Written and Photographed by: Liv Foltiny

Walking by The Fallser Club building, one might not realize they are passing by a live music venue. With its white walls and simple black decorative trim, The Fallser Club, unlike other Philly venues (e.g., The Met, The Fillmore, and the TLA), does not display its name in lights or have adornments emphasizing its nature. All of that changes, however, as soon as you walk through its doors.

Entering the building a little after 8:30 p.m., I was greeted by venue staff and a couple of people from WXPN, who had a table set up where they were giving away pins, stickers, and other promotional items. Everyone was welcoming, and the surrounding space reflected this; string lights imbued the room with warmth, while paintings—presumably ones done by local artists—adorned the space, making it personable. All of this made it the perfect venue to host Derek Dorsey’s return to the live music scene via a multi-day music event: The Fallser Winter Music Festival. Through a collaboration between Dorsey and WXPN, as well as a sponsorship from Mirror Image Media, the festival showcased several Philly-based artists, including Emily Drinker, Dirty Dollhouse, and The Andrew Lipke Trio.

As the first act of the night, Emily Drinker and her band held the responsibility of getting the night’s festivities going. Despite only seeing the final song of their set, I think it’s safe to say they succeeded in doing just that, as Emily not only had a smile on her face while playing but also interacted with concertgoers who came up to her while everyone was waiting for Dirty Dollhouse, the second band, to get settled on stage.

Like the first act of the evening, Dirty Dollhouse was a female-fronted band, which, as pointed out by Andrew Lipke later on, was apropos for the date, considering it was International Women’s Day. Led by Chelsea Mitchell, Dirty Dollhouse performed a heartfelt set that captured people in the crowd, especially a young boy who was sitting front and center nearly the entire time they played. Between Chelsea’s ethereal vocals, Joshua Machiz’s undivided attentiveness on bass (both electric and upright), and Eric Lawry’s meditative drum playing, Dirty Dollhouse kept the energy of the festival going. However, their musical performance wasn’t the only notable aspect of their set. Directed toward her bandmates as well as herself, Chelsea’s occasional lighthearted jokes were a memorable part of Dirty Dollhouse‘s set and, when accompanied by Chelsea’s comment on how her bandmates are some of the most important people in her life, exemplified the love that the members have for each other.

Once their set concluded, the members of Dirty Dollhouse gathered their instruments and other belongings. It was during this time that the young boy (whom I mentioned before) approached the stage and, in what would be one of the sweetest moments of the evening, told Chelsea that she had a beautiful voice. Chelsea thanked him and seemed genuinely touched by this sentiment. Following this, they departed the stage as the final band of the night, The Andrew Lipke Trio, prepared for their set.

Walking onto the stage, Andrew Lipke and his bandmates, Phil D’Agostino (bassist) and Chris Giraldi (drummer), wasted no time and began to play. Opening their set with “All Your Cash” and “Get It Over With,” The Andrew Lipke Trio quickly demonstrated how they exuded the most rock-and-roll energy out of all of the artists present for the festival’s third day. Andrew‘s expressive faces and sweeping movements, coupled with Phil’s emphatic poses and Chris’ passionate drum playing, not only complemented the band’s music but also added a dynamic quality to their performance. All of this generated positive feedback from the crowd, which culminated in claps and cheers, in addition to the sporadic (but distinct) “woo”s coming from a woman sitting toward the front.

Like the other bands, The Andrew Lipke Trio established a connection with the people before them by speaking to them directly. Whether introducing a song, discussing the band’s current project(s), or talking about his family, Andrew let everyone in and made sure they felt included. His gesture didn’t solely apply to the concertgoers, though, since he also expressed gratitude toward the venue staff, such as Daphne (the sound tech), and all of the artists who performed that night. The latter was most evident when Andrew brought up Emily and Chelsea to perform a song with him and his band later in their set.

After playing their final song, The Andrew Lipke Trio, along with Dirty Dollhouse and Emily Drinker and her band, stayed at The Fallser Club for a little while, chatting with attendees as well as each other. The conversations, laughs, smiles, compliments, hugs, and eventual goodbyes all attested to the love and respect that permeated throughout the venue for the entire night. In other words, the third day of The Fallser Winter Music Festival offered a genuine glimpse of the “brotherly love” that still resides in Philadelphia, something that tends to be overlooked or forgotten.

Andrew Lipke:
Website | Instagram | Facebook | Spotify

Dirty Dollhouse:
Website | Instagram | Facebook |Spotify

Emily Drinker:
Website |Instagram | Facebook | Spotify

Andrew Lipke Photos: