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So what happened here?

June 10, 2022 by Paul Debraski

For nearly fourteen years I was able to keep up this daily blog of books and music.

About a year ago I got a promotion and that changed everything.  I no longer had the time to post everything I wanted to.  Heck, I didn’t even seem to have the time to read all the short stories I wanted to.  Amusingly (or not), just before this new position, I had gotten a print subscription to the New Yorker.  This now means that I (like many others) have a two-foot stack of New Yorker magazines that I haven’t even looked at yet.

For a few weeks I was limiting myself to only the concerts that I went to because that was a little easier to write about.  Although back in the good old days, I used to include photo and links, and I pretty much have neither now. And I’m several shows behind as well.

So I’m still reading books and I think I may try to post some thoughts about them from time to time.  I’d also like to think I have time to write about my concerts, but even those are proving to be challenging.

So let’s consider the blog on hiatus more or less, with occasional posts about things I’ve read or listened to.

The good thing is that I like the new position and wouldn’t change it for the world. I guess I never realized how much down time my old position gave me!

Posted in Paul Debraski | 3 Comments »

Mike D / Angelnumber 8 (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, October 19, 2026) [DID NOT ATTEND]

October 19, 2026 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: October 19, 2026] Mike D / Angelnumber 8

When Mike D announced this album and tour I assumed it would sell out in a second.  But I don’t think it sold out at all.

I had listened to one song from the album and didn’t think that much of it, so I didn’t bother getting a ticket.  I’ve never seen the Beastie Boys, and decided I didn’t want to go this way.

But I may have been a bit harsh.   A review from MidBrow Philly says

the most glaring absence from Thank You — the intricate vocal interplay that defined the Beastie Boys — is evident. Despite this, the record’s fun, kitchen sink approach of arrangement and production takes your mind off of what’s not there. Ultimately, Thank You is a busy, fearless record that doesn’t contend with the legacy of Diamond’s old band as much as it adds to his own.

Diamond’s vocals throughout the set were processed through an unrelenting wall of distortion and delay, giving the songs a rough but otherworldly texture.

According to the setlist, he did a couple of Beastie Boys (Looking Down the Barrel of a Gun) songs and the set was about an hour.

Angelnumber 8 opened the show. There’s very little about him online. He has a few songs on Tidal and yet there’s an article about him that dates back to 2021–which talks about how it is to find out about him online.  Tidal shows a new EP this year with 5 songs each about 2 minutes long. The songs are kind of chill raps.  hard to imagine what he’s like live.

And here’s the Mike D show from UT thanks to Jim Powers.

 

Posted in Angelnumber 8, Mike D., Philadelphia, PA, Union Transfer | Leave a Comment »

Beck / Ioanna Gika (The Met Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, October 18, 2026) [DID NOT ATTEND]

October 18, 2026 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: October 18, 2026] Beck / Ioanna Gika

Beck always puts on a good show.  Some of my favorite concert moments of the last few years involved Beck. But this tour was for his new, mopey album and that didn’t sound like a fun tour to check out.  I looked at tickets and it was EXPENSIVE as well.

So I didn’t even bother trying to get tickets.  Ironically, my brothers-in-law went to see him in Red Rocks.  They said it was good, but when I looked at the setlist, it didn’t sound very fun.

But I’m not the intended audience when he writes “This isn’t a hits show…this is the Ride Lonesome Tour so we are playing the new album and we are leaning heavily into Sea Change and Morning Phase.”  Nothing wrong with those albums, just not what I want to see live.

Who the heck is Ioanna Gika?

Gika played in io echo which toured throughout the United States and had support slots for Nine Inch Nails, Haim, New Order, and Jon Hopkins amongst others. Gika also wrote the score for Harmony Korine’s film ‘Rebel’, collaborated with Game of Thrones composer Ramin Djawadi for Universal’s Dracula, created the score for a Louis Vuitton fall runway collection, and wrote a song that was shortlisted by the academy for Snow White and The Huntsman. Ioanna Gika completed her first solo tour opening for Deafheaven and Diiv in October, and her first solo record Thalassa is coming out April 5th on Sargent House.

To best understand Ioanna Gika and the world that she has created, it is best to shatter all that you know to be reality and toss on a druid robe as you embark on a personal journey of monastic sorcery. There is something witchy and transformative about her music which has been easily captivating to new audiences. The music bares something traditional while bridging into soft techno undertones that has created such a strong narrative for those who balance the moods of raving and meditating.

I’ve listened to a few of her songs and I am transfixed.  One sounds like a quiet electronic ballad that suddenly turns into a Portishead song.  I hope she does a headlining tour in the area soon.

