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Archive for May, 2022

Vagabon / Maneka (White Eagle Hall, Jersey City, NJ, May 21, 2022) [CANCELLED]

Posted in Cancelled, Jersey City, NJ, Maneka, Speedy Ortiz, Vagabon, White Eagle Hall on May 21, 2022| Leave a Comment »

[CANCELLED: May 21, 2022] Vagabon / Maneka

There is evidence that Vagabon was supposed to play White Eagle Hall on May 21, 2022.  But there is very little of it. There’s no announcements of the show/tour.  There’s np posters or fliers.  And if you look at the website for White Eagle Hall, there a post announcing the show, but not one cancelling it.

I have wanted to see her for a few years now.   I loved her debut album, but i believe her follow up records sound quite different, so maybe I missed my chance back in 2019 when I didn’t see her with Angel Olsen.

Maneka used to be in Speedy Ortiz.

I listened to a track off his new album and it was mellow and almost a little boring.  But then I read that his previous album was wild and crazy and it is.

Turns out Maneka is really hard to pin down and would probably be amazing to see live.

Here’s a little blurb from Pitchfork.

After parting ways with Speedy Ortiz in 2017, Brooklyn-based musician Devin McKnight adopted the moniker Maneka to experiment with genres beyond his indie-rock roots.   …  McKnight came into his own on Devin in 2019, and he cranked his energy up to 11 by blending heavy metal and noise-punk with hip hop and jazz. On Dark Matter, McKnight continues to ask what it means to be Black in the indie scene while expanding his musical range in surprising ways.

McKnight likens America’s racist history to dark matter—an invisible force that binds the country together. “America has this really dark energy. How has it been this fucked up for so long and no one’s done anything about it?” he has said. On Dark Matters, he confronts that energy directly, writing lyrics that attack racism at its roots. On “Winners Circle,” an unusual fusion of trap drums, shoegaze guitars, and a double-time hardcore outro, he plays on the theory that Beethoven might have been a person of color who lightened his skin to pass in his own scene, singing, “Don’t paint a smile in the place where that shame hid/Play that brand new shit/That No. 9 shit.” On “The Glow Up,” he grapples with generations of racism—“And how do you explain this?/The seat in the back is meant for me?/And how do you explain this?/The ones we lost hanging from the trees”—over syrupy electric bass and guitar. And on the psychedelic “Runaway,” over dueling electric and acoustic guitars, he comes brutally to the point: “Stored in the bones/Is the feeling/You don’t belong here.”

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Little Simz (Theatre of Living Arts, Philadelphia, PA, May 21, 2022) [CANCELLED]

Posted in Cancelled, Little Simz, Philadelphia, PA, The Foundry, Theatre of Living Arts on May 21, 2022| Leave a Comment »

[CANCELLED: May 15, 2022] Little Simz

I’ve never been to a rap show, but this week I had an opportunity to go to three that I wanted to go to: DAVE (British), SHAD (Canadian) and Little Simz (British).

I really like Little Simz’ delivery and attitude and I thought she’d be a lit of fun to see live.  Apparently a lot of other people did too, because this show was originally scheduled for The Foundry but it got moved to TLA.

However, on April 20, Little Simz cancelled her American tour.

Little Simz has cancelled her upcoming US tour, citing the financial unviability of the undertaking as an independent artist.

“I take my live shows seriously and would only want to give you guys nothing but the best of me,” the 28-year-old rapper and actor, born Simbiatu Ajikawo, tweeted.

“Being an independent artist, I pay for everything encompassing my live performances out of my own pocket and touring the US for a month would leave me in a huge deficit. As much as this pains me to not see you at this time, I’m just not able to put myself through that mental stress.”

The 11-date tour was due to commence in May. It would have been the first time that Simz had showcased her widely acclaimed 2021 album, Sometimes I Might Be Introvert, in the US. A representative for the musician could not confirm whether the cancellation would also affect her planned dates in Canada and South America.

Simz advised artists to “know your worth and stick to your guns”.

