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Archive for September, 2022

Stella Donnelly / Maria BC (World Cafe Live, Philadelphia, PA, September 30, 2022) [DID NOT ATTEND]

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[DID NOT ATTEND: September 30, 2022] Stella Donnelly / Maria BC

I know of Stella Donnelly from NPR Music–both All Songs Considered and her Tiny Desk Concert.  She is an Australian singer with delightfully pointed lyrics and a wicked charm.

I was quite keen on her for a while, but y the time this show was posted I had kind of forgotten what it was I liked so much about her.   If I didn’t have two other shows to go to in the next few days, I probably would have gone, but as it was, I had to save up my nights out.

Maria BC is an Ohio-born classically trained singer who sings over ethereal guitars and organs.  Her music is quiet (deliberately so).  And I think in a live setting she would be transportive.  However, I didn’t listen very carefully to her bandcamp release so it sounded just okay to me.

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Death Cab for Cutie (The Met Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, September 29, 2022)

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[ATTENDED: September 29, 2022] Death Cab for Cutie

This was our third time seeing Death Cab for Cutie.  They put on a remarkably good show every time.  I was telling S. I feel al little bad for saying that I don’t feel like there’s anything extraordinary about them–nothing that blows me away.  However, I like just about everything they do.  They fall into a perfect, sweet spot for me.  I love Ben Gibbard’s voice.  They write excellent melodies.  And, as it turns out, their live shows are fantastic.

The whole evening was marked by weirdness though.  As we arrive, while waiting at the corner, we saw a car hit a guy on a bike.  They were both moving very slowly–the car was turning the corner and the bike was slowing to the parking area right after the corner, and I guess technically, the bike drove right into the car. The rider was uninjured, the car was unscratched.  It was clear that everyone just wanted to move on with their lives and so off they both went.  All before the light turned green for us.

Then, in the venue, we avoided the tall dudes (so many really tall dudes!) and wound up standing by this foursome.  After a minute it became very clear that the one guy was really, really drunk.  And I predicted he was going to down sooner rather than later.  The two women in their group wound up supporting this guy physically for the entire show.   Rubbing his back, patting his shoulders.  And sure enough within two songs he was on the ground.  Although he got up before security could get him and them out of there.  Instead, they wound up with the (in my opinion) worst show imaginable for these two women who were trying to support this idiot instead of sitting him down or just going home.

Ah well.  The good news was that he never caused enough crisis for the band to stop and they were blissfully unaware of that minor drama. (more…)

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Finom / mmeadows / Grocer (Johnny Brenda’s, Philadelphia PA, September 29, 2022) [DID NOT ATTEND]

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[DID NOT ATTEND: September 29, 2022] Finom / Mmeadows / Grocer

In August 2022 Sima Cunningham and Macie Stewart announced that they had changed their name from OHMME to Finom, for legal reasons (I wonder what those were).

I don’t care for the new name. I didn’t really love the first name either.

But I saw them open for Jeff Tweedy a few years ago and they were incredible.  Their new album (as Finom) came out a little while ago and I never really got into it–maybe I didn’t give it a chance.  But for whatever reason I wasn;t as interested in this show as I thought I’d be, given how much I loved their set last time.

This is actually the second show that I didn’t go to in which mmeadows was supposed to open.  Their music is pretty interesting.  Rough Trade publishing describes them this way:

Longtime collaborators Kristin Slipp and Cole Kamen-Green come together for the first time as a duo in mmeadows. The band’s distinct sound is informed by their deep musical backgrounds: Kristin is a current member of indie royalty Dirty Projectors, while Cole has worked directly with Beyoncé on two albums, ‘Beyoncé’ and ‘Four.’ Drawing from their disparate influences, mmeadows sees two people connect in what Paste Magazine calls a sonically “singular” way.

Vocal-focused pop songwriting is the heartbeat of mmeadows, who liberally use found sounds and esoteric vintage instruments in their productions and performances. The band released their first EP, Who Do You Think You Are?, in April 2020.

Perhaps a but too poppy for me, but I’ll bet they’re fun live.

I thought I knew Grocer from a Tiny Desk Concert, but I was wrong.  Grocer is a Philly based band that I keep seeing around–so they must be opening for a lot of bands.  Their bandcamp says

Grocer is a band from Philadelphia. Lead by three distinct vocalists, they pendulate between moments of brash atonality, saccharine pop sensibility, and rhythmic acrobatics.

