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Liily (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, May 4, 2023) [THE WALKMEN]

Posted in Liily, Limp Bizkit, Magic Sword, Philadelphia, PA, The Intelligence, The Walkmen, TWRP, Union Transfer on May 4, 2023| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: May 4, 2023] Liily

I wasn’t even entirely sure I was going to go to this show.  I only really knew one song by The Walkmen.  But I decided that I wouldn’t stay home.  I’d go check out this reunion show.

The opening band was Liily who I had not heard of before.  They came out–a four-piece from L.A.–and Charlie Anastasis the bassist (who had an awesome mop of curly hair), played a chord that rung out and feedbacked for about 90 seconds.  All the while the singer Dylan Nash stood at the front of the stage kind of confrontationally.

Then the band kicked into “Wash.”  It had a stomping bass and squealing guitars from Sam De La Torre.  But it was drummer Maxx Morando who soon claimed all my attention. (more…)

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TWRP (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, April 22, 2023)

Posted in Magic Sword, Philadelphia, PA, TWRP, Union Transfer on April 23, 2023| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: April 22, 2023] TWRP

Back in 2021, I saw an ad for TWRP playing at Underground Arts.  I didn’t know who they were, but I was immediately struck by their photo (see below).

I don’t know why I didn’t investigate them more, because when I saw that they were playing Union Transfer this time, I was all over finding out what the deal was.

TWRP were once known as Tupper Ware Remix Party (TWRP is much better).

They are from outer space (and Canada).  They are also from the 1980s (and the future).

They are a foursome. In order of the below photo they are guitarist Lord Phobos, bassist Commander Meouch, keyboardist and vocalist Doctor Sung and drummer Havve Hogan.

And yes, they look like this onstage.

They came out to rapturous applause.  The crowd was 100% into it.  Commander Meouch stood in front of us, lion hair blowing in the fan.  Lord Phobos was on the far side and Havve Hogan was in the back on the kit.

And then Doctor Sung came out and immediately got the crowd hyped.  He told us all about their high tech new stage manager, Grobb.  Grobb appeared on the side of the stage in a circle which previously said IBS (in the IBM logo style).  Grobb looked like a psychopathic Teletubby as he smiled and talked to us.

Grobb greeted us “Hello Tokyo” and then proceeded to count in the first song, the new “VHS” which had an appropriate chant along of V-H-S.

The thing about TWRP is that their music is really quite full of disco.  Some of the basslines that Meouch played were full on disco riffs (hard to play in a full costume, I’m sure).  There was lots of heavy snyth and Doctor Sung sang with a vocoder most of the time.  It was such a weird melange of music but it worked really well live.

I was concerned that my son wouldn’t like them musically, but I realized that the youth of today care not for genre, and it was all fun.  He even bought a TWRP shirt (bur not a Magic Sword shirt because they weren’t very interesting).

I didn’t know any of their songs, but they played a few from each of their releases.

Grobb told Doctor Sung that he was dehydrated and forced him to drink a brownish hydration liquid–an amusing recurring skit (HYDRATE!).

A really fun song was “Atomic Karate” in which Doctor Sung showed off his (very impressive) athletic skills and even wielded nunchaku.

Grobb apparently went a little crazy (instead of counting them in he played clips of “Enter Sandman”) and Doctor Sung had to go in and reprogram him (the 8 bit graphics were amazing).  It was dangerous work.

Lord Phobos had some serious shredding skills on the guitar as well.  And after the final song, when the band came out for an encore, Lord Phobos hijacked the show with his new band Phobos Nation!

Phobos Nation was Phobos himself with Magic Sword as his backing band.  But before they could play anything, Doctor Sung came out and they had a fight for control.

This led to them both bands playing the ripping instrumental “Terraform.”

They ended with “All Night Forever,” a song that everyone loved.

The show wasn’t that long (maybe 75 minutes) which is understandable given the costumes.  It’s funny that they played only 13 songs, but they did jam most of them out and there was a lot of entertaining banter between songs.

But honestly I was glad the show was short.  It let us wait on the long line for merch and still get home at a reasonable hour.

Long live TWRP and honestly there couldn’t have been a better opening band.

In a 2015 interview with Scope, their origin was revealed

Doctor Sung was born around the time of the Big Bang. His parents died of boredom when he was just a small child, leaving him orphaned in the first Ice Age. Billions of years later, upon earning the 69th degree of his black belt in keytar, he had an epiphany and discovered his life’s purpose: to release humanity from the clutches of boredom through epic rock music.

