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The Dead Milkmen (White Eagle Hall, Jersey City, NJ, May 10, 2025)

Posted in Jersey City, NJ, The Dead Milkmen, White Eagle Hall on May 11, 2025| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: May 10, 2025] The Dead Milkmen 

It took me 35 years to see The Dead Milkmen live.  And now I’ve seen them twice in about a year.  The last show was so much fun; I was really excited when they announced more shows at Underground Arts.  But those days were booked for me.  Bummer.  But then they announced this show at White Eagle Hall (where they have played a few times recently).

I arrived late (because parking there sucks).  I almost gave up and went home, but I found a reasonable parking spot. And the usher brought me to the ADA section which was pretty cool because I had been really far back.  But the ADA section was in the balcony and I was able to get really close to the stage.  Rodney Anonymous is such a wild and inclusive front man that he gets everyone involved in every song.  And even though he never looked up at the balcony, I felt like a participant.

Last time I was on the far side and could barely see bassist Dan Stevens or drummer Dean Clean.  This time I was on Joe Jack Talcum’s side and could see the whole stage easily.  I was also able to watch Jack’s guitar playing which is surprisingly complex.

One of the fun parts of sitting where I was that I could see all of the people slam dancing–and really making their pit large (to the dismay of other around them).  And for once I was really glad that I was upstairs away from the action.

The setlist wasn’t radically different from the previous show, but the order was very different and there were a few songs thrown in that they hadn’t played last time (I was pretty thrilled to hear The Thing That Only Eats Hippies). (more…)

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Miss Teen America (White Eagle Hall, Jersey City, NJ, May 10, 2025) [THE DEAD MILKMEN]

Posted in Jersey City, NJ, Miss Teen America, The Dead Milkmen, White Eagle Hall on May 10, 2025| 2 Comments »

[ATTENDED: May 10, 2025] Miss Teen America

Parking around White Eagle Hall is a nightmare.  Despite arriving 25 minutes early for the show, I missed the first half of Miss Teen America.

But I did catch about half of their set and I enjoyed it quite a lot.

As I was watching I thought they had a really My Chemical Romance vibe.  But their earlier stuff.  It was very funny to me when, on my way back to the car, a young woman was talking with her friends and she said “That opening band was like what it must have been like to see My Chemical Romance when they first came out.  The singer even looked like Gerard Way.”

The band had a great look.  Their (new) bassist was awesome in fishnets and super high boots.  And their lead guitarist had a look that I couldn’t see all that well (the stage was pretty dark) but which was cool from afar.

They played four or five song while I was there including a song that they played together for the first time that night.  They describe themselves as traditional goth with “punk rock energy and a pop sensibility” and that’s pretty accurate.  I feel that the goth part is more from their look than their sound, but they definitely fall into the punkier side of goth. (more…)

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Joseph / Tune-Yards [FREE AT NOON] (World Cafe Live, Philadelphia Pa, May 8, 2025) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Joseph, Philadelphia, PA, tUnE-yArDs, World Cafe Live on May 8, 2025| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: May 8, 2025] Joseph / Tune-Yards [FREE AT NOON]

I had a ticket to this Free at Noon and drove into Philly to see it.

I have seen both Joseph and Tune-Yards and enjoyed them both, although I was more interested in seeing Tune-Yards.  I’ve never seen a Free at Noon with two bands before and wasn’t really sure how this would work–but this was part of NON-COMM so who knew how things worked at that.

Joseph was a trio, but Alison had recently left (amicably) and so Joseph was now a duo.  Tune-Yards was also a duo Merrill Garbus and multi-instrumentalist Nate Brenner.  They played all new songs except for one older track.

In total, Tune-Yards played six songs and Joseph played five.

But I didn’t see any of it.  Traffic was insane and I didn’t get anywhere near the venue until quarter after and since it was NON-COMM, there was no parking to be had.  So, I blew the whole thing off and grabbed some Federal Donuts for lunch instead.

