Posted in AF2K, Crossroads, Garwood, NJ, Rush, The OBGMs on December 21, 2025| Leave a Comment »
[DID NOT ATTEND: December 21, 2025] AF2K
My friend Doug is a huge Rush fan and likes seeing all of the local tribute bands. He told me about AF2K (A Farewell to Kings) they play primarily 70s/80s Rush songs, and that’s my favorite era.
I also love that they were playing on 12/21.
But had just had surgery and even though this was a seated show, there was just no way.
Posted in Aaron West & The Roaring Twenties, Alex Orange Drink, Annie DiRusso, Balance and Composure, Brother Bird, Chmpagne Jam, Family Dinner, Funambulist, Kevin Devine, Kevin Devine & The Goddamn Band, Leisure Hour, Palomino, Philadelphia, PA, Public Works, The Fillmore Philadelphia, The Front Bottoms, The Lunar Calendar, This is Lorelei on December 19, 2025| Leave a Comment »
[DID NOT ATTEND: December 19-20, 2022] Champagne Jam 2025
Every year for quite some time, The Front Bottoms have been doing a Champagne Jam at the close of the calendar year.
I got tickets in 2022 but we didn’t go. This year I didn’t plan on going although my daughter surprised me by saying she wanted to go to one of the days. Then I explained what all was involved–that it wasn’t just a headliner and opener and she agreed that she didn’t want to deal with all that.
So who was there this year? It was much smaller than the 2022 edition, which seemed to have several venues involved. This one was just the Fillmore and the Foundry. (more…)
Posted in Built to Spill, Guerrilla Toss, Philadelphia, PA, Union Transfer on December 18, 2025| Leave a Comment »
[DID NOT ATTEND: December 18, 2025] Built to Spill / Guerilla Toss
I love Built to Spill. I’ve seen them half a dozen times and they’re always fun. Doug Martsch doesn’t really do anything in stage, except shred like a maniac, but somehow the shows are always fun. For the longest time I had seen Modest Mouse and Built to Spill the same number of times. But the last two Built to Spill shows I’ve had to miss for one reason or another. I was hoping to get BTS to catch up, but it didn’t happen. Hope the come back next year.
I had missed Guerilla Toss back in October when they did their headline show. So I was excited that they were opening on this Built to Spill tour. Although I missed a bunch of shows because of the surgery, this was the only one I was really bummed about.
Posted in Flounder Brewing Co, Hillsborough NJ, Kevin Devine on December 17, 2025| Leave a Comment »
[ATTENDED: December 17, 2025] Kevin Devine
I’ve been a fan of Kevin Devine and the Goddamn Band for several years now. I first saw him opening a show and I really enjoyed his brief set. I’ve since seen him solo and with the Goddamn band. So when they announced that he would be playing a show at a Brewery fifteen minutes from my house, I grabbed tickets immediately.
And then my scheduled surgery was moved up from January to December 10. I assumed there was no way I could go. And yet, a week later I felt great and figured I could surely sit for 90 minutes. I reached out to Flounder and secured two seats and by midday I felt well enough to go.
Sadly, I am an idiot and never confirmed the start time. I thought it started at 8, but it actually started at 7:30 and it sounds like Kevin mingled and chatted with everyone. So we arrived around 7:45, embarrassingly after he had started. And we clearly missed ten or fifteen minutes. However, Kevin played 20 songs while we were there and finished a little after nine, so even if we missed a few songs, we still had a great night of music. [Turns out we only missed one full song, some of the second song and a 5 minute intro, phew]. (more…)
Posted in Algernon Cadwallader, Gladie, Philadelphia, PA, Snoozer, Union Transfer on December 13, 2025| Leave a Comment »
[DID NOT ATTEND: December 13, 2025] Algernon Cadwallader / Gladie / Snoozer
Algernon Cadawallader has reunited and played a bunch of shows. Before they reunited I had not heard of them. But I had since listened to them and thought they sounded pretty great.
I haven’t been able to see them the last two times they were in town. But I secured a ticket for this show.
And then I had surgery and couldn’t even leave the house. I think I’ll give them one more chance and if I miss that one I’ll gibe up on them entirely.
I saw Gladie open for Otoboke Beaver back in 2023. Since then Gladie has been getting a good buzz about them, which is cool because they were really good. I would have definitely enjoyed seeing them again.
Snoozer is an “alternative group from philly. delco brothers make weird rock.” They play slow slacker rock.
Posted in Abe Partridge, Milkboy, Philadelphia, PA on December 13, 2025| Leave a Comment »
[DID NOT ATTEND: December 13, 2025] Great Lake Swimmers / Abe Partridge
I 
thought I knew the Great Lake Swimmers from Ontario. But it turns out I don’t. I was getting them mixed up with someone else. I can see the album cover, but it clearly says another band name.
Great Lake Swimmers are a folk band. They seem alright, but I’m not going to see them.
Abe Partridge is a folk singer from Alabama with a very pronounced Alabama accent while he sings. It’s almost cute, but I don’t like it.
It’s good to keep track of artists you don’t like as well as the ones you like.
Posted in Laney Jones and the Spirits, Philadelphia, PA, The Foundry, The Heavy Heavy on December 11, 2025| Leave a Comment »
[DID NOT ATTEND: December 11, 2025] The Heavy Heavy / Laney Jones and the Spirits
When I first heard The Heavy Heavy, I was annoyed because they are not heavy at all. They are very light and breezy–a real California sound. However, I’ve heard a few songs and I really like Go Down River.
