I am hot and cold about the NPR Tiny Desk Concerts. Some I really enjoy, where the artist(s) appreciate the medium and don’t overindulge to squash the intimacy of the form. Others just seem like annoying showboating. But my brother loves them, and I defer to his judgment, particular when it comes to soul and hip hop. The Philharmonik is the stage name of Christian Gates, who along with a cadre of oil drum-tight musicians, created the winning entry for this year’s Tiny Desk Concert. I guess I didn’t realize it was a competition, but he certainly deserves
the attention, leaning on the soul end of songwriting in a fine way as he is. You can check out his tunes live tonight at 8 p.m. at the Arcata Theatre Lounge, where he will be joined by Loe Gino ($25).
This article appears in Ballot Measure Soup – A look at all those local revenue proposals coming before voters.