Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Archive for the ‘Cities’ Category

Aleksander Hemon–“The Book of My Life” (New Yorker, December 25, 2000 & January 1, 2001)

Posted in Aleksandar Hemon, Books about writers, Death, Fears, Genocide, Influences, Los Bitchos, New Yorker, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Suicide, Violence on July 16, 2020| Leave a Comment »

SOUNDTRACK: LOS BITCHOS-“Tripping Party/FFF” (2018).

fff

 Los Bitchos are a London-based quintet who play “tequila cumbia instrumentals.”

Although they reside in London the band has an international base, with members hailing from Perth, Montevideo, Stockholm and Croydon.  The band is made up of Serra Petale on lead guitar, Carolina Faruolo (guitar), Augustina Ruiz (keytar), Josefine Jonsson (bass), and Nic Crawshaw (drums/percussion).

The band has been around for two years but only have eight songs on bandcamp (spread over five releases).  This is their first single.  Both songs are terrific evocative instrumentals.

“Tripping Party” has a great Western swing sound, but with a rock foundation.  After about a minute the guitars take on a kind of ska vibe with a slinky lead guitar solo.  A lower guitar solo comes in after the first one–adding a new dimension to the sound.  By the end of the song, the swinging sound returns and ends with a great vibe.

“FFF” is a slower, some what more Middle Eastern sounding song.  There’s some great percussion throughout as the Middle Eastern soloing vibe runs throughout.

This is a great introduction to the band whose newer songs are even better.

[READ: July 14, 2020] “The Book of My Life”

This issue of the New Yorker has a series of essays called Influences.  Since I have read most of these authors and since I like to hear the story behind the story, I figured I’d read these pieces as well.

This essay is surprisingly dark.

Hemon grew up in Sarajevo and studied under Professor Nikola Koljevic.  The course was in Poetry and Criticism and Hemon learned the New Critical method.  When he graduated he phoned his professor to thank him.  This was unusual, but Koljevic was flattered and invited him for a walk to discuss literature.

Soon after, Hemon began working for an independent Sarajevo magazine and Koljevic gained a high position in the Serbian Democratic Party run by Radovan Karadzic, “a psychiatrist and talentless poet.”  He would soon become the most wanted war criminal in the world.

Whenever Karadzic gave a speech on TV, Koljevic was there beside him. (more…)

Read Full Post »

Barenaked Ladies / Toad the Wet Sprocket / Gin Blossoms (The Met Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, July 14, 2020) [POSTPONED]

Posted in Barenaked Ladies, Coronavirus, Gin Blossoms, Philadelphia, PA, Postponed, Quarantine, The Met Philadelphia, Toad the Wet Sprocket on July 14, 2020| Leave a Comment »

[POSTPONED: July 14, 2020] Barenaked Ladies / Toad the Wet Sprocket / Gin Blossoms [moved to July 13, 2021]

indexI have seen Barenaked Ladies almost more than any other band.  I’ve seen them from way back in the early days to a few times in the last few years.  They are reliably solid live (if not a bit predictable with their setlists).

We didn’t see them for last year’s “Last Summer on Earth” tour.  They have been using that name for the last several years, it may be time to think of a new name, especially given the current state of the world.  I wasn’t planning on going to this show mostly because I don’t really like the opening acts.  And, honestly, unless the show was something special and different, it would entirely depend on the opening acts whether I went or not. Maybe they’ll mix them up for next year.

Toad the Wet Sprocket got their name from a Monty Python skit which immediately made me like them.  I think I ha a cassette of their first album, maybe.  I haven’t really thought of them in years and remember them being kind of inoffensive.  Oh, wait, they had a pretty big hit with “All I Want,” a sweet slightly alt folk rock song.  I’ll bet there would be lots of lighters up for that song.

I really hated Gin Blossoms back in the 90s.  They were so overplayed and hardly qualified as alternative or college rock, but they were lumped in that category.  They had a number of songs that I probably know all the words to even though I never listened to them on purpose.

With a lineup change I’d consider seeing them next summer, especially if they changed the name of the tour.

