Music

Southern Fried Goth

Need some ideas so you can slip into the musical scene this week? No monster show coming to the Philly area but here are a few interesting choices for your consideration.

Peter Murphy (Trocadero, 6/29/2008 @ 7 pm)
Here’s our “don’t miss it” pick for the week. He’s been called the Godfather of Goth among other things. Former vocalist for the Goth group (Bauhas), Peter Murphy has been doing it solo and with his bandmates for a long time now. In fact, they were one of the first groups to blend spacey recording effects with theatrical aesthetics, the sensibilities of horror films and glam rock, and toss them all into a blender to see what came out. Need a slice of solo Murphy? Try this Youtube video for starters. The song is Cuts You Up. The vocals are hypnotic and haunting at the same time. You don’t often find that combination in one set of human pipes.

Back when Trent Reznor was nothing but random thought in his parents’ pants, Murphy was rising from coffins on stage, driving a hearse known as the “Bauhearse”, and appearing in concert as a vampire.

A true rock original, don’t miss this guy.

The Black Crowes (Fillmore at the TLA, 7/2 & 3/2008)
The Black Crowes are about as far from Peter Murphy as you can get, musically speaking, and still call it rock and roll. This blues-oriented, hard rock jam band has sold more than 20 million albums, even being named by Rolling Stone magazine’s readers as the ‘Best New American Band’. They also slipped onto VH1’s list of ‘100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock’ at #92.

Remember some of the hits off their first album, Shake Your Moneymaker - “Hard to Handle,” “She Talks to Angels”, “Jealous Again”, “Twice as Hard”, and more.

After the usual rock and roll misadventures of personnel shuffling, break-ups and make-ups, the Crowes are back with a new album, tour, and a vengeance. Still rockin’. Still southern.

Here are a few other prime choices of the lesser known variety to check out if you are in need of a musical infusion.

Harry and The Potters @ First Unitarian Church on 6/29/2008

Acts of Violence @ North Star on 7/1/2008

George Stanford @ Tin Angel on 6/29/2008

Rickie Lee Jones @ Painted Bride Arts Center on 7/2/2008

Long Walk Home @ Doc Watson’s Pub on 7/3/2008

Find more Philadelphia music events on our calendar.

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