As fans shuffled through the narrow entrance of Main Street Music, gripping their plastic wrapped copies of Painkillers, Brian Fallon quietly took a seat before gently urging those finding a place up front to do the same. Visiting the Philadelphia record store several hours before his nighttime appearance at the Electric Factory, the Gaslight Anthem frontman performed a brief afternoon set filled with songs from his solo debut. And while it wasn’t officially set for release until March 11th, Painkillers managed to arrive a few days early (03-08-16) for the small, grinning audience nestled inside the Manayunk music store.
Traveling on foot and on wheels, the people who glided by outside could often be seen craning their necks to peer through the window, catching a glimpse of Fallon made hazy and dim from the sun’s glare. Inside the store, the musician sat framed by two Yamaha speakers, with his back to an easel holding a poster board cut out of the blue tinted record sleeve. While he spoke to the crowd, he occasionally picked at chords, frequently smiling as jokes were passed back and forth. In between sips of coffee and stories about the making of the album, at one point during his set he even offered up his guitar’s capo as a potential toy for a fidgeting baby being held by her mother.
Brian Fallon
BF
BF
Introducing “Smoke” as “a song from this record here,” he motioned to an audience member near his feet to hand him their copy, saying, “Let me see that,” before admitting, “I haven’t seen it yet.” After quickly studying the vinyl and then jokingly holding it up to the large-scale photo behind him, he handed it back and began to strum soon after, nearly making good on his earlier prediction that he might end up doing more talking than playing.
BF
BF
“This is the title song, has nothing to do with drugs, though. The record was called Painkillers because I always found music was…that’s what it was. It was a thing, like a comfort that you could take with you.”
With sunlight streaming through the store, Fallon performed “Painkillers” just as he would every other track he played that afternoon: alone on his Martin acoustic. If there were any kind of tool or scientific unit capable of measuring what separates a good song from a great song, the only conceivable test would probably ask whether the arrangement could be reshaped, stripped down and still feel as compelling as any larger scaled incarnation the audience may be more familiar with. After all, there aren’t many who can make a single acoustic guitar and one voice feel both big and small where it should, unearthing a different kind of color and dimension whose roots had stretched for miles beneath every layer of music. Although as the audience watched Fallon softly tap his foot and sing with his eyes closed, his brow lifting every time his voice did, it was clear that no one left Main Street without being absolutely certain that Fallon has always been one of them.
Brian Fallon
Brian Fallon
SET:
Smoke
Painkillers
Among Other Foolish Things
Rosemary
Painkillers is available online and in stores TODAY
Joined by a core band featuring Ian Perkins, Catherine Popper and Alex Rosamilia, Brian Fallon is on tour now:
3/11 Royale Boston Boston, MA
3/12 Starland Ballroom Sayreville, NJ
3/13 The Opera House Toronto, Canada
3/15 The 9:30 Club Washington, DC
3/17 SXSW Outdoor Stage At Lady Bird Lake Austin, TX
3/18 Turner Hall Ballroom Milwaukee, WI
3/19 Varsity Theater Minneapolis, MN
3/20 House of Blues Chicago Chicago, IL
3/22 The Riot Room Kansas City, MO
3/23 The Summit Music Hall Denver, CO
3/25 Great American Music Hall San Francisco, CA
3/26 House of Blues San Diego San Diego, CA
4/5 02 Ritz Manchester Manchester, United Kingdom
4/6 02 ABC Glasgow, United Kingdom
4/7 02 Institute Birmingham Birmingham, United Kingdom
4/8 KOKO London, United Kingdom
4/9 Rock City Nottingham, United Kingdom
4/10 02 Academy Bristol Bristol, United Kingdom
4/11 St. Pancras Old Church London, United Kingdom
4/12 Zappa Antwerpen, Belgium
4/13 Melkweg The Max Amsterdam, Netherlands
4/14 Astra, Kulturehaus Berlin, Germany
4/15 Muffathalle Munich, Germany
4/17 Arena Wien Bezirk-Landstrasse, Austria
4/19 Gloria-Theater Köln, Germany
4/20 Fabrik Hamburg, Germany
5/13 Centennial Olympic Park Atlanta, GA
Article: Caitlin Phillips