Posted in Beck, Ioanna Gika, Philadelphia, PA, The Met Philadelphia | Leave a Comment »

Jenny Tian: Ripe (Punch Line, Philadelphia, PA, October 18, 2026) [DID NOT ATTEND]

October 18, 2026 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: October 18, 2026] Jenny Tian

Last year Jenny Tian came to Union Transfer and I would have liked to see her but things didn’t work out.  I didn’t expect an Australian comedian to come back just a year later.  But here she was.

I was intrigued to go to Punch Line, where I’ve never been, although it being in the Fillmore area means that parking would be iffy.

But I already had tickets to see Acid Mothers Temple so I had to miss her again.  Come back again, Jenny, ok?

I have made a list of all of comedians from Taskmaster who I would like to see live.  It’s not everyone of course (some of them don’t do stand up and some I don’t think I would enjoy).  And then we started watching Taskmaster Australia and Taskmaster New Zealand, and I’ve added a dozen or so more to that list.

 

Posted in Comedians, Jenny Tian, Philadelphia, PA, Punch Line, Taskmaster, Taskmaster Australia | Leave a Comment »

Feeble Little Horse / Snuggle (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, October 18, 2026) [POSTPONED]

October 18, 2026 by Paul Debraski

[POSTPONED: October 18, 2026] Feeble Little Horse / Snuggle [moved to February 5, 2027]

Three years ago I was vaguely interested in seeing Feeble Little Horse and then they cancelled their entire tour for health reasons.

I was intrigued about seeing them this year but it was on a super busy weekend for me.  And then I found out that this tour was postponed, again for health reasons.  But I guess these health reasons were more manageable, because they rescheduled it for February of next year.

I heard about Feeble Little Horse from All Songs Considered.  They had an interesting sound and I was intrigued when I heard they were playing Johnny Brenda’s.  It turned out that this show was the same night my son was flying out to Denver.  So I just figured I wouldn’t be going out that night anyhow.

I didn’t buy tickets, so I didn’t hear that their whole tour had been cancelled.  Just a few days before they were supposed to tour (on the 23rd), they announced:

Indie rockers feeble little horse were set to start the North American leg of their tour in support of bitknot in early October, but the outing has now been postponed until January.  As per a post on the band’s socials, guitarist Sebastian Kinsler broke his elbow after falling off his bike, and needs the next month to recover before their European leg begins in November.

I will try to see them in February.

Snuggle is a more or less shoegazey band from Copenhagen Denmark (cool).  They are the softer side of shoegaze, creating sweetly melodic dream pop (with darker lyrics).  Andrea Thuesen Johansen and Vilhelm Tiburtz Strange typically veil their distress with the prettiest ’90s alt-rock.

I’m actually more interested in seeing Snuggle and I see that they are coming in February, so that’s cool!

Posted in Feeble Little Horse, Philadelphia, PA, Postponed, Snuggle | Leave a Comment »

Acid Mothers Temple: “Surivive to Metaverse Tour” / Magick Potion / Tim Dahl + MV Carbon (Milkboy, Philadelphia, PA, October 22, 2025) [DID NOT ATTEND]

October 18, 2026 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: October 22, 2026] Acid Mothers Temple / Magick Potion / Tim Dahl + MV Carbon

I was looking forward to seeing Acid Mothers Temple again (for the fifth time).  They usually come around in October, near my daughter’s birthday.  This makes it tough for me to see them, but this time they were here on a Sunday night and I was sure I would get to see them this time.

But I wound up going to four shows last week and I was exhausted, possibly from a mild cold as well.  I was bummed to miss them, but I’m fairly certain they will return next year.

Magick Potion is from the outskirts of Baltimore, consisting of founder, Dresden Boulden on Guitar and Vocals, Triston Grove on Bass, and Jason Kendall on Drums. Magick Potion is a hard hitting heavy rock trio channeling the raw energy and heavy grooves of the late 60’s and early 70’s. The band crafts a sound that fuses heavy rock’s gritty riffs with contrasting moments boarding on psychedelia. With roaring guitars, thunderous drums and hard driving bass lines Magick Potion conjures a vibe that is both nostalgic yet contemporary and original. Continue Reading »

Posted in Acid Mothers Temple, Acid Mothers Temple & the Melting Paraiso U.F.O., Magick Potion, Milkboy, MV Carbon, Philadelphia, PA | 2 Comments »

The Tallest Man on Earth / Gwenifer Raymond (Keswick Theatre, Glenside, PA, October 18, 2026) [DID NOT ATTEND]

October 18, 2026 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: October 18, 2026] The Tallest Man on Earth / Gwenifer Raymond

I’d wanted to see The Tallest Man on Earth for many years and I finally did back in 2022.  He is Kristian Matsson, a Swedish folksinger with a great guitar picking style and a deep powerful gritty voice.  This is his second time back since then.  Keswick is a hassle to get to and although I’d like to see him again, I already had tickets to see Acid Mothers Temple, so I wasn’t going to go anyway.

