Feeds:
Posts
Comments

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 »

Cradle of Filth: Majestic in Death II (Archer Music Hall, Allentown, PA, October 24, 2026)

October 26, 2026 by Paul Debraski

[ATTENDED: October 24, 2026] Cradle of Filth

I’ve known of Cradle of Filth for decades (they have been around since 1991).  I always assumed they were a hard to listen to growly band not unlike Napalm Death (who I have seen and loved).  I just never really thought about seeing them.  Then I read a review that notes that

The band’s style evolved from black metal to a cleaner and more “produced” amalgam of gothic metal, symphonic metal and other genres. Their lyrics and imagery are influenced by Gothic literature, poetry, mythology and horror films.

So I listened to a few songs and I found out that lead Filth man Dani Filth is in corpse paint and it’s all theatrical and crazy and I’m so in.  I picked this Allentown show instead of Starland Ballroom for a couple of reasons.  The date.  The opportunity to check out Archer Music Hall and because a metal show at Starland would be insane.

So Archer Music Hall is pretty nice.  Relatively easy to get to and I got $5 parking directly across the street.

When Blackbraid ended, they brought out a microphone stand which was a statue of a person in agony.   There was a much longer wait than expected (technical issues with the keys I believe) and then the band came out.  There have been dozens of people in the band since the 90s, but the current lineup has been around for a bit.  Dani Filth – lead vocals (1991–), Martin “Marthus” Škaroupka – drums (2006–), Daniel Firth – bass (2012–),  Donny Burbage – guitars (2022–), Joff Bailey – guitars (2026–present).  I’m not sure which of the guitarists was the new guy.  One had a full beard and some corpse paint.  The other had half shaved/half really long hair and pretty good spooky makeup.  He also had an amazing angry face and was actually kind of scary from the barrier.

Although Dani Filth wasn’t.  I hate to say it, but I must.  Dani Filth is really short and he had on an excessive amount of leather with huge spokes. It was certainly comical more than scary.  But it worked with the over the top nature of the band.  Nevertheless, he is a great frontman–funny when speaking, intense when singing and constantly hitting interesting shrieking notes.

So the show was not as extreme death metal as I feared but it also wasn’t as gothic metal as I expected.  They were definitely heavy but with lots of synths and operatic female vocals peppering some of the songs.  And I really enjoyed it. Continue Reading »

Posted in Allentown PA, Archer Music Hall, Black Satellite, Blackbraid, Cradle of Filth, Moonspell | Leave a Comment »

Blackbraid (Archer Music Hall, Allentown, PA, October 24, 2026) [CRADLE OF FILTH]

October 25, 2026 by Paul Debraski

[ATTENDED: October 24, 2026] Blackbraid

Initially, the Mexican band Moonspell was supposed to be the second band on the bill but they weren’t able to secure a visa–boy our government sucks.  So Blackbraid was chosen to take over.  I’d never heard of them, but I quickly learned that Blackbraid is the solo black metal project of a Native American (no visa issues there, ye bastards).

So I listened to Blackbraid and it reminded me of Bathory [R.I.P.]–the Swedish solo extreme metal guy who I’d assumed stopped making music forty years ago (he hadn’t, in fact he made all kinds of different music throughout his a career until his death in 2004).  Bathory’s first few albums were basically the fastest drumming you could get, screamed impenetrable vocals and moderately cacthy guitar progressions.  And it sounded like it was recorded on a $5 cassette player.  Well, Blackbraid embraces much of that sound except it is really well recorded and sounds 1000 times better.  But it has the same kind of relentlessness.  I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect from them, but they did not disappoint.

In front of me was one of the guitar players who had corpse paint and some kind of bones around his neck.  The rest of the band wasn’t really painted up that much, but main singer (and main guy) Jon Krieger (also known as Sgah’gahsowáh, a Mohawk name meaning “the witch hawk”).

They started off with an explosion–really fast drumming and a black metal riff that reminded me of the style of Bathory.  And then Kreiger started….singing.  The songs have lyrics but live, it was like one explosive growl after another.  I genuinely couldn’t tell if he was singing anything or just making guttural sounds.  He never spoke to us, although he did occasionally gesture for more applause.

