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Archive for the ‘Cities’ Category

Fucked Up / Empath (Underground Arts, Philadelphia, PA, January 23, 2021) [POSTPONED]

Posted in Coronavirus, Empath, Fucked Up, Philadelphia, PA, Postponed, Quarantine, Underground Arts on January 23, 2022| Leave a Comment »

[POSTPONED: January 23, 2021] Fucked Up / Empath [moved to July 17, 2022]

indexI’ve known Fucked Up for a few years and thought that they’d be a wild band to see.  They last played in Philly in 2018, and they’ve only gotten better since then.

Shows had been getting postponed, but this one was pretty hushed until only a few days ago when it was officially postponed.

I’m okay with it getting moved to July–I much prefer going out to shows in the warm weather than the frigid cold of January anyway.

Empath are a Philly band that play a kind of noise punk.  Rolling Stone says “They sound like four people who sat in a room flexing their own freaky styles until — before they realized their interests might be wholly incompatible — the chaos created its own logic.”  They sound pretty great. (more…)

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The Beths / Weakened Friends (Underground Arts, Philadelphia, PA, January 21, 2021) [rescheduled date–POSTPONED]

Posted in Coronavirus, J. Mascis, Kung Fu Necktie, Lunar Vacation, New Zealand, Philadelphia, PA, Postponed, Quarantine, The Beths, Weakened Friends, World Cafe Live on January 21, 2022| Leave a Comment »

[POSTPONED: January 21, 2021] The Beths / Lunar Vacation [rescheduled from April 29 Kung Fu Necktie and August 27, 2020 from World Cafe Live; moved to February 24, 2022]

indexThis show has been bounced around now to three different venues.  I was sure I’d finally get to see The Beths, but then this new uptick pushed their tour back.  I don’t know how wise pushing back a show for one month is during this pandemic nonsense.  Especially since they’re saying the spike will drop away in mid-March, but darnit, I really want to see The Beths.

I was looking forward to Weakened Friends opening, but Lunar Vacation…

Based out of Atlanta, Georgia, the story of Lunar Vacation can be traced back to eighth grade, when Grace Repasky and Maggie Geeslin met and started sharing musical ideas. As soon as the pair became old enough to drive, they started to take Lunar Vacation on the road, playing venues across the sprawling suburbs of their home city and fulfilling so many teenage dreams along the way. As the buzz around the pair grew, so did the band, as they expanded to their current four-piece line-up, and upon finishing school, they started to self-release their music, in the shape of two EPs, Swell and Artificial Flavors.

And their new album, Inside Every Fig Is A Dead Wasp which dives into the the waters of dreamy-indie, psychedelia and bedroom-pop.  Sounds pretty great!  Come on boosters, let the bands play. (more…)

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Guster / Ben Kweller (Wellmont Theater, Montclair, NJ, January 14, 2021) [POSTPONED]

Posted in Ben Folds, Ben Kweller, Ben Lee, Cancelled, Coronavirus, Guster, Montclair, NJ, Quarantine, Wellmont Theater on January 14, 2022| 2 Comments »

[POSTPONED: January 14, 2021] Guster / Ben Kweller [moved to August 10, 2022]

indexCOME ON!

In March of last year, Guster was supposed to come to NJ to play An Evening of Acoustic Music & Improv–a tour that had been going great.

Then it was cancelled.

The band waited almost a year to reschedule a NJ show–who knows if they were going to do an acoustic show or not.  (Probably not as the last show all tickets were seated).

And then the jackasses who didn’t get vaccinated caused the virus to mutate and infect all of us.

I tested positive last week and tonight was going to be the date I was allowed back into society.  I don’t blame the band for cancelling–literally everyone is catching it.  I blame the idiots who trust Facebook more than science.

Who knows when they’ll want to come back–although come back they will because Guster doesn’t give up!

UPDATE: Until Maryann commented, I didn’t realize (or I forgot) there was a special guest (I didn’t look at this poster very clearly, obviously).  I know Ben Kweller from the compilation The Bens, which has Ben Folds and Ben Lee on it.  I didn’t think I knew much else from Ben Kweller, until I just saw that he sings lead on “I Hope Tomorrow is LIke Today.” which, how did I not know that?

I hope that he is still the opener for the rescheduled date.

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Eugene Yelchin–The Genius Under the Table: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain (2021)

Posted in Artists, Autobiographies, Ballet, Eugene Yelchin, Lenin, Leningrad Russia, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Oleg Mandelstam, Religion, Russia, Soviet Union, T.G. Bruni, Tatiana Georgievna Bruni on January 13, 2022| Leave a Comment »

SOUNDTRACK: hiatus

[READ: January 13, 2022] The Genius Under the Table

Why would anyone read an autobiography of someone they’d never heard of?

Well, in part because it’s a children’s biography, and therefore a fairly easy read.  But mostly because Eugene Yelchin grew up in the Soviet Union under the watchful eyes of Lenin and his KGB informants.  And it’s a fascinating look at a world that is as bizarre as it is unsettling.

And it’s a well-written and interesting story, too!

Yelchin was the youngest of two sons.  His older brother was on track to become a national figure skater.  His mother worked in the ballet, assisting the ballerinas and having a close up view of the amazing Mikhail Baryshnikov.  His father was a working man as well–they needed all the money they could get (which wasn’t much).  And what of Eugene (Yevgeny)?  He had no talent.

He couldn’t play sports (not even chess).  He couldn’t dance.  He wasn’t super smart.  He wasn’t exactly a disappointment to his parents (although he was, kind of), but they knew that the only way to get out of the squalor they lived in was to be great at something.

And he wasn’t great at anything. (more…)

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Phish: New Years Run (Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY, December 29, 30, 31 2021 and January 1, 2022) [POSTPONED]

Posted in Coronavirus, New York City, Phish, Postponed, Quarantine on December 30, 2021| Leave a Comment »

[POSTPONED: December 29, 30, 31 2021 and January 1, 2022] Phish [moved to April 20, 21, 22 and 23, 2022]

index

So I got totally shut out for the New Year’s Eve lottery.  The four of us would not go to see Phish.  I knew that no one else in the family wanted to see them on the other nights, so I snagged a ticket for January 29 and 30 for myself.

Although after an exhausting run of shows at the end of November, I was rather burnt out and had every intention of selling these tickets.  I felt like it would be good to stay home for a couple weeks.

I wasn’t going to try to make any money off of them (I’m a strictly cash or trade kind of guy). but I never got around to setting up the trade.

As it got closer I did consider that I might be willing to go to maybe one of the shows.  But as Omicron got worse, I decided that nope, I’m skipping it.

So it was good that they rescheduled, because I still get to go.  Although the shows are the week of S’s birthday, and that’s a pretty busy week,  So we’ll see.

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Phish: New Years Run (Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY, December 29, 30, 31 2021 and January 1, 2022) [POSTPONED]

Posted in Coronavirus, New York City, Phish, Postponed, Quarantine on December 29, 2021| Leave a Comment »

[POSTPONED: December 29, 30, 31 2021 and January 1, 2022] Phish [moved to April 20, 21, 22 and 23, 2022]

indexThis year, since shows were back, I hoped that Phish would do another New Year’s run.  And this year, my plan was simple: get four tickets for New Year’s Eve so my family could live out a bucket list of mine.

S. thought it would be fun. My kids don’t care about Phish at all and were indifferent to the idea.  But I told them that regardless of their opinion of Phish, it would be a lot of fun, because Phish always does a great New Year’s Eve show.  Plus, how fun would it be to be in New York City after midnight on New Year’s Day?

Well, I tried and I got totally shut out for the New Year’s Eve lottery.  I got totally shut out on Ticketmaster a few days later as well.  And that was fine, but I did still want to see them on this run.

So I snagged a ticket for January 29 and 30. (more…)

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Dr. Dog : The Last Tour / The Districts / Natalie Prass (The Fillmore Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, December 27, 2021) [GOT COVID REFUND]

Posted in Coronavirus, Dr. Dog, Natalie Prass, Philadelphia, PA, The Districts, The Fillmore Philadelphia on December 27, 2021| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: April 10, 2020] Dr. Dog: The Last Tour / The Districts / Natalie Prass

index

I never really got into Dr. Dog but I’ve liked a bunch of their songs over the years.  But I’d always heard they were great live, so I’ve had them on my “gotta see” list.

