/2012

When you think of the word Carnival what comes to mind? Fun? Rides? Death defying feats? Displays of power and skill? Bright lights and a big show in the big top? All of this and more was on display at Friday Nights Carnival of Madness stop at the House of Blues in Atlantic City, NJ.

The Carnival of Madness tour is now in it’s third year, and is becoming one of “the” tours to catch each year with it’s mouthwatering line-up of hard rock and alternative rock bands. Previous tours have included Shinedown, Puddle of Mudd, Sevendust, Theory of a Deadman, Black Stone Cherry and Alter Bridge.

This year’s line-up keeps up the high pedigree of previous years with Evanescence, Chevelle, Halestorm, Cavo and New Medicine on the bill.

New Medicine, Copyright Pete Troshak

Opening band New Medicine started the Carnival off with a taste of fun with a short set. A high energy, balls to the wall rock group with attitude and great stage presence, their music aggressive but entertaining with a solid groove and big hooks and sing-a-long choruses. They were the perfect band to kick off this party, with tunes like “American Wasted” but they also stopped to show a deeper, more sensitive side with the song “Little Sister” written by singer Jake Scherer about the loss of his sister. See New Medicine pics here.

Cavo, Copyright Pete Troshak

Cavo followed with a different, darker vibe bringing balance to the Carnival. Their music: hard-hitting soaring anthemic rock roller coaster rides, almost cinematic and emotional but still entertaining. Singer Casey Walker’s steely gaze kept the crowd’s attention where it belonged while guitar player Chris Hobbs was acrobatic both in his stage moves and his playing. Highlights were their performances of “Thick as Thieves” and “Circles” from their current album. See more Cavo pics here.

Lzzy Hale of Halestorm, Copyright Pete Troshak

Halestorm was the next act to perform for the carnival goers. Three members of the monochrome clad group took their positions and then guitarist/singer Lzzy Hale shot out to center stage as if launched from a cannon, as brother and drummer Arejay Hale counted out the opening beats to the pulse pounding, explosive lead track from their current album “Love Bites (And So Do I)”. The group followed that with “Mz Hyde” and live staple “It’s Not You”, taking the energy in the room to a new high. The group made the most of it’s time on stage squeezing in five more songs and a cool short drum solo before delivering a bone-crunching version of “I Get Off” and to help keep the party going, recent song “Here’s To Us”, a tune about love, life and togetherness.

Where are the death defying feats you ask? They were handled by Halestorm drummer Arejay Hale, who at the end of their set crowd surfed all the way to the back of the venue and then returned a sweaty, triumphant half-naked warrior mess through the crowd, freely giving out hugs high-fives and handshakes to anyone who approached him.

See more Halestorm pics here

Setlist:
Love Bites (So Do I)
Mz. Hyde
It’s Not You
Freak Like Me
Familiar Taste of Poison
Rock Show
You Call Me a Bitch Like It’s a Bad Thing
I Miss the Misery
I Get Off
Here’s to Us

Chevelle, Copyright Pete Troshak

Chevelle followed, pummeling the crowd to a delusional state with their circular, proggy metal while a massive menacing statue of a bull stood watch from the back of the stage. Their track “Send The Pain Below” has the line “much like suffocating”, this accurately describes the raw power and skill of Chevelle live as you feel the weight of their sound pinning you with its horns and the desperation and angst in singer Pete Loeffler’s voice – while his brother Sam works away hidden and thundering behind a metal industrial mass of drums and bassist Dean Bernardini slaps and rumbles on bass. They close out their long set with “Send The Pain Below”, old favorite “The Red” and current title track “Hats Off To The Bull”.

See more Chevelle pics here

Setlist:
Face To The Floor
Sleep Apnea
The Clincher
The Meddler
Jars
Get Some
I Get It
Piñata
Forfeit
Send The Pain Below
The Red
Hats Off To The Bull

Amy Lee of Evanescence, Copyright Pete Troshak

And after that, finally in the big top, the main event of the carnival, Evanescence. Circus headmistress Amy Lee stormed the stage like a fierce woman warrior and claimed it for her own. The amazing stage presence of Lee and her singing and piano prowess and the raw emotion of her vocals cut through the defense and  souls of the crowd, reminding them of lost love and pain and giving them release.

