In the Pocket to celebrate CD release at Ardmore Music Hall

Philly’s all-star musical collective David Uosikkinen’s In the Pocket (ITP) has just released its debut studio CD, “Sessions.” ITP will celebrate the CD’s release with a concert at Ardmore Music Hall on April 18.

The CD is comprised of 10 songs. All the songs were selected by Uosikkinen, long-time drummer of Philly’s famed band The Hooters. They’re songs that he considers to be essential and all were either originally recorded in Philadelphia or were written and performed by artists from Philadelphia.

One Track Mind: The Hooters’ David Uosikkinen, “Beat Up Guitar” from Essential Songs of Philadelphia

David Uosikkinen reunites with fellow founding members Rob Hyman and Eric Bazilian for an anthematic reworking of “Beat Up Guitar,” originally the closing track from the Hooters’ folkier, more personal 1989 releaseZig Zag. There could perhaps be no better concluding song for Uosikkinen’s new Philly-focused set of songs.

Hooter’s Drummer Releases CD. Guest artists on the disc include Patty Smyth and Jeffrey Gaines among others.

April 18: Hooters drummer David Uosikkinen’s In the Pocket project finally gets the official CD treatment in the form of Sessions, which includes 10 tracks of exceptional Philly songwriting, all previously available only for download. Guest artists Eric Bazilian, Rob Hyman, Patty Smyth, Jeffrey Gaines, Jim Boggia, Ben Arnold and many others will be on hand to celebrate the CD’s release. 9 p.m. Ardmore Music Hall, 23 E. Lancaster Ave., Ardmore. Call (610)917-1228 or visit www.ardmoremusichall.com. 

Today on the Leicht Lunch: David Uosikkinen’s In the Pocket goes undercover with “Beat Up Guitar”

Every weekday in the 11:00 a.m. hour I play an Undercover Song.  Today I will be playing “Beat Up Guitar,” another song from David Uosikkinen’s In the Pocket: Essential Songs of Philadelphia project, this time covering The Hooters.  That’s Jim Boggia on vocals and Uosikkinen on drums, joined by an all-star Philadelphia cast of Eric Bazilian, Steve Butler, Rob Hyman, William Wittman, Matthew Cappy, Ben Arnold and Jeffrey Gaines.  Tune in at 88.5 XPN or online at xpn.org to hear the song on the air, and watch the recording session below.

IN THE POCKET: A WOMAN’S GOT THE POWER!!!

David Uosikkinen’s In The Pocket has released their cover of “A Woman’s Got The Power,” featuring Patty Smyth on vocals. She nails, and the rest of the players (see below) take it over the top! Check out the song rockumentary, which includes the video!!!

Dave has also announced that ITP will perform at Ardmore Music Hall on Friday, April 18th.

FMQB: Quick Hits

Fans of Philadelphia’s The Hooters take note, drummer David Uosikkinen and his band, In The Pocket are set to release their new CD, David Uosikkinen’s In The Pocket Live. Recorded at the Colonial Theatre just outside of Philly in January of 2013, Live features 11 live tracks and three bonus tracks. The ambitious and always musically tasty In The Pocket project, brings together all-star Philly musicians to cover classic Philadelphia tunes such as “Open My Eyes (The Nazz), “Change Reaction” (Robert Hazard), “Disco Inferno” (The Trammps) and “You Can’t Sit Down” (The Dovells). David Uosikkinen’s In The Pocket Live CD is available for purchase atsongsinthepocket.org now. A portion of the proceeds benefit Philadelphia’s Settlement Music School. With six branches in PA and NJ, it is the largest community school of the arts in the United States serving 15,000 students each year regardless of age, race, or financial means.

WATCH: Members of The Hooters Cover Todd Rundgren’s “I Saw the Light”

Watch the making of “I Saw The Light” by In The Pocket directed by Steve Acito of BlueWire Media.

This documentary short is the 8th from the Emmy® Nominated series IN THE POCKET: ESSENTIAL SONGS OF PHILADELPHIA. Follow project creator, David Uosikkinen of The Hooters’ as he records the seventh song in his singles series. “I Saw The Light” was originally written and recorded by Philadelphian, Todd Rundgren.

In the Pocket project, brings together all-star Philly musicians to cover classic Philadelphia tunes. For more information on IN THE POCKET: ESSENTIAL SONGS OF PHILADELPHIA go to songsinthepocket.org.

See the light with In The Pocket’s latest installment (playing Colonial Theater 10/19)

“Everybody in the band are such exceptional musicians. Everybody does their homework, so we didn’t rehearse for this song,” Smash Palace member Steve Butler admits in the latest In The Pocket video documentary. “We actually just made the decision to record it two days ago.”

But the latest track from David Uosikkinen’s In The Pocket project sounds as if the band has been practicing together for months. Featuring Uosikkinen on drums, fellow Hooters member Fran Smith Jr. on bass, Steve Butler on guitar, and singer/songwriter Cliff Hillis on vocals, In The Pocket brings attention back to Todd Rundgren’s 1972 single “I Saw The Light” and everything it stood for. Watch the mini documentary below to find out why each member wanted to cover this track. Listen to the full song via Soundcloud to get ready to In The Pocket’s live show at Colonial Theater this Saturday. Tickets and details can be found here.

Gathering Philly musicians and music for ‘In the Pocket’

David Uosikkinen will always be best known as the drummer for the Hooters, one of the top bands to originate from Philadelphia in the 1980s. For his current side project, In The Pocket: Essential Songs of Philadelphia, the Bucks County native still plays the drums, but has also assumed the roles of a local music archivist/historian and benefactor.

Watch Todd Rundgren and David Uosikkinen’s In The Pocket perform “Open My Eyes” at Philly Folk Fest

Todd Rundgren and David Uosikkinen’s In The Pocket each performed a set at this year’s Philly Folk Festival on Saturday night, however, during the In The Pocket set, Rundgren came out to perform his classic “Open My Eyes,” which was one of the highlights of the night. Watch the video. Check out amazon eye masks products if you need further information.