To achieve this purpose, Sung carefully selected his band-mates from various corners of the multiverse. He chose the name “Tupper Ware Remix Party” because he liked the sound of those noises which, at the time, held no meaning for him.

Sung discovered drummer Havve Hogan unconscious in a cave during the Mesozoic period. Sung sensed a powerful energy field around this sinister, Frankenstein-like creature with red LEDs for eyes and, after numerous botched attempts to resuscitate the brutish cyborg, he met with success when he installed an 808 drum machine where Hogan’s heart had been.

Conducting anthropological surveys in the Paleolithic period, Sung observed a troublesome tendency in Hogan – to maim and murder early Homo sapiens in the plains as they hunted antelope and buffalo. However, his ability to hold down perfect time had endeared him so profoundly to Sung that the doctor excused his murderous behaviour.

While Hogan was recruited from the past, slap-bassist Commander Meouch and shred-guitarist Lord Phobos were located in a distant and complicated future. Meouch – a space pirate with a humanoid body and the head of a lion – was born in the more provincial reaches of the galaxy and made his fortune smuggling funk (apparently a controlled quantity in the future) to star systems that had been historically square.

One such solar system was home to Lord Phobos, a philosophical rocketeer. Phobos’s people had evolved over many millennia, their culture reaching a universal high-water mark of scientific and intellectual discovery. When Meouch arrived on the scene with his smuggled funk, Phobos’s world collapsed into a flaming orgy of chaos.

Swearing revenge on Meouch, Phobos pursued his ship and was on the verge of destroying it when Sung sprang through a nearby wormhole and corralled them both. Having modified Meouch’s ship for time travel, the trio travelled backwards to retrieve Havve Hogan and then forward to Earth in the year 2007 (roughly one millennium before Meouch or Phobos were born), an era that Sung’s calculations had indicated would be ripe for TWRP to thrive.

 

  1. Birth of Grobb *
  2. VHS *
  3. Bright Blue Sky ♥
  4. Polygon ♥
  5. Only the Best ∏
  6. Typhoon Turnpike / Hidden Potential ⇔
  7. Atomic Karate £
  8. Superior Moves ♥
  9. Summer Everyday *
  10. Have You Heard? ©
  11. Starlight Brigade ⊗
    Encore
  12. Terraform ♥ (with Magic Sword)
  13. All Night Forever ⇔


* new/unreleased.
© single (2023)
♥ New & Improved (2021)
∏ Over the Top (2020)
⇔ Return to Wherever (2019)
⊗ Together Through Time (2018)
£ Ladyworld (2017)

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Magic Sword (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, April 22, 2023) [TWRP]

Posted in Magic Sword, Philadelphia, PA, TWRP, Union Transfer on April 22, 2023| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: April 22, 2023] Magic Sword

I saw Magic Sword open for Avatar back in 2021 and I knew I’d want to see them again.

What I wrote about them then stand up pretty well for this show:

There are three members: The Keeper (red, keyboard, audio-visual), The Seer (blue, guitar), and The Weaver (yellow, drums).  Oh yes, they are all masked (and not COVID masked, but like a fencing mask with a glowing light (in the above color) for the eyes).  All of their songs are pretty heavy with a main riff (and bass) coming from the keys and really heavy drums.  And then The Seer plays some extended impressive and super catchy guitar solos.

Every song feels like the exultant triumph of a cheesy 80s sci fi movie.  Which is not to say that their music is cheesy (it really rocks) but that it would be placed in a cheesy movie–and would sound great.

In fact, the band has written epic stories (and comic books) that go along with their music.  These songs are the soundtrack to those stories. So it all makes sense.

The set opened with a proclamation in a deep voice explaining that Magic Sword was here to defend all that good in the world.  And then the trio came out.

It’s all vaguely preposterous, but they are completely into it (The Weaver is excellent at getting the fans pumped up) and the music is so good, that it all works wonders.  A handful of people in the crowd had purchased Magic Sword swords (a tiny imitation of the real Magic Sword sword) and waved their blue glow around.

I felt like they played newer songs–songs that were a little more complicated with some excellent stops and starts in them.  But, since they are all instrumentals, it’s hard to know what songs they played.

But most importantly, mid way through the set The Keeper held aloft the blue glowing Magic Sword and all was well in Philadelphia.

I really thought my son would enjoy this show and he said he enjoyed Magic Sword a lot.  So that’s cool.

When the show was over we went to the merch table and I was pretty tickled to see that if you didn’t know what you wanted, you could roll a D20 and see if luck was on your side.  The guy in front of us rolled it and was granted the right to have his picture taken holding THE Magic Sword.

