While we’re still unable to welcome you into our house, we’re excited to present a series of virtual WCL House Concerts with a nod to the centuries-old tradition! We’ve invited some of your favorite Philly-area artists, many of whom have played our stages countless times over the years, to share their music. These intimate livestream concerts will premiere on our YouTube channel, directly from the artists’ homes to yours.
We talked to a few of this week’s performers, Taylor Kelly and TJ McGlinchey, about their 2021 plans, fave WCL memories, and more!
Taylor Kelly
What was your last show (as a performer or audience member) before the shutdown?
The night before the shutdown, I had a SoFar Sounds show booked in DC. It was a duo thing with vibraphone, which is my new favorite instrumentation for stripped down gigs. We were supposed to play another SoFar Sounds show the night after in NYC but it got cancelled and the rest is history. The DC show was my first SoFar Sounds experience and it was really a treat. The room was full and so attentive, and being able to play to an audience of people I’d never met in a city I don’t live in was really wild and special. It was also really wonderful to be able to get away and explore before being locked down for a very long time. I’m grateful for that.
What are your plans for 2021 and beyond?
If 2020 has taught me anything, it’s not to plan. I was already skeptical about planning since most of the best (and worst) things that have ever happened to me have been major curve balls, but 2020 has taught me to simply do what I love and let life take me where it takes me. If I’m not happy with where I am right now then what’s the point? So, I guess my plan is to stay happy and make the most out of what I have in the present moment. And okay, I’m likely gonna release an EP or something this year.
What has been your favorite way to pass the time while at home?
This has changed since it feels like the pandemic has been 10 long years but I started doing yoga regularly, and now I can’t go to sleep before a quick yoga flow every night. Also, puzzles. I’m a little tired of them now but man, did it feel good to finish a 1,000 piece puzzle on my own after a week or two of working at it. It gave me gratification I wasn’t really feeling anywhere else. Oh, and seltzer, too. I literally get excited about what case of seltzer (yes, carbonated water) I’m gonna buy next at the store once the case I’m drinking is gone. It doesn’t take very long.
What’s your favorite WCL memory?
This is tough because some of my favorite memories since I’ve moved to Philly have been at WCL. If you asked me this 2 years ago, I’d say having the opportunity to open for Moonchild, who at that point were one of the biggest influences on my writing. Even more surreal than that was on August 2nd, 2019 though. We were celebrating my album release, Up Up and Away before going off on tour for 2 weeks, my longest tour yet. The room was packed and the crowd wouldn’t even let me speak they were so hype. It was also a huge production where I had my full 8-pc band plus 3 background singers, an occasional violinist, flutist and two of the MCs on my album got up and performed their respective verses live. It was actually insane. The icing on the cake? My dad drove all the way down from upstate NY and surprised me, front row with one of my t-shirts on that he had just bought. Luckily I saw him in the back before I went on because I cried like a baby as soon as I saw him. That’ll certainly be a night I will never ever forget.
Watch Taylor’s House Concert Jan 21 at 8pm!
Rev TJ McGlinchey
What was your last show (as a performer or audience member) before the shutdown?
My last performance was most likely at an open mic at Connie’s Ric Rac. It’s the closest open mic to my place in South Philly, so I would normally stop by on a Wednesday night. I miss the camaraderie of the regular crowd that hangs out over there.
What are your plans for 2021 and beyond?
I plan to crank out records under the name Thelonious Jawn for the foreseeable future. I will continue to perform as Rev. TJ, but my mind has shifted to a more funk universe. I’m also planning to start a PhD in Neuroscience, so there’s all the rigamarole of applying and getting my materials together for that process. Besides those two things; one can never tell… I just wanna go back to Athens and swim in the Aegean Sea again.
What has been your favorite way to pass the time while at home?
Other than hanging out at home with my family; I’ve been teaching K-8 General Music, studying yoga and meditation, and beta testing a therapeutic music program called Wavepaths. Though my favorite pastime has been actually watching The Muppets with my daughter. She’s almost 1.5 yrs and she just adores them, especially Fraggle Rock. We also spend a significant amount of time watching Raffi videos and looking at aquariums on YouTube.
What’s your favorite WCL memory?
2012, January 6: My debut album record release show downstairs. There were over 200 people there. My entire family, my friends from Ardmore and all over Philly, anybody who I saw at open mics the two weeks prior; it was amazing how many people came out for a relatively unknown act. I was floored by the response and just overjoyed to be able to do what I was doing at that moment. That concert showed me what’s possible when I believe in myself and keep working towards a goal. In 2010 I had one or two songs and would shake uncontrollably when I played by myself in front of other people. Two years later I was on the big stage at WCL, the venue partnered with my favorite radio station. That week Helen Leicht played my song on 88.5 WXPN and from there on out I knew what I was gonna be doing with the rest of my life. That summer I played the Main Stage at the Philadelphia Folk Festival. This is a big part of what I do now. I am a music maker. My interests may have expanded, but my passion for writing and performing hasn’t waned.
Watch TJ’s House Concert Jan 23 at 8pm!
