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Archive for the ‘Philadelphia, PA’ Category

Speedy Ortiz (Johnny Brenda’s, Philadelphia, PA, September 5, 2023)

Posted in Hurry, Johnny Brenda's, Philadelphia, PA, Speedy Ortiz, Washer on September 6, 2023| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: September 5, 2023] Speedy Ortiz

I saw Speedy Ortiz back in 2018 at a sold out PhilaMOCA show )I was right in front of Sadie Dupuis).  Their show was great–a fan-favorite selection of songs from throughout their career.

It had been five years since they released a new album and they were celebrating by playing the entire album at our show (the only show they were likely to do so).  [I didn’t know that until she told us].

I had heard a few of the new songs at the Free at Noon show, but this one promised to be so much better.

And so, they played Rabbit Rabbit start to finish.  There were a few moments where she joked about what a pain it was to tune between songs (which is why most bands don’t play the album straight through–they group songs with similar tuning together to minimize drag.

I had listened to the album about three times, so it wasn’t familiar but I recognized many moments.

The band is mostly the same.  Of course, Sadie Dupuis is the main force–her guitar playing is excellent and complex and her voice sounds amazing.  Andy Molholt is still with them playing lead guitar and more.  I especially enjoyed Audrey Zee Whitesides (now a full time member of the band) absolutely screaming backing vocals on a couple of songs.

What was great about seeing the album live like this is that songs that hadn’t quite grabbed me yet on a listen were really powerful live.  Sadie said “Cry Cry Cry” was her favorite song on the record, and after she said that I paid more attention to it and it was great.

Speedy Ortiz doesn’t do encores, so instead they played three older songs to wrap up the night–one from each of the the previous full lengths.

I like Twerp Verse the best so I liked hearing “Buck Me Off”  And “Raising the Skate” is a great song off off Foil Deer.

The final song of the night was “Plough” a great song from their debut–the only bummer about that is that’s what they ended their Free at Noon set with as well.  But that’s a very minor complaint because it’s a killer song.

They have gotten a new drummer since five years ago Joey Doubek has replaced Mike Falcone and unless I am very much mistaken, Doubek hits the drums a whole lot harder.  I feel like he adds a very heavy element to these songs.

Hearing the album like this was really great and I’ve enjoyed it even more after seeing it live.  There are of course other songs I would have loved to hear (made a super long encore?), but I enjoyed this set a lot.  And when I see that in other cities they play maybe 7 or 8 songs (out of 13) off of Rabbit, I feel especially lucky.

 

Johnny Brenda’s 2023 Free at Noon 2023 PhilaMOCA 2018
Kim Cattrall ¥ The Graduates € Buck Me Off ⇓
You S02 ¥ Scabs ¥ Lean In When I Suffer ⇓
Scabs ¥ Ghostwriter ¥ Lucky 88 ⇓
Plus One ¥ Silver Spring ⊗ Raising The Skate €
Cry Cry Cry ¥ Plus One ¥ The Graduates €
Ballad of Y & S ¥ Lucky 88 ⇓ Silver Spring ⊗
Kitty ¥ You S02 ¥ Plough ♠
Who’s Afraid of the Bath ¥ Plough ♠ Alone With Girls ⇓
Ranch vs. Ranch¥ I’m Blessed ⇓
Emergency & Me ¥ Taylor Swift [single]
The Sunday ¥ You Hate The Title ⇓
Brace Thee ¥ Moving In ⇓
Ghostwriter ¥ Villain ⇓
Raising The Skate €            * Swell Content €
Buck Me Off ⇓ * “Silver Spring” was Dvrk Wvrld €
Plough ♠ on setlist

 

¥ Rabbit, Rabbit (2023)
⇓ Twerp Verse (2018)
€ from Foil Deer (2015)
♠ from Major Arcana (2013)
⊗ from Sports EP (2012)
[single] from (2012)

 

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Washer (Johnny Brenda’s, Philadelphia, PA, September 5, 2023) [SPEEDY ORTIZ]

Posted in Hurry, Johnny Brenda's, Philadelphia, PA, Speedy Ortiz, Washer on September 6, 2023| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: September 5, 2023] Washer

I hadn’t heard of Washer before this show.  Turns out they are a duo–another duo who can make a good holy racket with just guitar (or bass) and drums.  Washer is Mike Quigley: guitar, vocals and bass and Kieran McShane: drums.

Quigley setup right in front of me (off to the side of the stage a bit), so I couldn’t really see McShane all that well.  Of course, the lighting was super dark so I couldn’t see him much anyway.

They started with a slow song, “King Insignificant” with Quigley playing guitar quietly and McShane keeping time.  It sounded good, and not at all like it was missing anything.  But then about 90 seconds into the song, McShane went bonkers on the drums and the song ended in a furious punk rock screamfest and they sounded massive.

