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Archive for the ‘Philadelphia, PA’ Category

The Word Alive (Theatre of Living Arts (TLA), Philadelphia, PA, November 17, 2021) [STARSET]

Posted in All Good Things, Another Day Dawns, Philadelphia, PA, Starset, The Word Alive, Theatre of Living Arts on November 18, 2021| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: November 17, 2021] The Word Alive

The Word Alive was up next and  I found them to be a puzzling band.

Their name sounds like they’re a Christian band.  But I don’t think they are.

Their sound was ll over the place during this show.  Which is not a bad thing, although it felt more confused than intentional.

Their third song “Misery” (a new song) was a singalong and lead singer Tyler Smith got everyone doing a hand wave back and forth.

But their earlier song “Trapped” which I guess was a bit of a hit single back in the day featured some really dirty screamed vocals from both Smith and one of the guitarists.

And in this song Smith yelled at us for not giving enough back.

It was kind of all over the place.

The band has had many lineup change over the years and apparently half the band left just before this tour.

I won’t say I didn’t like them, because I did, but it didn’t really do a lot for me.

  1. monomania ≠
  2. SEARCHING FOR GLORY ≠
  3. Misery
  4. No Way Out ≠
  5. Red Clouds ⊕
  6. BURNING YOUR WORLD DOWN ≠
  7. Trapped ♦
  8. Wonderland
  9. Why Am I Like This? ⊕

♦ Dark Matter (2016)
≠ monomania (2017)
⊕ Violent Noise (2021)

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Vagabon / Angelica Garcia (Johnny Brenda’s, Philadelphia, PA, November 18, 2021) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Angelica Garcia, Johnny Brenda's, Philadelphia, PA, Vagabon on November 18, 2021| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: November 18, 2021] Vagabon / Angelica Garcia

I was planning in seeing Vagabon in March 2020, but her show was cancelled of course.

I really enjoyed Vagabon’s debut album.  It had a great indie rock sound, but the fact that Lætitia Tamko is originally from Cameroon gives her music a unique quality that makes it stand out.

There is no way I would have missed this show if I hadn’t already purchased Dinosaur Jr. tickets for this night [Dino Jr. was the first new show announced as lockdown ended and I grabbed tickets immediately].  In fact, if they had been announced at the same time, I would have happily grabbed the Vagabon tickets. (more…)

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All Good Things (Theatre of Living Arts (TLA), Philadelphia, PA, November 17, 2021) [STARSET]

Posted in All Good Things, Another Day Dawns, Philadelphia, PA, Starset, The Word Alive, Theatre of Living Arts on November 17, 2021| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: November 17, 2021] All Good Things

This would be my son’s second show in just over a week.  We drove to TLA and had plenty of time to grab cheesesteaks (something I never do when I’m by myself).  Or so I thought.

The info said the show started at 7:30.  We walked in at 7:30 only to be told we missed the first band Another Day Dawns.  Their set must have been really short.

We got into the club and got up nice and close to the stage, just in time for All Good Things to take the stage.

I hadn’t heard of them, but as soon as they took the stage they played the kind of huge metal anthems that are designed for big group sing alongs.

So I looked them up and discovered

All Good Things were happy supplying dramatic soundtracks for video games and TV shows… until a growing army of fans tracked them down.  The band have built something of an online fanbase supplying music to video games and soundtracks, from WWE Smackdown to Prison Break and Bones. Cut to next scene, and two of the band’s songs have each generated more than two million Spotify listens.

So that makes total sense.  Songs filled with big hooks and lots of woah oh ohs.

Dan Murphy (vocals, guitar), Andrew Bojanic (guitar, vocals), Liz Hooper (bass, keyboard, vocals), Miles Franco (guitar, bass, vocals) and Randy Cooke (drums) played a terrific and enjoyable set.

The one big surprise for me was when they busted out a Destiny’s Child cover.  I don’t know Destiny’s Child at all, so I don’t know if this was a popular song. I do enjoy a left field cover and this was way out in left field.  The anthemic quality fit in pretty well with the rest of their songs, which shows just how poppy metal is at its core.

After the show I found that I didn’t really like the music as much–it felt a little too perfect, too anthemic, too made for movies.  But live, it was a cathartic and fun experience to shout along to these rockers.