The rest of the band is a precision machine, nailing the emotional twists and turns of the music with ease and perfection, leaving no doubt that they are the definitive lineup. Terry Balsamo and Troy McLawhorn handle the guitar duties meting out crushing riffs or stinging pain drenched solos as needed. Bass player Tim Mc Cord holds down the low end and Will Hunt pounds the drums hard as anyone in the business, while frequently twirling and tossing his drumsticks between beats.
Amy Lee - Carnival of Madness, Atlantic City August 3rd 2012
The band took the crowd on a journey throughout the 18 song set, covering songs from all three albums and one surprise. It’s hard to pick highlights, but the pulsating opener “What You Want”, a cathartic rendition of “Lost In Paradise” and a beautiful and fragile but powerful version of “Lithium” stick out. The main set closes with “Bring Me To Life”, different in that it’s stripped of the male counter vocals of the original version, but still as powerful as the day it was released.
The band returns for two songs, a surprise in the form of the excellent rocker “Disappear” – a B-Side from the current album, and a haunting “My Immortal”. After that it’s light’s out, the Carnival is over, and the crowd leaves happy and satisfied hoping that it returns next year.

See more Evanescence pics here

Setlist:
What You Want
Going Under
The Other Side
Weight of the World
Made of Stone
Lithium
Lost in Paradise
My Heart Is Broken
Sick
The Change
Whisper
Your Star
Call Me When You’re Sober
Imaginary
Never Go Back
Bring Me To Life

Encore:
Disappear
My Immortal

Back From the Dead - Garbage 5/25/12

Garbage

House of Blues

Atlantic City

5/25/12

Beyonce wasn’t the only one making a comeback in Atlantic City (NJ) this weekend, rock band Garbage thrilled an enthusiastic crowd at Showboat’s House of Blues on Friday, helping to kick off the holiday weekend with a bang.

The band released an excellent new album last week, Not Your Kind of People, and is on the road playing intimate venues to get warmed up after a seven year touring hiatus.

Scottish vixen Shirley Manson, with a powerful voice can that still go from cool purr to fiery growl in seconds, prowled the stage like an angry jungle cat telling tales of stupid girls and bad boyfriends,  while legendary producer and talented drummer Butch Vig thumped and thundered behind her.  The two other founding members, Duke Erikson and Steve Marker, capably split guitar duties, spraying and lasering the crowd with riffs and bursts of guitar brilliance.

The twenty-one song career spanning setlist was heavy on material from their breakthrough first album but included a few cuts from each stop in their career and movie songs “#1 Crush” and James Bond theme “The World Is Not Enough”. The group is no nostalgia act though, their new material is as powerful as their old – current single “Blood For Poppies”, the desperate, careening “Man on a Wire” and throbbing, rumbling encore starter “Automatic Systematic Habit” all showed that the band is as vital now as when their career started eighteen years ago. Fittingly they finished off the frenzied crowd with a knockout punch - the powerful “Vow” from their debut album, a scorned lover’s promise to “come back from the dead” to settle unfinished business. Garbage is back. 


pete974@aol.com


sadly I was unable to obtain clearance from the band's press to photo them in time for the show, you can check out my other work:


see my photography work here


see my other music writing here

Hot fun in the summertime - WMMR BBQ 2012

WMMR BBQ

Camden, NJ 

5/20/12

Philadelphia radio institution 93.3 WMMR held their annual summer kick-off BBQ concert in Camden on Sunday, a yearly tradition which this year had more Pennsylvania flavor by including Red Lion hard rockers Halestorm,  who are making noise and getting notice with their outstanding new album , The Strange Case of...

Lzzy Hale by P. Troshak

Singer/guitarist Lzzy Hale was a guitar carrying tornado in white – she hit the stage running , took no prisoners and ripped the place up - showcasing her powerful singing and guitar playing while her talented brother Arejay rolled and thundered on drums. Lead guitarist Joe Hottinger wailed and bass player Josh Smith held down the low end.

Lzzy Hale by P. Troshak

The band came out guns blazing – first firing off the blistering four lead tracks from their current album, one bullet after another - and following them up with some new and old songs including live highlight "It's Not You", which got a loud appreciative reaction from the hot afternoon festival crowd. They closed with new song "Here's To Us" - a song about memories, life and brotherhood perfect for a sunny afternoon Philly party with friends.

Slash by P. Troshak

Also on the bill, a man who only needs one name for an introduction:  Slash. The guitar legend performed a crowd energizing set at the event with  Alter Bridge singer Myles Kennedy, including songs from their just dropped album, a Velvet Revolver song – the slow burning, explosive "Slither", which got one of the biggest pops from the crowd all day - and of course, three Guns N' Roses songs - "Nightrain", "Paradise City", and "Sweet Child O' Mine". Kennedy was impressive, handling the material with a style all his own, obviously not intimidated by having to sing songs originally done by Axl and Weiland. Slash's playing was nimble and electrifying as always, bringing roars from the crowd who remembered many summers past with those anthems.

