Killiam Shakespeare and friends brought A Town Called Elsewhere to Johnny Brenda’s

Killiam Shakespeare with Bilal | photo by Matthew Shaver for WXPN

Philadelphia groove-riders Corey Bernhard and Steve McKie keep plenty busy as session musicians and producers in Philly and beyond, so when they manage to converge for a new Killiam Shakespeare project, it’s cause for celebration indeed.

Saturday night, the band — McKie on drums, Bernhard on keys, augmented by guitarist Anthony DiCarlo — took the stage at Johnny Brenda’s to celebrate A Town Called Elsewhere, the band’s second full-length project. Released earlier in the month on the band’s Killiam Season Records, the eclectic set spans psychedelic rock, prog, jazz, and hip-hop, and feature’s contributions from the band’s friends DJ Jazzy Jeff, Chris Turner, Amber Navran, and Philly neo-soul icon Bilal.

At Johnny Brenda’s, Bilal rocked the mic to help Bernhard and McKie celebrate the record and deliver his own opening set as well. Opening the gig was Kiefer Shackelford, a pianist and singer from San Diego signed to Stone’s Throw records. Check out an assortment of pictures from the gig in the gallery below, and check out A Town Called Elsewhere here.

[full gallery]