At Ardmore Music Hall, folk artist Madison Cunningham and Argentinian folktronica artist Juana Molina made an impressive stop as a part of their “Not That Similar” tour. The tour’s title does an adequate job of describing the two’s musical careers, but their blend of unique sounds made for quite the show. 

Cunningham, a 27-year-old folk artist from California, began playing the guitar at the young age of seven and released her first music as a teenager. She found immediate success with her 2019 debut album, “Who Are You Now,” which was nominated for the Grammy for Best Americana Artist. Her folky, upbeat sound was improved on her following project, “Revealer,” which won the Grammy for Best Folk Album. Cunningham saw a rise in popularity of her music following opening for multiple big-name artists, including Harry Styles, Hozier, and recently, John Mayer.

Molina, a 62-year-old folktronica artist, was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, to tango singer Horacio Molina and actress Chunchuna Villafane. Molina created music from a young age, but gained popularity for her work as a comedic actress, starring in her own show, “Juana y sus Hermanas,” winning two Martin Fierro awards for her work. Realizing her true passion was music, Molina transitioned her career, releasing her first album, “Rara,” in 1996. After finding little success on Argentinian radio, she moved to Los Angeles, where her career took off, especially after the release of her second album, “Segundo,” which was met with better reception. 

The two artists embarked on tour this April, beginning in Savannah, Georgia, and making 11 stops, including Ardmore Music Hall, located in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. The two took the stage to a packed crowd at 7:30 p.m., and made a statement, opening with multiple duets following Molina’s folktronica style of music. Their duets featured both artists on guitar, with Molina mixing in sounds through a keyboard, and singing their lyrics in Spanish. 

Following their duets, Cunningham exited the stage to allow Molina to perform solo, where her ambient, psychedelic sounds graced the ears of the audience. The music was almost hypnotic, drawing the viewer’s eyes to the strategically lit stage, where Molina’s sound intrigued, yet comforted her audience. 

After Molina’s set, Cunningham returned to the stage, where prior to her performance, she spoke to the Ardmore crowd, proclaiming, “There’s no use in not being honest.” This is a common theme in her music, especially on her album “Revealer,” which is a beautiful, honest examination of the artist’s musical journey. “Don’t be shy, that’s the name of the game,” Cunningham announced. 

Still, before beginning play, Cunningham gave credit to her co-star of the evening, Molina, stating the opportunity to play with her has been, “the best thing that’s ever happened to me in my life.” In an Instagram post following their tour, Cunningham noted she was introduced to Molina’s music prior to hearing iconic bands, including the Beatles, and considered her an inspiration. 

After giving credit to Molina, Cunningham embarked on her set, showcasing her impressive skills on guitar and performing familiar songs the audience could sing along to, including “Pin it down.” Cunningham’s set was a real exhibition of the artist’s skill set and musical talent, as her sounds echoed throughout the music hall. 
Fans of Cunningham can hear her play this summer, as on July 1, she will be playing at NYC’s summerstage venue in Central Park, alongside the band La Lom and indie artist John-Robert.

On Saturday, April 20, American folk band The 502s, took the stage of the Fillmore in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to an incredibly packed crowd. The band features six members: Ed Isola on lead vocals and banjo, Matthew Tonner on keyboard, Graci Phillips on guitar, Nicholas Dallas on bass, Joe Capati on saxophone and Sean Froelich on drums. The six performers lit up the Fillmore stage with their unbelievably positive and high-energy performances, playing a show fans will remember for years to come. Three members of the band, (Ed, Graci, and Joe) hopped on a call with The Triangle to discuss the band’s origins, current tour, and their impressive Philadelphia performance.

James Biernat: Ed, you got your start playing in your dorm room. Can you talk about the start of your musical journey which started in a unique way?

Ed Isola: The earliest iteration of The 502s took place in my dorm room at the end of my freshman year. I wrestled in college and needed something to do after the season ended, and I was big into the folk scene that was going on at that time. So, I picked up a banjo, mostly just to learn some Mumford & Sons cover songs, and it progressed from there. As I went through college, I would borrow guitars from people in my hall to learn different folk songs and then started writing songs as well. 

JB: That’s great. From there, you won a contest that allowed you to perform at the Okeechobee Music and Arts Festival, before you had released any music. One of your inspirations, Mumford & Sons was on the bill as well, so can you talk about what a major impact that had on the takeoff of the band?