Myles Kennedy by P. Troshak

Other groups on the bill – Pop Evil, Adelitas Way, Shinedown, Godsmack, Steel Panther

See more pics here

See the rest of my photos here

See my writing here

Pete974@aol.com

"The rules I break got me a place up on the radar.."

Santigold at the Trocadero

Philadelphia, PA 

5/8/12

On Tuesday night at the Trocadero, Philly born singer Santigold proved that you can go home again, kicking off her tour with a triumphant show in front of a raucous hometown crowd. She might reside in New York now, but her heart and soul are pure Philadelphia.

The tour is in support of her strong second album, Master of My Make-Believe,  Santigold's first album in four years.  Her music is a stew of different elements; punk rock, reggae, dance, dub, pop and rap elements swirl through her work, sometimes all in one song. Where her debut solo album was the kind of album you might put on at a party, her current record is lyrically deeper and has more of a driving around late at night kind of vibe.  Standout tracks include “Go”, “Disparate Youth”, “Big Mouth”, and “The Keepers”.

Santigold and her band -two dancers, two multi-instrumentalists and a drummer - hit the stage dressed like a high school spirit squad and immediately turned the Troc into a grooving, sweaty, mess of a dancehall with their skittering beats, dubby bass and shrapnel guitar. Santigold can flow with the best of them on the mic and she seemed genuinely moved by the love she received from the crowd. The energy she received, multiplied and sent back out threatened to blow the roof off the hundred and forty year old plus building, taking the show to another level.

Seamlessly mixing old and new tracks and keeping the party going for an hour and a half, the band and the crowd both couldn’t stop dancing and grooving. It’s hard to pick out one highlight but the coolest moment was when she allowed fifty or so audience members to join her on stage to dance and sing along with her to “Creator”, a true Philly moment of love and togetherness and beautiful chaos.

visit Santigold's site to sign up for the mailing list and get a free download 

see the published version of this article on Phawker.com here

see more of my pics of Santigold here and my other pics here 

Willie Nelson - Keswick Theatre - 5/6/12

Forget what you know about Willie Nelson.

Sure, you know him as a musician, and probably associate certain things with that name:  a guy who loves pot, once owed a lot of money to the IRS, makes funny commercials and cameos in movies and tv shows.

Who is he really though?

Nelson was born in 1933 during the Great Depression. He was performing with bands and playing before he was a teen and by his late 20's he had become a successful songwriter. He wrote a little song called "Crazy" which made a legend out of Patsy Cline in 1961, and then spent the next fifty plus years defining and redefining songwriting and music. Nelson has created an influential body of work, mainly country but often mixing genres - taking recent detours through blues and reggae, but always sounding like Willie.

Nelson is an icon, an outlaw, a cowboy, a fierce guitar player and nuanced singer, a great songwriter, a larger than life character who seems hewn from a piece of granite. He is still out on the road most of the time at age 79, outperforming many people a quarter of his age.

Using imagery from one of his best albums (1996's Spirit), Nelson is like an old grizzled matador who refuses to cede the ring because he knows he can still battle and because it's the only life he knows.

A more apt comparison might be to that of a wily old boxer (like Philly icon Bernard Hopkins), who gets knocked down a lot, but always gets back up swinging and wins more than his share of fights. Nelson hasn't stayed down on the mat or off the road long in his 72 years of performing, and he showed on Sunday night at the Keswick Theatre that he is still a champion.

Nelson's voice, while weathered, is still strong and memorable. His unique guitar playing - short staccato bursts of notes, with a strong Spanish/Classical influence - remains powerful as ever. Nelson and his crack band mixed classics, some deep cuts and a few recent songs to the delight of a packed house for almost two hours. The crowd listened carefully to the old master and between songs erupted in applause, letting Nelson know he was deeply revered and appreciated.

Highlights: "Still is Still Moving To Me", "Always On My Mind", "Angel Flying Too Close To The Ground", a medley of "Funny How Time Slips Away/Crazy/Nightlife" and late in the set a showstopper – a brilliant, epic "Ou Es-Tu, Mon Amour?/I Never Cared for You" (from 1998’s overlooked Teatro), showing that this gunslinger still has a lot of bullets left.

Go see him if you get the chance, you will find him in his home - out on the road.

Thanks to the Keswick Theatre for putting on the show, it's a wonderful venue, check it out here

PS -this review was published in a slightly edited form, due to space and the beginning overlapping with a previous post, on the website phawker.com, see the published version here

Sadly I was unable to get clearance to take photos from Willie's reps in time before the show, you can see my other photo work here

See my review and pics of Greg Lake's recent Keswick Show here.

