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Archive for the ‘Philadelphia, PA’ Category

Japanese Breakfast (The Met Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, May 15, 2025)

Posted in Ginger Root, Japanese Breakfast, Philadelphia, PA, The Met Philadelphia on May 15, 2025| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: May 15, 2025] Japanese Breakfast

We had seen Japanese Breakfast play their last American show for a year or so on Halloween 2023.  It was a lot of fun and felt like a really special night.

When they announced their new album, For Melancholy Brunettes… I was concerned because that sounded like a bummer of an album.  And, first single Orlando in Love wasn’t especially gripping.  It was pretty, but didn’t really have a hook.

But I knew that they always put on a good show so it was definitely worth seeing.

The curtain rose on a giant clam shell, which Michelle Zauner came out and sat in and played Here is Someone and Orlando in Love.

She switched from acoustic to electric guitar and returned to the clamshell throughout the show.

The rest of the stage was cool too, with a nautical theme and billowing smoke.

They played three songs from the new albums, with Honey Water being the most upbeat.  But they didn’t stay on this vibe for the whole show because they moved on to the Soft Sounds album, playing three great songs, Road Head, Boyish and The Body is a Blade.

Then it was back to the new album for the bouncy Mega Circuit and the more chill Leda.

They only played one song from Psychopomp, and then moved up to Jubilee for the bouncy Slide Tackle.  A few more new songs were followed by Kokomo, a really fun song from Jubilee. (more…)

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Ginger Root (The Met Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, May 15, 2025) [JAPANESE BREAKFAST]

Posted in Ginger Root, Japanese Breakfast, Philadelphia, PA, The Met Philadelphia on May 15, 2025| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: May 15, 2025] Ginger Root

Japanese Breakfast announced a show at The Met and it sold out instantly.  But then they announced another show (for the day before) and I grabbed us a ticket.

Ginger Root opened both shows.  I didn’t know them, but they seemed to have a good following.  And the band was full of charisma.  They are an indie band from California led by Cameron Lew.  He describes the music as “aggressive elevator soul.”

And Camerom Lew is a fantastic front man.  He is also the creative force behind the visual and audio components of Ginger Root.  Indeed video may be more important that audio for the band.

Ginger Root was without a doubt the best live band I have seen for music that I didn’t really like all that much.  Not that the music was bad, it just wasn’t quite my vibe.  But the live show was so good I would 100% see them again.

As they took the stage there were two video screens that announced We are your openers for this evening.  We’ll be done in ~40 minutes.

And as soon as the band started, their on-stage cameraman began filming them and projecting it on the screens.  He used all kinds of old-school effects, giving the video and almost 80’s feel.  Especially when the screens were bordered with a white line and the legend: You’re listening to Ginger Root. (more…)

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Deafheaven / Gatekeeper / Trauma Ray (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, May 12, 2025) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Deafheaven, Gatecreeper, Philadelphia, PA, Trauma Ray, Union Transfer on May 12, 2025| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: May 12,2025] Deafheaven / Gatekeeper / Trauma Ray

This was the most embarrassing reason I’ve ever had for missing a show.  I thought it was the 13th, but it was actually the 12th.  I just wrote down the wrong date in my calendar.  WTF!

I had missed Deafheaven last year when they came around (scheduling conflict) so I was all about going to this one.  I only found out because I couldn’t get a ticket for my son online so I wrote the venue and they said sales were closed because the show was the previous night.  Holy crap.

Gatecreeper are an old-school death metal band from Arizona who formed in 2013.  They are loud and growly.  I probably wouldn’t have enjoyed them for the entire set.  But I would have enjoyed the first opener.

Trauma Ray opened for Panchiko last year and after listening to them I really wanted to see them

Among the current wave of shoegaze revivalists, Fort Worth’s trauma ray rank as high as any at capturing its complexity, intensity, and expressive devastation.   One of trauma ray’s greatest gifts is their ability to make doomy, sledgehammer heaviness sound like an ear-worm, without production tricks or gimmicks: “Riff, verse, chorus, three guitar parts – that’s all you need.

Once again, Deafheaven picks two diverse opening bands that each match their sound in their own way.

 

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Joseph / Tune-Yards [FREE AT NOON] (World Cafe Live, Philadelphia Pa, May 8, 2025) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Joseph, Philadelphia, PA, tUnE-yArDs, World Cafe Live on May 8, 2025| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: May 8, 2025] Joseph / Tune-Yards [FREE AT NOON]

I had a ticket to this Free at Noon and drove into Philly to see it.

I have seen both Joseph and Tune-Yards and enjoyed them both, although I was more interested in seeing Tune-Yards.  I’ve never seen a Free at Noon with two bands before and wasn’t really sure how this would work–but this was part of NON-COMM so who knew how things worked at that.

