On Tough Cookies: The Best of The Quarantine Broadcasts, Adam Weiner puts his signature Low Cut Connie spin on 23 songs.
If you haven’t been keeping up with LCC, some of these tracks (and their Low Cut Connified renditions) might surprise you. If you have been up-to-date with the South Philly ensemble, though, you’re like us: thrilled to have these covers in existence for eternity. The quarantine broadcast was not only a staple in the lives of many people stuck at home, but they were also a source of hope, a pinnacle of joy, and the epitome of entertainment.
Watching Adam perform at home – albeit through a screen – meant getting to know him even better, connecting with fans around the globe, and experiencing live music in a way many people were weary about… Adam Weiner included. Everyone, even himself, prevailed though, earning their name of ‘tough cookies.’
If anybody can command a stage and rile up an audience of music lovers, it’s Adam Weiner. The Low Cut Connie frontman is a symbol of musicianship, dedication, and acceptance. The way he can spin anything on its head and still make it sound, look, and feel original is astounding. He has charisma like no other and talent that few can go toe-to-toe with. Not even a global pandemic could halt the livelihood and passion projects of one Adam Weiner.
South Philadelphia might have been his home base and a source of inspiration in the past, but now it is the setting to his well-deserved, critically-acclaimed, thoughtful, and newsworthy live stream show, Tough Cookies.
As fans across the globe engaged with Low Cut Connie (in more ways than one), it reminded Adam Weiner what it means to be a musician. You have to express yourself, share who you are wholly, and dive deep into the influences, understanding, and messages within your artistry.
Although the singer-songwriter is already known for crafting interpersonal, immersive narratives out of clever, poetic, and memorable lyrics, he did spend some time away from that while performing remotely.
Instead of a simple, but oh-so-effective Low Cut Connie show, fans were grateful to experience even more of the eclectic, off-the-wall stylings of the band’s whimsical, superb frontman. Interviews were conducted, questions were asked, meet-and-greets occurred. All virtual, all safe, but all vital to the mental and physical well-being of fans and music lovers everywhere.
Adam Weiner took songs that have a certain flair to them already and performed them in an even more extravagant way – straight from home, right into the hearts of those who were lucky enough to tune in. Cover bands come and go, cover songs go viral, and covers are all over the media; whether they are sung by contestants on American Idol or used as a TV Show’s theme song. Low Cut Connie took covers a step further, though, by playing them live and turning them into an authentic LCC track.
Like usual, every song Adam touches turns to gold. It didn’t matter if he sang a Paul McCartney classic or Lana Del Rey deepcut, because the man nailed it in the most effortless and captivating way. One song after another, week after week, the setlists got progressively more immersive and wonderfully exhilarating to watch. Seeing a creative at work is mesmerizing in general, but simply doing so for the love of it? That’s even better, because it showcases yet another level of personality and adoration for the task at hand. Fans, like us, appreciate Adam Weiner showing that side to us both personally and professionally.
It didn’t even matter that all of what went on during these quarantine broadcasts came from a cell phone. Cell phones are smart these days, of course, but Low Cut Connie is perpetually smarter. They didn’t do just one live stream show. They didn’t get bored 500 songs in. They kept it interesting for themselves and their viewers by singing songs from every corner of the music industry and through reaching people in over 40 countries. (When we say that Low Cut Connie is a band for, and of, the people – we mean it.)
Heartwarming, thrilling, candid: these are just three words that describe the vivid creativity and exponential talent laced within Tough Cookies: The Best of the Quarantine Broadcasts. Fans are greeted by Adam Weiner and guitarist Will Donnelly having as much fun playing these songs as every single listener. (We can tell, both in the recordings and from the live shows, that these livestreamed events meant as much to them as it did their fans.)
There is strength and hope in the vocals. There is iridescent youthfulness in the musicality. There is wisdom in the stories. There is intricacy in the songs chosen. Every guest, every moment, every cover is memorable and thoughtful… and now it is available to anyone and everyone with this brand new CD, vinyl, and digital release. Although there are just 23 songs making up the tracklist, everything Low Cut Connie has these traits and more. Luckily, just as the quarantine broadcast was beginning, LCC released Private Lives, the double-sided LP that was praised by fans and critics alike.
Adam Weiner makes music, yes, but what he really does is be a beacon of musical, theatrical, and hopeful light for people around the globe time and time again. If not seen on Tough Cookies: The Best of the Quarantine Broadcasts, it’s seen on Private Lives or even Dirty Pictures. If you have yet to experience Low Cut Connie (originally or recorded), now is the time to do so, because even as the world slowly but surely comes back to normal and Adam Weiner returns to his home, the live stage, this band is offering so much to everyone…. And it all comes straight from their hearts (and the spare guest room in South Philadelphia).
Low Cut Connie’s Soon-To-Be Hit Compilation Record, Tough Cookies: The Best of the Quarantine Broadcasts, is out NOW!