The Heavy Heavy are a duo from Brighton, based in London with the Guardian saying they have that “lick of madness that makes early Fleetwood Mac and peak Stones so thrilling.”
I’m not sure I’d say thrilling, but they are enjoyable. I’m not sure if I wanted to see them live, but I wound up having surgery the day before this show, so that wasn’t going to happen, regardless.
Laney Jones and the Spirits are the project of Laney Jones, who is from Maryland. I listened to three songs, one was a banjo infused folk song with a major twang, the second song was a slackery garage rock song with noisy guitars, the third was a mellow song with her singing in her slackery way. So I guess she’s mostly a garage rock band.
Either way I wasn’t able to go to the show.
Posted in Chokecherry, Philadelphia, PA, The Sewing Club, Warehouse on Watts on December 10, 2025| Leave a Comment »
[ATTENDED: December 9, 2025] Chokecherry
I was scheduled to have total hip replacement surgery on the day after this show. I didn’t think I’d be able to go and then two things changed my mind. The first is that I saw that the show was fairly short–Chokecherry was playing for about an hour. The second was that my surgery wasn’t scheduled until the afternoon. I had assumed it would be early in the morning, but a later appointment meant I could sleep in. As it turned out my wife had a minor emergency after I got home that kept us up until 3AM, so it was all moot, but whatever, I’m thrilled that I got to go to this show.
I had seen Chokecherry open for Destroy Boys about a year ago and I loved them. The band seems to consist of guitarist Izzie A. Clark and bassist E. Scarlett Levinson. Their second guitarist and drummer were different from last time.
Warehouse on Watts is really small, so while Scarlett was setting up her gear (in a long faux fur coat), I chatted with her for a moment. I told her how much I liked them when they opened. And she told me that she had food poisoning that night. I never would have guessed, although in retrospect, when she said she talked a lot less than usual, it was true given how much she talked tonight.
They opened with a favorite song from their previous EP, Afterglow–slow and moody opening with crashing choruses. Scarlett commented that the new album is pretty sad, although the first song they played from it Major Threat is a blistering rocker with a catchy chorus.
I love that Izzie and Scarlett switch off on lead vocals for nearly every song.
Things quieted down a bit for Secrets, but this allowed them to really feature their harmonies. I was more or less in front of Scarlett, so I could really hear her delicate higher voice. I was a little bummed that I couldn’t see Izzie that well because I remembered that she shredded impressively. She still sounded great even if on the other side of the stage. Particularly on the delicate guitar intro of Goldmine.
I loved how much the crowd new the songs by name when they were introduced and Scarlett’s super high vocals on Pretty Things (which the crowd knew) were stellar. Second guitarists was excellent, either making the sound fuller while Izzie soloed or adding some extra flourishes. (more…)
Posted in Chokecherry, Philadelphia, PA, The Sewing Club, Warehouse on Watts on December 9, 2025| Leave a Comment »
[ATTENDED: December 9, 2025] The Sewing Club
The Sewing Club is from Nashville. I hadn’t heard of them before this show. When I walked in, their guitarist was at a merch table selling cute little hand sewed monsters. He later told me he had been sewing since he was little and thought it would be fun merch given their band name. And it was! I bought one.
The Sewing Club are a four piece of two guitars (Stephen Meaux and Justin McKinney), drummer Zach McCoy (who added great backing vocals) and singer/bassist/keyboardist Hannah McElroy. I was in front of McCoy and very close to their merch guitarist (I’m not sure who was who). I could clearly see McElroy, but the other guitarist was on the far side of the stage and I never really saw him.
They opened up quietly with Sport Mode. I enjoyed the shoegaze vibe of the song and the intensity of the guitars, but was blown away when the song started rocking out. The loud part was simple but really catchy with the two guitars playing different parts (one lead). Up next was Wyatt, a song that mixed the tempo up right from the start (and which had some soaring guitar lines).
I enjoyed watching the crowd around me get more and more into the set especially when Wait kicked in and ramped up the intensity.
For Bite, Hannah switched to keys. This was a much slower and more mellow song, although the rest of the band joined in before the end. After an unknown song (the most rocking of the set with lines something like I wish you’d die), they played a newer song that they were sure they’d screw up (they didn’t) with some fun headbanging from Hannah.
They ended their 30 minute set with Strange, a slower song that filled the room and had a killer guitar riff. I really liked their set a lot and look forward to more music from them.
Sport Mode ∼
Wyatt¢
Pocket ∼
Wait ∼
Bite $
(Unknown)
Alright Ok %
Strange ¢
% single (2026)
∼The Sewing Club EP (2025)
¢ Care EP (2024)
$ single (2024)
Posted in Jay Som, Philadelphia, PA, Sea Lemon, The Foundry on December 9, 2025| Leave a Comment »
[DID NOT ATTEND: December 9, 2025] Jay Som / Sea Lemon
Jay Som is the creation of Melina Duterte. I saw Jay Som at The Foundry in 2019. ANd after that show she kind of disappeared from music. She cancelled her European tour and for the last little while she has been playing with boygenius. I really enjoyed her show and I absolutely loved her song with Palehound (the band Bachelor) called Get in the Car. The Bachelor tour (which I had a ticket to) was also cancelled.
I would have liked to see what Jay Som is up to, but I had a ticket to see Chokecherry, a band I really wanted to see again.
Sea Lemon is the Seattle-based dreampop solo project of musician Natalie Lew. I like dream pop but I don’t like when it’s too slow. Sea Lemon hits a nice balance of dreaminess but with a beat. This suggests that Jay Som’s new music is mellower. But that may not be true.
I Just Read About That... 