Their compositions are both meticulous and volatile, while their live performances are lauded for explosive chemistry with cheeky curiosity. On their most recent full length, Numbers Game, the band rearranged the puzzle pieces of 90s-influenced rock and dissonant pop into something utterly their own.

I love their chaotic sound as it works with their melodies.  And this blurb makes me realize I need to see them live

Grocer is a multi-vocal guitar band from South Philly that demands context and attention: listen to just one song or wander away mid-set to smoke a cigarette, and you’ll completely miss what they’re about. Featuring three distinct vocalists/lyricists, Grocer is a band that grooves, but never quite settles; a group that loves a good melody, yet remains moments away from chaos. Recently described as “if The Pixies wrote a musical”, their on-stage chemistry is undeniable whether ripping through an Audiotree session or playing in their home city of Philadelphia.

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Thao (The Met Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, September 29, 2022) [DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE]

Posted in Death Cab For Cutie, Philadelphia, PA, Thao, Thao Nguyen, The Met Philadelphia on September 29, 2022| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: September 29, 2022] Thao

Initially the band Low was supposed to open for Death Cab for Cutie on this leg of the tour.  They had cancelled for health reasons (drummer, singer Mimi Parker is battling cancer).  I haven’t liked a lot of Low stuff (they’re a bit too slow for me), although their newer stuff is a bit noisier and more fun.  And obviously I hope Mimi is okay.

But I was pleased to see that Low was being replaced by Thao.

I have known about Thao Nguyen for years.  She was primarily known as the leader of Thao and the Get Down Stay Down.  She dissolved the band earlier this year (no idea why) but has been playing shows with new band members.

She just goes by Thao now and she knows how to control an audience!

We missed the very beginning of her set (we were a little late getting there and then we forgot that the GA area has to go through the far door, so we had to go in and back out before we could really enjoy her set).

Thao was up front in a cool white suit and she sang with the intensity I knew she had.   She also played a wicked guitar, which I did not know she did.  During one of the songs (I don’t know titles), she played a spectacular, noisy guitar solo while the rest of the band jammed around her.

Her band includes Micayla Grace who played an amazing bass guitar (she was all over the fretboard creating wondrous sounds).  Lilah Larson played guitar and keys and seemed to be making sounds out of nowhere.  And her drummer Jon Sortland (who also plays with The Shins) was amazing.  He created rhythms and stacked them on top of rhythms and they all worked perfectly.  Considering he just got off of tour with the Shins a few days earlier, the fact that he could do such amazing stuff with Thao is really impressive.

And then there was Thao herself.  She dedicated a song for a woman’s right to choose.  She played a great song (called “Oh No” I believe) which not only had great audience participation (this side sings Oh No!; this side sings “But I loved you the most,” but which also seemed to have two parts–a really rocking section and then a slower part that built and built.

She also serenaded us with a song that she wrote for her wife, which I believe was “Marrow.”

She ended with a song I knew, “Temple,” a catchy song that looks back at the fall of Saigon.

She played a great set and I would think she’s be amazing as the headliner.

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The Get Up Kids / Sparta (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, September 29, 2022) [DID NOT ATTEND]

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[DID NOT ATTEND: September 29, 2022] The Get Up Kids / Sparta

My friend Al got me into The Get Up Kids back in the early 2000s.  “Mass Pike” is a frequently played song on road trips.  My Get Up Kids album is Something to Write Home About.  I never really got that into Four Minute Mile.  So, even though this show could have been fun, it wouldn’t quite have been for me.

Although I certainly wouldn’t have disliked it.

I had plans to see Sparta back in 2020 but the shows were cancelled.  Back then I wrote

When At the Drive-In broke up, they split into two bands: The Mars Volta and Sparta.  The Mars Volta went in a wild, psychedelic/prog metal direction and Sparta maintained a more tradition heavy rock sound.

I enjoyed the first Sparta albums but I hadn’t heard anything recently.  I considered going to this show because I’d heard they were really good live.

UPDATE: Sparta are headlining a tour in August 2023.  So I’ll get to see them.

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Pet Shop Boys / New Order / Paul Oakenfield: The Unity Tour (Madison Square Garden, New York, NY, September 28, 2022) [rescheduled again] [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Madison Square Garden, New Order, New York City, Paul Oakenfield, Pet Shop Boys on September 28, 2022| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: September 28, 2022] Pet Shop Boys / New Order / Paul Oakenfield: The Unity Tour [rescheduled from September 12, 2020 and September 22, 2021]

This concert was postponed twice.  And now it was finally happening.