Back in June, Dr. Dog announced their last tour.

“It is a disturbing thing to read, I’m sure, and trust me, an equally unsettling thing to write, but it’s all good,” they wrote. “It’s important to us that you understand that this is not a break up or anything like that. We don’t know what Dr. Dog will do, we just know it won’t include going on tour, except the tour we’re announcing now, which is going to rule.”

This seemed like the perfect (and only) opportunity to see them.  I tried to get tickets to the TLA show, but it sold out in a minute.  Then I managed to score a ticket to the Fillmore show.  I also found out that The Districts were opening, which was pretty cool. (more…)

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KT Tunstall / Christine Havrilla (Ardmore Music Hall, Ardmore, PA, December 22, 2021) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Ardmore Music Hall, Ardmore, PA, Christine Havrilla, Gupsy Fuzz, Indigo Girls, KT Tunstall, SOPAC, WXPN 88.5 FM--Philadelphia, PA on December 22, 2021| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: December 22, 2021] KT Tunstall / Christine Havrilla [moved from August 23, 2020]

So KT Tunstall was supposed to play three shows in my area.  The show at Ardmore was added when the other shows were rescheduled.  Then COVID pushed the shows back again.

For some reason this show was listed as being on December 8 for a short time before it was corrected to being on December 22.

That meant that it looked like she was playing four shows in the Philly area at different venues.

I like Ardmore, although if I can see a band closer I will go there instead.  Even though KT’s SOPAC show was postponed, the fact that it was postponed and not cancelled meant that I could just wait until she came back to South Orange. (more…)

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KT Tunstall / Dina Hall (Sellersville Theater, Sellersville, PA, December 21, 2021) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Dina Hall, KT Tunstall, Sellersville Theater, Sellersville, PA on December 21, 2021| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: December 22, 2020] KT Tunstall / Dina Hall [rescheduled from May 5th 2020 and June 28th 2020 and December 22, 2020 and July 9, 2021]

KT Tunstall and Sellersville Theater did everything they could to make this show happen. This was the fifth rescheduled date.

I’m not even entirely sure if Dina Hall was still opening at this point.

I almost feel bad not going to this show I’ve been following it so carefully.  But of the three venues where KT was playing near me, this was the most inconvenient and least likely for me to go to.

Nevertheless, I’m happy it finally happened.

Dina Hall is a folksinger from Bethlehem–originally from Sayreville NJ. When she’s with her full band she rocks out a bit more. I’m not sure if this was a solo or a band show.

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Mavis Gallant–“From the Fifteenth District” (Canada) [The 2021 Short Story Advent Calendar #17] (1979)

Posted in Alberto Manguel, Canada, Canadian Content, Christmas, Funny (ha ha), Funny (strange), Ghosts, Hingston & Olsen, Mavis Gallant, Paris, France, Short Story, The Short Story Advent Calendar on December 17, 2021| Leave a Comment »

SOUNDTRACK:  hiatus

[READ: December 17, 2021] “From the Fifteenth District”

This year, S. ordered me The Short Story Advent Calendar.  This is my seventh time reading the Calendar.  The 2021 Short Story Advent Calendar is a deluxe box set of individually bound short stories.

As always, each story is a surprise, so you won’t know what you’re getting until you crack the seal every morning starting December 1. Once you’ve read that day’s story, check this link where editor Alberto Manguel is providing daily commentary on each of the stories he selected for this year’s calendar.

I thought  had read more by Mavis Gallant, but apparently I hadn’t.  This is a light and amusing ghost story, set in the fifteenth district of Paris.

But Gallant has an amusing twist on the concept right from the start.

A deceased soldier says that he is haunted by the entire congregation of St. Michael and All Angels on Bartholomew Street.  Since he received his posthumous purple heart, people await for him to come and receive communion, and the crowd gets larger every year. (more…)

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