High notes on music scene

Music Row
By Brian Rademaekers

That Girard Avenue is increasingly becoming a sort of musical hub stretching across the lower edge of North Philadelphia might have been apparent to anyone who passed through the vicinity of 4th and Girard last Sunday.
Using the back of a flatbed truck parked at the Curbside Chef restaurant, about a dozen local bands blasted the neighborhood with their homespun rock, sending reverberations through the streets well into the evening.
A collaboration between the newly opened Curbside Chef restaurant and The Fire, the event was billed as an "Obamafest," to urge residents to vote for Barack Obama in Tuesday’s Democratic primary election.
That scene, however, was just one of the more overt symptoms of the bustling musical landscape along Girard. In case you haven’t taken stock recently, consider that Johnny Brenda’s, The Fire, The M Room, Ortlieb’s, the Barbary and, further west, the North Star, are within a few minutes’ drive of one other.
Above Girard, Lehigh Avenue now boasts O’Reilly’s and the Green Rock Tavern as recently revamped bars that host live music as well.
And there’s another to add to the list — Murph’s Bar, at Girard and Shackamaxon avenues. On the surface, Murph’s looks to be just another Fishtown-style Irish bar, which in many ways it is.
But over the last year, owner Greg Walton has worked to incorporate live music into the mix as well. The bar also features some local craft brews and a decent kitchen.
Walton said the growing music scene at Murph’s is something that resulted from being in an area with so many music venues and musicians. Walton, who took over Murph’s four years ago, said things started out with having local bands do covers and some originals on Friday night.
Pretty soon, the demand for the live music carried over to Saturday — a night that now features original music from local and national acts.
"People from other big cities who have been touring the East Coast have been getting a hold of us and asking if they can play some shows," said Walton. "Now it’s a pretty good mix of people, with the local guys and some national bands too."
Walton said many of the bands that get booked for the weekly Saturday night shows come in after hitting one of the other nearby venues, hear the music, and ask if they can set up a show.
"We book most of our acts by word of mouth, but it doesn’t hurt to have places like Johnny Brenda’s and The M Room so close by," said Walton.
So far, many of the acts have had a definite folk, country and Americana feel to them.
"The place has pretty good acoustics, and we’ve been getting a lot of coutry and folk stuff, which works well in there," said Walton. "But when it comes down to it, though, we’ll take just about any kind of music."
A glance at their roster underscores that openness.
Local folkster Wes Mattheu and his band, Wes Mattheu and the New Way Down, are regulars there and recently shot a video for their song Beer Yip at Murph’s with the help of the guys at Kensington South’s Backseat Productions.
This Saturday, look for a more rock-oriented band called The Names. A freshly formed five-piece, The Names have played other Girard Avenue venues, including The M Room and The Fire.
Their only available recordings, in fact, come to us thanks to that nifty new recording studio built into the Fire’s upper floors. Those songs show a band with a penchant for ripping guitar riffs and a T-Rex sort of lyricism.
The following Saturday, May 3, will see Philly band Painted Blue — as in bluegrass — take on the live music duties at Murph’s.
After that? Experience Kef, a hip-hop oriented ensemble that brings in jazz and funk influences to back their often-sophisticated rhymes.
Walton said the wide-ranging acts that play at Murph’s are in tune with the customers who elbow up to the bar — a piece of art in itself that features thousands of pennies entombed in epoxy.
"From the hipsters to the Fishtown kids to the construction workers, everybody feels at home," said Walton. "It’s a unique place."
To check out upcoming shows at Murph’s, visit myspace.com/murphsbar. ••

Check it out . . .
Who: The Names
What: A local rock five-piece playing at Murph’s Bar, a great place to catch live music in Fishtown.
Where: 202 E. Girard Ave.
When: Saturday, April 26, at 9 p.m. Free.