Snarky Puppy @ The Electric Factory with The Phonies, The Revivalists and More.
Text and images by Holli Stephens.
The rainy forecast may have kept Ardmore Music Hall’s Live From the Lot festival from being near their Main Line venue on Saturday but the jazz-inspired day of music made for an enormous party at the Electric Factory.
The E. Factory set up two stages – the Prince and the Bowie, meaning there was near constant music from the moment The Phonies opened until Snarky Puppy capped off the first day of the two day fest.
Philadelphia natives The Phonies set the tone for the day with their upbeat jams filled with various brass instrumentation. As more and more people wandered through the Electric Factory’s doors, it became more apparent why the Live From the Lot festival was so special. It brought people together of all ages and cultures to enjoy a common genre of funky, feel good beats.
Pimps of Joytime were next up on the lineup and had a sound as unique as their name. The Brooklyn based 5-piece had a great dynamic. Just when the sound seemed to be leaning towards a more bluesy vibe, a digeridoo-inspired sound erupted with a very techno bass line.
Next to hit the smaller Bowie stage was Charlie Hunter and has band. In the music world, Hunter is known for sporting a seven or eight string guitar, on which he can play both the baseline and the rhythm.
Foundation of Funk built off of the crowd’s already intense energy. A crew of legendary musicians with so much experience, the musicians were all smiles. Throughout the set, each band member played a very technical and difficult solo.
The crowd began to gather around Bowie stage once for Superhuman Happiness, who switched up the vibe to a more contemporary sound. The four-piece came out dressed in all white lab coats and, after a few songs, stripped them off to reveal a plethora of colorful outfits.
An army of The Revivalists fans began swarming the floor and sitting by the barricade, eager to see the 7-piece’s appearance. Frontman David Shaw’s tantalizing but pure voice and his larger-than-life appearance made the crowd go into a fury of hand waving and shouting, especially when the singer descended into the photo pit to shake various fans’ hands.
Clad in a black and white striped suit and top hat, Marco Benevento took a seat at the piano for an intimate set of upbeat hits. The New Jersey native kept the audience on their feet and in anticipation of what was to come.
Ten minutes before Benevento ended, members of Snarky Puppy could be seen ascending the Prince Stage to fine tune their instruments and a few even started playing along with some of Benevento’s tunes. Bandmates disappeared back into the shadows and from the darkness, a crew of instrumentalists, from violin players to trumpeters came back out. Frontman Michael League took his spot on the bass to close out the night with such a electrifying and funky sound that left the audience singing out various instrumental choruses.
On Sunday, the music went outside, with Snarky Puppy capping off day two, as well.
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JUMP: The Philly Music Project 
The Phonies link is the wrong band, the correct page is at facebook.com/thephoniesOFFICIAL/ If that could be changed it would be appreciated.
Sorry about that. It’s been amended.