Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Archive for May, 2024

[DID NOT ATTEND: May 22, 2024] Mannequin Pussy / Soul Glo

I’ve seen Mannequin Pussy three times.  The first time they were opening for Japandroids and Boot & Saddle.  And now they have three sold out shows at Union Transfer!

I immediately grabbed tickets for the first night–a hometown show would be amazing.

When I saw that Gustaf was playing on Wednesday and they had added a Thursday show, I sold the Wednesday show and grabbed a Thursday one.  I assume they will be in full force on Thursday.

And I was especially excited that Soul Glo was opening for them. (more…)

Read Full Post »

[DID NOT ATTEND: May 21, 2024] Skating Polly / Lord Friday the 13th / Froggy

I was pretty excited when this show was announced.  I thought my daughter would really enjoy this.  She loves PhilaMOCA as a venue and I thought she’d really enjoy this young(ish) punk band.

I saw Skating Polly seven years ago when they opened for X.  Unfortunately, I arrived really late and caught only a couple songs from them.  I’d been intrigued by them for a while–two sisters, both teenagers (technically Kelli was NINE when they formed), started a band as a duo and played some kick ass punk.  Seven years ago primary singer Kelli was only 19, older sister Peyton was 24 and their brother Kurtis (no age given) was playing drums with them.

They have been touring forever and put on a super fun show.  I knew it would be a good time.

Then things got in the way.  She had stuff to do after school and couldn’t go.  I thought about going myself but then had to do some driving duty.  And considering their set is fairly short and would be the same songs as last year, I decided to just chill at home instead.

Lord Friday the 13th is a dollar store trash-glam punk band based in Austin, TX. Fronted by siblings Felix (vocals) and Sloane (guitar) Lenz, their sound has been described as the Velvet Underground meets the New York Dolls, with hints of early Iggy and the Stooges. While honoring the origins of punk and the energy it birthed with it, Lord Friday continues the legacy of change and pushing boundaries on societal norms that true punk is known for. Challenging gender roles and conformity, Lord Friday is here to empower and inspire a new kind of punk for a new world. (more…)

Read Full Post »

[DID NOT ATTEND: May 20, 2024] Zeta / Cold Court / Sweet Pill  

I was really excited when this show was announced (although not the reason it was an announced).*  But this week appears to be the week that I had many shows lined up and things keep coming up to prevent me from going.

So, as my day unfolded, it was pretty clear that i wouldn’t be able to go to the show.

And with this line up, I’m sure it was intense and amazing.  In fact, it may have been a little too intense for me in that small space.  The last time I went to the Ukie club there was some serious dancing and right now I am not up for the pit.  So maybe it was better for me to not be there. (more…)

Read Full Post »

[DID NOT ATTEND: May 19, 2024] Echo & The Bunnymen

I’m not a huge fan of Echo & The Bunnymen, but I have (and love) their greatest hits album Songs to Lean and Sing.  So it would seem that this tour was made especially for me.

But I already had tickets to a show I was really looking for to tonight, so I had no intention of actually going.

After the show I looked at the setlist and found that only played six of the eleven songs from that hits package.  AND they did two Velvet Underground/Lou Reed covers, which is odd to me.

So I didn’t go, and that’s fine.

Read Full Post »

[DID NOT ATTEND: May 19, 2024] MC Lars / Schaffer The Darklord / Shubzilla + Bill Beats / MC Snax

This is now the fourth time that I have not gotten to see MC Lars.  I was really looking forward to this show and then my plans changed and I couldn’t make it (I guess Sunday nights are tough).

I really want to see MC Lars.  I am on the fence about Schaffer, who is a bit more crass, but is undoubtedly very funny live.  I hadn’t heard of the other two performers but their blurbs below make them seem pretty delightful.

The good news is that MC Lars tends to come around every year.  So I can only hope that next year the stars align for me.

MC Lars
For over twenty years, MC Lars has built a fanbase across the US, the UK and the rest of Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and Japan. In addition to touring, he has performed at Carnegie Hall, South by Southwest, San Diego Comic-Con, Slam Dunk, Truck Festival and as part of the VANS Warped Tour. He has performed on stage with numerous artists, including Bowling for Soup, MC Frontalot, Wheatus, Say Anything, Gym Class Heroes, Simple Plan, T-Pain, Snoop Dogg, Nas, and Koo Koo Kanga Roo. His work includes collabs with a wide range of musicians – among them, “Weird Al” Yankovic, KRS-One, Sage Francis, Watsky, Mega Ran, Jaret Reddick of Bowling for Soup, Wheatus, the Matches, Kool Keith, Spose, MC Frontalot, YT Cracker, Schäffer the Dark Lord, Beefy and K.Flay. He has been featured on CNN, NPR, and MTV and has been profiled in Rolling Stone, SPIN, and Alternative Press. (more…)

Read Full Post »

[ATTENDED : May 18, 2024] Galactic Empire

I was intrigued by Galactic Empire even though I was there more for Bit Brigade.  I love the idea that the band played Star Wars music and dressed in costume (I understand that they may have been sued and have had to modify their costumes so as not to completely break copyright?).

