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Archive for the ‘Free Range’ Category

Slow Pulp / Free Range (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, November 13, 2024) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Free Range, Philadelphia, PA, Slow Pulp, Union Transfer on November 13, 2024| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: November 13, 2024] Slow Pulp / Free Range

In 2022 Slow Pulp opened for Alvvays and I wrote

Slow Pulp is a funny name.  Especially if (like to me) it sounds like your band is just a slower version of the band Pulp, which they are not.  Rather, they are kind of a slow version of Alvvays.  They are slow and introspective.  Seems like a good (if maybe dull?) fit.

I still don’t like the name (for the same reason), but I’ve become somewhat more interested in them.

Last year, they were playing The Foundry on Halloween on the same night that we were seeing Japanese Breakfast.  I listened to them a bit since them and while I still think they are too slow for me (the name is apt), I liked some of their stuff more than I thought I would.

I was intrigued to see them live, but this show was the same night as Palehound and Ratboys, so, I wasn’t going to miss that one.

I have actually seen Free Range live twice.  Technically I only heard them on one occasion–they were playing when we arrived at All Things Go and we could hear  them through the speakers.  But I also saw them open for, of all bands, Ratboys (so the band they opened for last time prevented me from seeing them this time).

About them I wrote

Sofia Jensen’s voice sounded familiar–maybe a kind of Phoebe Bridgers vibe–a kind of strong whispery style, and her songs had a strong Pinegrove feel to me (turns out that Nick Levin from Pinegrove plays pedal steel on on two of the tracks).  I guess the songs are indie rock with a whiff of country about them.  Although, interestingly, the chill vibe was often smashed by the loud jamming sections of some of the songs, especially the final one “Want to Know” which rocked out more than the others.

I would have enjoyed this show if I was in a mellow mood.

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Lana Del Rey–All Things Go Music Festival [Day 2] (Merriweather Post Pavilion, Columbia, MS, October 1, 2023)

Posted in Alex G, All Things Go, Alvvays, Arlo Parks, Boygenius, Carly Rae Jepsen, Columbia MD, Dayglow, Ella Jane, Ethel Cain, Flecther, Free Range, Hemlocke Springs, Jensen McRae, Juliana Madrid, Lana Del Ray, Last Dinosaurs, Leith Ross, Lizzie McAlpine, Maggie Rogers, Meet Me @ The Altar, Merriweather Post Pavilion, Mt. Joy, Muna, No Vacation, Peach Pit, Raye, Samia, Sudan Archives, Suki Waterhouse, Tegan and Sara, Tommy Lefroy, Vacations, Vundabar on October 1, 2023| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: October 1, 2023] Lana Del Rey

Sometime in April, my daughter asked if we could go to the All Things Go Festival.  I had never heard of this Festival and assumed the answer was no.  But then I saw that it was at the Merriweather Post Pavilion which is exactly three hours away from us.  So when tickets went on sale, I managed to get two pre-sale tickets for Sunday.  And then when they went on proper sale, I managed to score two more for Saturday.

Sunday was  the far more important day for music.  I mean, the whole reason she wanted to go was to see boygenius (and Lana Del Rey).  But this was a great day of music to be sure.

While Muna was playing on the other stage, the Lana Del Rey crew assembled the stage for the final act.  I didn’t understand why boygenius was late in starting.  But they finished at 8, when they were supposed to.  The Lana set was fully in place before Muna finished.