Gwenifer Raymond is a Welsh guitarist.   She recently did a Tiny Desk and it is a marvel.  She plays acoustic guitar, with a fingerpicking style that includes dramatic and fast chord playing as well.

As the Tiny Desk says,

There’s an understated charm about the Welsh guitarist’s limited banter behind the Desk, but little prepares you for what howls from her instrument. Raymond’s fingerstyle guitar drones with a haunted quality, but her flurry of bends, slides and chord clusters rip open the firmament. Steeped in pre-war blues, but picking up on the acoustic innovations of John Fahey and Jack Rose, Raymond started releasing records a little less than a decade ago. But it’s on Last Night I Heard the Dog Star Bark, one of NPR Music’s best albums of 2025, where the Cardiff-born and now Brighton-based guitarist forged an unmistakably distinct sound: a controlled recklessness that conjures spells with six strings. Exhilarating, but also terrifying. After the dizzying shred of “Jack Parsons Blues” and the scenic storytelling of “Bliws Afon Tâf,” Raymond comes up for air, suddenly aware of the audience in awe. It’s just her back there, after all, with an acoustic guitar — we’re lost in the trance, too. And then, as if on cue, she takes us to hell.

She’s an intense marvel and presumably left the room rapt.  Maybe she’ll play at McCarter next year.

Posted in Glenside, PA, Gwenifer Raymond, Keswick Theatre, The Tallest Man on Earth | Leave a Comment »

Plini / Night Verses / Portraits (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, October 17, 2026) [DID NOT ATTEND]

October 17, 2026 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: October 17, 2026] Plini / Night Verses / Portraits

I saw Plini open for Animals as Leaders a couple of years ago,  It was a night of technical guitar brilliance and impressive guitar showoffery.

Plini is Plini Roessler-Holgate, an Australian guitarist who has been recognized by all of the famous guitar gods [for instance: Steve Vai described him as “the future of exceptional guitar playing.”]  It was an amazing display of skill and speed.   Instrumental guitar songs full of incredible fingerwork.  The impressive thing was how smooth and easily he played his blistering solos–as if his fingers were longer than anybody else’s.

I completely didn’t register this show when it was announced and only realized that this was that guy a few days ago.  There was no way I was going to the show as I had a lot of other things going on, but I’m a little bummed I missed it.  Just a little.

I hadn’t heard of Night Verses (I don’t really follow the amazing-guitarists line of music anymore], but apparently they are one of those bands.  And their story is kind of interesting too

In 2017, the post-rock outfit Night Verses collectively decided it was time for a radical change. After five years and two critically acclaimed full-length albums, singer Douglas Robinson was going to leave the fold and the remaining members would forge ahead as a three-piece instrumental unit.

Having listened to them before and after, they made the right choice–they are so much better as an instrumental outfit.

Portraits are “a progressive instrumental (for the most part) band featuring guitarists Joshua De La Victoria & Joseph Anidjar.”  More technical mastery.  Rather less interesting than some, but still impressive.

Posted in Night Verses, Philadelphia, PA, Plini, Portraits, Union Transfer | Leave a Comment »

Cradle of Filth / Black Satellite / Blackbraid / Worm (Starland Ballroom, Sayreville, NJ, October 17, 2016) [DID NOT ATTEND]

October 17, 2026 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: October 17, 2026] Cradle of Filth / Black Satellite / Blackbraid / Worm

I’ve known of Cradle of Filth for decades (they have been around since 1991).  I always assumed they were a hard to listen to growly band not unlike Napalm Death (who I have seen and loved).  I just never really thought about seeing them.  Then I read a review that notes that

The band’s style evolved from black metal to a cleaner and more “produced” amalgam of gothic metal, symphonic metal and other genres. Their lyrics and imagery are influenced by Gothic literature, poetry, mythology and horror films.

So I listened to a few songs and I found out that lead Filth man Dani Filth is in corpse paint and it’s all theatrical and crazy and I’m in.

But I decided to see them in Allentown next week instead of at Starland.

