If for some reason you feel you’ve run out of Philadelphia-related things to be proud of, add native singer-songwriter and producer Bilal to your list. Bilal is a prolific musician with five well-received LPs and numerous collaborations which have catapulted Beyonce, Common and countless others to the top of the charts. His work spans many genres and his stage presence is performance art in and of itself. Bilal is, without a doubt, one of Philly’s greatest contemporary artists.

The singer-songwriter released his fourth studio album, “In Another Life,” June 30. The album is special to the singer for a few reasons. It marks Bilal’s first album made with just one producer: the soulful, highly sought after Adrian Younge. Younge’s production gives the album a cohesive, nostalgic sound that welcomes a few guests who undoubtedly compliment Bilal’s vocals. Rapper Big K.R.I.T. and singer Kimbra contributed verses that felt like the salt needed to embellish an otherwise perfectly cooked dish. Kendrick Lamar, perhaps the most celebrated musician of 2015, even makes a brief appearance to add an electrifying verse on “Money Over Love.”

The album is an exceptional collection of tracks with a clear flow and direction. Bilal perfectly utilized his collaborators to showcase his artistic vision. Although he now lives in New York, he paid homage to his hometown by having his record release party and concert at West Philadelphia’s World Cafe Live.

Opening for Bilal was Maryland-based R&B singer Temika Moore. She took the stage with a percussionist, a guitar player, a MacBook Pro and began performing music that sounded similar to some of Bilal’s early work with a more modern polish.

Moore played a set of material mostly from her 2012 album “The End of Me,” including her most well-known song “I’m Not OK.” The intimate but uncrowded venue allowed Moore to begin an ongoing conversation with the crowd, during which she jokingly said, “Being a singer has its moments, sometimes we’re not always on point, I’m just being honest.” Her statement of humility seemed to be almost out of place, seeing that her performance was spotless.

After a short break, Bilal’s five band members walked onstage and began playing him in as he waited in the green room. The heavy beat of “Star Now” thumped for about a minute until Bilal walked onstage in sunglasses and a long overcoat. Next, they jumped right into “Sirens II,” a familiar tune to those who have heard Jay Z’s recent hit “Picasso Baby,” as both tracks sample Adrian Younge’s song “Sirens.”

As the drummer began the third song, Bilal stopped him to talk to the audience. He thanked the crowd for coming out on a dreary, stormy day and explained that the album meant a lot to him. He then continued his set, playing mostly new material.

The crowd sang along when Bilal played one of his biggest hits from his first album “Sometimes.” He then played a new track, “Lunatic” and explained “I try to get in the mind of someone who would shoot up a school full of kids,” in a spoken-word fashion. Right after, he turned to his drummer, Eric Jensen, and screamed “This is a f-cking drum solo!” to which Jensen replied with a spastic, technically astounding solo.

Bilal finished his roughly hourlong set and let his band play him out similarly to his entrance. He returned for an encore, which turned into a freeflowing jam with an incredible vocal solo. Bilal will continue to tour in the U.S. and internationally, though it will be hard for him to outdo the show he put on for his Philadelphian homecoming.

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Unknown Mortal Orchestra front man Ruban Nielson is still feeling the effects of an intriguing, artistically-inspiring experience. At age 35, Nielson is a father of two and a faithful husband. However, he shared a deep connection with a fan in Tokyo in 2013. The fan brought a woman she referred to as her partner to one of his shows, so Nielson assumed their relationship was platonic, continued to speak with her online upon returning home and told his wife about her.

Nielson’s wife, Jenny, began speaking to the fan as well, and eventually started speaking to her without Nielson. One day, Jenny told Nielson that she invited the fan to come live with them in their home near Portland. In the summer of 2014, the three entered a polyamorous relationship which Neilson described as “a crazy awesome dream,” but noted that it got very complicated. That experience lead to his critically-acclaimed and aptly-named third album “Multi-Love.”

On “Multi-Love,” Neilson finds himself exploring brand new sounds which he describes on his Facebook page as “Depression Funk” and “Dadwave.” Lyrically, the album is completely focused on his relationship, giving insight into the thoughts that accompany such a strange situation.