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Tune-yards / JayWood (Johnny Brenda’s, Philadelphia, PA, May 7, 2025) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in JayWood, Johnny Brenda's, Philadelphia, PA, tUnE-yArDs on May 7, 2025| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: May 7, 2025] Tune-Yards /JayWood

I saw Tune-Yards in 2018 and liked them well enough.  I hadn’t really considered seeing them for a while, but I was enjoying the new songs I’d heard from them.  But this show sold out in a minute.  I mean it’s not that surprising.  Last time I saw them at Union Transfer, and this one was at Johnny Brenda’s.

When this sold out, I tried to see Tune-Yards for their Free at Noon the day after, but the traffic was so bad I missed them.

And then later in the summer, when they played the XPoNential Festival,we arrived too late to see them–so I ‘m really just not meant to see them again, I guess.

JayWood is the stage name of Jeremy Haywood-Smith, a Canadian musician from Winnipeg, Manitoba whose music blends soul, funk, hip hop, indie rock and psychedelic rock influences.

I mean, on paper this guy is perfect for me, but I didn’t really like the sound all that much.  It felt too much like bedroom R&B to me.  Oh well.

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Kishi Bashi (The Arrow, Allentown, PA, May 6, 2025)

Posted in Allentown PA, Archer Music Hall, Kishi Bashi, Oshima Brothers, Tall Tall Trees on May 7, 2025| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: May 6, 2025] Kishi Bashi

This was our seventh time seeing Kishi Bashi.  We had seen him not too long ago in Philly for his Kantos tour.  But we knew that this was going to be different.  It was a RETROspect tour and I knew it would be a very different kind of show.  The previous show was a pretty big production with a full backing band (and costume changes).  This one was a trio.  K. on violin and guitar, Tall Tall Trees (Mike Sorvino) on his Banjotron and keyboards and cellist Emily Hope Price (all three of whom sing like angels).

The place was sold pretty well, but we were still able to get close.  It was bizarre that there were people there with little kids.  One of whom kept sneaking back and forth between their hangout spot–off to the side–to their guardian.  It was pretty distracting but I’ve seen things that were a lot worse.  And it was pretty clear all the adults were big fans.

To the side of the stage was a small easel.  And throughout the show, K. changed the image to reflect the cover album of the songs he was going to play.

The first image was the cover of his debut EP Room for Dream.  He played two songs from the EP (which both appeared on 151a). There was even an opportunity for him and Mike to have a little solo improv piece (and there’s always room for beatboxing).

Then when he switched the easel to 151a, he played a fairly deep cut Wonder Woman Wonder Me (it was really cool hearing this mellow song).

Then he jumped to the big ones: Atticus in the Desert and I am the Antichrist to You.  They were glorious.  And it was really fun seeing Mike use a violin bow on the Banjotron–meaning all three musicians were bowing their instruments.  But Mike’s the only one who busted out a drum mallet to whack on the banjo (so fun when he does this).

The fabulous Lighght came up next.  Up first was Philosophize with It, and the show just got better.  He told us that he had written the song for a commercial in Japan–it was only the chorus and people wondered where the rest of it was.  So he fleshed it out.  He followed this with a big surprise for me (although it probably shouldn’t have been).  This felt like a fairly small show, and when he started Mr Steak in a quiet, almost ballad style, I didn’t expect Mr Steak to come out.  But he did!  And we all danced along with the Grade A wonder.

