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Archive for the ‘Philadelphia, PA’ Category

Amon Amarth / Cannibal Corpse / Obituary / Frozen Soul (Fillmore Philadelphia, Philadelphia PA, May 13, 2024) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, Amon Amarth, Cannibal Corpse, Frozen Soul, Obituary, Philadelphia, PA, The Fillmore Philadelphia on May 13, 2024| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: May 13, 2024] Amon Amarth / Cannibal Corpse / Obituary / Frozen Soul

When this tour was announced I had the choice of seeing them at The Wellmont in NJ or the Fillmore in Philly.

I chose the Wellmont because it is smaller and I thought it would be more fun.  I see too many shows in Philly anyway.

It worked out for the best as my wife and I were going to see Neil Young on Sunday night, so this left the rest of the week free.

I’ve really enjoyed Amon Amarth in the past and since my son and his friends enjoyed them when we saw them last year, it was a no brainer for the fur of us to see them headline.

I wasn’t to thrilled with the rest of the lineup, honestly.  I’ve seen Cannibal Corpse a few years ago and once was enough (although now that I heard what a genuinely nice guy Corpsegrinder is, I certainly like them a lot more).  It’s fascinating though that they’ve been a band since 1988 (and appeared in Ace Ventura Pet Detective!  They were an integral early band in the Tampa death metal scene.

Obituary is another super old school band from Tampa (formed in 1984, so even older).  It’s kind of weird that Amon Amarth, who is a Swedish band and not really a death metal band (they’re all about Vikings, but they do sing in a growly way) would invite two early death metal bands.

I know of them (their logo is very familiar) but I guess I never listened to anything they did.  They are heavy and fast but the singer actually does a kind of high voice when he sings (as well as some growling).  It’s a different vibe to be sure and more of what I think about with 80’s metal bands.

Frozen Soul is a death metal band from Texas.  They formed in 2018.  I had not heard of them and wasn’t really that interested in seeing them anyway.  They are heavy death metal with growling vocals.

If it weren’t for the headliners I ‘d have had n interest in this tour at all.

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Chicano Batman / Lido Pimienta (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, May 12, 2024) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Chicano Batman, Lido Pimienta, Philadelphia, PA, Union Transfer on May 12, 2024| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: May 12, 2024] Chicano Batman 

I saw Chicano Batman three years ago and really enjoyed the show and the vibe of the crowd.

I would definitely had gone to the show except for three reasons.

  1. Avatar, Oxymorrons, Conquer Divide were the same night and I would have gone to that show in a heartbeat
  2. Neil Young & Crazy Horse, a show my wife and I were over the moon to see.
  3. It was Mother’s Day.  If the other two shows hadn’t existed, I was still going to be home for Mother’s Day.

Lido Pimienta had a song that was on WXPN a few years ago that I really liked.

She is a Colombian Canadian musician, singer, and songwriter whose 2016 album, La Papessa, won the 2017 Polaris Music Prize.  She plays traditional indigenous and Afro-Colombian musical styles such as Cumbia and Bullerengue and merges it with contemporary synthpop and electronic music.

She’s quite delightful.

This would have been a really fun set.

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Cheekface / Yungatita (First Unitarian Church, Philadelphia, PA, May 11, 2024) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Cheekface, First Unitarian Church, Philadelphia, PA, Yungatita on May 11, 2024| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: May 11, 2024] Cheekface / Yungatita

I saw Cheekface a year ago and absolutely loved their set.  I was really looking forward to seeing them again, but they chose to play at The Church, which I don’t go to.  For those keeping score, The Church holds 200 more people than the Ukie Club, so good for them.  Next time they come maybe they’ll be bummed up to Union Transfer.

Yungatita is a band I hadn’t heard of (although they have a song on Spotify “7 Weeks & 3 Days” that has over 77 million plays!

The band is the brainchild of East LA’s Valentina Zapata, Yungatita — who previously released a 2020 solo EP with a groovy, low-fi, retro sound titled Over You — returns with a full band in preparation for their slacker-pop debut LP, Shoelace & a Knot.  That “7 Weeks” song is bedroomy and synthy, but their newer stuff rocks.

Album of the year says that Shoelace 

is the perfect blend between fun, sunny amateur indie rock and ambitious, angry and screamy intentions behind said cutesy indie rock, all in a very digest 35 minutes that never leaves you bored. … infectious melodies and hunger in all of the instrumentals from the surfer-rocky guitar riffs to the hella dynamic and catchy drumming to the harmonies yungatita does with herself that serve as a melodious instrument themselves. The one word I’d use to describe this project is “catchy” – every single bit of instrumentation is an instant hit.

This sounds like it would have been a really fun show (and I would have been the oldest person there by 20 years).

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Psychedelic Porn Crumpets / Spoon Benders (Underground Arts, Philadelphia, PA, May 11, 2024) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Philadelphia, PA, Psychedelic Porn Crumpets, Spoon Benders, Underground Arts on May 11, 2024| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: May 11, 2024] Psychedelic Porn Crumpets

Of all the shows I was sure I wouldn’t miss, it was this one.  I love Psychedelic Porn Crumpets and when I saw them two years ago the show blew me away.  I genuinely couldn’t wait to see them again.

