Welcome to Monday! Your song is by Phosphorescent because I saw them perform last night and I'm going to show you and tell you about it.
If you've been hanging with me a while, you may have heard me say that things in my life are rarely linear. I come to things in roundabout ways, I can't always approach them directly. Phosphorescent was a name I had heard but the music wasn't really on my radar.
Then I saw Australian Jo Schornikow open a show in 2022, and I immediately bought her album Altar and listened to it a lot. Probably my favorite song on Altar is "Visions", closely followed by "Altar". An immediate point of reference may be Beth Orton, but close listening shows Schornikow's songwriting to be fresh & unique.
I contacted her about being photographed for my Queens of Noise series and we made that happen in August of 2023.
Schornikow is pictured here with her son Otis, who came along for the photo shoot and added an element that was previously absent from the Queens of Noise series - being a mother AND a working musician.
Schornikow's partner (and Otis' dad!) is Matthew Houck of Phosphorescent, and Schornikow plays in the band also.
I've been listening to and enjoying the singles from Phosphorescent's upcoming album "Revelator", so when Schornikow invited me to come to the Lightning 100 Nashville Sunday Night show at 3rd & Lindsley the answer was a resounding HELL YES. Schornikow herself was opening the show with a solo set, which is always excellent - having seen her perform her songs with a band at Analog at Hutton Hotel last year, I knew this set would also be stellar.
Everyone at 3rd & Lindsley last night was treated to hearing unreleased songs from Phosphorescent's new album Revelator, including "The World Is Ending" (written by Jo!), "Wide as Heaven", "A Moon Behind the Clouds" and the previously released singles "Revelator" and "Impossible House". An appreciative audience was further thrilled when the band played older songs such as" C'est la Vie No. 2" from 2018's C'est La Vie, and "Ride On/Right On", "Terror in the Canyons (the Wounded Master)", and the much beloved "Song for Zula", all from 2013's Muchacho album.
There's a time and a place for the emotional catharsis of the wall-of-sound and loud-af musical styling of rock-n-roll and punk and metal. In my time in Tennessee I've also developed a deep appreciation for the power of dynamic range and slower precision in music (as well pedal steel guitar!)- another way to evoke emotional response. Lest we forget, the voice is also an instrument in a musical composition - and Matthew Houck uses his warm voice masterfully. The power of a skilled band cannot be overestimated, either.
Last night's show was a real treat, and prefaces Phosphorescent's upcoming US tour in May and European tour later in the year. I was truly honored to be present for this show and allowed to photograph it. We experienced a wonderful night of music, and I like photographing shows at 3&L because of the multitude of vantage points - in front, in back, on various balconies overlooking the floor & stage. I'll remember this show fondly.
Listen to some great music this week and be excellent to each other until I talk to you again.