Mo Lowda & The Humble @ The North Star Bar.

Text and images by Tim O’Donnell.

The North Star Bar was the place to be Friday night as Philadelphia’s own Mo Lowda & The Humble celebrated the launch of their new album, Curse The Weather. It’s the bands first full-length and they made it a point to play it in its entirety, as well as some old jams.

Jordan Caiola’s deep and distinctive voice, as well as his eclectic guitar sound, is a breath of fresh air. Nate Matulis’s jazzy bass lines, mixed with Shane Woods’ technical drumming – at times explosively fast, make Mo Lowda’s music endlessly intriguing.

The band began their set with “Knocked Out,” the sixth track off of their new album. Jordan sang with a single guitar strum repeating in the background. The song then exploded into a sound that’s reminiscent of a My Morning Jacket chorus, only more nuanced and less ostentatious. Nate’s bass line provided a firm backbone to Jordan’s oftentimes-atmospheric guitar riffs.

“I Don’t Know,” the fourth song of the set and one of the singles off of the new album, seemed to be a crowd favorite. After the chorus, Jordan’s melodic guitar riffs transformed into an all out jam, during which the crowd sang along and danced. Shane’s fast and tight drum rolls accentuated Jordan’s aggressive guitar perfectly. The crowd became lost in a frenzy of fast paced alt-rock goodness.

The highlight of the set came right around the halfway point when saxophonist Sean Bailey appeared on stage during the song “Where the Whitetails Go.” Sean’s stage presence blended perfectly with an already great set. The chemistry between Sean and the rest of the band was on point.

Mo Lowda & The Humble have a sound that can be difficult to lump into one genre. They blend alternative and progressive rock, jazz and even funk. Be on the lookout for these guys in the future.