So what happened?  Well, we had a house emergency and I spent most of the evening repairing a toilet.  And I had zero interest in doing anything after that.  I was also having terrible leg pain and couldn’t imagine standing for three hours–or getting in an inevitable mosh pit.

Plus, we were heading to the dreaded Freedom Mortgage Pavilion for Neil Young and Crazy Horse the next night and I didn’t want to be wiped out from this show for that one.

Sigh.  I need that crazy stamina back!

Spoon Benders are a progressive psych-rock powerhouse that has been relentlessly crisscrossing the United States, leaving a trail of newly acquired fans in their wake. Spoon Benders have become synonymous with an electrifying stage presence that can only be described as loud, controlled chaos.

When I first listened to some of their songs I wasn’t that excited, but I feel like I must not have been paying attention because their sound is very cool with lots of echoing guitars and a much-needed female voice on lead and backing vocals.

This really would have been a great show to see.  I hope PPC comes back soon.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2024 2022
2024 Tally-Ho ¿
2024 Lava Lamp Pisco ♠
2024 Bill’s Mandolin &
2024 Mundungus ¿
2024 Found God in a Tomato
2024 November
2024 Mr. Prism ¿
2024 Hymn for a Droid &
2024 Acid Dent ♠
2024 Marmalade March
2024 Cubensis Lenses
2024 encore
2024 Cornflake


♠ Night Gnomes (2022)
¿ SHYGA! The Sunlight Mound (2021)
& And Now for the Whatchamacallit (2019)
¶¶ High Visceral (Part 2) (2017)
¶ High Visceral (Part 1) (2016)

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Sweet Pill / Equipment / Broke Body / Have a Good Season (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, May 10, 2024) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Broke Body, Equipment, Have a Good Season, Philadelphia, PA, Sweet Pill, Union Transfer on May 10, 2024| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: May 10, 2024] Sweet Pill / Equipment / Broke Body / Have a Good Season

Sweet Pill opened for Pool Kids last year.  But I arrived too late and missed them.

The other bands raved about them so I was interested in checking them out.  I was really surprised that they had a headline spot at Union Transfer.  And they sold it out!  Very impressive.

I decided I didn’t care enough to go to a four-band show if I didn’t even know the headliners.

Philadelphia’s Sweet Pill writes eruptive emo songs that embrace the edges of pop and hardcore. The kind of band whose members are fully immersed in their local scene—through a handful of notable side projects (twentythreenineteen / Goings / Harm Assist / typopro) and the show-promoting Philly staple 4333 Collective—the quintet’s sound takes wide-spectrum influence from its environment. The result is an amalgam of complex song structures and flourishes of technical acumen, wholly unconcerned with genre, yet evoking the specific styles of touchstones such as Paramore and Circa Survive.

I personally hear a huge amount of Pool Kids in their music, without the wild guitar pyro that Pool Kids use. (more…)

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Chastity Belt / Charlotte Cornfield (First Unitarian Church, Philadelphia, PA, May 5, 2024) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Charlotte Cornfield, Chastity Belt, First Unitarian Church, Philadelphia, PA on May 5, 2024| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: May 5, 2024] Chastity Belt / Charlotte Cornfield

I saw Chasity Belt back in 2017 and really liked them.  I’ve wanted to see them again, but the schedule never seems to match up.

And this time they were playing The Church, which I don’t go to.

I haven’t listened to them much in the last few years and I think they’ve gotten more mellow on their last few albums.

Which might explain why their opening act is Charlotte Cornfield a singer-songwriter from Toronto.

It’s been less than two years since Highs in the Minuses became Charlotte Cornfield’s breakout—a magnetic mission-statement for the Toronto songwriter described by Rolling Stone as “Canada’s best-kept secret.”

This would have been a pretty mellow almost folksy night.

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Ty Segall / Sharpie Smile (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, April 28, 2024)

Posted in Kamikaze Palm Tree, Philadelphia, PA, Sharpie Smile, Ty Segall, Union Transfer on April 28, 2024| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: April 28, 2024] Ty Segall / Sharpie Smile

I bought a ticket to this show in August.  AUGUST!  I’d been waiting nine months to see Ty Segall (as I’d missed him five previous times for various reasons).  I didn’t really want to see him solo, and I assumed this was  full band show (which it was).

But then our friends invites us over for a Passover Dinner and we couldn’t say no.  I thought maybe I could squeeze in the show afterward, but damn, that’s a long dinner.

I’m about to give up on ever seeing Ty Segall.  Next time he announces a local show, I’m no buying a ticket ahead of time.

Sharpie Smile is a dup who were formerly called Kamikaze Palm Tree.  (more…)

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An evening with Porridge Radio (solo) (Kung Fu Necktie, Philadelphia, PA, April 28, 2024) [CANCELLED]

Posted in Cancelled, Kung Fu Necktie, Philadelphia, PA, Porridge Radio on April 28, 2024| Leave a Comment »

[CANCELLED: September 24, 2022] Porridge Radio (solo)

I heard about Porridge Radio from NPR back in 2020.  They are exactly the kind of weirdo post-punk British band that I love and would never hear anywhere on the radio.

