For nearly fourteen years I was able to keep up this daily blog of books and music.
About a year ago I got a promotion and that changed everything. I no longer had the time to post everything I wanted to. Heck, I didn’t even seem to have the time to read all the short stories I wanted to. Amusingly (or not), just before this new position, I had gotten a print subscription to the New Yorker. This now means that I (like many others) have a two-foot stack of New Yorker magazines that I haven’t even looked at yet.
For a few weeks I was limiting myself to only the concerts that I went to because that was a little easier to write about. Although back in the good old days, I used to include photo and links, and I pretty much have neither now. And I’m several shows behind as well.
So I’m still reading books and I think I may try to post some thoughts about them from time to time. I’d also like to think I have time to write about my concerts, but even those are proving to be challenging.
So let’s consider the blog on hiatus more or less, with occasional posts about things I’ve read or listened to.
The good thing is that I like the new position and wouldn’t change it for the world. I guess I never realized how much down time my old position gave me!
[CANCELLED: October 11, 2026] Voivod / BAT / Rhododendron
I was pretty excited for this show. I love Voivod and have only seen them once. The chance to see them at Underground Arts was just amazing.
But last week they announced
Dear Fans,
It is with heavy hearts that we must cancel the US tour dates with BAT due to family health emergency in the Voivod clan.
We would like to say postponed and give you a new time period but Voivod can’t commit to any dates right now.
Tickets will be refunded at point of sale, we ask fans to wait a few days until the ticketing systems have been alerted.
Thank you for your understanding and support.
So that sucks. More for them than for me and I hope all is okay.
BAT are a heavy band from Virginia that I’d seen on posters but didn’t know much about. Well,
The brainchild ofMUNICPAL WASTE guitarist, Ryan Waste, BAT’s origins actually go back to 2008 when Waste and former D.R.I. drummer, and Texas native, Felix Griffin, hatched the idea of working together. “We’d see each other when I’d pass through Texas,” saysWaste, “and we talked about doing a project where I played all the instruments—guitar, bass, and vocals— and he would drum. We both love Discharge and Celtic Frost and we wanted to do something real straightforward, no frills.” “As big of a heavy metal fan as I am, I think the dirtier side of it fits better with my vocals,” he says. “But we try to push the boundaries in BAT between heavy metal, punk and rock ‘n’ roll to where you can’t quite put your finger on it. Dynamically it all coagulates together with our dirty sound. I call it primitive heavy speed. It’s just the nastiest mix of all of the above.”
And that’s pretty accurate. They play fast and heavy, in an old school way. And the vocals are old-school growly where you can hear the words clearly but the singer is snarling at you. It reminds me a lot of Venom or Celtic Frost.
Rhododendron were formed in 2019 in Portland, Oregon while the band’s members were still in high school, Rhododendron’s Ezra Chong (guitar, vocals), Gage Walker (bass), and Noah Mortola (drums) set out to push their musical limits without regard for genre boundaries or audience expectation. In the past 7 years the trio has developed a sound rooted in technical precision and repetition. Drawing from the angular experimentation of underground rock in the 1980s and 1990s alongside elements of jazz, ambient, and progressive music, their compositions are deliberate with intensity. Riffs fracture and reform, rhythms lock into patterns only to break apart, and extended passages build pressure before shifting direction.
[DID NOT ATTEND: October 11, 2026] Rhododendron / Massa Nera / Gre/ay / Sodaseas
Rhododendron were supposed to open for Voivod tonight, but that tour was cancelled because of someone getting sick. And they found a new place to play the same night! So that’s awesome for them.
I’ve never heard of Cousin Danny’s Lounge, but it sounds like a real punk haven. The show was put on by the folks at Yarga, whose ethos is two fold:
1. Booking high energy live shows that encourage altered states of consciousness and true communication.
2. Promoting art and music that push the boundaries of commonly accepted modes of thought and creation. In these small endeavors we seek to break with systemic alienation and complacency.
Rhododendron surely fit the bill
Formed in 2019 in Portland, Oregon while the band’s members were still in high school, Rhododendron’s Ezra Chong (guitar, vocals), Gage Walker (bass), and Noah Mortola (drums) set out to push their musical limits without regard for genre boundaries or audience expectation. In the past 7 years the trio has developed a sound rooted in technical precision and repetition. Drawing from the angular experimentation of underground rock in the 1980s and 1990s alongside elements of jazz, ambient, and progressive music, their compositions are deliberate with intensity. Riffs fracture and reform, rhythms lock into patterns only to break apart, and extended passages build pressure before shifting direction.
They sound pretty great too.
Massa Nera also fits the Yarga bill. They are from Linden, NJ and they are an experimental screamo band (less emo and more scream, though)
the rise of end-times fascism, the annihilation of collective, shared meaning, and the looming threat of climate catastrophe. It is within this landscape that Massa Nera release their urgent, genre-defying 3rd LP, “The Emptiness of All Things.”
Having been given a commission by the Gabriela Lena Frank Creative Academy of Music to create a work that addresses the climate crisis, Massa Nera embraced experimentation, confrontation, and musical malfeasance in an attempt to capture the hellish inanity that defines our reality. Where once their songs bounced, they now alternately lumber and convulse. Their former impulse towards dance has mutated into a desire for destruction.
Lyrically, Massa Nera has shunned autobiography in favor of something more character-driven, more literary, more speculative. They offer a snapshot of capitalistic delusion and existential paralysis, rooted in the anxieties and fractured psychologies of the here and now. In short, “The Emptiness of All Things” is a lyrical call to arms, delivered not as a rallying cry but as an obituary. It is a mirror held up to the abyss, reflected back at the listener without pity or mawkish sentiment.
Despite this, the band has not abandoned melody. The predominant mood of ugliness is counterbalanced by passages of beauty, longing, and even undisguised gentleness. This gentleness, however, is not in service of an unearned, misplaced optimism. It is offered in the spirit of reflection, allowing listener and band alike to take a breath as they stare into the void.
There is beauty but it is mostly harsh.
Gre/ay are a noise band from Philly. You can see a cideo of them at the Ukie CLub below. But note the comment from the person who posted it (Santo Donia): “(Gre/ay is so loud. Like uncontrollably loud, I LOVE IT. Like, I thought my earplugs broke, loud. All I gotta say is: Gre/ay is loud.)”
I saw Sodaseas open for Zeta last year and they were fantastic. I would love to see them again. I don’t think they quite fit this bill, since they are far more melodic. But their ethos is certainly the same and they do throw in some noisy sections for sure. You can see a clip of them at the bottom.
As for Cousin Danny’s Lounge, I can’t find out that much about it. I’m guessing it’s a West Philly bar that hosts punk shows. Probably very small with a heraty slam dance component.
Daði Freyr has played Philadelphia 3 times and I’ve seen them all. My wife and I enjoyed him enough last time, that I knew I’d have to grab tickets for this tour as well.
Once again, I felt a little bad for not knowing all of the words to his songs because EVERYBODY else seemed to know every word. But that’s ok, because we were there for the undeniable Eurodance that Daði creates
The previous two times, he had other musicians with him (Ylva Øyen on drums and keys and Pétur Karl on guitars and synth), but this time it was just him. He had two banks of keys. Behind him was a guitar and a bass. Mostly he triggered the songs on his keyboards and he sang along. He played solos on the keys and manipulated the sounds from time to time.
The tech was much more sophisticated this time. There were four panels in the back which were connected by horizontal lights.
The theme of this show was Planet Daði. A planet that exists where everyone is Daði. Then a spaceship landed and out came a Daði. And soon they were interbreeding (hilarious pictures of hands with eyes flying around or looking like giraffes). The screens were filled with videos for each song–mostly Daði in the same white robe that he wore on stage–see it is a cult!–singing along or playing instruments.
And then he came out on stage in that white robe and started singing Somebody Else Now, not even a new song! The crowd was. in the lyrics of P.E.R.F.E.C.T., “Fabulous, Wonderful, Super nice, Magical, Excellent, Fantastic, Such a snack.” They sang and danced and responded to everything Daði did. Continue Reading »
Add this to the number of Free at Noon shows I haven’t gone to but grabbed a ticket for. (I don’t feel bad since it didn’t sell out). Wesley Stace was supposed to open for Loudon Wainwright last week but Loudon cancelled the show for some reason so Wesley did an entire show himself.
Who is he? Wesley Stace once recorded under the pseudonym John Wesley Harding and released some 20 albums. These albums bear a resemblance to Elvis Costello because he shared some of the members of The Attractions and also because his singing voice has the same arch tone and timbre as Costello’s. I saw him open for Steven Page back in 2018 and loved his set so much I bought a novel of his as well.
But today I just wasn’t feeling the effort of driving into Philly. And, to be honest I listened to some of his new album and found it a lot more adult contemporary than his older stuff. It didn’t seem worth it. I’ll listen online when it gets posted though and see if I made a mistake.