Good for her for knowing her worth.  And obviously the stress would be too much, but I still think she might have made some money on this tour.

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Primus: A Tribute to Kings / Battles (Wellmont Theater, Montclair, NJ, May 21, 2022 & Wind Creek Event Center, Bethlehem, PA, May 25, 2022) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Battles, Bethlehem, PA, Don Caballero, Helmet, Montclair, NJ, Primus, Rush, Wellmont Theater, Wind Creek Event Center, Wolfmother on May 21, 2022| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: May 21 & May 25, 2022] Primus: A Tribute to Kings / Battles

I saw Primus on the tour back in October and it was pretty great.  I would happily have seen them again, even playing the same songs (although I think set two varies somewhat).

I didn’t love the crowd around me (I didn’t realize Primus fans were bros, but I guess they are).

However, this first date was the same day that my wife and I were going to see The Music Man on Broadway.  And the second date was the same day that my family was going to see Blue Man Group.  So, this leg of the tour was not to be.

Battles are a weird band that I tend to forget about.

The two main guys in the band were once in Don Caballero and Helmet, and their music should be really heavy.   But as I wrote when I first heard their song “Ice Cream” back in 2011

But they’re not so much heavy as noisy and crazy.  And this track is a head-spinning amalgam of keybaords, unsettling rhythms, processed guitars and singing from Argentinean techno producer Matias Aguayo.  The lyrics sound like they are not English, but they are (with heavy effects on them).

The song is weird, indeed. But after just one listen, I was totally hooked.  It’s catchy and bouncy and very sunny and it’s a real joy to listen to.

Boy I’d like to see them live.

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Meredith Wilson’s The Music Man (Winter Garden Theatre, New York, NY, May 21, 2022)

Posted in Hugh Jackman, New York City, Sutton Foster, The Music Man, Winter Garden Theatre on May 21, 2022| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: May 21, 2022] The Music Man

S. loves musicals.  She especially loves The Music Man. So when it was revived for Broadway and was starring Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster, I knew I had to get tickets for her.  

And then the pandemic shut down Broadway.  I believe the show was supposed to open in 2020 (I was going to get us tickets back in 2019).  But then Broadway bounced back and the show opened in December 2021.  We managed to get tickets for May 2022 (purchased on October 3, 2021).  We were in Left Mezzanine Row D seats 49-51.

The seats were a little far to the left, but were not obstructed in any real way (there was one scene where we couldn’t quite see what was going on in the one corner, but that’s okay. most of the action was out front. 

We opted for the matinee performance because, well, hell, it was much easier to get into the city early and to get home at a reasonable hour.  Or so we thought.   Our train in had delays.  Our transfer train into Penn Station had an overflowing toilet!  It was pretty stressful.  It was also crazy hot.  But we did enjoy our dirty water dogs on the street corner before heading into the theater. (more…)

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An Evening with Jens Lekman and local youth orchestra / Leslie Deshazor (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, May 20, 2022) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Every Little Thing, Jens Lekman, Philadelphia, PA, Union Transfer on May 20, 2022| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: May 20, 2022] Jens Lekman [original show was cancelled, so technically not rescheduled from April 19, 2020]

I have really enjoyed Jens Lekman over the years. His Tiny Desk Concert is tremendous.  He was even the subject of a request in an episode of Every Little Thing, a podcast that S and I really like.  (A caller could not get a fragment of a song out of his head and it was one of Lekman’s).

I have been wanting to see him for a while and this show with a local youth orchestra sounded kind of fun.

Jens Lekman originally announced a unique North American tour where he’d perform with local youth orchestras in various cities for 2020, but the dates were put on hold because of the pandemic. He’s now announced new dates for the tour, beginning this April and running through May. He’ll be joined by violinist Leslie DeShazor for the shows. “This is a tour that I have been working on and looked forward to for almost four years,” Jens writes. “The idea originally came to me in 2015 when I was invited to Cincinnati to perform a show with a group of young string players from the organization MyCincinnati. The show ended up being one of the most memorable moments of my whole career. The energy that is present when a young person is still exploring and mastering an instrument is something I’ve always been drawn to. As someone who’s been playing music more or less professionally for over 15 years I often have to go back to this youthful source to remember and learn. To let the students become my teachers.”

