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Archive for the ‘Rocket’ Category

Rocket (Warehouse on Watts, Philadelphia, PA, November 7, 2025)

Posted in Bleary Eyed, Cashier, Philadelphia, PA, Rocket, Warehouse on Watts on November 9, 2025| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: November 7, 2025] Rocket

About a year ago I saw Rocket open for Ride and I loved their set. I wrote then

This band is from LA and holy cow, they scratched just about every musical itch I had.  Soft female vocals, shoegaze to heavy crunchy guitars.  It was all there.  I loved every second of their set.

I mentioned the L.A. part because there’s a few bands named Rocket and this was the easiest way to distinguish them.

Anyhow, I said that I would definitely see them again and here was a great opportunity.

There’s nothing fancy in Warehouse on Watts and that’s totally fine.  It’s all about the music.  And wow, did Rocket sound great.  Despite this being a tour for their new album, they opened with Take Your Aim from their previous album.  It’s got great guitar riffs and a classic 90s alt rock sound,   It wasn’t quite as immediate as Portrait Show (which won me instantly last time and which they didn’t even play this time (!). But it was still great.

I loved the vocal melody on the chorus of Sugarcoated.  Things got loud again with a great fuzzy bass intro and perfect guitar lines on “Act Like Your Title.”  “Crossing Fingers” continued with perfect quiet verses and soaring vocals and a great chord progression in the chorus.

For The choice she moved to the keys adding a droning high end with really no low end–a nice mix up in tone as the guitar played  a cool melody.  But SHE was back to the bass for Crazy with the nice low end kicking back in.  For Number One Fan, the guitarist moved to synth for this dreamy slow song.

The final three songs were three that they played last time, too.  They were unreleased at the time.  Pretending has another classic grungy riff–hits all the sweet spots.  Wide Awake is a solid rocker with guitar harmonics and a heavy riff.

And R is for Rocket is a fantastic set ender.  It rocks with a great riff and then has a lengthy jam in the middle of the song–not a wild soloing jam, just a nice noisy jam with the band enjoying the riffs that they made.

The set was about an hour and they played a great set,  I was pretty surprised that they didn’t play more of the songs they played last time.  But it was nice to hear the new ones.

 

2025 [W.O.W. headline] 2024 [open Ride]
Take Your Aim ∇ Portrait Show ∇
One Million ® Sugarcoated ∇
Sugarcoated ∇ Pretending ®
Act Like Your Title ® On Your Heels ∇
Crossing Fingers ® Normal to Me ∇
The Choice ® Pipe Dream ∇
Crazy ® Wide Awake ®
Number One Fan ® R is for Rocket ®
Another Second Chance ®
Pretending ®
Wide Awake®
R is for Rocket®

® R is for Rocket (2025)
∇ Versions of You (2023)

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Cashier (Warehouse on Watts, Philadelphia, PA, November 7, 2025) [ROCKET]

Posted in Bleary Eyed, Cashier, Philadelphia, PA, Rocket, Warehouse on Watts on November 8, 2025| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: November 7, 2025] Cashier

Cashier is a four piece from Louisiana.  Before this show I went to their bandcamp and found exactly five songs.  And I liked them all.  A grungy shoegaze vibe with female vocals and cool guitar sounds.

I stood in front of singer guitarist Kylie Gaspard who played intensely and sang with a similar intensity.  She was an early focus for me, but I soon realized  that the whole band was fun to watch.

They opened with Beginner, and like on the recorded version, it opens with feedback and two guitars playing one note over and over until one of the guitars turns it into a little riff and then the song slams out with the full force of the band.

Guitarist Joseph Perillo and bassist Austyn Wood were on the far side and I couldn’t really see them, but Perillo’s guitars were great–playing lead lines throughout the songs. (more…)

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Bleary Eyed (Warehouse on Watts, Philadelphia, PA, November 7, 2025) [ROCKET]

Posted in Bleary Eyed, Cashier, Philadelphia, PA, Rocket, Warehouse on Watts on November 7, 2025| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: November 7, 2025] Bleary Eyed

I was supposed to see Bleary Eyed with Hello Mary back in 2024.   But family things came up and I couldn’t go.  I don’t always try to see bands that I missed for one reason or another. And I certainly don’t with opening bands.  But it is fun to see a band that I was supposed to and check them off an imaginary list.

Bleary Eyed is from Philadelphia so I’m surprised I have seen them on more bills, but I consider myself lucky that there are so many good Philly bands that can get tossed onto a bill sometimes as the first or second opener.

Bleary Eyed is the brainchild of Nathaniel Salfi who sings and plays guitar.  He started the project in 2015 and has had a mostly revolving lineup.  Margot Whipps joined the band on vocals and guitar a couple of years ago (she’s also credited with bass).

Bleary Eyed turned out to be a classic-sounding shoegaze band with chorusing guitars and washes of sound.  There were also some keyboard flourishes and two singers.    Nathaniel has a somewhat deeper voice that flows perfectly with the sound.

I enjoyed the way they mixed up the sound with some really good loud/quiet shifts in Wreck.  There was also some good My Bloody Valentinesque soloing at the opening of 2 True.  And a great opening riff on Upset which was sung by Margot.  I felt like her vocals were not loud enough, although it may have been that I was on the other side and everyone on my side was loud. (more…)

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Ride (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, December 7, 2024)

Posted in Philadelphia, PA, Ride, Rocket, Union Transfer on December 8, 2024| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: December 7, 2024] Ride

I’ve known of (and enjoyed some of) Ride’s music for decades.  I was never a huge fan, but there were a few songs that I liked a lot.

Last year, Ride played a show with the Charlatans, but a snowstorm kept me away.  So here was another chance to see them.

I didn’t realize that they had been broken up for 21 years when they released their reunion album in 2017.  Here it is 7 years after that and they’re still a going concern.

I didn’t know really anything since they’d reunited, so I didn’t really care what they played–I assumed they’d play the few songs that I did know since those were the hits.

And I really enjoyed the new songs quite a lot–they were some of my favorites of the night.  A guy up front (who was bouncing and dancing the whole show) shouted how great the new album was and the band got a kick out of it with Mark Gardener thanking him for the affirmation (they later gave him a pick and a setlist I believe). (more…)

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Rocket (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, December 7, 2024) [RIDE]

Posted in Philadelphia, PA, Ride, Rocket, Union Transfer on December 7, 2024| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: December 7, 2024] Rocket

I’ve known of (and enjoyed some of) Ride’s music for decades.  I was never a huge fan, but there were a few songs that I liked a lot.

Last year, Ride played a show with the Charlatans, but a snowstorm kept me away.  So here was another chance to see them.

I hadn’t heard of the opening band (there are a few different bands called Rocket).  And it’s not lost one me that the marquee would read Rocket Ride.

This band is from LA and holy cow, they scratched just about every musical itch I had.

Soft female vocals, shoegaze to heavy crunchy guitars.  It was all there.  I loved every second of their set.

When the first chord change of Portrait Show was exactly what I hoped it would be, I knew this band was for me.

I wished that Alithea Tuttle’s vocals were a little louder (it’s probably because I was standing s close to the stage) although the quieter mix worked well with the overall sound.  Her bass was great though, understated and used perfectly to emphasize some of the songs.  (more…)

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