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Archive for the ‘Philadelphia, PA’ Category

Control Top / Carnivorous Bells / Eraser (Foto Club, Philadelphia, PA, July 26, 2024) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Carnivorous Bells, Control Top, Eraser, Foto Club, Philadelphia, PA on July 26, 2024| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: July 26, 2024] Control Top / Carnivorous Bells / Eraser

I saw Control Top back in 2019 and 2021 and really loved them.

They’ve been kind of dormant for a while so when they announced this show I was really excited to see them.  I’ve never been to Foto Club and I’m still not even sure what kind of place it is–it’s very hard to find anything about it online.

I thought my son would really enjoy the show–Control Top is a fun aggressive and somewhat interactive live band–singer/ bassist Ali Carter tends to jump in the crowd during the final song.  But he had to work that night so I knew we couldn’t get to the whole show.  But I considered that if his shift ended early enough and he was interested, we could leave and catch just Control Top (since I didn’t know the other bands anyway).  But I had my notifications off and I missed his text that he was interested in going, so I assumed he wasn’t interested so I more or less settled in for the night.

I’ve felt bad ever since because he seemed really excited to go when he got home.  On a practical level, I don’t know what time they actually went on and I’m sure  their set was fairly short, so it may not have been worth it to go anyway.  Sour grapes, I guess.

Carnivorous Bells according to R5 Productions have quietly become one of Philly’s most savage live acts.  They’re punky with a growly kind of singer. Not really my kind of show so I didn’t mind missing them.

Eraser is a Philly band who are about to release their first EP.  I’m intrigued by them, having only heard one song.  I imagine they would be fun and I’d like to see them some day.

 

 

 

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Beck with the Philadelphia Orchestra / Molly Lewis (The Mann Center for the Performing Arts, Philadelphia, PA, July 25, 2024) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Beck, Mann Center for the Performing Arts, Molly Lewis, Philadelphia, PA on July 25, 2024| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: July 25, 2024] Beck with the Philadelphia Orchestra / Molly Lewis

My wife and I have seen Beck three times now and his shows are always fun.

I more or less felt like I’d always see him when he came around.  And typically, an orchestral show promises an interesting performance.

But given Beck’s past history with making orchestral music, I wondered if this show would be really mellow and not all that much fun.  I mean, sure, Beck would make it fun, but, well, it just didn’t seem worth the drive to the Mann.

Looking at the setlist, I see that he played six songs from Morning Phase and five from Sea Change.  Just not my type of show, really.  But here’s some excerpts from the WXPN review:

Last night at The Mann Center, Beck took the stage with the 80-piece Philadelphia Orchestra and his Sea Change album band. This allowed him to perform songs that he usually does not get a chance to perform: cuts from Sea Change, Morning Phase and Mutations, as well as sneaking in his big hits such as “Devil’s Haircut” and “Loser,” which got the intently listening crowd to their feet. It was a truly incredible sound. He referred to playing with the orchestra as “$100,000 karaoke.”

With lots of wit and funny commentary, Beck also talked a lot about his influences such as Serge Gainsbourg and Francoise Hardy, whom he dedicated a song to. He played songs that he “selfishly wanted to sing with an orchestra, now that they were on stage” with him, such as “It’s Raining Today” by Scott Walker. He also mentioned that his very first concert was Brazilian musician Antônio Carlos Jobim.

After the 90-minute set with the Philadelphia Orchestra, they left the stage, leaving just Beck and his band on stage. Beck walked and climbed around the seats on stage having the spotlight follow him as he performed the encore, and left everyone wanting the show to go on longer.

(more…)

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Tinariwen (Underground Arts, Philadelphia, PA, July 24, 2024)

Posted in Basic, Chris Forsyth, Philadelphia, PA, Tinariwen, Underground Arts on July 25, 2024| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: July 24, 2024] Tinariwen

Tinariwen is a pretty legendary band.  They play a guitar driven “desert blues” in which the guitar is played pretty much non-stop.   It’s unique and original to American ears but is apparently part of a Mali musical sound that combines traditional Tuareg and African music with Western rock.