I had seen Pet Shop Boys a few years ago and definitely wanted to see them again.  I had never seen New Order but new it would be a fun show.  I had no real opinion of Paul Oakenfield.

And yet… (more…)

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The Mars Volta (The Met Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, September 27, 2022)

Posted in Bosnian Rainbows, Le Butcherettes, Philadelphia, PA, Teri Gender Bender, The Mars Volta, The Met Philadelphia on September 28, 2022| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: September 27, 2022] The Mars Volta

Back in 2000, I loved At the Drive In.  I was bummed when they broke up.  However, they split into two bands: Sparta (the more streamlined guys) and The Mars Volta (the wacky prog rockers).  I was pretty psyched to hear TMV and their debut album De‐Loused in the Comatorium was amazingly weird and cool.  I also really liked the follow up Frances the Mute, but kind of lost track of them after that.

They broke up at some point and that was that.  Guitarist Omar Rodríguez-López went on to do a million projects (like playing with Teri Gender Bender) and singer Cedric Bixler-Zavala has appeared all over the place in bands and as a guest.  i didn’t really give them much thought until they announced a new song and tour.  So I pulled out De-Loused and remembered how much I liked them.

This tour was apparently designed just for me, since most of the songs were from De-Loused and Frances, with one song from the other albums and two from the new one.

The light show was pretty great.  They had squares of light bulbs that illuminated shapes and showed various LED colors.  Not to mention super bright strobes and lots of searching beams of colors.

More impressively, Omar Rodríguez-López’s guitar was even better than I had remembered.  He did a few segments were he just soloed for two or three minutes that never felt showoffy.  And, actually, even more impressive than that was Cedric Bixler-Zavala’s voice.  He can still hit those incredible high notes.

They opened with a song that has a lengthy moody opening.  Omar played soundscapes and solos and then Cedric started singing the slow trippy opening.   And after about ten minutes of that and me thinking…huh, is this the kind of stuff they are gonna play, they shifted gears and launched into the ferocious 7 minute “Roulette Dares” from De-Loused.  This song has more shifts and turns than you can count.  As well as the super catchy “Exoskeletal junction at the railroad delayed” impenetrable lyric.

They jumped to later in the album for “Eriatarka” a slower (at first) song that jumps and pounds with frenetic energy. (more…)

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Teri Gender Bender (The Met Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, September 27, 2022) [THE MARS VOLTA]

Posted in Bosnian Rainbows, Le Butcherettes, Philadelphia, PA, Teri Gender Bender, The Mars Volta, The Met Philadelphia on September 27, 2022| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: September 27, 2022] Teri Gender Bender

Teri Gender Bender is the lead singer for the band Le Butcherettes who I know from an amazing Tiny Desk Concert nearly a decade ago.

I was supposed to see Le Butcherettes a few times.  They were supposed to open for Chicano Batman, but had to change as each show was rescheduled.

So I was pretty excited to see Teri Gender Bender who has put out a lot of music in addition to Le Butcherettes.  I wondered exactly how she got involved with The Mars Volta for this tour, then I found out that she was in a band with Volta guitarist Omar Rodriguez-López, called Bosnian Rainbows.   Indeed, he was also in Le Butcherettes.

As the set wore on and she introduced the band, it turned out that he was on stage with her during her set as well!  (In a pink suite with his hair in a wild pompadour).

Her band was set up in a kind of old school trio–bass and guitar behind little podiums with shiny fabric on them and a drummer behind her.  She introduced the other two musicians, but I didn’t catch their names.

The band came out and started jamming and after a minute or two Teri Gender Bender came out on stage.  She is a true performer, standing in fascinating poses, screaming intently her passionate lyrics and stalking around the stage.

The music was kind of dancey but with flairs of anarchy.  But it was all in support of Teri.  She was focused and intense as she got on the floor, contorting he body while she sang.

Between songs, she addressed the audience in Spanish (she was born in Denver, but her family moved to Mexico when her father died).

Her energy was unmatched and I wnjoyed the show.  Although I would have enjoyed it more if I knew the songs better.

  1. córtate el pelo ∏
  2. KENDALL Ø
  3. action ⊗
  4. talking about you ∞
  5. ya no soy
  6. MJ Ø
  7. THE GET UP ⇑

Ø olivia, she wanted me to leave her alone (2022)
∏ madre would not allow it though (2022)
∞ you were truly the one that made us laugh (2022)
⊗ leaving her to be was just not an option (2022)
¶ pestering became a virtue (2022)
⇑ The Get Up (2022)

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OSEES / Bronze (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, September 26, 2022) [DID NOT ATTEND]

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[DID NOT ATTEND: September 26, 2022] Osees / Bronze

I saw Osees exactly one year ago today.  I summarized by saying

The show was intense, exhausting and a ton of fun. I am so glad I went.