The band was incredibly tight–the drummer was a machine of fast drumming and I loved watching the guitarist in front of me.  After a few minutes of intensity, things slowed down and it seemed like Kreiger was singing, but it was still so animalistic that it was hard to tell.  He had an intensity that was unstoppable. Continue Reading »

Posted in Allentown PA, Archer Music Hall, Black Satellite, Blackbraid, Cradle of Filth, Moonspell | Leave a Comment »

Black Satellite (Archer Music Hall, Allentown, PA, October 24, 2026) [CRADLE OF FILTH]

October 24, 2026 by Paul Debraski

[ATTENDED: October 24, 2026] Black Satellite

Black Satellite is from New York City.  The two constants in the band are singer Larissa Vale and guitarist Kyle Hawken.  Their debut album is kind of slick (but heavy) metal.  Their later album is a lot heavier and angrier.  [They had previously supported Starset and now are supporting Cradle of Filth].

They came out and were pretty high tech looking.  The drums lad lights in them and the lights changed color with the stage lights.  The rest of the band was pretty intense looking.  One guitarist had on whiteface and skull lines.  The other two had various corpse painting and Larissa herself had a very cool look with her head half shaved and a black line under her eyes.  They also wore a lot of leather–they looked cool for sure.

Larissa doesn’t growl/sing she snarl sings and her voice is pretty deep.  I enjoyed that she used the old blocky microphone that you palm to sing in.  Between that and her lengthy coat, she definitely had a “leader” look about her.

Their songs were heavy and dark but with some seriously catchy elements.  And now that I know some of the lyrics, I can hear that she was singing them and not just making sounds (like on Broken).

A few songs into the set the guitarist on the far side of the stage (I don’t know who was who) who had long long long hair, reached into a pouch on hos belt and threw something to someone in the audience.  They caught it, he smiled and nodded. He did this several times throughout the set.  At the end of the set, he came over to our side and threw a few things which I later found out were–Twizzlers.  It was so cute for such a heavy and intense sounding band.

There was some serious headbanging and even a song called Kill for You

I will kill for you
I will hurt for you
For you, I would do anything (anything)
I will kill for you
Take a bullet for you
I’ll keep you safe from everything
I will kill for you

I enjoyed their whole set quite a lot, and I’m really fascinated by the makeup on their guitarist.

They didn’t play anything from their debut (which makes sense) although they did play one song that came out before their new album and then they surprised me by ending with a Depeche Mode cover.  And not something heavy like Personal Jesus.  They went with Never Let Me Down Again.   They made it really heavy and it sounded good.

It felt weird singing along to a Depeche Mode song at a metal show, but I did!  They even did goofy synchronized guitar waving.  So despite the darkness and heaviness, they clearly were having fun, too.  Which I appreciate.

I really enjoyed their set.

  1. Dead Eye ∇
  2. Broken ∇
  3. Far Away ∇
  4. Here It Ends ∇
  5. Void ∇
  6. Kill For You ∇
  7. Doom or Die ∇
  8. Downfall §
  9. Never Let Me Down Again (Depeche Mode cover)

∇ Aftermath (2025)
§ single (2025)

Posted in Allentown PA, Archer Music Hall, Black Satellite, Blackbraid, Cradle of Filth | Leave a Comment »

The Damned / Flaming Groovies / The Courettes (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, October 24, 2026) [DID NOT ATTEND]

October 24, 2026 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: October 24, 2026] The Damned / Flaming Groovies / The Courettes

I saw the Damned at Coney Island High with my friend Garry on Feb 6, 1998.  I don’t really remember all that much about it.  I wasn’t a huge fan at the time, but I do think it’s cool I got to see them.  I hadn’t really considered seeing them again, but I decided to see them last year and they were great!  The tour was a kind of complete retrospective (including some of the new songs too).

And, it featured three of the four original members: singer Dave Vanian, guitarist Captain Sensible and drummer Rat Scabies.  [There’s no point in trying to talk about when who was or wasn’t in the band as it was a revolving door for a while].  But Paul Gray on bass has been with them since 1980 and Monty Oxymoron has played keyboards with them since 1996 so he’s not exactly a newbie.

