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Archive for the ‘Philadelphia, PA’ Category

On Being an Angel (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, December 14, 2022) [THE LEMONHEADS]

Posted in Juliana Hatfield, Lemonheads, On Being an Angel, Philadelphia, PA, Union Transfer on December 14, 2022| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: December 14, 2022] On Being an Angel

On Being an Angel are a four-piece from Austin.  Given that they were opening for Lemonheads and Juliana Hatfield, I was expecting a sound that fit in with them.

They were actually a bit heavier and a bit more fuzzy than I would have expected.  And I loved their sound instantly. 

And then singer Paige stepped up to the mic and…we couldn’t hear her at all.  Was it Union Transfer’s fault?  That seemed unlikely.  We were very close to the stage and that can certainly impact how you hear a band, but it seemed like the lead guitar (from Nick) was just cranked up super loud and drowned out everything else.

The guy next to me even typed out on his phone (fix the vocal levels) but no one reacted to that.

Then I saw this comment in a 2019 review of them in Austin: “[On Being an Angel] tore apart the crowd’s broken chatter with a roaring wall of sound. Rumbling electric fuzz nearly drowned out Paige Applin’s faint vocals as the slowcore quartet played.”  The rest of the band sounded great–a big grungy sound that I was really excited to hear on record, too.

But when I listened to the (first) record, the sound was really different–far more mellow, far less noise.  The opener, “Eyes Shut” has a fantastic 90s alt rock sound with a catchy lead guitar riff.  But on record, it’s a quiet folk song with no riff at all.

The newer record (on being a tape vol. 2) has a much heavier sound.–much more satisfying.  Paige’s vocals are also forward in the mix.  (more…)

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Foals / Inner Wave / Glove (Franklin Music Hall, Philadelphia, PA, December 14, 2022) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Foals, Franklin Music Hall, Glove, Inner Wave, Philadelphia, PA on December 14, 2022| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: December 14, 2022] Foals / Inner Wave / Glove

Back in 2008, Foals were a weird indie rock band.  Cryptic, with odd instrumental passages.  By their third album, Holy Fire, they had ditched all of that for huge bombast.  But it was still great, “Inhaler” was my favorite song of the year, getting bigger and bigger until it somehow exploded.

I kind of forgot about them, and then heard that they were releasing a two part epic: Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost.

In 2022, they released their most recent album, Life is Yours, recording now as a trio.  I actually hadn’t heard anything from the album.

I had tickets to see the Lemonheads that night.  And I really wanted to see them, so Foals would have to wait until next time.

Although now that I check the setlist, I think that Foals show might have been the better bet.  Maybe.

Inner Wave was going to open for Chicano Batman when I saw them in 2020, but when the show was rescheduled, there was a new opening band.

Inner Wave is a five-piece ensemble, and three of the bandmates – lead vocalist and guitarist Pablo Sotelo, bassist and vocalist Jean Pierre Narvaez, and guitarist and keyboard player Elijah Trujillo – go all the way back to middle school. Some back-in-the-day homies left the band in 2016, and keyboardist Chris Runners and drummer Luis Portillo joined the group. [They are] an indie rock quintet who seamlessly float between psychedelic and synthwave sounds.

I can see them opening for Chicano Batman with their retro sounds and soft vocals.  I don’t exactly see it working with Foals.

Glove opened for A Place to Bury Strangers, a show I did not go to.  Glove is a retro synth band, in the vein of Depeche Mode or New Order.  They’re from Tampa but look like they are straight out of the 80’s UK music scene.

I don’t quite see them opening for Foals either, unless the new Foals music is a lot more synthy.

 

 

 

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Strand of Oaks [Winter Classic VII] / Pat Finnerty (Johnny Brenda’s, Philadelphia, PA, December 9 & 10, 2022) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Boot & Saddle, Johnny Brenda's, Pat Finnerty, Philadelphia, PA, Strand of Oaks on December 9, 2022| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: December 9 & 10, 2022] Strand of Oaks / Pat Finnerty

Somehow I missed that this show happened and only found out about it tonight in 2023.

It was the same dates, Dec 9 and 10, although on Fri and Sat.  Pat Finnerty opened both nights.

I have no idea how I missed it so completely.

There’s some clips on you tube from these shows.  Here’s one

~~~~

In 2015, Timothy Showalter played his first Strand of Oaks Winter Classic at Boot and Saddle.

Every year since then he has played two to four shows around Christmas time to a small but rabid fan base.  Obviously he didn’t pay one in 2020.  And now Boot & Saddle is closed

I have been to three of these fun winter events.

When he announced December shows at Johnny Brenda’s, it just didn’t occur to me that these would be Winter Classic shows.  I’m not sure why it would have made a difference, but had I realized, I would have gotten a ticket before they sold out.  Even S said, you love those, I can’t believe you didn’t go.

When I’m looking for it now I see that it was clearly stated that this was a Winter Classic, but I guess I was looking in the wrong places. (more…)

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Bit Brigade / Standards (Johnny Brenda’s, Philadelphia, PA, December 4, 2022) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Bit Brigade, Ducktails, Johnny Brenda's, Legend of Zelda, MegaMan II, Philadelphia, PA, Standards on December 4, 2022| Leave a Comment »

[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.

 

 

 

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Stars (The Foundry, Philadelphia, PA, December 3, 2022)

Posted in Christine Bougie, Lydia Persaud, Philadelphia, PA, Stars, The Foundry on December 4, 2022| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: December 3, 2022] Stars

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…)

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Lydia Persaud & Christine Bougie (The Foundry, Philadelphia, PA, December 3, 2022) [STARS]

Posted in Bahamas, Christine Bougie, Lydia Persaud, Philadelphia, PA, Stars, The Foundry, The Weather Station on December 3, 2022| Leave a Comment »

[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…)

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Dinosaur Jr. / Guided By Voices / Eugene Mirman (Fillmore Philadelphia, Philadelphia PA, December 2, 2022) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Bob's Burgers, Dinosaur Jr., Eugene Mirman, Guided By Voices, J. Mascis, Lou Barlow, Philadelphia, PA, The Fillmore Philadelphia on December 2, 2022| Leave a Comment »

[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.

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Open Mike Eagle / Serengeti / Video Dave (Silk City, Philadelphia, PA, December 2, 2022) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Open Mike Eagle, Philadelphia, PA, Serengeti, Silk City, Video Dave on December 2, 2022| Leave a Comment »

[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…)

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Pond / Cryogeyser (Underground Arts, Philadelphia, PA, December 1, 2022) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Cryogeyser, Philadelphia, PA, Pond, Underground Arts on December 1, 2022| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: December 1, 2022] Pond [rescheduled from January 12]

I saw Pond back in 2018 at Union Transfer.  The show was really fun and the crowd was really intense.

I was surprised that they’d downgraded their tour to Underground Arts this time.

I’m not sure what didn’t inspire me about this show as my recollection of the previous show is petty positive.  And it has been four years.

Well, maybe next time the come I’ll go to that one.

Opener Cryogeyser says this about themselves on their bandcamp: “Three piece from Los Angeles. Cute.”

Flood Magazine writes that

 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.

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Måneskin (Fillmore Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, November 29, 2022)

Posted in Måneskin, Philadelphia, PA, The Fillmore Philadelphia on November 29, 2022| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: November 29, 2022] Måneskin

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…)

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