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Nilüfer Yanya (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, February 7, 2019) [SHARON VAN ETTEN]

Posted in Nilüfer Yanya, Philadelphia, PA, Sharon Van Etten, Union Transfer on February 7, 2019| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: February 7, 2019] Nilüfer Yanya

I had heard a little buzz about Nilüfer Yanya (and NPR had featured her at a SXSW show).  I found her music peculiar.   Nearly everything she does has a staccato feel–guitar lines, melodies and especially her vocal delivery.  I find that her vocal style is either love or hate–sometimes even within a song itself.

Her music is sort of jazzy, but with definite rock angles.  Her guitar playing style was pretty delicate with some really excellent-looking chords (all over the neck of her guitar). She played delicately most of the time, with the loud angles handled by drums and bass.  She also had a saxophonist/keyboardist who handled a lot of the accents and sound effects.

But most of the focus has to be on her voice. (more…)

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SOAK. (Boot and Saddle, Philadelphia, PA, February 1, 2019)

Posted in Boot & Saddle, Philadelphia, PA, Soak on February 1, 2019| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: February 1, 2019] SOAK.

I first heard about SOAK. from NPR a few years ago  I really enjoyed their songs and Bridie’s delivery was endearing and peculiar.  The songs were quiet and thoughtful and had catchy choruses.

When I saw that SOAK. was playing Boot and Saddle I looked up and found out that SOAK.’s debut came out four years ago!  And that they hadn’t been to the States on a tour for three years.  Then when I saw that this tour was only a handful of dates, I decided I had to see them.

I actually assumed that it would be Bridie solo.  So I was quite surprised to see a full band set up on stage.  I don’t know what’s happened since the last album, or if the lives shows were always like this, but this show absolutely rocked.

It opened with a pre-recorded intro (Bridie later explained that the album is kind of a concept album and this opening is on the record as well–I think it’s Bridie’s grandfather reciting it).  Then they launched into the first song on the album and it was great. (more…)

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claud (Boot and Saddle, Philadelphia, PA, February 1, 2019) [SOAK]

Posted in Boot & Saddle, claud, Philadelphia, PA, Soak, Toast on February 1, 2019| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: February 1, 2019] claud

claud is a singer-songwriter who was part of the duo named Toast.  Now claud is a solo artist, although for this set they were joined by Ondine, who played synth and clapped (and sang some backing vocals).

There had been some minimal snow that day, but it seemed to really mess up the Philly streets.  So even though I left early, I couldn’t find a parking spot for about fifteen minutes.  I wound up missing two or three songs from claud’s set.

But when I arrived it wasn’t very crowded, so I was able to get close enough to see them both clearly.

I really liked claud’s voice.  It was clear and quiet but not whispered.  I also really enjoyed the delicate guitar sounds that claud got–even when a song had a loud thumping bass, like “Giving In.” (more…)

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Guster (The Fillmore, Philadelphia, PA, January 17, 2019) [POSTPONED]

Posted in Darlingside, Guster, Henry Jamison, Late Night with Seth Meyers, Philadelphia, PA, Postponed, Seth Meyers, The Fillmore Philadelphia on January 17, 2019| Leave a Comment »

[NOT ATTENDED: January 17, 2019] Henry Jamison/Guster [moved to March 23]

S. and I love Guster and will see them as often as we can.  They are a fantastic live band.  So when they announced a show on a very special day for us, we were especially excited–and even imagined requesting a shout out.

Then five days before the show on Jan 12 we received this disappointing email.

Your event is still on, but it’s been rescheduled.

Guster Fillmore Philadelphia Thursday, January 17th
NEW DATE: Saturday, March 23rd with the doors opening at 7PM

Please Note: On Thursday January 17th Guster will be appearing on Late Night with Seth Meyers on NBC.

Although obviously it was pretty exciting that they were going to be on late night TV!

Then January 14, Guster sent out this email

(more…)

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Marianne Malone–The Sixty-Eight Rooms (2010) [audiobook 2011–Cassandra Campbell]

Posted in 18th Century, Adventure, Art, Artists, Audiobooks, C., Cassandra Campbell, Chicago, IL, Children's Books, Cockroaches, Fantasy, Food, Funny (ha ha), History, Magical Realism, Marianne Malone, Puzzles, S., Supernatural, T., Thorne Miniature Rooms on January 13, 2019| Leave a Comment »

[LISTENED TO: August 2018] The Sixty-Eight Rooms

Read by: Cassandra Campbell

I didn’t know this story, nor did I know anything about the Thorne rooms before our trip to Chicago last summer.