I didn’t know Worm, but apparently I should have if this review from Metal Hammer is to be believed.

the band’s frontman/founder Phantom Slaughter and guitarist Wroth Septentrion [are] one of heavy music’s wackiest new bands. Mr Slaughter, whose real name remains a mystery to us, founded Worm as a solo project in 2012, after being inspired by the documentary Until The Light Takes Us and its depiction of Norwegian black metal. He channeled all of the infamous scene’s excess and kitsch (minus the church burnings and murder) into his own music, putting on corpse paint and writing screeching, frost-bitten songs that often soared past the 10-minute mark.  Necropalace, their fourth album, is the purest distillation of Worm’s ludicrousness. The 12-minute title track and its music video tell you everything you need to know, opening with devastating chords and lead guitars, then breaking into a sprint of whirlwind drums and quasi-symphonic keyboards. The visuals look like a snuff-film-slash-giallo-horror dug up in the Scandinavian wilderness, with Phantom wearing gauntlets and wielding a sword for no reason. But, the most maximalist bit doesn’t come until eight minutes in, when Wroth nails a solo so over-the-top that it would leave Yngwie Malmsteen bug-eyed. It’s batshit brilliance, turning black metal up to 11 before tearing the knob off.

Initially I didn’t care that they won’t be at my show in Allentown, but now I’m really bummed. Continue Reading »

Posted in Black Satellite, Blackbraid, Cradle of Filth, Moonspell, Sayreville, NJ, Starland Ballroom, Worm | Leave a Comment »

Isiliel / Eternal HOSHI with Arrow and Liza (Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ, October 17, 2026) [DID NOT ATTEND]

October 17, 2026 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: October 11, 2026] Isiliel / Eternal Hoshi with Arrow and Liza

I had wanted to go to this show since I missed the PhilaMOCA one.  And when I realized it was at 1:30 PM I was sure it would be a really fun thing to do on a Saturday afternoon. And I gather that Eternal HOSHI played her music so she wasn’t singing to a backing track, which would have made this more fun.

But wow, I was wrecked after four nights in a row and we had a lot of stuff to do around the house so it just wouldn’t have worked out.  The show was only 90 minutes but with the drive, we were looking at about 4 hours total, and that was just too much time on a gorgeous Saturday.

So, sadly, I’ll have to wait until the next time Isiliel comes back.

I saw Isiliel twice in a few months back in 2023/2024.  It was weird and fun.

So, who is Isiliel?  She is Himari Tsukishiro who is the main singer in the Japanese band Necronomidol.  As her site puts it

Isiliel is a solo dance/vocal project by Himari Tsukishiro (NECRONOMIDOL).
Mixing genres as diverse as folk, blackgaze and city pop via a worldwide team of veteran songwriters such as King Dude and NARASAKI of COALTAR OF THE DEEPERS, through Isiliel Himari will express hitherto unexplored depths of pathos and beauty on stage.

She basically sang to her music that was played over the speakers.  As I said, it was fun but weird. Continue Reading »

Posted in Clifton NJ, Dingbatz, Eternal HOSHI, Isiliel, Necronomidol | Leave a Comment »

Scene Queen / Wargasm / Bailey Spinn (Brooklyn Bowl, Philadelphia, PA, October 17, 2026) [DID NOT ATTEND]

October 17, 2026 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: October 17, 2026] Scene Queen / Wargasm / Bailey Spinn

I saw Scene Queen open for Babymetal two years ago.  I had never heard of her before the show.

Scene Queen is Hannah Rose Collins and she makes “bimbocore” music.   It’s a mix of feminist empowering music and overly sexual empowering music.  Scene Queen more or less raps (and screams) to heavy guitars.

Her sex songs are way over the top (and there were a bunch of kids at this show for the very PG Babymetal who were probably not quite ready for lyrics like

Twerkle pit: twerk in the circle pitShow your tits, Vajazzle on the clitBarbie bitch, Barbie breakin’ off a dickAll-pink drip, Queen plates on the whip
Bling-bling, you look so good underneath meFloss my teeth with your G-stringBling-bling, gettin’ fucked in every time zoneG-string, yeah, the whole pussy rhinestoned

On stage, Scene Queen was a ton of fun.  Engaging with the audience (she ran down and high fived everyone in the front) and having her band take a “15 minute intermission break” during the set with a pink teapot.  A voice announced that they were the opening act and did not get a break.  She also took the time to sign someone’s trans flag and to wish everyone a happy belated Pride Month.  I was glad the audience was so supportive. Continue Reading »

Posted in Bailey Spinn, Brooklyn Bowl, Philadelphia, PA, Scene Queen, VOSH, Wargasm | Leave a Comment »

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