  1. Kingdom ⊕
  2. Machines ≠
  3. Hold On ⊕
  4. Push Me Down ⊕
  5. The Comeback ⊕
  6. Survivor (Destiny’s Child cover)
  7. For the Glory ≠

≠ Machines (2017)
⊕ A Hope in Hell (2021)

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Tokyo Police Club / Nobro (The Foundry, Philadelphia, PA, November 17, 2021) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Canadian Music, Nobro, Philadelphia, PA, Pkew Pkew Pkew, The Foundry, Tokyo Police Club on November 17, 2021| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: November 17, 2021] Tokyo Police Club / Nobro

This was the tenth anniversary tour of Tokyo Police Club’s Champ album.  I’ve never seen them live, but I’ve heard their shows were amazing.  Plus, they were playing The Foundry, one of my favorite small clubs.

I was pretty psyched to see them, but it turned out that this show was scheduled for the same night as a Starset show that I would be taking my son to.  Sometimes schedules just don’t align nicely.

One of the openers for this tour was the Toronto punk band with the great name of Pkew Pkew Pkew.  But on our leg was Nobro. (more…)

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We Were Promised Jetpacks (Underground Arts, Philadelphia, PA, November 14, 2021) [POSTPONED]

Posted in Coronavirus, Philadelphia, PA, Postponed, Underground Arts, We Were Promised Jetpacks on November 14, 2021| Leave a Comment »

[POSTPONED: November 14, 2021] We Were Promised Jetpacks (moved to April 14, 2022).

indexI was lucky enough to see We Were Promised Jetpacks in February.  They announced a surprise show in June–a kind of last show before we leave the States thing.  Of course it was cancelled.

Then they put out a new album and announced a new States tour.

I was kind of surprised that their show was postponed, but it appears that this Fall tour was just a kind of quickie before the larger tour in the spring.  SO they just added our local dates onto that tour. (more…)

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Beach Bunny (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, November 11, 2021)

Posted in Beach Bunny, First Unitarian Church, Katy Perry, Miloe, Philadelphia, PA, Union Transfer on November 14, 2021| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: November 11, 2021] Beach Bunny [rescheduled from March 28, 2020 at First Unitarian Church and then May 24, 2020 at Union Transfer]

When my kids were little I was always driving around to some activity or another.  Well, how psyched was I to be able to drive one kids to a concert last night and another kids to a concert tonight?  And both were for bands I like, too!

I didn’t realize the full history of this show for Beach Bunny.  When the tour was first scheduled, they were supposed to play at the First Unitarian Church.  At some point, the venue was switched to Union Transfer, which is a pretty huge jump.  Then it was postponed for a year and a half and by that time she had built up such a big fanbase that the show sold out.

I’m not sure when my daughter had gotten into Beach Bunny, but I knew of them from some buzz on NPR.  I’m not sure I Would have gone to this show on my own, but I was pretty psyched to go once we got tickets.

Beach Bunny was a project for Lili Trifilio which eventually expanded to include Jon Alvarado on drums, Matt Henkels on guitar and Anthony Vaccaro on bass.

I told my daughter that we should be able to get up pretty close to the stage.  Wrong!  This sold out show was not going to hold back.  I told my daughter that the crowd would probably be a lot of short girls (which I have found to be true at certain younger bands).  Wrong!  There were people of varying (and large) heights crowding around to see this band which was getting pretty hyped of late.

The set was pretty spare with two video game cabinets on either side of the stage.  But Beach Bunny did not skimp on lights.  Each song had a different feel to it, with a song in the middle of the set featuring simply a spinning disco ball.

Lili was a great front woman, she was sweet and engaging.  It must be a weird feeling being that young and having a big room hanging on your every word and knowing all of them.  She wasn’t especially animated–that job seemed to belong to bassist Vaccaro whose big haor and frame provided for a lot of movement on the far side of the stage.

She played songs from all through her career (which was much longer than I was aware of).  Although I think the biggest responses came from the album songs and the new EP, Blame Game.

Even though I’ve been to Union Transfer a lot, I let her choose where we would stand–I’d already been wrong about two assumptions.  I tried to encourage her to push into open spots, but she was too shy.  Rather, she chose a spot near the side of the stage which ha a pretty good view and also allowed us to not participate in the one big crowd participation moment.

There’s the original poster for this tour back in 2020).

She went all the way back to her first release, Animalism for “Six Weeks.” They lowered the lights and Lili asked everyone to squat down and hold it.  She played the quiet intro to “Six Weeks” and when the vocals kicked in everyone jumped to their feet.