When they announced this new tour I definitely wanted to go again, but I already had tickets to see Friko and then I wound up getting tickets to see Cradle of Filth, so there was no way this was going to happen.  Apparently, this is their last tour, so I guess I’ll never see them again.  But I’m glad I saw them last year.

When I saw that the opening band was The Flaming Groovies, I did a double take.  I recognized the name, but couldn’t really place them.  That’s because they formed in 1965 (years before I was born).  Their debut has been described as proto-punk with one critic suggesting that the Ramones probably wore out copies of the album.  I suppose that’s true, kind of, but they are really more of a blues band.  And then, they also wrote Shake Some Action–the Cracker version is better because of the way the Groovies’ album was recorded (as if under a thick blanket).  They’re not as punk as that reviewer made it seem, but there’s some cool garage flair.  I wonder how they sound (checks calendar) 61 years after their debut!.

The Courettes are from Denmark and are the duo of Flavia Couri (from Brazil) and Martin Couri (a native Dane) [they are married, it’s not a Ramones type name].  They play old school rock n roll/girl group/garage stuff.  Their recordings sound like they are from the 60s, which is a little annoying.

Posted in Flamin' Groovies, Philadelphia, PA, The Courettes, The Damned, Union Transfer | Leave a Comment »

Friko / Nine Perfect Lives (The Foundry, Philadelphia, PA, October 24, 2026) [DID NOT ATTEND]

October 24, 2026 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: October 24, 2026] Friko / Nine Perfect Lives

I saw Friko, a young band from Chicago, open for The Flaming Lips/Modest Mouse last year.  I’d listened to them ahead of time and enjoyed them, but I was so impressed by their live show.

I remembered being really delighted by guitarist Korgan Robb on guitar who was wringing all kinds of interesting sounds out of his guitar.  Although it turns out that he is not actually part of the band.  Friko is presently a duo Niko Kapetan sings and plays guitar and and Bailey Minzenberger is the drummer.  For that tour, in addition to Korgan, they had David Fuller on bass.

When this show was announced I immediately grabbed a ticket since I had enjoyed them so much.  And they have been playing one of their newer songs on WXPN and I really liked it.  Then I listened to the album and thought it was just okay.  It was nowhere hear as interesting as their live show.  Which didn’t mean that their new live should would be lame, but when I saw the opportunity to see Cradle of Filth on the same night for $5, I jumped at the chance.  So, sorry Friko.

Nine Perfect Lives is a duo from Brooklyn who use unique song structures, complex drum beats, and stunning vocal harmonies to combine art-rock experimentation and intimate folk songwriting.

I had never heard of them and the above bio revealed that the band was formed by Helena Straight and Stella Wave of Hello Mary.  So did Hello Mary break up?  I really liked Hello Mary a lot.  Nine Perfect Lives has similar gorgeous harmonies, but they are basically an acoustic outfit (on the one song they have out).  I would have liked to see them, but they’re new enough that surely they will be playing more in the near future.

Posted in Friko, Hello Mary, Nine Perfect Lives, Philadelphia, PA, The Foundry | Leave a Comment »

cavetown / chloe moriondo (Fillmore Philadelphia, PA, October 24, 2026) [DID NOT ATTEND]

October 24, 2026 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: October 24, 2026] cavetown / chloe moriondo

We saw Cavetown two years ago and they were so much fun.  From the catchy songs to the fun stage goings on, it was a terrific show.  I’ve thought about seeing them again, and this seemed like a lower key way to do so.  Despite the metal looking logo, Cavetown’s music actually seems even more mellow.

I’m fascinated that this tour starts in Allentown and ends a month later in Philadelphia.  I couldn’t go to the Allentown show because I had tickets to Eihwar which I didn’t want to pass up and on the night in Philly, I had tickets to TWO other shows that evening.  So, despite the proximity and frequency, I couldn’t do Cavetown this year.

Om Tidal, it says that chloe moriondo is 16, but she is actually 23.  She’s from Detrooit and plays a mix of indie pop, indie rock and bedroom pop, with the occasional hyperpop.  The first song on Tidal was her with a ukulele.  She’s on Fueled by Ramen, so they trust her fun nature and she appeared on a Pierce the Veil album.  Her songs are kind of soft pop with a slight (very slight) edge–although her newest album is pretty much all pop.