Nielson and his band are currently on an enormous international tour to support the album, which included two shows at Philly’s intimate Boot & Saddle venue June 16 and 17. Both shows sold out, and most of the band’s other past dates did as well.

Philadelphia local Alex G opened for both shows, providing an excellent complement to UMO’s sound. He started off on a rough note, and joked that the crowd probably wasn’t too into his first song. However, he immediately improved and pleased the crowd with his impressive songwriting and raw sound.

The small, dim room filled as Alex G finished his set. As the concert goers discussed their expectations and previous Philly UMO shows, Nielson and his band came from the bar and squeezed their way through the crowd to jump onstage.

After addressing the audience, the band jumped into the punchy new track “Like Acid Rain,” a standout from the new album. They then moved into “From the Sun,” an upbeat track from their second album with haunting lyrics about loneliness.

The band then moved further back in their catalogue to “How Can U Luv Me,” a lo-fi song that heavily contrasted their recent work. Drummer Riley Geare showcased his skills with a long solo at the end, which segued into another new hit “Ur Life One Night.”

The band continued to show their versatility by playing both new and old songs, including classics like “Swim and Sleep (Like A Shark)” and “So Good at Being in Trouble.” They then finished their set with the title track from the new album, a straightforward contemplation of Nielson’s romantic life.

A synth chord lingered as UMO walked offstage and the audience clapped and shouted for an encore. When they returned, the funk-tinged bassline of “Necessary Evil” grew into an expansive, steady groove. Finally, Nielson introduced “Can’t Keep Checking My Phone” with its catchy Spanish guitar intro, to which the crowd burst into cheers. The disco-flavored beat had the audience dancing furiously, concluding their dynamic performance on an energetic note.

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Philadelphia’s Legendary Roots Crew brought hundreds of music fans together May 30 for the eighth annual Roots Picnic. The event, hosted at the Festival Pier, featured over 20 artists that spanned a wide range of genres. The inspiring performances, crowd interaction and island-like environment made many Roots Picnic veterans firmly proclaim that this year’s was the best yet.

The Picnic began at noon with acts on three different stages. The Oasis stage was the first that festival-goers saw upon entering from Spring Garden Street, and it provided a shield from the scorching sun with its long tent. The back of the Oasis stage led to a large open area completely covered in sand for the event. To the right stood the enormous Pier stage, which would host some of the Picnic’s top-billed artists. Far back to the left, the Harbor stage allowed viewers to see the Delaware River as they watched their favorite artists play.

After the doors opened, Questlove’s (drummer of The Roots) sister Donn T and Los Angeles singer Marc E. Bassy played the first sets. Singer-songwriter Moses Sumney was the first to take the Pier stage.

After Sumney, the rap duo Rae Sremmurd took the Pier stage for a high-powered performance, energizing the crowd with their recent hits “No Flex Zone,” “Throw Sum Mo,” and “No Type.” As Rae Sremmurd finished up their set on the Pier stage, the genre-transcending Australian band Hiatus Kaiyote began their dazzling set on the Harbor stage.

In the mid-afternoon, Reggae singer Chronixx and his band the Zincfence Redemption rocked the Pier stage, solidifying the island mentality that the sand, river and blue sky alluded to. At this point, many festival-goers made their way to the food and beer stands. The festival had a fairly impressive beer selection, including Lagunitas and Yards as well as standard options like Miller.

Later in the afternoon, legendary Bronx disc jockey Afrika Bambaataa hosted a crew of nine rappers, dancers and hype-men on stage to bring the crowd back to hip-hop’s roots, mixing classic ‘80s samples into his DJ set. Meanwhile, singer Raury gave a spirited performance on the Harbor stage.

After this, New York electronic rock duo Phantogram performed a set mainly consisting of songs from their 2014 Album “Voices,” including the hit “Fall in Love.” For those who wanted to dance, DJ Windows 98 (Win Butler of Arcade Fire) and DJ Mustard performed after Phantogram on the Oasis stage and Harbor stage, respectively.