Washer clearly don’t have time for things like solos.  Some songs barely have time for a chorus.  They played the first four songs of their newest album–two of which are 90 seconds long and two of which are just over two minutes.  And I liked each one better than the next,

They dipped into a couple of other new songs, but  they also played some older ones as well. (more…)

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Hurry (Johnny Brenda’s, Philadelphia, PA, September 5, 2023) [SPEEDY ORTIZ]

Posted in Hurry, Johnny Brenda's, Philadelphia, PA, Speedy Ortiz, Teenage Fanclub, Washer on September 5, 2023| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: September 5, 2023] Hurry

I was supposed to see Hurry open for two previous shows.  A Restorations show that was cancelled because of COIVD and a Nada Surf show that I didn’t go to because it was the same night as something else.

I was positive about them, but a little dismissive as well.  Perhaps it took them to release their newest album Don’t Look Back for them to perfect their blend of perfect Nada Surf/Teenage Fanclub pop songcraft.  Indeed, their album is named after a Teenage Fanclub song.

Originally, the project was a solo venture for Matt Scottoline who played bass in another band.  Scottoline has a knack for simple pop hooks and songs that you can’t help but tap your toes to.  The rest of the band is Rob DeCarolis: Drums; Joe DeCarolis: Bass; Justin Fox: Lead Guitar and , a fifth member who (amusingly) sang occasional backing vocals and banged a tambourine but mostly just seemed to hold a drink in his hand.  Turns out this guy was Ian Farmer of Modern Baseball (and owner of their record label) who sat in for this whole set.

I was sucked into their music right from the get go.  The melodies and harmonies were wonderful.  All of the songs were from this new album (which came out last month).  The only exceptions were “When I’m with You” (which is their biggest hit and was features in two TV shows a few years ago) and “Don’t Look Back” the Teenage Fanclub song that they got their album name from. (more…)

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Strawberry Moon / Wax Jaw / Hot Seat / Wallace, Tonight (Ortlieb’s, Philadelphia, PA, September 1, 2023) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Hot Seat, Ortlieb's, Philadelphia, PA, Strawberry Moon, Wallace Tonight, Wax Jaw on September 1, 2023| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: September 1, 2023] Strawberry Moon / Wax Jaw / Hot Seat / Wallace, Tonight

I have recently discovered the Philly band Wax Jaw and I am mildly obsessed with them.  I have yet to see them live, but I really want to.  When I saw this show at Ortlieb’s, I thought it might be a great time to see them.

But there were a couple of problems.

The big one is that my son was moving to college the next day.  Yea, there was no way I was not going to be home to help him (and we were up until almost midnight getting everything together).  The second, obviously minor thing is that Wax Jaw was not the headliner.

Strawberry Moon was the headliner.  I hadn’t heard of them, but imagined they would be kind of a psychedelic band.  And nothing could be further from the truth.  Their bandcamp summary says:

rock and roll with big ole vocals and dancey riffs

And that’s pretty spot on.  There’s some great rocking riffs and lead singer Katie Bowles has a powerful voice that never turns into screaming.  The rest of the band is Liam McElroy – guitar ; Gray Stephenson – bass ; TJ Meade – drums.  The poster says “Introducing Christian” which I assume means another member of the band, but who knows.

They are  a classic sounding band who probably put on a killer live show.

Wax Jaw I only know from a show I didn’t see (which had video online afterward).  There’s something wonderfully primal about them–kinda surfy but with a real punk rock feel.  Or as, this review in Before Tomorrow says

With a blend of surf rock, new wave, and popost-punk influences; Wax Jaw can only be described as something akin to the love child of The Cure, Siouxsie and The Banshees, and The Dictators all wrapped up into one package of sound that you may have expected to hear leaking from the doors of The Hot Club in the late 1970s. In the seemingly brief time they have been together, Wax Jaw has already garnered an extensive roster of sold out shows across the Philadelphia area and after our experience, it is undeniable that this streak will continue.

The review also goes on to say that it sounds like they stole the show. (more…)

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Dysrhythmia / Stinking Lizaveta / Countdown from Ten (Milkboy, Philadelphia, PA, August 31, 2023) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Countdown from Ten, Dysrhythmia, Milkboy, Philadelphia, PA, Stinking Lizaveta on August 31, 2023| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: August 31, 2023] Dysrhythmia / Stinking Lizaveta / Countdown from Ten

For reasons I don’t entirely remember, I’ve added Stinking Lizaveta to the list of bands that I’d like to see.

I think what inspired me to check them out is that they are an instrumental band who play complex music.  Indeed, it appears that not a word would be sung this entire evening.

After reading about and then listening to all of these bands, I decided that I would go to this show after all.  So I grabbed a ticket.  And then it turned out that there were so many  things going o this weekend that spending Thursday night jamming to metal math rock just didn’t fit into the plans

Bummer. (more…)

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Bad Cop/Bad Cop / The Homeless Gospel Choir (Kung Fu Necktie, Philadelphia, PA, August 29, 2023) [CANCELLED]

Posted in Bad Cop/Bad Cop, Kung Fu Necktie, Philadelphia, PA, The Homeless Gospel Choir on August 29, 2023| Leave a Comment »

[CANCELLED: August 29, 2023] Bad Cop/Bad Cop / The Homeless Gospel Choir

I didn’t actually find out about this show until it was cancelled. And there’s no word that I can see as to why it was cancelled.