EI: The fact that Mumford & Sons were there, as well as the Avett Brothers, was why we entered the contest. At the time we were in Orlando, messing around doing open mics, and saw the contest. So, we scraped together three original songs for the battle of the bands, one of which was “Olivia,” which was one of our first popular songs. From there, we called all the family and friends we had in Orlando and told them to come to the battle of the bands, where we were voted through. That was the first real event we had ever played as a band, and we used the $500 reward to record our first EP we put out in 2016. That’s when the band name came around too, we were cycling through a bunch of names, and when we won the contest it was like, I guess we’re the 502s now. 

JB: That’s a super unique way for the band to get started. In almost a decade since then, the band has amassed over two million monthly listeners, and had multiple projects and songs that tracked very highly. Did you ever imagine from the start that the band would reach the heights you’ve found?

EI: I think yes and no. Everybody that’s in the band realized, we’re f-ing great, and we can play stadiums one day. So I think we’ve all had that mentality and we believe in the music to that extent. Then, actually seeing it come to fruition has been almost incomprehensible. Maybe we dreamed it was possible, but didn’t actually know that it was.

JB: I can see your energy translating well to a stadium show. Talking a little more about the show in Philly, as you said on stage that was the largest headlining show you’ve ever played, and it was a super high-energy performance, featuring solos from every member and a trip into the crowd to finish the show. For Joe [Capati] and Graci [Phillips], can you talk about what a special performance that was?

Graci Phillips: Oh my gosh yeah. That show was special for so many reasons. For the band and my time with the band, it was very special. I’ve been in the band for a little over a year, and it was at the Theater of the Living Arts where I talked to Ed for the first time about joining The 502s. So, getting to play at the Fillmore to a packed house was the most exciting, full-circle moment for me. I was thrilled the entire night, so it was hard to not be energetic, it meant so much to the band, and to me and my journey with them. 

Joe Capati: I thought what was especially cool was seeing how large the stage was. We move around a lot on stage, obviously, so that was the first chance for us to really spread our wings and fly on stage. 

JB: Joe, you definitely made good use of flying around the stage, that was another level of energy not usually seen by saxophonists.

JC: Yeah, it’s a new wave of saxophone.

JB: Your song, “Just A Little While” has become somewhat of an instant classic, and a tune many fans look forward to hearing you perform live. For Ed, what was the story behind writing this song?

EI: Instant classic is flattering. That was a song we used to open the set up with, and it came together very quickly, I think in a day. The main inspiration for it was we wanted a song that would catch people’s attention right off the bat. You’re going into these bars, and nobody has any clue who you are, so we wanted to grab people’s attention as best we could. The way I thought to do that was strum the banjo very aggressively and hit a bunch of drums. Lyrically, it’s a reflection on growing up, waiting on things to come, yet still enjoying where you’re at. What’s been cool about that song is people put their own meaning onto it, so I guess it’s kind of open-ended. 

JB: Your opener in Philly, Daniel Nunnalee, also gave a fantastic performance. Can you talk about how talented of an artist he is, and how you discovered his music?

GP: Daniel and his band are from and live in Nashville and we’ve known each other for many years. He had some songs that got big around the time some of The 502s songs went viral. It was really exciting to see him play, and to see someone I know shine. We both got to play Hangout Fest last year, down in Gulf shores. Our teams organized him coming out with us, he’s massively talented, and he gets fans hyped and energetic at every venue. 

JB: What’s next for the band? How do you see the future going, what can fans expect in the coming months and years?

EI: The Great American Road Trip Tour we’re on now runs through Memorial Day weekend, and then we’re working on another tour for later this year where we’ll go overseas. So, a fair amount of touring, and then working on new music. When people ask, what’s next for The 502s, I think it’s just continuing that. JB: Thanks!

“Philly, are you ready to party?” asked Amaarae as she stepped out onto the stage at the Theater of Living Arts. For all intents and purposes, it was a standard evening at the South Street establishment. There was the usual jug of water and cups by the entrance, the 15-year-old manning the merch stand and the tech crew smoking the hookah as they worked the lights. However, there was a different type of energy in the building that night.