As the day went on, most festival-goers congregated by the Pier stage to see the headlining acts that started with A$AP Rocky in the early evening. With the hot sun finally inching toward the horizon, Rocky addressed the audience with sentiments of love and appreciation. He announced that this was the first time he would perform music from his well-received new album “At.Long.Last.A$AP,” which was released May 26. Rocky pleased the crowd with “Excuse Me” and “Jukebox Joints,” and paid tribute to his late mentor A$AP Yams.

After a long break, the crowd erupted as Toronto rhythm and blues singer The Weeknd walked on stage. Throughout his set, a chorus of fans who knew every word complimented each song. British electronic musician and DJ Hudson Mohawke played the nearby Harbor stage after The Weeknd as anticipation built for the final performance.

The Roots assembled a truly awesome performance to end the Picnic. After they played themselves in, Black Thought addressed the crowd and welcomed Mayor Michael Nutter who enthusiastically introduced the band. The Roots played a few of their hits including “Proceed” and “Star/Pointro,” and then introduced neo-soul singer and long-time Roots collaborator Erykah Badu. One of Badu’s most popular songs, “Love of My Life” turned into a 20-minute jam in which several surprise guests including Freeway, The LOX and YG were introduced to complement Badu and the Roots.

The second to last song was a soulful rendition of Badu’s “Green Eyes,” followed by one of the Root’s and Badu’s greatest hits: “You Got Me,” to which the crowd sang along. Badu smiled and giggled as she waved and walked offstage with the Roots, projecting the joy of having just completed a beautiful and enlightening performance.

Photo courtesy Dan Sozanski

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If you’ve ever been interested in multi-dimensional, polyrhythmic, gangster sh-t but have yet to stumble across any, give Hiatus Kaiyote a try. The above description is the band’s own, though the Australian band could also be described as rhythm and blues, neo-soul, jazz, funk or electronic, depending on which part of the song you’re listening to. The point is you’ve never heard anything like the music they’re making.

The band released their first album, “Tawk Tomahawk,” in 2012 to critical acclaim and even a Grammy nomination for best R&B performance for the standout track “Nakamarra.” Soon after, their rise to prominence was boosted when a remix of “Nakamarra” was released with a guest verse from hip-hop legend Q-Tip (of A Tribe Called Quest).

After “Tawk Tomahawk,” buzz about Hiatus Kaiyote increased and their next album became highly anticipated. This past December, the band teased their fans with a three-song EP entitled “By Fire.” These three songs would eventually end up on their sophomore record “Choose Your Weapon,” released May 1.

The album was well received, getting a score of 88 on rating-aggregate website Metacritic, indicating “universal acclaim.” These songs are not your standard verse-chorus-bridge compositions; they contain an astonishing complexity built by a combination of tempo and time signature changes, strange instruments and a wide variety of musical influences.

The band came to Philadelphia’s Underground Arts May 8 as part of their “Choose Your Weapon” tour. The dark, intimate environment provided by Underground Arts was the perfect backdrop for their music.

The eccentric lead singer Nai Palm walked on stage in a shimmering sequin jacket, to which an audience member screamed, “I love your sequins!” after the initial explosion of applause died down. This interaction began a dialogue between Palm and the audience that would persist throughout the night.

After an introductory jam, the band launched into, “Breathing Underwater.” The entrancing yet dynamic tune captivated the audience with its clean guitar intro, spacey details and repeating lyrical motifs.

Next, they moved into the title track of their EP, “By Fire.” The funky, danceable song sonically contrasts its lyrical content: a tribute to Palm’s father who died in a fire. Next, the band played their most famous song, “Nakamarra,” which was met with an emphatic round of applause.

The band then continued to move through a slew of material off of their most recent album, including the crowd-pleasers “Laputa,” “Shaolin Monk Motherfunk” and “Borderline with My Atoms.” After announcing that the next song was a tribute to Michael Jackson, the heavy baseline of “Swamp Thing” shook the room.

