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Archive for the ‘Deerhoof’ Category

Deerhoof / Hello Mary / Scarlet (Underground Arts, Philadelphia, PA, April 5, 2023) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Deerhoof, Hello Mary, Philadelphia, PA, Scarlet, Underground Arts on April 5, 2023| 2 Comments »

[DID NOT ATTEND: April 5, 2023] Deerhoof / Hello Mary / Scarlet

Deerhoof is one of the weirder indie bands out there.  Their songs have no real sense of standard structure or melody.  They jump from notion to notion, seemingly on a whim.

I haven’t listened to them a lot, although I always like to know they’re still making weird music.

They’re the kind of band that would be really interesting to see live.  One reviewer on Soundkick puts it much better than I could

There sound is also so fascinating because they love playing around with polar opposite musical elements, testing how they clash and complement each other. Singer Satomi Matsuzaki’s voice has a characteristic sweet and child like innocence to it; however it is often bizarrely paired with abrasive (sometimes borderline frighting) musical accompaniments. Deerhoof is also a band that has a rich understanding of pop music; however they will take it into their own territory: perverting it, capitalizing on its charm, and most importantly using it as a way to mess with the listeners anticipations.

Deerhoof is one of the most unique bands around and it is a wonderful experience to see them perform live. Their music is simply incomparable. In a way it is a mystery how they get such interesting sounds when using very conventional instrumentation. When I saw them live for their “Breakup Song” tour they performed their entire set using only a guitar, bass, drum set and microphone. I was mesmerized throughout the performance. It was one of the few shows I have attended in which I was absolutely absorbed in the music. They switched from songs like “Apple Bomb” which was a more contemplative track featuring fantastically odd chord changes to newer songs like “There’s That Grin”. “There’s that Grin” has to be the catchiest Deerhoof track written. I couldn’t believe how perfect they performed it live either. This is a song that features extensive use of synthesizers and yet it sounded just as good performed on the guitar and bass. Their drummer Greg Saunier also has one of the greatest improvisational styles I have seen in a long time.

I wasn’t really intending to go to this show until I saw that Hello Mary was opening.

The New York trio’s self-titled full-length debut, out March 3, is a blast of distorted chords, sunny harmonies, and all-consuming angst that will renew your faith in the hopelessly dated and/or timelessly classic sounds of alternative rock. Hello Mary is an instant contender for 2023’s most bracing entrance to the stage, sharp and self-assured. Oh yeah, and the band’s two founders — singer-guitarist Helena Straight and bass player Mikaela Oppenheimer, both 18 — just graduated from high school this summer.

I have since listened to the album and I love it.  I sure hope they tour soon, maybe as a headliner.

Scarlet is a terrible name for a band.  While looking this band up, I found at least three possibilities because there are at least three bands with this name.  One is a hair metal band, the other is a grunge goth band and then there’s this one, which I assume is the right one (there’s no way to tell really).

The band that I think this is–they make the most sense–is the band from Brooklyn (this one) who I rather like.  There’s droning guitars and feedback–grunge guitars and soft vocals (a la 90s indie rock).   Probabaly because I just saw Versus, tis band reminds me of them somewhat in style. It’s pretty great.  I hope this is the Scarlet that was at this show.

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METZ / Spiritual Cramp (Underground Arts, Philadelphia, PA, October 24, 2022) [CANCELLED]

Posted in Cancelled, Deerhoof, Hello Mary, Metz, Philadelphia, PA, Scarlet, Spiritual Cramp, Underground Arts on October 24, 2022| Leave a Comment »

[CANCELLED: October 24, 2022] METZ / Spiritual Cramp

I saw METZ open for Modest Mouse four years ago and my ears might still be ringing.  I knew of Metz from their noise filled chaotic but amazing albums.

Their live show was less about the abrasiveness and more about their intense stage presence.  I knew I wanted to see them headline a show.

I was unable to see them on their headline tour last year.  But I was pretty excited for this year’s 10 year anniversary tour.  But then, sort of out of the blue it was announced that they’d cancelled the fall leg of their tour (all of October).  There’s still no word on what happened [UPDATE: they did play the December shows, so, maybe they didn’t want to be on the east coast for Halloween).  No word yet on a rescheduled date.

Spiritual Cramp are a San Francisco punk band in the old school Ramonesy fashion.  Simple clean and fast with a singer who kind of blurts out the words.  They’re kind of refreshing, frankly.