So the Thorne Rooms are, well, I’ll let the Art Institute of Chicago’s website describe them:

The 68 Thorne Miniature Rooms enable one to glimpse elements of European interiors from the late 13th century to the 1930s and American furnishings from the 17th century to the 1930s. Painstakingly constructed on a scale of one inch to one foot, these fascinating models were conceived by Mrs. James Ward Thorne of Chicago and constructed between 1932 and 1940 by master craftsmen according to her specifications.

Read more about them and see pictures here.  That description doesn’t really do justice to the rooms themselves.

They are really magical in the way that they fully represent a room from a specific time and place.  The floor, ceilings, walls and furniture all meet exacting standard of detail.  And what makes them somehow even more special is that each room shows rooms out of the side and back doors.  These are lit (and show a painted facade) that indicates what is just beyond the walls of the room you are looking at.  It really adds a lot of depth and character to a scene.

Seeing them in person was really wonderful.

T. and I had started listening to this book before we left for Chicago, but we decided to wait until our trip to save it for the whole family.  Then we wound up not listening to it until the home, after we had seen the rooms.  And I feel like that made it all the more special. Because I could see exactly what the kids were doing in this fun and bizarre adventure. (more…)

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Guster: Free at Noon (World Cafe Live, Philadelphia, PA, January 11, 2019)

Posted in Free at Noon, Guster, Philadelphia, PA, World Cafe Live, WXPN 88.5 FM--Philadelphia, PA on January 11, 2019| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: January 11, 2019] Guster

Guster has a new album coming out this month.  And as part of their tour, they are coming to the Philly Fillmore on S. and my wedding anniversary!  Obviously, we got tickets and plan to have a bizarre Anniversary celebration–no fancy meal, just music–and we hope we are acknowledged from the stage!

[UPDATE: This date, our anniversary show, has been postponed!  Why?  Because the band is going to be on Late Night with Seth Meyers instead.  We love Seth, so if anyone is going to ruin our anniversary plans we’re glad it’s him.  It turns out that the rescheduled date is going to be a 20th anniversary show of Lost and Gone Forever, which means two full sets of Guster.  I think we made out ahead.  Thanks Seth].

I have never been to a Free at Noon show before.  They seem so awesome–a free concert from some amazing bands?  Sign me up!  The problem is that the venue, World Cafe Live, is 75 minutes from my work.  So, an hour show, two and a half hour driving…  that’s about a four-hour lunch.  Well, I had some personal time, so I used it and got myself and S. tickets for Free at Noon.  I didn’t think she’d be able to go and she didn’t think she could either, so I went by myself.

Parking was a lot harder to find during the day and it was very cold.  I never thought if I got there at 11:45 I’d have to wait online, but they were having some kind of technical difficulties and they kept everyone outside.  I specifically took off my sweater in the car figuring the venue wold be roasting, so I was pretty chilly waiting out there.  By five to 12, someone came around and told us that we wouldn’t miss anything.  And indeed, the free at noon started at 12:15 instead of noon. (more…)

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Phish [New Year’s Eve Eve–Night 3 of 4 New Year’s Run] Madison Square Garden, New York, NY, December 30, 2018)

Posted in Jon Fishman, Madison Square Garden, Mike Gordon, New York City, Page McConnell, Phish, Son Seals, Talking Heads, Trey Anastasio on December 30, 2018| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: July 21, 2017] Phish

I have wanted to see a Phish New Year’s Eve show for years.  But one should welcome in the New Year with people you love, so I will never go to a show on New Year’s Eve.  But this year I decided to try for a ticket for the night before New Year’s Eve.  Once I got my ticket I learned that many people feel like the 12/30 show is ultimately better than the 12/31 show–in terms of music, not theatricality naturally.

I was also pretty happy to find out that my friend Armando and his girlfriend were going.  So we wound up making an evening out of it.  They live near the train station, so I drove to their house and we walked to the train.  It was nice meeting his girlfriend (she is famous from his blog) and we all got along very well.  When we got into the City, he told me we were going to a great Peruvian restaurant really close to the arena.   And what a great find it was.  Rather than pizza or a hot dog we were able to eat a yummy (and filling meal) and it was quite fast as well.

