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Darlingside / Field Guide (Ardmore Music Hall, Ardmore, PA, December 1, 2023) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Ardmore Music Hall, Ardmore, PA, Darlingside, Field Guide on December 1, 2023| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: December 1, 2023] Darlingside / Field Guide

My wife and I were huge fans of Darlingside.  Seen them four times and pit them on my “always see them” list.

But for some reason, the last few times they announced shows nearby we weren’t that interested.

It may be temporary or maybe their original sound was exactly what I needed at that time.

They have changed a little over t he last few years, including the departure of one of their core members.  I don;t think that has anything to do with our lake of interest.  Honestly it may just be end of the year burn out.

So, maybe if they come around again soon we’ll check them out.  I just checked and saw that it has been four years snce we’ve seen them.  Maybe next time we’re due.

I hadn’t heard of Field Guide.  A review from Red Guitar Music says

 Hailing from Manitoba, Canada, Field Guide is the brainchild of singer-songwriter Dylan MacDonald and Full Time is a beautifully hushed quartet of thoughtfully written, warmly delivered songs of heartbreak, loss and leaving.  Artists trading in confessional acoustic intimacy are pretty easy to come by but what sets Field Guide apart from the crowd is the lyrical quality and the careful, understated execution in what they do.  Rather than wallowing in regret, the songs take a more philosophical path, which oddly makes this record feel more like a pick-me-up than a drag-me-down.  The songs are sad but matter-of-fact; sober but wry.

Sounds like the kind of nice opening act that Darlingside would pick.

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Darlingside: Free at Noon (Ardmore Music Hall, Ardmore, PA, December 1, 2023) [DID NOT ATTEND–COVID]

Posted in Ardmore Music Hall, Ardmore, PA, Coronavirus, Darlingside on December 1, 2023| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: December 1, 2023] Darlingside

I had been thinking about the Darlingside show and how it was kind of sad that I wasn’t dying to see them again.

And then this Free at Noon was announced.

Sure, it was at Ardmore Music Hall, which is far–not even closer to my work like most Free at Noon shows are.  But I was planning on taking some time off and driving to Ardmore and STILL going to the Baroness show that evening.

And then I tested positive for COVID.  Ugh.

This sounds like it would have been a great short spell of seeing Darlingside again.  Although it’s not the same Darlingside anymore, as this review from WXPN’s The Key says

Darlingside’s core four-piece — Paseltiner on guitar and cello, Don Mitchell on guitar and banjo, Auyon Mukharji on mandolin and violin, and David Senft on bass — is augmented on this run by Molly Parden on bass, Benjamin Burns on drums, and Deni Hlavinka on keys. Putting Darlingside in more of a rock band configuration adds energy and atmosphere to new cuts like “Green and Evergreen” and “Green Light,” but their exquisite harmonies soared on older favorites like 2015’s “The God Of Loss.”

One of the best things about Darlingside (aside from the music) is the banter.  And it was in evidence at this show:

As usual, the band used its copious tuning and re-tuning breaks for playful conversation: describing the venue to the radio audience at home, arranging the band intros by hometown and number of syllables in each member’s last name.

And this sounds like an amazing moment

And when they stepped offstage and into the crowd for a breathtaking off-air off-mic encore of Everything Is Alive‘s “The Breaking Of The Day,” played “directly under the disco ball,” they had the room enthralled.

Stupid COVID

SETLIST

  • Green And Evergreen
  • White Horses
  • Green Light
  • Hold Your Head Up High
  • Right Friend
  • Darkening Hour
  • The God Of Loss
  • Ocean Bed
  • The Breaking of The Day

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Mary Jane Dunphe  (Theatre of Living Arts [TLA], Philadelphia, PA, November 29, 2023) [DEAFHEAVEN]

Posted in Deafheaven, Mary Jane Dunphe, Philadelphia, PA, Ringo Deathstarr, Theatre of Living Arts, Touché Amoré on November 30, 2023| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: November 29, 2023] Mary Jane Dunphe

I didn’t know there was an opening act for this show until a few hours before the show.  I looked up Mary Jane Dunphe, listened to a song and didn’t much like it.