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Batushka / Witching / Hideous Divinity / Hate (Underground Arts, Philadelphia, PA, September 26, 2022) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Batushka, Deerhoof, БАТЮШКА, Hate, Hello Mary, Hideous Divinity, Philadelphia, PA, Scarlet, Underground Arts, Witching on September 26, 2022| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: September 26, 2022] Batushka / Witching / Hideous Divinity / Hate

I had heard of Batushka [БАТЮШКА] because there was an article about how there were two bands with the same name.  And, it was a case of the band breaking up and the guy who left taking the name–but the main band keeping it as well.  So both bands sounded vaguely the same as well, I guess.

Krzysztof Drabikowski formedthe band.  But a falling out between Drabikowski and vocalist Bartłomiej Krysiuk in 2018 led to Krysiuk starting his own version of Batushka, which released its own recordings and performs separately from the original band. Drabikowski protested the move and does not consider Krysiuk’s band legitimate.

Here’s some of the quotes from the controversy

Drabikowski stated that “There were attempts to take my creation Batushka away from me” and “the upcoming album Панихида (“Requiem”) will not feature his voice”

Krysiuk then “hired musicians to produce an album that he planned to release as the new Batushka record, behind [his] back”.

On 27 May 2019, Drabikowski’s Batushka released a new full-length album called Панихида (“Panihida”) (“Requiem”) and was very well received by both critics and fans alike.

On 12 July 2019, Krysiuk’s Batushka released a full-length album called Hospodi (“God Almighty”), the album received mixed reviews from critics[20][21] and was panned by some of the band’s fans, with most of the criticism aimed at their “illegitimacy” to use the name Batushka.

In the wake of the public falling out and ensuing drama between Drabikowski and Krysiuk several parody bands using variations of the “Batushka” name emerged online as a widespread meme, each also claiming to be the “true Batushka”, the most notable being “Batyushka” an anonymous project claiming to be from Russia and being actual Orthodox priests and adhering to the Orthodox dogma.  Their music is completely instrumental and have independently released over a dozen albums on Bandcamp which were met with indifference and annoyance, as well as mockery from fans of the real band, several people also pointed out how the music uses a drum machine.

Controversy aside, they sounded interesting a Polish black metal band formed by Krzysztof Drabikowski.  Their music and lyrics, which are written exclusively in Church Slavonic language, are inspired by the Eastern Orthodox Church.  The band members wear habits and Eastern Orthodox schemas during live performances to conceal their identities.

I’m not even sure which band this was.  I think it was Krysiuk’s version (known as Fakeuska, apparently) as Drabikowski hasn’t done much.   But if they’re wearing robes and hoods, who is to know?

After seeing behemoth back in April, I wasn’t sure if wanted to see another black metal show.  This one seemed especially daunting given that it was in the tiny Underground Arts.

So I opted not to go.  Maybe if they come back another time.

Polish band Hate opened.  I’m not too keen on a band that is simply called Hate.  They are a blackened death metal band.  They wear corpse paint and have had many lineup changes over the years.  Their singer growls, but I have to admit that the lyrics are actually audible, which is quite a plus.

Witching opened our show.  They are a metal band from Philly.  Their track Lividity opens with acoustic guitars and witching female singing and after two minutes the vocals get decidedly demonic and scary as the music gets heavier and pummeling.   It also looks like most of the band is women, which is pretty cool for the genre: Jacqui, Nate, Tatiana, Samantha and Hazel.

Hideous Divinity are from Italy.  I’m guessing they couldn’t make the first two shows of the tour and they started in Georgia.  They, like the others are heavy and growly.

I actually thought this show was four bands, which would have been just too much growling and heaviness.  Even three bands seemed like a lot.  Although now that I know more about Witching, they might have been a nice change for the show.   Nevertheless, despite the visuals, I’m not sure I was ever really planning to go to this show.

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Chang-Rae Lee–“Manhattan” (New Yorker, December 3, 2012)

Posted in Beer, Chang-Rae Lee, Deerhoof, Essays, Food, KEXP 90.3 FM--Seattle, WA, New Yorker on December 6, 2012| Leave a Comment »

CV1_TNY_12_03_12Thiebaud.inddSOUNDTRACK: DEERHOOF-Live on KEXP, February 1, 2007 (2007).

deer2Deerhoof is noisy and chaotic, indeed much more noisy and chaotic here than on their 2008 set.  The introduction has the band posing a very funny question in which they asks the DJ about how the show will be streaming in various formats.  He imagines easy listening–a good joke for this uneasy listening band.