Her songs were so catchy and fun and yet lyrically they had a message of empowerment for the young girls.

I was kind of surprised that my daughter wasn’t dancing and going nuts with the other girls (who were probably a little older than her), but I could tell she was having a great time from the way she kept inching closer and closer as the show went on.  And the way she insisted on getting pictures taken in the venue and in front of the stage.  It was pretty sweet.

As was the fact that she wanted to buy a vinyl single (I’ve started her on a vinyl path already, gods help me).

They encore featured a fun version of Katy Perry’s “Hot n Cold” which everyone more than happily sang along to.  The final song was a rocking “Painkiller.”  And then it was over.  But we got home early enough that she could easily make it to school the next day wearing her Beach Bunny sweatshirt.

  1. Prom Queen ♣
  2. Love Sick ⇔
  3. Cuffing Season Ø
  4. Oxygen
  5. Promises Ø
  6. Good Girls (Don’t Get Used) ⇔
  7. April Ø
  8. Rearview Ø
  9. Entropy [new]
  10. 6 Weeks ∀
  11. Dream Boy Ø
  12. Nice Guys ⇔
  13. Colorblind Ø
  14. February ©
  15. Sports ♣
  16. Blame Game ⇔
  17. Boys ©
  18. Cloud 9 Ø
    encore
  19. Hot n Cold (Katy Perry cover)
  20. Painkiller ♣

⇔ Blame Game EP (2021)
Ø Honeymoon (2020)
♣ Prom Queen EP (2018)
© Crybaby (2017)
∀ ANIMALISM EP (2015)

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Miloe (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, November 11, 2021) [BEACH BUNNY]

Posted in Beach Bunny, Miloe, Philadelphia, PA, Union Transfer on November 13, 2021| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: November 11, 2021] Miloe

When my kids were little I was always driving around to some activity or another.  Well, how psyched was I to be able to drive one kids to a concert last night and another kids to a concert tonight?  And both were for bands I like, too!

I didn’t know Miloe, and they were a little hard to get details about because the band is so young.  Miloe is the brainchild of 20 year old Congolese immigrant Bobby Kabeya.

He put out an EP called Greenhouse during the pandemic and has had a few other songs percolating for a while.

Bobby was a great frontman.  He told us that these shows were the first time he’s played in clubs–his previous touring experience was house parties. Obviously this was his first time away from Minneapolis, too.

Miloe’s record is full of laid back, breezy indie pop with pretty guitar melodies and delicate vocals delicately delivered over songs “influenced by Congolese rumba, reggae and African folk sounds.”

Bobby was quick to smile and marvel at where he was.  But he was also quick to totally rock out.

Most of the songs had a soft shimmering guitar sound.  Interlocking guitar lines from the two guitars fleshed out the sound.  But a song like “Yellow” started out quietly, like a sweet summer song complete with some “la las” and then it just crashed away into a satisfying noisy conclusion, with both guitarists going nuts.

The one thing that made me laugh was that Bobby’s bassist was easily a foot taller than him, so when they stood next to each other it was quite dramatic.

I found out this fun tidbit.  He wrote his song “Winona” about Winona Ryder.  But, and here’s the fun twist, he discovered her through Stranger Things, not one of her Gen X projects.   The song is about how a friend of his looks like her.

I didn’t catch all of the songs he played, but I know he played “Winona,” “Yellow” and “Motorola.”

I really enjoyed his set.

 

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Half Waif / Lightning Bug (Johnny Brenda’s, Philadelphia, PA, November 13, 2021) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Half Waif, Ian Chang, Johnny Brenda's, Lightning Bug, Philadelphia, PA, Pinegrove on November 13, 2021| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: November 13, 2021] Half Waif / Lightning Bug

I have wanted to see Half Waif for a couple of years. I’ve heard her live shows are great.  And a venue like Johnny Brenda’s would probably be perfect for her intimate songs.

Initially I wanted to see this tour (back in May, and then October) because Ian Chang was opening for her and he is an amazing drummer whom I need to see live.

But that didn’t take away from my desire to see Half Waif as well.  But this show happened right in the middle of a bunch of other shows and I try not to do too many nights in a row.

It transpired that most of the shows were cancelled anyway, but I had pretty much committed to being home so I didn’t go.  But she’s fairly local so I hope she plays again soon.  With any opener.

Half Waif is the project of former Pinegrove singer Nandi Rose.  I find her music very pleasing.