Joseph was a trio, but Alison had recently left (amicably) and so Joseph was now a duo.  Tune-Yards was also a duo Merrill Garbus and multi-instrumentalist Nate Brenner.  They played all new songs except for one older track.

In total, Tune-Yards played six songs and Joseph played five.

But I didn’t see any of it.  Traffic was insane and I didn’t get anywhere near the venue until quarter after and since it was NON-COMM, there was no parking to be had.  So, I blew the whole thing off and grabbed some Federal Donuts for lunch instead.

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Tune-yards / JayWood (Johnny Brenda’s, Philadelphia, PA, May 7, 2025) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in JayWood, Johnny Brenda's, Philadelphia, PA, tUnE-yArDs on May 7, 2025| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: May 7, 2025] Tune-Yards /JayWood

I saw Tune-Yards in 2018 and liked them well enough.  I hadn’t really considered seeing them for a while, but I was enjoying the new songs I’d heard from them.  But this show sold out in a minute.  I mean it’s not that surprising.  Last time I saw them at Union Transfer, and this one was at Johnny Brenda’s.

When this sold out, I tried to see Tune-Yards for their Free at Noon the day after, but the traffic was so bad I missed them.

And then later in the summer, when they played the XPoNential Festival,we arrived too late to see them–so I ‘m really just not meant to see them again, I guess.

JayWood is the stage name of Jeremy Haywood-Smith, a Canadian musician from Winnipeg, Manitoba whose music blends soul, funk, hip hop, indie rock and psychedelic rock influences.

I mean, on paper this guy is perfect for me, but I didn’t really like the sound all that much.  It felt too much like bedroom R&B to me.  Oh well.

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Oshima Brothers (The Arrow, Allentown, PA, May 6, 2025) [KISHI BASHI]

Posted in Brooklyn Bowl, Kishi Bashi, Philadelphia, PA, Sweet Loretta, Tall Tall Trees on May 6, 2025| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: May 6, 2025] Oshima Brothers

This was our first time going to Archer Music Hall or it’s smaller companion The Arrow.  It’s a great set up with the two venue attached and yet somehow totally independent.  Our show was a quiet folkie show and downstairs were The Melvins and Napalm Death and we couldn’t hear any of it.

I had never heard of the Oshima Brothers.  Actually, that’s not true, they played Guster’s On the Ocean Festival (which we didn’t go to), but I hadn’t head them at all.

The brothers came out and there was a joke about one of them (Sean) looking like Nick Jonas (he does).  So they are Japanese-Italian folk-pop siblings from the coast of Maine.  Sean and Jamie play keys, bass, drums, looping, dance moves, and magic.

They had a great stage presence–lots of smiling and crowd interactions.  And their musical prowess was impressive–the amount of things they could play with looping.

Their songs were gentle and sweet but kind of forgettable.  The kind of songs that work well and are enjoyable live, but when you listen to them later, they’re just sort of okay. (more…)

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Gigi Perez / Nikole (Theatre of Living Arts (TLA), Philadelphia, PA, May 5, 2025) [DID NOT ATTEND]

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[DID NOT ATTEND: May 5, 2025] Gigi Perez / Nikole

My daughter and I saw Gigi Perez open for Girl in Red and I was really interested in seeing her as a headliner.  But this show was up against DEVO and I wasn’t going to pass one DEVO.

Since this show I’ve seen her two more times (in short sets, but still) so I don’t mind having missed this one.

Nikole is one of many artists who drive me crazy by going by their first name.  If you have an unusual name sure.  But hey, Nikole, even with a k is not unusual enough.  This person is very hard to search for.

If I have the right person she grew up in Florida and her mom is Venezuelan, and her dad is Lebanese.  She speaks Spanish but sings in English.  I’ve listened to a couple of songs.  She has a great voice and her songs are catchy with some cool guitar work on top.  But seriously, she needs a new stage name.

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Florist / Allegra Krieger (Johnny Brenda’s, Philadelphia, PA, May 5, 2025) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Allegra Krieger, Florist, Johnny Brenda's, Philadelphia, PA on May 5, 2025| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: May 5, 2025] Florist / Allegra Krieger

I knew of Florist from an NPR Tiny Desk Concert.  It makes me smile that this was a show I could have gone to on the same night that I could have gone to Arch Enemy at TLA and Napalm Death at Union Transfer.  Because Florist is one of the quietest bands around.

Emily Sprague has a very gentle voice–almost a whipser (but not mumbling or anything).  And her guitar playing is really pretty.

There’s no way I would have gone to this show, but it’s fun to list it here.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Allegra Krieger is also a quiet musician.  She comes across as a little louder and darker than Florist.  But I’d guess this was a no earplugs needed kind of show.

