[DID NOT ATTEND: June 14, 2022] Lower Wolves / Coca Leaves & Pearls
Again, I don’t care much for cover bands, but this one looked kind of interesting, mostly because Chris Forsyth is in Coca Leaves & Pearls.
But the two bands together were probably a good time. It was a slim chance that I was goingto go to this and when Kim Gordon was announced for the same night, I knew I wouldn’t be going.
But that is my favorite R.E.M. period as well.
Lower Wolves
Focusing on R.E.M.’s early period as a beloved college/alternative live act, Lower Wolves perform R.E.M. covers from the years 1982-1987. A typical set includes album tracks, singles and obscurities delivered with the energy and intensity that characterized R.E.M.’s live shows in the 1980s.
Coca Leaves & Pearls
Featuring guitarist Chris Forsyth and members of Florry and Radar Honey, Coca Leaves & Pearls is a tribute to the spirit and vibe of 1970s Neil Young and Crazy Horse, particularly offering a guided tour of Neil’s mid-1970s years in “the ditch.”
Kim and Bill Nace toured in 2022. Bill was also in the band Body/Head with Kim. I saw him play in a jam session with Chris Forsyth in which he played the Suzuki Ran–an Electric Taishogoto. When he played with Forsyth I worte
It sounded like a bunch of noise, honestly—there were some loud and wild effects on it. It also drowned out Forsyth’s guitar.
For this show, Nace came out with this same instrument. It has keys that you press and strings that you strum or bow. Nace used a bow and turned the distortion and effects up to max and then played noise for about fifteen minutes. Then he put the bow down, turned the Ran so it was more like a piano and played the same note–tapping the same key–for about 8 minutes.
I did not enjoy the set at all. Which is a little odd since I do enjoy experimental music. But this seemed to be more of a joke or a punishment than anything else.
[DID NOT ATTEND: June 12, 2024] Pixies / Modest Mouse / Cat Power
This is the same tour that was going on last summer. I was vaguely interested in it, but knew I wouldn’t go. Here’s the same thing I wrote last summer.
I saw Pixies for the first time in 28 years at The Stone Pony Summer Stage and it was glorious. I’ve since seen them two more times and I don’t feel the need to ever see them again. Even though each show has been very good, and there is some mixing up of songs, I feel like I’ve seen everything they’re going to show me.
I would see Modest Mouse every time they came around. The shows are totally different and each one feels like a new version of the band.
I have never really liked Cat Power (blasphemy!). She just doesn’t do anything for me.
I’ve known about Melt-Banana for years. I knew they were loud and fast and were from Japan. But I didn’t know much beyond that. Turns out they’ve never had a permanent drummer. They like the freedom of a drum machine. For over twenty years they had a bass player (Rika Hamamoto) but when they decided to tour again recently, they decided to go just as as duo Yasuko Onuki – vocals and Ichiro Agata – guitars, effects.
I saw them nine months ago when they opened for Igorrr. I knew they toured a lot but I didn’t think they’d be back again as a headline act.
This show was really really packed and I was on the side of the stage so I didn’t really see all that much, but since there’s only two of them, it was actually not a bad place to stand.
The set wasn’t radically different from the last time I saw them. I wrote:
After getting all of their gear set up, Yasuko calmly stood with a colorful videogame controller looking device in her hand. A wall of amps and a laptop behind her. Off to her left a few feet was Ichiro, with a guitar, a huge array of pedals and his own wall of amps.
He played fast and he looped his sounds and did a million things most of which I can’t even fathom. Yasuko had her device and from time to time, she would wave her hand and presumably push a button on the gadget and the drums and bass blasted out of the speakers. And these drums sounded great–they sounded real and not like a preprogrammed device. I actually wondered if they were somehow triggering the drumset that was set up behind them (they weren’t).
Yasuko sings very high, very fast and sounds kind of angry. But she never looked angry. And she never broke a sweat (while Ichiro was a sweaty mess).
They played a whole bunch of songs, I can’t even imagine how anyone could tell them apart. But someone did, as the setlist below is from the NY show but I believe it is the same (or roughly so) of ours–comparing my clips to what the songs are, it seems like the setlist was the same each night.
The Flying Luttenbachers are an American instrumental unit led by multi-instrumentalist, composer, improviser and producer Weasel Walter. They focus on noise and dissonance, but surprisingly composed and controlled, almost like jazz punk. And I see that they have been around since 1992!
I wish I was in a better place for this band–I was too far off to the side to see Weasel Walter doing his thing and drummer was obscured from time to time. But I had a great view of bassist who was a maniac seemingly doing his own thing but always perfectly n synch with the other when needed.
They opened the show with a wall of noise. Thunderous drumming from James Paul Nadien, rumbling bass from Luke Polipnick and screaming guitars. (more…)
[DID NOT ATTEND: June 8, 2024] TAGABOW / Hotline TNT / Fib / Menu
This was my third missed show at the Ukie Club in a month. Each one is a show I really wanted to go to. Although as it turns out, this one was probably the least most interesting one of the three. I was mostly interested in seeing Hotline TNT who I’ve really been enjoying over the last few months.