“I’m ready to shake some ass tonight,” stated one fan. When asked why they enjoyed Amaarae’s music, another fan put it quite simply: “I like to dance,” she answered. This is a start towards understanding her sound, but trying to explain it is not easy. “If you wanted to compartmentalize it,” began one fan, “it would be like futuristic afrobeats, but so much other shit too.” What is included in this “other shit?” Any genre or style of music one could possibly think of. In last year’s critically lauded Fountain Baby, Amaarae seamlessly transitions from R&B to pop, then from rock to afrobeats to soul to so much more, oftentimes touching on several genres within the same track. Without listening to the music this doesn’t mean too much, but as one fan put it best, that night she was “trying to get crunk, but in a graceful way.” So to answer Amaarae’s question, they were 100% ready to party, and they proved that right off the bat.

Amaarae kicked off the show with Fountain Baby’s first full track, “Angels in Tibet.” This starts with slow, mysterious vocals, which played as she walked on stage, then transformed into an intense, dance funk number that got the crowd jumping up and down, throwing their arms to the heavy-hitting drums. They kept dancing throughout the entire show, even as Amaarae switched from R&B and afrobeats-style songs to a heavily rock-influenced rendition of “Counterfeit,” another cut off the record. She then dances along to a guitar solo, before going right into rapping the final verse of the song. 

At one point in the show, Amaarae took a rare break from singing and dancing to speak to the audience. She recounts an interaction she had with an employee backstage before the show. After seeing her dressed in her on-stage outfit, the employee told Amaarae that it “looks like [she’s] going to war,” and asked her “what [she was] fighting for.”

“I’m fighting for love,” Amaarae told the audience. This resulted in thunderous applause and cheering from the entire crowd, which at this point stretched back beyond the merch stand. She then broke into a slower, more intimate version of the track “Reckless and Sweet.” Despite the change in pace, the audience didn’t stop dancing, rather jumping into a different, yet equally energetic, method of movement. Two by two, nearly every member of the audience began to grind on each other. Men on men, women on women, a guy on someone in a George Washington costume? Needless to say, it was an interesting crowd that night, but one that certainly matched Amaarae’s unique and powerful energy. This energy lasted from the time people started lining up outside through the show’s final song. As Amaarae concluded with an encore performance of her breakout hit “SAD GIRLZ LUV MONEY,” the audience continued to dance as if the show had just begun, and they were going to be there all night. Two male audience members were especially into the show, dancing with each other in a variety of ways from beginning to end. “It was great,” answered one of them when asked about the performance. “I think a lot of straight people had a queer awakening tonight.” Whether this statement is true or not remains inconclusive, but regardless of that, there is no doubt that Amaarae put on quite the show. Whether it be just her natural, powerful presence, her dancing from beginning to end, or the genre-bending musical clinic that she put on, the show is one that will be hard to forget, yet at the same time nearly impossible to put into words. This is because Amaarae and everything about her lack a clear, cut and dry description, something a lot of her fans seem to relate to. So then how does one explain the performance? It seems as though Amaarae did this best in yet another speech, when she proclaimed to the crowd, “Tonight we are wild. Tonight we are sexy. Tonight we are free.”

WILLIS, a Nashville-based indie rock band, made a stop at Milkboy in Philadelphia’s center city as a part of their spring 2024 tour. They were joined in Philly by Chicago rock band Friko, who opened the show. 

The band formed in Florence, Alabama, where the five members all attended high school together. Since 2016, WILLIS has released three EPs and two albums, the first four titled “Locals” 1-4, followed by their April 5 release “I Can’t Thank You Enough.” The band’s sound, although labeled indie rock, mixes in a true southern blues sound, as well as a surf rock vibe that makes for good summer listening. 

On the night of the show, the narrow upstairs venue of Milkboy was packed from front to back, and the concert-goers were immediately dazzled by opening act Friko, whose frontman Niko Kapetan set the energetic tone for the evening. From his passionate vocals to his impressive guitar work (including a guitar switch midway through their final song, “Get Numb to It!” Friko got the crowd moving and amped for WILLIS, who followed shortly after. 

To begin their set, WILLIS lead vocalist and bassist, Murphy Billings, instructed the jammed crowd to “Kick your feet up, and have a good time,” a sentiment the band would reiterate the entire set. “It’s sick bro, [Philadelphia] is super historic,” Billings said. “I’m looking forward to seeing all the sellout crowd’s sexy faces dancing and singing along to my lyrics.”

