Mark Kozelek, June 15, Sanctuary at the First Unitarian Church

The Web site for the award-winning alternative weekly, the Philadelphia City Paper.

0 comments

Mark Kozelek, June 15, Sanctuary at the First Unitarian Church

POSTED: Monday, June 16, 2008, 5:36 PM

Filed Under: Music | Show Last Night

Not at the Church.

Mark Kozelek is hot. Dude's barely into his second song at the Church when he requests a towel to mop off the sweat. "I'm 41," he says, by way of explanation for why he can't remove his heavy long-sleeved shirt, which he occasionally tugs at and eventually unbuttons. It's strangely captivating to see the man behind Red House Painters and Sun Kil Moon ï¿½ whose meaty, sulky voice already makes him sound so dark and emotional ï¿½ actually suffering before our eyes. In this stuffy, air-conditioner-less room, his vocals seem to quiver and soar all the more dramatically. He's got an acoustic guitar with him, which he deftly finger-picks, but what really matters here is his wonderfully sad singing. He plays all the good stuff: reliably pretty new songs ("Moorestown," "Heron Blue"), stripped-down Red House Painters favorites ("Summer Dress," "Three-Legged Cat"), gentle covers (AC/DC's "Rock 'n' Roll Singer") and Sun Kil Moon crowd-pleasers ("Glenn Tipton," "Carry Me Ohio"), with an impressively lengthy encore, considering the temperature.

Gonna be honest, though. Kozelek's not the only one wrestling with the heat. It takes strength not to leave (as weaker souls around me do), and during the second half of the set, I'm just trying to remain conscious and keep my head from lolling like a ragdoll. That said, awesome show. (For the love of God, R5, get some fans!)

Posted by tami fertig @ 5:36 PM Permalink | Post a comment

0 comments

Previous Story: KRS-ONE, June 8, Odunde Festival

Next Story: Jamie Lidell, June 11, World Cafe Live

Comments (0)

PHILLY LOVE NOTES: An ode to Spruce Street
Q&A with SHARI SOLANIS: "The goal isn't pornography"
ICE CUBE: In Memoriam: Joe Tartaglia
CONCERT REVIEW & PHOTOS: James Blake @ TLA 5/11
SEXY TIME Q&A: I've never had an orgasm during sex with a man — and I'm 30!
Coming soon to Philly: Two cockamamie movie promotion schemes
What we're trying to do this weekend
Q&A with Tony Goldwyn: "Life is gray, and relationships are, too"
CONCERT REVIEW: Primus (3D & quadraphonic sound) @ The Tower 10/17
ICEPACK ILLUSTRATED: The Archbishop meets the Geator, the Mayor goes suit shopping, Le Bec Fin fin.

About this blog

Featuring everything from event roundups to concert reviews and sex talk, City Paper's Critical Mass is a space for off-the-wall coverage of Philly's A&E scene.

Follow Critical Mass editors Patrick Rapa and Emily Guendelsberger on Twitter:

@mission2denmark | @emilygee

Search this blog:

Topics:

Blog archives:

May
April
March

February
January

Past Archives: