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So what happened here?

June 10, 2022 by Paul Debraski

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!

Posted in Paul Debraski | 3 Comments »

Annie-Claude Deschênes (Underground Arts, Philadelphia, PA, September 16, 2026) [ANGINE DE POITRINE]

September 16, 2026 by Paul Debraski

[ATTENDED: September 16, 2026] Annie-Claude Deschênes

I am vey rarely ahead of a trend, but I think I found out about Angine de Poitrine about two days before everyone else.  I recall watching the KEXP show and thinking, wow, I want to see these guys.  And then like two days later, they blew up and everyone wanted to see them. The video went up on Feb 6 and by Mar 16, when this show was announced, I knew it would be hard to get a ticket.  Luckily, I scored a ticket (and paid $34, not $300).

Who even knew if they were going to have an opener.  Well, soon enough, the opener was announced as Annie-Claude Deschênes.  When I looked her up, I couldn’t find any music by her, which is weird since she has an album Les Manières de Table that came out in 2024.  And a new(ish) single from 2025.

So just who opens for Angine de Poitrine?  Well, Annie-Claude Deschênes is a performance artist and musician.  I have just learned that she was in a band called Duchess Says who were on the terrific alien8recordings label and put out three albums between 2008 and 2016.  Not sure what Annie-Claude was doing in the meantime, but she certainly hasn’t lost any front woman skills.

When the rumbling noises of her first song started, a man in a waiter outfit (bow tie, cloth, paper receipt) stood on the stage and shone a flashlight around.  Then Annie-Claude came running out and shouted the end of that first song.  The second song, Culinary Security was more dancey, but the music was very old school synth style.  Indeed, the bandcamp summary of her album says

Inspired by the pioneers of electronic music, LES MANIÈRES DE TABLE is as danceable and melodic as it is disquieting and dystopian. The album proposes to set the table differently by deconstructing the social codes of politeness, and draws from a wide range of influences, notably Steve Reich’s minimalism, Kraftwerk’s synthetic textures, Herbie Hancock’s stylistic diversity and experimental cinema’s unconventional approach to narrative.

The lyrics were in English and French and song three, Phones, saw Annie-Claude taking a (prerecorded) reservation.   I should mention that on stage this whole time was a small table and two chairs.  After this song, the waiter, who had been polishing the table, put flowers and several Reserved signs on the table.  Menace Minimale was more dancey and I enjoyed the way Annie-Claude moved in a robotic way to the synth blasts and chord changes. Continue Reading »

Posted in Angine de Poitrine, Annie-Claude Deschênes, Duchess Says, Philadelphia, PA, Underground Arts | Leave a Comment »

Sparta / Public Opinion (Warehouse on Watts, Philadelphia, PA, September 16, 2026) [DID NOT ATTEND]

September 16, 2026 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: September 16, 2026] Sparta / Public Opinion

I really enjoyed seeing Sparta in 2023.  They’ve been around a couple of times since then and yet I can never make their shows.  Tonight’s show is up against Angine de Poitrine, so sorry, Sparta.

Public Opinion is a punk band from Denver.  It’s like 90’s era guitar rock–simple catchy, loud and brash.  Initially, I wasn’t that impressed, but with more listens, I dig them.  Nothing special, but solid and, I’m sure a great opening act for Sparta.

 

Posted in Angine de Poitrine, Philadelphia, PA, Public Opinion, Sparta, Warehouse on Watts | Leave a Comment »

Circa Survive / Geoff Rickly / Boo Boo Spoiler // Circa Survive / The Waywords / Queen of Jeans // Circa Survive / From Indian Lakes / Air is Human (Fillmore Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, September 15, 16 & 17, 2026) [DID NOT ATTEND]

September 15, 2026 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: September 15, 16 & 17, 2026] Circa Survive / Geoff Rickly / Boo Boo Spoiler // Circa Survive / Queen of Jeans / The Waywords  // Circa Survive / From Indian Lakes / Air is Human

I’m not sure when I heard about these three shows, but as soon as I looked at them, they were all sold out.  So, regardless of whether I wanted to se Circa Survive (I did), I was too late.

I didn’t know Circa Survive at all until 2022, and was really surprised to hear that they were from Philly (which is why these three shows sold out so quickly).  Back in 2022, they sold out two nights at Union Transfer and then cancelled the show last minute.  They’re alt and emo and I’m just really surprised I’d never heard them before.  They are obviosuly huge in Philly, but I’m not sure just how big they are elsewhere.   I like that all of the bands on the bills are either from Philly or NJ.

Geoff Rickly is the singer for Thursday, who I had hoped to see at Underground Arts recently but which I couldn’t get to.  As a solo performer, Rickly was fantastic.  He told little stories before each song and played a mix of solo and Thursday songs.  I assume he’d be solo here for this as well.

Boo Boo Spoiler is a DIY band from Philly that’s managed to build a considerable amount of hype off the strength of their live shows, and none of that magic is lost in the studio; in fact, it’s only amplified.  The Philly shoegaze scene is boiling over with talent right now and these guys are great.  I hadn’t heard of them, but I really liked what I listened to–shoegaze with some fun, weird elements.

Queen of Jeans is a Philly band who I’ve seen on a lot of marquees.  I feel like for a while, back before the pandemic, they were opening for a lot of shows that I didn’t go to.   I see now that they haven’t done much since 2019, but they came back with a new album last year.  They are poppy and delightful.  For some reason I thought they were more punky.  I’d be happy to see them live, but once again I’ve missed them.  Their new album is great.

The Waywords I can’t find a single thing about them online.  I wonder who they are.

I saw From Indian Lakes open for L.S. Dunes.  But by the time I walked in, From Indian Lakes were almost done.  They released their first record since 2019 mid last year, which falls under a shoegaze, indie rock type of genre. The latest album of Head Void was a lot heavier than Dimly Lit in 2019, but compared to L.S. Dunes it’s quite tame.  They are apparently the brainchild of lead singer Joe Vann (Joey Vannucchi) a totally understated front man, who was also pretty funny, replying to fans shouting things and generally keeping the mood light.  We saw about three songs in full and I really liked their vibe–very chill and shoegazey.  Although, live there was a harsher element than the soft shimmer of the album.

Air is Human is a duo from Philly. They mix explosive beats and emotive Rhodes piano with bold and atmospheric guitars. Blending influences from downtempo and ambient with kraut and psych rock, the sound is loud and enveloping.
The description is pretty apt.  It’s definitely experimental and unusual, but is really catchy and intriguing–the “enveloping” part is totally accurate.  I’m very intrigued.

Continue Reading »

Posted in Air is Human, Boo Boo Spoiler, Circa Survive, From Indian Lakes, Geoff Rickly, Philadelphia, PA, Queen of Jeans, The Fillmore Philadelphia, The Waywords | Leave a Comment »

President / Showing Teeth / Cenobia (Theatre of Living Arts [TLA], Philadelphia, PA, September 15, 2026) [DID NOT ATTEND]

September 15, 2026 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: September 15, 2026]

I had not heard of President until this show was announced. And I was surprised by the backstory

President are an anonymous English band formed in 2025, who blend metalcore with electronica.  The band had released no music and were unknown until they were announced to play at that year’s Download Festival, sparking speculation to their identity. Their frontman, the eponymous President, is described by Revolver as “silver-haired, wearing an eerie, not-quite-lifelike mask etched with deep wrinkles and radiating wax-figure unease.”  The band’s current lineup consists of The President (vocals), Heist (guitarist), Protest (bassist) and Vice (drummer).

Then I saw that this how was announced with a lot of hype and I considered getting a ticket until I read all the hatred sent at the band.  And when I listened to them I didn’t like them, so no ticket for me.  Of course, it sold out really quickly, so my attendance was not needed.

I was really surprised at how soft the vocals are (for the most part).  This is a pretty decent description from GhostCultMag

the verse creates space for emotive soulful vocals to lure you in for a big, anthemic, hooky chorus. To market this as metal, you also need to throw in some djent guitars with technical drumming. But don’t worry, to take the sting from this, we’re mixing in multiple layers of harmonized vocals with a dab of auto-tune as the icing on the cake.

They turned out to be the least interesting of these three bands (despite the masks).

Showing Teeth is another new band that I hadn’t heard of.  The confusing Wikipedia entry starts

Addison, known professionally as Showing Teeth, is an American vocalist, songwriter, and heavy metal musician, from Nashville, Tennessee. Her debut extended play, A Fate Worse Than Loneliness, released in September 2026.

The vocals are intense and varied–lots of screaming, a bit of growling and then some gorgeous high soaring vocals.  The music is electronically precise and really heavy/crazy.  I would love to see her live.

Cenobia is a solo artist from Sydney, Australia. She writes music for him. He will never hear it.

That’s what her bio says in every place she posts it.  I’m intrigued by her and fascinated to see that many people were going to these shows just because of her.  Which is shame because in late August, she had to drop from the tour

“A message to her beloved collective.
It is with great devastation that she must announce her withdrawal from the upcoming PRESIDENT North American Campaign Trail.
She fought tooth and claw to make it so, but the divines were not in her favour.
It is not yet her time. She shall cross your lands when the hour is right.
Know that she is forlorn
With sorrow,
Cenobia“

Posted in Cenobia, Philadelphia, PA, President, Showing Teeth, Theatre of Living Arts | Leave a Comment »

The Belair Lip Bombs / Armlock (Johnny Brenda’s, Philadelphia, PA, September 14, 2026) [DID NOT ATTEND]

September 14, 2026 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: September 14, 2026] The Belair Lip Bombs / Armlock

I saw The Belair Lip Bombs at PhilaMOCA back in April.  I was really surprised when this show was announced so quickly.  I saw that it didn’t sell out right away so I kept it penciled in, thinking my wife and I might go see them. But it turns out she wasn’t as blown away by their stuff as I was and didn’t really care about going.

The Belair Lip Bombs are a young band from Victoria Australia.  They have been bubbling under around Philly with their insanely catchy song Hey You which was one of my favorite songs of the year so far.

When I did get around to seeing about tickets, it had already sold out.  But, oddly, when I looked this morning, there were tickets available.  But it was too late to make plans to see them.

Armlock is an Australian duo of Simon Lam and Hamish Mitchell.  Their bio says that they make experimental electronic seen through an indie rock lens, drawing the listener in close with crystal clear guitars, tight rhythms, warm harmonies, and sparse arrangements that leave room for character and eccentricities. The result is an album of inventively minimal music that does a lot with a little.

And that’s pretty accurate.  Their stuff is pretty spare–a single guitar line, electronic drums, a quiet melody.  I lie it but don’t kow if I’d like a whole show of it–maybe an opening set would be great. Continue Reading »

Posted in Armlock, Johnny Brenda's, Philadelphia, PA, The Belair Lip Bombs | Leave a Comment »

The Rasmus / Saint Agnes / Death Valley Dreams (Underground Arts, Philadelphia, PA, September 14, 2026) [DID NOT ATTEND]

September 14, 2026 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: September 14, 2026] The Rasmus / Saint Agnes / Death Valley Dreams

I had not heard of The Rasmus before this show was announced.  Indeed, the only reason I paid any attention to this listing is because my friend’s son plays bass in Death Valley Dreams.  He has been playing in bands for years and I have never had a chance to see him.  I did consider going to this show, but it just wouldn’t work out for me.

People seemed kind of excited about this show.  But as I thought, I didn’t know The Rasmus.  But in fact, I do!  They are a Finnish band that had a song in Eurovision in 2022.  Their latest album, Weirdo, had SIX singles released.  Which makes them more successful, or at least more prolific than Maneskin.  They play a kind of rock with pop sensibilities and goth vibes.  They also have some high-energy, feel-good moments.  They’re pretty enjoyable (if lyrically bland), and I’ll bet they’re even more fun live .

Saint Agnes is an English industrial rock band formed by singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Kitty A. Austen and guitarist Jon James Tufnell in 2014.  They play simple, catchy industrial songs.  They look pretty theatrical and seem like they’d be fun live, too.

So I’ve not heard much by Death Valley Dreams–they went media silent before releasing new stuff.  But I love how their website describes them: “It’s as if The Cars got David Bowie to sing and played something that could have been on The Lost Boys soundtrack.” The sound is familiar yet fresh and unique.  They are from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Pennsylvania… “an area that was actually voted the least happy place to live in the continental United States…a place where writing music and being creative are the only real ways to stay sane.”  I’m led to understand that the singer is a great frontman.

Bummed I couldn’t make this show, now that I know I could have added to my Eurovision bands!

 

Posted in Philadelphia, PA, Saint Agnes, The Rasmus, Underground Arts, Union Transfer | Leave a Comment »

Babymetal / Halestorm / Violent Vira (PNC Bank Arts Center, Holmdel, NJ, September 9, 2026) [DID NOT ATTEND]

September 9, 2026 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: September 9, 2026] Babymetal / Halestorm / Violent Vira

My wife and I went to see Babymetal last year and really enjoyed it.  So much so that when I jokingly said we could go see them again this year–and at PNC in Holmdel, she was definitely interested, but probably not enough to go.  I had a ticket to see Aldous Harding that night, so I didn’t really look into the Babymetal show.  But as the day grew closer and I realized I didn’t want to see Aldous, I did consider this show.  But I wasn’t that excited by the opening acts–mostly because I thought I knew them, but actually didn’t.

In retrospect it was probably a pretty fun show.

When I saw that I probably could have gotten decent seats for a reasonable price, it did rekindle my interest.  But this time of year is always really busy for us.  So I didn’t end up getting a ticket at all.  I rather assumed it would be the same exact show, but I see that they mixed it up quite a lot.

I’ve known about Halestorm for awhile, although I thought they were Swedish.  Turns out they are from Red Lion, Pennsylvania, named for singer Lzzy Hale.  They remind me of metal bands from the 80s.  And it’s all high, powerful vocals–not lower register here–just soaring sounds.  Not really my thing, but they have great energy

Violent Vira is a Mexican-American singer and songwriter. She began releasing music independently in 2021.  She had a lovely singing voice which can tri into. a terrific scream–not guttural or cookie monster, but just a great angry scream. Okay, hearing another song, there is a cookie monster level, too!  I’m going to keep an eye out for her. Continue Reading »

Posted in Babymetal, Halestorm, Holmdel, NJ, PNC Bank Center, Violent Vira | Leave a Comment »

Aldous Harding / Sam Burton (Underground Arts Philadelphia, PA, September 9, 2026) [DID NOT ATTEND]

September 9, 2026 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: September 9, 2026] Aldous Harding / Sam Burton

I saw Aldous Harding at Underground Arts in 2019.  The show was very weird and pretty cool, with Harding being a presence I could not remove my eyes from.  When this show was announced (in January), I grabbed a ticket.  I didn’t actually enjoy her new album as much as her previous ones and when this show came up, I basically just stayed home.  So I’ve made a note to myself to not get a ticket next time (even though this show sold out).

Sam Burton is an American singer songwriter.   He plays a country type of music that I don’t care for.  His voice is “a high-lonesome wail that recalls Roy Orbison” playing “an old, weird Americana sound filled with echo and longing.”   Totally not my thing.