Cool.

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Avatar (Theatre of Living Arts (TLA), Philadelphia, PA, September 5, 2021)

Posted in Avatar, Magic Sword, Philadelphia, PA, Theatre of Living Arts on September 7, 2021| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: September 5, 2021] Avatar

When Avatar announced they were playing TLA I knew I wanted to see them again.  When they opened for Babymetal, I was blown away by what a show they put on–for an opening act.  I imagined that when they headlined, it would be even more amazing.

It wasn’t more amazing (I was actually more impressed by their lights last time) but it was certainly a lot of fun–an even more fun since the audience was there to see them.

Their gear was set up and then a small drumkit was brought to the front of the stage (which was pretty unusual).  Then the five of them walked out and stood in a tight v formation.  After a lengthy pause with all five of them staring at us, drummer John Alfredsson began hitting out a loud snare beat.  Then the guitars started playing and singer Johannes Eckerström–dressed like a ringmaster, his face covered in white paint with (scary) clown makeup on–began singing the fantastic growling anthem “Colossus.”  The band played the entire sing in that tight V shape and from my vantage point when both guitarists played the same solo it was like a multi-armed beast on stage.

They followed that up with “Let it Burn” and then the stage went black.  The crew removed the tiny drum set and the band left the stage briefly while Alfredsson climbed up on top of his full sized kit.  When the band came back out they utilized the full stage and when they started “Silence in the Age if Apes” (the actual first song on the new album) the full synchronized headbanging extravaganza was under way.

Both guitarists take some time to show off, although never for too long.  In fact, when they started soloing, it was usually over by the time I had the camera ready.  Jonas “Kungen” Jarlsby and Tim Öhrström (“he’s single, ladies”) both took turns at the front of the stage.  Although it was Jarlsby who stood up front to play the slow pretty intro of “Bloody Angel.” (more…)

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Magic Sword (Theatre of Living Arts (TLA), Philadelphia, PA, September 5, 2021) [AVATAR]

Posted in Avatar, Magic Sword, Philadelphia, PA, Tallah, Theatre of Living Arts on September 6, 2021| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: September 5, 2021] Magic Sword

When Avatar announced they were playing TLA I knew I wanted to see them again.  When they opened for Babymetal, I was blown away by what a show they put on–especially for an opening act.  I imagined that when they headlined, it would be even more amazing.

I was pretty psyched that the opening band was going to be Magic Sword.  I had recently been getting into their brand of instrumental 80’s sci-fi/metal soundtrack kind of music (I don’t really know what else you’d call it) and I was pretty excited to see it live.

There are three members: The Keeper (red, keyboard, audio-visual), The Seer (blue, guitar), and The Weaver (yellow, drums).  Oh yes, they are all masked (and not COVID masked, but like a fencing mask with a glowing light (in the above color) for the eyes).  All of their songs are pretty heavy with a main riff (and bass) coming from the keys (and sometimes guitar) and really heavy drums.  And then The Seer plays some extended impressive and super catchy guitar solos.

Every song feels like the exultant triumph of a cheesy 80s sci fi movie.  Which is not to say that their music is cheesy (it really rocks) but that it would be placed in a cheesy movie–and would sound great. (more…)

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Magic Sword: Volume 2, Chapter 3 (2020)

Posted in Death, Fantasy, Graphic Novel, Magic Sword, Shay Plummer, Supernatural, Swords, Tangerine Dream, Unfinished series, Violence, Waveshaper, Yuck! on November 2, 2020| Leave a Comment »

SOUNDTRACK: MAGIC SWORD-Endless (2020).

Not long after the release of the Awakening EP, Magic Sword is back to conclude the story arc that the previous albums have created.

The Keeper (red, keyboard, audio-visual), The Seer (blue, guitar), and The Weaver (yellow, drums) are Immortal and they have seen a story like this one unfold many times.  So they are not surprised by the direction it goes in.

“Depths of Power” opens this chapter with a slow pulsing matched with occasional power chords.  “Invincible” adds a new sound palette to the band’s music.  This song sounds a bit more like Tangerine Dream but with some more contemporary techno type sounds.

“Aftermath” adds some swirling uneasy sounds to the album.  It contains curlicues of sound that wiggle around and segue into “Empress” which has a low rumble underneath the propulsive synths.

“Shores of Oblivion” is a more eerie soundscape of wind and slow pulsing waves of emptiness. When the fast melody comes from out of the waves it feels like something sinister heading right for you.