It’s unclear to me whether Leslie DeShazor played a set before or was a featured part of the orchestra. (more…)

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Shad / Kuf Knotz & Christine Elise (Johnny Brenda’s, Philadelphia, PA, May 20, 2022) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Christine Elise, Johnny Brenda's, Kuf Knotz, Philadelphia, PA on May 20, 2022| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: May 20, 2022] Shad / Kuf Knotz & Christine Elise

SHAD’s 2010 album TSOL is one of my favorite rap albums.  Of all of the rappers that come around to Philly to tour, SHAD is the one I’m most interested in seeing.

SHAD is from Canada although he was born in Kenya.  He raps about real issues but also has a thread of positivity through his songs, which I appreciate.

This happened to be a really busy week of shows for me, though, so I had to blow it off.

He comes to town every couple of years, so I assume he’ll be back maybe in 2024.

When he came to town in 2018 he played Boot & Saddle (RIP) and I couldn’t make that show either.  For that show Kuf Knotz also opened.

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.

For this tour, he was with harpist Christine Elise

Christine Gallagher, MA, MT-BC, LMT, LPC “Christine Elise” is classically trained harpist, pianist, and vocalist.  In 2018, Christine and Kuf founded a community music therapy outreach performance project called Higher Grounds Music, using the power of music, clinical training, and performance experience to foster personal growth. Working in a strength based model, the workshops/performances are designed to support participants in building skills to build confidence, increase motivation and drive and strengthen self-care skills.

If they all tour together next time, I’ll have to go for an night of positivity.

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Pom Pom Squad / Chloe Lilac (PhilaMOCA, Philadelphia, PA, May 20, 2022) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Chloe Lilac, Philadelphia, PA, PhilaMOCA, Pom Pom Squad on May 20, 2022| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: May 20, 2022] Pom Pom Squad / Chloe Lilac

I was really interested in seeing Pom Pom Squad–their album Death of a Cheerlader was really good retro-grungy pop fun.

Then I saw them (unexpectedly) open for Nada Surf and they were fantastic.

That was about six month ago and I thought they’d be even better in a headline show.

But I’d already had a ticket for another show this night (which I wound up not gong to anyway).  I was feeling some seasonal concert burnout by the end of May for sure.

Chloe Lilac is a young Brooklyn singer.  It seems like her earlier stuff is a little more synthy but her newest stuff has a bit more grunge (with lots of f-bombs) and would work well with Pom Pom Squad.

Clout says

Chloe Lilac is an artist that has been growing exponentially as of late.   All it felt like she needed to solidify this was a full body of work to represent this step up, which is now here in the form of her latest extended play DOUCHEBAG.

The EP is packed full of huge tunes, from its unapologetic and brass title track, to the confrontational ‘WHO IS EMILY?’, to the more calculated and thoughtful closer ‘JANSPORT’. Chloe Lilac has shown that she is an artist that can do it all, and do it all in the context of her razor-sharp indie pop sound.

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Beach Bunny (The Fillmore Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, May 18, 2022)

Posted in Beach Bunny, C., Deftones, Ky Vöss, Philadelphia, PA, The Met Philadelphia, Union Transfer, Wednesday on May 19, 2022| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: May 18, 2022] Beach Bunny

T. was really into Beach Bunny when we saw her back in November of 2021.  I was pretty surprised that she was going to tour again in May of 2022 (in fairness, the 2021 tour had been rescheduled twice and I think she was ready to play new stuff, but she had all the gear from the old tour so….).  Plus, this new tour moved her from the 1500 capacity Union Transfer to the 2500 capacity Fillmore.

I had really enjoyed her at Union Transfer and was looking forward to what she’s do at this show.

Last time the stage was filled with old video game cabinets.  This time it had old small TV screens.