Read Full Post »

Parquet Courts / Public Practice (White Eagle Hall, Jersey City, NJ, July 13, 2020) [rescheduled date–CANCELLED]

Posted in Cancelled, Coronavirus, Jersey City, NJ, Parquet Courts, Public Practice, Quarantine, Summer Camp, White Eagle Hall on July 13, 2020| Leave a Comment »

[CANCELLED: July 13, 2020] Parquet Courts /  Public Practice [rescheduled from April 4]

index

Parquet Courts was one of the first shows that was postponed because of the coronavirus. They postponed their show by two months.  Needless to say that was very optimistic and they have now cancelled everything.

I’ve seen Parquet Courts twice and enjoyed both shows more than I thought I would.  I wasn’t sure if I’d need to see them again, but when I saw that they were playing White Eagle Hall in Jersey City–a great venue that is pretty close to me, I immediately grabbed tickets.  It then sold out.  And then I found out that our Scout Troop had an even planned that night so I couldn’t go anyway.

This rescheduled date of July 8 wasn’t going to work for me because of summer camp, so I was thinking of going to the show at the Stone Pony on the 8th instead (even though White Eagle is 10X better than The Stone Pony).

Our camp was cancelled before this show, but it was inevitable that this would be cancelled as well.  I’m sure they will be back.

Public Practice has been described as post-punk with an overtly danceable element.  Sounds like a perfect pairing for Parquet Courts.

 

 

Read Full Post »

…And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead / Greenbeard (Voltage Lounge, Philadelphia, PA, July 13, 2020) [rescheduled date–CANCELLED]

Posted in ...And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead, Cancelled, Coronavirus, Greenbeard, Philadelphia, PA, Quarantine, Voltage Lounge, Warish on July 13, 2020| Leave a Comment »

[CANCELLED: July 13, 2020] …And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead /  Greenbeard [rescheduled from May 1]

indexI was really looking forward to seeing …And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead.  I was bummed that the show was postponed, but pleased it was only pushed back a couple of months.

Of course it turned out to be the same night as the Parquet Courts rescheduled date that was right in the middle of Summer Camp.

Obviously that was all too optimistic because everything was cancelled.  This show was officially cancelled on June 27.  I do hope they try again next year.

It looks like Warish was dropped from the rescheduled dates.

I do hope they reschedule again, this time with a more realistic date.

I really enjoyed …And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead’s first few albums back in the late 90s and early 2000s.  Then I lost touch with them.  I feel like they changed style, but I’m not sure that’s true.

The one thing that was always true was that a Trail of Dead show was a can’t miss, combustible experience.

It’s about fifteen years and six albums later and when I saw they were playing nearby, I thought it would be fun to finally see them.  I read a review of a recent show in which the reviewer said that they weren’t as intense live as in the old days (without major label support, they could no longer afford to smash up guitars), but that they (meaning Conrad Keely and Jason Reece, the only two original guys) still impress with their intensity.

I’d never heard of Warish, but how’s this for a bio blurb:

Imagine if Incesticide era Nirvana were crossed with Static Age era Misfits. You’d have sinister low budget horror rock with a visceral, twisted weirdness and bludgeoning riffs. Some might call it nightmarish, we call it Warish.

I listened to a track on bandcamp and their music is great, but their singer is a little too much like Marilyn Manson.  I’ll bet they’d be fun live though.

Greenbeard sounds like a little more fun

Desert rock from the sun stricken soil of Austin, TX. Greenbeard brings prolific vibrations to the universe via drums, bass, and guitar.

The fact that they have an album called Lödarödböl makes me like them immediately.  They have a good stoner vibe too.

Read Full Post »

The Dears (Boot & Saddle, Philadelphia, PA, July 10, 2020) [POSTPONED]

Posted in Boot & Saddle, Coronavirus, Murray A. Lightburn, Philadelphia, PA, Postponed, Quarantine, The Dears on July 10, 2020| Leave a Comment »

[POSTPONED: July 10, 2020] The Dears

indexI don’t remember when I discovered The Dears, but I have liked them since their 2000 debut.

