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Archive for the ‘Kim Gordon’ Category

Kim Gordon and the Collective (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, June 14, 2024)

Posted in Bill Nace, Kim Gordon, Philadelphia, PA, Union Transfer on June 15, 2024| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: June 14, 2024] Kim Gordon 

I could have seen Kim Gordon a couple of years ago but didn’t get a ticket (and then we went out to something else that night anyway),

I’m not sure what that show was like and I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect for this show either.

I hadn’t really listened to her new album and I’m not entirely sure that I needed to, because I feel like her live band transcended the beats-n-effects of the album.

Kim’s band was fantastic.  They all looked like they could have been teenagers (they’re not) and they made an exquisite noise that was not like Sonic Youth in any way but spirit.  And yet, it was noisy and delicious, with guitars that didn’t sound like guitars, snyths that spanned the gamut of sounds and a drummer who bashed and bashed.

I loved watching guitarist Sarah Register (who was in my sight line while I looked at Kim) play…everything.  She played chords of course, but also played shapes and sounds and scrapes and everything.  It wasn’t like watching Thurston and Lee, it was far more controlled.  But it was awesome.

Bassist Camilla Charlesworth doubled occasionally on electronics (apparently, she was responsible for the the nagging John Carpenter-like synth stabs on “Bye Bye”, although it was impossible to know who was playing what half of the time.  She played a great fuzzy almost electronic sounding low end, both on the bass and on the synths

And drummer Madi Vogt , whom I was closest to, was a machine, pummeling the drums and then pulling back when the songs got quiet.

I’m focusing on the band because I went there to see Kim and was amazed at how much I was impressed by the band.  Kim herself was pure Kim–very cool, very much in control.

She played occasional guitar and mostly recited lyrics (that I think she had written on the book in front of her).  It’s a testament to Kim that she was the least interested person on stage and yet I couldn’t take my eyes off of her, she has that much charisma.

Given Kim’s diverse recording history and tendency towards out-there avant garde, I wasn’t really sure what I’d be getting at this show.  This set was nothing that I was expecting and was far better than anything I had hoped for.  And I have since followed everyone of her backing band to see what else they get up to.

  1. BYE BYE ©
  2. The Candy House ©
  3. I Don’t Miss My Mind ©
  4. I’m a Man ©
  5. Trophies ©
  6. It’s Dark Inside ©
  7. Psychedelic Orgasm ©
  8. Tree House ©
  9. Shelf Warmer ©
  10. The Believers ©
  11. Dream Dollar ©
    Encore:
  12. Air BnB Ø
  13. Paprika Pony Ø
  14. Cookie Butter Ø
  15. Hungry Baby Ø
  16. Grass Jeans §
  17. BYE BYE ©

© The Collective (2024)
Ø No Home Record (2019)
§ Single (2021)

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Bill Nace (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, June 14, 2024) [KIM GORDON]

Posted in Bill Nace, Kim Gordon, Philadelphia, PA, Union Transfer on June 14, 2024| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: June 14, 2024] Bill Nace

Kim and Bill Nace toured in 2022.  Bill was also in the band Body/Head with Kim.  I saw him play in a jam session with Chris Forsyth in which he played the Suzuki Ran–an Electric Taishogoto.  When he played with Forsyth I worte

It sounded like a bunch of noise, honestly—there were some loud and wild effects on it.  It also drowned out Forsyth’s guitar.

For this show, Nace came out with this same instrument.  It has keys that you press and strings that you strum or bow.  Nace used a bow and turned the distortion and effects up to max and then played noise for about fifteen minutes.  Then he put the bow down, turned the Ran so it was more like a piano and played the same note–tapping the same key–for about 8 minutes.

I did not enjoy the set at all.  Which is a little odd since I do enjoy experimental music.  But this seemed to be more of a joke or a punishment than anything else.

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Gogol Bordello / Amigo the Devil (White Eagle Hall, Jersey City, NJ, May 6, 2022) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Amigo the Devil, Gogol Bordello, Jersey City, NJ, Kim Gordon, Nick Cave, White Eagle Hall on May 6, 2022| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: May 6, 2022] Gogol Bordello / Amigo the Devil

I have seen Gogol Bordello twice.  The first time I had so much fun I couldn’t wait to see them again.  My recollection of the second time I saw them (this time in Philly), was that I got pushed so far back by the pit that I didn’t really enjoy myself.  But my write up of that show is all positive, so maybe I’m misremembering.

They were so much fun that I would like to see them again.  And this show was showing huge support for Ukraine.  So I was bummed to miss it, but  I’d already had tickets to a show (Destroyer) and wound up going to a different show (Pup).