So, according to The Creative Independent

Mary Jane Dunphe is a poet and musician who tells stories—not through direct narrative but through embodied presence and performance, through cinematic and fragmented memory, the wild transmission of feeling. Her versatile songwriting has garnered critical acclaim in past projects such as the visceral punk of Vexx and Gen Pop, the minimal dream pop of CCFX and CC Dust, and the lonesome country-rock of The County Liners—and now Dunphe’s debut solo album, Stage of Love (out now on Pop Wig), is the start of a captivating new chapter.

Mary Jane came out on stage wearing a Sinead O’Connor T-shirt with FIGHT THE REAL ENEMY on the back.  A very promising start.  Then she told us it was her birthday.  When someone started singing happy birthday to her, she held up a finger and said “No.  I’m the singer,” and then laughed.

Then she hit a key on a device behind her, strapped on a guitar and sang a very mediocre song.  The music was okay and the lyrics were hard to decipher.  I see now that she is a poet, so I suspect that means the words are more important than the music.  When the song ended, she played chords on her guitar for a few more measures, eventually sliding up the neck to make a wall of noise.  When that stopped, she put down the guitar, tapped the device again and walked to the mic.

The music–even more spare without the guitar–filled the room.  Mary Jane swayed and spun and danced and hopped and occasionally sang.  It occurred  to me that the singing wasn’t really in tune or on time.

And her performing wasn’t particularly interesting either.  A lot of spinning, some stomping, occasionally touching herself.  There was even a somersault at one point.  It just felt a lot like what a little kid thinks performance is.  And since you couldn’t really hear the words, it wasn’t very impactful.

I honestly wondered if she was like the local promoter’s daughter who was getting her first shot at being on stage.  And then I discovered  that she has been in bands for years.

I am a very forgiving viewer, but I had a really hard time with this one.  I also assumed she’s be done after 20 minutes (12 was enough), but she was allowed to stay up there for 30.  Oof.

She received decent applause after each song, but I don’t know if people were entirely genuine about it.  Both Touché Amoré and Deafheaven sang her praises during their set, with Touché Amoré really hyping her.  But I didn’t get it.

I have also seen that Ringo Deathstarr opened for them on a few shows.  I would have 200% preferred to see them.

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Pierce the Veil (Santander Arena, Reading, PA, November 25, 2023)

Posted in Dayseeker, Destroy Boys, L.S. Dunes, Pierce the Veil, Reading PA, Santander Arena on November 29, 2023| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: November 25, 2023] Pierce the Veil

My son and I saw Pierce the Veil this summer in Asbury Par–on a storm-filled evening in which the opening band was dropped entirely and every other band did a shortened set (PtV played 7 songs).

This tour was, technically, I think, part of that tour–all for the new album.  But instead of it being a double-headline bill, PtV was the main headliner.

They played like it.

And the crowd responded in kind.

I’ve been to a lot of shows where the audience is 100% into the band, but after my two PtV shows, I’d have to say their audiences have to be the most intense.  Everyone knows every word to every song.  The people behind me even brought their small children with them.

For this show they played more than twice as many songs as when we saw them last time–although they did not play “Bulls in the Bronx” a song that I love.  But that’s fine.

While this tour is for the new album (they played six songs from it), they did not shy away from older songs at all.

The set was mostly loud rockers.  Starting with the opener “Death of an Executioner.”  They followed it with a song from their debut album–with angry vocals, the kind of which they don’t really use anymore.

I don’t actually know a lot of their songs all that well, but I really enjoyed “Circles”–these guys know their way around a chorus. (more…)

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GZA & The Phunky Nomads / Rebelmatic (Underground Arts, Philadelphia, PA, November 29, 2023) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Philadelphia, PA, Rebelmatic, Underground Arts on November 29, 2023| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: November 29, 2023] GZA & The Phunky Nomads / Rebelmatic

I saw a poster for GZA playing Underground Arts and I was kind of surprised that he wouldn’t play a larger venue.  But I don’t know much about the individual Wu-Tang members, so I shouldn’t guess at how successful they are.

