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Archive for April, 2022

[DID NOT ATTEND: April 16, 2022] El Ten Eleven / So Totally

El Ten Eleven are a great duo who play incredibly complex instrumentals with just an incredible drummer Tim Fogarty and an amazing multi instrumentalist Kristian Dunn who plays doubleneck guitar/bass and tons of pedals.

I recently got turned onto them and I really want to see them live.  This show was announced long after the other two shows of that day had been secured, so there was no way I was going to this one.  But I’d still have liked to.

Fortunately they are opening for Peter Hook & The Light later this year.  It won’t be as good as a headline show, but I’m still psyched to see them.

So Totally are a wild band from Philly who I would love to see as well.

The four members of So Totally initially put out a cathartic EP a few years ago called a cheap close-up of heaven. Earlier this month, they followed up with their earnestly determined debut full length in the shape of…. The quartet is made up of Roya Weidman and Matt Arbiz both singing and playing guitar, Ryan Wildsmith on bass, and drummer Joe McLaughlin.

So Totally cites The Pixies, Swirlies, and Medicine as influential favorites. They add: “The Smashing Pumpkins have a lot of influence on our rhythm section as far as drum style, and Interpol who usually have melodic bass lines rather than just playing with the guitar. We also love the idea of mixing genre and combining classic-influenced rock with fuzz and psychedelia, so we like music that keeps you on your toes rather than feeling predictable!”  So Totally comically tagged “fuck a genre” on the album’s Bandcamp page.

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[DID NOT ATTEND: April 16, 2022] The Districts / Francis of Delirium / Vanillaroma

I grabbed a ticket for this dhow from The Districts as soon as they went on sale–even though I had recently seen them in Asbury Park.  A Philly show is always a good time for The Districts.

Then the Ice Nine Kills show was announced for the same day and I knew that my son and his friends would want to go to that.  So I blew off The Districts, which is fine since i had recently seen them.

Francis of Delirium I had heard of and have since listened to their music.  It’s really good–rocking, noisy, but catchy as well.

Vanillaroma has a retro vibe with all of the sweet spots of retro sounds.

This was a really good bill.

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[POSTPONED: April 15, 2022] Spoon / Margaret Glaspy [moved to May 4, 2022]

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This was supposed to be a chaotic week of concerts, but between our vacation and this show being cancelled, it wound up being no concerts at all.

Spoon has postponed the upcoming dates of their previously announced tour due to a positive COVID case in their camp. The Philadelphia, New York City and Detroit shows on April 15, April 16 and April 18 have been postponed to next month.

That was fine for me and the new date works very well.

 

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[DID NOT ATTEND: November 14, 2021] We Were Promised Jetpacks (postponed from November 14, 2021).

I’ve seen We Were Promised Jetpacks a couple of times and they put on a ripping show.

But recently one of their original members left and they seem to have changed their sound a bit.  I didn’t enjoy it quite as much.  But I still had a ticket to this show and figured they’d still be great live.

But when Gustaf announced a show the same night, I knew I’d be going to that one instead.  I saw Gusaf open for Idles and imagined that their headline show would be amazing.  So I chose Gustaf.

Frankie Rose is evidently a legendary musician who has played with everyone like Vivian Girls and Dum Dum Girls.  She sounds like she’d put on a good show.  Although her poppier sound suggests that WWPJ were leaning a bit more pop on this album.

 

 

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[DID NOT ATTEND: April 14, 2022] Gustaf / Pedazo De Carne Con Ojo 

I saw Gustaf open for Idles and they were weird and wonderful and someone I definitely wanted to see live again–preferably headlining.  They have a very late 1980’s punk aesthetic with spoken words and random sounds.  Plus a lot of humor.  I was really excited for this show.  But by the tuime it came around, having misse da whole bunch of shows that I was really looking forward to, I wound up blowing off this one as well.

Shame, really.

