The Tin Angel, an intimate listening room in Old City Philadelphia, has been showcasing emerging artists for more than a decade.
By: Matt Smith
On a cold Sunday evening, the streets and sidewalks of Philadelphia’s hip Old City neighborhood are all but empty. Everyone who’s anyone is crammed into the Tin Angel, the tiny 115-seat club above Serrano restaurant on South Second Street, to see a triple bill of young singer-songwriters Teddy Thompson, Rachael Davis and Mary Lou Lord. The show’s sold out, as apparent by the rubbernecked aisles, steady buzz of chatter and perpetual-motion-machine waiter whirling around taking one drink order after another.
A hush falls over the audience when the first performer, Ms. Lord, takes the small stage at the back of the narrow, second-floor listening room. The sprite-sized Boston-area native, who got her start playing for pocket change in that city’s subways, offers a short set of tunes drawn mostly from her only major-label album, 1998’s Got No Shadow (Columbia).
When she solicits requests for her last song, I politely yell for "I Figured You Out," a bittersweet Elliott Smith song she recorded for an old EP. She opts instead for my neighbor’s more assertively voiced selection, "I Don’t Want To Get Over You," by indie rockers the Magnetic Fields. Her set concluded, Ms. Lord heads toward the bar to check on CD sales, stopping to chat with the "Mr. Loud Request," who claims to be a friend of a friend. I briefly consider interrupting and casually mentioning the time I saw her at the El Mocambo in Toronto, but chicken out quicker than you can say "awkward fan crush."
Rachael Davis, a rising folk star with a million-dollar voice, follows Mary Lou Lord with a warm, accessible set. Joined by guitarist Brett Hartenbach, Ms. Davis serves up engaging selections from her self-released debut CD Minor League Deities, joking and telling family stories like it’s Thanksgiving at her grandmother’s house. The humor-tinged song "Cocktail Wieners" gets a great response, but her dead-on version of Van Morrison’s "Tupelo Honey" is the highlight of her performance.
Famous folk child Teddy Thompson, the son of Richard and Linda Thompson, is a bit icier when he hits the stage, playing the disaffected musician for all it’s worth. As he gets into his set, Mr. Thompson’s dry British wit begins to loosen the audience, particularly when he’s ranting about his recent escape from Los Angeles. Now a New Yorker, he moved to L.A. to record his self-titled first CD, which came out in 2000 on Virgin Records. Like Ms. Lord, he’s now a major-label castoff but seems optimistic about his as-yet-unrecorded follow-up.
Mr. Thompson plays mostly new songs, smartly crafted folk-pop efforts in the vein of Crowded House or his friend Rufus Wainwright, a frequent touring partner and a fellow child of folk royalty. When his set concludes, everyone seems satisfied as they head down the narrow staircase to the street below, the melodies of three excellent young singer-songwriters hanging in the night air.
THE TIN ANGEL has steadily built its reputation with music lovers since opening in November 1992, says Larry Goldfarb, who books all the acts.
"It’s a lifestyle-type place," Mr. Goldfarb says. "The music is what it’s wrapped around. No one walks up two flights of stairs to pay $18. You come to Serrano and have dinner, then see a show."
Serrano owner Rich Machlin approached the veteran concert promoter and artist manager some 10 years ago, curious if an acoustic-based club could work in the small space above his restaurant.
"Rich said to me, ‘Can I make any money booking original music?’" Mr. Goldfarb recalls. "I said ‘No.’ He hung his head down. ‘But,’ I said, ‘I can increase your dinner business by 40 percent’ and his eyes lit up.
"And I felt there was a void in the marketplace and that we could find some degree of success," he adds. "WXPN was playing emerging artists in what I call my programming pockets Ireland and the British Isles, up-and-coming folk acts, feminist singer-songwriters but they didn’t have enough places to play."
The Tin Angel helped along local talents such as Susan Werner and Grey Eye Glances, and Ani DiFranco and Dar Williams before they were stars. Older acts quickly found a home at the Tin Angel as well.
"We had (the late) Laura Nyro," Mr. Goldfarb says, "and other people I loved in the ’70s. There are these little jewels Richie Havens, Chris Smither who are not selling millions of records but who will be recognized in ‘The Book.’"
One of Mr. Goldfarb’s favorite performances was by Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Famer LaVern Baker. An R&B singer for Atlantic Records in the 1950s, Ms. Baker had a string of hits, including "Jim Dandy to the Rescue."
"She was suffering from diabetes," he says, "and had both her legs amputated and was in a wheelchair, which we had to lift onto the stage. LaVern Baker, who must have been in her ’70s, sang her ass off. And I stayed late and talked to her. That was special."
Mr. Goldfarb credits the Tin Angel’s success to the respect and care the staff pays to making each evening special for the audience. Continuity also helps: The same sound engineer has been on staff since the beginning, and there have only been two managers in more than a decade of operation.
"There are no laurels in the music business," he says. "It’s ‘What are you going to do for me tomorrow?’ It’s a constant effort. I’m almost surprised by the longevity. Other people have tried the same exact things with bigger rooms that have parking lots… but we take pride in what we do. In the major metro areas, I think the Tin Angel is the best room in the country."
The Tin Angel and Serrano are located are 20 S. Second St., Philadelphia. Selected upcoming performers: Chris Whitley, April 11; Susan Werner, April 18; Marah, April 19-20; Citizen Cope, April 23; Guy Davis, May 1; October Project, May 23; and Kim Richey, June 9-10. For complete schedule information and restaurant reservations, call (215) 928-0770. On the Web: www.tinangel.com

