December 24, 2005
The Last WXPN Newsletter for 2005 features Lili on the cover. Inside story on the October 18th Live Radio Broadcast with Lili and other local artists.
December 20, 2005
Lili was invited to peform at Perkins Center of the Arts in February 2006. Perkins Center for the Arts is a unique cultural organization dedicated to excellence in the arts and to providing a wide range of creative opportunities for people of all ages and every level of artistic development. Located on a beautiful 5-acre arboretum in Moorestown, N.J., Perkins Center for the Arts, founded in 1976, is housed in the historic Perkins Memorial, a Tudor-style manor house designed in 1910 by Philadelphia architect, Herbert C. Wise. Concert details soon to follow.
December 17 2005
Steel City Coffee House is a great venue for live music! The audience last night was so attentive and Lili was able to make some new fans. They serve excellent coffee and sandwiches too! Lili looks foward to returning January 7th with Jeffrey Gaines.
December 16, 2005
LAY DOWN PLAY-DEAD is chosen as the Philly Local Pick of the Day! Once a day Helen Leicht, from WXPN 88.5, selects a song at 1:00 PM as the pick of the day exclusively from local Philadelphia artists. Way to go Lili! Tonight is Lili's debut at Steel City Coffee House. The cold arctic air we've been experiencing the past few days has left, making tonight a great night to go out and enjoy some live music!
November 23, 2005 Great news! Lili was booked to open for one of her heroes JEFFREY GAINES January 7th at Steel City Coffeehouse! Now here's the icing on the cake, Lili will be returning to the Tin Angel January 20th opening for her mates PATRICK'S HEAD. If this is going to be anything like the October 22nd CD release party, we are all in for a very special treat! Details for both of these fabulous shows soon to come.
November 20, 2005
What a great night for music at the Tin Angel! Lili kicked things off with a Janis Ian cover "From Me To You." The audience was mesmerized and very few people realized it was a cover. Lili clarified it a couple of songs later saying she wish she had written that one. Then enter Bill Conkin, Lili's guitarist for the evening. Finally, we get to hear the Philadelphia premiere of "Thin Line." Bill really added something special to this song filling in the space needed for this live rendition. The unreleased gem "Over You" came next, followed by the always delightful "Nothing In Common." 'If God Had A Wallet" was played without the usual story-telling intro. With Bill on guitar a new element was added to this very inspirational song. Going back to the "Laughed Last" CD, Lili pulls out another Philadelphia premeire with "Baby When?" An all too short setlist ends with a killer version of "The Way Out". Next stop Steel City Coffeehouse, December 16!
October 22, 2005 PATRICK'S HEAD CD RELEASE PARTY
The house was sold out and the mood was very festive. Lili kicked it off with Say It Isn't True and played a good mix of songs from both of her CDs and in addition some unreleased material. The Wrong Time was played beautifully as usual and a remarkable performance of "On The Run" was dedicated to everyone that hates their day jobs. From the response Lili got there were quite a few people who hate their day jobs! She sang her heart out on Won't You Stay which she played as a request from John Byrne (Patrick's Head) and to the delight of her good friend, Joe Montano who drove in from NY with his family. If God Had a Wallet sounds better every time it's played. She ended her set with the fan favorite THE WAY OUT which prompted a dance party! When Lili went up to introduce Patrick's Head she told the audience how they first met. Lili imitating John in an Irish Brogue: "You're so fucking fantastic! You should open for us when we do our CD release party".
Patrick's Head opened their set with "Mine" from the Conversation With Baby CD and then moved forward with Susan Says from A Mild Case Of Something Weird and continued with a combination of new and old material. One of the highlights of the evening was when 3 people in the audience showed up dressed in masks and costumes. They turned out to be John Byrne's family who flew all the way from Ireland just for the occasion! What a night of surprises! Another great highlight was when the band played YOU'RE ALREADY GONE, the best song from the new CD. Overall, John's singing was strong and the tambourine playing was very Beatlesque. Scott delivered some of the best solid acoustic guitar playing ever. To glue the sound together was Patrick on electric guitar. The trio were at their charismatic best at times jumping on the dance floor dancing along with the crowd. The traditional Irish drinking songs lent to making this CD release party of "Traditional Gentlemen of the Road" a successful and fun night for all!
October 19, 2005 - Philly Local All Star Event!