Palm introduced the band members during the bridge of their final song, and they walked off with the hysterical crowd begging for an encore. As they came back, they were visibly pleased to give the audience two more energetic songs.

If you missed this concert but are interested in seeing them, you’re in luck. Hiatus Kaiyote will play the Roots Picnic May 30 alongside The Roots, Erykah Badu, The Weeknd and others. Even though these huge acts may seem to overshadow, one of the main attractions of the Roots Picnic lineup is the mesmerizing, ever-changing performance of Hiatus Kaiyote.

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South Carolina’s Chaz Bundick has certainly made a name for himself; two, not including his real one, to be exact. Around 2013, he began disc jockeying and recording electronic dance music as Les Sins, producing the critically acclaimed album, “Michael.” However, most people know him as Toro y Moi, a prolific multi-genre project that was instrumental to the emergence of a style of music called chillwave, which rose to prominence around 2010. If you’re not familiar with Toro, think Washed Out, Neon Indian or Youth Lagoon.

Bundick has steadily released critically acclaimed albums, about one per year, since 2010. He’s played at festivals such as Pitchfork Music Festival, Lollapalooza and Coachella. His most recent album, “What For?,” consists mostly of guitar-driven indie-rock detailed by some of his signature synth sounds and beachy vocals. Some have likened the album to his early work; however, the album is certainly more polished than his early recordings, which could easily fit into the lo-fi genre.

On April 30, Toro’s band stopped at Union Transfer for their “What For?” Tour. The show was sold out, which is an impressive feat for a Thursday show at Union Transfer, one of the larger Philadelphia venues. The floor and balcony were both packed front to back, and an air of anticipation was palpable.

Around 9 p.m., Toro’s opening band, Vinyl Williams, took the stage. The four-piece band is currently touring with Toro and is an excellent compliment. Vinyl Williams’ music shares many elements of Toro’s. Their steady beats, dancibility and fluid song structure allow them to comfortably fit the chillwave moniker. However, Vinyl Williams uses cloudy, distorted guitar tones and reverberating vocals to bring a psychedelic element to the table that is new to the genre. As interesting as their music was, it was clear to see that they were not seasoned performers, as their stage presence lacked the visual complementarity that a live band should provide. Nonetheless, Vinyl Williams pleased the crowd and built even greater excitement for the headliner.

After a long opening set and break, Bundick walked on stage to deafening applause. His four band members followed, and they jumped right into the set. They began with standout tracks from their new album, including “Empty Nesters” and “Buffalo.” The new material seemed to make more sense live than on the recording since the full band could now be visualized, which was previously not so easy for a group so strongly represented by its frontman.

They eventually moved into some of their past hits, including “New Beat” and “Still Sound,” staples of the chillwave genre that rely more on synthesizers than guitar. These songs were especially interesting live because the band had to replace very familiar electronic tones with those found on their live hardware (keyboards, guitars, etc). As the excitement continued to build, Bundick made a subtle humanitarian gesture by reminding the crowd of the riots in Baltimore and announced that the next song was a call for peace. After a long and energetic set, the band returned to the stage for an encore.

It would be hard to match the thrill and exhilaration in the room at the end of Toro y Moi’s performance. The managers at the venue could sense the feeling in the air and allowed the audience to stay for an impromptu dance party. Toro y Moi will continue to tour through August, bringing their eclectic music to both U.S. and international crowds.

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Big names and up-and-comers in the Philadelphia culinary scene gathered in Mitchell Auditorium Jan. 11 for the beginning of the second annual Philly Chef Conference. Hosted by Drexel University’s Center for Hospitality and Sport Management, the conference offered discussions and workshops that exemplified the cooperative and civic nature of the city’s culinary community.

At 2 p.m., Jonathan Deutsch, the director of the Center for Hospitality and Sport Management, gave the opening remarks. Deutsch explained that the conference was suggested by two successful Drexel culinary alumni who saw a need for discussion between restaurant industry professionals in Philadelphia. He continued to emphasize one important goal of Drexel’s culinary school: Connect students with successful restauranteurs the minute they step on campus instead of when they graduate. Deutsch urged the audience to adopt this mentality in the professional world to feed the burgeoning dining scene in Philadelphia.