“rophecy” adds some light to the proceedings with an uplifting melody which is eventually corrupted by “Corruption” and turns into a more threatening tone.

“Ritual” introduces a fairly heavy bassline and some more modern sounding synths.  Then “A New Quest” returns to the pulsing sound of old.  “Hope” starts quietly but brings am uplifting melody that continues throughout the song.

“Endless” ends the disc with strings–ominous at first but which move into a more stately melody that fades out slowly over a long time–continuing endlessly

The band also released a single of “Invincible” with a remix by Waveshaper.  I don’t typically like remixes, because mostly they just dump a new drum beat over an old melody, but this one plays around with the song in interesting ways.  It turns it into something different without losing the original.  I rather like the new bass line they add to the song.

In the comic book, Magic Sword says that this ends the cycle.  Does that mean the end of Magic Sword … or the beginning of a new cycle?

[READ: October 29, 2020] Magic Sword Volume 2, Chapter 3

Chapter 3 concludes this cycle somewhat unexpectedly for me (although it makes perfect sense once it is explained).

When Chapter 2 ended, Nayia came face to face (or more like face to big toe) with The Colossus.  It was the size of a mountain and seemed to be covered in bark.  It quickly grabbed hold of her with its tendrils, trying to burrow into her orifices.

But the power of the Magic Sword was still within her and it fought back where she couldn’t.  With its help she was easily able to best this beast.

But the story doesn’t end there. (more…)

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Magic Sword: Volume 2, Chapter 2 (2019)

Posted in Death, Fantasy, Graphic Novel, Magic Sword, Supernatural, Swords, Unfinished series, Violence, Yuck! on November 1, 2020| Leave a Comment »

SOUNDTRACK: MAGIC SWORD-Awakening EP (2019).

It took three years for Magic Sword, the instrumental band from Boise Idaho, to release chapter two of the second volume of their saga.  In that time, they had released individual songs, but for this entire seven song EP (and comic book), the year of the sword took much longer than expected.

The Keeper (red, keyboard, audio-visual), The Seer (blue, guitar), and The Weaver (yellow, drums) have continued the saga but have expanded their sound a bit.  They still sound like a 1980s movie soundtrack, but it’s a bigger budget movie.

“Herald” opens the EP with a deep-voiced narration of the opening page of volume one, the paragraph that sets up the story of the Magic Sword.  It segues into “Awakening” which sounds bigger than anything they’ve done while still retaining the recognizable retro Magic Sword sound.  Midway through the guitar comes in with a quiet solo that introduces a funky element to the song–there’s even the a kind of bass guitar element.  It is a slow opening that sets the tone of the album as we await “The Harbinger.”

“The Harbinger” is under three minutes and projects an ominous low tone as a distant, distorted voice recites a passage that I can’t make out.  It segues into “Lady of Light” which follows a pretty synth melody that mutates into a middle with a distinctly funky/disco bass.  “Reborn” bursts forth like a big 1980’s synth anthem.  But it quickly changes tone with a pulsing soundtrack and a ripping guitar solo.  It all resolves into the anthemic conclusion.

“Shadow” introduces a more sinister sound–both the harsh higher notes and the menacing low growling synth that works as a perfect segue to the album ending “Colossus.”  It continues like the rest of the album with just a hint more menace in the crashing drums and delays of the loud synths and an absolutely roaring guitar solo to close out the disc.

Magic Sword still sounds like the same trio, but they sound even more assured.

[READ: October 29, 2020] Magic Sword Volume 2, Chapter 2

Chapter 1 introduced us to Tayia, the chosen one.  She is pure of heart and is therefore eligible to wield the Magic Sword and restore balance.

But as The Keeper explained, the Magic Sword will take control of her body–she will become death.

As Chapter 1 ended, The Keeper stopped time and Tayia grabbed the Magic Sword.  As Chapter 2 opens, time resumes and the creature who was about to attack her, a member of the Kihlhi tribe, realizes she is no longer where she was (time did not stop for her).

He crashes to the ground.

Continuing with the parallels between this story and present reality, the Kihlhi was

Spouting vile hatred through slurred speech.

One can only hope that in reality the vile creatures also

had no idea of the mighty change that had overtaken and transformed his prey.

Tayia’s power and will merged with the will of the sword creating beautiful arcs of pink.  She fights effortlessly, including a full page scene of her dance/kick. (more…)

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Magic Sword: Volume 2, Chapter 1 (2016)

Posted in Fantasy, Graphic Novel, Magic Sword, Supernatural, Swords, Unfinished series, Violence on October 30, 2020| Leave a Comment »

SOUNDTRACK: MAGIC SWORD-Legend EP (2016).

