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Archive for the ‘Philadelphia, PA’ Category

Sweet Pill / Equipment / Broke Body / Have a Good Season (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, May 10, 2024) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Broke Body, Equipment, Have a Good Season, Philadelphia, PA, Sweet Pill, Union Transfer on May 10, 2024| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: May 10, 2024] Sweet Pill / Equipment / Broke Body / Have a Good Season

Sweet Pill opened for Pool Kids last year.  But I arrived too late and missed them.

The other bands raved about them so I was interested in checking them out.  I was really surprised that they had a headline spot at Union Transfer.  And they sold it out!  Very impressive.

I decided I didn’t care enough to go to a four-band show if I didn’t even know the headliners.

Philadelphia’s Sweet Pill writes eruptive emo songs that embrace the edges of pop and hardcore. The kind of band whose members are fully immersed in their local scene—through a handful of notable side projects (twentythreenineteen / Goings / Harm Assist / typopro) and the show-promoting Philly staple 4333 Collective—the quintet’s sound takes wide-spectrum influence from its environment. The result is an amalgam of complex song structures and flourishes of technical acumen, wholly unconcerned with genre, yet evoking the specific styles of touchstones such as Paramore and Circa Survive.

I personally hear a huge amount of Pool Kids in their music, without the wild guitar pyro that Pool Kids use. (more…)

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The Decemberists (Fillmore Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, May 8, 2024)

Posted in Philadelphia, PA, Ratboys, The Decemberists, The Fillmore Philadelphia on May 9, 2024| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: May 8, 2024] The Decemberists     

This was our fourth time seeing The Decemberists (which is frankly too low a number for how much we love them).  But this show was on my birthday!  Imagine that.

I have actually never been to a show on my birthday before, mostly because I like to spend my birthday with my family.  But this was a band that my wife wanted to see as well, so we invited the kids along too, for a fun birthday night.

Sadly, my daughter was on crutches so she chose to stay home, but my son came even though he didn’t think he knew The Decemberists very well.

It turns out he knows them from osmosis and recognized a lot of songs from having heard his parents play them.  He was also pleasantly surprised by how much they rocked (my wife likes the folkier side and she plays them more).

And the show opened with a folky vibe.

There were light fixtures out front and Colin Meloy wandered out with his acoustic guitar and played “Red Right Ankle.”  He sounded great and the ambient lighting was perfect.  He described it as singing in a grotto.  Then Jenny Conlee came out with her accordion and the rest of the band came out soon after.  Nate Query with is upright bass, Chris Funk at his guitar and Lizzy Ellison singing as they played a lovely June Hymn.

They stayed acoustic for the new song All I Want is You complete with Victor Nash on horns and keys.  John Moen came out, the cool lights were removed and the “grotto” was taken away.  They spread out and used the full stage which was delicately designed with floral patterns and curtains.

With the full band out they played Don’t Carry it All with Chris Funk playing lap steel guitar.  Then they played the new song Burial Ground, after which Colin apologized for rhyming the word malaria in the song in case anyone in the audience was currently suffering from it.

The Decemberists could play pretty much anything in their catalog and I’d be happy.  And now that they have so many albums out there are fewer and fewer older songs that they can squeeze in.  So if they can only fit one part of The Crane Wife, I’ll take it.

After a rousing and fun The Sporting Life, with a little coda from The Smiths, Ellison got to show off her vocal chops with a fantastic The Queen’s Rebuke/The Crossing.  The Hazards of Love remains my favorite album of theirs and I love any song they play from it (this was the only one tonight).  But the heavy jamming during The Crossing was great–with some serious metal chords blasting out between the Hammond organ chords. (more…)

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Ratboys (Fillmore Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, May 8, 2024) [THE DECEMBERISTS]

Posted in Philadelphia, PA, Ratboys, The Decemberists, The Fillmore Philadelphia on May 8, 2024| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: May 8, 2024] Ratboys

I saw Ratboys headline a show in November and it was great.  They have been together since 2010, formed by singer/guitarist Julia Steiner and guitar wizard David Sagan.

When I saw them, Steiner told us how pleased she was to have so many different guitars on tour with her, because they were all tuned differently–it made things so easy!  She had a flying V, which was in standard tuning.

That’s the only guitar she used for this set, so I’m guessing all six of the songs they played were in standard tuning.

The set opened the same with, with the blistering rocker “Making Noise for the Ones You Love.”  It’s like a statement of purpose that totally rocks for like 90 seconds before there’s even vocals.

