Freedom Tour 08’ featuring the Marc Scibilia band passed through Philadelphia on July 2nd. A crew of about 20 Ron Paul supporters mixed in with the after-work shots and television crowd to pack the Raven club.

Opening act Adam Rose played a set of original songs and a classic rendition of “Knockin on Heaven’s Door” that had the bar singing along. His original songs were intelligent, well crafted gems that rang melodiously throughout the dark confines of the noisy bar. His voice sang like a rare eagle and conveyed the essence of truth and beauty. (disclaimer- I am AR).

During the third song of the opening set, a drunken girl, who looked to be about 19, played the air guitar and shrieked loudly to her inebriated co-worker. Five songs into the set, a gaggle of 3 to 4 recent entrants to the work force came to stand directly in front of the performer while stretching their arms, puffing their chests, and scanning the room for interested females. They were utilizing a technique known as attention streaming, whereby a group of energy hijackers attempts to steal the attention directed at the source of creation by placing themselves directly between the attention generator and receiver. Their efforts, however, failed miserably and they left the bar soon after in hopes of finding a DJ at a nearby club that might play rhythmic music at a loud enough decibel to make them appear temporarily sexy. Rose was joined by Dominic Galante on the electric bass.

The Marc Scibilia band performed an improvisatory opening number that sounded like a contemporary rendition of “In a Silent Way” – the Miles Davis creation that influenced both club music and free jazz. The band then delved into a number of riotous songs that blended the folk-rock tradition with the pulse and energy of a funk band. Scibilia’s voice was soulful and raspy. When he sang of love and heartache he sounded especially Dylanesque.

A group of 3 after work young women seated at the bar some 10 inches from the band seemed unfazed by the live music and focused their attention on playing Nintendo games on a large screen TV that was visible throughout the bar. Scibilia commented on their activities, saying “I’ve never sung a love song while staring at an enormous video game in progress” or something along those lines. Another memorable quote was, “When you’re on a tour bus you either become afraid or you write songs. I wrote this song….”

Prior to the bands performance, Israel Anderson, their tour manager gave a short, but inspired lecture on the evils of our paper money system and the perils facing our slumping currency.

Pokerface, a high energy rock act from the Philly suburbs closed the evening out.

http://www.myspace.com/adamrosesongs

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