[DID NOT ATTEND: December 8, 2022] Autumn Defense / Nels Cline Duo / Eucademix
When this show was first announced, I grabbed a ticket immediately.
Two of my favorite members of Wilco are Nels Cline and Glenn Kotche.
So to be able to see them do their work solo was incredible.
Then all of a sudden, when I looked at the show poster it looked like this —>
instead of the one at the bottom of the post.
Where was Glenn?
There was no word or information. A day or so before the show I discovered that Glenn had hurt his arm (or something) and wasn’t going to be there. (more…)
[DID NOT ATTEND: December 4, 2022] Bit Brigade / Standards
I saw Bit Brigade in 2018 and really enjoyed the show. The premise of their live show is terrific.
The band plays the soundtrack to a video game while their resident gamer plays the game. The band is heavy and the sound is amazing.
I can’t believe they were here in May and are back now in December and I didn’t get to go to either show.
For this show they were playing MegaMan II and Ducktails, two games I don’t know at all, so maybe that had some impact on my decision.
Standards opened the set. Once again, I had not heard of the opening band for a Bit Brigade show. But once again, they picked wisely. Broadway World (!!!) has this succinct review of their music
Led by ebullient guitarist Marcos Mena, the pair boast a fruitful combination of musical chops and catchy guitar-driven melodies which has garnished popularity among fans who laud standards for their uniquely danceable brand of complex instrumental rock. For almost five years, their instrumental compositions have captivated audiences all over the world.
I need to reiterate this one part: uniquely danceable brand of complex instrumental rock.
It’s a spot on description. The guitar is kind of showoffy intense and complicated, but never obnoxious and the light touches of synth and almost chiptune, make the songs really delightful and bright–almost like a video game is scrolling past.
[DID NOT ATTEND: May 14, 2022] The Dead Milkmen / MC Lars / Gibbous Moon
I wrote this opening for a concert in May.
I’ve been a fan of The Dead Milkmen’s bratty brand of punk for years–probably since 1988. I’ve never seen them live.
They sort of, but not really, broke up and then reunited and so on. I didn’t really think I’ve ever get to see them, but they announced this short run of local shows and I thought, YES! I will finally get to see them.
They seem to be popping up here and there doing shows in the area. This one at Ardmore Music Hall actually sold out before I could get a ticket (I wasn’t sure if I was free that night). So good for them.
Having watched a few videos, I’m not sure I want to see them in Philly–I feel like the local crowd is a little too drunk and rambunctious for my liking. Although the band probably eats that up.
I’d never heard of Those Troublemakers. They are an old-school Philly punk band that plays short fast songs about silly subjects.
Here’s a review of this very show from That Music Mag with a description of the opening band
To start, Those Troublemakers tore open the sky and thrashed so hard. The band, consisting of Ashley “Butters” Heitzman (Bass and vocals.), Evan Abramson (Guitar and vocals.) and William F. Orender (Drums) set a fast and fun pace for the rest of the night as they opened the show. With songs from their Beach Bod, Runnin High, and Your Problem LPs, if you weren’t a fan before you got to Ardmore, you were when you left.
And here’s what they said about the Milkmen
Whether you were a diehard lifelong fan or simply a casual listener, there was something for everyone to latch onto and make a memory from in their setlist. With Dean’s Dream to start the show, the band rolled along through a menagerie of their hits, one by one. From Bitchin’ Camaro and Welcome to Undertown to Punk Rock Girl, the audience slowly and organically began to be enchanted back to a place of reckless abandon. More and more, the audience would be wound up a bit more, move a bit more intently, and sing a bit louder until, like a powder keg erupting, the dank, humid walls of the Ardmore Music Hall would erupt with the energy of a full-blown mosh pit formed on the floor. People were jumping, screaming lyrics & bodies cackling with glee while being tossed about the room. Now, here in that moment, we were undeniably at a punk rock show. A real granular Philly punk rock show.
The band would go on to cover The Cramps’ “Human Fly,” and Rodney would even grace us with his editorial commentary on Nazi lives. (And how they do not, in fact, matter.) The Milkmen would finish with an encore of a few more notable hits like“Smokin’ Banana Peels,” “Big Time Operator,” and the reprise from the earlier-played “Life is Shit.”
Yea, I should probably go next time.
Here’s a couple of videos of The Dead Milkmen’s recent(ish) shows
I have been a fan of Stars since about 2004. I have wanted to see them for a really long time. I thought I’d be able to see them last year on their Christmas Together Tour. It was at LPR in New York (which is just too much of a pain to get to) and at World Cafe Live. But it happened to be on the same night as our holiday party, so I couldn’t swing it. I never guessed they’d do another one. So this year I made sure to get tickets and schedule our party around this show.
The show came around and it was cold and I didn’t really feel like going out, but oh I wanted to see them. So I drove out to Philly.
Turned out there was a wedding in the Fillmore main floor so parking was free (yes!). I even wound up talking to some nice people around me and we had an enjoyable time waiting for the band. There was a little girl (maybe ten) who was bouncing with excitement over seeing Amy Millan. She couldn’t wait to meet her and get her autograph. I was so curious about this! How did this little girl get excited about this (relatively) obscure band from Montreal that sings about relationships and breakups? (I’ll never know). (more…)
[ATTENDED: December 3, 2022] Lydia Persaud & Christine Bougie
I have been a fan of Stars since about 2004. I have wanted to see them for a really long time. I thought I’d be able to see them last year on their Christmas Together Tour. It was at LPR in New York (which is just too much of a pain to get to) and at World Cafe Live. But it happened to be on the same night as our holiday party, so I couldn’t swing it. I never guessed they’d do another one. So this year I made sure to get tickets and schedule our party around this show.