In celebration of XPNs one year anniversary at 3025 Walnut Street on October 18th there was a special live broadcast of the Philly Local show with DJ legend Helen Leicht. It was a full house at the upstairs World Cafe with an All Star Line-up! Lili was asked to kick off the show with the Staples Singers hit "I'll Take You There." She was accompanied by Josh Komorowski on vocals, guitarist Keith Giosa, drummer Woody Sutton, bassist Jeff Block and the lovely Lelia Broussard on vocals. With this group of fine artists they breathed new life into the song. Lili later performed Nothing in Common and The Way Out with Jeff on bass. It was a very jubilant atmosphere and a memorable night of great music showcasing some of the best local talent this town has to offer. Helen promises there is more to come!
October 12, 2005
Whether she’s playing to twenty people or a thousand, Lili is always the cool, constant professional. She gave her best last night at the World Cafe and performed for about an hour and twenty minutes. She played older songs, newer material and even 2 covers; Janis Ian and Joan Armatrading. On "On The Run" and "Over You" Lili had a special guest percussionist, Jody Janetta adding some magic to these wonderful songs, making this a very special night. Even the empty chairs were applauding!
Daniel Drust opened the show accompanied by his drummer and also played his heart out for a half hour. At times sounding like Buddy Holly and then a punk rocker, this young guy has great stage presence and a lot of raw potential. Daniel can be seen playing the open mic weekly at various venues, including the World Café, in addition to performing full sets.
Great job Lili and Danny!
October 11, 2005
Lili was again surprised and delighted to get a call from the World Cafe to perform as a replacement for the Upstairs stage on Oct 11th. This is a FREE EVENT. Local musician, Daniel Drust will open the show at 7:00pm and perform a 40 minute set. Then Lili will take the stage and perform for about 1 hr and 15 minutes. It's so good to see Lili headline again and play a longer set, as she has many recorded and unreleased songs to offer. This will certainly be a great time!
WXPN 88.5 TOTALLY LIVE BROADCAST!!!
Lili was asked to perform at Helen Leicht's Philly Local radio show on October 18th. She was thrilled and will be doing at least 2 songs live as the shows aires from 8 to 10pm. This is in celebration of WXPN's state of the art station which will be one year old in it's new location right next to the World Cafe. The show is being booked as "Josh Komorowski and Friends." Josh was lead singer, guitarist and songwriter for the band LOVE SYNDICATE and now performs solo. His talents will shine on October 18th! Among the other wonderful artists scheduled are Slo Mo featuring Mike Brenner/Mic Wrecka, The Fractals featuring Kevin Hansen, Taki76, Lelia Broussard, Matt Santry, Lizanne Knott and John Francis. Lili may be accompanied by local bass player, Jeff Block.
September 25, 2005
Lili played to a sold out crowd at the World Cafe Downstairs main stage in short notice! The highly anticipated Rhett Miller concert was in need of an opening act due to a management mix-up. Lili got the call only hours before showtime with no rehearsal time and was well received by a crowd not expecting an opening act. Way to go Lili!
September 20, 2005
The All Together Now! Benefit for victims of Hurricane Katrina was a huge success! Several venues were inolved including The World Cafe, Tin Angel, Steel City Coffee House and others. Lili did her scheduled 4 songs at The World Cafe main stage and met lots of nice folks. There was so much talent and positive vibes in the air. It was a great time for a worthy cause!
September 18, 2005
THE WAY OUT was played on WSTW in Delaware! WSTW is a Wilmington mainstream radio station. After Lili's participation in "Hometown Heroes Concert for Hurricane Relief" she was recognized for her performance and played the next night! Check out this link:
September 17, 2005
Lili was proud to participate at "Hometown Heroes Concert for Hurricane Relief" in Wilmington, DE. This show was pulled together very quickly and Lili was honered to be asked to devote her time and talent for this much needed Katrina benefit show. The Grand Opera House is a very historic and beautiful concert venue. Lili hopes to return there.
September 10, 2005
Lili once again proved that seeing is believing! The September 9th Tin Angel show had one of the most wonderful crowds that Lili has perfomed for since her move to Philadelphia last year. The audience seemed to cling on to every word. It was such a positive, energetic experience having so many new attendees being won over. She opened for cult icon, Essra Mohawk and it was great to see her fans become Lili's fans. Lili has been perfoming a couple of new songs, one called "If God Had a Wallet" and the other "Land On My Feet." These will most definitely be on the next CD. This was her very first appearance at The Tin Angel and guess what? She was asked to return! Details will be forthcoming.
