Blah Blah Blah – Billy Kelly Live in Philly

Posted by Jeff on November 1, 2009 at 8:55 am

Billy Kelly, sans the Blah Blah Blahs, played upstairs at World Cafe Live in Philadelphia yesterday. Thanks to the flu and other illnesses, Kelly’s backing band was left behind in Lewisburg, PA. Fortunately, the funny, talented kindie rocker came prepared with a Macbook, flip charts and a beatbox. While the accouterments didn’t totally make up for absent musicians, it certainly made for a curious and inventive fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants kind of stage show.

The special Halloween performance saw numerous kids in costume – Hermione Granger, Luke Skywalker, a couple Power Rangers, Evil Spiderman, an alligator and a very cute lil’ girl as a bumble bee – a handful of ’em took home prizes for their dress-up efforts. Everyone took away official Happy Club membership certificates.

Billy Kelly’s set comprised of a 7 tunes off his debut album along with the holiday appropriate “Monster Mash” (sung in a spot-on Jimmy Stewart voice), and “Family Garden” and “Dance from Outer Space” – a couple of impressive new tunes.

On “Family Garden”, Kelly imports some of his more country crooner/Johnny Cash influences with stellar results. It’s got a different vibe then the “Happy Club” songs, warmer and more rootsy in nature. “Dance from Outer Space” is the story of the earth being invading by a dance that melts your brain – awesome! Can’t wait to hear a recorded version of that upbeat number with all the bells and whistles. Check out videos of both below (posted with Billy Kelly’s permission).

“Family Garden”
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tT4nZzhWw4g&hl=en&fs=1&color1=0x5d1719&color2=0xcd311b]

“Dance from Outer Space”
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iNDXJxrkROY&hl=en&fs=1&color1=0x5d1719&color2=0xcd311b]

New York readers take note: Catch Billy Kelly and the Blah Blah Blahs on November 15th at the 92Y in Tribeca and then later in the year at the Long Island Children’s Museum.