Of all of the performers at this festival, Lana was the person I was least interested in seeing.  My take on Lana is that she plays a random melody on the piano (or guitar) and then looks out the window and literally describes what’s in front of her in a bored monotone.  I never would have guessed that she actually had a beautiful voice, because all I ever hear from her is bored monotone. (more…)

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Muna–All Things Go Music Festival [Day 2] (Merriweather Post Pavilion, Columbia, MS, October 1, 2023)

Posted in Alex G, All Things Go, Alvvays, Arlo Parks, Boygenius, Carly Rae Jepsen, Columbia MD, Dayglow, Ella Jane, Ethel Cain, Flecther, Free Range, Hemlocke Springs, Jensen McRae, Juliana Madrid, Lana Del Ray, Last Dinosaurs, Leith Ross, Lizzie McAlpine, Maggie Rogers, Meet Me @ The Altar, Merriweather Post Pavilion, Mt. Joy, Muna, No Vacation, Peach Pit, Raye, Samia, Sudan Archives, Suki Waterhouse, Tegan and Sara, Tommy Lefroy, Vacations, Vundabar on October 1, 2023| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: October 1, 2023] Muna

Sometime in April, my daughter asked if we could go to the All Things Go Festival.  I had never heard of this Festival and assumed the answer was no.  But then I saw that it was at the Merriweather Post Pavilion which is exactly three hours away from us.  So when tickets went on sale, I managed to get two pre-sale tickets for Sunday.  And then when they went on proper sale, I managed to score two more for Saturday.

Sunday was  the far more important day for music.  I mean, the whole reason she wanted to go was to see boygenius (and Lana Del Rey).  But this was a great day of music to be sure.

I didn’t really know Muna all that well before this show.  I knew that they were signed to Phoebe Bridgers’ label and that she joined them on stage a lot.  I also knew Silk Chiffon which was a highly touted song.  I kind of liked it.  There was something about it that I didn’t quite like but I couldn’t put my finger on it.

It probably would have been fun  to see them in person, as their set was really fun and lively.  But realistically since they went on literally right after Boygenius on a stage that was a short walk away, there was no way we would have gotten anything like a good space to be. (more…)

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boygenius–All Things Go Music Festival [Day 2] (Merriweather Post Pavilion, Columbia, MS, October 1, 2023)

Posted in Alex G, All Things Go, Alvvays, Arlo Parks, Boygenius, Carly Rae Jepsen, Columbia MD, Dayglow, Ella Jane, Ethel Cain, Flecther, Free Range, Hemlocke Springs, Jensen McRae, Juliana Madrid, Lana Del Ray, Last Dinosaurs, Leith Ross, Lizzie McAlpine, Maggie Rogers, Meet Me @ The Altar, Merriweather Post Pavilion, Mt. Joy, Muna, No Vacation, Peach Pit, Raye, Samia, Sudan Archives, Suki Waterhouse, Tegan and Sara, Tommy Lefroy, Vacations, Vundabar on October 1, 2023| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: October 1, 2023] boygenius

Sometime in April, my daughter asked if we could go to the All Things Go Festival.  I had never heard of this Festival and assumed the answer was no.  But then I saw that it was at the Merriweather Post Pavilion which is exactly three hours away from us.  So when tickets went on sale, I managed to get two pre-sale tickets for Sunday.  And then when they went on proper sale, I managed to score two more for Saturday.

Sunday was  the far more important day for music.  I mean, the whoel reason she wanted to go was to see boygenius (and Lana Del Rey).  But this was a great day of music to be sure.

Despite our plans to get to the pavilion early for boygenius, by the time we got there, every close seat was full.  We didn’t want to sit in the sun (it was HOT) so we wound up sitting much further back than I would have liked.

I have to say that I was shocked that Lana del Rey was headlining and not boygenius, because it sure seemed to me that boygenius was the biggest band on the planet at the time.  But Lana does have a much longer track record (and a lot of fans).

Boygenius was late coming on stage.  I genuinely don’t know why.  I mean, Arlo Parks had been off the stage for half an hour and the Boygenius gear was already on stage (the festival was, otherwise, very efficient).  So they went on 15 minutes late.  And what was insulting about it was that earlier in the week we were told that beabadoobie couldn’t make it so boygenius would get an extra 15 minutes.   We were prepared for a full on 90 minute show, but we lost those 15 minutes anyway.

They played The Boys Are Back in Town over the speakers and then we saw the geniuses backstage singing “Without You Without Them” as they do.