Sadgiqacea (sad-juh-kay-sha)

Sadgiqacea live at the Level Room
Philadelphia, PA  4/21/12

I think the most significant music is a reflection of the time it is produced in. Sadgiqacea was formed in 2010. Think about the turmoil in the world in the last few years. War. Financial Ruin. Violence. Natural Disasters. Energy Crisis. Strange Weather Patterns. Recession...

Sadgiqacea mirrors that turmoil. They are a thunderous wave crashing on the shores of your mind. A pounding underground metal two-piece - guitar and drums with vocals that howl like a tortured soul crying out while teetering on the edge of the abyss. Long movements of music; dense, textured, cinematic, veering from melodic to thrashing.

.
How would I describe their sound conventionally? A little of: Mastodon, Slayer, a sludgier Black Sabbath (think peak Ozzy years - Sabotage and Sabbath Bloody Sabbath), Ride the Lightning-era Metallica and the works of H.P. Lovecraft all thrown in a cauldron and boiled to create something new and different.

I was impressed with their recordings, but live they are even more of a beast than on record. They are like two horsemen riding into town, frantically trying to warn you of the Apocalypse but knowing they are too late to save you. They will be on tour across the U.S. this summer, see them.

See more pics here

Check them out here or on Facebook

Sadgiqacea are on Anthropic Records

Welcome Back, My Friends, to the Show That Never Ends...

Greg Lake Live at the Keswick Theatre
Glenside, PA 4/19/12

Greg Lake is an important figure in the history of rock music. He was part of
the genesis of the mysterious, powerful King Crimson, then starred as a member
of the hugely popular supergroup Emerson, Lake and Palmer (ELP for short) and
then went on to solo success in subsequent years.

Lake is about to release his autobiography and was on a solo storytelling tour called
"Songs of a Lifetime" when I caught his show in the beautiful Keswick Theatre in
Glenside, PA

Lake was a veritable one man band, playing bass, acoustic and electric guitar or keyboards depending on what instrument was needed to bring each song to life the best. He spent a lot of time talking to the crowd between songs about what influenced their creation.

He played a first set, heavy on material from the first King Crimson album, then had a Question and Answer session taking random questions from the audience, then finishing off with a second set heavy on ELP material.


I won't spoil all the surprises in case you get to see the show in person. But I will tell you the highlight of the first set was an epic medley of "Epitaph/In the Court of the Crimson King", Lake's rendition of these two songs from 1969's In the Court of the Crimson King is truly stunning and worth the price of admission alone. The highlight of the second set was a beautiful "C'est La Vie",  as years of life and experience brought a gravity to the song changing it forever - no longer a young man's shrug but now an older man's lament.

The Question and Answer segment was fascinating, Lake took questions from the audience for about 20 minutes, covering every part of his career. The discussion was funny, touching and informative and helped make the event unique; no night's questions would be the same, so those present might be the only one to hear certain stories or answers.

Besides his own music, the night was also a history of rock and roll. Lake talked about some of the universal influences - Elvis, The Beatles, Hendrix - covering a song by each of them and explaining how he had crossed paths with them during his life or career.

Lake was the ultimate host; humorous, sharing, open. He seemed to truly love connecting with the audience in a small and intimate place and the crowd hung on his every word. I hope he continues this tour in some form and that if you are a fan of his music or rock in general you get to see it.

See more of my pics here

Check out Greg Lake's site and merchandise

Buy his solo music here, ELP here, In the Court of the Crimson King here

Check out the historic Keswick Theatre

"everything you love will burn up in the light"

-The Pretty Reckless. The Medicine Tour. 

  Live at the TLA, Philadelphia, PA 4/12/12

The Pretty Reckless' 18 year old singer Taylor Momsen turned her back on an acting career to follow her heart and focus her energy on making music and touring. She made a good decision.

Momsen and her band hit the stage on Philadelphia hard and loud,  launching with the stomping-throwback-dinosaur riffage of "Hit Me Like a Man" and blitzing through a dozen songs in an hour, closing with an acoustic/electric version of "Nothing Left to Lose" sending the crowd home sweaty, partially deaf and smiling.

The Pretty Reckless' music is hard rock all the way, influenced equally by 70's riff rock and 80's and 90's alternative and metal with the occasional ballad. The band is solid live, cranking out riffs and finding a very loud groove and riding it.

Momsen is the center of attention though; a prowling, strutting, shimmying force of nature who is frequently a blur of gangly limbs and and flailing blond hair. Momsen possesses an amazing voice seemingly born from a lot of late nights, cigarettes and alcohol, able to switch from throaty purr to angry growl depending on the story she is telling in each song. 