I didn’t know who would be opening. Technically, the opening act was just Lydia Persaud, but since it was just Lydia and her guitarist Christine Bougie, (and I’d never heard of either before) I’m listing them both here.
Lydia was speaking for herself, but I believe that they both play together in a lot of things. Lydia has been a member of The Soul Motivators, The O’Pears and Dwayne Gretzky and she and Christine are part of the the Queer Songbook Orchestra.
They played a jazzy set of remarkably sad music. (more…)
[DID NOT ATTEND: December 2, 2022] Dinosaur Jr. / Guided By Voices / Eugene Mirman
I have seen Dinosaur Jr. three times and I don’t really need to see them again. They were great but there’s not a lot new in the mix to make it worth the trip. And that’s fine.
Guided By Voices are supposedly the greatest (or at least the most prolific) indie band of the 90s. And I’ve never really gotten into them. I like some of their songs just fine, but I feel like Robert Pollard plays two chords for 80 seconds and write some nonsense and there’s the new GBV song.
If I had seen them open for someone I’m sure I’d appreciate it, but they weren’t going to drag me to this show.
Eugene Mirman is a comedian and the voice of Gene on Bob’s Burgers. I wanted to go to this show just for him. But I didn’t. Once again, though, I love a comedian opening for a rock band.
[DID NOT ATTEND: December 2, 2022] Open Mike Eagle / Serengeti / Video Dave
This was the first show I saw advertised at Silk City. I was intrigued (I’m always intrigued by a new venue).
Open Mike Eagle is probably my favorite rapper at the moment. His lyrics are clever and thoughtful with bite and I really enjoy the music he puts with the lyrics.
I was in a bit of a concert burnout by this time of year though. December is not my favorite time of year to go to shows, so I never got tickets or anything.
This was Open Mike’s first tour in Philly since the pandemic, so I probably should have gone. But I do hope he comes back (in the fall, maybe).
I have not heard of Serengeti and his bio says something like: a rapper from Illinois who has released many albums since the 2000s. His latest song is called “a okey test,” featuring sicker man, and is streaming now.
But this article from The Guardian makes him sound amazing: [some highlights here but the whole article is fascinating] (more…)
Distortion and reverb are their friends, but none of their music feels consumed or overwhelmed by such effects. A mix of dreampop, shoegaze, and grunge, the LA-based trio balance their stone-heavy rhythmic section of bassist Hunter Martinez and drummer McCoy Kirgo with the swirling melodies and heaven-reaching vocals of singer-guitarist Shawn Marom.
Their music is quite stark and spare, though for all the reverb. There’s also a sense of 50s girl group about them. I’d be curious to see how that translates live.
Back in May of 2021 I was pretty excited that Måneskin won Eurovision 2021. I am in no way a Eurovision watcher, but during the lockdown I decided to do some dives into recent Eurovision happenings. Måneskin was unusual–a rocking band who were glammy but heavy. Their song “Zitti E Buoni” had it all (in a tidy three minute package).
I enjoyed the song, played it a few times and then kind of forgot about them.
So it was weird when, a few months later, my daughter became obsessed with them. I realized that in 2022, it’s easy to be obsessed with a band from a non-English speaking country, but it still made me happy because obviously I am obsessed with lots of bands from far away places.
Måneskin announced a small concert in October 2021 and I missed out on the announcement and it sold out very quickly. That sucked because she would have loved to see them (and it would have been pretty cool to see them in a small club before they toured the States).
It took almost five months for Måneskin to announce a proper U.S. tour. There was no way I could miss out on these tickets and I grabbed them immediately. She was thrilled and I was pretty excited to see them as well. I was somewhat surprised, but not really, that it sold out. But I was a bit more surprised that they announced a second show in Philly.
That one didn’t sell out and as the show approached, the idea came to us to go to the non-sold out show instead. There was also the possibility of a few her friends going to–we may have been our own crowd. Various things came up and it turned out to be just my T, S and me. But i did manage to sell our Monday tickets, so it worked out. (more…)
I bought tickets to this show back in march–the day they went on sale and old out. My daughter and I were excited to go, although wasn’t sure how much she’d enjoy a sold out show.
As the day grew closer, we thought it might be more fun to go to the second night–not sold out, tickets still available. I also bought one for my wife so the three of us could enjoy the show together.
I was able to sell these tickets and all was well. We may have gotten more poseurs at our show, but it was still more fun.
~~
Back in May of 2021 I was pretty excited that Måneskin won Eurovision 2021. I am in no way a Eurovision watcher, but during the lockdown I decided to do some dives into recent Eurovision happenings. Måneskin was unusual–a rocking band who were glammy but heavy. Their song “Zitti E Buoni” had it all (in a tidy three minute package).
I enjoyed the song, played it a few times and then kind of forgot about them.
So it was weird when, a few months later, my daughter became obsessed with them. I realized that in 2022, it’s easy to be obsessed with a band from a non-English speaking country, but it still made me happy because obviously I am obsessed with lots of bands from far away places.
When this show was first announced, I grabbed a ticket immediately.
I Just Read About That... 