Posted in Aldous Huxley, Philadelphia, PA, Sam Burton, Underground Arts | Leave a Comment »

Iron Maiden (Sports Illustrated Stadium, Newark, NJ, September 6, 2026)

September 8, 2026 by Paul Debraski

[ATTENDED: September 6, 2026] Iron Maiden

I loved these three bands back in the 1980s.  Not in the above order (Anthrax was always near the top), but I never seen them when I was a huge fan.  I saw Iron Maiden in 2000 but I didn’t know most of the songs they played that night–until the end.

When this tour was announced I didn’t really think about going–I haven’t been enjoying heavy metal shows as much as I used to and I haven’t listened to anything new from Iron Maiden in about 30 years.  But then I saw that this show was going to be an old-school tour with songs from their first decade of music.  Iron Maiden thru Fear of the Dark (I didn’t even know FotD was one of their albums).

I was able to grab a ticket for the second night–the first sold out pretty quickly.  I don’t know if the second night did, too, but Bruce said it did.

The first two bands were great but I decided to move away from the mosh pit that kept forming in front of me, so while we waited for Iron Maiden, I moved to the middle of the GA section.  The people around me were shorter (good) and I patiently waited.  (Oof, after the long fast walk and the fact that as of yet I had not gone to the bathroom I was a but cranky.  I also didn’t want to lose my spot to get a $7 water.  I know the water price because when a dad came back with water for his son and himself, I asked how much it was and he told me.  He then let me have the last inch and a half when he was done–thank you kind stranger!  This guy was really nice and I enjoyed chatting with him until the lights went out and music started.

It was Doctor Doctor by UFO.  I had seen that this was the music they played before the band came on.  But since they had been playing music the whole time, it was weird to have this song start, the lights dim and….nothing.  I don’t know the song and it felt endless and some people were into it and I stood there wondering when I’d have something to look at.

And then the familiar chords of Iron Maiden’s The Ides of March started and the video screen followed a series of streets with ALL KINDS of inside jokes.  I knew about 3 of them.  The image shifted to that of Eddie on the cover of Killers and the band started the quiet intro of Murders in the Rue Morgue and I was ecstatic for about a minute because as soon as the song started properly, the entire right side of the GA erupted into a mosh pit–and we were pretty far back at this point.  WTF.  Do people not know where the pit is supposed to be?  Well, I got elbowed a few times until I was able to get away.

This opening was my heaven, because I love the first two album so much and Bruce sings these songs perfectly, even if they’re not “his.” Continue Reading »

Posted in Anthrax, Iron Maiden, Megadeth, Newark, NJ, Set in New Jersey!, Sports Illustrated Stadium | Leave a Comment »

Peter Hook & the Light (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, September 7, 2026) [DID NOT ATTEND]

September 7, 2026 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: September 7, 2026] Peter Hook & the Light

In 2022, Peter Hook & the Light played Union Transfer and I couldn’t go.  He came back again in 2024 and I grabbed a ticket and had a great time.  They were playing Substance from New Order and Substance from Joy Division, which was pretty damned awesome.

My only complaint (and I don’t deserve it since I knew what was coming) is that I like a lot of newer New Order too.  But that wasn’t on the menu, so nevermind.

So it turns out that this tour was for the Get Ready album, a newer album that I thought I liked–the cover was easily memorable to me.  And yet when I put it on, I didn’t really remember it.  Turns out I really liked Republic, and the ones after that, not so much (turns out he played the Republic album back in 2019).

Initially I had penciled this show in for my wife and I to go, because I assumed we’d really like it.  I never got tickets because it didn’t look like it was going to sell out.  It was also the night before she was going back to work, so when I found out the show was mostly an album she didn’t know, I didn’t even bother getting tickets.

It also turns out I was wiped out from the show the night before, and I would have been miserable had I gone.  Maybe in two years we’ll try again.

Although listening to Get Ready now, it is a good album.

Posted in Joy Division, New Order, Peter Hook & The Light, Philadelphia, PA, Union Transfer | Leave a Comment »

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