Morning Zoo slows things down and lets you know the diversity of the band’s sound. (more…)

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Chastity Belt / Charlotte Cornfield (First Unitarian Church, Philadelphia, PA, May 5, 2024) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Charlotte Cornfield, Chastity Belt, First Unitarian Church, Philadelphia, PA on May 5, 2024| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: May 5, 2024] Chastity Belt / Charlotte Cornfield

I saw Chasity Belt back in 2017 and really liked them.  I’ve wanted to see them again, but the schedule never seems to match up.

And this time they were playing The Church, which I don’t go to.

I haven’t listened to them much in the last few years and I think they’ve gotten more mellow on their last few albums.

Which might explain why their opening act is Charlotte Cornfield a singer-songwriter from Toronto.

It’s been less than two years since Highs in the Minuses became Charlotte Cornfield’s breakout—a magnetic mission-statement for the Toronto songwriter described by Rolling Stone as “Canada’s best-kept secret.”

This would have been a pretty mellow almost folksy night.

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TWRP (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, May 2, 2024)

Posted in nelward, Philadelphia, PA, Trey Magnifique, TWRP, Union Transfer on May 4, 2024| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: May 2, 2024] TWRP

My son and I saw TWRP last year.  We had actually gone mostly for the opening band Magic Sword.  But I figured TWRP were going to be a lot of fun.

TWRP were once known as Tupper Ware Remix Party (TWRP is much better).  They are from outer space (and Canada).  They are also from the 1980s (and the future).

They are a foursome. In order of the below photo they are guitarist Lord Phobos, bassist Commander Meouch, keyboardist and vocalist Doctor Sung and drummer Havve Hogan.

Last year’s show was so much fun that I was really excited to see this year’s show.  I got a ticket for my son but he had a final exam at 8:30 the next morning so he (wisely) stayed home.

Last time, Doctor Sung told us all about their high tech new stage manager, Grobb.  Grobb appeared on the side of the stage in a circle which previously said IBS (in the IBM logo style).  Grobb looked like a psychopathic Teletubby as he smiled and talked to us.

Grobb was back again for this tour which was all about crypto currency. (more…)

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Trey Magnifique (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, May 2, 2024) [TWRP]

Posted in nelward, Philadelphia, PA, Trey Magnifique, TWRP, Union Transfer on May 3, 2024| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: May 2, 2024] Trey Magnifique

Just as I hadn’t heard of nelward, I hadn’t heard of Trey Magnifique.

He came on stage, a silver fox, in a while suit (with no shirt on).  He proceeded to fill the room with smooth jazz sex.

He won me over immediately by saying “If someone asks if you want to hear smooth jazz,” the appropriate response is “Hell Yea.”  So when we all shouted “Hell Yea!” he said, no our energy was too high.  Try whispering it.  So we whispered ‘Hell yea” and he said no that was too much, just think it.

He then proceeded to make obscene mouth gestures on his straight saxophone.   It was really funny.

And then finally, after about six minutes, he actually played a song.  It was cheesy smooth jazz, but he was great–his sax playing is really solid.

So who is this guy?

Trey Magnifique is the smooth jazz alter ego of musician, comedian, and theoretical physicist Brian Wecht. Best known for his comedy bands Ninja Sex Party and Starbomb, where he performs as the keyboard-playing “Ninja Brian”, as well as his kids’ band Go Banana Go, Brian is one of the most popular comedy musicians in the world. Mature Situations is Brian’s first album as Trey Magnifique, as well as his first solo project.

Brian grew up in Pompton Lakes, NJ, and, after studying math and music (with a focus on jazz composition, arranging, and performance) at Williams College, went on to get a doctorate in theoretical physics from the University of California, San Diego. Wecht held postdoctoral research positions at MIT, Harvard, the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, and the University of Michigan, and was a faculty member in the Centre for Research in String Theory at Queen Mary University of London. Wecht has authored over 30 papers in theoretical physics, focusing on supsersymmetric quantum field theories and string theory.

While pursuing his academic interests, Wecht began doing improv comedy with San Diego TheatreSports, and went on to become the Musical Director of the Improv Asylum in Boston, MA. After moving to New York, he met Dan Avidan through a mutual comedy friend, and the two created Ninja Sex Party in 2009. In 2015, Wecht left his faculty position at Queen Mary in order to focus on his YouTube career full time. In addition to NSP and Starbomb, Wecht’s projects include children’s comedy band Go Banana Go! (along with NSP producer Jim Roach), and the podcast Leighton Night with Brian Wecht (along with Leighton Grey). Outside of YouTube, Wecht maintains an active career as a public speaker and science communicator, and is one of the organizers of the annual Northeast Conference on Science and Skepticism (NECSS).