There are five songs in this set, although “The Eyebright Bugler,” “+81” and “Wrong Time Capsule” are played as a medley.  This is an interesting set because they play songs from various albums, not just their newest release.  The set opens with “Milkman” (from Milkman) with a quick jump to “Twin Killers” (From The Runners Four).  Then there’s an interview which is, as always, very funny, they’re a very enjoyable band.    It also reveals that a middle school has taken Milkman (I assume the whole album) and made a ballet out of it.

“Eyebright Bugler” (from Reveille) merges easily in “+81” (from Friend Opportunity).  “+81” is one of the most catchy oddball songs I know–a simple riff that seems to project excitement and yet not a full rocking sound.   The DJ even says that people have called up and asked not to play that song because it is such an earworm they can’t get it out of their head (the band takes this as a compliment .  Finally “Wrong Time Capsule” also comes from The Runners Four.    It merges all of the sounds-noisy guitars , conventional bass and the always enchanting vocals.

 Check out the strangeness here

[READ: December 6, 2012] “Manhattan”

The final “Gut Course” in this issue isn’t about food at all but about a drink.

Chang-Rae Lee remembers the summer when he lived with his girlfriend Nina in her parents Fifth Avenue apartment.  He lived in a maid’s quarters while Nina and her friend Carol shared Nina’s room.

This was just before his senior year of college, when the opportunity of living with your girlfriend must have been mindblowing.  But what he remembers most is her father’s request for a nightly Manhattan.

He explains that his family (indeed I have to assume most families in 1986) did not have a cocktail hour.  Chang says that his own father had an occasional Genesee Cream Ale, and hardly finished it.  But Nina’s father (who was a New York sophisticate) taught him how to prepare the perfect Manhattan. (more…)

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Baratunde Thurston–How to Be Black (2012)

Posted in Advice, Africa, Baratunde Thurston, Books about writers, Bullseye, Christian Lander, damali ayo, Deerhoof, Derrick Ashong, Elon James White, Fears, Jacquetta Szathmari, KEXP 90.3 FM--Seattle, WA, Nirvana, Political Humor, Racism, Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell, Travel, Universities, W. Kamau Bell, War on September 28, 2012| Leave a Comment »

SOUNDTRACK: DEERHOOF-Live at CMJ Gibson Showroom (2008).

I don’t know much about Deerhoof (I certainly didn’t know they’d been around over a decade).  I heard them on Pitchfork TV (they had two videos on it about two years ago which I rather liked).  This set was recorded live at CMJ by KEXP.

The DJ is very familiar with the band, and the repertoire is casual and funny (although the Gibson joke falls flat).  They play four songs and each one is virtually an instrumental.  The voice is mixed so low on “Blue Cash,” I didn’t even realize she was singing until the third time I listened, so I don’t know which songs have words.  “Tears of Music and Love” is a bit wilder (with some great crazy drumming in the middle).  “Fresh Born” has a bit more of a sinister edge what with the intense riff and the scratchy feedbacky bridge.  It’s my favorite song of the set.  “Basketball Get Your Groove Back” sounds a bit like “Roadrunner” so it’s less than thrilling end to the set.

I expected the band to be a lot weirder than this, I admit, but it’s still a good set.  You can listen here.

[READ: September 20, 2012] How to Be Black

Karen at A Just Recompense posted about this book a little while ago and after just a few lines, I had to stop reading her post so I could get the book.  I had no idea who Thurston was before I read the book, but it sounded so good.  And it was.  Although it wasn’t exactly what I was expecting.

This book is a combination autobiography of Thurston and “how to” book.  Thurston went to a Quaker School and a black militant program at the same time and also went to Harvard before becoming a stand up comedian; he’s co-creator of Jack & Jill Politics and director of digital at The Onion (that’s some serious cred for a geek like me).  As I said, in addition to being his autobiography, this is also something of a how-to manual for being black.  It’s funny, but not cheesy-over-the-top funny (stereotypes are played with but also deconstructed), it’s “serious” funny, and it’s very enjoyable.  And it covers topics that one might not expect, like talking about the Nigerians he has met who are offended at his name.  Baratunde is a twist on a Nigerian name, although his family is not Nigerian, his mother wanted him to have a traditional African name.  And he is quite annoyed at the Nigerians who assume he doesn’t know what his named means.  He does (and the example he gives is very funny). (more…)

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