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Archive for the ‘Heatmap’ Category

Spotlights (Ortlieb’s, Philadelphia, PA, June 23, 2023)

Posted in Heatmap, LaMacchia, Ortlieb's, Philadelphia, PA, Spotlights on June 25, 2023| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: June 24, 2023] Spotlights

I saw Spotlights open for Deftones back in 2016.  I hadn’t heard of them before, but their live show left a lasting impression on me.  I had been trying to see them again since then, but it never worked out for one reason or another.

Finally, they were playing at Ortlieb’s, a bar I’d never been to. So it was cool to check out this venue and see  this band.

The openers started late for one reason or another and so Spotlights didn’t go on until after 10.  They were supposed to end at 11 (a dance party in the main part of the bar was scheduled for 11).  They said they were going to be quick, which I guess meant minimal banter because it didn’t see to shorten their set at all.

The one thing I had remembered from their show was how big and loud this trio sounded.  Originally, Spotlights was a duo–husband and wife Mario and Sarah Quintero–but they seemed to have taken drummer Chris Enriquez into their family and he is a beast.  Enriquez is a perfect compliment to their wall of sound.

And indeed, when Sarah plugged in her bass, the sound was so big my arm hairs vibrated. They played four songs from their new album.  One of which (“Algorithmic” I think) got a huge response from the crowd.

Speaking of the crowd, Ortlieb’s holds about 75 people.  So it was a close, tiny room.  A guy next to me even put his vinyl purchases on the stage (which was about six inches high).  Of course, mid-set, Mario asked him to move them so he (Mario) could stand there and interact with the crowd.  Mario eventually came onto the floor and gave that guy a hug.  (more…)

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Heatmap (Ortlieb’s, Philadelphia, PA, June 23, 2023) [SPOTLIGHTS]

Posted in Heatmap, LaMacchia, Ortlieb's, Philadelphia, PA, Spotlights on June 24, 2023| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: June 24, 2023] Heatmap

Heatmap is from Philly and should not be confused with Heatmaps.  They weren’t originally on this bill and I’m not sure when they got added.  But wow, what a great find.

The band is a trio and they have two EPs out.

I stood right in front of their bassist who played a 1974 Gibson (I only know this because someone asked him and I overheard the answer).  It had such a great sound and it worked perfectly with the way he plays.  The bass is almost a lead instrument.  Not like Primus (they sound absolutely nothing like Primus), but sort of like Primus in that the bass plays the main riff/melody line and the guitar mostly throws sounds and textures over the top of them.

Couple that with their drummer’s complex and amazing drum patterns (now two songs have the same beat and pretty much none of them are just bass/snare) and Heatmap proved to be the most exciting band to watch.

On record, the bass prominence is less notable–it’s still there, but the guitars are more prevalent.  But live, sometimes the singer/guitarist wasn’t playing anything as the bass played the cool post-punk lines and the drums thumped away with lots of floor toms. (more…)

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LaMacchia (Ortlieb’s, Philadelphia, PA, June 23 2023) [SPOTLIGHTS]

Posted in Casablanca, Heatmap, LaMacchia, Ortlieb's, Philadelphia, PA, Shipping News, Spotlights on June 23, 2023| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: June 24, 2023] LaMacchia

LaMacchia is John LaMacchia.  John LaMacchia is the guitarist for Candiria, a metal band I don’t know who plays a kind of mathcore/prog something or other.

LaMacchia is his first solo album, and it’s a very different feel.  He and Sabrina Ellie are the main singers and the album has a much more mellow vibe.

For this show, he had a band and I really enjoyed their set a lot.  There was no female vocalist, but there were outstanding harmonies from his bassist (who had an excellent sound and was really fluid in the basslines) and his guitarist/keyboardist who seemed to be doing all kinds of things over there.

Their drummer was a guest drummer for the night and he was really good, too.

Overall, I was really impressed with how the band could maintain an overall heavy sound but still have excellent (at times) three part harmony.  There was also some diversity in sound up on stage too, with a couple of the songs being almost atmospheric.

“Disconnect” even had a sample from Casablanca (who samples Casablanca?). (more…)

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