Magic Sword, the instrumental band from Boise Idaho, is back, following their epic Volume 1 with a 15 minute EP and a new angle to their story.

The three members of the band remain: The Keeper (red, keyboard, audio-visual), The Seer (blue, guitar), and The Weaver (yellow, drums).

This EP has three songs.

“Legend of the Keeper” begins slowly, like something building from primordial ooze.  Steam escapes as the music builds and turns into a kind of 1980’s montage soundtrack introducing the hero.  There were guitars on the first album, but they are more prominent here with a lengthy solo.

“Uprising” begins with a menacing pulse that resolves into a tense series of overlapping melodies.  It continues into some laser-sounding pulses that set the tone for the uprising to come.    “The Curse” has a simple keyboard melody, but underneath it, the low distorted notes sound like an animal, a demon, whispering words into your head.  But a soaring guitar solo pushes through the distortion.

There is a Deluxe Edition of the EP with three remixes: “Legend Of The Keeper (F.O.O.L. Remix),” “Uprising (The Indicator Remix)” and “The Curse (The Toxic Avenger Remix).”  I’m not keen on remixes so these don’t do much for me.

[READ: October 29, 2020] Magic Sword Volume 2, Chapter 1

Volume 1 set up the origins of the Magic Sword.  In Volume 2, we see it come to the aid of the desperate.

The Nierhi Valley people were a peaceful tribe, who knew no threats.

But the neighboring Kihlhi tribe had recently crossed the mountain that separated them.  The Kihlhi has been overtaken by a mysterious stranger who slowly sucked their humanity from them.  They soon thought only of murder and defilement.

The Niehri were easily overwhelmed until a thunderous crack on the top of the mountain meant only one thing: the arrival of the Magic Sword. (more…)

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Magic Sword: Volume 1 (2015)

Posted in Fantasy, Graphic Novel, Magic Sword, Supernatural, Swords, Unfinished series on October 29, 2020| Leave a Comment »

SOUNDTRACK: MAGIC SWORD-Vol. 1 (2015).

Magic Sword is an instrumental band from Boise Idaho.

There are three members of the band: The Keeper (red, keyboard, audio-visual), The Seer (blue, guitar), and The Weaver (yellow, drums).

Magic Sword makes 1980’s-sounding sci-fi movie soundscapes.  Meaning there are a lot of synths, a lot of retro sound effects, and a lot of pulsing music.

The music feels like a soundtrack and that’s because it actually is. Magic Sword includes a comic book with each release (read about it below).

“The Beginning” sets the stage with a catchy synth melody before the intensity of “Sword Of Truth.”  After setting the stage, the lighter (but with a still menacing underbelly) “The Way Home” propels the story forward.

“Kill Them All” has words.  A quiet, whispered voice states

They came in the night
They killed everyone
I hid in the shadows
And then it came to me
The Magic Sword
And I killed them all

Dramatic chords rise as the music swells.  “In The Face Of Evil” presents a sinister bass melody as a lead melody wanders along it until it turns into a lengthy solo.

“Only Way In” is slower and more intense with a looping synth keeping the tension high as what sounds like birds echo in the background.  After a build up of intensity (can you see a hero making their way through a small passage) the tempo picks up.  This song has the most modern sounding music (almost an EDM kind of distorted beat) letting you know its not all retro.

“Reflection” allows for a moment to rest as gentle music falls down. But an ominous undertone is always present.  “Retrogram” feels like an opportunity to start anew as “Discover” ups the intensity with a far more retro pulsing synth sound.

“Memories In Shadow” slows things down as sprinklings of notes poke out of the ominous lower chords that sustain the song until it begins to rebuild as it heads toward the “Battlefield.”  “Battlefield” does not feel violent as expected–it’s more passionate but not scary.  There’s even a slow, quiet middle for a moment of reckoning.

“Infinite” feels uplifting, but there’s no time for rest as the abyss stares back at out hero.  “Journey’s End” feels solitary.  There is still work to do as our hero soars into the distant sky.

[READ: October 29, 2020] Magic Sword Volume 1

Volume 1 is the first graphic novel from the band Magic Sword.  There are presently four books in the series. The story follows The Keeper (red, keyboard, audio-visual), The Seer (blue, guitar), and The Weaver (yellow, drums) as they prepare for the necessary return of the Magic Sword.

This first book opens

In the beginning there was light

and Darkness.

But soon evil spread over the land like a plague.  [sounds familiar]. (more…)

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