Actually, after listening to Allegra, I like her more than Florist.

 

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Napalm Death / The Melvins / Weedeater / Dark Sky Burial / Titan to Tachyons (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, May 5, 2025/ Archer Music Hall, Allentown, PA, May 6, 2025)) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Allentown PA, Archer Music Hall, Dark Sky Burial, Napalm Death, Philadelphia, PA, The Melvins, Titan to Tachyons, Union Transfer, Weedeater on May 5, 2025| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: May 5 & 6, 2025] Napalm Death / The Melvins / Weedeater / Dark Sky Burial / Titan to Tachyons

I saw Napalm Death in 2022 and enjoyed the hell out of them.  They were fast and furious and lead singer Barney Greenway was awesome.

I saw The Melvins in 2023 when they toured with Boris.  I didn’t think I would like them for some reason, but they were fantastic live.

Even though I don’t really want to do a full night of metal anymore, this would have been a cool show to go to.  However, the first night was right after I’d been out two nights already that week and the second night was the night we had tickets to see Kishi Bashi. Coincidentally, the second night was in the same venue!  This show was downstairs in the huge room and our show was upstairs in the tiny venue.

For the first night, Weedeater and Dark Sky Burial opened.

I like the stoner metal sound of Weedeater but I don’t like the singer’s voice.  He sounds like a demon in a movie.  Weedeater have an instrumental song Wizard Fight that is pretty great though. They are a sludge/doom metal band from Wilmington, North Carolina, formed in 1998!

Dark Sky Burial have a heavy sound that’s very atmospheric–like a scary noir movie.  They really surprised me by including a saxophone on the wonderfully named Decay is the Matric of Fertility.  And Beware Your Subconscious Destroyer has dance beats! I didn’t realize that this is a side project of Napalm Death bassist Shane Embury.  This is his outlet for experimental music and retro horror/sci fi Movie vibes.

This might have bee a really fun show actually.

Titan to Tachyons is also unknown to me.  Turns out they are an experimental jazz-metal group led by New Zealand composer and guitarist Sally Gates, backed by the powerhouse rhythm section of Trevor Dunn (Mr. Bungle), Matt Hollenberg (Cleric), and Kenny Grohowski (Imperial Triumphant). The quartet instrumentally depicts the realms of Surrealism and science-fiction through eclectic and improvisational passages, juxtaposed by fluid grooves and metallic flurries.

That sounds amazing, frankly.  Well, here’s a bunch of new bands to check out.

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The BellRays (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, May 3, 2025) [THE DAMNED]

Posted in Philadelphia, PA, The BellRays, The Damned, Union Transfer on May 5, 2025| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: May 3, 2025] The Damned

I saw the Damned at Coney Isalnd High with my friend Garry on Feb 6 1998

The BellRays are a band from California that describes itself as an original punk, rock and soul band.  I had never heard of them and assumed they were a young band.  But they have been together since 1990.  I guess if I hadn’t heard of them in 35 years, they weren’t really on my radar.

So they came out and demanded quite a lot from the audience.  Again, I thought they were a new band, so this surprised (and annoyed) me.  Knowing that they’ve been doing this for so long, I get where the on stage banter and attitude comes from.

They rocked pretty well, but it really wasn’t my thing.  Actually, that’s not true.  If they had opened for someone else–someone soulful and almost bluesy, I would have enjoyed them more. But there’s really nothing punk about them (except their attitude, I guess).

The songs were basic, good rockers, but lyrically, they were pretty meh.

Having said that, singer Lisa Kekaula has a fantastic voice–soulful and powerful–and she and guitarist Robert Vennum, the founders of the band) have great chemistry.  I was thinking that a comparison of her voice to Tina Turner’s was lazy; however, in their blurb they say they have been described as ‘Tina Turner fronting AC/DC.”  I wouldn’t go as heavy as AC/DC for the band, but the description works.  Actually, they sound a lot more like an L.A. metal band circa late 80’s.  Although their cover of Ball of Confusion was pretty great.

If I was in the right mood for them I probably would have loved them, but I found them just okay.

The Damned toured around here in 2023 and I couldn’t go.  But Fucked Up opened for them and I sure as hell would have enjoyed THAT double bill.

  1. On Top £
  2. I Fall Down ♠
  3. Hard Drive ♠
  4. Wolf’s Sun ♠
  5. Changing Colors ‰
  6. Living a Lie £
  7. Down On My Knees ♠
  8. One More Night ♠
  9. Voodoo Train €
  10. Black Lightning £
  11. Startime €

♠ Heavy Steady Go
£ Black Lightning
€ Red White and Black
‰ Let It Blast

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