West Art Welcomes Another Michael + special guests Flat Mary Road!

West Art is excited to welcome Another Michael for their debut show in our space! The Philadelphia duo of Michael Doherty and Nick Sebastiano are touring on Pick Me Up, Turn Me Upside Down, the new record they released early this summer. It's another release that's chock full of heartfelt writing, and their signature sticky melodies that stay with you long after the record player been turned off. Joining them will be Flat Mary Road, another Philadelphia institution that you won't want to miss in their visit to Lancaster. Grab a friend, pick up some tickets, and join us for what promises to be a fantastic evening under the stained glass at West Art!

What to expect at the show:

>> Doors will open at 7:30. The show will start at 8.

>> Tickets are $15 in advance, and $20 at the door if not sold out. 

>> As always, we’re proud to present an all-ages show with discounted tickets available for students.

>> We will have beer from Our Town Brewery for sale, along with a few non-alcoholic options. This is not BYOB.

>> Parking may be available in the small lot across the street. Beyond that, there’s parking available around Buchanan Park and F&M College in the blocks surrounding West Art. 

>> This will be a standing show. Our space is ADA accessible, and we will do our best to accommodate any specific needs. Please don't hesitate to reach out with any questions.  

>> Please note that all ticket sales are final. Thank you for supporting great music!

BIOS:

Another Michael: Something very special happens in the moment when a listener truly connects to a song. It’s an intangible reaction that bridges science and emotion, turning firing synapses into something cosmically beautiful. Another Michael exists for that moment: when a song transforms the setting of a long walk home, or speaks to a past experience while simultaneously making a new one, or taps into something universal by relating details so specific and personal that they could only be revealed in music. In 2023 the band released Wishes To Fulfill, the first in a pair of albums dedicated to their love of song, and now they’re back already with the experimental next chapter, Pick Me Up, Turn Me Upside Down. Together, the dual LPs create and pay tribute to the power of transcendent musical moments.

Wishes To Fulfill and Pick Me Up, Turn Me Upside Down are contrasting but complimentary albums: musical siblings that are undeniably different entities but still share key sonic DNA. They each offer a plethora of dynamics, feelings, and moods to soundtrack the richness of life, and form Another Michael’s finest work to date. Where Wishes To Fulfill was a lean 29-minute set of single-worthy tracks, Pick Me Up, Turn Me Upside Down is more expansive, patiently unfolding to reveal an exploratory side that brings new hues into the band’s vibrant sound.

On Pick Me Up, Turn Me Upside Down, Another Michael’s core sound–ultra-catchy melodies delivered through inventive chord progressions, lush arrangements, and vocalist/guitarist Michael Doherty’s distinctive voice–is still present, but the record features new ingredients that push the music into unexpected directions. The songs often take the knack for hooks that defined Wishes To Fulfill and apply it to left turns like the hypnotic quasi-krautrock of “I’ve Come Around To That,” the sparse balladry of the title track, or the pulsating synth explorations of “The Diner’s Spoon.” The album’s world is weirder and more improvisational, like in the twisting ends of “Hub of Dreams” or the spontaneous performances of “Like I Won A Car”–but Doherty’s warm singing and conversational lyricism always keep things grounded.

Another Michael’s adoration for music allows for simple sonic satisfaction, but it also taps into something deeper, something connective. “Music is a medium of communication,” says bassist Nick Sebastiano, “It’s not a purposeful decision to talk about music in our songs but it just inherently means so much to us. If something makes your heart sing, the audience is going to hear it.” On Wishes To Fulfill and Pick Me Up, Turn Me Upside Down, the band didn’t set out to capture the all encompassing, existential value of music, but they did contribute to it–offering more songs to the world, and with them, chances to create one of those moments.

Flat Mary Road: Flat Mary Road is an indie rock band founded in 2007 by Steve Teare. In the decades since, the band has refined and evolved their sound to bring a modern sensibility and production to its college rock influences like Dinosaur Jr., The Replacements and REM.

Flat Mary Road’s members have come and gone, returned, switched instruments, and marked major life events. The band and the music have served as an ever-present bond and backbone for navigating life in Philadelphia and the world today. Lead singer, guitarist and songwriter Teare’s singular voice and songwriting style evokes Teenage Fanclub, Modest Mouse and Big Star with influences ranging from Americana folk to power pop. Lead guitarist Alex Lewis delivers lush soundscapes and effects punctuated by aggressive and anthemic solos. Bassist Dan Papa offers riff-driven playing on a fretless bass, anchoring drummer Alex Irwin’s rolling full rhythms.

The members of FMR often lament that the band was born in the wrong decade. Its sound and style would be a more natural fit among Neil Young and the singer/songwriter wave of the 70s, the emerging alternative rock of Galaxie 500 in the 80s, or the country-infused stylings of Uncle Tupelo and early Wilco tracks in the 90s. Teare’s songwriting captures stories of people both real and imagined, often contrasting the burdens of modern life with the transcendent moments found in everyday beauty, art and conversation.

Flat Mary Road has always been a decidedly Philly band, playing countless venues of varying quality over the years. That includes some of the city’s most iconic spaces, including Johnny Brenda’s, World Cafe Live, Boot and Saddle (RIP) and North Star (also RIP). The band has recorded their last three albums at Headroom Studios, which has engineered albums for Hop Along, Alex G and others. The band recently joined the Brooklyn-based label Whatever’s Clever, and the label released FMR’s latest album – Little Realities – last fall.

“These songs are full of poignant contrasts, fun, jangling guitars and melancholy, youth and middle-age. They somehow evoke the passage of sun-spangled time, beauty and loss, the magical effluvia of personality up against the normal heartbreak of life. Steve Teare's unique phrasing makes complex lines sound so light and tossed off that you don't realize what happened, why you are feeling the way you do when the song is over." - Mary Gaitskill

Host or Publisher West Art Community Center