Although, perhaps it could have been faster.  When we walked across the street to MSG, the line to get in was massive.  We never found out exactly what was going on, but they were holding everyone back at a barrier while the line thinned out.  We were running very tight to show time.  But the arena must have known that because the band did not go on as early as they usually do. (more…)

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Jill Sobule (Hopewell Theater, Hopewell, NJ, December 22, 2018)

Posted in #Fuck7thGrade, #ITMFA, #RESIST, Hopewell Theater, Hopewell, NJ, Jill Sobule on December 22, 2018| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: December 22, 2018] Jill Sobule

A friend of mine had told me about the newly renovated Hopewell Theater and how it was a great little venue.  And then I saw that Jill Sobule was playing there.

Jill Sobule had a couple of hits in the 90s (she wrote “I Kissed a Girl” before Katy Perry did).  She bubbled under the radar for a number of years and during that time she released some fantastic albums.  Her songs have always been catchy and smart.  Many of her lyrics are funny but pointed.  And while she’s pretty firmly rooted in the folk scene, her albums tend to rock more than not, with a few ballads tucked in as well.

Over the last decade or so, she’s been quieter, but it turns out she never stopped writing and she’s back with a new album and a one woman show called “#Fuck7thGrade.”

Plus, Hopewell is only 25 minutes from our house.   (more…)

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Geddy Lee book signing [Bookends, Ridgewood, NJ, December 18, 2018]

Posted in Alex Lifeson, Autographs, Cleveland, OH, Geddy Lee, Ridgewood, NJ, Rush on December 18, 2018| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: December 18, 2018] Geddy Lee book signing

When I heard that Geddy Lee would be publishing the Big Beautiful Book of Bass, I thought it was kind of neat.  But I didn’t really need a 7 pound coffee table book of bass guitars.  And, no matter how cool it was, I definitely didn’t need the $900 Ultra Limited Edition.

I thought it might be fun to look through, but I even told S. not to get it for me for Christmas.

And then Geddy announced he would be doing book signings.  And one of them would be at Bookends bookstore in Ridgewood, NJ, just ten minutes from where I grew up (but an hour away from where I live now), I jokingly said that my teenaged self would have been there in a heartbeat.  But I knew I’d have to take a day off of work and, really, was it that big of a deal?

Then my sister-in-law, a huge Rush fan herself, said, I should go just for her and I got to thinking that it would be pretty cool to sort of meet Geddy Lee.  I couldn’t imagine how else that would happen.

So I took the day off and drove up to Ridgewood.  I had it planned that I would get to the bookstore fairly early (the signing was at 5), get my wristband, go to the IKEA that’s near by and then come back and wait on line.  I got to the store later than I meant to and they told me the line was already forming.  So I wound up, completely underdressed, standing in the cold for an hour an a half (I thought there were only 100 tickets sold, but there were actually 1000).

Geddy was still in NYC when we got online, and they gave us occasional updates as he was driven here.  When he parked the car behind the store, we all got the briefly glimpse of him.  And then he quickly hustled inside.

We were all abuzz by then, even if it still took 45 minutes for us to get inside. (more…)

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Slingshot Dakota (Fowler Blast Furnace Room-SteelStacks, Bethlehem, PA, December 14, 2018)

Posted in Bethlehem, PA, Fowler Blast Furnace Room, Lehigh Valley Girls Rock, Petal, Scranton, PA, Slingshot Dakota, Small Mess, Voirvoir on December 14, 2018| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: December 14, 2018] Slingshot Dakota

I was planning to see Slingshot Dakota back in the summer of 2016.  They were doing a show with VoirVoir a Bethlehem band that I really like.  But I wound up not being able to make that show.  So I was happy to see them this year, right back in SteelStacks.

It was after they went onstage that Carly Comando told us that they were really excited to organize this entire show with ArtsQuest’s blessing.  She picked the opening acts, Small Mess and Petal, personally, and she made sure that Lehigh Valley Girls Rock was a beneficiary.  She even insisted that there be a food drive as well.

Lehigh Valley Girls Rock is dedicated to empowering girls and women + trans and nonbinary folks through music and art
We build self-confidence and foster a sense of belonging.
We nurture an inclusive, supportive environment.
We connect people who then develop meaningful friendships.
We inspire community involvement.
We teach acceptance.

They even had a special Lehigh Valley Girls Rock-related surprise at the end of their show. (more…)

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