We’ll see where they play next time around (they are always touring).

Amigo the Devil is Danny Kiranos an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and banjo player. His music is influenced by American folk, country, rock, and heavy metal, with themes of murder, death, and other dark subject matters which has led to his music being called “Dark Folk” or “Murderfolk”.  He is the son of a Greek father and a Spanish mother, and was influenced by the traditional music of both cultures.

I listened to a few of his songs.  They are very banjo heavy and I expected not to like it (especially since the lyrics are so dark) but i found myself quite entranced by him.  Perhaps he is the American version of Nick Cave.

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Kim Gordon / Bill Nace (White Eagle Hall, Jersey City, NJ, March 19, 2022) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Bill Nace, Jersey City, NJ, Kim Gordon, White Eagle Hall on March 19, 2022| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: March 19, 2022] Kim Gordon / Bill Nace

I had tickets to see Kim Gordon when she announced her tour in 2020.  It took awhile for her to reschedule the tour, and I wondered if she’s even bother.

I’ve seen Thurstone Moore live.  He played with Steve Shelley.  A long time ago I saw Lee Ranaldo, although I’d love to see him again.  But I’d never seen Sonic Youth, so I thought I could complete the set by seeing Kim live.

I had recently finished Kim Gordon’s memoir.  So when she announced a show at White Eagle Hall, I was about to grab tickets instantly.  And then I didn’t.  I guess it’s because there was always a chance we’d go see Khruangbin.

Then we were invited to a party and I was glad I didn’t get tickets to any of the four shows that I considered going to today.

The setlist for this show is pretty interesting.  A lot of songs from her solo album and not much else.  And apparently it was only an hour.  Still reviews were quite positive.  Well maybe some other time.

Bill Nace was in Body/Head with Kim.  He’s an experimental guitarist, so who knows what his set would have been like.

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Kim Gordon–Girl in a Band: A Memoir (2015) [audiobook 2015–Kim Gordon]

Posted in Artists, Audiobooks, Autobiographies, Beck, Bill Nace, Body/Head, Ciccone Youth, Coachmen, Fluxus, Introjection, Kim Gordon, Lydia Lunch, Marriage (Happy), Marriage Trouble, Real Life, Sonic Youth, Thurston Moore, Yuck on December 28, 2021| Leave a Comment »

[LISTENED TO: November 2021] Girl in a Band

I didn’t really have that much interest in this book when it came out.  I love Sonic Youth, but I didn’t really think I cared all that much about their origin stories.  Then I saw that there was an audio book read by Kim and that sounded pretty cool.

I realized that I had no idea anything about Kim Gordon’s life and it was fascinating to learn just how much of a bohemian artist she was before she joined the band.

The memoir starts with the final Sonic Youth show.  Kim and Thurston’s divorce was already going to happen.  They simply wanted to finish out their final shows.  So Kim played while watching her disappointment of a husband absorb all the adulation.

But Kim’s book isn’t a salacious tell-all. It’s the story of her life and how she wound up where she did.  In fact, there’s very little about Sonic Youth (a lot more about the earliest records and then bits and pieces about the later records).  And, while she’s obviously pissed at Thurston for what he did, she’s restrained in her need to thrash the guy.

Perhaps the biggest take away from the book is that after thirty years of being in a rock band, she doesn’t consider herself a musician or a Rock Star (maybe a small letter rock star).  That eye opening statement is a kind of lead in to the fact that she has been an artist for most of her life–just not necessarily in music.

She moved to New York from California in 1980.  It’s crazy thinking that Kim was a California girl.

It’s even crazier thinking about her older brother Keller who was manipulative and mean and ultimate institutionalized. Kim idolized him and he abused her terribly (more than an older brother might normally do).  All of this made Kim into the shy and sensitive woman who you would never think was responsible for some of the most iconoclastic and then iconic music of the 20th century. (more…)

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Kim Gordon: No Home Tour (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, July 24, 2020) [CANCELLED]

Posted in Coronavirus, Kim Gordon, Philadelphia, PA, Postponed, Quarantine, Sonic Youth, Union Transfer on July 24, 2020| Leave a Comment »

[POSTPONED: July 24, 2020] Kim Gordon

indexKim Gordon was a founding member of Sonic Youth (duh).  I never got to see Sonic Youth while they were together (how could I have missed them??).

I recently saw Thurston Moore solo and it was fantastic.  Kim Gordon’s solo output is a bit more esoteric, but I’d love to be able to see her live at least once.

