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February 26-March 3, 2004
musicpicks
Country rock
"This campaign sort of posthumously chose Johnny Cash as its poster boy," says David Stone. "But I think it's an idea he would have approved of." Stone is talking about the fledgling group Save the Roots, which will spend the better part of 2004 raising money for a Philly fall music and arts festival celebrating everything from Cajun and bluegrass music to the Native American powwow. Tomorrow night, Stone -- a.k.a. The Man in Black, a Cash look-alike and tribute artist -- will be one of a half-dozen local acts taking to The Khyber stage for Save the Roots' fundraising kickoff, a belated commemoration of what would have been Cash's 72nd birthday.
The performers each plan to cover a handful of his tunes with minimal overlap. A true pro at playing Johnny -- his first prison gig is set for June in upstate New York -- Stone and his three-piece group will perform a variety of numbers in the drum-free "Sun Sessions" format, although such strict authenticity isn't necessarily the rule of the evening. Singer/songwriter Betsy Spivak says her group The Down Low Kissers will subtly interpret their selections via piano and upright bass. "We're the only woman-fronted band up there, so I wanted to choose the songs Johnny wrote with June Carter Cash, like "Long Black Veil'," she says. "They're the songs I fell in love with."
The six bands will play between five and 10 songs apiece, meaning setup may outlast set time given that the average Cash song clocks in at two and a half minutes. Still, Scott Vitt of Asteroid #4 says his band is rocking the more obscure jailhouse cuts like "Orleans Parish Prison" for the sake of their succinct brilliance. "As a musician, you know how simple the songs are, but you don't realize how great they are until you start playing them," he says. "The restraint the band needed to have so Johnny could tell the story -- it's really like less is more."
Fri., Feb. 27, 9 p.m., $7, with Cisco Jeeters, The Man in Black, Asteroid #4, Rifle Choir, International Brotherhood of Fishtown Ball Washers and Betsy Spivak and The Down Low Kissers, The Khyber, 56 S. Second St., 215-238-5888.
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February 26-March 3, 2004
musicpicks
Country rock
"This campaign sort of posthumously chose Johnny Cash as its poster boy," says David Stone. "But I think it's an idea he would have approved of." Stone is talking about the fledgling group Save the Roots, which will spend the better part of 2004 raising money for a Philly fall music and arts festival celebrating everything from Cajun and bluegrass music to the Native American powwow. Tomorrow night, Stone -- a.k.a. The Man in Black, a Cash look-alike and tribute artist -- will be one of a half-dozen local acts taking to The Khyber stage for Save the Roots' fundraising kickoff, a belated commemoration of what would have been Cash's 72nd birthday.
The performers each plan to cover a handful of his tunes with minimal overlap. A true pro at playing Johnny -- his first prison gig is set for June in upstate New York -- Stone and his three-piece group will perform a variety of numbers in the drum-free "Sun Sessions" format, although such strict authenticity isn't necessarily the rule of the evening. Singer/songwriter Betsy Spivak says her group The Down Low Kissers will subtly interpret their selections via piano and upright bass. "We're the only woman-fronted band up there, so I wanted to choose the songs Johnny wrote with June Carter Cash, like "Long Black Veil'," she says. "They're the songs I fell in love with."
The six bands will play between five and 10 songs apiece, meaning setup may outlast set time given that the average Cash song clocks in at two and a half minutes. Still, Scott Vitt of Asteroid #4 says his band is rocking the more obscure jailhouse cuts like "Orleans Parish Prison" for the sake of their succinct brilliance. "As a musician, you know how simple the songs are, but you don't realize how great they are until you start playing them," he says. "The restraint the band needed to have so Johnny could tell the story -- it's really like less is more."
Fri., Feb. 27, 9 p.m., $7, with Cisco Jeeters, The Man in Black, Asteroid #4, Rifle Choir, International Brotherhood of Fishtown Ball Washers and Betsy Spivak and The Down Low Kissers, The Khyber, 56 S. Second St., 215-238-5888.
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February 26-March 3, 2004
musicpicks
Country rock
"This campaign sort of posthumously chose Johnny Cash as its poster boy," says David Stone. "But I think it's an idea he would have approved of." Stone is talking about the fledgling group Save the Roots, which will spend the better part of 2004 raising money for a Philly fall music and arts festival celebrating everything from Cajun and bluegrass music to the Native American powwow. Tomorrow night, Stone -- a.k.a. The Man in Black, a Cash look-alike and tribute artist -- will be one of a half-dozen local acts taking to The Khyber stage for Save the Roots' fundraising kickoff, a belated commemoration of what would have been Cash's 72nd birthday.
The performers each plan to cover a handful of his tunes with minimal overlap. A true pro at playing Johnny -- his first prison gig is set for June in upstate New York -- Stone and his three-piece group will perform a variety of numbers in the drum-free "Sun Sessions" format, although such strict authenticity isn't necessarily the rule of the evening. Singer/songwriter Betsy Spivak says her group The Down Low Kissers will subtly interpret their selections via piano and upright bass. "We're the only woman-fronted band up there, so I wanted to choose the songs Johnny wrote with June Carter Cash, like "Long Black Veil'," she says. "They're the songs I fell in love with."
