To be completely honest, I knew next to nothing about PHANTOM ORCHARD when my fiancee told me about this show. However, once I read that the group was comprised of New York avant-garde harpist ZEENA PARKINS and IKUE MORI, the legendary former drummer of No Wave stalwarts DNA with ARTO LINDSAY, I was intrigued. Furthermore, the show was held at the country’s oldest botanical garden, which just happened to be a five-minute drive from where we live. These factors, plus the fact that THE BAIRD SISTERS (among them MEG BAIRD from ESPERS) were opening, made me that much more curious, so we went to check it out.
It also didn’t hurt that if you stepped outside, you could see the entire Philadelphia skyline, as the parking area has a very “lovers lane” type feel at night. The lack of lighting just enhanced this. Nevertheless, once we got inside, we not only found seats, but we also realized that the people who put on the show provided snacks and warm apple cider! Yes this is very fall-like and it’s March, but I’ll take it! The show was actually held indoor in a room that seated maybe fifty people tops, but that just added to the intimate atmosphere.
Knowing to expect the unexpected, we definitely got our money’s worth in that department from Phantom Orchard. Parkins played both acoustic and electric harps, doing things to the instrument that no Greek muse nor JOANNA NEWSOM would ever even contemplate. This was coupled with Mori’s electronics and visuals (she had a laptop and there was a screen projecting the visuals behind their stage setup), which created a dizzying wall of sound that was at once disorienting and yet oddly comforting at the same time.
The Baird Sisters opened the show nicely with some late ‘60s and early ‘70s inspired acoustic folk that’s far less psychedelic and a bit more straightforward than sister Meg’s other group Espers.