BRÍET is an Icelandic singer. Her earlier singles were sung in Icelandic, but her newest album has songs in English. When I listened to her English language album, the songs were folk, borderline country. She told us that she made that album in Nashville, so that makes sense.
Indeed, the first song she sang, Until Then, was just her with an acoustic guitar. And wow, her voice was beautiful. Unlike the couple behind us. These two horrible individuals spoke at normal volume during the song about how great a singer she was. What he actual fuck? They were very complimentary which was nice, but holy shit, they didn’t even try to whisper. It was like the most pretentious bullshit spoken at pretentious volume. When he loudly said “she’s like a mermaid” I nudged my wife and said that we needed to move. So we did.
But not before Cowboy Killer. BRÍET won over the audience before this song by saying that she was in Nashville and walked into a bar where these older guys said (she did a good southern accent) “hey pretty lady.” Then she said he had a huge cowboy hat and then put her hands at her waist and said and the largest … …. she couldn’t think of the word so people helpfully shouted “belt buckle” and she said “no, penis.” Instantly won over everyone. (it was really a belt buckle).
[DID NOT ATTEND: October 8, 2026] KRS-One / Kuf Knotz & Christine Elise / Dell-P / J the Audiophile
I really enjoyed KRS-One’s debut album. But I didn’t really listen to anything else after that. I didn’t even know hw was still in the game (he has been putting out albums regularly ever since). So that’s 30 years of not listening to someone. So I really wasn’t going to go to this show. Although I see from a recent show that he did 5 songs from that debut album.
Kuf Knotz is a Philly rapper who blends hiphop poetry with deep grooves of soul and beats sun kissed with the spirit of Lo-Fi & 90’s era vibes , Kuf’s inimitable style focuses on unsubtle spirituality, that, like his music, focus on unity, positivity and creativity.
He has been touring was with harpist Christine Elise.
The rest of the lineup also opened for Ghostface Killah when he played Underground Arts.
Dell-P is a Philly rapper who has nice old school flow–aggressive and clear–with catchy choruses.
J the audiophile is a hip hop, soul, electronic dance music, disco, and funk DJ, music producer, and all around vinyl enthusiast living large in the City. He is dedicated to the preservation of vinyl culture in Philadelphia. He has some albums out. I think they’re all instrumental with spoken samples. I guess for a live show he would be spinning, but I don’t know if it would be his own stuff or just DJing. But I love the retro vibe he’s playing.
I probably would have enjoyed this whole night, but he had tickets to another show.
[DID NOT ATTEND: October 7, 2026] Schizophonics / Descartes a Kant / Dale Crover
The Schizophonics put on one of the most incredible high energy shows I’ve ever seen. I will never forget it and I would like to see them again. I’m not sure how they could handle a stage as small as Kung Fu Necktie because the stage as Asbury Lanes is pretty big and it could not contain the energy of Pat Beers on vocals and guitar. It was insanity in the best way. I’d be afraid he’d start destroying things on that tony stage. And somehow with all of his chaos Lety Beers on drums and Sarah Linton on bass kept the show going smoothly.
When this tour was announced, I found out about it because Descartes a Kant, one of my favorite bands was opening and I want to see them again so badly! I really want to see them headlining, but what can you do. Having the two bands together on a bill was amazing.
And then, about a week ago, Descartes a Kant had trouble with their visas and had to cancel their shows. This was a devastating blow. I still wanted to see the Schizophonics, but now it just didn’t seem as much fun somehow.
So I just blew the whole show off. I’m sure The Schizophonics will be back and Descartes a Kant has already promised they’d be back so… we’ll see.
Dale Crover of the Melvins was the first opening act. I saw him with the Melvins recently although I don’t know much about his solo stuff. I assumed it would be heavy and Melvins like but it’s not at all. It’s weird, for sure, but it’s pretty mellow. When he played in Europe recently, it included a very faithful cover of Neil Young’s Harvest Moon (!).
[DID NOT ATTEND: October 7, 2026] Slift / Rhododendron
Perhaps one of the worst things that could have happened to my concert going landscape was to discover Le Poisson Rouge, and amazing small club in NYC that gets the best bands all the time. I’ve been twice. Once to see Kathleen Edwards who I thought was never going to tour again and once to go to a Phish after-party after a show at MSG.
LPR is a massive pain in the ass to get to for me and there’s no reason I should ever see who is playing there. But in this case I found out from the band Slift that their only area show was going to be there.
I have been obsessed with Slift since the pandemic when I saw their incredible Levitation Session video. Since that video, they have come to the East Coast three times–twice in Brooklyn and now at LPR. I thought about going to this show so much. I even had tickets to something else that night but I still thought about going. When I decided not to go to the show that I had tickets to, I seriously considered going, but oh, what a pain it would have been.