Incredible.  This guy is literally a genius AND he is funny as hell. (more…)

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nelward (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, May 2, 2024) [TWRP]

Posted in nelward, Philadelphia, PA, Trey Magnifique, TWRP, Union Transfer on May 2, 2024| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: May 2, 2024] nelward

I hadn’t heard of Nelward, but holy cow a few people in the audience sure did.

Nick “nelward” Elward is an electronic composer based in Atlanta. His music takes cues from video game soundtracks, jazz fusion, old school hip hop, and classic pop.

Nelward’s songs are (mostly) short and (mostly) silly.   He came out snazzily dressed and began singing DVD (30 seconds long, although longer live, with the entirety of the lyrics: Have you seen the DVD of me? repeated).

Ghost was a bit more of a real song–catchy and rather fun.  He did some wild dances and clearly loved the reactions of his silly behavior.

More representative of his stuff seems to be “I Hope My Pants Don’t Fall Down.” A minute of silliness. (more…)

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Ty Segall / Sharpie Smile (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, April 28, 2024)

Posted in Kamikaze Palm Tree, Philadelphia, PA, Sharpie Smile, Ty Segall, Union Transfer on April 28, 2024| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: April 28, 2024] Ty Segall / Sharpie Smile

I bought a ticket to this show in August.  AUGUST!  I’d been waiting nine months to see Ty Segall (as I’d missed him five previous times for various reasons).  I didn’t really want to see him solo, and I assumed this was  full band show (which it was).

But then our friends invites us over for a Passover Dinner and we couldn’t say no.  I thought maybe I could squeeze in the show afterward, but damn, that’s a long dinner.

I’m about to give up on ever seeing Ty Segall.  Next time he announces a local show, I’m no buying a ticket ahead of time.

Sharpie Smile is a dup who were formerly called Kamikaze Palm Tree.  (more…)

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An evening with Porridge Radio (solo) (Kung Fu Necktie, Philadelphia, PA, April 28, 2024) [CANCELLED]

Posted in Cancelled, Kung Fu Necktie, Philadelphia, PA, Porridge Radio on April 28, 2024| Leave a Comment »

[CANCELLED: September 24, 2022] Porridge Radio (solo)

I heard about Porridge Radio from NPR back in 2020.  They are exactly the kind of weirdo post-punk British band that I love and would never hear anywhere on the radio.

Singer Dana Margolin is more of a talker than a singer.  Her accent is thick and her intensity is palpable.  The band mixes melody and noise in an unexpected way.  And of course there’s “the growing legend of their intense live shows.”

They played a show in 2022 and I couldn’t make it.  And I hoped they’d come back.

This show was announced on March 29.  (Less than a month ahead!)  I grabbed a ticket immediately even though I had purchased tickets to see Ty Segall back in August!  Ty’s show was a must see as I kept missing him.  But Porridge Radio was such a weird opportunity (even if I was torn at seeing her solo).

Well, it didn’t matter because my family was invited to a Passover dinner that night AND, this show was cancelled anyway.

I received an email the day before:

Hey y’all,

The show tomorrow is canceled due to health reasons.

On her instagram, Dana wrote

So sorry Philadelphia but I must cancel the show tonight I am still unwell and have not made it to America 🪦 the optics are good though I’ll be with you asap

She did play the New York show, but had to cancel both LA shows.  Yikes.

But at least I didn’t bail on FOUR shows this weekend.

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Belle & Sebastian (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, April 26, 2024)

Posted in Belle and Sebastian, Philadelphia, PA, The Weather Station, Union Transfer on April 27, 2024| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: April 26, 2024] Belle & Sebastian

I was shocked to discover that it had been SEVEN YEARS since we’d last seen Belle & Sebastian.  I would have sworn that the show at the Mann was just a couple of years ago.

But I see that in 2019 we just “didn’t feel like going” to Union Transfer.  What?  That’s insane–I mean, not really, I’ve felt like that many times, but in retrospect to miss out on a B&S show was crazy.

Then in 2022, the show was scheduled on the same night as my daughter’s graduation.  And last year they cancelled the tour for health reasons.

My wife and I were pretty excited to go to this show and then it turned out their Girl Scout troop scheduled a trip leaving on Friday night.  So she had to miss the show.  And I hate to say this, but she would have loved the show–a setlist geared very much to her.

But it was also geared to me, because holy cow they played all kinds of great songs.

They even joked about how anyone who followed them back in the old days would be shocked at how different they are now, and it’s true.  Their early albums were quiet and introspective, but as they played more and more they got really fun and dancey.

Indeed, they started with two songs off of Girls in Peacetime Want to Dance, and it boded very well for the rest of the night. (more…)

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