The performance was tight and energetic, just long enough to satisfy but still leave you wanting more on their next visit. Momsen and her mates bear watching, they have released one album last year and an EP before this tour and hopefully more in the near future.

see more pics here

setlist - Hit Me Like a Man / Since You're Gone / Zombie / Miss Nothing / 

Just Tonight / Goin' Down / Cold Blooded / Aerials (System of a Down cover) / 

My Medicine/ Makes Me Wanna Die / Factory Girl - (encore) Nothing Left to Lose 

"sound is the blood between me and you"

Wild Flag at the Trocadero, Philadelphia, PA 4/3/12

(Mary Timony)

Wild Flag are a group of respected alt/indie rock all-stars who combined have thirty plus albums to their credits. The group is comprised of former members of Helium, The Minders and Sleater-Kinney, among others.

I could spend paragraphs delving into their past. But what is most important is what they are doing now.

(Mary Timony and Carrie Brownstein)

Wild Flag features the twin guitar attack of Mary Timony and Carrie Brownstein, Rebecca cole on keyboards and Janet Weiss on drums. Yeah, no bass, but they don't need it.

Their music stirs together elements of psychedelia, new wave and punk ending up in a sound reminiscent of Television's Marquee Moon and White Light/White Heat era Velvet Underground but still forging a unique style and sound all it's own. 

Their debut album, Wild Flag, came out last year and is strong from start to finish. Standout tracks - "Romance", "Boom", "Short Version", "Future Crimes"

(Janet Weiss)

Live, Wild Flag soars. Timony and Brownstein sing and duel on guitar, Cole adds depth and a swirling psychedelic tinge on keyboards and Weiss powers the engine - one of the best and perhaps most overlooked drummers in rock music, she can go from jazzy 

rock to Bonham-esque thunder in a split second.

(Rebecca Cole)

Pick up the album and go see them if you get the chance, you will not be sorry.

See more of my pics here

Wild Flag is on Merge Records

See them on Facebook

Sample and buy their stuff on Amazon

The Mothership flies again - Zoso at the Keswick Theatre

There's something magical about Led Zeppelin. Their music left a mark on people who grew up in the 70's and has remained revered and relevant to subsequent generations who weren't even around when the band disbanded in 1980.

Despite the band being broken up for 30 years, there is still a hunger for Led Zeppelin. People who saw them would love to relive the experience, and those like myself who were too young wish they could see the band in it's heyday. We have the albums and videos and pictures to keep the memory alive, but there is nothing quite like a live performance to feed that musical hunger.

Into that void steps Zoso. Four very talented musicians who try to recreate the experience of a Zeppelin show, working hard to get the details right down to the correct clothes and authentic instruments that the band used. They tour the country playing small venues so people can experience what a Zep show would've been like up close.

But all those details and that authenticity don't mean anything if you can't deliver. When Zoso nailed the complicated, roller coaster juggernaut that is "Achilles Last Stand" as their second number, I knew that they could deliver the goods.

Two hours plus later, after finishing their main set with a perfect, stunning "Stairway to Heaven" and following that up with a crushing "Kashmir" and "Whole Lotta Love", I just wanted to thank them for letting me get a glimpse of what it would've been like to see Zep in their prime.

Go see them if you have the chance...

The pics are of Zoso, see more of my pics here.

For more info on the band/tour dates click here.

Check out the Keswick Theatre here.

Set List:

Good Times Bad Times / Achilles Last Stand / The Ocean / Heartbreaker /

Immigrant Song / Black Dog / Since I Been Loving You / No Quarter /

Going to California / Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp / Dazed And Confused /

The Song Remains The Same / Rain Song / Moby Dick / Stairway To Heaven

Encore: Kashmir / Whole Lotta Love

Philadelphia International Flower Show 2012: Hawaii

Attended the Philadelphia Flower Show today on opening day. So much beauty and so many talented people putting hours and hours into making an amazing show, it is breathtaking, go if you have the chance!

More pics here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/petryfrompa/sets/72157629512008491/

Wisdom from Lester Bangs...

" We're all stuck on this often miserable earth where life is essentially tragic, but there are glints of beauty and bedrock joy that come shining through from time to precious time to remind anybody who cares to see that there is something higher and larger than ourselves."-Lester Bangs

Best.New Years Eve. Ever.

Had an amazing time at the NHL Winter Classic Alumni Game at Citizen's Bank Park in Philadelphia on New Years Eve.

Links to my other Pics -http://www.flickr.com/photos/24750117@N06/sets/72157628658011179/