I enjoyed their 2011 album Degeneration Street and then sort of lost track of them.

They released a pair of albums in 2015 and 2017 and toured Boot & Saddle in 2017.  I was really interested in going then, but it was a very busy night so I couldn’t go.

But now they have a new album and a new tour and I was all ready to finally see Murray A. Lightburn sing in person.

I trust they will reschedule this show (especially since Lightburn was scheduled to play a solo show at Boot & Saddle in April which was also cancelled).

Read Full Post »

The Go-Go’s (Parx Casino, Bensalem, PA, July 9, 2020) [POSTPONED]

Posted in Bensalem, PA, Coronavirus, Parx Casino, Postponed, Quarantine, The Go-Go's on July 9, 2020| Leave a Comment »

[POSTPONED: JULY 9, 2020] The Go-Go’s [moved to July 8, 2021]

indexI’m not exactly sure when this show was postponed, but sometime in May this announcement went up:

Due to COVID-19, The GO-GO’s upcoming summer dates have been postponed to Summer 2021. More information on the rescheduled dates coming soon, and in the meantime, we’re happy to announce that The GO-GO’s documentary will premiere on Showtime, Saturday, August 1 at 9pm ET/PT.

I thought that The Go-Go’s would be a fun band to see live.  I mean I know every single one of their big hits and I’m quite certain the whole room would be singing along to them.

I wouldn’t have thought about getting tickets for this tour, but it was going to be a brief tour and they were going to be playing at Parx Casino, which is an intimate venue with seats.

I also thought it would be fun to take S. who didn’t especially want to go, but who I’m sure would have had a good time.

I’m looking forward to them coming back next year.

Read Full Post »

Parquet Courts / P.E. (The Stone Pony, Asbury Park, NJ, July 8) [CANCELLED]

Posted in Asbury Park, NJ, Coronavirus, Jersey City, NJ, P.E., Parquet Courts, Postponed, Public Practice, Quarantine, Summer Camp, The Stone Pony, White Eagle Hall on July 8, 2020| Leave a Comment »

[CANCELLED: July 8, 2020] Parquet Courts / P.E.

indexParquet Courts were scheduled to play Jersey City on April 4.  With the rescheduled dates, they added a show at The Stone Pony, which has now been cancelled.

Parquet Courts was one of the first shows that was postponed because of the coronavirus. They postponed their show by two months.  Needless to say that was very optimistic and they have now cancelled everything.

I had tickets to see them at White Eagle Hall, but the rescheduled date of July 13 wasn’t going to work for me, so I was thinking of going to this show instead (even though White Eagle is 10X better than The Stone Pony).

I’ve seen Parquet Courts twice and enjoyed both shows more than I thought I would.  I wasn’t sure if I’d need to see them again, but when I saw that they were playing White Eagle Hall in Jersey City–a great venue that is pretty close to me, I immediately grabbed tickets.  It then sold out.  And then I found out that our Scout Troop had an even planned that night so I couldn’t go anyway.

So this postponement worked out pretty well.  Except that the rescheduled show is right during out Troop’s Summer Camp.  The Scouts don’t want me to see this band!

Public Practice was supposed to open.  Now the openers were P.E.

P.E. were supposed to open for Pottery back in May  Pottery cancelled their tour and now P.E. is getting cancelled again.

P.E. is a band formed out of the band Pill (who I’ve not heard of but who were a skronky and intense DIY art-punk band).  Three members of Pill have gone on to form P.E.  The song I heard “Top Ticket” was a propulsive thump, strung along by drill whirs and Torres’ snotty deliver: “I want the top ticket/ Nothing average, nothing contrived/ None of that consumer-grade shit.”

 

Read Full Post »

Alanis Morissette / Garbage / Liz Phair (PNC Bank Arts Center, Holmdel, NJ, July 1, 2020) [POSTPONED]

Posted in Alanis Morissette, Coronavirus, Garbage, Holmdel, NJ, Liz Phair, PNC Bank Center, Postponed, Quarantine, Tori Amos on July 1, 2020| Leave a Comment »

[POSTPONED: July 1, 2020] Alanis Morissette / Garbage / Liz Phair [moved to September 1, 2021]

indexThis was a show I wasn’t sure about.

