Welcome to Billy Rocks Philly

About 10 years ago, I went to a concert in Philadelphia.  I was seeing the Irish rockers Ash at the TLA, and opening for them that night was the Bravery.  I hadn't been to a concert in a while, and was really looking forward to it.  I wasn't disappointed.  In fact, as soon as the lights went down and the Bravery came on stage, I remembered all of the things that I love about live rock 'n roll:  the crowd's swell of anticipation, the band coming on stage and picking up their instruments and then kicking into a raucous song, the band picking up the vibe from the crowd and giving it their best, the lights, the huge and loud sound....  I just love it all, and I'm still a sucker for it every time I see live music.  That is my inspiration.

This is my very first blog post and boy are you in for a thrill. At least I hope you are.  I originally decided to start a blog to discuss the various live music venues around the Philly area, but then started thinking about a ton of other things in the music world that I thought I would write about.  So I'm going to range far and wide and discuss all kinds of things that interest me (and maybe you) in the popular music landscape.

Let me start with what was the original plan - a discussion of live music venues in the Philly area.  I haven't been to all of them, but I have visited a lot of them.  Some, such as Union Transfer, are great - good size, nice facilities, solid acoustics, and bookings that make me want to be there a lot.  Others basically suck.  Exhibit A:  the BBT venue in Camden - overpriced, crowded, crappy location (Camden?  Who thought that was a good idea?), varied acoustics, expensive parking and concessions, etc.  I'll get into each of these in more detail as I find the time to write, but you get the sense that I won't pull punches and I also will appropriately praise.

So with that, sit back, enjoy the ride, comment if you want, and let me know if you have anything you would like to hear about.  I'll try to blog once per week, but hey, I have a real life, too, and so I'll basically do it when I have the time and feel inspired.  Thanks for taking your time to read, and I hope you enjoy.  Rock on!