The band played a good blend of songs from their new album, “I Can’t Thank You Enough,” as well as a mixture of tracks from their previous albums. Following their first song, Billings introduced his fellow band members, telling the crowd to say hello to each with a different adjective. The crowd really began moving with the band’s new song, “Try Again,” ; afterwards, Billings fittingly pronounced it “sick.”

Later in the set, the other band members’ musical skills were put on full display, highlighted by a fast-moving guitar solo by Edward Armstead, who would bring his energy to the crowd when he hopped off the stage and into the sea of fans. 

Towards the end of WILLIS’s performance, the band played their iconic tune, “I Think I Like When It Rains”, and Billings prompted all in attendance to sing along. As the song continued, Billings shouted the iconic line, “Kick it Will,” which Will O’Steen followed with a synthesizer solo that is familiar to many. “I Think I Like When It Rains,” grew to fame as a popular sound on TikTok, and has amassed over 150 million streams on Spotify.  

WILLIS’s fun blend of easy-listening tunes and impressive instrumental indie rock made for a high energy set that sent the Milkboy crowd home happy.

On Tuesday Nov 21, L.A.-based artists Earl Sweatshirt and The Alchemist took the stage at the Theater of Living Arts in Philadelphia for the eighth stop of their Voir Dire Tour. With only 11 stops spanning the month of Nov, the duo performed to promote their new collab album “Voir Dire.” Accompanying them on their tour are Black Noi$e and MIKE in select cities. 

While doors were slated to open at seven, it wasn’t until 7:30 p.m. that patrons were allowed into the venue in groups, and after more waiting. With so many artists scheduled to perform and such a delay in the entry process, the concert lasted significantly longer than expected. The audience was pleasantly surprised when Black  Noi$e was only 30 minutes late to his anticipated 8 p.m. start time. 

With no introduction, Black Noi$e began his DJ set with house music before transitioning into remixes of songs like Kanye West’s “Flashing Lights” and PinkPantheress’ “Break It Off”. His set was short, and he brought up another unnamed DJ to assist him before turning it over to MIKE at around 8:50 p.m. Though the show started late, there was no wait time between performers and they often joined one another on stage before beginning their own sets. MIKE was extremely high energy, thanking the crowd repeatedly for their attendance, encouraging audience participation, giving props to the technical crew, security and most importantly, his mother. However, MIKE’s set seemed to run almost as long as Earl Sweatshirt’s and longer than the Alchemist’s. On top of this, because of how little time they gave Black Noi$e and the already later start time, it seemed as though MIKE would’ve benefitted from a shorter set.

At 9:40 p.m., the Alchemist took over the DJ booth and began playing a combination of his own produced music, unreleased songs and remixes of other artists. However, there was very little going on visually and other artists were not featured that much. Through no fault of his own, it is very difficult to create a captivating live performance with no performance factor involved. To his credit, the Alchemist was very high energy, encouraging the crowd to dance and moving with his own music. 

It seemed as though Earl Sweatshirt was supposed to join the Alchemist once he had got on but had not. The Alchemist made comments throughout his set like “Where is he” and “We’re trying to find him” until he finally joined at around 10 .p.m. Upon his arrival, Earl joked, “Philly, I was fighting for my life trying to get here.” Luckily, he made up for his postponement with an extensive setlist, lively performance, and crowd interaction. 

Whether you were a fan of his older music or came solely for the new album, there was something for everyone. Earl performed songs like “Vin Skully” and “Sirius Blac” off of “Voir Dire”, “The Mint” and “Shattered Dreams” off of his most critically acclaimed album “Some Rap Songs” and “2010” and “Vision” from “SICK!”. Along with some of his more popular songs, he covered songs like Playboi Carti’s “JumpOutTheHouse” and Meek Mill’s “Dreams and Nightmares”. Earl made sure to use the entire stage, crack jokes with the crowd between songs and deliver a live experience enjoyable for new and old fans alike. 

While the show had some issues, each performer brought a unique and memorable experience to the stage that was overall very enjoyable. Earl Sweatshirt and MIKE were both highlights of the night, but every set complimented one another and added something different to the show. Make sure to check out Black Noi$e, MIKE and “Voir Dire” on all streaming platforms.