I have seen Alanis Morissette a few times live way back in the 90s when she toured with Tori Amos.  I was there for Tori and I don’t really remember much about Alanis (which is sad, I know).

On this tour, I was more interested in seeing Garbage again (they put on a heck of a show) and for checking out Liz Phair who I once liked and now kinda don’t but who I’m curious about what she’s like live.

This was definitely a show I was going to get lawn seats and try to upgrade.

Concerts are now being postponed earlier.

On May 9, Alanis sent out this message

“Hi everyone.  My North American tour scheduled to begin in a few weeks is being rescheduled to Summer 2021 out of an abundance of caution. Please hold on to your tickets as they will be honored for the new dates which we hope to announce very soon.

So much going on inside and outside take care of yourselves and each other.  Thank you for understanding.  Can’t wait to see you when it is safe for us all to gather.  Hand on all hearts til then.”

Garbage wrote this message:

So the @Alanis tour that @garbage and @lizphairofficial were supposed to be tagging along on this summer got postponed yesterday. We are totally gutted and apologise for any heartache caused. We assure you that we have every intention of fulfilling our obligations to Alanis and to any garbage fans who bought tickets in support of us. We appreciate you so. Please head on over to the @Alanis socials in the days ahead for further info. Please note this is not our tour so we have no answers whatsoever about what happens next.
Looking forward to the days when we all get to hangout and play for you.

No official word from Liz Phair that I have seen.

Read Full Post »

KT Tunstall / Dina Hall (Sellersville Theater, Sellersville, PA, June 28, 2020) [POSTPONED]

Posted in Coronavirus, Dina Hall, KT Tunstall, Postponed, Quarantine, Sellersville Theater, Sellersville, PA on June 28, 2020| Leave a Comment »

[POSTPONED: June 28, 2020] KT Tunstall / Dina Hall [rescheduled from May 5, moved to December 22]

index

This show was postponed from May 5, all the way to June.  That seems like wishful thinking.

At any rate, it was, of course, postponed again.  This time until December.

I had forgotten about KT Tunstall.  I had her first record and then didn’t realize that she had had a couple of other (big) hits since “Suddenly I See.”

I wasn’t planning on going to this show and then I saw that KT Tunstall headlined a show at World Cafe Live last year.  I listened to it recently and found her enjoyable.

Since all shows have been postponed in some way, I’m not sure why this show was postponed from May to June (was that seriously wishful thinking?).

I wasn’t going to go to this, but her name has been popping up all over the place.  She’s touring with Hall and Oates this summer and she seems to be doing a lot of local shows as a headliner.  All of this repetition has me thinking I might go see her.  But mostly I’m intrigued by how much her name is going to show up in these posts soon.

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.

seller

Read Full Post »

Fuzz (Underground Arts, Philadelphia, PA, June 27, 2020) [POSTPONED]

Posted in Coronavirus, Fuzz, Philadelphia, PA, Postponed, Quarantine, Ty Segall, Underground Arts on June 27, 2020| Leave a Comment »

[POSTPONED: June 27, 2020] Fuzz [moved to February 13, 2021]

indexTy Segall is one of the more prolific musicians out there.  He has released 12 official albums in ten years and that doesn’t include the countless self-released material he has put out.  He is also in a bunch of other bands.  Fuzz is one of them.

I can’t believe that there wasn’t a band named Fuzz before Ty Segall and Charles Moothart came up with the band.

Segall makes all kinds of music, but the music of Fuzz is pretty easy to categorize–fuzzy, heavy, fast rock with a debt to early Black Sabbath.  Segall is on drums for this project.

They have only released two albums since 2013, with Fuzz II coming out five years ago.  But it was a big album with a 13 minute jam at the end.

I’ve often thought about seeing Ty Segall–he seems like a bonkers performer–but it never worked out.  He can’t be quite as crazy behind the drums, but this sounds like a great show.

 

Read Full Post »

« Newer Posts - Older Posts »