I wasn’t planning on going to this show, but when I heard that he was touring with Fishbone (although not here) I checked out this show a little more.

Turns out Rebelmatic is an amazing band.  I hadn’t heard of them, but listened to a few songs and  they are great.  This blurb is pretty spot on

Style Weekly recently asked the legendary HR of Bad Brains if there were any bands out today that reminded him of the Brains. “There’s a group called Rebelmatic,” was his response. 
 Certainly high praise for a band that recently came off tour with Fishbone’s Angelo Moore. “Rebelmatic brings out the automatic rebel in you,” Moore stated of his tour mates. 
 Rockers, Rebelmatic have been racking up a large number of legendary live performances, most recently packing out Webster Hall with indie darling Kool A.D. (Das Racist).

I’m still not going to this show, but I will definitely keep an eye our for Rebelmatic in the future.

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L.S. Dunes (Santander Arena, Reading, PA, November 25, 2023) [PIERCE THE VEIL]

Posted in Coheed & Cambria, Dayseeker, Destroy Boys, L.S. Dunes, My Chemical Romance, Pierce the Veil, Thursday on November 28, 2023| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: November 25, 2023] L.S. Dunes

L.S. Dunes is like an emo supergroup.  The five guys in the band are each from at least one other well-known band.

Frank Iero (guitar) is from My Chemical Romance.  Travis Stever (guitar) is from Coheed & Cambria.  Tim Payne (bass) and Tucker Rule (drums) are from Thursday and singer Anthony Green is from Circa: Survive and a bunch of other bands.  Circa Survive is the only band I didn’t know, so I had a sense of what they sounded like–but not their vocalist.  Actually, I heard him sing a song with Thursday when we saw them open for MCR, but I don’t remember it.

This band started during the pandemic, with the various guys sending tapes back and forth to each other.  They’re all from roughly the east coast, (NJ, NY, PA) which is kind of cool for those of us on the east coast.

When the band came out they sounded so much bigger than Dayseeker.  I don’t know if it’s because the opening bands played via a less sophisticated sound system or what, but L.S. Dunes’ music filled  the arena in a way that Dayseeker didn’t.

The music was interesting and complex.  And singer Green hit high notes and growled alternately.

When I was at the merch table, the guy selling L.S. Dunes merch said sometimes the best first exposure to a band is live.  I agree with that sentiment although I think this particular first exposure wasn’t ideal because we were so far away and the lights weren’t great and, despite me saying how full the sound was, it still sounded a little rough (too loud maybe?)

Regardless, I really enjoyed the set and look forward to seeing them again in a smaller venue where I can really appreciate what they’re doing.

  1. Permanent Rebellion ♠
  2. Bombsquad ♠
  3. Like Forever ♠
  4. Grey Veins ♠
  5. Benadryl Subreddit ∇
  6. It Takes Time ♠
  7. Grifter ♠
  8. Past Lives ♠
  9. 2022 ♠
  10. Old Wounds ∇

∇ single (2023)
♠ Past Lives (2022)

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Dayseeker (Santander Arena, Reading, PA, November 25, 2023) [PIERCE THE VEIL]

Posted in Dayseeker, Destroy Boys, L.S. Dunes, Pierce the Veil, Reading PA, Santander Arena on November 27, 2023| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: November 25, 2023] Dayseeker

Dayseeker was the only band on this bill that I had never heard of.  I was rather surprised to find that they’d been around for almost ten years.

I’m always interested in finding out about new (to me) bands, and there were lots of people with Dayseeker T-shirts on in the crowd, but I really just couldn’t get into them.