I’m not the huge Star Wars dork that many people are, but I do like the music.  And I thought a heavy metal version of some of the songs would be great.  I had watched one video online and I liked it a lot.  And the backstory is pretty fun

Comprised of some of the most infamous and feared villains in the galaxy — lead guitarist Dark Vader, drummer Boba Sett, guitarists Red Guard and Shadow Ranger, and bassist Bass Commander — GALACTIC EMPIRE’s commitment to their mission is unparalleled.

When they came on, all the tall dudes who were hanging in the back came rushing forward so I couldn’t see them all that well (and that was the whole point, right, seeing them).  So that kinda sucked.

But when they came out and played the 20th Century Fox Fanfare, that was pretty cool. (more…)

Read Full Post »

[DID NOT ATTEND: May 19, 2024] Ringo Deathstarr

I saw Ringo Deathstarr back in 2019 and they were fantastic.  They play heavy shoegaze in all of the best ways.  I really wanted to see them again.

But this show happensto be on the same night as a show that I already had tickets for–MC Lars, who I have tried to see on many many occasions but have never been successful.  So I’m afraid Ringo Deathstarr loses out (and maybe I do too).

I hadn’t heard of The Veldt even though they’ve been around since 1986 (!)

Spotify describes them as a soul-powered rock band on the heavier end of the shoegaze spectrum, the Veldt are dream pop at their core yet just as known for driving riffs and stirring vocals. Led by Daniel and Danny Chavis, the Veldt were misunderstood from their late-’80s beginning.

I like their music but really don’t like the singer’s voice for this style of music.

SOLD is a Philly band that’s been around for a few years.  They descibe themselves as

Philly Post-Punk that’s fast and hard but then soft and lame too. Lot of bass, some spooky organs and a guitar all on top of drums. So yeah.

I listened to a few songs and they rock.  But when the cheesy synths come in, it’s quite a surprise (in a good way).

This would have been a fun show.

Read Full Post »

[DID NOT ATTEND: May 19, 2024] Mannequin Pussy / Soul Glo

I’ve seen Mannequin Pussy three times.  The first time they were opening for Japandroids and Boot & Saddle.  And now they have three sold out shows at Union Transfer!

I immediately grabbed tickets for the first night–a hometown show would be amazing.

And I was especially excited that Soul Glo was opening for them. (more…)

Read Full Post »

[ATTENDED: May 18, 2024] Bit Brigade

I had seen Bit Brigade six years ago (can’t believe it has been that long) and assumed my son would love to see them too: a heavy metal band playing the music from video games while a guy in the band plays the game?  Sounds perfect.

They tend to play bars so my (underage) son was shut out.  But when they announced this show at a place in Frenchtown, and it was all ages, we were there!

I actually thought it was going to be outside, but it wasn’t (possible showers, but I don’t know if it was always meant to be inside or not).

When I got the tickets (for him and his friend) I assumed Bit Brigade was headlining as I had not heard of Galactic Empire.  Yup, a Star Wars cover band–two gimmicks in one night, but that’s cool.  And then the night of, my wife decided that she’d like to see the spectacle as well, so she joined us and it was even more fun having her there as the boys immediately left me to hang by themselves.

I was a little surprised that BB went on first, but in retrospect it makes sense.  BB is really fun, but they are kind of static–we all watch the guy play the game(s) and the band totally rocks.  Whereas Galactic Empire is more dynamic–band members running around and a bigger stage presence.  Plus, as it turned out, everyone was there for them and not Bit Brigade.  Except for us. (more…)

Read Full Post »

[CANCELLED: May 17, 2024] Joy Again

I saw (some of) a Joy Again set when they opened for Chastity Belt in 2017.

My daughter loves one of their songs “Looking Out for You” (which has over 460 million listens on Spotify).  I thought it would be fun to see them.

But I don’t go to The Church, so I wouldn’t go to this show anyhow.  But then there was the bigger news.  On March 8, the band wrote:

Hi everyone-

After 10 years we’ve decided to end Joy Again. We have so much love and respect for one another and calling it quits is extremely sad for everyone involved, but it feels like an appropriate time to move on. We’ve had an incredible time together through writing and recording, to being in the studio and on the road. We’re truly going to miss it so much.

Unfortunately with this said we’ll also be cancelling the upcoming tour. We’re so sorry and truly appreciate all of you who had already bought tickets and everyone who was excited to come to one of these shows. Refunds will be issued to everyone shortly – some of you may have already gotten yours.

Our debut album Song and Dance will be released on June 28. We’re so proud of this body of work – it represents our love for each other and all the ups and downs we’ve been through in all our years together. All of this has been a long time coming and we hope you understand that this decision is best for us. We’ll always be making new music, whether together or apart you can always expect to hear something new from us and the projects we pursue in the future.

Thanks for sharing this past decade with us,

Joy Again

They’ve been out for ten years, have half a billion streams on Spotify and hadn’t put out a record yet?

Read Full Post »

« Newer Posts - Older Posts »