I was a little surprised there were only two songs from Lighght, but he’s got a lot of music now, so we moved onto Sonderlust and the gorgeous m’lover.  It was followed by Can’t Let Go Juno, played in a different style from the record.  Rather than the intense dancey synth of the record, K. played acoustic guitar

Then it was on to Omioyari and the always amazing to see live Violin Tsunami.  That he could follow up the intensity of Tsunami with the beautiful and delicate Marigolds shows what a complex songwriter he is.  The three of them stood in front of a central old microphone and sang the gorgeous songs together.  This set up continued through the next album. (more…)

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Oshima Brothers (The Arrow, Allentown, PA, May 6, 2025) [KISHI BASHI]

Posted in Brooklyn Bowl, Kishi Bashi, Philadelphia, PA, Sweet Loretta, Tall Tall Trees on May 6, 2025| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: May 6, 2025] Oshima Brothers

This was our first time going to Archer Music Hall or it’s smaller companion The Arrow.  It’s a great set up with the two venue attached and yet somehow totally independent.  Our show was a quiet folkie show and downstairs were The Melvins and Napalm Death and we couldn’t hear any of it.

I had never heard of the Oshima Brothers.  Actually, that’s not true, they played Guster’s On the Ocean Festival (which we didn’t go to), but I hadn’t head them at all.

The brothers came out and there was a joke about one of them (Sean) looking like Nick Jonas (he does).  So they are Japanese-Italian folk-pop siblings from the coast of Maine.  Sean and Jamie play keys, bass, drums, looping, dance moves, and magic.

They had a great stage presence–lots of smiling and crowd interactions.  And their musical prowess was impressive–the amount of things they could play with looping.

Their songs were gentle and sweet but kind of forgettable.  The kind of songs that work well and are enjoyable live, but when you listen to them later, they’re just sort of okay. (more…)

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Gigi Perez / Nikole (Theatre of Living Arts (TLA), Philadelphia, PA, May 5, 2025) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Gigi Perez, Nikole, Philadelphia, PA, Theatre of Living Arts on May 5, 2025| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: May 5, 2025] Gigi Perez / Nikole

My daughter and I saw Gigi Perez open for Girl in Red and I was really interested in seeing her as a headliner.  But this show was up against DEVO and I wasn’t going to pass one DEVO.

Since this show I’ve seen her two more times (in short sets, but still) so I don’t mind having missed this one.

Nikole is one of many artists who drive me crazy by going by their first name.  If you have an unusual name sure.  But hey, Nikole, even with a k is not unusual enough.  This person is very hard to search for.

If I have the right person she grew up in Florida and her mom is Venezuelan, and her dad is Lebanese.  She speaks Spanish but sings in English.  I’ve listened to a couple of songs.  She has a great voice and her songs are catchy with some cool guitar work on top.  But seriously, she needs a new stage name.

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Florist / Allegra Krieger (Johnny Brenda’s, Philadelphia, PA, May 5, 2025) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Allegra Krieger, Florist, Johnny Brenda's, Philadelphia, PA on May 5, 2025| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: May 5, 2025] Florist / Allegra Krieger

I knew of Florist from an NPR Tiny Desk Concert.  It makes me smile that this was a show I could have gone to on the same night that I could have gone to Arch Enemy at TLA and Napalm Death at Union Transfer.  Because Florist is one of the quietest bands around.

Emily Sprague has a very gentle voice–almost a whipser (but not mumbling or anything).  And her guitar playing is really pretty.

There’s no way I would have gone to this show, but it’s fun to list it here.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Allegra Krieger is also a quiet musician.  She comes across as a little louder and darker than Florist.  But I’d guess this was a no earplugs needed kind of show.

Actually, after listening to Allegra, I like her more than Florist.

 

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Napalm Death / The Melvins / Weedeater / Dark Sky Burial / Titan to Tachyons (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, May 5, 2025/ Archer Music Hall, Allentown, PA, May 6, 2025)) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Allentown PA, Archer Music Hall, Dark Sky Burial, Napalm Death, Philadelphia, PA, The Melvins, Titan to Tachyons, Union Transfer, Weedeater on May 5, 2025| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: May 5 & 6, 2025] Napalm Death / The Melvins / Weedeater / Dark Sky Burial / Titan to Tachyons

I saw Napalm Death in 2022 and enjoyed the hell out of them.  They were fast and furious and lead singer Barney Greenway was awesome.