She’s probably fun live.

Although after listening to each of them a little more, maybe I don’t need to see them again.

Posted in Cavetown, chloe moriondo, Philadelphia, PA, The Fillmore Philadelphia | Leave a Comment »

The Musical Box: And Then There Was Phil (Keswick Theatre, Glenside, PA, October 23 & 24, 2026 / Wellmont Theater, Monclair, NJ, October 25, 2026) [DID NOT ATTEND]

October 24, 2026 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: October 23, 24 & 25] The Musical Box

I saw The Musical Box in January of 2024.  I don’t usually see cover bands, but they were described more as a recreation than a cover band and they were great.  That was the Selling England By the Pound tour, with some other era-appropriate songs.

This new tour is called And then there was Phil.  I don’t like what Phil did to Genesis, nor his solo work.  So I initially was just not interested in this show at all.  The show focuses on the Phil Collins era of Genesis from 1976-1980, drawing material from A Trick of the Tail, Wind & Wuthering, …And Then There Were Three…, and Duke.

In truth I do still like this era of Genesis, but not as much (although, some of those songs from the last couple of albums are pop masterpieces).

Given how good The Musical Box is, I probably would enjoy this show–especially if they put as much work into the production as I assume they did.  And the songs from Wind and Wuthering are enjoyably goofy.

These dates didn’t work for me at all, so after I dismissed it out of hand, I did see that I couldn’t go anyway.  They tend to play the same show for a pretty long time, though, so it may be back again next year

I listened to all of the songs they played for this show and while it’s not my favorite era. I would certainly consider going because they are just so good.

And just so I know what else they do, here’s their other shows

  • The Foxtrot shows included songs from the albums Nursery Cryme and Foxtrot: “Watcher of the Skies”, “Can-Utility and the Coast-Liners”, “The Musical Box”, “Get ’em Out by Friday”, “Supper’s Ready” and “The Return Of The Giant Hogweed”, as well as two encores: “The Knife” and “The Fountain of Salmacis”.
  • The Selling England setlist comprised six of the eight songs from the titular album (“After the Ordeal” and “Aisle of Plenty” were not performed), and a selection of live favourites: “Watcher of the Skies”, “The Musical Box”, “Supper’s Ready” and “The Knife”. “Horizons” and “The Return of the Giant Hogweed” were sometimes played instead of “More Fool Me” and “The Knife”, respectively.
  • The Lamb shows comprised the entirety of the 1974 album, plus “The Musical Box” and “Watcher of the Skies” or “The Knife”.
  • The A Trick of the Tail shows comprised the following numbers: “Dance on a Volcano”, a medley from The Lamb (“The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway”/”Fly on a Windshield”/”Broadway Melody of 1974″/”Carpet Crawlers”), “The Cinema Show”, “Robbery, Assault and Battery”, “White Mountain”, “Firth of Fifth”, “Entangled/Squonk”, “Supper’s Ready”, “I Know What I Like (in Your Wardrobe)” and “Los Endos” with an encore of “It/Watcher of the Skies”. “The Cinema Show” featured extensive double drumming from Collins and Bruford as did “Supper’s Ready”, and “Los Endos”. “Watcher of the Skies” was a short instrumental version merging the beginning and ending sections of the song.

Posted in Genesis, Glenside, PA, Keswick Theatre, Montclair, NJ, The Musical Box, Wellmont Theater | Leave a Comment »

Jesse Welles / Hudson Freeman (The Met Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, October 23, 2026) [DID NOT ATTEND]

October 23, 2026 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: October 23, 2026] Jesse Welles / Hudson Freeman

Jesse Welles played The Fillmore just six months ago and he’s back already!  I started following Jesse Welles online because he made videos of himself singing songs in a field that were political and timely.  Something stupid would happen and he would have a decent song about it within a day.  I thought he was just a guy in a field with a guitar.  I had no idea that he was  the same guy they were playing on WXPN. I really liked the song Horses and now they play Wheel all the time (possibly too much).