I was really looking forward to this show.  But then on May 6, Kim Gordon announced

Due to the ongoing desire to keep everyone safe, my US shows have now also been cancelled. Tickets will be automatically refunded at point of purchase. I look forward to seeing you all in the near future.

I hope she can come back around when things are better.

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Sneaks (PhilaMOCA, Philadelphia, PA, June 22, 2017) [CHASTITY BELT]

Posted in Black Flag, Chastity Belt, Joy Again, Kim Gordon, Philadelphia, PA, PhilaMOCA, Sneaks, Sonic Youth on June 22, 2017| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: June 22, 2017] Sneaks

Sneaks was second on the bill opening for Chastity Belt.

I ended my post about Joy Again by coming out of the bathroom.  Well, while I was on line, I kinda thought that Sneaks was standing behind me.  But I’d only watched one video from her so I wasn’t sure and didn’t want to be presumptuous.  Well, I was right, because the woman wearing the Space Jam T-shirt climbed up on stage with the same shirt tied in a knot and, now, glitter all over her face.

I hadn’t heard Sneaks, so I checked out her bandcamp.  Sneaks is basically a one-woman show.  She plays bass and sings/raps/freestyles over her punky bass and a drum machine.  She has a lo-fi recording out and a more polished disc.  I would have loved both of these records when I was in college–the DIY punk attitude is pretty great.  But I didn’t love either one all that much the other day.

But she was great live. (more…)

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Spotlights (Sands Bethlehem Event Center, Bethlehem, PA, August 2, 2016) [DEFTONES]

Posted in Bethlehem, PA, Deftones, Kim Gordon, Refused, Sands Bethlehem Event Center, Spotlights on August 2, 2016| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: August 2, 2016] Spotlights

2016-08-02 20.18.11I have been pretty excited to see Deftones for a while.  I knew they had an opening act called Refused, who I didn’t know, and just recently they added a third opening band called Spotlights, whom I’d also never heard of.

I looked them up online and saw them described as doomgaze or sludgegaze, which I loved.  And when I listened to one of their songs that was a pretty good description–a shoegaze vibe but with some seriously heavy low end rumble and heavy metal crunch.

Seeing them live, it was a bit of a different story.  Some of the shoegaze vibe and cool subtleties on their record got a little lost in the wall of noise at the Sands Event Center.

This is not to say that the set was bad (it wasn’t at all) but that the live show had a different feel than the record.  Primarily in that the vocals were a little buried.  (They’re kind of buried on the record too, but in a different way). (more…)

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Chloë Sevigny (2015)

Posted in Amy Tan, Chloë Sevigny, Dave Barry, Kathy Kamen Goldmark, Kim Gordon, Natasha Lyonne, Photo Essays, Portlandia, Ridley Pearson, Roy Blount Jr., Sam Barry, Sassy, Scott Turow, Sonic Youth, The Rock Bottom Remainders, Tiny Desk Concert on August 31, 2015| Leave a Comment »

chloeSOUNDTRACK: ROGER McGUINN with THE ROCK BOTTOM REMAINDERS-Tiny Desk Concert #62 (June 1, 2010).

mcguinn There are many unusual Tiny Desk Concerts, but this may be the strangest.  Ostensibly, the show is from The Rock Bottom Remainders, an informal and revolving assortment of good-natured authors who masquerade as a rock band for charity.  In this incarnation, they are Dave Barry, Ridley Pearson, Scott Turow, Amy Tan, Roy Blount Jr., Kathy Kamen Goldmark and Sam Barry, none of whom brought any instruments.  But leading them is Roger McGuinn, who brought his guitar and the chords to two songs.

The authors (mostly Dave Barry) are funny and self-deprecating, “We’re gonna attempt a song involving actual singing now,”

So McGuinn leads them in a rendition of “Sloop John B.” which they and the audience sing in a fun, campfire sorta way.  On the second song “May The Road Rise To Meet You” the backing singers mostly just sit and watch McGuinn.  And McGuinn seems fine with that.

He of course has a lovely voice.  And at the end, he does  neat little guitar solo.  And they all applaud.

[READ: July 29, 2015] Chloë Sevigny

I saw this book at work and decided to flip through it.  It has an introduction by Kim Gordon and an Afterword by Natasha Lyonne, so that seemed interesting enough.  The rest of the book is photos of Sevigny.  And nothing else.  Although Gordon says that “this book allows us a peek into her teenage bedroom and evokes the visceral thrill of getting dressed.”

I don’t really have an opinion of Sevigny.  Although I noticed that she tends to appear in things that I like–she’s like the cool guest star that appears on fun shows (like Portlandia).  But I don’t really know anything about her.

And I still don’t. (more…)

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