And then they came bounding out on stage.  (more…)

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Alex G.–All Things Go Music Festival [Day 2] (Merriweather Post Pavilion, Columbia, MS, October 1, 2023)

Posted in Alex G, All Things Go, Alvvays, Arlo Parks, Boygenius, Carly Rae Jepsen, Columbia MD, Dayglow, Ella Jane, Ethel Cain, Flecther, Free Range, Hemlocke Springs, Jensen McRae, Juliana Madrid, Lana Del Ray, Last Dinosaurs, Leith Ross, Lizzie McAlpine, Maggie Rogers, Meet Me @ The Altar, Merriweather Post Pavilion, Mt. Joy, Muna, No Vacation, Peach Pit, Raye, Samia, Sudan Archives, Suki Waterhouse, Tegan and Sara, Tommy Lefroy, Vacations, Vundabar on October 1, 2023| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: October 1, 2023] Alex G.

Sometime in April, my daughter asked if we could go to the All Things Go Festival.  I had never heard of this Festival and assumed the answer was no.  But then I saw that it was at the Merriweather Post Pavilion which is exactly three hours away from us.  So when tickets went on sale, I managed to get two pre-sale tickets for Sunday.  And then when they went on proper sale, I managed to score two more for Saturday.

Sunday was  the far more important day for music.  I mean, the whole reason she wanted to go was to see boygenius (and Lana Del Rey).  But this was a great day of music to be sure.

I had seen Alex G. once before.  He opened for Built to Spill.

At first I was a little unimpressed.  The songs are pretty simple and short–lo-fi recordings, which I do enjoy, but were not what I was expecting.  But by the middle, he had won me over.  The last five or six songs in particular were really good.  I enjoyed the unexpected screaming part of “Icehead” which did a great job playing with quiet and loud.

Recently, he released a new album and a song that sounds so much like “Runaway Train” that I can’t stand it and I have generally had a less favorable view of him.

But my daughter has started to really like him.  So I felt bad that we couldn’t see him.  Although we did get to see him on the video screens. But like with Alvvays he was more or less drowned out by everything around him.  So, you could see him fine (it was very sunny), but very few people were paying attention to him.

He played a few songs that my daughter wanted to hear, so that was cool.  But I was struck by how weird his songs were–noisy and kind of ugly-sounding.  It’s the kind of set I would normally enjoy, but it felt so strangely out of place at this festival.  It also made me wonder if many people enjoyed his set.

Alex G.

  1. S.D.O.S ♥
  2. Runner ♥
  3. Hope ∏
  4. No Bitterness ♥
  5. Ain’t It Easy ♥
  6. Mission ♥
  7. Bug ß
  8. Brick ψ
  9. Horse ψ
  10. Blessing ♥
  11. Immunity ♥
  12. Sarah ♦
  13. Mary ♦
  14. Gretel ∏
  15. After Ur Gone §
  16. Miracles ♥
  17. Forgive ♥
♥ God Save the Animals (2022)
∏ House of Sugar (2019)
ψ Rocket (2017)
ß Beach Music (2015)
§ DSU (2014)
♦ TRICK (2012)

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Arlo Parks–All Things Go Music Festival [Day 2] (Merriweather Post Pavilion, Columbia, MS, October 1, 2023)

Posted in Alex G, All Things Go, Alvvays, Arlo Parks, Boygenius, Carly Rae Jepsen, Columbia MD, Dayglow, Ella Jane, Ethel Cain, Flecther, Free Range, Hemlocke Springs, Jensen McRae, Juliana Madrid, Lana Del Ray, Last Dinosaurs, Leith Ross, Lizzie McAlpine, Maggie Rogers, Meet Me @ The Altar, Merriweather Post Pavilion, Mt. Joy, Muna, No Vacation, Peach Pit, Raye, Samia, Sudan Archives, Suki Waterhouse, Tegan and Sara, Tommy Lefroy, Vacations, Vundabar on October 1, 2023| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: October 1, 2023] All Things Go [Day 2]

Sometime in April, my daughter asked if we could go to the All Things Go Festival.  I had never heard of this Festival and assumed the answer was no.  But then I saw that it was at the Merriweather Post Pavilion which is exactly three hours away from us.  So when tickets went on sale, I managed to get two pre-sale tickets for Sunday.  And then when they went on proper sale, I managed to score two more for Saturday.

