In-Depth Concert Review

Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Mutlu, surprise guest, rock WCL

If Mutlu is one person, that should be "rocks"; if it's more than one person, that should be "guests."

One of the many pleasures of the vibrant Philadelphia music scene is that occasionally there are some surprises. Such was the case Friday night at World Café Live.

Woah woah woah - don't you mean "at the Sellersville Theater"?

Among our favorite Philly musicians is singer-songwriter Mutlu (www.myspace.com/mutlusounds). The next generation of Philly soul, Mutlu has an absolutely wonderful voice. The Blonde Accountant and I first saw him a few years ago opening for Daryl Hall at the Keswick Theater in Glenside. He’s opened for John Oates at the Sellersville Theater and he’s done several gigs opening for Hall & Oates across the county as well as headlined his own shows at several local venues.

*Whew*. What relief! We couldn't hear about a concert, even one not held at the Sellersville Theater, without mentioning the Sellersville Theater! So when not opening for washed-up gentlemen named "Hall" and "Oates," Mutlu performs at bars on the weekends.

Currently, Mutlu both opens and sings backup for another Philly singer-songwriter, Amos Lee (www.amoslee.com), whose newest album, “Mission Bell,” recently hit No. 1 on the Billboard charts.

If Borsch advertised this as "a poorly-written blog about concerts I've attended and celebrities I've seen in public," I'd stop. Honestly. But he's not even trying to live up to his "humor" claims here.

Mutlu was the headliner Friday at World Café Live, another of the many great venues in our area. Openers included Deep River and Kuf Knotz.

Toward the end of Mutlu’s set, a special guest walked up on stage to join in, and it was none other than Amos Lee, who hung for a few songs. The crowd was already amped for Mutlu, and the unexpected appearance by Amos only heightened the concert experience.

This is probably the only time in my life I will hear the phrase "amped for Mutlu." I'm tempted to ask who the hell Amos Lee is, but I'm not cool and hip like Borsch, I guess.

Check out his video of the event: two minutes of the performance. Twenty-five seconds of Amos. Then the best part: a crooked Batman-villain-lair-esque shot of the venue's neon sign, and an awkward zoom that cuts off part of the sign. Fade out. Prominent "Video by Mike Morsch" credit.

It was a great evening of music in a great city for music. Growing up in the Midwest, we just didn’t have these types of entertainment options in Peoria.

"Come to Philadelphia: We Have Better Music than Peoria." How many times has this guy said something akin to "a great artist in a great venue" to describe an event like this?

Labels: Mike Morsch, Montgomery Newspapers, Mutlu, Outta Leftfield, World Cafe Live