Lili Trifilio came out with bunny ears on and jumped right in with “Oxygen.”  The crowd seemed very young to me (which, I guess to me they were very young, but I believe the Fillmore was designed for a largely under 21 crowd).

My daughter seemed a little overwhelmed by the crowd and the show and decided to hang nearer to the back.  She felt like she could see better, which may have been true).  But i always feel disconnected from the show when I’m too far back.  (more…)

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The Front Bottoms / Long Neck / Jordan Jensen (White Eagle Hall, Jersey City, NJ, May 19, 2022) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Jersey City, NJ, Jordan Jensen, Jordan Jensen 2, Long Neck, The Front Bottoms, White Eagle Hall on May 19, 2022| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: May 19, 2022] The Front Bottoms / Long Neck / Jordan Jensen

I heard my son listening to The Front Bottoms.  I didn’t realize he liked them when I saw them last year, but when the band announced this series of shows at White Eagle Hall, I knew the shows would be great and I knew he’d like to go.

Especially with this announcement

The Front Bottoms are playing a few intimate shows in their home state of NJ this spring. They’ve announced three nights at Jersey City’s White Eagle Hall on May 18, 19 and 20. “To say that we’re very excited to play Jersey City is an understatement,” drummer Mathew Uychich says. “These shows are going to be very special.” Guitarist / vocalist Brian Sella adds, “I spent the best years of my life in Jersey City! I should’ve never left. It’s an honor to return home once again!”

But it turned out that the night before was my rescheduled Deftones show which he went to.  And he was pretty wiped out from it and didn’t feel like going to another long show.  So we missed out on this one.  Which seems a real shame.

Long Neck is Lily Mastrodimos.

A review of her 2018 album says that she now brings along a full-fledged rock band for the ride. Powerhouse guitar backings compliment her soulful voice in this album where easy listening meets folk-punk.

She sounds great solo, but if she played with a full band it would have been great.

Jordan Jensen is a comedian.  A random review from Spokane says

Jordan Jensen is an old-school comic who lets it all hang out. The emerging New York entertainer doesn’t care who she offends. The amusing humorist is reminiscent of the late Sam Kinison and the late Mitch Hedberg since Jensen delivers the hottest of takes on relationships and pop culture.

I think a comedian is not a bad opening act.  Ideally, have the comedian do stand up while the bands are breaking down and setting up.

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Sleaford Mods / Sorry (The Foundry, Philadelphia, PA, May 19, 2022) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Philadelphia, PA, Sleaford Mods, Sorry, The Foundry on May 19, 2022| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: May 19, 2022] Sleaford Mods / Sorry

It’s weird to me when bands that I like feud with each other.

So it was weird to me that Idles and Sleaford Mods would have some kind of shouting match feud with each other, especially since they both advocate for the same thing (it’s not even worth getting into what the feud was about).

I love Idles.  I like Sleaford Mods–but I also thought they’d be really cool to see live.

I was pleased to get a ticket for this show, but then The Front Bottoms announced a show at White Eagle Hall and my son was really keen on going to see it.  So, I basically blew off this show for The Front Bottoms.  Which we wound up not going to anyway.  Fortunately, Sleaford Mods seem to come to Philly a bunch, so I think I’ll get to see them next year.

Sorry is a fascinating band from England with kind of spoken/sung deadpan lyrics.  But defining their music is really a challenge

Matty Pywell of GigWise stated that “Listening to Sorry’s discography is to hear a safari of different sounds, as eye catching as the next. One area might contain the grumbled discontent of punk and rock, whilst if you look close enough you can catch a flash of hip-hop and jazz. Grouping them into a single genre is a fool’s errand”. Lorenz and O’Bryen have themselves talked about their genre in music, describing it as pop music, while Lorenz has stated that “It’s just a bit annoying to be called post punk or grunge because I don’t think we are that.

I actually think the music is pretty weird and not very poppy at all.  They’d have been a great opening act for Sleaford Mods and I hope they come back to the US sometime too.

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