And what do they sound like? Well, from LPR’s page:
Guitarist Jean Fossat and bassist Rémi Fossat are related. They’ve been friends with drummer Canek Flores since high school, and 2026 marks a decade together in this trio. In the technical sense, every previous album by the radiant and heavy French trio SLIFT has been a fantasia—a composite of genres and forms that allowed the band to improvise, to jam on themes until they seemed to spiral together into space. Their acclaimed third album, 2024’s Ilion, was a sci-fi story built with 10- to 13-minute exploratory escapades, often starting with doom metal or stoner rock before spinning freely into glorious instrumental oblivion.
It’s possible that their live show could never compare to the amazingness of that video. And they have apparently no following here. So they would have to play a teeny place in Philly. But damn if they could get to Union Transfer, it would be incredible.
Rhododendron were supposed to open for Voivod in a few days, but that tour was cancelled because of someone getting sick. So in theory I could have seen them twice in a few days. But now I won’t see them at all.
Formed in 2019 in Portland, Oregon while the band’s members were still in high school, Rhododendron’s Ezra Chong (guitar, vocals), Gage Walker (bass), and Noah Mortola (drums) set out to push their musical limits without regard for genre boundaries or audience expectation. In the past 7 years the trio has developed a sound rooted in technical precision and repetition. Drawing from the angular experimentation of underground rock in the 1980s and 1990s alongside elements of jazz, ambient, and progressive music, their compositions are deliberate with intensity. Riffs fracture and reform, rhythms lock into patterns only to break apart, and extended passages build pressure before shifting direction.
They sound pretty great too.
I’m not sure if it would have been worth the immense hassle to go to this show. But maybe it would have been.
Four years ago i got tickets to see The Linda Lindas with my daughter. The show was postponed for a week and she was unable to go the following week. So I went by myself and really enjoyed it. I figured I’d either see them before they broke huge or before the broke up. Well, I don’t know if they broke huge, but they have played some pretty big shows (they opened for Green Day after all).
The foursome are great musicians, they write rocking punk songs, and most important, they have a ton of fun. When I saw them last time, drummer Mila de la Garza, was possibly 12 (she is 16 now). The oldest member, Bela Salazar turned 21 last year. Guitarist Lucia de la Garza is now 18 and bassist Eloise Wong is now 19.
In four years, the band has grown more sophisticated in their song writing and in their musical chops. But they still have a lot of fun onstage. Eloisa and Lucia jump on their gear boxes to get close to the crowd.
Last time they tried their best to get the young kids in the audience as close to the front as possible. It wasn’t possible this time, I guess. I felt bad for the little kids who arrived early but weren’t allowed to get near the barricade. I couldn’t help but think they could have asked the parents to back off and let the kids up front.
When I saw them last time, they had just released their debut album, which is full of young punk songs. I didn’t like the album enough to get it, but it was fun–and Racist Sexist Boy is a great song for young girls to hear.
Here it was four years later and they’ve all grown up. They also had a fifth member on stage Adan Diaz, their friend, who played synth and percussion as needed (there’s some songs we can’t play by ourselves).
When the show first stared, their voices were too quiet, but that was fixed fairly quickly. I hadn’t listened to the new album yet, but I was so impressed by these new songs. They have added all kinds of sounds to their basket. They opened with the first song from the new album which has cool synths, percussion and a funky bass line.
They followed it up with Oh, from their debut. It was one of the few songs from that album that they played, and it sounded bigger. By the end of Growing Up all four members had sung lead. Continue Reading »
I saw Deux Visages open for Sir Chloe two years ago. I really enjoyed their set, which was made up of songs from their one EP. Back then they were based in Miami, but they have since moved to Philly (so this was a hometown show).
The band was a four piece but are now a five piece. They are fronted by Daphney Homono (who has a shock of bleached hair). This was especially notable because their set was lit very darkly and mostly in black and white. The rest of the band includes Jack Chiu on guitar, and possibly Tony Jouvin on bass. The other two members were not mentioned and I can’t find anything about them.
I was right in front of Jack and while his guitar was a little too loud, his playing was fantastic. The songs where catchy (in a very 90s style) with nice guitar flourishes. I remembered particularly enjoying Cheetah last time, with its very cool bouncy guitar riff.
But most of the set was from their as yet released new album (due out next month). I really enjoyed the way Jack’s guitar was busy without overwhelming the melody or the vocals. Continue Reading »