After the opening remarks, Jason Malumed of Chalkboard Wine + Spirits took the stage to moderate a discussion on doing business with the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board. The panel included two restauranteurs who work with the LCB, state Senator Chuck McIlhinney who is actively working on liquor laws and Joseph Brion, chairman of the LCB. The upshot of the conversation is something that we all already know: Pennsylvania liquor laws are a mess.

However, the chairman and senator did provide a glimpse at the efforts they are making toward modernization of the state’s liquor system that could soon be good news for businesses, consumers and even taxpayers. Some of these efforts include allowing restaurants to sell bottled wine and working towards proper wholesale relationships between the LCB and businesses (which would trickle down to a cheaper glass of wine for you!).

Next, a discussion called “Philly 2020: The Future of Dining in Philadelphia” was moderated by business and civic leader Sam Katz. Katz began by asking the audience to raise their hands if they wanted to open a restaurant, and about half of the audience responded. Then, a star-studded panel including Jeff Benjamin of Vetri Family, Kevin Sbraga of Sbraga Dining, Joncarl Lachman of Noord, Marcie Turney of Barbuzzo and Rob Keddie of Garces Group discussed what will make a successful Philadelphian restaurant in the near future. A few of the secrets they shared included understanding every part of the business, having an authentic vision and concept and ensuring that front and back of the house responsibilities are properly delegated.

Finally, chef Peter Reinhart delivered the keynote address titled “The Leaven Factor: Bread has a Story to Tell”. Reinhart, a James Beard award winning author and internationally renowned expert on bread and baking, explored the many reasons why bread is seemingly at the core of all cultures and religions. He stressed that bread is a symbol of transformation and that bread-makers (and by extension, chefs) share their soul through their creations.

Reinhart’s address marked the end of the first day of the Philly Chef Conference, though attendees were encouraged to stay for a happy hour at the new University City location of Zavino. An additional ticket allowed a select few to enjoy a dinner collaboratively prepared by chefs from Serpico, Townsend, Osteria, Volver and Bauhaus Schmitz.

The conference continued Jan. 12, but this day was only available to industry professionals. Day two mostly consisted of demonstrations such as fish and meat butchery, knife sharpening and cookbook development. These hands-on workshops provided experts the opportunities to share their hard skills with a new generation of Philadelphian chefs, while the talks served as a platform for them to inspire.

This discussion and reflection offered by the organizers of the Philly Chef Conference was a necessity to sustain the current growth of the Philadelphia culinary scene. Local foodies can expect to see the fruits of these conferences in the years to come.

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The Dogfish Head Sixty-One graciously walks the not-so-fine line between wine and beer. In fact, its first iteration was just beer with a bit of wine poured in. If you ask anybody who knows their beer (or wine), they’ll tell you that this is not acceptable under any circumstances. However, the geniuses at Dogfish Head Brewery have pulled it off.

Dogfish Head has grown to be one of the most popular and well-respected East Coast microbreweries over the past two decades. It is known for producing offbeat brews with untraditional ingredients such as wattleseed, myrica gale and lingonberries. (Does anybody even know what those are?) Recently, Dogfish Head has expanded its business to include spirits and even a hotel dedicated to its own food and drink creations — the Dogfish Inn in Lewes, Delaware.

The Sixty-One is a prime example of their exotic ales, and the story of its creation is just as interesting as the beer itself. Apparently, Dogfish Head president Sam Calagione and his neighborhood friends have a tradition of getting together at a local bar and having a round of the brewery’s standard 60 Minute India pale ale. One time, Calagione also ordered a glass of red wine and poured a bit into each of his friends’ pint glasses. The mix became part of the tradition, and Calagione decided to capture the idea in a bottle and offer it as the Sixty-One — 60 Minute IPA plus one sip of wine.

After a year of research and development at Dogfish Head, the recipe for the Sixty-One was complete with Syrah grape must. The result is a surprisingly exceptional ale.