Sunday was  the far more important day for music.  I mean, the whole reason she wanted to go was to see boygenius (and Lana Del Rey).  But this was a great day of music to be sure.

I have wanted to see Arlo Parks for a while.  Last September I could have gone to see her, but I didn’t feel like going to Franklin Music Hall that night.

I had already purchased tickets to see her in the Spring at Union Transfer.  So I didn’t feel the need to see her.  But she was right in the middle of Ethel Cain and boygenius so we weren’t going anywhere.

I also assumed that Arlo Parks would have a bigger fan base than Ethel Cain (who I had never heard of).  Mostly this was because Arlo came after Ethel, but also, as I say, I’d never heard of Ethel.  But I was completely wrong about that.  People didn’t leave for Arlo, but the applause for Arlo was quite subdued compared to what Ethel got.

One of the reasons I didn’t want to see Arlo at Franklin Music Hall was because I feel like her music is very personal and not suited to a big stage.  And That turned out to be true more or less.  Arlo tends to hunch over and kind of squat as she sings and while it’s not a matter of lack of projection, she’s not very outward facing.

Her voice sounded great and the songs were excellent, but as a performer it was too understated for a big stadium like this.  Interestingly, later on, when she sang a song with Muna, she was far more ebullient and fun.

I’m curious to see her now where she’s headlining to see if things are any different.  And, of course, I would actually like to see her, rather than seeing her on a big screen.

ARLO PARKS

  1. Bruiseless ∑
  2. Weightless ∑
  3. Blades ∑
  4. Caroline ¥
  5. Eugene ¥
  6. Dog Rose ∑
  7. Hurt ¥
  8. Too Good ¥
  9. Sophie ♦
  10. Devotion ∑
  11. Softly §

∑ My Soft Machine (2023)
§ Single (2022)
¥ Collapsed in Sunbeams (2021)
♦ Sophie EP (2019)

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Alvvays–All Things Go Music Festival [Day 2] (Merriweather Post Pavilion, Columbia, MS, October 1, 2023)

Posted in Alex G, All Things Go, Alvvays, Arlo Parks, Boygenius, Carly Rae Jepsen, Columbia MD, Dayglow, Ella Jane, Ethel Cain, Flecther, Free Range, Hemlocke Springs, Jensen McRae, Juliana Madrid, Lana Del Ray, Last Dinosaurs, Leith Ross, Lizzie McAlpine, Maggie Rogers, Meet Me @ The Altar, Merriweather Post Pavilion, Mt. Joy, Muna, No Vacation, Peach Pit, Raye, Samia, Sudan Archives, Suki Waterhouse, Tegan and Sara, Tommy Lefroy, Vacations, Vundabar on October 1, 2023| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: October 1, 2023] Alvvays

Sometime in April, my daughter asked if we could go to the All Things Go Festival.  I had never heard of this Festival and assumed the answer was no.  But then I saw that it was at the Merriweather Post Pavilion which is exactly three hours away from us.  So when tickets went on sale, I managed to get two pre-sale tickets for Sunday.  And then when they went on proper sale, I managed to score two more for Saturday.

Sunday was  the far more important day for music.  I mean, the whole reason she wanted to go was to see boygenius (and Lana Del Rey).  But this was a great day of music to be sure.

I love Alvvays and have seen them twice.  I would have loved to see them again, but I knew that, given we wanted to be in  the proper place to get great boygenius seats, we’d sacrifice seeing them.  It was very cool that their show was (mostly) broadcast on the screens in the auditorium and was mostly audible.

