I Just Read About That…

[DID NOT ATTEND: October 26, 2023] Spencer Krug / Greg Mendez

I was excited to see Sunset Rubdown last year.  I wound up talking to this guy who was a MASSIVE fan of Spencer Krug–seen him many many times.  He also insisted that I had to see Spencer solo.  That his solo shows were the best in business.

But I prefer spencer for all of his sounds and instrumental noises.  I feel like I would not enjoy the solo show all that much.  So I’m not going to this one.

As the Canadian musician behind Sunset Rubdown and Moonface, co-frontman of Wolf Parade, songwriting member of Swan Lake, and keyboardist for Frog Eyes and Fifths of Seven, Spencer Krug has been a major player on over twenty-five releases within the past two decades. He currently writes and releases music under his own name, and performs a mix of new and old material on stage.

I had not heard of Greg Mendez until two weeks ago when I could have seen him open for Tigers Jaw.  It always amazes me how certain people make the rounds as an opening act with entirely different bands.

Here’s a crazy blurb from the artist

For Greg Mendez, reflection doesn’t mean a static image in a mirror, or even a face he recognizes. It’s more a kaleidoscopic mirage, where paths taken shapeshift with the prospect of paths untread, and the subconscious merges with the intentional. On his self-titled new album, the Philadelphia-based songwriter and multi-instrumentalist investigates the shaky camera of memory, striving to carve out a collage that points to a truth. But there isn’t a regimented actuality here; instead, Mendez highlights the merit in many truths, and many lives, and how even the hardest truths can still contain some humor.

I had written Greg Mendez plays mellow folk music with a gentle voice.  According to Bandcamp Daily, he is

one of the Philly DIY scene’s best-kept-secrets, the soft-spoken songwriter with a preternatural ability to craft brief yet powerful songs is enjoying a raised profile with the release of his self-titled full-length. On the strength of a few early singles, the initial run of vinyl sold out within a month of the album’s announcement, but with releases and demos dating back to 2006, Mendez is hardly an overnight success.