Lightning Bug is the project of Audrey Kang (although I believe she has a full band now).  She sings lovely, quiet songs, which seems like it would be a nice companion to Half Waif’s music.

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Purity Ring / Dawn Richard (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, November 12, 2021) [rescheduled date, postponed again]

Posted in Canadian Music, Coronavirus, Dawn Richard, Philadelphia, PA, Postponed, Purity Ring, Quarantine, Union Transfer on November 12, 2021| Leave a Comment »

[POSTPONED: November 12, 2021] Purity Ring / Dawn Richard [postponed from May 13, 2020 and April 21, 2021 ; moved to June 27, 2022] 

indexThe COVID resurgence has forced Purity Ring to postponed their tour yet again, with their new date over two years from their first dates.  Let’s hope everything is cool by June.

They have added Dawn Richard to the tour as well.  I didn’t know who that was and Wikipedia lists these fascinating credentials:

Dawn Angeliqué Richard, is an American singer, songwriter, actress, dancer, model and animator.

That’s interesting, but I’m concerned by this:

Richard started her career after auditioning for Making the Band 3 in 2004. During this time, Richard became a member of American girl band Danity Kane, from 2005 to 2009.

I don’t know anything about Danity Kane but I have very strong opinions about made for TV bands.

Here’s the message from the band about the postponement (but not about Richard).

“Hey everyone, out of concern for the safety of our crew, our fans, ourselves and all our loved ones, we must postpone these tour dates once again. Simply put, the pandemic is not yet over. We’ve rescheduled our Fall tour dates for Spring 2022. Your tickets will be automatically transferred to the new date, and if the venue or location has changed they will be refunded. We’re not responsible for ticket sales so you must go to the place you bought them from to handle any changes. Unfortunately all dates for the EU/UK shows have been cancelled for the time being,”

~~~~

When Purity Ring cancelled their March 2020 dates due to COVID, they cleverly pushed their show back over a year.  It wasn’t far enough. The duo has had to push their show to the fall now.

~~~~

Purity Ring is a duo from Edmonton–multi-instrumentalist/producer Corin Roddick and vocalist Megan James.

They put out a couple of albums and then disappeared.

I rather enjoy the way Wikipedia describes their sound

a combination of pop and hip-hop styles and James’ “childlike” vocals and “macabre”, “gory” lyrics, that she takes from “books and books full of things she’s written” in the past.  Their music utilizes down-pitched, distorted vocals and percussive and vocal loops. A creative key to their sound is a sometimes aggressive use of a volume regulating technique called “sidechaining,” in which the rhythm of one instrument affects the volume of another.

After a five year hiatus, they returned in 2020 with a new album WOMB, just in time to have their tour postponed.

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The World is a Beautiful Place and I am No Longer Afraid to Die / Bent Knee / Gates (First Unitarian Church, Philadelphia, PA, November 12, 2021//Absury Lanes, Asbury Park, NJ November 13, 2021) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Asbury Lanes, Asbury Park, NJ, Bent Knee, First Unitarian Church, Gates, Philadelphia, PA, The World is a Beautiful Place and I am No Longer Afraid to Die on November 12, 2021| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: November 12 or 13, 2021] The World is a Beautiful Place and I am No Longer Afraid to Die / Bent Knee / Gates

I don’t really know The World is a Beautiful Place and I am No Longer Afraid to Die, but I have been intrigued by their name for years.  I’ve heard very good things about their live shows and was interested in checking them out.

However, I will likely never go to First Unitarian Church again (the venue just didn’t work for me for a number of reasons, even though it is a very cool place).  I was planning on seeing them at Asbury Lanes, but for reasons I never quite understood, that date simply disappeared from their tour poster.

The poster to the right has that show listed, but as the date got closer the poster had been updated and no longer included that final show and there was no word about it anywhere.  Fascinating.

I had not heard of Bent Knee, but this introduction from Wikipedia sure sounds interesting:

Bent Knee is an American art rock band formed in Boston, Massachusetts, in 2009. The band performs in multiple genres and draws from multiple influences, including pop, industrial rock, progressive rock, and avant-garde. The band is known for unpredictable dynamic contrast and the wide vocal range of singer Courtney Swain.

I’m certainly sold enough to check them out.

Gates is from New Brunswick, NJ (just down the road from me).  I was unaware of them, but their music sounds like it would be pretty good.

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