Concert Pick: Valerie June at World Cafe Live 10th anniversary celebration
A decade of live music, on the west side of the Walnut Street bridge.
Once upon a time there was a World Cafe - the syndicated radio show hosted by WXPN deejay David Dye - but there was no World Cafe Live, the superb sounding West Philadelphia music venue housed in a former industrial pllumbing building that also is home to the University of Pennsylvania radio station.
Ten years ago that changed when local entrepeneur Hal Real, taken with the idea of "creating live music for grown ups," opened the WCL. My colleague Dan Rubin and I wrote about all about it back in 2004 . Thsi fall, both XPN and the WCL are celebrating a decade of togetherness. The radio station begins its countdown of the 885 best songs of all time - as chosen by listeners and "celebrity" voters - on Oct. 20. And the music venue is feteing itself tonight, with a multi-act evening taking palce in both the cozy upstairs and more capacious downstiars rooms.
Acts playing throughout the evening include New York based troubadour Sean Hayes, and headliner Valerie June, the terrific Memphis songwriter with the best hair in rock and roll who describes her a little bit of country a little bit of blues sound as "organic moonshine roots music." After recording three albums admired by a cult audience, she gained wider exposure with the Dan Auerbach-produced Pushin' Against A Stone, which was one of the best albums of 2013.
Ticket info is here. June's Tiny Desk Concert is below.
Previously: Wiz Khalifa and Afrojack to kick off Forbes Under 30 confab Follow In The Mix on Twitter