With the Comcast Center (now the tallest building in Center City) nearing completion, Philadelphia continues to lose its quaint charm in favor of a new-found love for the grandiose. Even on our campus, the monolith that is the still-incomplete Radian is as impressive as it is imposing, dwarfing all other buildings surrounding it. With more daunting developments in the works and a trend towards the exuberant spreading throughout the entire city, Philadelphia locals are attempting to show the beauty of simplicity though music.
This Saturday the Circle of Hope, a local church and part-time venue in South Philly, will host a handful of bands from across the country in an attempt to break it back down to the basics. Drum-and-bass duos will play alongside guitar-and-keyboard couplets at the "2 Piece Festival," a celebration of music groups comprised only of two members.
For Craig Woods, festival organizer and local Philadelphia musician, there is a something inherently unique about the modest set-up.
"There is something special about just playing with one person and being able to play as a full band," Woods said.
The festival will showcase a diverse range of sounds, and fans of just about any genre of music will find themselves satisfied with the line-up that hopes to squeeze in 19 performances into under eight hours.
"About half the bands I knew personally beforehand, so it was easy enough to plan the show," he said. "At first I thought it was going to be a challenge because the original plan was to get 22 bands to keep the 'two' theme intact, but a lot of bands contacted me that I didn't know were two-piece bands."
The day-long festival will feature a handful of Philadelphia bands, including Woods' own Peter and Craig alongside bigger favorites like Japanther, who have garnered a nationwide reputation for their infectious sound and captivating live shows.
"We had to cut it down to 19 because of a time constraint we have with the venue. We have two stages to try to cut down on time so it's going to be a little crazy," he said.
The rapid-fire sets will work perfectly with the stripped-down nature of the bands and will only make the show more enjoyable for those unfamiliar with the D.I.Y. Philly music scene. For any of those wondering whether stripped-down minimalism is sufficiently capable of making towering noise, Woods wouldn't worry.
"I find that in most two-piece bands they're missing something [...] but I've just noticed that two-piece bands seem to have the most fun," he said. "It's different and I feel like that's what makes it more fun."
Trying to translate exactly what makes two-piece bands special is a harder to articulate.
"If you can feel it and see it and just know that they're connected and playing with passion, then it doesn't matter what the size of the band is," Woods explains. "We think it's special, so I wanted to do this festival to celebrate the two-piece bands from all over the country."
If there are two words to sum up the festival, they would be, "don't miss."
Check out the 2 Piece Festival this Saturday, February 2nd at 2 p.m. at the Circle of Hope (1125 S. Broad St.).
More info available at http://circley.net/2piecefest