I saw The Melvins in 2023 when they toured with Boris.  I didn’t think I would like them for some reason, but they were fantastic live.

Even though I don’t really want to do a full night of metal anymore, this would have been a cool show to go to.  However, the first night was right after I’d been out two nights already that week and the second night was the night we had tickets to see Kishi Bashi. Coincidentally, the second night was in the same venue!  This show was downstairs in the huge room and our show was upstairs in the tiny venue.

For the first night, Weedeater and Dark Sky Burial opened.

I like the stoner metal sound of Weedeater but I don’t like the singer’s voice.  He sounds like a demon in a movie.  Weedeater have an instrumental song Wizard Fight that is pretty great though. They are a sludge/doom metal band from Wilmington, North Carolina, formed in 1998!

Dark Sky Burial have a heavy sound that’s very atmospheric–like a scary noir movie.  They really surprised me by including a saxophone on the wonderfully named Decay is the Matric of Fertility.  And Beware Your Subconscious Destroyer has dance beats! I didn’t realize that this is a side project of Napalm Death bassist Shane Embury.  This is his outlet for experimental music and retro horror/sci fi Movie vibes.

This might have bee a really fun show actually.

Titan to Tachyons is also unknown to me.  Turns out they are an experimental jazz-metal group led by New Zealand composer and guitarist Sally Gates, backed by the powerhouse rhythm section of Trevor Dunn (Mr. Bungle), Matt Hollenberg (Cleric), and Kenny Grohowski (Imperial Triumphant). The quartet instrumentally depicts the realms of Surrealism and science-fiction through eclectic and improvisational passages, juxtaposed by fluid grooves and metallic flurries.

That sounds amazing, frankly.  Well, here’s a bunch of new bands to check out.

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The BellRays (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, May 3, 2025) [THE DAMNED]

Posted in Philadelphia, PA, The BellRays, The Damned, Union Transfer on May 5, 2025| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: May 3, 2025] The Damned

I saw the Damned at Coney Isalnd High with my friend Garry on Feb 6 1998

The BellRays are a band from California that describes itself as an original punk, rock and soul band.  I had never heard of them and assumed they were a young band.  But they have been together since 1990.  I guess if I hadn’t heard of them in 35 years, they weren’t really on my radar.

So they came out and demanded quite a lot from the audience.  Again, I thought they were a new band, so this surprised (and annoyed) me.  Knowing that they’ve been doing this for so long, I get where the on stage banter and attitude comes from.

They rocked pretty well, but it really wasn’t my thing.  Actually, that’s not true.  If they had opened for someone else–someone soulful and almost bluesy, I would have enjoyed them more. But there’s really nothing punk about them (except their attitude, I guess).

The songs were basic, good rockers, but lyrically, they were pretty meh.

Having said that, singer Lisa Kekaula has a fantastic voice–soulful and powerful–and she and guitarist Robert Vennum, the founders of the band) have great chemistry.  I was thinking that a comparison of her voice to Tina Turner’s was lazy; however, in their blurb they say they have been described as ‘Tina Turner fronting AC/DC.”  I wouldn’t go as heavy as AC/DC for the band, but the description works.  Actually, they sound a lot more like an L.A. metal band circa late 80’s.  Although their cover of Ball of Confusion was pretty great.

If I was in the right mood for them I probably would have loved them, but I found them just okay.

The Damned toured around here in 2023 and I couldn’t go.  But Fucked Up opened for them and I sure as hell would have enjoyed THAT double bill.

  1. On Top £
  2. I Fall Down ♠
  3. Hard Drive ♠
  4. Wolf’s Sun ♠
  5. Changing Colors ‰
  6. Living a Lie £
  7. Down On My Knees ♠
  8. One More Night ♠
  9. Voodoo Train €
  10. Black Lightning £
  11. Startime €

♠ Heavy Steady Go
£ Black Lightning
€ Red White and Black
‰ Let It Blast

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