Philly Mostly Vegan: Bronze Radio Return + Chamberlin at World Cafe Live 4/29

Setting: World Café Live is one of those iconic Philly venues that doesn’t necessarily have the gritty feel of others like Johnny Brenda’s or the Trocadero, yet some of the best shows I’ve seen in Philadelphia have been here. I took my good friend and musician Dorian Love (New Hero) to catch the show and share a few beers with Vermont’s Chamberlin and Connecticut's Bronze Radio Return.

Chamberlin: Having gone from playing for friends in a small Vermont cabin, to touring with Grace Potter and the Nocturnals in just a few short months seems to be the norm for Chamberlin. “We were so busy with the record that by the time it was finished, we only played a couple times in Vermont before we had all these opportunities elsewhere come knocking on our door,” says Mark Daly, the band’s lead singer/frontman. “Suddenly we found that we’d played in Minneapolis more times than Burlington and that we sell the most records in San Francisco.”

Not really having a clue what to expect of Chamberlin, I was pleasantly surprised with their character and musical ability as they opened their set with “Dust,” “Fools,” “Souvenirs,” and the title track off of their latest release, “Bitter Blood.” Ethan West, guitarist, and Daly are superb songwriters and musicians, and have created a really strong mix of songs ranging from the soulful a cappella of “Sixty Days,” to the almost electro-pop sound of Paper Crown. While I personally thought that some of Daly's songs were a bit over-styled at times, reminding me of Eddie Vedder or the guy from Matchbox 20, he has an amazing voice and range.

Verdict: Chamberlin is an interesting band to say the least, with both commercial viability and enough range to please most indie audiences. Overall, Chamberlin has much more to like than not, and were very well received from the World Café Live audience, with the crowd singing along to the lyrics of “Turn Around” and “Is It Me.”

Members: Mark Daly (Guitar/Lead Vocals), Ethan West (Guitar), Jamie Heintz (Drums), Eric Maier (Keyboard) and Charles Whistler (Bass)

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Set list:

Dust

Souvenirs

Bitter Blood

Right Guide

So Ways

Paper Crown

Turn Around

Strangers

Is it Me

Fools

MORE PHOTOS HERE

Bronze Radio Return: This six-piece ensemble from Hartford, CT led by singer/guitarist Chris Henderson can be traced back to Henderson’s Father’s art studio, where his earliest memories were of an old bronze radio for which the band was appropriately named. The band opened with their gritty song “Wolves,” “Broken Ocean,” and the moody “Down There.”

At one point during their set, Craig Struble and Patrick Felkowitz dueled it out with ripping guitar and harmonica solos creating a classic call and response. Following the guitar harmonica throw down was a stage clearing drum solo from Rob Griffith. The band returned to the stage and closed the night out with “Shade Tonight” and my favorite song of the night “It’s Ok Now.”

Verdict: Bronze Radio Return is flat out fun. They have a kind of unapologetic earnestness to their song writing and approach to music. They also know how to put on a show infusing their set with a number of upbeat and dramatic songs that were both well-executed and fun to watch.

Members: Chris Henderson (Guitar/Vocals), Patrick Fetkowitz (Guitar), Matt Warner (Keys/Vocals), Rob Griffith (Drums/Vocals), Bob Tanen (Bass/Vocals) and Craig Struble (Harmonica/Guitar/Banjo)

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Set list:

Wolves

Broken Ocean

Down There

Warm Day, Cold War

Play it on Me

The Truth

Worth Wondering

Wonder No More

Blurry-Eyed Worries

Rough Town