The beer pours a beautiful amber with a purplish tint that you’ll never find in a more traditional beer. The head is thin but retains well, and an average level of carbonation can be seen.

Classic IPA aromas of citrus and pine stand out as well as a trace of malt. The nose also contains a strong Syrah character which is nice but might be confusing if you were not told what you were drinking.

The taste of the Syrah is not what some cliche beer reviewers call a “note.” It’s a bold, tangy wine flavor that almost puts this beer in its own category. The traditional hoppy bitterness of the 60 Minute IPA is present, but the finish is noticeably sweet and smooth. The bitter hops, touch of malt and decent amount of carbonation give the beer a crisp, satisfying mouthfeel.

If you’re looking for classic flavor, go with Dogfish Head’s Indian Brown Ale or 60 Minute IPA. However, if you’re interested in trying something experimental, the Sixty-One is a great beer to start with before delving into the rest of Dogfish Head’s eclectic collection. The Sixty-One is available in four-packs or 22-ounce bottles year round. Keeping a few on hand means that you’ll never have to choose beer or wine to accompany your meal — you can have both!

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The crowd at Union Transfer erupted in applause Oct. 10 as Foxygen, a Californian psychedelic rock group, took the stage. Lead singer Sam France was wearing a blazer with no shirt underneath and heavy eye shadow under his long, blonde hair. His three backup singers wore flashy sequin dresses. The group looked like a ‘60s prototype punk outfit that had time-traveled to 2014 without knowing — or caring.

A similar observation can be made about their music. Core members Jonathan Rado and Sam France began playing together in high school because they shared an interest in ‘60s psychedelic rock. Their work as Foxygen is reminiscent of many artists from this era. One minute you’ll hear the nasally doldrums of a Bob Dylan verse and the next, a deep, powerful cry of a Mick Jagger chorus.

They rely on the classic guitar, keys, bass and drums, but detail their recordings with a multi-instrumentalism that you’d expect from a Beatles record. I had never seen them before, but I was told their live show was more like something you’d expect from Iggy Pop — high power and plenty of stage antics.

Just as the crowd began to quiet down, the band hit hard with their new single “How Can You Really.” Rado played multiple keyboards at once while France took the mic off the stand and began climbing and dancing on every object he could find on stage — monitors, bass drums, etc. The backup singers, mostly adding “oohs” and “ahs” or repeating one of France’s hooks, swayed side to side in sync with each other. The crowd was pleased.

After this, they played a slew of material off their new album, “… And Star Power,” which was unreleased at the time of the show (it came out Oct. 14). The energy remained even when the crowd was not singing along.

About halfway through the show, they returned to their well-known material, cranking out heavy-hitters “On Blue Mountain” and “Shuggie.”

Most would expect the last song to be the grand finale of the show, but the most exciting part of the night happened right after “Shuggie.” The band started to play “We Are the 21st Century Ambassadors of Peace and Magic,” the title track of their last album. “We Are” is a trance-inducing jam with a hippie mantra that seemed to drive France and the rest of the band to the tipping point of their craziness.

France dropped the blazer and jumped off the stage to hug and hold the hands of those in the front row, all the while head-banging and dancing like a maniac. When he got back on stage, Matt Pulos, the lead singer of the opening band, ran out and kissed France on the lips for a solid 15 seconds. Pulos then jumped on Rado’s keyboards (while Rado was still playing) before diving into the crowd and surfing it until the end of the song.

At this point, I was more than satisfied with my ticket purchase. The band went on to play a few more classics, but mostly new material. They missed some of their biggest hits, like “Oh Yeah,” and “San Francisco,” but the performance continued to entertain with more crowd-surfing, unexpected stage appearances from Pulos, and a satisfying encore.

The ringing in my ears as I walked away from Union Transfer was completely worth the spectacle I had just seen. As I talked with my fellow concert-goers about the show, I learned that Foxygen has been to Philadelphia once a year since 2011. If they show up again next year, don’t miss your chance to get enlightened by the 21st century ambassadors of peace and magic.