September 8, 2005
A benefit concert is being organized by Point Entertainment for the victims of Hurricane Katrina. This will involve many of Philadelphia's best artists. Lili was asked to participate and has proudly accepted. As far as we know shows are being scheduled for September 20th, but all the details as to the time and place of the venue(s) still have to be worked out. This should be public news in the days to come.
September 6, 2005
"Lay-Down Play Dead" was played on WXPN on the 8:00pm Philly Local show! This is huge since WXPN is broadcasted in 4 cities! Hopefully Lili's music will continue to get airplay. In addition the Tin Angel show for this Friday was also mentioned! Hats off to Lili!!! Special thanks to legendary D.J. Helen Leicht for playing Lili. Helen was a class act years ago when she worked for WIOQ and continues today to play original music, giving focus to our Philly local musicians.
THE TRACY CHAPMAN COMPARISON CONTINUES
It seems that a lot of the younger fans need a reference point and often compare Lili to Tracy Chapman. Perhaps a little musical history could clear up some of the comparisons. Tracy and Lili are vocally both altos, but that's where the similarity ends. Lili was performing music long before Tracy made her first album and therefore did not learn from listening to Tracy Chapman. No offense to Tracy, but the styles are different and Lili's teachers are more in line with Joan Armatrading (a name that perhaps a twenty-something would not be familiar with), the Beatles, Joni Mitchell and Janis Ian among others. Tracy Chapman is a huge star, but there is only one Tracy Chapman. Lili is not a big name, but her musical identity is unique and she prefers the comparisons, if any, to be attributed to a majority of musical influences and not as a clone to someone who had no influence in her musical education. As time goes by and Lili's music becomes more widely known, perhaps people will realize that there is only one Lili Añel.
August 12, 2005
Lili was thrilled when she got the call to perform with Patrick's Head at the World Cafe Live main stage on August 12th! This was at the request of the Irish Trio (Patrick's Head) who were impressed with Lili's upstairs performance. A photographer was there taking pictures to be used for god knows what, at some future gallery. Also, this was an event sponsored by Famous Brands Scotch! So, it was somewhat of a private affair. Lili gave one of the best performances that I was privvy to witness. Another
photographer (musician) Ron Chelsvig took fabulous photos that will be posted in the days to come. All in all this was wonderful night with free drinks and lots of fun. Patrick's Head, you guys are the best! Lili sends many thanks for inviting her to your party! The downstairs stage has an excellent sound system and Lili looks forward to returning in the near future.
August 5th World Cafe
Lili competed against 3 other acts in tonight's Cream: Philly Rising. Although Lili wasn't the July winner, she proved as always that she could command the stage and sung her heart out. Lili still walked away a winner with some new fans and an offer to perform in October! Details are forthcoming.
July 2005
Out of the many performers that gave their best during the month of July, Lili was selected to perform At the Word Cafe Live for Cream: The Best of Philly Rising. The show will take place Friday August 5th and Lili will be sharing the card with 3 other acts. Showtime is 9:00 P.M. and admission for this event is FREE! So, come down to the gig and have a great time!
June 8, 2005
LILI BROUGHT DOWN THE HOUSE!
Lili’s June 8th, 2005 performance at the World Café Live! in Philly was absolutely incredible! She strongly kicked off the set with the wonderful "Say It Isn’t True" from her first CD Laughed Last, then wowed the audience with an unreleased gem called "Over You." Let’s hope this makes it on the next album! By the third song "Nothing In Common", from Hi-Octane Coffee, you could hear a pin drop. Some of the patrons who just showed up for drinks and some new music were completely transfixed. A beautiful rendition of "The Wrong Time" was next followed by "2 Much Better", a very clever song about twins, but also could be interpreted with a broader theme. The haunting song "If" was delivered so raw and stark and is one of the best written songs on Hi-Octane Coffee! "Zora", a lovely song about a close friend, was skillfully sung with conviction. Lili went on to say that her friend worked at the World Trade Center and happened to be off work on 911. She explained that people usually pay tribute to others after they pass away, but wanted to do this for her friend while she was alive. "No Matter What Love", one of the most beautiful love songs ever written, came next. The set closed with an up-tempo killer, The "Way Out", also from Hi-Octane Coffee. People were clapping along and dancing in their seats. After this the crowd roared for an encore! Lili stepped back on stage and devoted "Grow Old With Me" (a John Lennon tune) to her fiancé sitting at one of the front tables. Lili’s powerhouse vocals, humor, charisma, storytelling and expert guitar playing had the audience wondering when’s the next gig?