When they announced this year’s show I wasn’t quite in the mood for seeing them again (the exhausting part being the most vivid memory of the show).  But that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t see them again maybe next year.

Bronze is a sychedelic synth-goth outfit whose album Absolute Compliance is to be released by Osees main guy John Dwyer’s Castle’s Face records.  Their earlier record was a bit more angular and choppy while the new song “People Watching People” is slower and synthier.

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Batushka / Witching / Hideous Divinity / Hate (Underground Arts, Philadelphia, PA, September 26, 2022) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Batushka, Deerhoof, БАТЮШКА, Hate, Hello Mary, Hideous Divinity, Philadelphia, PA, Scarlet, Underground Arts, Witching on September 26, 2022| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: September 26, 2022] Batushka / Witching / Hideous Divinity / Hate

I had heard of Batushka [БАТЮШКА] because there was an article about how there were two bands with the same name.  And, it was a case of the band breaking up and the guy who left taking the name–but the main band keeping it as well.  So both bands sounded vaguely the same as well, I guess.

Krzysztof Drabikowski formedthe band.  But a falling out between Drabikowski and vocalist Bartłomiej Krysiuk in 2018 led to Krysiuk starting his own version of Batushka, which released its own recordings and performs separately from the original band. Drabikowski protested the move and does not consider Krysiuk’s band legitimate.

Here’s some of the quotes from the controversy

Drabikowski stated that “There were attempts to take my creation Batushka away from me” and “the upcoming album Панихида (“Requiem”) will not feature his voice”

Krysiuk then “hired musicians to produce an album that he planned to release as the new Batushka record, behind [his] back”.

On 27 May 2019, Drabikowski’s Batushka released a new full-length album called Панихида (“Panihida”) (“Requiem”) and was very well received by both critics and fans alike.

On 12 July 2019, Krysiuk’s Batushka released a full-length album called Hospodi (“God Almighty”), the album received mixed reviews from critics[20][21] and was panned by some of the band’s fans, with most of the criticism aimed at their “illegitimacy” to use the name Batushka.

In the wake of the public falling out and ensuing drama between Drabikowski and Krysiuk several parody bands using variations of the “Batushka” name emerged online as a widespread meme, each also claiming to be the “true Batushka”, the most notable being “Batyushka” an anonymous project claiming to be from Russia and being actual Orthodox priests and adhering to the Orthodox dogma.  Their music is completely instrumental and have independently released over a dozen albums on Bandcamp which were met with indifference and annoyance, as well as mockery from fans of the real band, several people also pointed out how the music uses a drum machine.

Controversy aside, they sounded interesting a Polish black metal band formed by Krzysztof Drabikowski.  Their music and lyrics, which are written exclusively in Church Slavonic language, are inspired by the Eastern Orthodox Church.  The band members wear habits and Eastern Orthodox schemas during live performances to conceal their identities.

I’m not even sure which band this was.  I think it was Krysiuk’s version (known as Fakeuska, apparently) as Drabikowski hasn’t done much.   But if they’re wearing robes and hoods, who is to know?

After seeing behemoth back in April, I wasn’t sure if wanted to see another black metal show.  This one seemed especially daunting given that it was in the tiny Underground Arts.

So I opted not to go.  Maybe if they come back another time.

Polish band Hate opened.  I’m not too keen on a band that is simply called Hate.  They are a blackened death metal band.  They wear corpse paint and have had many lineup changes over the years.  Their singer growls, but I have to admit that the lyrics are actually audible, which is quite a plus.

Witching opened our show.  They are a metal band from Philly.  Their track Lividity opens with acoustic guitars and witching female singing and after two minutes the vocals get decidedly demonic and scary as the music gets heavier and pummeling.   It also looks like most of the band is women, which is pretty cool for the genre: Jacqui, Nate, Tatiana, Samantha and Hazel.

Hideous Divinity are from Italy.  I’m guessing they couldn’t make the first two shows of the tour and they started in Georgia.  They, like the others are heavy and growly.

I actually thought this show was four bands, which would have been just too much growling and heaviness.  Even three bands seemed like a lot.  Although now that I know more about Witching, they might have been a nice change for the show.   Nevertheless, despite the visuals, I’m not sure I was ever really planning to go to this show.

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