The six bands will play between five and 10 songs apiece, meaning setup may outlast set time given that the average Cash song clocks in at two and a half minutes. Still, Scott Vitt of Asteroid #4 says his band is rocking the more obscure jailhouse cuts like "Orleans Parish Prison" for the sake of their succinct brilliance. "As a musician, you know how simple the songs are, but you don't realize how great they are until you start playing them," he says. "The restraint the band needed to have so Johnny could tell the story -- it's really like less is more."
Fri., Feb. 27, 9 p.m., $7, with Cisco Jeeters, The Man in Black, Asteroid #4, Rifle Choir, International Brotherhood of Fishtown Ball Washers and Betsy Spivak and The Down Low Kissers, The Khyber, 56 S. Second St., 215-238-5888.
-- Respond to this article in our Forums -- click to jump there
February 26-March 3, 2004
musicpicks
Country rock
"This campaign sort of posthumously chose Johnny Cash as its poster boy," says David Stone. "But I think it's an idea he would have approved of." Stone is talking about the fledgling group Save the Roots, which will spend the better part of 2004 raising money for a Philly fall music and arts festival celebrating everything from Cajun and bluegrass music to the Native American powwow. Tomorrow night, Stone -- a.k.a. The Man in Black, a Cash look-alike and tribute artist -- will be one of a half-dozen local acts taking to The Khyber stage for Save the Roots' fundraising kickoff, a belated commemoration of what would have been Cash's 72nd birthday.
The performers each plan to cover a handful of his tunes with minimal overlap. A true pro at playing Johnny -- his first prison gig is set for June in upstate New York -- Stone and his three-piece group will perform a variety of numbers in the drum-free "Sun Sessions" format, although such strict authenticity isn't necessarily the rule of the evening. Singer/songwriter Betsy Spivak says her group The Down Low Kissers will subtly interpret their selections via piano and upright bass. "We're the only woman-fronted band up there, so I wanted to choose the songs Johnny wrote with June Carter Cash, like "Long Black Veil'," she says. "They're the songs I fell in love with."
The six bands will play between five and 10 songs apiece, meaning setup may outlast set time given that the average Cash song clocks in at two and a half minutes. Still, Scott Vitt of Asteroid #4 says his band is rocking the more obscure jailhouse cuts like "Orleans Parish Prison" for the sake of their succinct brilliance. "As a musician, you know how simple the songs are, but you don't realize how great they are until you start playing them," he says. "The restraint the band needed to have so Johnny could tell the story -- it's really like less is more."
Fri., Feb. 27, 9 p.m., $7, with Cisco Jeeters, The Man in Black, Asteroid #4, Rifle Choir, International Brotherhood of Fishtown Ball Washers and Betsy Spivak and The Down Low Kissers, The Khyber, 56 S. Second St., 215-238-5888.
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February 26-March 3, 2004
musicpicks
Country rock
"This campaign sort of posthumously chose Johnny Cash as its poster boy," says David Stone. "But I think it's an idea he would have approved of." Stone is talking about the fledgling group Save the Roots, which will spend the better part of 2004 raising money for a Philly fall music and arts festival celebrating everything from Cajun and bluegrass music to the Native American powwow. Tomorrow night, Stone -- a.k.a. The Man in Black, a Cash look-alike and tribute artist -- will be one of a half-dozen local acts taking to The Khyber stage for Save the Roots' fundraising kickoff, a belated commemoration of what would have been Cash's 72nd birthday.
The performers each plan to cover a handful of his tunes with minimal overlap. A true pro at playing Johnny -- his first prison gig is set for June in upstate New York -- Stone and his three-piece group will perform a variety of numbers in the drum-free "Sun Sessions" format, although such strict authenticity isn't necessarily the rule of the evening. Singer/songwriter Betsy Spivak says her group The Down Low Kissers will subtly interpret their selections via piano and upright bass. "We're the only woman-fronted band up there, so I wanted to choose the songs Johnny wrote with June Carter Cash, like "Long Black Veil'," she says. "They're the songs I fell in love with."
The six bands will play between five and 10 songs apiece, meaning setup may outlast set time given that the average Cash song clocks in at two and a half minutes. Still, Scott Vitt of Asteroid #4 says his band is rocking the more obscure jailhouse cuts like "Orleans Parish Prison" for the sake of their succinct brilliance. "As a musician, you know how simple the songs are, but you don't realize how great they are until you start playing them," he says. "The restraint the band needed to have so Johnny could tell the story -- it's really like less is more."
Fri., Feb. 27, 9 p.m., $7, with Cisco Jeeters, The Man in Black, Asteroid #4, Rifle Choir, International Brotherhood of Fishtown Ball Washers and Betsy Spivak and The Down Low Kissers, The Khyber, 56 S. Second St., 215-238-5888.
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