I do like his stuff quite a but, but I would have probably gone to see Paris Paloma first.  We wound up going to Jesus Christ Superstar instead of either.

I thought that I had seen Hudson Freeman, but I see that I had seen Truman Sinclair.  Not the same person.  This article from Medium says

Hudson Freeman, if that is his real name, has been posting on Instagram since 2012, sharing remarkably adept original acoustic music since 2015 (as a fresh-faced teen) and, despite a pretty prolific output of frankly really good music, only now since September 2025 has his profile really begun to gain traction. At the time of writing (November 2025) his posts have been blowing up to the tune of thousands likes being accumulated in front of your very eyes over the duration of a single song.

Now Brooklyn-based, Freeman is said to be originally born from evangelical missionaries in Dallas, Texas, lived in South Africa as a child and also been associated with Springfield, Missouri. Currently an enigmatic figure, there is not a great deal else to find about him in the press or online. I have a feeling that will all change in the coming weeks and months.

 He reminds me of Hayden, the Candian singer who never really took off her (except that his voice was really deep and loud) and Hudson’s is a little whiny with a southern twang.

Posted in Hudson Freeman, Jesse Welles, Philadelphia, PA, The Fillmore Philadelphia | Leave a Comment »

Paris Paloma / Susannah Joffe (Franklin Music Hall, Philadelphia, PA, October 23, 2026) [DID NOT ATTEND]

October 23, 2026 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: October 23, 2026] Paris Paloma / Susannah Joffe

I saw Paris Paloma at All Things Go.  I really enjoyed her set.

Paris played acoustic guitar and the rest of her band was a guy with a guitar and a drummer.  And they made a big sound.  I love the way my My Mind turned so big with her voice so powerful.  She played an interesting mix of quiet songs (drywall) and song with bigger (somewhat darker) choruses (as good a reason).  Some songs had tribal beats returned and there are many chanted backing vocals.  I feel like she’s doing something unusual in pop music and I really like it.  It reminds me of a less dancey Aurora.

I didn’t want to see her at Franklin Music Hall (I didn’t realize she was that popular).  And we had tickets to Jesus Christ Supestar, so we couldn’t go.  I hope she comes back (to a smaller venue?)

Susannah Joffe is an indie singer from Austin.  I really like her vocal delivery which is a bit off kilter.  Evidently, she has a fun look onstage: decked out in homemade denim chaps, completing the rockstar look with fake blood and a full face of bold makeup. She has just released her debut LP.  She reminds me of a lot of singers that I like, but there are several of these singers and she mixes them together in her own way.

This was probably a really good show, which I surely would have gone to if it was elsewhere.

Posted in Franklin Music Hall, Paris Paloma, Philadelphia, PA, Susannah Joffe | Leave a Comment »

L7 / VIAL (Brooklyn Bowl, Philadelphia, PA, October 22, 2026) [DID NOT ATTEND]

October 22, 2026 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: October 22, 2026] L7 / VIAL

I liked L7 when they came out but I hadn’t thought about them all that much over the years.  When they announced this tour I thought it would be fun to go to actually see them live.  My brother-in-law is a huge fan and I had even asked if he wanted to come down to the show.  Then an unthinkable tragedy happened to the band when bassist Jennifer Finch died from brain cancer.  That should have made me want to see them even more.

But then we got tickets to see a musical at McCarter and I was happy I hadn’t gotten a ticket for the show.

VIAL is a Minneapolis-based indie punk trio of best friends: Drummer Katie Fischer (she/they), bassist Taylor Kraemer (she/they), and guitarist KT Branscom (they/them). The trio joined forces via Tinder in mid-2019 and has been blazing a path for themselves since, curating a unique multi-genre amalgamation. Indie rock meets punk influence in soaring melodic hooks ready to sink teeth into all listeners alike, from lifelong punk rockers to budding indie darlings.

I heard about them when they signed to Get Better Records (who release great music) and I would have happily seen them.

They remind me a little of THICK, but with a bit more metal edge.  But the same spirit of feminist independence is strong with them.

Posted in Brooklyn Bowl, L7, Philadelphia, PA, VIAL | Leave a Comment »

Older Posts »