TAGABOW I hadn’t heard of until the Slide Away Festival in Aptil–their set was really good (having seen the video).
The other two bands I hadn’t heard of at all. They are new(ish) indie bands from Philly.
The night’s tickets went to Palestinian Relief, so I didn’t mind getting a ticket since the money went to a good cause.
On the night of I just decided I didn’t really want to go to a full night of bands, even if I would have liked it. And, watching the videos below, I think I would have.
TAGABOW (They Are Gutting a Body of Water) is a Philly-based shoegaze band that I’ve never heard of. They seem to be on the noisier side of shoegaze–heavier guitars, more wild distortion, extra noises. Wikipedia says that genres besides shoegaze that have influenced the band include drum and bass, breakcore, jungle, and reggaeton, which could certainly explain some of the noisier components.
Hotline TNT plays what I can only describe as classic shoegaze, which is definitely having a moment again. Unlike a lot of their contemporaries, they don’t really mess with the classic shoegaze vibe all that much–not adding elements at all. Their music warms my heart and I’d love to see them live.
Fib Philadelphia rock band. Logan, charlie, gage, and Damien. They play noisy, somewhat abrasive rock, with vocals!
I didn’t know Menu at all(they are rather hard to search for online as well). I enjoyed their set (from the video below) which is the kind of lurching, somewhat off-kilter indie rock that makes me happy. The first four songs are instrumental, but the fifth does have a few screamed words.
Rampaging post punk from Philadelphia, PA. Fast guitars like shooting laser blasters. Tracked at home. This most memorable Rock Band burns bright, quickly leaving you to wonder where it’s gone. We love T.V., just like we’re supposed to
And here’s videos of all four sets from Wallace, Watches!
0:00 – Intro 1:00 – Protocol 7:30 – Son In Law 10:33 – I Thought You’d Change 13:40 – Candle (Unreleased) 18:00 – Stampede 22:10 – “Philadelphia…” 22:40 – Trinity 28:05 – Are You Faded? 33:00 – History Channel 38:10 – Had 2 Try
0:00 – Outro 3:53 – Taking the Piss 5:49 – Bedside 7:30 – Dotted Line 10:07 – Jam 11:26 – We’re Only in it For the Money 15:36 – Heavy Lifting 19:01 – Real Heat 22:50 – Unknown 1
[DID NOT ATTEND: June 7, 2024] Say She She / Kendra Morris
My wife has been really enjoying Say She She as of late. I was a little surprised that they hadn’t done a show in Philly in a little while and then it was announced that they were playing the Summer Concert Series in Camden County. I had been to this location once two years ago and really liked it.
We didn’t make that show (rain). But two days later they were playing at another outdoor event. This one was not free and we decided that King of Prussia was a little too far away. So we missed this one as well.
Kendra Morris is a New York based songwriter. She compares nicely to the soulful side of Say She She.
TI moved to the other side of the stage which might have been a mistake as I had something of a worse view for the next three bands.
Up next was babybaby_explores a trio from Providence, RI. The band members are Lids B-day: effected vox & sampler, sam m-h: electric guitar, and Ramona Cano-Daly: drum machines.
So, basically there was a guitar on stage and two people playing with effects boxes. Experimental barely covers what’s going on here.
Lids B-day was a weird and funny front person, with a kind of I don’t give a shit attitude. They were just kind of stomping around and flailing and recite/singing the lyrics. They projected a great fun attitude. (more…)
I was really excited to see Melt-Banana and I had to assume that any bands that opened for them would be interesting. I had listened to a little bit of Tomato Flower before the show and I was really interested in them.
And they proved to be utterly fantastic. I loved everything about them.
Their songs were jagged and indie, weird and delightful. They reminded me of Palm (one of my favorite weirdo bands) for the unexpected shifts in tempo and direction. They had two singers Jamison Murphy and Austyn Wohlers (who is also a novelist).
I was in front of these two so couldn’t really see bassist Ruby Mars. And I couldn’t see drummer Mike Alfieri at all.
Austyn sang most of the lead vocals with Jamison adding a lot of second vocals (not really backing vocals but unique melody lines). Although the opening song “Destroyer” has Jamison screaming the title word between two quiet guitar lines. It’s catchy but decidedly weird. (more…)
[DID NOT ATTEND: June 5, 2024] Say She She / Carly Moffa
My wife has been really enjoying Say She She as of late. I was a little surprised that they hadn’t done a show in Philly in a little while and then it was announced that they were playing the Summer Concert Series in Camden County. I had been to this location once two years ago and really liked it.
I thought we would both enjoy going to this delightful outdoor setting to enjoy some gorgeous harmonies. We even both took off work the day after (for unrelated reasons). But then it decided to rain. A lot. We weren’t sure of the show was going on (there are no tickets, so no way to let anyone know what was going on). We decided not to risk it, so we stayed home.
I found out later that the show had been moved to the Scottish Rite Auditorium in Collingswood. I don’t know anything about that venue and probably wouldn’t have wanted to go there, so I don’t feel bad that we stayed home. (more…)
I Just Read About That... 