It was interesting to see them playing in the bright summer sun (they all had to wear sunglasses) and were clearly very hot, while we were comfy in the shade of the amphitheater.

But really, it was hard to appreciate their set with people walking around and talking and with them being mostly a background show.

Bit of a bummer, but good background music.  I was happy to clearly hear a few of my favorite songs.

ALVVAYS

  1. Pharmacist ß
  2. After the Earthquake ß
  3. In Undertow ⊗
  4. Many Mirrors ß
  5. Very Online Guy ß
  6. Adult Diversion ∧
  7. Belinda Says ß
  8. Archie, Marry Me ∧
  9. Easy on Your Own? ß

ß Blue Rev (2022)
⊗ Antisocialities (2017)
∧ Alvvays (2014)

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Ethel Cain–All Things Go Music Festival [Day 2] (Merriweather Post Pavilion, Columbia, MS, October 1, 2023)

Posted in Alex G, All Things Go, Alvvays, Arlo Parks, Boygenius, Carly Rae Jepsen, Columbia MD, Dayglow, Ella Jane, Ethel Cain, Flecther, Free Range, Hemlocke Springs, Jensen McRae, Juliana Madrid, Lana Del Ray, Last Dinosaurs, Leith Ross, Lizzie McAlpine, Maggie Rogers, Meet Me @ The Altar, Merriweather Post Pavilion, Mt. Joy, Muna, No Vacation, Peach Pit, Raye, Samia, Sudan Archives, Suki Waterhouse, Tegan and Sara, Tommy Lefroy, Vacations, Vundabar on October 1, 2023| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: October 1, 2023] Ethel Cain

Sometime in April, my daughter asked if we could go to the All Things Go Festival.  I had never heard of this Festival and assumed the answer was no.  But then I saw that it was at the Merriweather Post Pavilion which is exactly three hours away from us.  So when tickets went on sale, I managed to get two pre-sale tickets for Sunday.  And then when they went on proper sale, I managed to score two more for Saturday.

Sunday was  the far more important day for music.  I mean, the whole reason she wanted to go was to see boygenius (and Lana Del Rey).  But this was a great day of music to be sure.

I had not heard of Ethel Cain, but my daughter said they were very popular.

Cain is a fascinating individual.

In mid-2017, Cain began experimenting with writing, recording, and producing her own ethereal style, inspired by Christian music and Gregorian chants.

We had initially planned on arriving during Cain’s set to get really good seats for boygenius.  Turns out that Cain has a MASSIVE fanbase and the crowd was 100% there for her.

A reviewer from Nippertown said of Cain

Ethel Cain is truly a showstopper in regard to her performance. Between her rich vocals, fantastic storytelling, incomparable stage presence, and fan interaction, Cain is an artist that everyone should get to experience live at least once in their lives.

I would agree with this but with a caveat.  Seeing her from as far back as we did, a lot of that personal touch was lost.  However, the video screens showed her interacting with fans in the front rows–holding hands, singing directly to fans.  It was surprisingly intimate.

I felt like a lot of the music was lost in the big festival setting–her music is kind of slow and ponderous.  I found some of it rather dull, honestly.  But the fans in front of me hung on every word.  So I suppose if I had heard the songs before I may have enjoyed them more.

But I think in an intimate venue, her music would overwhelm in the best of ways.  I guess a small show is a recommendation going forward.

