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Upon finishing the final note of her band’s 45-minute set Friday at Lickety Split, 401 South St., All My Uncles’ lead singer Gracie Martin flashed smiles toward her peers and the patrons.
Grateful for the chance to helm the quintet’s premier performance, she also appreciated the greater significance of contributing to the inaugural Make Music Philly, a 12-hour celebration that relied on numerous venues, including seven South Philly sites, to mark the summer solstice.
“It’s been amazing to be a part of a cool opportunity to spread the power of music,” Martin said. “For us, too, this has been great because it was our first gig and will give us an idea of where we are.”
Consisting of University of the Arts enrollees, the group formed in February and had sought the right time to offer its blend of folk, rock and soul before using social media to learn of Make Music Philly in the spring. A descendant of France’s Fête de la Musique, which began in 1982 and has morphed into World Music Day, the local acknowledgment of tunesmiths stands as a collaboration between the City’s Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy and WXPN, the University of Pennsylvania’s public radio station. In organizing the day, the entities aligned Philadelphia with more than 500 global cities that have likewise welcomed the third season with song-fueled revelry.
“We’re thrilled so many people have worked so hard to put it together,” Martin, a 21-year-old acting major who has been singing since childhood, said. “Because of them, we felt more relaxed about playing and hope other acts feel as fortunate.”
The third act to take the Queen Village location’s stage, All My Uncles, like the day’s other entertainers, had needed to sign up for the 8-a.m.-to-8-p.m. bash, with artists able to receive consideration for more than one location. With 10 spots, including the Kimmel Center, Love Park and the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society’s Pop Up Garden, where Martin et al will make their next appearance Monday, Center City led the way, yet South Philly claimed second with seven, with Bainbridge Green, Fourth and Bainbridge streets; Fleisher Art Memorial, 719 Catharine St.; Hot Diggity!, 630 South St.; Settlement Music School, 416 Queen St.; the Theatre of the Living Arts, 334 South St.; and Xfinity! Live, 1100 Pattison Ave., complementing Lickey Split’s schedule through an assortment of genres, including classical and jazz, favorites for Declin McManus.
“I’m new to Philly by way of Ireland, and I’m always looking for any sort of event to cater to my musical tastes,” the resident of the 1000 block of South 12th Street said upon making a mid-afternoon stop at Lickety Split. “I have my preferences, yeah, but who really cares about being particular when everything is free and in the spirit of trying to unite us through music?”
Adopting “all day, all over, all free” as its slogan, the festival, along with its distinction as an offshoot of international gatherings such as those in Italy, Greece, Jamaica, Lebanon and the People’s Republic of China, helped Philadelphia to join notable metropolises like Chicago, New York City and San Diego. It also put an end to the inquiries of many curious citizens who had long wondered why their turf had not seemed eager to team up with its American brethren, many of whom have participated since the 2006 inception of National Music Day. Randy Bucksner had heard a few of those questions before Friday and beamed as music lovers strolled by Bainbridge Green.
“It’s been a difficult birth to bring something here,” the personality from Tri State Indie, a North Philly-based music source for artists, fans and promoters, said as he distributed guides at the Queen Village park. “It’s involved a bunch of grassroots community work and has all been in the name of reinforcing that music is moving and inspirational.”
Bucksner noted the overseers selected venues that could support their mission of conveying that Philadelphia possesses a vibrant musical identity that receives strength from anyone’s attempts to make statements with instruments and voices. As Bainbridge Green has a committed friends group whose redesign plans include strategic and decorative lighting, improved sitting areas, enhanced landscaping and the possible erection of a sculpture and a food garden, organizers deemed it a great stop for residents and Queen Village visitors to appreciate singers such as Charlie Sweeney.
“Philadelphia is a great music city,” the Warminster resident said shortly before his hour-long fusion of Irish traditional tunes, classic rock, country and blues, with original pieces in the mix. “It’s amazing it’s taken this long for it to get involved, but now that it is, and with a little more publicity, because this time it was lacking, I think the festival can be a real benefit to all of our communities.”
Having plied his trade for 41 years, the Bucks County dweller has enjoying mastering the trumpet and guitar, garnering a steady stream of paying gigs. Often hearing that playing for free cheapens a musician’s craft, Sweeney shot back at that assertion by saying that regardless of monetary compensation, offering one’s talents always possesses the ability to inspire, which he sees as a product of the festival, its global predecessors and its probable successors. He used that attitude to guide him through his stint at Bainbridge Green, a morning turn at Old City’s Historic Headhouse Square Shambles and an evening show at the Kimmel Center. Lauding South Philly’s musical possibilities, he wished well to everyone trying to cause a ripple.
“Many people have come because they’re doing it for exposure,” Sweeney said. “That’s great and I hope they get it. I’m here because I love playing.”
Contact Staff Writer Joseph Myers at jmyers@southphillyreview.com or ext. 124.
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