Singer Dana Margolin is more of a talker than a singer.  Her accent is thick and her intensity is palpable.  The band mixes melody and noise in an unexpected way.  And of course there’s “the growing legend of their intense live shows.”

They played a show in 2022 and I couldn’t make it.  And I hoped they’d come back.

This show was announced on March 29.  (Less than a month ahead!)  I grabbed a ticket immediately even though I had purchased tickets to see Ty Segall back in August!  Ty’s show was a must see as I kept missing him.  But Porridge Radio was such a weird opportunity (even if I was torn at seeing her solo).

Well, it didn’t matter because my family was invited to a Passover dinner that night AND, this show was cancelled anyway.

I received an email the day before:

Hey y’all,

The show tomorrow is canceled due to health reasons.

On her instagram, Dana wrote

So sorry Philadelphia but I must cancel the show tonight I am still unwell and have not made it to America 🪦 the optics are good though I’ll be with you asap

She did play the New York show, but had to cancel both LA shows.  Yikes.

But at least I didn’t bail on FOUR shows this weekend.

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Black Country, New Road / Camera Picture (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, April 25, 2024) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Black Country New Roads, Black Midi, Camera Picture, Philadelphia, PA, Union Transfer on April 25, 2024| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: April 25, 2024] Black Country, New Road / Camera Picture

I was vaguely intrigued when Black Country, New Road first came out (NPR music loved them).  I mean this blurb from 2021 was amazing sounding

the new band I’m most excited to see when they come back is a group of U.K. art-school kids called Black Country, New Road. Their 2019 single “Sunglasses” is a 10-minute swirl of post-punk, jazz, long blurted spoken-word passages and frenzied klezmer freak-outs. It’s a wild song, and it must be incredible to take in live.

And then, maybe I was getting ready to g to a U.S. show at Johnny Brenda’s, when

On 31 January 2022, lead vocalist and guitarist Isaac Wood announced his sudden departure from the band four days before the release of Ants From Up There via the band’s Instagram, citing struggles with his mental health. This resulted in the cancelling of the band’s planned first US tour.

(more…)

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Juana Molina – Madison Cunnigham: Not That Similar Tour (Ardmore Music Hall, Ardmore, PA, April 23, 2024)

Posted in Ardmore Music Hall, Ardmore, PA, Juana Molina, Madison Cunningham, Philadelphia, PA on April 23, 2024| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: April 23, 2024] Juana Molina / Madison Cunningham

I have wanted to see Juana Molina for a few years (I was supposed to see her in 2020 but her show was cancelled due to COVID).  I’d rather have seen her as a headliner, but this collaborative night sounded like a lot of fun.

And holy cow was it ever.

Madison Cunningham (who is 27) is labelled an Americana singer, but that’s a limiting description.  Primarily because, as she told us, she listened to Juana Molina before she listened to The Beatles (and Juana is cooler than all four of them).  I didn’t know her music that well, but I love her song “Hospital,” which I think is just fantastic.

Juana Molina’s music is not exactly outrageous, but it is often unexpected.  And that has clearly impacted Madison Cunningham’s songwriting, because her songs are anything but verse-chorus-verse folk songs.

The two singers came out on stage and played a 20 minute improv.  Juana played a basic intro on the guitar which she then looped.  She added drums and keyboard sounds.  All the while, Madison was playing guitar solos–nothing fancy and showoffy, just notes here and there, some pretty, some noisy.

They jammed and jammed and just when you thought it was winding down, Juana would shift gears and take it in a different direction.  It wound up pretty noisy and harsh.

Enough so that when Madison left the stage for Juana to play her solo songs, Juana felt the need to calm everyone down saying that normally their improvs are more mellow and they lead into the next song very well.

Juana’s first song is from her second album (recently reissued on vinyl), The song is a soft guitar ballad that progresses in different ways–with some quiet synths and then after a brief spoken interlude: “If you see someone else winning, leave them alone” the song built into a mild rocker.  It segued into the final song off of Molina’s Wed 21.  It’s a quiet song that loops on itself and turned into a trippy psychedelic song by the end with all of the fun synthy sounds Juana threw into it.

Her third song was from the only album I know (Halo).  “Estalacticas” is a cool song with a deep guitar riff and then a wild synth melody (thrown over the top).  She looped more and more sounds onto it until it filled the room.

Then Madison came out and Juana left.  I was blown away by Madison’s guitar playing.  She pulled out a small acoustic guitar and played “Broken Harvest,” a song with a massively detailed and complicated guitar melody, with interesting chords and main melody lines.  Her voice was also really pretty and impressive.

She was also really funny.  When she commented on how quiet the crowd was, someone replied, “we’re in awe.”  And Madison was super quick with “My mom say the nicest things.” (more…)

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