ETHEL CAIN

  1. A House in Nebraska
  2. American Teenager
  3. Family Tree
  4. Hard Times
  5. Thoroughfare
  6. Sun Bleached Flies
  7. Crush ⊗
⊗ Inbred (2021)

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Leith Ross–All Things Go Music Festival [Day 2] (Merriweather Post Pavilion, Columbia, MS, October 1, 2023)

Posted in Alex G, All Things Go, Alvvays, Arlo Parks, Boygenius, Carly Rae Jepsen, Columbia MD, Dayglow, Ella Jane, Ethel Cain, Flecther, Free Range, Hemlocke Springs, Jensen McRae, Juliana Madrid, Lana Del Ray, Last Dinosaurs, Leith Ross, Lizzie McAlpine, Maggie Rogers, Meet Me @ The Altar, Merriweather Post Pavilion, Mt. Joy, Muna, No Vacation, Peach Pit, Raye, Samia, Sudan Archives, Suki Waterhouse, Tegan and Sara, Tommy Lefroy, Vacations, Vundabar on October 1, 2023| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: October 1, 2023] Leith Ross

Sometime in April, my daughter asked if we could go to the All Things Go Festival.  I had never heard of this Festival and assumed the answer was no.  But then I saw that it was at the Merriweather Post Pavilion which is exactly three hours away from us.  So when tickets went on sale, I managed to get two pre-sale tickets for Sunday.  And then when they went on proper sale, I managed to score two more for Saturday.

Sunday was  the far more important day for music.  I mean, the whole reason she wanted to go was to see boygenius (and Lana Del Rey).  But this was a great day of music to be sure.

I hadn’t heard of Leith Ross before this set.  I listened to a song or two and liked them.  So who is this singer? (more…)

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Meet Me @ the Altar–All Things Go Music Festival [Day 2] (Merriweather Post Pavilion, Columbia, MS, October 1, 2023)

Posted in Alex G, All Things Go, Alvvays, Arlo Parks, Boygenius, Carly Rae Jepsen, Columbia MD, Dayglow, Ella Jane, Ethel Cain, Flecther, Free Range, Hemlocke Springs, Jensen McRae, Juliana Madrid, Lana Del Ray, Last Dinosaurs, Leith Ross, Lizzie McAlpine, Maggie Rogers, Meet Me @ The Altar, Merriweather Post Pavilion, Mt. Joy, Muna, No Vacation, Peach Pit, Raye, Samia, Sudan Archives, Suki Waterhouse, Tegan and Sara, Tommy Lefroy, Vacations, Vundabar on October 1, 2023| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: October 1, 2023] Meet Me @the Altar

I had tickets to see Meet me @ the Altar a while back and decided against going.  I felt a little bad about it, but assumed the show/crowd might skew too young for me.

But when I saw that they were playing this Festival, I knew this was my chance to see what I missed.

I told my daughter that after this show, the day was hers and we’d do what we wanted.

She went off to the side a bit to sit in the shade and I stayed in my shady standing spot and moments later a young woman with green hair came up on stage.

I actually thought that Meet Me @ the Altar were really really young, but Edith Victoria announced that it was her birthday (what a fun way to spend your birthday) and that she was now 23.

Meet Me @ the Altar are a trio with Téa Campbell on guitar and Ada Juarez on drums.

They play an amazing version of feminist pop punk.  I loved everything about this band.  I loved the sound of the guitars, I loved Edith’s voice and I loved their attitude.

They have a new album out and they played a bunch of songs from it.  Most of them are about 3 minutes long.

Then they acknowledged how much they loved women rockers from the early 2000s.   They played three covers (mostly the first verse and the chorus).  I only knew Complicated, and their version was fantastic.

The crowd was totally into it and since most of the rest of the day was full of quieter bands, I feel like this was a good opportunity to get some dancing out.

They have since announced a headlining tour and they’re coming to Philly next year.  I’m definitely going.

MEET ME @ THE ALTAR

  1. Same Language ⇔
  2. T.M.I ⇔
  3. Try ⇔
  4. Since U Been Gone (Kelly Clarkson) (Shortened)
  5. Complicated (Avril Lavigne) (Shortened)
  6. Take Me Away (Christina Vidal) (Shortened)
  7. Hit Like A Girl §
  8. Say It (To My Face) ⇔
  9. Garden Ø
  10. Kool ⇔

⇔ Past//Present//Future (2023)
§ single 2021
Ø single 2020

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