Lily Virginia Presents 'Play Me Twice' at World Cafe, Philadelphia

A small Sunday evening crowd hung out upstairs in Philadelphia's World Cafe for a recent album release event and an introduction to music made without the benefit of big-time record labels.

The cafe is the home of WXPN Radio. Thankfully the left side of the FM dial is not completely taken over by "religious" broadcasters. National Public Radio and its affiliates remain an outpost of information and diverse music; a slightly more controlled college radio sound in mind, XPN is no exception.

A club complex with less pretension than you might expect, the upstairs is dark, friendly, a place for food, drink and music that makes sense. I was in to follow up on a Brooklyn-based artist whose crowd-funding campaign (after more than a year) paid off.

Lily Virginia told me in September of last year that Play Me Twice was to have songs "that are bluish purple with silver gold shimmers." From her first EP released in 2014, I got a sense of color, but not from anything she said.

"'Cause some things they take a long time...and good things, they take a long time..."

The work and wait were well worth it, and Play Me Twice contains Lily's planned palette and more. From the retro, affected guitar opening of "Long Time," Lily drives you into lyric and voice.

So what is her music? I leave that to you. It's not just WXPN type music; there are different shades and influences. You have to roll with that, and listen.

"Love You More" I'd heard before, but reconsideration takes you back to more of that sound. Washes of cymbals, a raising of energy, and yet you are not overwhelmed by the effects.

That brings me to the event, one of a series to promote the album. No massive backline at the cafe needed, or wanted. The stage looked like it could have been someone's practice space, but you got to sit up close and were never overwhelmed.

The acoustic duo Owl and Wolf opened: Dani Mari and Will Hanza provided a mostly dual guitar set of intriguing originals. "Garden of Ghosts" stood out, and Hanza showed his skills on slide guitar and mandolin.

Lily's minimal set followed, "Atlantic" starting on a slow build, and the ride continued through time changes, the different shades of mood and music.

"Love You More" followed, and stories of relationships, "Single in Brooklyn," "TV Screens & Videos" and "Deep Dreaming."

The set was over before I knew it, and Lily finished with a new song about her native California. Worth the wait indeed, is Play Me Twice. Lily Virginia's songwriting and her gift for lyrics is one thing, but she has the vocals, the music and from speaking with her, the confidence to do it on her terms.

(Photo & Video shot by the author)

http://lilyvirginia.com/

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https://lilyvirginia.bandcamp.com/

Image: Lily Viriginia Facebook

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