Oh well.

I saw Bad Cop/ Bad Cop open for Anti-Flag and they were great.  I enjoyed their whole intense set.

The Homeless Gospel Choir opened for My Chemical Romance when we saw them.  But we didn’t get to our seats until after their set was over.  They are a folk/punk band from Pittsburgh who I’m still interested in checking out.

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Alex G / Alvvays [A Make the World Better Benefit] (The Dell Music Center, Philadelphia PA, August 26, 2023) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Alex G, Alvvays, Dell Music Center, Make the World Better, Philadelphia, PA on August 26, 2023| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: September 26, 2023] Alex G / Alvvays

Just like last year’s Make the World Better Benefit, everything about this show was geared for me to enjoy.

Actually, that’s not entirely true.  I don;t really like Alex G.  In fact, the last single that got overplayed by him I did not like at all.

But I love Alvvays and would love to see them again.

Plus, this is a benefit show for Make the World Better.

Their motto is “A park should be a place where you see joy every single day. That’s what we’re trying to do.” — Connor Barwin

We believe community-based redevelopment projects have a unique ability to strengthen neighborhoods by creating a sense of ownership over public spaces. We engage residents in all phases of a project, from concept to construction to ongoing programming and upkeep. We design with and for the community—pushing beyond typical play space design: we’ve built community garden plots and a media lab; we have painted murals and all of our projects have included green stormwater infrastructure.

I’ve never been to the Dell Music Center.  It’s an outdoor venue near The Mann Center which probably means parking sucks.  Although I see that it is mostly seated with just a little bit of lawn available.

However, this weekend was already busy enough.  So, we had to give it a miss.  It’s not sold out, but it’s pretty close.  So good for them.

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Together Pangea / Thick / Reckling (Underground Arts, Philadelphia, PA, August 24, 2023) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Philadelphia, PA, Reckling, Thick, Together Pangea, Underground Arts on August 24, 2023| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: August 24, 2023] Together Pangea / Thick / Reckling

I have wanted to see Thick for about five years now.  It seems whenever they play a show I can’t get to it for one reason or another.  This show was announced and I thought they were headlining.  But they are not.

Together Pangea is a band whose name I like a lot.  But I do not like their music.  It’s not that different from bands that I do like, it just didn’t do anything for me. So I decided I didn’t want to go to this show.

Thick is a fun rocking band from New York.  As I’ve said every time I keep missing them, I hope they come back soon.

I’d never heard of Reckling.  They are a pretty standard fast, catchy punk band.  Fun stuff, but not especially memorable.

 

 

 

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Margaret Glaspy: Free at Noon (World Cafe Live, Philadelphia, PA, August 18, 2023)

Posted in Free at Noon, Margaret Glaspy, Philadelphia, PA, World Cafe Live on August 18, 2023| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: August 18, 2023] Margaret Glaspy

I had been wanting to see Margaret Glaspy for a pretty long time.  She last played Philadelphia in 2016, about two months before I heard her album.  (Well, actually, she played Philly when opening for Ruston Kelly, ew).  She was supposed to headline a tour back in 2020, but that show was postponed, so it’s not her fault that it took six years for me to see her.

It also takes her a pretty long time to put out new music.  Her new album is only her third in seven years.  She had been working on these songs for a while because she played a bunch of them when opening for Spoon last year.

She announced a new tour and is playing Underground Arts the same night I have a ticket for Explosions in the Sky. I’m still torn–they’re very different shows.  But then WXPN announced she’d be doing a Free at Noon and I grabbed a ticket.  I’ve often thought it’s not worth doing one of these–I mean it’s about three hours of my ay for a 30 minute show.  But this one was especially fun because her album came out today and she signed them.

And the band sounded great!

I love how loud and brash her guitar sounds.  I tend to think of her as a kind of soft-spoken singer, but her guitars really rock.   Her new single “Act Natural” is so damned catchy with a great riff and a fun chorus.  Like last time she opened with “I Didn’t Think So” and “Act Natural.”  They are a great one-two punch of riffs and melody.  (more…)

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Otherworld Philadelphia (Philadelphia, PA, August 17, 2023)

Posted in Otherworld, Philadelphia, PA on August 17, 2023| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: August 17, 2023] Otherworld Philadelphia

I had gotten an ad on Instagram for something called Otherworld.  There was very little information about what it was, but it seemed like an immersive interactive art exhibit.  My kids have both been to Meow Wolf in Denver and I imagined it would be something like that: Rooms where you looked at things and touched things and just marveled at everything around you.

Even some of the proper reviews of the place were deliberately vague.  This was pretty much everything from ABC 6 News online:

“Otherworld” features more than 55 rooms and large-scale installations. Guests of all ages can roam at their own pace through the 40,000-square-foot location. More than 100 artists are working on the project.

So I purchased early bird tickets at a reduced rate and took the day off work and we headed into Philly (there’s AMPLE parking!!!)

We walked in and my first thought was (having just been to a Flaming Lips concert) that this building must be what the inside of Wayne Coyne’s head is like.

It was fantastic. (more…)

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