They weren’t bad, they were just sort of generic emo.  I wanted to see if I was alone in thinking this, and I found this review from SputnikMusic which loved Rory Rodriguez’ voice, but found the album to be less challenging than their previous one:

Erase his voice from any track, and it instantly becomes mediocre at best, with toned down musicianship, unnecessary breakdowns, and borderline lazy guitar and drum work. To dismiss the record for those shortcomings though, while not entirely unjustified, would be a bit short-sighted.

So, I guess that’s what I was hearing.  And, because the sound at the Santander Arena isn’t great, I wasn’t that impressed by his voice either.

And again, none of it was bad, it was just sort of there.  I tapped my foot to some songs, kind of got into some others, but as I write this just a few days later, I can’t remember a thing about them.

Except that after every song, Rodriguez said “If you know our band, then you know…”  It was a pretty weird was to introduce every song.   He also pretty clearly lays his heart on his sleeve, talking about his father’s battle with cancer and about how the band almost gave up seven years ago (that was when I realized how long these guys had been around).

Their set was almost as short as Destroy Boys, though so all was good.

  1. Dreamstate ♣
  2. Burial Plot ¥
  3. Homesick ♣
  4. Without Me ♣
  5. Crying While You’re Dancing ♣
  6. Sleeptalk ¥
  7. Neon Grave ♣

¥ Sleeptalk (2019)
♣ Dark Sun (2022)

  • Rory Rodriguez – vocals
  • Gino Sgambelluri – guitar
  • Mike Karle – drums
  • Ramone Valerio – bass

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Destroy Boys (Santander Arena, Reading, PA, November 25, 2023) [PIERCE THE VEIL]

Posted in Dayseeker, Destroy Boys, L.S. Dunes, Pierce the Veil, Reading PA, Santander Arena on November 26, 2023| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: November 25, 2023] Destroy Boys

My son was listening to Destroy Boys a few months ago and I really dug their sound.  I imagined they’d be really fun to see live, so I made a note to see when they came near us.

Then it turned out that they were opening this show for Pierce the Veil.

I’d rather have seen them in a small venue, but seeing them at all is better than not seeing them.

Since we knew how long it took us to get to Reading after going on Wednesday, we planned our timing and had enough time to get some dinner (at a Bojangles!).  We still cut it a little closer than I liked but after we parked and scampered to the arena, we had a comfortable amount of time to find our seats before the lights dimmed and the band came out.

To virtual invisibility.

For some godawful reason, the venue decided to bathe the band in purple, which rendered them almost entirely invisible from where we were seated.   It stayed that way for a couple of songs and then they switched to a friendlier white/yellow schema so you could actually see how many people were on stage.  Although I feel like there were five sometimes, I only see 4 band members listed: Alexia Roditis vocals / guitar ; Violet Mayugba guitar ; Narsai Malik – drums ; David Orozco – bass.  But I’m also pretty sure there was some instrument switching going on.

The sound was also a little rough (arena shows, amiright?) but the band’s energy was undeniable.

When we finally could see them, they were jumping around stage and generally kicking butt.  (more…)

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Ice Nine Kills (Santander Arena, Reading, PA, November 22, 2023)

Posted in Avatar, Ice Nine Kills, In This Moment, New Years Day, Reading PA, Santander Arena on November 24, 2023| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: November 22, 2023] Ice Nine Kills

This was my third time seeing Ice Nine Kills (and my son’s fifth time, I believe).  For this show, I specifically wanted to see them from above the crowd, rather than from the pit.  I assumed that the visuals would be even better if I could clearly see them.

This was true, except that the lighting was rather poor and I felt like things weren’t as clear as they could have been.

But that’s okay.  The band was still great and the performance was really enjoyable.

The last time we saw them, they were co-headlining with two other bands, so their set was only 50 minutes.  This show was longer, but not a lot longer (they played two more songs than last time).

The show was largely the same songs as the last time, but done in a different order and with a different stage setup.  There were two TV screens on either side of the stage and they showed commercials (real and fake) between songs as introductions to the movies the songs were about.