I’ve been trying to see them for a number of years and things never seemed to pan out, until this year.

The night was a challenge as parking was limited and I wound up coming in later than I intended.  It was also much more crowded (so early) than I anticipated.  So I had  to stand off to the side.

About half way through the show, I had to get out of the crowd and Underground Arts was super nice in that someone got me a chair (I’m using a cane at the moment).  I actually felt obliged to stay in the chair which meant I was in kind of a crappy location visually for most of the show.   But it was so crowded that I wasn’t going to see much anyhow, so I’m grateful for the seat. (more…)

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Basic (Underground Arts, Philadelphia, PA, July 24, 2024) [TINARIWEN]

Posted in Basic, Chris Forsyth, Philadelphia, PA, Tinariwen, Underground Arts on July 24, 2024| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: July 24, 2024] Basic

Philadelphia’s own BASIC, Chris Forsyth on guitar, Nick Millevoi on baritone guitar and drum machine, and Patrick Avery on percussion and electronics.  I saw them open for Tortoise back in 2023 and really enjoyed their rocking, possibly improvised set.

The venue was super packed.  I started in the center but couldn’t see anything so I moved to the Nick Millevoi’s side, but was still blocked by a pole.  Eventually I sidled up and managed to see all three of them.

Last time, I felt Christ Forsyth’s guitar was a little quiet, but this time the sound was great.

Like last time, Avery had a tiny bass drum that he hit with a mallet.  On it was a kind of woodblock, which he hit with a plastic mallet.  That’s all he had.  Millevoi often started a drum machine as he started playing so technically Avery didn’t have a lot to do, but seeing and hearing him add bass drum was a nice touch.  Avery also played with some electronics on a table near him–I think he was doing a lot more than I realized (since I couldn’t see him very well, it’s hard to know).

They played for about 40 minutes and it was a great rocking set.  Nick and Chris both played great solos from time to time and Mikel held it all together.

I do hope to see them one more time, hopefully from the front where I can really see what’s going on.

And what was fun was that Chris and his family (I assume) stood next to me at the end of Tinariwen, and then he was super friendly after the show where we chatted about the upcoming Basic album.

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Kathleen Edwards / Ken Yates (Concerts Under the Stars series Upper Merion Township Building Park, King of Prussia, PA, July 24, 2024) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Concerts Under the Stars series, Kathleen Edwards, Ken Yates, King of Prussia PA, Philadelphia, PA, Upper Merion Township Building Park on July 24, 2024| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: July 24, 2024] Kathleen Edwards / Ken Yates [rescheduled from June 19]

I once thought that I would never get to see Kathleen Edwards.  And then she resurfaced from her coffee shop and I saw her three times in a year.

I would have liked to see her at this show (I saw her at an outdoor show two years ago) but King of Prussia is really far.  And then the whole tour was postponed because she and her band ran into Visa issues (for the first time ever).

She managed to rescheduled the dates (I guess there’s a good reason to do short two week tours, they are much easier to reschedule).  (more…)

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Spoon Benders / Color Charge / Disaster Artist (Johnny Brenda’s, Philadelphia, PA, July 23, 2024) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Color Charge, Disaster Artist, Johnny Brenda's, Philadelphia, PA, Spoon Benders, The Lunar Year on July 23, 2024| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: July 23, 2024] Spoon Benders / Color Charge / Disaster Artist / [was] The Lunar Year

Spoon Benders opened for The Psychedelic Porn Crumpets on a night I couldn’t go (still sad about that one).

If they open for PPC, they must be worth checking out so I had considered going to this show.  But I had a couple of other shows this week so this one was pushed aside.

They 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.

I would like to see them some day though. (more…)

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The Family Crest / Koser (Johnny Brenda’s, Philadelphia, PA, July 21, 2024) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Johnny Brenda's, Koser, Philadelphia, PA, The Family Crest on July 21, 2024| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: July 21, 2024] The Family Crest

I saw The Family Crest back in 2017.  I was really into their album at the time.  Since then I’ve kind of forgotten about them.  I was interested in seeing them again as their new material is still strong. But I wound up not getting a ticket.

