Unlocked: Scenes and sounds of Heyward Howkins’ Be Frank, Furness release at Johnny Brenda’s

All week we’ve featured Be Frank, Furness – the fantastic new album from Philly’s Heyward Howkins – on Unlocked, our regular showcase of new and significant albums from local artists. Last night, Howkins celebrated the new record before a crowd of fans, friends and family, playing through most of its tracks with his backing band: keyboard player Meggie Morganelli, drummer Erik Schmidt, bassist Josh Newman and horn player / multi-instrumentalist Vince Tampio. The new songs sounded great, the selections from the first album (“Spanish Moss,” “Thunderin’ Stop”) were well-played and some surprises were in the mix as well. Howkins and the full band did a cover of “Lived in Bars” by Cat Power (from the album The Greatest), and he played a near-solo (with sleigh bells) holiday original called “Don’t Let Christmas Get You Down” (gotta love the references to Marah and the parking authority). Below, check out photos from the show in the gallery and watch a video of the Cat Power cover. After the jump, see Howkins’ perform his Christmas original, and listen to it on Soundcloud. And look for another appearance from Howkins this February at Boot and Saddle.

Be Frank, Furness is the featured album in this week’s edition of Unlocked. Download “Praline Country” in Monday’s post, read Tuesday’s album review, see songs in progress in Wednesday’s post, read yesterday’s interview and check back in the future for more new music on The Key’s Unlocked.