Pedazo De Carne Con Ojo is the project of Steven Perez, a Philadelphia musician with sincere love for hip hop, poetry, punk and hardcore, pop, R&B, salsa, bachata, merengue, and even more. Perez has lived in Philly since 2016, writing, playing punk and indie, and he started releasing solo material under the Pedazo moniker in 2019 after years of struggling with doubts about sharing his own music.  Pedazo is a kaleidoscopic project, pinned on samples from past recordings of pop and merengue, salsa, bachata and other styles of Caribbean music, all of which Perez heard in his family’s home in Florida growing up.

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[DID NOT ATTEND: April 13, 2022] Alt-J / Portugal. The Man / Cherry Glazerr

I was really looking forward to this show.  It was a summer highlight.

Alt-J is one of those bands that I kind of like and kind of don’t.  Their music is weird and unsettling.  Catchy and earwormy and annoying at the same time.  But their live show is supposed to be amazing.

I’ve wanted to see Portugal. The Man for a long time.  We saw an abbreviated set of theirs at Newport Folk Festival a while ago, and it just made me want to see the whole thing.

Cherry Glazerr is an indie rock band that plays incredibly catchy fuzzy pop rock.  I’d really like to see them in a smaller setting, but this would have been my first chance to see them.

Then we booked a vacation to D.C.  We were expecting to come home early this day, but our plans changed and we wound up getting home just about when the first band was supposed to go on.  I doubt I would have gone anyhow–it seems weird  to come back from vacation and go out, but I had held out hope for this show.

Alas.

But again, D.C. was a great mini-vacation and I’m really glad we went.

 

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[DID NOT ATTEND: April 9, 2022] Otoboke Beaver [postponed to October 2, 2022]

I really like Pillow Queens, an Irish band, with four members–two of whom sing great harmony vocals.  They write clever songs about growing up queer in Irish Catholic Ireland, and their music totally rocks as well.

I would have definitely gone to this show, although somehow I missed hearing about it.  Duh.

Well, plus I was in D.C. this evening.  But next time they come around, I’ll be there.

Canadian musician Deanna Petcoff has a powerful voice and a fun bouncy song called “Devastatingly Mediocre.” I think they probably sounded great togther.

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[DID NOT ATTEND: April 11 & 12, 2022] Yumi Zouma / NoSo

This show had been rescheduled four or five times. The final time was after the tour had been successful so far.  But at the last minute, they had to postpone the final two Philadelphia shows.

I vaguely recalled when Yumi Zouma came out because their name is so fun to say (this was back in 2014).  I didn’t realize they were from New Zealand.

I couldn’t even remember what their music sounded like or if I’d even liked it.  I wasn’t planning on going to this show since it was a such a busy week, but I was delighted to hear the name again.  And if they turne dout to be good, I would have gone if we weren’t in D.C.

NoSo was unknown to me.  Apparently they are an LA-based artist and guitar virtuoso who seems to write delicate pop songs.

 

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[DID NOT ATTEND: April 11, 2022] Animals as Leaders / Intervals

Animals as Leaders is a trio that plays loud, complex progressive metal.

I saw them a few years ago and was blown away.  Although I didn’t like the crowd very much, and wanted to see them again at some point.

Of course, this show conflicted with two other shows the same night and then we went on vacation, so there was not a chance here.

Intervals is a Canadian progressive instrumental metal band. I’m sure I would have liked them as well.

Maybe some other time.

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[DID NOT ATTEND: April 11 & 12, 2022] Waxahatchee / OHMME [rescheduled from April 14 and October 5, 2020 and May 16, 2021 and October 15, 2021]

This show had been rescheduled four or five times. The final time was after the tour had been successful so far.  But at the last minute, they had to postpone the final two Philadelphia shows.

I don’t recall what was going on in my life at the the time, but I was happy about the postponement and wrote

This one worked in my favor.  And I’m looking forward to that rescheduled show next year.

Of course, the Fuzz show was scheduled for the same day and I hadn’t seen Fuzz before so I was planning on going to that show instead.

But then we went on vacation, so the whole debate was moot.

Originally support was from OHMME, then Katy Kirby.  This time it was from Madi Diaz who is a folk singer I know of, but not very well.

 

wxa

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