This time, they opened with “Hip to be Scared” and I enjoyed filming the scene where singer Spencer Charnas hacks up the hapless guy who wandered on stage.  (more…)

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In This Moment (Santander Arena, Reading, PA, November 22 2023) [ICE NINE KILLS]

Posted in Avatar, Ice Nine Kills, In This Moment, New Years Day, Reading PA, Santander Arena on November 23, 2023| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: November 22, 2023] In This Moment

I had not heard of In This Moment before this show.  I looked them up and saw that they were very theatrical (which makes sense given this tour–Ice Nine Kills does horror movies on stage, Avatar is a circus).  But when I listened to them, I didn’t really love the music.  It was really simple and really angry.

But I was curious to see them, mostly for their stage show.

But the kids wanted to get some merch.  And we wound up on the merch line for a REALLY long time–we missed half of the In This Moment set.

I was able to see them as they opened to the strains of Don’t Stop Believin’ (!) and their stage set was revealed (glowing lights giant crosses).

I looked again during the second song and I really liked their stage setup.  It was very cool.

We missed some of the middle here and then walked in as they were playing Björk’s Army of Me.  I didn’t recognize it as we were heading to our seats but once I sat down, I realized what it was and wished I had heard more of it.

They followed it with a cover of her “favorite” song, Nine Inch Nails “Something I Can Never Have.”  It was quite pretty (especially compared to the loud noisy music of the other songs) but it went on for a pretty long time and I was a little bored by the end.

The show was quite the spectacle–Maria Brink is the ringleader of the bunch.  She was wearing diaphanous robes (I couldn’t see her all that well, so I don’t know what else was going on).   She also had a bunch of background dancers who did very nice choreographed routines, including one where they stood behind her and put their arms out like Vishnu.  Since we were straight on, we could really see the effect and it was great.

I did really like Big Bad Wolf with  the empowering, screamed vocals: “even in these chains you can’t stop me.”  In fact, Brink is a great feminist icon, telling women and girls not to be held back.  I really liked her voice, which sounded almost like  soul singer as she spoke–she sounded like someone, although I couldn’t place it.

It wasn’t until somewhere near the last song that I realize she had a band on stage with her.  The lighting was such that it was hard to see them.  Her guitarists Chris Howorth and Randy Weitzel were somewhere on the stage, kind of lost in the lighting that focused all attention in Brink.  In fact, I only ever saw two guys on stage, so maybe one of them was Travis Johnson on bass.  Her drummer Kent Diimmel was off to the side with a pretty large set-strange that I missed it earlier.

For the final song, the band left the stage and did a kind of encore (INK did NOT do an encore).  It may have just been more of an opportunity to set up the proper for the final song–a lifeguard’s chair (or something like it) with the word WHORE in big red letters on it.

She set the song up with some powerful words to all the young women out there and then sang

You probably thought I wouldn’t get this farYou thought I’d end up in the back of a carYou probably thought that I’d never escapeI’d be a rat in a cage, I’d be a slave to this placeYou don’t know how hard I fought to surviveWaking up alone when I was left to dieYou don’t know about this life I’ve livedAll these roads I’ve walkedAll these tears I’ve bled
So how can this be?You’re praying to meThere’s a look in your eyesI know just what that meansI can be, I can be your everything
I didn’t really love the tone of the music.  It was a little too….something.  Processed maybe?   I don’t know.  But I enjoyed the visuals and the power that Brink exuded.  They’d be very fun to see in a small club too.

SETLIST

Don’t Stop Believin’ (Journey recording)
Salvation (recording)

    1. The Purge ≠
    2. The In-Between ω
    3. SANCTIFY ME ≠
    4. Blood ♥
    5. Sacrifice ≠
      The Infection [recording]
    6. Army of Me (Björk cover)
    7. Something I Can Never Have (Nine Inch Nails cover)
    8. Adrenalize ♥
    9. Big Bad Wolf ⊗
      encore
    10. Whore ♥

♥ Blood (2012)
⊗ Black Widow (2014)
ω Mother (2020)
≠ GODMODE (2023)

 

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