Then we made plans to go visit family members, so the point was moot anyhow.

Koser sounds like they want to be the band for everyone

a high-energy 5-piece rock/blues/funk band from Philadelphia. The supergroup meshes the powerful contralto vocals of Kara Koser with a heap of instruments– guitars, bass, saxophone, keyboard, synth, percussion, drums, and more, every show. KOSER pairs well with the soul of Lawrence, Amy Winehouse, and the grit of Nirvana, Paramore.

I listened to their one song on Bandcamp and it was all instrumental and all synths, so I don’t really know what that blurb is talking about.

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Scary Kids Scaring Kids / Oxymorrons (The Foundry, Philadelphia, PA, July 21, 2024) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Oxymorrons, Philadelphia, PA, Scary Kids Scaring Kids, The Foundry on July 21, 2024| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTENDED: July 21, 2024] Scary Kids Scaring Kids / Oxymorrons

I saw an announcement that Oxymorrons were playing The Foundry and I immediately went to get a ticket.  My son and I saw them there about a year and a half ago and it was a ton of fun.

Then I saw that Oxymorrons were OPENING for band that I’d never heard of.

What a bummer.  I certainly wasn’t going to do out of my way for this show.

I’m still not sure what to make of Scary Kids Scaring Kids.   Apparently they put out two albums then broke up.  They put out a new album in 2002 (which was generally regarded as terrible) and now they are playing their self-titled (second) album, which people seem to like.

The descriptions of the album that I’ve read haven’t given me any insight into t he music and I don’t care enough to find out.   But it sounds like their music isn’t scary and maybe they aren’t either.

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Fucked Up / Chastity (Ukie Club, Philadelphia, PA, July 18, 2024) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Chastity, Fucked Up, Philadelphia, PA, The Ukie Club on July 18, 2024| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: July 18, 2024] Fucked Up / Chastity

I saw Fucked Up back in July of 2022 and would like to see them again.

They’ve been around a few times since then and things never seem to quite work out.  I was excited about this show because I’m fond of The Ukie Club as a venue.  But then we wound up scheduling dinner with friends and this was the only night available for that.  So, sadly I had to miss them again.

But it sounds like  they’ll be back again soon.

Chastity is a one-man band project from Ontario

is for the skids, the headbangers, the freaks. Chastity is for everyone who has suffered and survived the lethal combination of suburban overculture and mental distress. Chastity is especially for everyone who didn’t survive—the ones who didn’t get out. Brandon Williams did, luckily, and his work with Chastity has been to collect people like him, who got out by the skin of their teeth.

They play surprisingly catchy (with great guitar lines and sing along choruses) song given the angst mentioned and the fact that they are opening for Fucked Up.

I’d have really enjoyed this show I think.

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Lifeguard (PhilaMOCA, Philadelphia, PA, July 15, 2023)

Posted in Cold Court, Font, Lifeguard, Philadelphia, PA, PhilaMOCA on July 17, 2024| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: July 15, 2024] Lifeguard

Before this show I hadn’t heard of Lifeguard.  Which is why I was surprised that this was a co-headlining tour. But then I saw that in May Monster Children (yea, I don’t know what that is either) wrote an article called “Lifeguard is a band you should know.”

Their music is youthful, energetic and intentional, channeling the nostalgic sounds of bands like Dinosaur Jr and Fugazi while still remaining distinctly their own. They give a shit, putting all of themselves into the band and everything surrounding it, creating a sound that encapsulates this youth collective that they’ve played such a major role in creating.

I don’t know how old the members of the band are, but I assume they are teenagers.

And the first notable thing about them was that singer guitarist Kai Slater was on crutches.  So he sat for the whole set, his right foot in a boot.

Then he started playing guitar–a great crisp, punky guitar sound.  The reminded me a bit of Gang of Four.  Their songs were pretty catchy and yet they were absolutely unafraid to simply make a lot of noise–screamed vocals, angular sharp guitars and crashing drums. (more…)

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